WEBVTT 00:00.750 --> 00:05.010 Alright, tonight we're in Ecclesiastes chapter 11. Look down your Bibles at verse number 3. 00:31.250 --> 00:44.690 The Winter Arc. And what am I referring to when I say The Winter Arc? Some of you maybe have never heard that, but it's a popular trend online and it pretty much has to do with people wanting to hit a reset button at the very end of the year. 00:45.070 --> 00:54.750 And I like things like this because it's a good thing to participate in because a lot of times at the beginning of the year you set up goals for yourselves and then some people set up goals that are too unrealistic. 00:55.410 --> 01:00.030 And then towards like January 2nd, you already fell off the train kind of thing. 01:00.270 --> 01:09.670 But at the end of the day it really doesn't matter when you start, but it's a good way to put it in your mind, kind of get in that mindset that hey, it's time to hit a reset button. 01:10.110 --> 01:19.170 And when we talk about the Winter Arc, a lot of times people will refer to it as a 90 day period beginning at October 1st and it carries on all the way to the end of the year. 01:19.170 --> 01:24.070 So it's about like 90 days. A lot of people like participating in this because like I said, it's a good way to start over. 01:24.530 --> 01:30.750 Maybe you fell off the tracks. Maybe you didn't get to fulfill certain goals that you had for yourself at the beginning of the year. 01:31.110 --> 01:35.090 And when we talk about goals, it is good to set up goals, especially as a Christian, right? 01:35.530 --> 01:39.550 We have goals when it comes to our personal life. We should have goals when it comes to our spiritual life. 01:39.770 --> 01:45.370 And there are many goals that we have, you know, whether it's at work, whether it's goals that we have with our children or with our family. 01:45.370 --> 01:48.270 You know, as a Christian, you should set up goals. 01:48.830 --> 01:53.770 And, you know, one of the things that we should do as Christians is just have that mindset that, you know what? 01:54.110 --> 01:59.430 Every day is a brand new day. His mercies are new each day. And it's a fresh start every single day. 01:59.830 --> 02:06.550 And I want to encourage you, you know, this evening to just think about that, you know, the year is coming to an end where we just started fall. 02:06.730 --> 02:11.030 Winter is going to come. And, you know, what have you done with the whole year of 2026, right? 02:11.030 --> 02:17.950 Some of us, you know, we just let the days go by. And then before you know it, the year came to an end and you didn't accomplish anything, right? 02:18.490 --> 02:23.910 And, unfortunately, a lot of times where you're at today, it's just a result of all the decisions you made at the beginning of the year. 02:24.190 --> 02:27.150 And you have no one else to blame but yourself, right? 02:27.610 --> 02:30.550 So this morning, this evening, I just want to encourage you to just think about that. 02:30.830 --> 02:34.050 Some of the things that you should consider if it comes to the winter arc. 02:34.170 --> 02:37.610 And I like that name because when you think about an arc, right? A character arc. 02:37.610 --> 02:43.050 A lot of people just think about it as like, you know, there's certain stories where a character starts off as a good person 02:43.050 --> 02:46.570 and then towards the end, you know, they end up being somebody really bad, right? 02:46.910 --> 02:52.350 Or a character starts off being like a terrible person and then they go through some tragic events and at the very end, 02:52.450 --> 02:55.570 they end up, you know, turning their life around and they become a good person. 02:55.790 --> 02:59.750 And these are things, you know, that we read in fiction. There's a lot of characters like that in the Bible. 03:00.150 --> 03:03.610 But you know, when it comes to us, maybe we had a bad start at the beginning of the year. 03:03.610 --> 03:06.810 Maybe at the beginning of the year, your marriage wasn't where it should be, right? 03:07.210 --> 03:11.570 Or maybe at the beginning of the year, you really didn't have like any goals, any clear goals in mind. 03:11.890 --> 03:15.210 Or maybe, you know, as a teenager, you know, you were doing really bad in school. 03:15.650 --> 03:19.370 And it's your last opportunity to find, you know, turn things around and then get it right. 03:19.890 --> 03:22.510 So this evening, the title of this sermon is The Winter Arc. 03:22.970 --> 03:27.350 Now if you would go with me to Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews chapter 10. 03:28.230 --> 03:30.830 Like I said, what is the winter arc? 03:30.830 --> 03:36.210 Just that popular trend usually is like 90 days beginning of October 1st all the way to the end of the year. 03:36.730 --> 03:39.290 And it's not something that you have to participate in. 03:39.390 --> 03:41.810 Obviously, some people just, it's a popular trend, like I said. 03:41.930 --> 03:46.210 And a lot of people just like participating in this because it kind of sets the mood, you know. 03:46.570 --> 03:49.710 Not really in California, you know, but in other places, it gets cold. 03:50.110 --> 03:52.590 And a lot of people just like isolate themselves and they work on themselves. 03:52.810 --> 03:54.590 A lot of people enjoy self-improvement. 03:54.810 --> 03:55.850 And I think you should as a Christian. 03:56.010 --> 03:58.310 You know, there are a lot of things that we can improve as Christians. 03:58.310 --> 04:01.490 And it only takes a couple of minutes to analyze, right? 04:01.770 --> 04:03.170 To do some introspection. 04:03.430 --> 04:06.770 You realize, hey, there's a lot of things that I have to work on. 04:07.270 --> 04:11.670 Now as you were turning there, Hebrews chapter 10, let me read to you from Acts chapter 1. 04:11.810 --> 04:12.230 The Bible says, 04:12.450 --> 04:13.950 Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 04:14.570 --> 04:21.230 This same Jesus which is taking up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 04:21.550 --> 04:26.230 And so here is after Jesus Christ already gave the Great Commission after he resurrected. 04:26.230 --> 04:30.690 He already told him, you know, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost shall come upon you and ye shall receive power. 04:30.970 --> 04:34.350 And so Jesus Christ has just ascended, carried up into clouds, 04:34.610 --> 04:37.290 and his disciples are just standing there gazing, right? 04:37.690 --> 04:40.470 And so the angel is just telling them, why stand ye here gazing? 04:40.850 --> 04:42.150 And a lot of us are just like that. 04:42.170 --> 04:43.490 We're just standing around, right? 04:43.850 --> 04:45.410 We're not really getting anything done. 04:45.870 --> 04:49.090 God already gave us all the commandments, all the things that he wants us to accomplish. 04:49.470 --> 04:52.830 And instead of getting to work, you know, all we're doing is just standing around. 04:53.230 --> 04:57.090 And when we started in Ecclesiastes chapter 11, let me read to you verse 4. 04:57.250 --> 05:02.750 It says, He that observes the wind shall not so, and he that regarded the clouds shall not reap. 05:03.190 --> 05:07.030 And a lot of times people are like that, you know, based on the circumstances in their lives, 05:07.350 --> 05:11.670 based on the way the weather is outside, you know, they make decisions based on those things. 05:11.990 --> 05:13.030 A lot of factors, right? 