WEBVTT 00:00:17.070 --> 00:00:19.329 it is to be in the presence of a holy God tonight. 00:00:19.809 --> 00:00:22.070 No matter what's going on in the world, Jesus 00:00:22.070 --> 00:00:26.289 is on the throne. He is in control. He holds 00:00:26.289 --> 00:00:29.829 the whole world in his hands. And so today I 00:00:29.829 --> 00:00:32.310 say, let's not focus on work. Let's not focus 00:00:32.310 --> 00:00:35.329 on school. Let's not focus on the cares of this 00:00:35.329 --> 00:00:37.890 life. Let's put our attention on the one who 00:00:37.890 --> 00:00:40.850 holds our tomorrow in his hand. What a privilege 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:43.770 it is to serve a holy God. And I'm thankful to 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:46.240 be in his presence this evening. In the name 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.079 of Jesus Christ, in the name of Jesus. If you 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:50.979 have your Bibles tonight, I'd ask you to turn 00:00:50.979 --> 00:00:54.359 to 1 Corinthians. We'll be in chapter 9 tonight, 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:58.460 beginning in verse 24. 1 Corinthians 9 and 24. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.120 Verse 24, I'm gonna read this in the New Living 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:26.579 Translation. It says, don't you realize that 00:01:26.579 --> 00:01:30.780 in a race, everyone runs, but only one person 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:35.840 gets the prize. So run to win. All athletes are 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:39.180 disciplined in their training. They do it to 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:42.719 win a prize that will fade away, but we do it 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:46.620 for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:50.739 every step. I am not just shadow boxing. I discipline 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:53.879 my body like an athlete, training it to do what 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:57.480 it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:02.260 to others, I myself might be disqualified. Paul 00:02:02.260 --> 00:02:05.159 is not describing a casual jog, and he's not 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.240 describing a leisurely stroll on a Sunday afternoon. 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:11.000 He's talking about a race. Let's go back to verse 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.139 24. He tells us, run to win. If you're gonna 00:02:15.139 --> 00:02:17.759 live for God, you might as well give it everything 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:20.439 you've got. If you're gonna run this race called 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:24.020 life, you might as well run to win. Tonight, 00:02:24.099 --> 00:02:26.759 I wanna teach with this idea in mind, in it to 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:30.099 win it, in it to win it. Would you set your Bibles 00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:32.139 down for another moment? Let's ask the Lord to 00:02:32.139 --> 00:02:35.180 visit us here tonight by his spirit, to speak 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:39.199 to us with his word. God, our hearts are surrendered 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:42.919 to you in this place. In this room right now, 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:45.860 God, you know exactly what word, exactly what 00:02:45.860 --> 00:02:49.759 direction each individual needs to make it through. 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:53.259 You know, God, that encouragement, that strength, 00:02:53.460 --> 00:02:57.000 God, that we need to make it another day. That's 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.460 why we're setting our own ideas aside. That's 00:02:59.460 --> 00:03:01.599 why we're setting our own preconceived notions 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.819 aside. We don't even know what's best for us. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.840 We don't have a clue. Only you know, God. We 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:12.780 surrender this service to you, God. We want to 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:16.159 receive from you, mighty God. We surrender to 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:20.639 you, Jesus. In the name of Jesus, we pray. The 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:27.159 Lord bless you. You may be seated. I want to 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:29.180 go back to our main text and look here at verse 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:34.240 24, 1 Corinthians 9, 24. Paul does not say, run 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:38.340 to be seen. He does not say, run to fit in. He 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:40.560 does not say, run to say that you participated. 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.560 Paul says run to win. And so how do we run to 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:48.340 win? Let's look at verse 25, the very next verse. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.840 Paul tells us to consider athletes, those that 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.939 compete in the physical. Athletes discipline 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.620 their bodies. We just recently saw this because 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:02.319 the Olympics, the Winter Olympics in Italy just 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:06.020 wrapped up. These athletes discipline their bodies. 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:10.270 They regulated their sleep and their diet. Successful 00:04:10.270 --> 00:04:12.509 athletes have to regulate their habits and they 00:04:12.509 --> 00:04:14.650 have to regulate their environment. They all 00:04:14.650 --> 00:04:18.730 have to. Successful athletes, on the highest 00:04:18.730 --> 00:04:21.189 level, they do not leave their performance up 00:04:21.189 --> 00:04:24.430 to chance. Successful athletes do not gamble 00:04:24.430 --> 00:04:27.870 on greatness. But it's intentional. Successful 00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:30.149 athletes have to train. They have to discipline 00:04:30.149 --> 00:04:33.050 themselves. And this verse says that they do 00:04:33.050 --> 00:04:37.149 it to win a prize that will fade away. But Paul 00:04:37.149 --> 00:04:39.269 contrasts that with us, those who are disciples 00:04:39.269 --> 00:04:43.050 of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says we do it for 00:04:43.050 --> 00:04:46.670 an eternal prize. And I believe tonight that 00:04:46.670 --> 00:04:49.370 if the world would discipline itself for temporary 00:04:49.370 --> 00:04:53.569 fame and fortune and temporary recognition and 00:04:53.569 --> 00:04:56.569 reward, how much more should the people of God 00:04:56.569 --> 00:04:59.649 discipline itself for relationship with God, 00:04:59.829 --> 00:05:03.610 for purpose, for fulfillment? How much more should 00:05:03.610 --> 00:05:05.610 the church be willing to discipline themselves 00:05:05.610 --> 00:05:09.889 for heaven, for an eternity with Jesus? Verse 00:05:09.889 --> 00:05:13.750 26, Paul tells us, like athletes, we also must 00:05:13.750 --> 00:05:17.740 run. with purpose. We should not do just enough 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:22.160 to get by. We should not just simply go through 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.819 the motions. Paul says we're not just shadow 00:05:24.819 --> 00:05:27.500 boxing. In other words, we're not fighting an 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:30.839 imaginary opponent. Ephesians 6 and 12 tells 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.699 us that it's true we don't wrestle against flesh 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:37.019 and blood, but we do fight against principalities 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:40.000 and powers. We do fight against the rulers of 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:42.579 the darkness of this world. Paul tells us we 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:45.439 absolutely do fight against spiritual wickedness 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.759 in high places. And so this race called life 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:52.579 is also the fight of your life. And Paul tells 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:55.519 us that