Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Strive For The Mastery Pt.2

Let's go ahead and turn to 1 Corinthians 9 and pick up where we were this morning. We're living in a day, as we said, of mediocrity. That seems to be the norm; it seems to be accepted, and in everything that's being done today, the church has allowed itself to be deluded. The Bible says that one of the great tragedies is when people begin to judge themselves and compare themselves by themselves. So much of the American church today looks around and says, "We're living better than the world, so that must be acceptable to God." And yet, the biblical standard has been given to us. "Be ye holy, as I am holy. Come out from among them, touch not the unclean thing, saith the Lord, and I will receive you." We have this mandate that's been given to us, and yet we're continually being told that there is a substandard that's acceptable. But Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, and they will not be grievous unto you." It's not going to be something that burdens you down, and you say. "That's not right; it's not acceptable; it's not fair." But we realize that, along with His death, He's given us the indwelling Spirit of God that reveals all things that He taught to us. As we're celebrating this Pentecost Sunday, the Spirit of God lives inside of us and reminds us of everything that Jesus taught. Now, you may not have it all come to your mind, but the Holy Spirit is in there, constantly quickening you. By your own conscience, by that still small voice, by the intuitive knowing what's right and what's wrong, the Holy Spirit is constantly ordering our steps. Aren't you thankful for the indwelling Spirit and the power that He gives us to keep His commandments and walk in His great power, so that sin no longer has dominion over us?

We were sharing this morning, however, that it doesn't just happen. It's not something that just manifests itself because God has promised it. It's there for the taking; it's there for us who will diligently seek Him. For the Scripture says that when you seek the Lord with all of your heart, then you will find Him. There has to be a seeking; there has to be a pressing on to know, as the Scripture tells us. And yet, the thing that every one of us battles against is what we talked about with Peter this morning--the one warfare that you and I are engaged in that's the strongest it's ever been in the history of mankind. The Bible says, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." That's talking about, not only with humanity in general, but the day that you and I are living in. As you see this Day of the Lord approaching, iniquity is abounding and the love of many is waxing cold. Can you see it around you in those that are on the job, or out on the highways and the byways, when you go out witnessing? We go out all the time as a fellowship, and we're out sharing Jesus. Are you running into people who are calling themselves Christians, and yet it's so obvious that their love has waxed cold? How needful it is today to call the church back to its first love!

What about in our own lives? We don't want to compare ourselves by other Christians. We're a people that emphasize holiness; we're a people that emphasize being doers of the Word. We're not doing too bad of a job, but we can't compare ourselves with anybody else, only with the biblical standard of His holiness. So, we have to ask ourselves a question. It's not, "How do I rank with other Christians?" It's, "Am I growing in my knowledge of the Lord? Am I growing in Christ-likeness?" We don't judge ourselves by others' accomplishments, their doctrine, or the emphasis of their particular fellowships, the church that they may attend. You and I can only judge ourselves in one way: "Am I becoming more like Jesus, or am I becoming more like the world?" That's the only way that we can evaluate where we are. Because the thing that every one of us is opposing is this: all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We're opposing that motive, that force called pride--the original sin, independence, self-sufficiency, and (let's say it for what it really is) separation from God. As we just finished our last study, we saw that faith is dependence upon God. Unbelief, then, must be independence. Anytime we're moving in independence, we're moving in unbelief. And without dependence, it's impossible to please God. The Scripture says that without faith, it's impossible to please God. Without wholly relying on His lordship in our lives, it's impossible to please God. So, here we have the basic message of biblical discipleship, and that's the discerning of our own hearts. Do you love the world and the things that are in the world? If so (what does the Scripture say?), the love of the Father is not in you.