05:13.430 --> 05:17.310 If it's too cold, you know, instead of just saying, I'm going to throw on a jacket, you know, 05:18.170 --> 05:20.870 and they decide, you know what, I'm just going to call off of work. 05:20.870 --> 05:22.390 It's too cold to go to work, right? 05:22.890 --> 05:27.050 Or, you know, instead of getting things done, you know, instead of going out so many, right? 05:27.130 --> 05:28.110 It's just way too hot. 05:28.170 --> 05:29.010 I'm not going to go out so many. 05:29.270 --> 05:33.370 Why? Because they let the weather, they let their circumstances determine how they act. 05:33.590 --> 05:35.270 And it shouldn't be like that, right? 05:35.710 --> 05:39.890 So if you're in Hebrews chapter 10, where I told you to go, look down on your browser, verse 24, 05:40.250 --> 05:45.110 the Bible says, And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, 05:45.310 --> 05:49.950 not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the manner some is. 05:49.950 --> 05:54.970 And so the reason why we want to read this verse is because obviously the Christian life, you know, 05:55.010 --> 05:57.690 if we take it at face value, it's very simple. 05:57.950 --> 05:58.710 It's very basic. 05:59.230 --> 06:01.870 Now, it's harder than what, you know, it's harder. 06:02.530 --> 06:04.170 It's easier said than done, right? 06:04.230 --> 06:07.710 It's what I'm trying to say because the Christian life just consists of certain basic things 06:07.710 --> 06:09.570 that you have to do day after day. 06:09.630 --> 06:13.290 But where it gets hard is that we're inconsistent a lot of the times. 06:13.870 --> 06:17.790 And this verse, it just talks about going to church, you know, being around God's people. 06:17.790 --> 06:22.750 And as a Christian, one of the most basic things that you have to get done or get down 06:22.750 --> 06:26.830 if you want to succeed as a Christian is what this manner of going to church. 06:27.290 --> 06:31.790 And here we see in verse 25, look down your Bibles at Hebrews 10, verse 25 says, 06:32.090 --> 06:36.230 not forsaking the assemblies of ourselves together as the manner some is. 06:36.590 --> 06:39.010 And so the Bible clearly says that as the manner some is, you know, 06:39.070 --> 06:42.730 there's some people in here even today, you know, that that is their manner, 06:43.010 --> 06:44.010 you know, missing church. 06:44.190 --> 06:45.250 That's what they're known for. 06:45.250 --> 06:48.670 You know, we don't even have to ask ourselves, you know, it's so, so going to come. 06:48.790 --> 06:49.990 We already know they're going to miss, right? 06:50.450 --> 06:52.830 And you know, you shouldn't let that be you. 06:53.250 --> 06:55.490 You shouldn't be like, well, I don't really expect them to come. 06:55.570 --> 06:58.590 It shouldn't be like when you show up to church, you're like, oh, dang, he's actually here tonight, right? 06:59.250 --> 07:01.550 But it shouldn't be, you shouldn't be characterized as that. 07:02.030 --> 07:06.410 And so the Bible here is saying not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the manner some is, 07:06.690 --> 07:10.090 but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. 07:10.510 --> 07:13.030 So I understand obviously a Thursday night's a little bit different. 07:13.030 --> 07:15.430 People, you know, work, they come out late. 07:15.830 --> 07:19.710 A lot of people live far that come to our church and the traffic is just insane. 07:19.930 --> 07:23.850 But I'm talking about just missing church consistently, like week after week. 07:24.110 --> 07:25.590 You can't even make it to one service. 07:25.830 --> 07:28.810 You're pretty much like consistently being inconsistent, right? 07:29.170 --> 07:30.090 Because a lot of people are like that. 07:30.150 --> 07:32.990 They'll come one week and we see them and then we're like, 07:33.050 --> 07:34.890 all right, well, we'll see them again like in a month, right? 07:35.270 --> 07:37.290 And we don't want to be characterized as that. 07:37.590 --> 07:41.670 So one of the basic things that we can do as a Christian is if we want to succeed, 07:42.210 --> 07:45.510 one of the things that we have to get down and if you haven't gotten it down yet 07:45.510 --> 07:47.310 is this matter of coming to church. 07:47.970 --> 07:50.110 Now go to Mark chapter 11, go to Mark chapter 11. 07:50.970 --> 07:53.830 Now while you turn now, I'm going to read to you from Joshua chapter 1. 07:54.850 --> 07:59.250 Another basic discipline that we have to develop is this matter of Bible reading, right? 07:59.930 --> 08:02.330 And in Joshua chapter 1 verse 8, the Bible says, 08:02.470 --> 08:05.170 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, 08:05.650 --> 08:07.650 but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, 08:07.650 --> 08:11.590 and that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, 08:11.870 --> 08:16.310 for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success. 08:16.790 --> 08:18.990 So not only do we have to come to church, right? 08:19.410 --> 08:22.890 And it's not like, well, you come to church if you feel like it, right? 08:23.330 --> 08:25.150 A lot of times we're out there sewing it and they tell us, 08:25.170 --> 08:27.110 Well, I'm not very religious. I don't really go to church. 08:27.390 --> 08:29.390 I don't need to go to church to have a relationship with God. 08:29.790 --> 08:30.970 Well, actually you do, right? 08:31.090 --> 08:33.230 Because going to church is a commandment in the Bible. 08:33.230 --> 08:38.970 And another thing that we should do as a Christian is develop the discipline of Bible reading. 08:39.430 --> 08:43.350 And here it says that for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous 08:43.350 --> 08:45.330 and then thou shalt have good success. 08:45.770 --> 08:48.830 See, a lot of people want to be successful in every area of life, 08:48.990 --> 08:51.050 but you're not going to be successful according to the Bible 08:51.050 --> 08:52.850 if you're not reading the Bible. 08:53.470 --> 08:55.730 And so one of the things that I want to encourage you, 08:55.870 --> 08:58.250 you know, there's only three months left in the year 08:58.250 --> 09:00.170 and maybe you start it off right, you know, 09:00.170 --> 09:03.390 you start at Genesis and then you stop reading after Genesis 5, right? 09:03.790 --> 09:04.570 Maybe that's you tonight. 09:05.010 --> 09:07.850 But, you know, there's still time for you to finish the Bible. 09:08.030 --> 09:10.810 There's like more than 90 days. There's probably like 100 days left. 09:11.330 --> 09:13.710 And if that's you tonight and you have that goal, you know, 09:13.810 --> 09:15.090 you set up that goal in the beginning of the year, 09:15.230 --> 09:18.550 I want to read my Bible this year from cover to cover and you did it and you failed. 09:19.030 --> 09:21.310 There's still time, right? There's still time to get it done. 09:21.830 --> 09:24.010 And really, you can read it in 90 days. 09:24.310 --> 09:24.970 And I'll tell you how. 09:25.150 --> 09:28.990 One of the ways that you can read it in 90 days is just 13 chapters a day, right? 09:28.990 --> 09:32.950 And 13 chapters a day from what I like timed in and looked it up. 09:33.370 --> 09:35.650 You know, if you read pretty fast, you read pretty normal speed, 09:35.770 --> 09:40.230 it's like 40 to 45 minutes and everybody has 40 minutes in here to read the Bible. 