we must run with purpose. We must be 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:58.379 intentional. We must do our very best. We have 00:05:58.379 --> 00:06:03.019 to run to win. And so back to 1 Corinthians 9, 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:06.199 let's look at verse 27. Paul tells us here as 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:09.839 well, like athletes, disciples of Jesus must 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.279 be disciplined. Disciples need discipline. In 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:16.420 fact, you may notice that the only difference 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:19.579 between these two words, disciple and the word 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:24.139 discipline, are two letters, I -N, N. And that's 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:27.600 my message to you tonight. What is in you determines 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:31.360 whether you will win. You cannot win publicly 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:35.279 if you have not disciplined privately. You do 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.459 not finish strong accidentally. You do not endure 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:42.379 without intentional conditioning. If we are going 00:06:42.379 --> 00:06:45.899 to run to win, we must discipline what's on the 00:06:45.899 --> 00:06:49.100 inside. That's why tonight we're saying we have 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:53.600 to be in it to win it. Back to verse 24, Paul 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.180 tells us we must run to win. In the King James 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:00.339 Version, it's worded this way, run that you may 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:05.560 obtain. That word obtain means to seize or to 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:10.370 grasp. or to take hold of. It implies intention. 00:07:10.689 --> 00:07:14.569 It implies pursuit. It implies hunger. But Jesus 00:07:14.569 --> 00:07:17.649 exposes something that disqualifies many runners. 00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:21.129 He's talking about wrong motives, because we 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:24.810 have to run to win, not run to be seen. It's 00:07:24.810 --> 00:07:28.110 what's on the inside that matters. And so tonight, 00:07:28.209 --> 00:07:30.769 we're going to continue our look on the Sermon 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:32.949 on the Mount. Sister Michelle Farrell started 00:07:32.949 --> 00:07:35.209 this series last week and did a fantastic job, 00:07:35.290 --> 00:07:37.670 I might add. Thank you for that. I'm thankful 00:07:37.670 --> 00:07:39.850 we have an opportunity to be filled. If we'll 00:07:39.850 --> 00:07:42.310 hunger and thirst after righteousness, the Bible 00:07:42.310 --> 00:07:44.990 says we will be filled. And I'm thankful today 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:47.569 that we can draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:48.129 --> 00:07:50.589 Where she taught from was Matthew chapter 5. 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:52.610 That's the first chapter of the Sermon on the 00:07:52.610 --> 00:07:56.139 Mount. And Matthew chapter 5, if you read it, 00:07:56.180 --> 00:08:01.139 it's outward. It's relational. It's very visible. 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:04.139 It deals with how we treat people. That's what 00:08:04.139 --> 00:08:07.399 Matthew 5 talks about. Jesus on the Sermon on 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:09.319 the Mount here in the beginning in chapter 5 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:14.000 addresses anger versus reconciliation. He talks 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:16.579 about retaliation versus loving our enemies. 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:20.220 Jesus handles the topics of lust and adultery 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:22.839 and divorce and contrasts that with a healthy 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:26.500 marriage. Jesus talks about integrity. Jesus 00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:29.399 tells us how we must respond when we are wrong. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.720 In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tells us we need 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:34.440 to be the light of the world. We need to be the 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:37.940 salt of the earth. Matthew chapter 5 is about 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:41.220 outward. It's about our relationships. It's about 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:44.340 what other people can see. It governs our public 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:47.440 interaction. Matthew chapter 5 confronts our 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.480 speech and corrects our conduct. Matthew chapter 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.600 5 regulates our reactions. It demands visible 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:57.340 righteousness. But then when you go to chapter 00:08:57.340 --> 00:09:00.940 6, Matthew chapter 6, Jesus shifts from what 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:05.220 people see to what only God sees. Because it 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:09.000 is entirely possible to behave correctly in public, 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:12.559 but to still be corrupted in private. It's what's 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.740 on the inside that matters. So that's why Matthew 00:09:15.740 --> 00:09:19.519 chapter 5 addresses external behaviors, but then 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.799 Matthew chapter 6 addresses internal motives. 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:26.080 In the first half of this sixth chapter, Jesus 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:29.620 addresses three spiritual disciplines. He talks 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:33.620 about giving, praying, and fasting. But I want 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:35.399 you to notice something powerful before we get 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:37.700 into these individual topics. Something that 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:39.779 really stood out to me is that Jesus did not 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:43.159 say, if you do these disciplines. That's not 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:45.419 at all what he says. When you go to verse 2, 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:49.740 he says, when thou doest thine alms. Verse 5, 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:55.919 when thou prayest. Verse 16, when ye fast. We 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.620 see here quite clearly that Jesus is assuming 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.779 participation. Because, of course, we all know 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:04.909 that we should. should give and pray and fast. 00:10:05.169 --> 00:10:09.169 But Jesus is addressing motivation. Matthew chapter 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:12.549 six, verse one. In this verse, Jesus references 00:10:12.549 --> 00:10:15.750 giving. And he basically says that even if you 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:19.009 do the right thing, but you do it for the wrong 00:10:19.009 --> 00:10:21.649 reason. In this particular example, if you're 00:10:21.649 --> 00:10:25.049 doing it just to be seen, he says you have no 00:10:25.049 --> 00:10:28.929 reward of your father, which is in heaven. And 00:10:28.929 --> 00:10:31.750 so we can clearly see that the issue is not activity. 