So, we have to answer that question. We saw it this morning in John 21, as Jesus said, "Simon, do you love Me more than these?" How many times have we denied Him by loving the things more than Him? But He said He would never leave us nor forsake us, and He continually pursues us. He says, "If you'll repent, then I have a task for you. I want you to feed My lambs. I want you to go out and take what you've learned in this period of chastisement, in this period of maturation, and teach others so they don't have to experience the same heartache, Peter, that you just went through in your weeping bitterly." Peter didn't know that the Lord was going to pursue him and restore him. Though he didn't go out and hang himself like Judas, I believe that Peter felt he was alone, and had forsaken, and had been forsaken. But the good news is this: though we deny Him, He cannot deny Himself. His love will not let Him cease to pursue you, and to woo you, and to draw you, and to break you, and to mold you. But in the process of all of this, beloved, there is the maturing to where we recognize His working in our lives, submit ourselves as clay in the Potter's hand, and let Him finish the work. There's something that's very interesting about a potter as he's working his clay. He's working on this particular vessel, and it's looking pretty good, and he gets it just about the way he wants it, but it's not quite perfect. So, what does he do? Slap! He'll crush it, and begin to work it again. Don't mistake the crushing for rejection. See it as a new molding taking place in your life, a new experience of becoming more like Him as He restores His eternal purpose into each of our lives.

Then we saw, as we were ending this morning in the ninth chapter of Corinthians, the admonition to every one of us to realize that we're in a race, and we're going to have to finish this thing. He that endures to the end shall be saved. So, it's a marathon; it's not a sprint. I've never really run a marathon. To me, 40 yards was sufficient. That was all I needed as an athlete; all I had to do was run 40 yards. In baseball, I only had to run 90 feet. There were a few times I had to run 180. I was never interested in triples; a double was fine (180 feet). If I was going more than 180 feet, I was jogging. I had hit it out, and then I'd just go into my home-run trot! (With plenty of cork in the bat, you can do it!) But this marathon that we've been called to run in is one that takes, not only physical, but mental preparation. Your body is going to want to quit many times. I'm talking about those that are running, not just to finish, but to win, to where you push your body beyond all its natural comfort zones. This is what Paul is saying. If you're going to be successful in the kingdom of God, you've got to approach this like an Olympic athlete. This is exactly what he's talking about here in Corinthians, and they knew what he was talking about. He was talking about the Olympic Games. You can read some of the ancient writers and see all they went through in preparation for these games. I was reading some of the writers this morning, and one of them was talking about the fact that it was interesting what you had to eat. He said, "You're going to eat foods that you don't necessarily like." He was probably talking about like green stuff and these kinds of things that are really harmful to you! In our day, they have all of the different supplements. Now, they've really changed things, and the supplements are a lot better; but years ago, when we worked out, we'd take different supplements, and some of this stuff was nasty! I mean, it was nasty stuff! You began to eat these things and bring the supplements into your body. You had to change your diet, and you had to change your sleeping regimen. Everything else became secondary to the molding of your body. It's amazing how you can transform yourself through this type of effort.

I saw Bruce Jenner the other day. He looks horrible! He looks emaciated! The last time I'd seen him was when he was winning the decathlon. He's rested since then. But the workout and the effort--and here he becomes what's called "The World's Greatest Athlete." Now, if he started like what he looks like today... That dude really worked hard to put on the muscle and to build himself into that efficient machine that he was as a decathlon winner. You can do some amazing things with effort and with temperance in everything else.