09:40.670 --> 09:42.290 Now, I'm not saying you have to do that all in the morning. 09:42.470 --> 09:46.630 You could break it up into, you know, morning, lunch, and then at night, right? 09:46.770 --> 09:51.010 You read 10 minutes in the morning, you read 10 more minutes in the afternoon 09:51.010 --> 09:52.850 and then you just finish the chapters at night. 09:52.970 --> 09:53.930 There's ways to get it done. 09:54.270 --> 09:56.690 So if you haven't read your Bible cover to cover this year 09:56.690 --> 09:59.950 or you think you might not finish, there's still time, right? 10:00.350 --> 10:00.970 Don't give up. 10:01.170 --> 10:01.650 Don't quit. 10:01.870 --> 10:02.130 Don't wait. 10:02.230 --> 10:04.790 Well, I'll just wait till January 1st, 2027 to get started again. 10:04.990 --> 10:05.410 Don't do that. 10:05.690 --> 10:08.310 Because then you're going to be, you know, next year again, 10:08.450 --> 10:10.450 and it's going to be September and you're still in the same boat. 10:10.630 --> 10:11.490 You haven't finished it again. 10:12.110 --> 10:15.390 So you're there in Mark chapter 11. 10:15.550 --> 10:16.830 Look down at verse number 24. 10:17.870 --> 10:18.610 The Bible says, 10:18.690 --> 10:21.010 Therefore I say unto you what things to wherever you desire, 10:21.410 --> 10:24.690 when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them. 10:24.690 --> 10:28.410 So number one in the introduction is this, that as Christians, 10:28.650 --> 10:30.510 the Christian life is very basic. 10:30.730 --> 10:32.670 The only thing is that we have to be consistent. 10:33.050 --> 10:34.210 And I'll be the first to admit, you know, 10:34.270 --> 10:36.050 throughout the year, sometimes you are inconsistent. 10:36.730 --> 10:37.450 You know, you have the flesh. 10:37.970 --> 10:38.950 You have the old man. 10:39.230 --> 10:41.770 You're not always succeeding at the goals that you, you know, 10:41.790 --> 10:42.790 set for before yourself. 10:43.090 --> 10:45.550 But the point is this, you have to get back on it, right? 10:45.650 --> 10:46.970 You can't just quit all the time. 10:47.450 --> 10:50.310 And the first thing that I brought up is the fact of going to church. 10:50.730 --> 10:51.990 You know, get that down already. 10:51.990 --> 10:54.650 You know, you've been in our church for more than a year. 10:54.790 --> 10:56.110 You should be consistent in church. 10:56.430 --> 10:58.870 And I'm saying, I'm not saying you have to go all, you know, 10:58.990 --> 10:59.410 three services. 10:59.630 --> 11:01.610 That's the goal, you know, three to thrive. 11:02.050 --> 11:04.050 But even if you can't come all three services, 11:04.250 --> 11:05.610 make it to one service, right? 11:05.970 --> 11:06.750 It's not that hard. 11:07.110 --> 11:09.170 And especially if you've been here for more than a year, 11:09.270 --> 11:11.190 this is something that you should have already developed. 11:11.690 --> 11:14.070 Number two is that you have to develop that discipline 11:14.070 --> 11:15.970 of reading your Bible every day. 11:16.310 --> 11:17.970 And even if you don't read, you know, 11:18.170 --> 11:20.990 five chapters, ten chapters, read one chapter, right? 11:20.990 --> 11:22.210 Just read something. 11:22.690 --> 11:23.370 It's not that hard. 11:24.410 --> 11:26.270 So, and the third thing that I brought up right now 11:26.270 --> 11:27.350 is that you have to pray. 11:27.510 --> 11:29.230 These are just basic Christian disciplines. 11:29.590 --> 11:32.330 You have to go to church, read your Bible, and pray. 11:32.530 --> 11:33.750 Because we all have needs, right? 11:34.330 --> 11:35.970 You know, everybody needs something from God. 11:36.110 --> 11:37.890 Everybody needs God to give us wisdom. 11:38.290 --> 11:40.230 Everybody wants God to provide for them. 11:40.470 --> 11:42.230 But you have not because you ask not. 11:43.050 --> 11:47.330 Now, go to, if you would, go to, let me see here, 11:49.030 --> 11:50.490 go to Hebrews chapter 12. 11:50.570 --> 11:51.550 Go to Hebrews chapter 12. 11:52.370 --> 11:54.310 So, the title of the sermon this evening is 11:54.310 --> 11:56.470 The Winter Arc, The Winter Arc. 11:56.990 --> 11:59.230 I'm going to read to you from 2 Peter chapter 1. 11:59.970 --> 12:00.470 The Bible says, 12:00.730 --> 12:02.430 Wherefore I will not be negligent 12:02.430 --> 12:04.750 to put you always in remembrance of these things, 12:05.410 --> 12:06.390 though ye know them, 12:06.650 --> 12:08.470 and be established in the present truth. 12:08.990 --> 12:11.630 Yea, I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle 12:11.630 --> 12:14.190 to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. 12:14.730 --> 12:15.710 And so, here Paul is saying, 12:15.710 --> 12:18.150 he's not negligent to put you in remembrance 12:18.150 --> 12:18.910 of these things, right? 12:19.250 --> 12:21.290 He's always reminding them of the things 12:21.290 --> 12:22.330 that they have to get done. 12:22.770 --> 12:24.150 And let it not be said of us, you know, 12:24.250 --> 12:26.030 hey, we're just tired of hearing all the time, 12:26.150 --> 12:27.150 you know, pastor telling us, 12:27.310 --> 12:29.470 read your Bible, go to church, go so many. 12:29.590 --> 12:32.310 These are things that we constantly have to be reminded of. 12:32.710 --> 12:32.930 Why? 12:33.090 --> 12:34.550 Because we forget sometimes, right? 12:35.130 --> 12:37.510 And you miss one week, you forget about it. 12:37.790 --> 12:38.750 And then you miss one week 12:38.750 --> 12:40.310 because it's easier to miss a second week. 12:40.410 --> 12:41.910 And then you just develop bad habits. 12:42.070 --> 12:42.810 And before you know it, 12:42.850 --> 12:44.290 you're not even out there so many no more. 12:44.290 --> 12:45.710 And I guarantee you, you know, 12:45.790 --> 12:46.810 I don't even have to ask, 12:46.810 --> 12:48.250 there's somebody in this room right now 12:48.250 --> 12:50.650 that probably does not go so many every single week. 12:50.910 --> 12:52.890 And if that's you, you know, you got to get that fixed. 12:53.250 --> 12:54.830 Because we are a soul-winning church. 12:55.430 --> 12:57.310 You know, the name of our church 12:57.310 --> 12:58.650 is what first works Baptist Church. 12:58.750 --> 13:00.790 We believe in doing the first works, our first love. 13:01.210 --> 13:02.950 And so, we promote soul-winning here. 13:03.450 --> 13:04.830 You know, you don't feel, you know, like, 13:05.510 --> 13:07.430 well, I feel just too pressured to go out so many. 13:07.590 --> 13:09.210 Well, you know, that's actually a good thing, right? 13:09.670 --> 13:11.930 Because it would be bad if we weren't pressuring you 13:11.930 --> 13:13.930 to go out and, you know, keep God's commandments 13:13.930 --> 13:15.770 and going out there and winning the loss. 13:16.190 --> 13:18.210 So, this is something that you have to purposely 13:18.210 --> 13:19.750 put it in your mind, you know, 13:19.830 --> 13:21.590 hey, I need to be out there giving the gospel. 13:21.990 --> 13:23.630 And I'm saying maybe you can't go out on Sunday. 13:23.830 --> 13:25.490 Maybe you can go out another day of the week. 13:25.790 --> 13:27.210 Get with your team leader, ask them, 13:27.290 --> 13:29.550 hey, what's another day that I can go? 13:29.970 --> 13:32.330 Or maybe give me an area, give me some ideas. 