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:36.639 The issue is authenticity. The issue is not what 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:39.759 to do. We all know what to do. Sometimes the 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:42.399 issue could be how do we do it? Maybe the issue 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.500 is why do we do it? Because the truth is that 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:50.139 you can give and still lose. You can pray and 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:54.059 still drift. It's entirely possible to fast and 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:56.720 to still be carnal because it depends on the 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:01.600 inside. It depends on your motives. And so in 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:04.340 this race that we are running, if we choose to 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:07.480 run for applause, Jesus tells us that applause 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:11.259 is your prize. If you choose to run for recognition, 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:15.620 recognition is your crown. If you choose to run 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:19.159 for attention, attention is your trophy. But 00:11:19.159 --> 00:11:22.899 if you run for eternity, eternity is your reward. 00:11:23.450 --> 00:11:26.309 If you run to win, not to be seen, if you run 00:11:26.309 --> 00:11:30.629 to win, Jesus Christ himself is your reward. 00:11:31.490 --> 00:11:34.629 So I'm going to go back to 1 Corinthians 9, and 00:11:34.629 --> 00:11:37.590 let's look at verse 27. Paul tells us, he says, 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:42.009 I discipline my body like an athlete, training 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:46.080 it to do what it should. But then Paul says something 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:49.639 I find to be incredibly sobering. He says, otherwise, 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:54.139 I fear that after preaching to others, I myself 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:58.519 might be disqualified. I want you to notice Paul 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:02.259 was not afraid of losing his preaching voice. 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:07.120 Paul knew that his influence was not in jeopardy. 00:12:07.710 --> 00:12:09.929 Paul knew that no matter what happened, he would 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:12.570 have a ministry. That's not his concern. Paul 00:12:12.570 --> 00:12:15.990 was afraid of losing his spiritual integrity 00:12:15.990 --> 00:12:19.549 because Paul understood that public strength 00:12:19.549 --> 00:12:23.570 can hide private weakness. Paul understood that 00:12:23.570 --> 00:12:28.309 ministry success can completely hide a lack of 00:12:28.309 --> 00:12:31.789 devotion. He was in it to win it. That's what 00:12:31.789 --> 00:12:34.490 Paul was saying. He says, run to win. He tells 00:12:34.490 --> 00:12:37.279 us, be in it to win it. That's what Paul was 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:39.220 doing. He didn't want to just look like he was 00:12:39.220 --> 00:12:41.299 running. He didn't want to just do enough to 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:44.279 get by. He didn't want to do just enough to go 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:46.679 through the motions. He didn't do just enough 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:49.019 to get other people off of his back. But back 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:52.480 to verse 27, Paul says that he disciplines his 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.799 body. In the King James Version, it says, I keep 00:12:55.799 --> 00:13:00.059 under my body. The NIV, New International Version 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:04.379 says, but I strike a blow to my body. That's 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:07.889 aggressive. That's forceful. That doesn't sound 00:13:07.889 --> 00:13:11.169 like a good time. That is intentional self -governance. 00:13:11.409 --> 00:13:15.129 That is keeping our flesh in check. He says, 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:18.990 I strike a blow to my body. Why? It's because 00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:22.330 your flesh does not want to win spiritually. 00:13:22.870 --> 00:13:25.549 Your flesh and your spirit are always working 00:13:25.549 --> 00:13:28.230 against each other, and you have to choose, am 00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:30.470 I going to surrender to the Spirit of God, or 00:13:30.470 --> 00:13:32.330 am I going to do what my flesh craves? There 00:13:32.330 --> 00:13:34.370 are always that enmity with each other, the Bible 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:38.860 says. Your flesh wants comfort. Your flesh wants 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:42.820 indulgence. Your flesh wants applause. Your flesh 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:46.860 wants convenience. But victory requires discipline. 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.299 And so let's go back to Matthew chapter 6, and 00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:53.259 I want to look at these three disciplines that 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:56.639 Jesus addressed. The first, of course, has to 00:13:56.639 --> 00:14:00.620 do with giving. In verse 4, Jesus tells us, give 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:04.480 your alms in secret. and thy father which seeth 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:09.120 in secret himself shall reward thee openly. I 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.620 want you to know tonight that giving is not first 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:15.519 about money. It is about mastery. That's why 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:19.320 2 Corinthians 9 and 7 says, For God loveth a 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.500 cheerful giver. If it were all about the money, 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:24.399 it wouldn't matter if you gave begrudgingly. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:26.019 It wouldn't matter if you gave of necessity. 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:29.019 But God doesn't want that. The Bible says that 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:32.679 God wants a cheerful giver because our intentions 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:37.179 matter. Giving is a discipline. Giving is what 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:41.100 disciplined disciples of Jesus Christ do. Giving 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:45.559 disciplines greed or wanting too much. On the 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:49.120 other hand, giving disciplines fear or being 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:52.159 scared of having too little. Giving disciplines 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:55.539 self -preservation. When you give consistently, 00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:58.539 you are telling your flesh, you are not in charge. 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:01.860 When you give sacrificially, you are telling 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:05.779 anxiety, you do not own me. When you give what 00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:08.120 you have to bless the kingdom of God, you are 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:11.240 telling God, God, I trust you. I trust you with 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.200 everything I am. We're emotionally tied to our 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.840 finances and our resources and our ability to 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.440 provide for ourself. But when we give cheerfully 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:22.539 as God commands, there is probably few better 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:25.799 ways to tell God, I trust you with everything 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:29.370 that I am and everything that I have. Money is 00:15:29.370 --> 00:15:32.450 one of the greatest diagnostic tools of the heart. 