I don't want to get caught up in the illustrations so much that we can't get to the Word, but you see people doing stuff today that's beyond imagination! I remember when I was young and started lifting for the first time. I never really got into power lifting or any of that (I tried to just work for strength to play ball), but we moved a little bit of iron. One of the guys that I worked out with (we called him "Big John") was not too far away from the world's record in bench press in those days. This guy was huge, man! He was the first guy I ever saw that had over 20-inch arms and over a 50-inch chest. He was a shoeshine boy over at Fort Ord, the military post there. He would shine the soldiers' shoes, and it was kind of interesting. He never lacked for business, because a lot of the little "dog faces" would come in for basic training, and he had his shoe shine thing there. Some of these guys would just be walking along, and John would be standing there. I can still see it today; I can see him with that smock on. This dude was big, man! He had this green smock on, and his pecks were just hanging out of this thing. His pecks--he looked like somebody had cut a watermelon in half and just stuck them on there! This guy was big, I'm telling you. These guys would be walking down the street, and John would say [in a deep voice], "Want a shine?" What are you going to say? His chair was full all the time! I can remember watching him. I don't remember what the world's record was at that time, but he was very close. I can't remember all the numbers. I only remember the day that I was spotting for him, and I remember watching him bench press 516. By today's standards, that doesn't sound like a lot of weight. But you've got to remember that this was back in 1963 or 1964--before steroids, before the perfecting of many of the supplements we have today--just a lot of work! Genetics help. I was telling my uncle about him. I had just started lifting some when I was a junior in high school to try to supplement myself. I was telling my uncle, "I'm working out with a guy, John so-and-so." And he said, "Really?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "I remember him; I whipped him in school." (Now, John was huge. He also was a black belt in karate and carried a .38!) He said, "I whipped him in school." I said, "Really?" He said, "Yeah; in second grade!"

John was just an average-type guy. He obviously had some genetics to end up like he did, but there was a lot of work and supplements. Today, I think they're benching right at 800 pounds. It blows your mind to think of what the human body can do. Somebody in here could possibly go into that particular arena, but what would it cost? Everything; it becomes your god.

This is what Paul says. We become temperate at everything else. Now, if they're going to do it for a corruptible crown (a trophy, a gold medal, or, in that day, a wreath that they would wear), how much more should we apply this principle for that which is incorruptible, that fadeth not away, praise God! What he's saying here is that you can take someone who is normal and transform him into something that's extraordinary through effort. Most of us here don't have a clue what we could really be if we pursued it with all of our heart. Most of our lives are so diversified, and most of us are so content with mediocrity, that we have no concept of what it really means to be a champion. These people that are champions are a strange breed; they are obsessed. Now, we have no right to be obsessed with anything but Jesus and the kingdom of God. If you're going to obsess, that's where it has to be. And in this obsession with Jesus, He will (through His lordship) orchestrate our diversity (family, job, community), and everything will be done in order. Paul says here that we as Christians have no right to determine whether or not we want to be champions. We've all been called to become the ultimate Christian. How are you doing?

Where in the Scriptures do you find a substandard for those who prefer not to work at it? "Hey, I'm just one of those hammock Christians. I don't want to strive to enter into the kingdom. I'd just like to kind of mosey in." Paul says there's no place acceptable for this. "...So run, that ye may obtain." Run to obtain, run to win. Are you doing that today, really? This is not a suggestion. He's saying, "If you're not running with this kind of an attitude, I want to tell you something. Somebody you've shared Jesus with may make it, and you don't." He draws that conclusion about his own life. If not the greatest Christian that ever walked, Paul is at least the greatest one that we all have knowledge of, that God chose to reveal his course, his life, to us. He was a man who excelled among his contemporaries in Judaism. But when he confronted Jesus, he heard these words. "I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest. It is a difficult thing for you to kick against the pricks." Jesus was saying, "Don't you take Me on, Saul. You may be bad, and you may be killing and martyring Christians. You may be taken up with your own natural ability, with your intellect, with your ability to focus and to accomplish as an overachiever, but you've taken on Someone that you will bow your knee to." And Paul said, "Everything that was gain to me I now count as loss that I might win Christ."

So, when we're talking about this, we're not talking about trusting in your natural abilities. We're talking about emptying yourself out in pursuit of His Spirit's working in you to will and to do of His pleasure. We're not talking about becoming better at what you do; we're talking about Him becoming greater in you. We're talking about the daily cross, the crucifying of your own pursuit of fame, fortune, contentment, self-worth, and things that are other than the knowledge of God.