13:32.470 --> 13:33.410 Maybe they can meet you up. 13:33.670 --> 13:35.530 Or do Omi TV, there's really no excuse 13:35.530 --> 13:36.970 why you can't go so many now. 13:38.170 --> 13:40.030 Now, if you're there in Hebrews 12, 13:40.230 --> 13:41.770 look down on your Bibles at verse number two. 13:41.770 --> 13:43.370 The Bible says, looking unto Jesus, 13:44.130 --> 13:45.490 the author and finisher of our faith, 13:45.710 --> 13:47.410 who for the joy that was set before him 13:47.410 --> 13:49.630 endured the cross, despising the shame 13:49.630 --> 13:52.070 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 13:52.570 --> 13:53.770 And so, here we see that, you know, 13:53.870 --> 13:55.890 Jesus Christ, you know, he already knew 13:55.890 --> 13:57.170 what he had to accomplish, right? 13:57.210 --> 13:59.390 He had for the joy that was set before him. 13:59.710 --> 14:01.510 And a lot of times what makes it easier for us 14:01.510 --> 14:03.670 to get something done is just picturing in our mind 14:03.670 --> 14:05.310 the end result, right? 14:05.530 --> 14:07.330 Just knowing what we're going to get out of it. 14:07.630 --> 14:09.770 And a lot of times, if we have that go in mind, 14:09.770 --> 14:11.790 we're more likely, you know, to put steps 14:11.790 --> 14:12.750 into achieving that. 14:13.090 --> 14:14.950 So this evening, like I said, the title of this sermon 14:14.950 --> 14:17.210 is the Winter Arc. I want to give you three things 14:17.210 --> 14:18.410 that you should consider tonight 14:18.410 --> 14:20.350 when it comes to the Winter Arc. 14:20.730 --> 14:22.730 Now, everybody's arc is going to look different, right? 14:22.950 --> 14:24.750 Some of you guys want to improve in different areas. 14:25.130 --> 14:26.310 Everybody has different goals. 14:26.850 --> 14:28.430 You know, just like in a personal level, 14:28.510 --> 14:31.410 some of you had the goal of losing weight, right? 14:31.870 --> 14:33.990 Some of you guys had the goal 14:33.990 --> 14:36.050 of like, you know, getting a better job 14:36.050 --> 14:37.290 or getting married. 14:37.290 --> 14:39.550 You know, some people didn't accomplish that, 14:39.610 --> 14:42.150 but, you know, I'm not going to look at anybody, 14:42.350 --> 14:43.870 but, you know, these are goals 14:43.870 --> 14:45.930 that people have year after year. 14:46.130 --> 14:46.450 No, I'm just kidding. 14:46.930 --> 14:49.050 But, you know, these are goals 14:49.050 --> 14:50.510 that people have sometimes, right? 14:50.670 --> 14:52.530 Just getting married, starting a family, 14:53.070 --> 14:55.130 getting in shape, you know, whatever the case may be. 14:55.250 --> 14:57.350 These are goals that you can start now, right? 14:57.810 --> 14:59.470 So don't wait until 2027 14:59.470 --> 15:01.350 to get started. You know, January 1st, 15:01.350 --> 15:02.290 I'm going to sign up for the gym. 15:02.610 --> 15:04.850 Just start, you know, sign up tomorrow, right? 15:04.850 --> 15:06.630 Don't go right now, but they're about to close. 15:06.970 --> 15:09.310 But, you know, go sign up for the gym. 15:09.550 --> 15:11.290 And honestly, look, this is a real thing. 15:11.450 --> 15:12.690 You know, one time, me and Pastor 15:12.690 --> 15:14.550 were just talking it up, and then he's like, 15:14.750 --> 15:16.330 I'm going to start working now. Let's go sign up. 15:16.410 --> 15:18.650 And we literally just signed up on a random day 15:18.650 --> 15:19.750 in September, I think. 15:20.130 --> 15:22.250 And then he hasn't stopped going since then, right? 15:22.670 --> 15:24.530 So it's never like the wrong time 15:24.530 --> 15:26.710 to sign up to the gym or to start your goals 15:26.710 --> 15:27.470 is what I'm trying to say. 15:27.810 --> 15:30.150 So the three things I want you to consider tonight 15:30.150 --> 15:32.310 when it comes to, you know, just changing 15:32.310 --> 15:34.630 the way that you are, setting yourself up 15:34.630 --> 15:36.310 for success for the upcoming year. 15:36.690 --> 15:38.030 I want you to consider these three things. 15:38.130 --> 15:40.730 Number one is consider this. What motivates you, right? 15:41.310 --> 15:42.670 What is it that motivates you? 15:42.850 --> 15:44.950 Because honestly, we all 15:44.950 --> 15:46.070 don't have discipline, right? 15:46.350 --> 15:48.210 At the end of the day. Let's just be honest, right? 15:48.650 --> 15:50.490 These are things that come, you know, 15:50.630 --> 15:52.390 after you put in the work. 15:52.870 --> 15:54.030 And if we're honest with each other, 15:54.130 --> 15:56.610 sometimes we just fail to put in the work right away. 15:57.030 --> 15:59.010 And so everybody at the beginning, 15:59.230 --> 16:00.690 you know, you need some kind of motivation. 16:01.110 --> 16:02.350 After a while, you get motivated. 16:02.610 --> 16:04.510 You develop the habits of going to church, 16:04.710 --> 16:06.150 reading your Bible, praying, 16:06.710 --> 16:08.130 you know, just being an asset to a church. 16:08.310 --> 16:10.910 And then you can really rely on just discipline at that point. 16:11.090 --> 16:12.470 Sometimes you're not going to feel like it. 16:12.710 --> 16:14.250 But because you develop the habits, 16:14.770 --> 16:16.790 the discipline, even when you're not motivated, 16:16.990 --> 16:17.810 you're still going to do it. 16:18.030 --> 16:19.470 But how do you even get to that point, you know? 16:19.750 --> 16:21.970 What motivates you? Like, why is it that you come 16:21.970 --> 16:23.670 to church? Because you all come here 16:23.670 --> 16:24.830 on your own free will, right? 16:25.250 --> 16:26.490 No one went to go pick you up. 16:26.490 --> 16:28.430 Nobody said like, hey, go to church tonight. 16:28.450 --> 16:30.070 I'm going to put gas in your car so you can come. 16:30.510 --> 16:31.990 I mean, I don't think nobody did that, right? 16:32.150 --> 16:34.510 But, you know, what is it that motivates you 16:34.510 --> 16:35.570 to do what you do? 16:36.310 --> 16:39.850 Now, when I bring up motivation, 16:40.070 --> 16:40.950 like, what is motivation? 16:41.610 --> 16:42.830 So when I looked it up, it says that 16:42.830 --> 16:45.270 act of an instance of motivating 16:45.270 --> 16:47.450 or providing with a reason to act 16:47.450 --> 16:48.130 in a certain way. 16:48.650 --> 16:50.230 The state or condition of being motivated 16:50.230 --> 16:52.090 or having a strong reason to act 16:52.090 --> 16:53.170 or accomplish something. 16:53.170 --> 16:55.450 So as a Christian, we do have to 16:55.450 --> 16:57.050 stay motivated to do what's right. 16:57.170 --> 16:59.330 We have to stay motivated to come to church. 16:59.530 --> 17:01.170 And sometimes in the beginning, it is because, 17:01.410 --> 17:03.150 you know, of somebody else, right? 17:03.330 --> 17:04.330 You want to see your friends. 17:04.810 --> 17:06.970 You want to see, you know, 17:07.150 --> 17:08.650 the friends that you have, maybe somebody 17:08.650 --> 17:10.530 from work invited you here, and that's 17:10.530 --> 17:12.070 your motivation to go there. You don't want 17:12.070 --> 17:14.310 to let them down. And so the way that 17:14.310 --> 17:16.950 we develop motivation, we have to create it. 17:17.390 --> 17:19.230 So what is motivation? 17:19.590 --> 17:20.590 Again, it's just an instance of 17:20.590 --> 17:22.410 being motivated, providing with a reason to act 17:22.410 --> 17:24.610 in a certain way. And then the state or condition 17:24.610 --> 17:26.550 of being motivated or having a strong reason 17:26.550 --> 17:28.110 to act or accomplish something. 17:28.670 --> 17:30.510 Now if you would, go to Philippians chapter 3. 