00:15:32.570 --> 00:15:35.250 And that's why later in this same chapter, Matthew 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:38.730 chapter six, look at verse 21. Jesus says, for 00:15:38.730 --> 00:15:41.250 where your treasure is, there will your heart 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:44.610 be also. If your heart is chained to possessions, 00:15:45.070 --> 00:15:48.470 you cannot run to win. If your heart is bound 00:15:48.470 --> 00:15:52.919 by fear, you cannot run to win. Giving. loosens 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:56.279 the grip of materialism and it strengthens dependence 00:15:56.279 --> 00:16:00.139 on God. You cannot be in it to win it and put 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:03.139 all of your trust in your own ability and your 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:06.120 own resources and your own plans. You win by 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:09.500 going beyond your flesh. You win by launching 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.200 out into the deep, Brother Daniel. Ironically, 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:15.639 you win by losing, losing control and trusting 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:19.039 God. That is a discipline that every mature Christian 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:22.419 should partake in. But that's only the first 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:24.940 one Jesus addresses. I want to go down to verse 00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:27.960 6 to talk about this new one. Jesus is talking 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:31.240 about prayer. Jesus says, But thou, when thou 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:34.320 prayest, enter into thy closet. And when thou 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.419 hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which 00:16:37.419 --> 00:16:42.080 is in secret. Prayer is alignment. Prayer is 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:46.000 not performance. Prayer is not poetry. Prayer 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:50.039 is not public spirituality at all. There's obviously 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:52.399 a purpose behind corporate prayer. I'm glad we 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:54.000 all come together at the beginning of service 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.679 to pray together, or even at the altar. But if 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:59.279 that is the extent of your prayer life, you are 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.000 not disciplined. You are not in it to win it. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:04.720 You are not running to win. But this is a discipline 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.000 that every Christian must have, and that is a 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:11.180 consistent and faithful prayer life. Prayer is 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:14.039 recalibration. Prayer is relationship with God. 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:17.559 That's why 1 Thessalonians 5 and 17 tells us 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:21.720 pray without ceasing. James 4 and 3, ye ask and 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:25.160 you receive not because you ask amiss. And so 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:27.400 from that verse, I would say that we learn that 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:31.319 prayer disciplines selfishness. Prayer disciplines 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:36.339 emotional impulsiveness. Prayer disciplines reactionary 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:40.150 behavior. Before prayer changes your circumstance, 00:17:40.569 --> 00:17:44.109 prayer first changes your perspective. Before 00:17:44.109 --> 00:17:48.009 God will fix your external world, God chooses 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:51.509 to stabilize your internal concerns and your 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:54.890 internal issues, your internal perspective. The 00:17:54.890 --> 00:17:57.710 longer you pray, if you really have a prayer 00:17:57.710 --> 00:17:59.829 life and you really do it and you give it all 00:17:59.829 --> 00:18:02.750 you've got, the longer you pray, the quieter 00:18:02.750 --> 00:18:06.480 your ego will become. The longer you pray, the 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.900 more your will will bend to God's will. In fact, 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:12.259 Jesus himself is the greatest example. This is 00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:16.519 Luke chapter 22, verse 42. Nevertheless, not 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:20.299 my will, but thine be done. That is internal 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:23.880 victory. Even before the external victory of 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:26.640 the cross and the grave and rising up to heaven, 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:28.440 he's coming back one day. We serve a victorious 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:31.680 God. But let's not skip past that first victory. 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:34.740 The first victory was in the garden of Gethsemane. 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.880 The first victory was when Jesus crucified his 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:41.660 flesh and said, not my will, but thine be done. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:46.140 A prayerless believer is an undisciplined runner. 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:50.220 If you only pray. When you are desperate, you 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:54.440 are training sporadically. If you only pray publicly, 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.539 you are shadowboxing. But when you pray daily, 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:02.000 when you pray privately, when you pray consistently, 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:06.880 you are becoming conditioned for endurance. And 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.059 now to the third discipline that Jesus mentions 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:12.640 in Matthew chapter 6. I want to talk about fasting. 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:16.759 He mentions this verse in verse 18. that thou 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:20.740 appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy father 00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:25.140 which is in secret. Fasting confronts our appetite. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:29.839 Job 23 and 12, Job says, I have esteemed the 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:33.759 words of his mouth, the words of God, more than 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:37.900 my necessary food. Fasting says that God's spirit 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:42.200 outranks my flesh. Fasting disciplines your appetite. 00:19:43.070 --> 00:19:45.630 Fasting disciplines your emotional volatility. 00:19:46.630 --> 00:19:50.130 Fasting disciplines indulgence. When you fast, 00:19:50.329 --> 00:19:52.750 you are telling your body you are not the boss. 00:19:53.170 --> 00:19:55.930 When you fast, you are saying no to what your 00:19:55.930 --> 00:19:59.049 flesh craves the most. When you fast, you are 00:19:59.049 --> 00:20:02.069 saying no to your flesh and yes to the Spirit 00:20:02.069 --> 00:20:05.089 of God. We all know how it's like when you fast. 00:20:05.250 --> 00:20:08.069 Your flesh is screaming. Your stomach is growling. 00:20:08.170 --> 00:20:11.269 Your mind is complaining. But your spirit grows 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:15.920 stronger. If you cannot say no to yourself, you 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:20.700 cannot consistently say yes to God. Fasting strengthens 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:25.019 the authority of God's Spirit. Fasting strengthens 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:27.599 the authority of God's Spirit because it weakens 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:31.019 the authority of your flesh. The Spirit of God, 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.359 your flesh, are always fighting against each 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:36.480 other. And the beauty about fasting, it strengthens 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.940 the authority of the Spirit. And it's not unrelated 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:42.500 to the fact that it also... weakens the authority 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:45.900 of your flesh. But there is a broader training 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:49.059 regimen. I've talked about, as Jesus did in Matthew 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:52.200 chapter 6, giving and praying and fasting, but 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:55.259 there is a broader training regimen even beyond 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:57.599 these three disciplines that Jesus mentioned. 