".So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all [other] things" Now, think about this. That "striving," as we've shared before, means "to agonize." Can I ask you a question? Are you agonizing in your pursuit? How hard are you working at this? We all know the concept of becoming stronger or accomplishing greater endurance. If you're going to run the marathon, do you start out jogging for a quarter of a mile? You all remember the high school track, right? So, you start this marathon quest, and you jog the first day out for a quarter of a mile, and, for some of you, you'd be risking cardiac arrest at that! But let's say you make it the first lap, and there you are, and they're there with oxygen, and you make it. So the next day out, it kind of hurt a little bit, your lungs burned, and your sides start hurting a little bit.

You all remember Larry Mondello, Beaver's friend? How many of you remember little fat Larry? "Don't run, Beaver; I had my appendix out!" That was on one program I remember from back in the Fifties. How many of you remember Larry saying that? Two people. How many of you are old enough to remember, but you just have bad memories? There you go! See, that shows I'm not that old. "Don't run, Beav; I've had my appendix out!" He didn't have his appendix out; the dude's out of shape, a little fat kid! That's the problem.

So, since I ran yesterday, my lungs burned a little bit, and my side hurt some. I think I'm going to prepare today by running a hundred yards. Do you go backwards? Do you run less, or do you always have to run more? Are you praying less, or are you praying more? Are you fasting less, or fasting more? Are you witnessing less, or witnessing more? Are you humbling yourself less, or humbling yourself more? Are you serving less, or serving more? It's simple to find out if we're getting stronger or weaker, isn't it? But now, how do you see yourself? You can really get into trouble; because the one thing that I've noticed as time goes on is that I don't see myself any differently. And I'm not talking about looking in the mirror, because I don't do that; it's a lie! But I don't feel any different. I think and I respond the same as when I was 20! And then reality sets in at times. How do you see yourself? What's the fruit of your daily walk? Do you still feel strong? But have you tried to lift anything lately?

I've been trying to work out and just stay a little bit in shape, getting back on my stairs, etc. Through the months there with all the sickness, my routine was lost, and I didn't work out. You can tell the difference when you're not working out, and you lose energy, and the different areas. I've been trying to get back on my workout routine some, but not working out real heavily. I feel better, but I know not to put all the weight on that bar that I used to lift when I was in my twenties. We'd have to call the rescue squad! So, I'm content to not lift heavy. I've purposed, because I have this tendency to want to move that way. So, I have disciplined my mind that I am not going to lift any heavy weights. I just work out gradually. I do five or six sets of ten with 200 bench, and piddle around and do tricep presses, just fooling around five or six sets of ten with 150 triceps. I just take it easy, and I'm not trying to do anything crazy. I'm just doing this enough to stay in a halfway decent shape. And yet, that temptation comes every once in a while, and I think, "You know, I can do that." I told you that I've disciplined myself, but one day I didn't, and I put some extra weight on and...right there, right on that tendon! My body said, "I thought you said you weren't going to do that to me! Who do you think you are?" I was thinking of myself a little more highly than I ought to think.

Do you think you're still the way you were when you first fell in love with Jesus? You were pouring your life out, and now (10 or 15 years later) you've grown, and you've matured. And through that process, you've sought Him, and you've prayed, and you've fasted, and you've grown. Then all of a sudden, "Now that I'm so mature and experienced, I don't need to pray as much as I used to, and I don't need to study as much, and I don't need to fast as much. The delusion of Samson comes in, and when the trial comes--whether it's the trial of being distracted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life--we seem to think, like Samson, "I'll be able to rise up and shake myself. I'll handle this, because I've always handled it every day of my life." But have you been working out? You don't have the strength you had back then when you were working out every day. You've been coasting for a year. Do you know you're weaker? Do you know how vulnerable you really are? Can you live with that? Is it acceptable to you? Paul says this: if you're going to achieve the mastery, you must be in agony; there's no place to stop working out.