17:30.650 --> 17:32.590 Philippians chapter 3. 17:34.130 --> 17:35.150 Philippians chapter 3. 17:35.330 --> 17:35.790 Excuse me. 17:43.940 --> 17:45.620 So if you're there in Philippians chapter 3, 17:45.720 --> 17:46.940 the Bible says in verse 14, 17:47.340 --> 17:48.960 I press or the mark for the price 17:48.960 --> 17:51.000 of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 17:51.780 --> 17:53.100 Now go to Hebrews chapter 12. 17:53.280 --> 17:55.280 Hebrews chapter 12, you know, 17:55.280 --> 17:56.820 one of the ways to stay motivated 17:57.500 --> 17:58.880 is pressing towards the mark. 17:59.520 --> 18:00.920 The first thing I want to bring up when it comes 18:00.920 --> 18:03.000 to staying motivated is that we have to establish 18:03.000 --> 18:04.700 goals, right? We have to, you know, 18:04.800 --> 18:06.740 put it in our mind, what is it that we want to accomplish? 18:07.340 --> 18:09.020 You know, we don't want to just live day by day 18:09.020 --> 18:11.160 and not having any kind of goals, right? 18:11.240 --> 18:13.000 There's something in life that we want to accomplish. 18:13.380 --> 18:14.760 There's something that we have to, 18:15.060 --> 18:16.920 we want to do, right? Like when it comes 18:16.920 --> 18:18.580 to spiritual matters, we know that we're 18:18.580 --> 18:20.000 going to get rewarded for everything that we do. 18:20.320 --> 18:22.000 You know, that should be in the forefront 18:22.000 --> 18:24.100 of our mind. Now, 18:24.120 --> 18:25.620 when it comes to establishing goals, oftentimes 18:25.620 --> 18:27.700 people establish like too big of a goal 18:28.160 --> 18:29.800 and then they try to do it 18:29.800 --> 18:31.680 and then they fail at it and then they just quit. 18:32.200 --> 18:33.920 The better way to do it is just establish small 18:33.920 --> 18:35.840 goals so that when you accomplish those 18:35.840 --> 18:37.540 then you get closer and closer to that bigger 18:37.540 --> 18:39.580 goal that you have for yourself. Now 18:40.700 --> 18:41.920 I think I tell you, yeah, 18:41.960 --> 18:43.420 go to Hebrews chapter 12, look down at your 18:43.420 --> 18:44.820 Bible as in verse number 2, the Bible says, 18:44.920 --> 18:47.760 looking unto Jesus, the author and 18:47.760 --> 18:49.320 finisher of our faith, who for the joy 18:49.320 --> 18:51.240 that was set before him, endured the cross 18:51.240 --> 18:52.840 and spiced in the shame and is set down 18:52.840 --> 18:54.800 at the right hand of the throne of God. 18:55.280 --> 18:57.440 So I said before this that Jesus already 18:57.440 --> 18:59.200 had in mind, you know, what was the end goal? 18:59.720 --> 19:01.180 And a lot of times if we're going to accomplish 19:01.180 --> 19:02.960 something, you know, we have to put it in our mind. 19:03.100 --> 19:04.980 You know, what is it, what's the destination 19:04.980 --> 19:07.200 that we want to get to? And when we have 19:07.200 --> 19:09.220 a clear destination, a clear goal, 19:09.460 --> 19:10.860 then we're able to put steps 19:10.860 --> 19:13.340 towards working towards that. Now go to 19:13.340 --> 19:14.400 Deuteronomy chapter 6, 19:14.400 --> 19:16.200 Deuteronomy chapter 6. 19:19.520 --> 19:21.140 See, what is it that you want to get 19:21.140 --> 19:22.740 out of the Christian life, right? 19:23.360 --> 19:24.900 What do you want to get out of the Christian life? 19:25.660 --> 19:27.160 And it is said that you get out 19:27.160 --> 19:29.080 when you put it into it, right? A lot of people 19:29.080 --> 19:31.060 want the product without the process. 19:31.600 --> 19:33.220 You see, you can't go to the ATM 19:33.220 --> 19:35.240 and expect to, like, withdraw 100 bucks 19:35.240 --> 19:36.780 if you never put 100 bucks in, right? 19:37.140 --> 19:39.040 It's going to say like overdraft, not just getting put. 19:39.540 --> 19:41.080 You can get, you know, 19:41.440 --> 19:43.240 something that you don't put in the work for. 19:43.240 --> 19:45.620 And a lot of times people see other people's success, 19:45.940 --> 19:47.240 other things that people have, 19:47.660 --> 19:49.280 and they want that, but they didn't see 19:49.280 --> 19:50.960 all the work that was put in to achieve that. 19:51.380 --> 19:53.620 And a lot of times people just want to take shortcuts, right? 19:54.320 --> 19:55.980 They see somebody lose weight, 19:56.140 --> 19:57.900 they see somebody, like, get stronger, 19:58.120 --> 19:59.540 they see somebody getting a better job, 19:59.660 --> 20:01.740 better pay. What is it that they did, 20:01.800 --> 20:03.500 you know, to help them get to that point? 20:03.880 --> 20:05.420 And a lot of times instead of people trying 20:05.420 --> 20:07.200 to do the same thing or replicate it 20:07.200 --> 20:08.720 or put it into work, what do they do? 20:08.820 --> 20:09.960 They just start hating on them, right? 20:11.020 --> 20:13.120 So, if you're there in Deuteronomy chapter 6, 20:13.240 --> 20:14.280 look down to verse number 5, 20:14.460 --> 20:14.860 the Bible says, 20:15.440 --> 20:19.940 and with all thy soul and with all thy might. 20:20.460 --> 20:21.840 And so we ought to love God, 20:21.980 --> 20:23.560 but here's the thing, there are certain things 20:23.560 --> 20:25.120 that will motivate us practically 20:25.120 --> 20:26.580 to do it better, right? 20:27.000 --> 20:28.240 Sometimes we do it out of discipline. 20:28.560 --> 20:29.920 The way that we show that we love God 20:29.920 --> 20:31.040 is by keeping His commandments. 20:31.760 --> 20:33.400 Now we should serve God out of love, 20:33.700 --> 20:36.260 but in a practical way we should set goals, right, 20:36.340 --> 20:37.980 that help us accomplish that. 20:38.340 --> 20:39.740 Now, goals as Christians, 20:39.960 --> 20:41.860 because everybody, like I said, has personal goals 20:41.860 --> 20:43.380 and I'm not going to ask you, you know, 20:43.420 --> 20:45.140 after the service to tell me where your goals are, 20:45.440 --> 20:47.440 but as a Christian, some of the goals I could think of 20:47.440 --> 20:49.520 is just this matter of, you know, training 20:49.520 --> 20:50.880 other soul winners, right? 20:51.420 --> 20:52.960 You yourselves, when you got to this church, 20:53.320 --> 20:54.820 one of the goals that we had for you 20:54.820 --> 20:56.700 is what, to become a soul winner, 20:56.860 --> 20:58.320 to be able to preach the gospel. 20:58.660 --> 21:00.380 And now that you know how to preach the gospel, 21:00.640 --> 21:01.520 you know where your goal should be 21:01.520 --> 21:03.720 is to be able to train up somebody else, right? 21:03.720 --> 21:06.200 The way that somebody invested time in you 21:06.200 --> 21:07.860 to teach you the ropes, 21:08.040 --> 21:09.960 to teach you the verses, to show you, you know, 21:10.140 --> 21:11.800 even to the point of how to knock a door, 21:12.200 --> 21:13.700 you know, those are things that you should be able 21:13.700 --> 21:15.240 to teach others now, right? 21:15.640 --> 21:17.880 You should have it in your mind as a Christian, 21:17.960 --> 21:20.400 because as a Christian there's so many things to do, right? 21:20.540 --> 21:22.000 The Christian life is not boring at all. 21:22.580 --> 21:24.840 It's only boring to those that do nothing, right? 21:25.340 --> 21:26.920 If all you do is just come to church, 21:27.060 --> 21:28.520 listen to the preaching and then go home 21:28.520 --> 21:30.100 and just forget about everything, you know, 21:30.160 --> 21:31.720 then I can see why you think it's boring. 