00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:00.619 A few that I want to share tonight that I felt 00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:04.359 God to lead me to discuss. Athletes do not train 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:07.440 one muscle group. They develop balance and endurance. 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:12.069 Athletes develop coordination. And if we are 00:21:12.069 --> 00:21:14.869 in it to win it, we must expand our conditioning. 00:21:15.410 --> 00:21:18.809 The first one I think of tonight I want to encourage 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:22.650 you with is when we read, when we study, and 00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:25.349 when we meditate on the word of God, we are training 00:21:25.349 --> 00:21:30.589 conviction. Joshua 1 and 8 says, This book of 00:21:30.589 --> 00:21:33.650 the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:37.200 thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Psalm 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:41.380 119 and 11, thy word have I hid in my heart that 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:44.619 I might not sin against thee. Regardless of where 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:46.960 you are on your journey closer to God, you cannot 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:50.720 outgrow scripture. You cannot substitute devotion 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:55.140 with inspiration. The word builds doctrinal muscles. 00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:58.200 That's the discipline that you need. The word 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:02.140 of God will stabilize your worldview. The word 00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:05.019 of God will fortify your discernment and your 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:07.720 wisdom. You need to make it another day. If you 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:10.359 do not consistently read the word of God, you 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:12.980 will be spiritually malnourished. It's just a 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:15.960 fact. Each and every day, I urge you, get in 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:18.440 the Word of God. And don't just read it to say 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:21.279 you've read it. Read it to understand it. Read 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:23.680 it to apply to your life. Read it to meditate 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:26.220 on it. It's a discipline that every healthy, 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:29.619 mature Christian has to master. We have to be 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:33.140 in the Word of God. Because daily devotion conditions 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:36.799 your thinking. Meditation deepens your retention. 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:39.740 Not just hearing it and understanding it and 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:42.660 moving on, but retention. Applying it to your 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:46.359 life. Study sharpens conviction. It allows you 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:49.880 to hear the voice of God in everyday life. If 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:52.039 you know what the word of God says, it's amazing 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:54.740 how in your everyday life you will find endless 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:57.809 ways to apply it. There are things that you would 00:22:57.809 --> 00:22:59.670 never understand in your flesh, but if you are 00:22:59.670 --> 00:23:02.650 full of the word of God in your everyday life, 00:23:02.789 --> 00:23:04.849 it would just be obvious to you. God will make 00:23:04.849 --> 00:23:07.289 your path straight. His word is a lamp to your 00:23:07.289 --> 00:23:09.970 feet and a light to your path. We have to be 00:23:09.970 --> 00:23:13.910 in the word of God. And so, if you are biblically 00:23:13.910 --> 00:23:17.930 weak, you are spiritually vulnerable. But here's 00:23:17.930 --> 00:23:20.549 another one I want to talk about. When we are 00:23:20.549 --> 00:23:25.410 humble, when we obey, when we repent, When we 00:23:25.410 --> 00:23:28.990 are accountable, when we are submitted, we are 00:23:28.990 --> 00:23:33.849 training character. Hebrews 13 and 17 tells us, 00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:36.369 obey them that have the rule over you and submit 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:39.750 yourselves. What about James 4 and 10? Humble 00:23:39.750 --> 00:23:42.769 yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall 00:23:42.769 --> 00:23:46.099 lift you up. I want you to know today that repentance, 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:49.380 a real life of repentance, each and every day 00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:52.460 with a broken and a contrite heart, humbling 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:55.619 yourself before God and recognizing his sovereignty, 00:23:55.859 --> 00:24:00.000 a true life of repentance disciplines stubbornness. 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:04.500 Humility disciplines ego. Submission disciplines 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:08.279 pride. Because on the other side of the coin, 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:12.250 rebellion would disqualify runners. I've seen 00:24:12.250 --> 00:24:15.349 it way too many times. We all have stories. Rebellion 00:24:15.349 --> 00:24:18.250 disqualifies people on this race called life. 00:24:18.569 --> 00:24:22.490 Hidden sin will sabotage your endurance. Arrogance 00:24:22.490 --> 00:24:25.529 will corrode your longevity and your perseverance 00:24:25.529 --> 00:24:28.349 in this race called life. But character will 00:24:28.349 --> 00:24:30.829 keep you in the race when charisma would not 00:24:30.829 --> 00:24:33.029 stand a chance because it matters what's on the 00:24:33.029 --> 00:24:35.210 inside, not necessarily what's on the outside. 00:24:35.390 --> 00:24:37.789 I'm thankful for the outside, but it starts on 00:24:37.789 --> 00:24:41.240 the inside. We have to be in it to win it. And 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:43.900 so if you are going to run to win, it's going 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:46.859 to come from who you really are on the inside. 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:51.000 If you cannot repent, you will fall. If you cannot 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:54.319 submit, you will isolate. If you cannot humble 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:57.500 yourself, the Bible says so plainly that God 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:00.880 himself will humble you. On the other side of 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.059 the coin, we can be encouraged because if we 00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:05.599 will humble ourselves, God will exalt us in due 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:08.960 time. I heard somebody say before that if you 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:12.759 exalt yourself, God will humble you. But if you 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:15.640 humble yourself, God will exalt you. In other 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:17.460 words, I think this is actually the way they 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:19.859 worded it since I said it wrong. That if you, 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:22.900 your job is to humble yourself. And if you will 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:24.960 humble yourself, God's job is to exalt himself. 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:28.299 But if you do his job for him, he won't hesitate 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:31.700 to do your job for you. If you will humble yourself, 00:25:31.940 --> 00:25:34.539 God will exalt you. If you will exalt yourself, 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:37.960 God will humble you. It's a promise, but we today 00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:39.920 can be encouraged that if we will humble ourselves, 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:44.460 God will exalt us. Internal governance determines 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:48.180 external durability. That internal discipline 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:51.779 literally determines the success we have on the 00:25:51.779 --> 00:25:54.579 outside. Here are some other disciplines that 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:58.019 come to mind. Church attendance, corporate worship, 00:25:58.200 --> 00:26:00.980 and fellowship with those of like precious faith. 