If you've ever been to our house, you know that my phone rings off the hook. So, when I'm on the Stair Master in the morning, I have a telephone now that has a headset. I was on the phone for three hours to Africa on Saturday! (I'll bring you up-to-date on some of that later on. There's good stuff going on over there and also a lot of other things where we're directing traffic and whatever.) But every morning, I have a good excuse not to work out, and I refuse to take it. And every morning I have a good excuse to not do my devotions, and I refuse to take it, because if you're going to strive for the mastery, you must agonize. It takes work, it takes commitment, it takes dying to self, and it takes purposing not to take the easy way. Everything in our flesh wants to take the easy way out. So, I do my devotions on the Stair Master. I jump on the Stair Master, and I'm doing my devotions, and I'm reading my Proverbs, and I'm listening to Charles Stanley, and I have all of my different e-mails that have come in. I'm reading my Bible, and I'm reading e-mails, and I'm listening to Charles Stanley, and I'm praying, and the phone's ringing. That's the morning routine. It didn't take long, when I was distracted through the care for Janet, before all of that ceased. And the one thing I've found about getting older is: it goes away fast! What have you done to prepare yourself? Will you accept anything other than the best? You must be temperate in all things.

Now, the mastery that we're striving for is Christlikeness; so that means we have to deal with everything else in temperance. The word "temperate" here is very interesting. It means "to be under self-control." It means, if necessary, "to abstain." Abstinence is the ultimate expression of temperance, but the Lord doesn't tell us to abstain from everything. He tells us to control everything, to be sober. That word "sober" means "to be disciplined in your mind," to have your mind under control, making wise decisions. He says, "Here's what you're going to have to do if you're going to be successful, if you're going to become a champion. I don't run uncertainly. In other words, I have a plan; I have a program; I have a regimen. I know what I have to do. I know where the splits are. I know where I have to be at a certain time in my workout if I'm improving. I'm not just saying, 'Hey, this felt pretty good today.' I'm keeping track of where I am in my ability to produce."

Where are you in your race here for Jesus? Are you running uncertainly, or do you know where you are? Is somebody holding the stopwatch on you? Is somebody keeping the workout routine, and they know how much weight you're moving? Are they throwing the tape on you so you can see whether you're growing or not? You want to see the results.

Back when I was a kid, those of us that worked out would do all the measurements. I always told people I had 21-inch arms, but I never did really hit 21; I just rounded off to 21. I was actually 20 and just over 7/8ths. I should have waited until some day when I got a pimple or something. That would have helped--just a zit on my arm or something to get that extra eighth of an inch! When I was working out, I remember when I went to 20-1/2, 20-5/8, and then 20-6/8. I was sharing one time that I had 21-inch arms, and this lady came up and said, "When did they grow?" She thought I was talking about how long they were! (You can tell she really worked out!) Are you keeping track?

Some of you young people that are working out--you're hitting the gym down there, and you measure. I guarantee you Jonathan can tell you where he is to the eighth of an inch. He was out there the other day; it was 20 below zero, and he was in a tank top! I'm wanting to embarrass him; he deserves it! I can identify with him; I was just like him. I don't even know if he's here or not. He's not here? Tell him I said it! He knows where he is. I wonder if he knows where he is to the eighth of an inch in his Christlikeness? I'll use him because he's a good boy. He's pursuing God, and God's doing some good things in his life. He's got some things he needs to change, and the reason I know that is because he's his father's son! Boy, I'm tearing them up tonight! It'll be fun at the Miller home tonight!

But do we know where we are to the eighth of an inch in our spiritual lives? This is what Paul is saying. He says, "Listen; if you're going to finish this course, if you're going to be successful, you have to do this thing lawfully. You have to know where you are in this pursuit. You must run certainly, know where you are, and know what the regimen is. I fight, not as one that beats the air. I'm not just flailing my arms, hoping I can hit a demon. I know that my name is written in the heavens. I know that I've been given all power and all authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt me. I know that, in the name of Jesus, I can cast out devils; so when I pray, I expect them to obey me. I'm not fighting as one that's uncertain." Have you ever seen kids in the schoolyard fighting? And they're [flailing arms about]. You're going to lose! So, you don't just flail your arms; you know what the vulnerability of your opponent is. You're not ignorant of Satan's devices. He knows your weaknesses, and you know his. You resist him, and he flees from you, praise God! He left Jesus for a season because He constantly responded with, "It is written." What do you respond to the devil with? The Bible says he's seeking those whom he may devour. If we're not fighting uncertainly, if we have our armor on, if we're resisting the devil, if we're responding to everything with "It is written," he's going to find somebody else to mess with as we take on the image of Jesus. So, we don't fight as one that just flails our arms.