21:31.720 --> 21:35.340 But if you come to church and you expect to learn, right, 21:35.400 --> 21:37.900 how to serve God, how to do something great for God, 21:38.240 --> 21:40.420 and then during the week you're actually putting it in work, 21:40.880 --> 21:42.100 you know, you're investing in others, 21:42.560 --> 21:44.380 you're learning, you're memorizing scripture, 21:44.880 --> 21:46.820 you're reading the Bible, you're praying, 21:47.140 --> 21:49.660 you're getting people saved on only, only TV, going out, 21:49.760 --> 21:52.120 so many, you know, the Christian life is exciting, right? 21:52.360 --> 21:54.340 And as a Christian one of the goals that you should have 21:54.340 --> 21:55.560 is to train up somebody else. 21:56.220 --> 21:58.740 You know, it's cool, I think, that the Grossman's, 21:58.740 --> 22:00.440 you know, the Grossman's, it's cool to see 22:00.440 --> 22:02.940 that Christian came when he was like 16 years old, 22:03.060 --> 22:05.600 just a baby, just a kid, and now he has his sister 22:05.600 --> 22:06.980 going through the same thing now, right? 22:07.300 --> 22:09.780 Just becoming soul winners, being an asset to a church. 22:10.140 --> 22:11.860 And that's like, you know, that's the goal, right? 22:11.980 --> 22:14.720 For everybody here, just being, you know, young and the Lord, 22:15.120 --> 22:16.580 learning how to win people to Christ, 22:16.980 --> 22:19.440 and then you yourself going and taking what was taught to you 22:19.440 --> 22:20.540 and showing it to somebody else. 22:21.020 --> 22:23.180 You know, as a father, my goal is for my kids 22:23.180 --> 22:24.300 to become soul winners, right? 22:24.660 --> 22:26.060 For my wife to be a soul winner. 22:26.340 --> 22:28.800 For my family to continue on this legacy 22:28.800 --> 22:30.180 of getting people saved. 22:30.760 --> 22:32.320 You know, you don't want it to be said of you as like, 22:32.380 --> 22:33.660 you're the only soul winner in your family. 22:33.860 --> 22:36.000 What about your kids? You know, what about your spouse? 22:36.660 --> 22:37.780 You know, you should have that goal. 22:38.160 --> 22:39.460 Well, there's nobody else that could train. 22:39.560 --> 22:40.980 You could train your spouse, right? 22:41.400 --> 22:42.300 You could train your kids. 22:42.680 --> 22:45.420 And your kids should be able to see you as a soul winner. 22:45.760 --> 22:47.700 You know, you may not hold some title in church. 22:47.840 --> 22:49.240 You might not be like a team leader 22:49.240 --> 22:51.080 or an usher or anything like that, 22:51.120 --> 22:52.760 but hey, you could be a soul winner, right? 22:53.320 --> 22:55.120 And isn't it cool if your kids see you as like, 22:55.120 --> 22:56.640 hey, my dad is a soul winner? 22:57.060 --> 22:59.040 I know my dad, you know, gets people saved. 22:59.300 --> 23:01.500 You know, that's something that your kids should be able to say. 23:02.380 --> 23:04.340 Now, another goal, you know, that we should have 23:04.340 --> 23:07.440 is just to have a better resurrection, right? 23:07.860 --> 23:09.000 Have a better resurrection, 23:09.580 --> 23:10.860 shining brighter and brighter. 23:11.120 --> 23:12.840 And how do we do that? By earning rewards. 23:13.300 --> 23:14.320 You know, getting people saved. 23:14.860 --> 23:16.040 You know, teaching others the Bible. 23:16.500 --> 23:17.700 You know, getting things done for God, 23:17.840 --> 23:19.860 serving God in whatever capacity that we have. 23:20.400 --> 23:22.600 Another goal that we should have as Christians 23:22.600 --> 23:24.520 is having a successful marriage, 23:24.880 --> 23:26.140 having a good marriage, right? 23:26.660 --> 23:28.940 And unfortunately, you know, we do live in a day and age 23:28.940 --> 23:31.340 where I don't know the stats out the top of my head, 23:31.380 --> 23:33.040 but there's a lot of Christian couples 23:33.040 --> 23:34.460 that end up in divorce, right? 23:34.960 --> 23:36.360 And in fact, we know people in our church 23:36.360 --> 23:38.680 that unfortunately have ended up in divorce as well. 23:39.040 --> 23:40.740 But here's the thing, you know, as Christians, 23:41.020 --> 23:42.780 our goal should be to stay married 23:42.780 --> 23:44.960 to the person that we're married to, right? 23:45.520 --> 23:46.480 Till death do us a part. 23:46.960 --> 23:48.360 You know, that's a goal that we should have. 23:48.800 --> 23:50.140 A goal that we should have too, 23:50.140 --> 23:51.840 as Christians, to have good children. 23:52.400 --> 23:54.080 You know, we don't want to have children 23:54.080 --> 23:55.420 that end up being criminals, 23:55.820 --> 23:57.560 children that fall away from church, 23:57.840 --> 23:59.660 children that end up, you know, 23:59.940 --> 24:00.920 being a reprobate, right? 24:01.340 --> 24:02.680 These are things that as parents, you know, 24:03.220 --> 24:05.900 God forbid that one of our children becomes a reprobate, right? 24:06.220 --> 24:07.040 Some fag or something. 24:07.600 --> 24:09.280 But you know, as parents, we should be able 24:09.280 --> 24:11.520 to train up our children in the way that they should go. 24:11.900 --> 24:13.540 Teach them young. Teach them when they're young. 24:13.820 --> 24:14.880 Teach them the Word of God. 24:15.300 --> 24:17.060 Teach them why it's important to go to church, 24:17.060 --> 24:18.440 why it's important to read the Bible. 24:18.880 --> 24:20.980 Why it's important, you know, for them themselves 24:20.980 --> 24:22.400 to develop their faith, right? 24:22.660 --> 24:23.780 Because one day we're not going to be here. 24:24.280 --> 24:25.520 You know, right now our children are small. 24:25.660 --> 24:26.820 A lot of us have young children 24:27.220 --> 24:28.900 and one day they're going to be out there on their own. 24:29.380 --> 24:31.440 You know, we always, well, at least I tell my daughter sometimes, 24:31.560 --> 24:32.860 one day she's going to be a mom, right? 24:33.300 --> 24:34.560 And she's going to have her own children. 24:34.980 --> 24:36.560 And then their children is going to have their own children 24:36.560 --> 24:38.000 and you know how kids are and they're like, 24:38.120 --> 24:39.300 and then their children is going to have their own children 24:39.300 --> 24:40.700 and then they start thinking about it too much. 24:40.700 --> 24:42.180 But that's how our kids are, right? 24:42.680 --> 24:44.940 But as a parent, you know, we just want to have those goals 24:44.940 --> 24:47.340 in mind, having our children be successful Christians. 24:48.360 --> 24:49.780 And go to Philippians chapter 3. 24:50.360 --> 24:51.620 Go to Philippians chapter 3. 24:52.880 --> 24:53.900 Now here's the thing, you know, 24:54.380 --> 24:55.520 even though we set goals, 24:56.440 --> 24:57.640 we might accomplish some, 24:58.020 --> 24:59.380 but even when we accomplish those, 24:59.560 --> 25:01.560 then we're able to, you know, set more goals. 25:01.780 --> 25:03.200 So we're never really going to get to a point 25:03.200 --> 25:04.040 where we're like, all right, well, 25:04.100 --> 25:05.760 I accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish 25:05.760 --> 25:08.080 as a Christian. And here in Philippians chapter 3, 25:08.080 --> 25:09.440 looked down in verse 13, the Bible says, 25:09.560 --> 25:12.140 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, 25:12.580 --> 25:13.760 but this one thing I do, 25:13.880 --> 25:15.460 forgetting those things which are behind 25:15.460 --> 25:18.240 and reaching forth into those things which are before. 