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:05.460 That produces unity. That trains unity. It's 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:08.400 a discipline you must have. Hebrews 10 and 25 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:13.140 tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves 00:26:13.140 --> 00:26:17.019 together. Psalm 133 and 1, behold how good and 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:19.839 how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:23.440 in unity. Corporate worship strengthens faith 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:27.609 and trust in God. Fellowship strengthens accountability. 00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:30.410 You gotta have it. Faithful attendance to the 00:26:30.410 --> 00:26:34.029 house of God strengthens your devotion. On the 00:26:34.029 --> 00:26:38.650 other hand, isolation weakens resolve and determination. 00:26:39.210 --> 00:26:43.259 Community reinforces discipline. We need each 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:46.180 other quite desperately. We're not called to 00:26:46.180 --> 00:26:49.559 serve God by ourself. No man is an island. We're 00:26:49.559 --> 00:26:52.359 called to be in a community of believers and 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:55.140 not just to encourage each other in the sense 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:58.680 of optimistically, but encourage each other in 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:01.940 the sense of accountability. I was in Hebrews 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:04.559 10. It says to provoke one another to good works. 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:08.119 We need that. I need people in my life that can 00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:10.720 talk to me. I need people that, if I'm not in 00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:12.200 church, they'll check up on me and make sure 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:16.099 everything's okay. We need it. We're not built 00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:18.299 to do this by ourself. That's not God's intention. 00:27:18.619 --> 00:27:22.460 God has community for you. God has relationship 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:26.319 with brothers and sisters in the Lord for you. 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:29.759 And yes, that strengthens us. And yes, that keeps 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.900 us accountable. But we have to have it. It's 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:34.420 a discipline that is necessary to be a mature 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:37.539 Christian. You are not designed to train alone. 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:40.660 So I say let's run this race together. Let's 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:43.119 be in it to win it together. Let's make it to 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:45.700 heaven together. I'm so excited for the day we're 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:48.059 going to be in heaven together, dancing on streets 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:54.380 of gold. It's a process. It's a journey. We all 00:27:54.380 --> 00:27:57.940 have to do our part. And if we will be faithful 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:01.240 to the house of God, if we will be faithful in 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:03.839 our relationships with one another, if we will 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:07.150 be faithful. Faithful to corporate worship. That 00:28:07.150 --> 00:28:09.410 is a discipline that every mature Christian must 00:28:09.410 --> 00:28:12.509 have. And then there's one last area of discipline 00:28:12.509 --> 00:28:15.230 that I want to focus on tonight. And that's this. 00:28:15.509 --> 00:28:19.069 When you encourage others, when you serve others, 00:28:19.250 --> 00:28:22.329 when you mentor others, when you choose to disciple 00:28:22.329 --> 00:28:26.900 others, you are training purpose. Galatians 6 00:28:26.900 --> 00:28:29.640 and 2, the Bible tells us quite plainly, bear 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.839 one another's burdens. Colossians 3 beginning 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:36.259 in verse 23, and whatsoever you do, do it heartily 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:39.519 as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:41.859 of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:46.380 inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Encouraging 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:50.599 builds resilience in others and serving disciplines 00:28:50.599 --> 00:28:54.819 selfishness and mentoring multiplies strength. 00:28:55.390 --> 00:28:57.930 When you invest in others, if you will choose 00:28:57.930 --> 00:29:00.950 tonight, I'm going to begin investing in others. 00:29:00.990 --> 00:29:04.029 You actually in doing so will reinforce your 00:29:04.029 --> 00:29:07.069 own stability. You will have a purpose that money 00:29:07.069 --> 00:29:10.210 cannot buy if you will look beyond yourself and 00:29:10.210 --> 00:29:13.190 invest in the life of other people. If you will 00:29:13.190 --> 00:29:16.490 invest in others, you will literally sustain 00:29:16.490 --> 00:29:20.309 perseverance. You will have a purpose in the 00:29:20.309 --> 00:29:24.119 kingdom of God. A self -centered runner will 00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:27.599 eventually burn out. A kingdom -minded runner, 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:29.900 on the other hand, will multiply their impact. 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:34.039 A kingdom -minded runner will make a difference. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:37.420 So if you want strength, if you want encouragement, 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:40.920 if you want stability, seek purpose. And then 00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:43.759 every other benefit is a byproduct of purpose. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:47.000 If you have a purpose straight from God, if you 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:49.460 serve a purpose in the kingdom of God, that's 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:51.859 where your blessing and your strength and your 00:29:51.859 --> 00:29:54.940 encouragement come. It comes from purpose. If 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:58.140 we will invest in others, if we will disciple, 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:01.019 if we will mentor, if we will do our very best 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:04.099 to be a blessing, that will train purpose in 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:08.720 our life. But I do want to end with this thought. 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:14.500 And it's a sobering thought. I wish maybe I could 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:16.960 end on a happy note tonight, but reading this 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:20.440 lesson, preparing this lesson, I felt God give 00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:22.400 me some direction for how we should pray tonight. 00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:25.740 And I want to share with you an often quoted 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:28.559 statement, but I want us to apply it to our spiritual 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:31.119 lives. And that's this. We've all heard this 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:34.319 before. You are only as strong as your weakest 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:40.180 link. When we read 1 Corinthians 9, Paul feared 00:30:40.180 --> 00:30:43.420 being disqualified. But it wasn't because he 00:30:43.420 --> 00:30:46.200 lacked gifting. And it wasn't because he lacked 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:49.559 revelation. It was because he understood vulnerability. 