When you watch good fighters, they're watching their opponent. You don't over-react when somebody's throwing a punch at you. When the punch is coming at you, you can just deflect it. It doesn't take a lot; you don't have to move a lot; just bob and weave. So, what we're looking at here is the fact that there has to be some skill involved in this walk that you and I are involved in. There are techniques to be learned of prayer, and fasting, and community, and iron sharpening iron, and the multitude of counsel. All of these things are going to make you the champion that you need to be, but there's an agonizing in this process.

"But I keep under my body..." (verse 27). How many of you went home today and looked that up in the Greek? Anybody? A couple? Did you get the "black-eye" version? He said, "I give my body a black eye." Do you remember the cigarette commercial, "I'd rather fight than switch"? We're not talking about just a little black eye. Have you ever seen somebody really beat up, like Rocky? "Adrian!" That's what I'm talking about. You ought to look like Rocky. "Adrian!" Your eye's all cut up, and it's swollen closed. That's what your body ought to look like--just beat to a pulp! And, as I said this morning, your spirit man is saying, "I don't want to tell you again!" It ought to be said with some conviction.

I shared that story with you about that one time with Janet. It was kind of interesting. It was back when I was in my twenties. I worked out some, and I had over 20-inch arms back then when we were in Bakersfield. She said she was dreaming one night that she was choking to death, and woke up, and my arm was across her throat. She was trying to get out, and she finally slid out from under it, fell on the floor on the other side, and got up and beat me up in my sleep! She said that it was not too long after that, she remembered, that one night I was dreaming, and I sat up in my sleep, turned over, looked over at her and said, "I'm not telling you again!" She said she didn't move the rest of the night! That's the way your body ought to respond to your spirit man. You beat it into subjection.

"Lest, having preached to others," Paul says, "I become a castaway (rejected, having failed the final exam)." We haven't finished this course yet, beloved. We're still being tested. Your heart and my heart are still having revealed what's really in there. What are you doing on a daily basis to be ready for the final exam? What is that final exam? I don't know. It may be some tragedy in your life, the loss of a loved one, some type of disease, or some type of catastrophic financial reversal. Are you ready when you go out into the marketplace for the seduction that's out there, for these women that are trying to seduce you and destroy you, for these enemies that Satan has set up to take you down? Are you ready for that? Are you ready to go out on a daily basis? Is your heart clean enough? Are you strong enough to deal with that? How about the pressures that come on a household through infidelity, just because you didn't work out, because you forgot what manner of man you were? What about the seduction to lie because of the size of the contract? I don't know what it may be. But Paul says if we're not constantly getting stronger, then we're getting weaker, and it's what we have to prepare our hearts with.

I want to finish up just one other thing here tonight; we've spent a lot longer on the illustrations than I wanted to. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7 (about finishing the race), ".I have finished my course." Here he is, getting into the last days of his life. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." I find that as I'm getting older, and the grave is getting closer, should Jesus tarry, I probably only have 30 years or so left. What am I going to do with what I find placed in my hand? There's no more work in the grave. There's nothing else we can do except what we find to do today for the kingdom of God, because sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. We have no guarantee of opportunity to produce anymore. So, whatever you're doing for the kingdom now, the wise man says, do it with all your might. If we're not doing it with all of our might, we're not striving for the mastery. God is not being glorified in mediocrity.