25:18.900 --> 25:20.760 So even if we get all these things done, right, 25:21.020 --> 25:21.980 just put that behind you. 25:22.380 --> 25:24.420 You have failures in your life, put that behind you, 25:24.640 --> 25:26.240 you know, and then it's time to look 25:26.240 --> 25:28.120 to the things that are before us. 25:28.820 --> 25:30.040 Now go to, if you would, 25:30.400 --> 25:32.640 to Galatians chapter 6. 25:32.780 --> 25:33.800 Galatians chapter 6. 25:34.500 --> 25:36.360 The point I'm trying to make right now is that 25:37.160 --> 25:39.200 what is it that keeps you motivated, right? 25:39.580 --> 25:40.800 What is it that keeps you motivated? 25:41.680 --> 25:42.840 How do we stay motivated? 25:43.380 --> 25:44.940 First thing I said is that we need to set 25:44.940 --> 25:45.700 goals as Christians. 25:46.820 --> 25:48.480 Second thing is that we need to keep 25:48.480 --> 25:50.220 that momentum up, right? 25:50.820 --> 25:52.060 I'm going to read to you from Psalm 90. 25:52.180 --> 25:53.240 The Bible says in verse 10, 25:53.480 --> 25:55.320 the days of our years are three score years 25:55.320 --> 25:57.780 and ten. And if by reason or strength, 25:57.920 --> 26:00.200 they be four score years. Yet is there strength, 26:00.280 --> 26:02.160 labor, and sorrow, for it is soon cut off 26:02.160 --> 26:03.860 and we fly away. Who knoweth 26:03.860 --> 26:05.680 the power of thy anger, even according to 26:05.680 --> 26:07.020 thy fear, so is thy wrath. 26:07.500 --> 26:09.580 So teach us to number our days that we 26:09.580 --> 26:11.440 might apply our hearts unto wisdom. 26:12.000 --> 26:13.640 You know, one day this will all be 26:13.640 --> 26:15.300 over, you know, not to get dark, but one day 26:15.300 --> 26:17.780 we will die, right? And here the Bible 26:17.780 --> 26:19.560 is saying is like, teach us to number 26:19.560 --> 26:20.780 our days. You know, what does that mean? 26:21.000 --> 26:22.860 Teach us to make our days count, right? 26:23.280 --> 26:25.080 One day we are going to pass from the scene, 26:25.500 --> 26:27.080 you know, the hour come when no man can 26:27.080 --> 26:29.440 work and whatever we do here, you know, 26:29.540 --> 26:31.440 that's it, right? We'll get rewarded for it, 26:31.440 --> 26:33.480 but we don't know when that day is when we're 26:33.480 --> 26:35.860 going to die. And so one of the things 26:35.860 --> 26:37.420 that we should do is not only set goals, 26:37.700 --> 26:39.500 but keep the momentum up. You know, 26:39.580 --> 26:41.240 you have good momentum right now, keep it going. 26:41.880 --> 26:43.280 You know, a lot of times it's easier 26:43.280 --> 26:45.140 when, you know, people first get saved, 26:45.480 --> 26:47.060 they have really good momentum, you know, 26:47.140 --> 26:49.020 everything is new to them, the hymns are new 26:49.020 --> 26:50.900 to them, churches new to them, you know, 26:50.960 --> 26:52.800 it's just having good friends is new to them. 26:52.980 --> 26:54.800 And this is something that over time, 26:54.820 --> 26:56.480 sometimes, you know, we can forget how good 26:56.480 --> 26:58.780 it is, right? We just grow accustomed to 26:58.780 --> 27:00.780 it, but we need to keep that momentum up. 27:01.380 --> 27:02.860 And here in Galatians 27:02.860 --> 27:04.740 chapter 6, look down, your Bible is 27:04.740 --> 27:06.600 verse number 9, the Bible says, 27:06.720 --> 27:08.220 let us not be weary and well-doing for 27:08.220 --> 27:10.640 induced season, we shall reap if we faint 27:10.640 --> 27:12.620 not. Now go to 27:13.440 --> 27:14.780 Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians 27:14.780 --> 27:15.400 chapter 4. 27:17.400 --> 27:18.520 Now in order to get momentum 27:18.520 --> 27:20.480 going, you do need to take the first step, 27:20.620 --> 27:22.540 right? It's not just going to start automatically. 27:22.700 --> 27:24.460 You do have to put in the work. You have 27:24.460 --> 27:26.280 to take the first step. And in Ecclesiastes 27:26.280 --> 27:28.220 chapter 3, 11, when we first started, 27:28.280 --> 27:29.600 I read to you in verse number 4, it says, 27:29.780 --> 27:31.280 he that observed with the wind should not sow, 27:31.420 --> 27:34.080 and he that regarded the clouds shall not reap. 27:34.560 --> 27:36.220 So again, don't let your circumstances 27:36.220 --> 27:38.280 determine whether or not you choose to 27:38.280 --> 27:39.720 act. You know, whatever 27:39.720 --> 27:41.520 circumstances you have right now, maybe, 27:41.980 --> 27:43.800 you know, you're financially struggling, 27:44.320 --> 27:45.800 you know, don't let that deter you 27:45.800 --> 27:47.740 from doing what's right. You know, oftentimes, 27:47.920 --> 27:49.540 sometimes people get into a financial 27:50.320 --> 27:52.180 you know, struggle and then they're like, 27:52.420 --> 27:53.420 well, I'm just going to quit church, 27:53.420 --> 27:55.700 you know, and it doesn't make any sense. 27:56.080 --> 27:57.280 You know, because that's when you should be more 27:57.280 --> 27:59.120 in church. You know, that's when you should, 27:59.180 --> 28:01.480 you know, seek first the kingdom of God 28:01.480 --> 28:02.960 and all these things shall be added unto you. 28:04.220 --> 28:05.740 Now, I think I told you 28:05.740 --> 28:07.940 where I told you go, Ephesians chapter 4. 28:08.940 --> 28:09.340 Ephesians 28:09.340 --> 28:11.520 chapter 4, it says in verse 11, and he 28:11.520 --> 28:13.400 gave some apostles and some prophets 28:13.400 --> 28:15.520 and some evangelists and some pastors 28:15.520 --> 28:17.180 and teachers for the perfecting of the saints 28:17.180 --> 28:19.160 for the work of the ministry, for the 28:19.160 --> 28:20.760 edifying of the body of Christ. 28:20.760 --> 28:23.100 Now, before I get into this passage is that 28:23.100 --> 28:24.600 number one, we do have to stay motivated. 28:25.020 --> 28:26.660 Number two, we do have to keep momentum 28:26.660 --> 28:28.800 going, and one of the ways that we can do that 28:28.800 --> 28:30.740 is that we have to find people who we 28:30.740 --> 28:32.600 can follow, right? And we don't 28:32.600 --> 28:34.780 believe in this whole thing, it was like, well, I only follow God. 28:35.100 --> 28:36.720 Because everybody follows somebody, right? 28:37.540 --> 28:38.840 And Paul even himself 28:38.840 --> 28:40.740 said, be followers of me, even 28:41.160 --> 28:42.580 as I also am 28:42.580 --> 28:45.140 of Christ. So we all follow somebody, 28:45.460 --> 28:46.680 but you have to choose right, 28:46.960 --> 28:48.640 you know, who is it that you're going to follow. 28:49.160 --> 28:50.700 And I believe in this church, there's a lot 28:50.700 --> 28:52.580 of people that you can follow. You know, there's a lot 28:52.580 --> 28:54.580 of people that have succeeded at 28:54.580 --> 28:56.400 things that we perhaps want to succeed at 28:56.400 --> 28:58.700 and if we look to see how they did it, you know, 28:58.860 --> 29:00.540 these are people that we can, you know, 29:00.640 --> 29:02.340 emulate, these are people that we can follow, 29:02.700 --> 29:04.580 that we can seek, you know, advice 29:04.580 --> 29:06.620 from. Now, go 29:06.620 --> 29:08.460 to Ecclesiastes chapter 29:08.460 --> 29:21.250 9, Ecclesiastes chapter 9. And 29:21.250 --> 29:23.190 so that's why it's important to be in church, 29:23.850 --> 29:25.330 right? So whenever you're able 29:25.330 --> 29:26.970 to come to church, make it that goal 29:26.970 --> 29:29.070 to come to church at least once. Now 29:29.070 --> 29:30.850 we're all for three to thrive, but if you can't 29:30.850 --> 29:32.610 even do that, make it to one service. 