00:30:50.099 --> 00:30:53.059 He understood that you are only as strong as 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:56.420 your weakest link. An example that came to mind 00:30:56.420 --> 00:30:58.539 is a basketball player from North Carolina. He 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:00.359 grew up in the Charlotte area. He even went to 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:02.519 college in the area. The greatest three -point 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:04.700 shooter in the history of the world, ever. Nobody 00:31:04.700 --> 00:31:08.220 can touch Stephen Curry. He's crazy. It's unbelievable. 00:31:08.779 --> 00:31:11.839 His release is quick. His range is limitless. 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:15.220 His accuracy, it's legendary. He's going to be 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:17.779 in the Hall of Fame, no question. Stephen Curry 00:31:17.779 --> 00:31:22.259 is the man. But believe it or not, even though 00:31:22.259 --> 00:31:24.859 he holds all these records, you may have glossed 00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:26.579 over the fact that throughout his career, he 00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:29.380 has actually missed significant stretches of 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:33.180 seasons because of ankle injuries. His shot is 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:37.430 elite. But his weakness is structural. And so 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:39.509 in those games that he missed, he was not on 00:31:39.509 --> 00:31:42.390 the bench because of his work ethic. He was not 00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:44.609 on the bench because of his shooting form. He 00:31:44.609 --> 00:31:46.490 was not on the bench because of his playmaking 00:31:46.490 --> 00:31:48.670 abilities. Everybody wanted him on the court. 00:31:48.789 --> 00:31:51.950 He was on the bench because of those pesky ankles. 00:31:52.390 --> 00:31:55.710 He was on the bench because anybody, even Stephen 00:31:55.710 --> 00:31:59.109 Curry, is only as strong as their weakest link. 00:31:59.640 --> 00:32:02.339 Because it does not matter how strong your gift 00:32:02.339 --> 00:32:05.940 is if your foundation is fragile. And it doesn't 00:32:05.940 --> 00:32:09.079 matter how solid you appear on the outside if 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:12.460 you are crumbling on the inside. Here's another 00:32:12.460 --> 00:32:14.220 example I want to share with you, one that's 00:32:14.220 --> 00:32:18.480 near and dear to my heart. Children, when they 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:22.519 grow up, there's no schedule that just everyone 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:24.880 follows. Different children are going to have 00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:26.579 different strengths and weaknesses at different 00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:29.410 times. And that's something you maybe don't realize 00:32:29.410 --> 00:32:32.130 as much until you have your own children. But 00:32:32.130 --> 00:32:37.369 Claire, she's now right at 40 months old, three 00:32:37.369 --> 00:32:39.789 years and four months old. And so she's just 00:32:39.789 --> 00:32:42.170 right at that age where you can really see some 00:32:42.170 --> 00:32:44.859 of her strengths and her weaknesses. And Claire, 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.440 her entire life has really been very gifted at 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:51.359 observation, at communication, at memory. She's 00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:53.859 a communicator. And, I mean, she literally, she 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:55.339 talks too much if I've got to be honest with 00:32:55.339 --> 00:32:58.079 you. She just, she knows in her entire life, 00:32:58.140 --> 00:33:00.619 she's just known how whatever she needs, whatever 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:02.599 she wants at any given time, she has been gifted 00:33:02.599 --> 00:33:05.799 at letting you know her needs in just all kinds 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:08.859 of ways. She's been very observant. She's very 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:13.339 socially smart. well beyond her years. It's kind 00:33:13.339 --> 00:33:18.079 of weird. But I want to remind us today, and 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.140 Claire's a really good example, not that I mean 00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:22.200 to pick on her, but you're only as strong as 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:24.819 your weakest link. Because I know exactly what 00:33:24.819 --> 00:33:26.579 it's like to go to the doctor's office at her 00:33:26.579 --> 00:33:29.579 checkups, and on that questionnaire survey they 00:33:29.579 --> 00:33:31.900 have at the very beginning, when it came down 00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:35.099 to language and communication and relationships 00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:38.470 and... Claire literally was off the chart. Every 00:33:38.470 --> 00:33:40.589 given time, whatever the best case scenario was, 00:33:40.730 --> 00:33:43.690 literally, she was better than that. And you 00:33:43.690 --> 00:33:45.410 would feel so proud sitting in the waiting room. 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:48.519 But I know what it's like to go from that to 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:50.420 when you leave the doctor's office and you look 00:33:50.420 --> 00:33:53.019 at the pediatrician's notes. And she said that 00:33:53.019 --> 00:33:55.940 my daughter had a gross motor delay because she 00:33:55.940 --> 00:33:58.660 was very late to crawling. She was very late 00:33:58.660 --> 00:34:00.960 to walking. She would do anything but crawl, 00:34:01.059 --> 00:34:04.180 literally. She would roll. She would scoot. On 00:34:04.180 --> 00:34:06.579 our bed, our bed is taller than Clary is probably 00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:09.480 now. But she would slide off to where her feet 00:34:09.480 --> 00:34:11.639 could barely touch the ground. And then she would 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:14.159 go from that position straight to rolling. She 00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:16.369 couldn't even crawl. It made no sense at all. 00:34:16.829 --> 00:34:19.190 And so that's always reminded me, you're only 00:34:19.190 --> 00:34:21.690 as strong as your weakest link. On one side, 00:34:21.789 --> 00:34:25.829 she could communicate better than some kids three 00:34:25.829 --> 00:34:28.670 times her age. It's so weird. But then at the 00:34:28.670 --> 00:34:32.289 same time, I mean, it's just crazy. I literally 00:34:32.289 --> 00:34:34.789 remember a few times where she would speak in 00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:37.510 full sentences, but I could not understand her 00:34:37.510 --> 00:34:39.849 because she had a pacifier in her mouth. Those 00:34:39.849 --> 00:34:42.250 two things don't belong together. You are only 00:34:42.250 --> 00:34:45.679 as strong as your weakest link. She reminds me 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:49.219 all the time. And one more story I'll tell you 00:34:49.219 --> 00:34:52.739 about here that encapsulates this better than 00:34:52.739 --> 00:34:55.039 probably anything else. She loves lights and 00:34:55.039 --> 00:34:56.739 sounds and Christmas and music and all that. 00:34:56.880 --> 00:35:00.239 So we went to Tanglewood. My sister and I took 00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:03.940 her. We went to Tanglewood this past Christmas. 00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:08.179 And we're there at Tanglewood in the... in the 00:35:08.179 --> 00:35:10.880 Clemens area, and she likes Japanese food, so 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:12.139 we said, all right, well, we're going to leave 00:35:12.139 --> 00:35:14.760 Tanglewood to go to Kimono on Country Club. And 00:35:14.760 --> 00:35:17.699 just the way the GPS took us, we passed right 00:35:17.699 --> 00:35:21.059 by the Robano's house. And Sister Sandra keeps 00:35:21.059 --> 00:35:22.820 up with Claire and Chloe for us. She's a great 00:35:22.820 --> 00:35:25.019 blessing to our family. But Claire has always, 00:35:25.159 --> 00:35:27.019 even from a young age, very observant, always 00:35:27.019 --> 00:35:29.059 looking out the window, and always knows where 00:35:29.059 --> 00:35:32.159 we are. If I go a different way than I usually 00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:34.320 go, she will literally ask me, where are we going, 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.559 and did you miss your turn? And she's done that. 00:35:36.599 --> 00:35:39.079 She's just been like, two years old. And so even 00:35:39.079 --> 00:35:40.659 though we were coming from a different direction, 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.159 she recognized, wow, we're passing Nana's house. 