Paul admonishes his young contemporary, "Stir up the gift that has been placed in you by the laying on of my hands." Peter said that he stirs us up by putting us in remembrance of the admonitions of God in these last days. What I'm trying to do right now, beloved, is stir you up in your thinking. This session tonight is not a teaching session; it's not a doctrinal session. It's an admonition; it's a stirring up; it's trying to get us as a people to see if we have become complacent. Have we become satisfied? Do we see ourselves other than what we really are? Do we still think that, without having worked out and improved ourselves over this last year, we're as strong as we were? Then we've deceived ourselves. What I'm wanting to encourage some of you to do is to get off the couch and just see how far you can make it before you have to say, "Don't run, Beav; I had my appendix out!" The problem most of us have is that we make excuses. Larry should have said, "Don't run, Beav; I'm a lazy, fat slob!" Then maybe we could do something about it. Coming to grips with who we are is one of the most difficult things that any person can do.

So we find these last admonitions (for tonight anyway). Paul said in Philippians chapter 3, verse 13, "I'm pressing on, but I do not count myself to have apprehended yet." Paul never thought he was finished; Paul was never satisfied. Then why are we? Why do some of us here think that we've arrived? How is it that some of us think we can coast, when this man--one of the (if not the) most diligent, zealous believers in the history of the church--says, "I haven't apprehended, but this one thing I do. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"? If we're going to obtain excellence, it's going to require agony in preparation and temperance in application of everything else that would rob from us the glory of God.

We have graduation coming up on Friday. And it's not just with the graduation; it's somewhat of a thing with the youth and also some of the young adults. It's kind of interesting. We come together as a body, and we meet here, and we have whatever the event is. Then we go away to the secondary party to prepare us for the third party of the night. And, of course, we call it "fellowship." Hanging out isn't fellowship; it's hanging out! How many times have we left this party to go to the upper room and tarry until we receive power from on high, instead of watching the third movie for the night? We call it "fellowshipping with the saints." When's the last time we fellowshipped around fasting?

Jeff asked the questions, "How many of you were aware of this situation? How many of you were aware of that situation? And nobody was doing anything about it, allowing people to be sucked up into the world's methods. If we were to analyze ourselves, we'd be so proud as to how spiritual we are because of our doctrine, because of our knowledge. And yet, we're not even aware of the weakness that's come into our midst because of our inability to stand up and love our brethren enough to speak truth. It's because of our inability to stand for principles that bring about excellence instead of mediocrity, to where we oppose the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of things that enter in and choke the Word of God out of our hearts. If we're going to be excellent in Christlikeness, we're going to be temperate in everything that smacks of worldliness. Its wisdom, its methods, its treasures, and its goals cannot have a hold on our hearts. There must be a seeking first of the kingdom. And concerning everything else that natural man pursues, we say, "Let God add it to me, or I don't want it. I'll seek the kingdom, and God will add to me everything that He wants. The blessings of the Lord will overtake me. The Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow, but I will not pursue it. I will pursue the mastery, and I will be temperate in the corruptible. Then we can read on into that tenth chapter of Corinthians where Paul says, "...lest having preached to others, I become a castaway."

Then he goes on and says, "Don't you realize how many passed through the Red Sea, and how many were baptized in the passing through the Red Sea, and how many were protected by the cloud of God's glory? And yet, they didn't all finish this course. You've experienced great things; you've seen the glory of God. You hang out with the people of God, but you're going to answer to God as an individual." I was once asked the question, "How can we save our nation?" I said, "We can't. God doesn't save nations; He saves individuals." God doesn't save churches; He saves people. God doesn't save families; He saves members of families, and it usually ends up three against two and two against three, and a man's enemies are those of his own household. What are you doing to finish this race? "If you don't love Me more than mothers, fathers, houses, and lands, you're not worthy of Me," Jesus said. What are we doing to hear, "Well done"?

Father, we thank You for Your Word tonight. We just ask, as we receive this admonition by Your Spirit (as we prepare to go into divine guidance, and how to hear the voice of God and to understand daily spiritual guidance in each of our lives), that we would have hearts that say, "Whatever You speak, Lord, I'll do it; I don't care what the cost is."

Abraham, being called and not knowing where he went, obeyed. This journey of faith that you and I are on gives eternal promises and temporal provisions. The promises are sure, but the provisions change, based upon the preparation of our hearts, as God uses circumstances to make us more like Him. They're not judgments because we've done something wrong, and God says, "I'm going to punish you and take something away from you." There may be that type of chastisement; it can happen. But the natural course of life (because He causes His rain to fall upon the just and the unjust) is sufficient to prove your character, to prove whom you're going to flee to in the time of trouble, and whom you're going to trust in. Will you trust in horses and chariots, or are your eyes turned to the hills from whence comes your help? Will you ally with the broken reed of Egypt, or will you, like young Joshua, not leave the tabernacle of God--hungering, fearful that you might be gone when that cloud appears? "How can I be hanging out somewhere else when the cloud might appear? When He shows up, I want to be here; I want to be ready. I want to be in the Word; I want to be in prayer. I want to be involved in kingdom pursuit. I want to be involved in the community. I want to be involved about Father's business, so that when the cloud appears, I'm there, praise God!" That doesn't mean that you lock yourself up in a room somewhere. You could be down at the mall and be ready for the cloud, because the cloud can appear right there when you have prepared yourself to be about Father's business. It's a preparation; it's an expectation. We ask, Father, that You would make it real to us, in Jesus' name.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. I trust that, like Peter, we've stirred up your remembrance and, like Paul, we were able to stir up the gift that's in you through admonition. I trust there's been a provocation to love and good works, a refocusing on treasures that are incorruptible, a rejecting of the blessings that we might hold onto His presence. "Go, and I'll bless you, but I won't go with you; My Spirit will not go with you." Oh, beloved, can we cry out like David? "Take not Your Holy Spirit from me! I have no reason for being if Your Spirit doesn't abide in me!" What is the great commandment? To love God with all of your heart--not what you have left over after a hard day's work, not the portion that your family doesn't possess. "Well, you see, I have obligations to my family. I oversee a household, and I've got to take care of my wife and my children." Who gave you that job? Who has given you the wisdom to do it? No; your first obligation is to love God with all of your heart, and then your wife and your children as yourself. Excellence. The mastery. All else is dung, that I might win Christ. Make it a reality we ask, Father, in Jesus' name.

As Gary plays for us now, just allow the Holy Spirit to stir your hearts. And realize that, as iniquity is abounding, the love of many is waxing cold. Where are you on the little love scale? Do you remember the little thing at the carnival? You'd put a quarter in, grab the two little handles, and it would say "cold fish" or something. How much do you love Him tonight? "Lovest thou Me more than these?" "Thou knowest, Lord." Yes, He does, and that's why you're hearing that voice in your spirit right now. You know, that voice that's coming up in your spirit right now and saying, "Do you know all this stuff that you've been trying to justify? I'm putting My finger on it, and I'm telling you I want temperance. And do you see over here? I want mastery." And I can guarantee you one thing. Not one person in here should hear anything but that voice, because every one of us is in that condition to one degree or another. If Paul says, "I have not yet apprehended," then how can any of us think, "Yeah, I've arrived; I've got my act together"? Lest having preached to others Read on into the next chapter. What are your children seeing? What example are we setting before our children? That's what chapter 10 goes on to talk about. We talked about some of the young adults, and some of the youth, and some of the distractions, and the self-image. Some of our young people really think they've got it together. Listen to your counselors. Listen to us; we've been there! It's a ploy, it's a lie, and it's deception. It's the flattery of the enemy, it's the lie of your own flesh, and it's the seduction of the spirit of antichrist. Do you want to be great? Become servant of all. Do you want to live? You've got to die. Somebody needs to stand up and say, "Follow me as I follow Christ." Let's sing it together. "I Stand In Awe..."

Hallelujah! It's our heart's desire, Lord, and we ask You to come and change us. As our heart cries, "Here am I; send me," take the coal from the altars and put it upon our lips. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Put Your Word as a fire in our bones. Cause us to take on this armor, that we could set out against the enemy and, having done all, to stand. It's our hearts desire, Father, that You would be glorified in us as individuals and as a people. Be glorified, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Strive for the mastery." Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you.

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