00:35:43.300 --> 00:35:45.480 And she was so upset when we didn't turn into 00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:47.780 Nana's house. And then when I stayed straight, 00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:49.820 she's used to, if I take a right coming out of 00:35:49.820 --> 00:35:51.920 their house, we're going to church. Or excuse 00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:54.219 me, we're going home. But if Ho -Ho, Brother 00:35:54.219 --> 00:35:56.820 Jorge, takes a left coming out of the house, 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:58.980 then that means... We're going to church. She 00:35:58.980 --> 00:36:00.780 doesn't understand that those two roads connected 00:36:00.780 --> 00:36:03.019 about five miles, but she just thinks how you 00:36:03.019 --> 00:36:05.179 leave is where you're going. And so when we passed 00:36:05.179 --> 00:36:07.019 her house, she just automatically knew, all right, 00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:08.820 well, obviously we're going to church. When I 00:36:08.820 --> 00:36:10.920 passed the exit on 421, she was like, Daddy, 00:36:11.019 --> 00:36:13.019 you missed your turn. We're not going to church. 00:36:13.159 --> 00:36:15.539 And she had just turned three. It's unbelievable. 00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:19.300 And so I'm over here thinking, my daughter is 00:36:19.300 --> 00:36:21.300 so smart. And you know how we parents can be. 00:36:21.460 --> 00:36:23.420 I'm just so proud of her. I'm thinking about 00:36:23.420 --> 00:36:26.440 all this. She's blowing my mind. We get to dinner. 00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:28.460 My sister and I are talking about it. I say, 00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:31.099 wow, it's crazy how she can do that. I don't 00:36:31.099 --> 00:36:32.639 know another three -year -old that would even 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:35.780 care, honestly. How in the world can she do that? 00:36:35.900 --> 00:36:38.219 And my sister's like, yeah, that's crazy. And 00:36:38.219 --> 00:36:40.880 we're just so proud of her. We're smiling. We're 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:42.679 just so proud. We're going to turn to her and 00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:44.679 tell her, wow, you're a big girl. You're so smart. 00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:48.300 Just so proud. We turn, we're smiling, and we 00:36:48.300 --> 00:36:50.480 both turn at the same time, and Claire is literally 00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:55.940 licking shrimp sauce off the table. And immediately 00:36:55.940 --> 00:37:00.440 I remembered, she is only three years old. Because 00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:03.199 at the end of the day, you're only as strong 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:06.500 as your weakest link. If I could tell you something 00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:08.739 tonight as it relates to spiritual disciplines, 00:37:09.159 --> 00:37:13.460 you're only as strong as your weakest link. You're 00:37:13.460 --> 00:37:17.079 only as strong. As your weakest link. You're 00:37:17.079 --> 00:37:20.619 only as sturdy. As your weakest devotion. You're 00:37:20.619 --> 00:37:25.599 only as mature. As your weakest discipline. As 00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:28.340 it relates to God. And his word. Your knowledge 00:37:28.340 --> 00:37:31.019 may be strong. And your talent may be strong. 00:37:31.260 --> 00:37:33.760 And your influence may be strong. But tonight 00:37:33.760 --> 00:37:38.119 I ask you. What is your weakest link? Is it private 00:37:38.119 --> 00:37:42.969 prayer and fasting? Is it faithful giving? Ask 00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:46.289 yourself tonight, is it consistency? Is it humility? 00:37:47.110 --> 00:37:49.989 Is your weakest link a life of true repentance 00:37:49.989 --> 00:37:52.989 before God? Is your weakest link submission? 00:37:54.329 --> 00:37:56.869 Hebrews 12 and one tells us, let us lay aside 00:37:56.869 --> 00:37:59.610 every weight and the sin which does so easily 00:37:59.610 --> 00:38:02.510 beset us and let us run with patience the race 00:38:02.510 --> 00:38:06.530 that is set before us. Weights and sins will 00:38:06.530 --> 00:38:09.670 trip runners right before the finish line. So 00:38:09.670 --> 00:38:12.829 my word to you tonight is to strengthen that 00:38:12.829 --> 00:38:17.250 weak link. Condition the neglected area. Train 00:38:17.250 --> 00:38:21.190 that hidden muscle because disqualification rarely 00:38:21.190 --> 00:38:24.710 happens at your strength. More often than not, 00:38:24.730 --> 00:38:27.409 it's gonna happen at your vulnerability. Would 00:38:27.409 --> 00:38:31.349 you stand tonight as we prepare to pray? I have 00:38:31.349 --> 00:38:33.110 one more verse I wanna share with us tonight 00:38:33.110 --> 00:38:35.650 and I do wanna end with encouragement because 00:38:35.650 --> 00:38:38.489 this is the solution straight from God. James 00:38:38.489 --> 00:38:42.010 4 and 8 tells us, draw nigh to God and he will 00:38:42.010 --> 00:38:45.969 draw nigh to you. I want to urge you tonight, 00:38:46.050 --> 00:38:49.309 you cannot drift into victory. You cannot stumble 00:38:49.309 --> 00:38:52.949 into endurance. You cannot coast into crowns. 00:38:52.949 --> 00:38:56.510 You have to discipline into them. The difference 00:38:56.510 --> 00:38:59.570 between a disciple and discipline are just those 00:38:59.570 --> 00:39:04.710 two words, I -N -N. And what is in you determines 00:39:04.710 --> 00:39:08.019 whether you finish. And so if I could urge you 00:39:08.019 --> 00:39:11.219 tonight, if you are in this casually, you will 00:39:11.219 --> 00:39:15.300 fade. If you are in this race emotionally, you 00:39:15.300 --> 00:39:17.860 will fluctuate. You'll ride the wave. If you 00:39:17.860 --> 00:39:21.039 are in this socially, you will drift. But if 00:39:21.039 --> 00:39:23.820 you are in it with discipline, you will endure. 00:39:24.460 --> 00:39:27.960 So train the inside. Strengthen the weak link. 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:31.679 Avoid disqualification. Do what Paul says. He 00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:35.670 says, run to win. Be in it to win it. And if 00:39:35.670 --> 00:39:38.389 you do, when you cross that finish line, God 00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:41.110 is going to tell you, well done. Thou good and 00:39:41.110 --> 00:39:44.269 faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. 00:39:44.530 --> 00:39:47.010 Can we come draw nigh to God in this place tonight? 00:39:47.750 --> 00:39:50.349 Can we do our very best to get as close to the 00:39:50.349 --> 00:39:54.449 Lord in this place tonight? He says, draw nigh 00:39:54.449 --> 00:39:59.099 to me and I will draw nigh to you. Come to me 00:39:59.099 --> 00:40:01.780 with humility and with repentance and with sincerity, 00:40:01.940 --> 00:40:04.719 and I would do more with you than you could do 00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:08.639 with yourself. Let's go all in today. Let's run 00:40:08.639 --> 00:40:14.079 to win. Let's be in it to win it. Let's ask God 00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:18.360 to strengthen us today. Whatever that weakest 00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:20.860 link is, whatever that thing is that maybe we've 00:40:20.860 --> 00:40:24.699 been neglecting, whatever area of life maybe 00:40:24.699 --> 00:40:27.000 we've chosen to overlook and pretend like it's 00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:30.659 okay, God is reminding us with his word today, 00:40:30.739 --> 00:40:34.980 it's not okay. That weakness could bring everything 00:40:34.980 --> 00:40:38.800 down. You're only as strong as your weakest link. 00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:45.760 You're only as capable as God allows. You're 00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:49.460 only as spiritually mature as your weakest discipline. 00:40:50.480 --> 00:40:53.940 Let's be disciplined today. Let's run to win. 00:40:54.619 --> 00:40:58.250 Let's be in it to win it. Let's pray all over 00:40:58.250 --> 00:41:01.409 this room. Let's surrender to the Lord all over 00:41:01.409 --> 00:41:01.889 this room.