29:33.110 --> 29:34.690 And unfortunately, you know, to be honest, people 29:34.690 --> 29:37.170 miss church for dumb reasons, right? Sometimes, 29:37.450 --> 29:38.770 you know, their hair hurts 29:38.770 --> 29:40.830 or, you know, those of us that have 29:40.830 --> 29:42.730 hair, nah, I'm just kidding. But, you know, there 29:42.730 --> 29:44.790 are reasons why, you know, 29:44.890 --> 29:46.530 people miss church and a lot of it is just 29:46.530 --> 29:48.110 dumb reasons at the end of the day. 29:48.870 --> 29:50.810 And honestly, we make time for what's 29:50.810 --> 29:52.870 important, you know, if you have 29:52.870 --> 29:54.810 something important going on, you're going to make time 29:54.810 --> 29:56.810 for it. You know, you want to be somewhere, you want 29:56.810 --> 29:58.650 to, you know, watch a movie, you want to 29:58.650 --> 30:00.710 like go, I don't know, 30:01.290 --> 30:02.670 whatever event that you want to go to, 30:02.830 --> 30:04.710 if it's important to you, you're going to find a way 30:04.710 --> 30:06.630 to go there. And church is 30:06.630 --> 30:08.890 important. So, you know, you shouldn't miss church 30:08.890 --> 30:10.690 just for any reason, right? If you have to 30:10.690 --> 30:12.750 work overtime, if you have to work, you got 30:12.750 --> 30:14.650 sick, you know what, those are legitimate 30:14.650 --> 30:16.370 reasons. But if you're just missing for the 30:16.370 --> 30:18.190 sake of missing, just, you're feeling lazy, 30:18.690 --> 30:20.470 you know, that's unexcusable, right? Inexcusable. 30:21.270 --> 30:22.750 And so one of the ways that 30:22.750 --> 30:24.850 we can make sure to be in church is by 30:24.850 --> 30:26.790 not scheduling things during 30:26.790 --> 30:28.710 church hours, right? And a lot of times 30:28.710 --> 30:30.510 this is what causes people to miss church. 30:30.970 --> 30:32.830 You know, we have seven days a 30:32.830 --> 30:34.710 week, right? But for some reason, every 30:34.710 --> 30:36.750 party, every Kinsignana, everything has 30:36.750 --> 30:38.670 to be on a Sunday, right? Or like late 30:38.670 --> 30:40.970 night Saturday. But don't schedule anything 30:40.970 --> 30:42.810 when it's time for church, right? 30:43.390 --> 30:44.510 You don't do that for work, 30:44.810 --> 30:46.990 you know, you don't say like, well, I'm going to go do this, 30:47.070 --> 30:48.690 you know, during my work hours, right? 30:48.790 --> 30:50.410 Because you know, you have to be at work or you'll get fire. 30:51.010 --> 30:52.750 So it's important to go to church. 30:53.070 --> 30:54.570 And if it's important to you, don't 30:54.570 --> 30:56.130 schedule anything during church hours. 30:56.790 --> 30:58.290 You know, you only have to go to church at 30:58.290 --> 31:00.310 10.30 in the morning. And then what? Church is 31:00.310 --> 31:02.190 in until 5. You have all these hours to do 31:02.190 --> 31:03.190 whatever you want, right? 31:04.550 --> 31:06.590 So go to, I think, go to Ecclesiastes 31:06.590 --> 31:08.250 chapter 9. The Bible says right there in 31:08.250 --> 31:10.370 verse number 10, what service I hand, find it 31:10.370 --> 31:12.430 to do, do it with I might, for 31:12.430 --> 31:14.470 there is no work, nor device, nor 31:14.470 --> 31:16.070 knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whether 31:16.070 --> 31:18.290 thou go is. And so whatever you're trying 31:18.290 --> 31:20.210 to do, do it now. Now 31:20.210 --> 31:21.890 go to Colossians chapter 3. Go to Colossians 31:21.890 --> 31:24.350 chapter 3. One of the other ways 31:24.350 --> 31:26.210 that you can make sure that you stay 31:26.210 --> 31:28.290 motivated, that you stay doing what's 31:28.290 --> 31:29.950 right is putting yourself in the right environment. 31:31.210 --> 31:32.350 And the right environment is just 31:32.350 --> 31:34.110 being in church, being around good people. 31:34.770 --> 31:36.190 You know, being around people that are 31:36.190 --> 31:37.250 actually serving God. 31:40.530 --> 31:42.230 And so I don't believe there's anybody 31:42.230 --> 31:44.390 that like in this room that would say, 31:44.790 --> 31:46.290 you know, that was just straight up say 31:46.290 --> 31:48.410 I don't really care if I succeed in my Christian life. 31:48.730 --> 31:49.810 I don't think anybody thinks that. 31:50.370 --> 31:52.270 But unfortunately some people act that way 31:52.270 --> 31:54.010 because they're not doing anything 31:54.010 --> 31:56.250 that would help them succeed in their Christian 31:56.250 --> 31:58.370 life. And so one of the best ways to do 31:58.370 --> 32:00.090 that is by putting yourself in the right environment, 32:00.250 --> 32:01.450 hanging out with the right people. 32:01.690 --> 32:03.050 Hanging out with people on your team, 32:03.430 --> 32:05.650 people your age, people that are older, 32:05.770 --> 32:08.010 people that are hard workers, people that 32:08.010 --> 32:10.210 are soul winners, people that inspire 32:10.210 --> 32:12.310 you to go to missions trips, people that 32:12.310 --> 32:14.370 inspire you to be a hard worker. 32:14.370 --> 32:15.990 These are people that you should be around. 32:16.630 --> 32:18.070 Now in Colossians chapter 3, 32:18.110 --> 32:19.930 look down at verse number 23, the Bible says, 32:20.610 --> 32:22.010 And whatsoever you do, do it hardly 32:22.010 --> 32:24.930 as to the Lord, and not unto men, 32:25.310 --> 32:26.910 knowing that of the Lord, 32:27.030 --> 32:28.070 ye shall receive the reward 32:28.070 --> 32:30.710 of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. 32:31.170 --> 32:32.470 And so whatever we do, do it 32:32.470 --> 32:34.070 hardly as unto the Lord. 32:34.430 --> 32:36.270 So whatever it is that we do, we have to 32:36.270 --> 32:37.990 have it in our mind, we're doing it as unto 32:37.990 --> 32:40.050 the Lord, right? And if we 32:40.050 --> 32:41.850 have that mindset, we're going to do a better 32:41.850 --> 32:43.870 job at it. Because if we're only doing it 32:43.870 --> 32:45.570 to be seen of men, you know, 32:45.790 --> 32:47.870 to get approval, to get validation, eventually 32:47.870 --> 32:49.750 you're going to stop doing it. But if you're doing 32:49.750 --> 32:51.710 it as unto the Lord, you're going to try to do 32:51.710 --> 32:53.630 your best, right? Because you know that God is 32:53.630 --> 32:55.570 watching you. And if you're, you know, at 32:55.570 --> 32:57.350 your job, whatever you do, whatever it is that 32:57.350 --> 32:59.330 you do for work, do it as unto the Lord. 32:59.610 --> 33:01.310 Because if you're doing it as unto the Lord, you're 33:01.310 --> 33:03.090 going to be an honest worker. You're not going to 33:03.090 --> 33:04.970 be stealing from your job. You're not going 33:04.970 --> 33:06.650 to be stealing hours, right? You're not going 33:06.650 --> 33:08.350 to be messing around when you're on the clock. 33:08.350 --> 33:10.730 And so these are things that, as a Christian, 33:10.970 --> 33:12.390 if you have it in your mind, you know, 33:12.450 --> 33:14.850 I'm doing this as unto the Lord, then you're 33:14.850 --> 33:16.250 going to do what's right. You know, 33:16.410 --> 33:18.450 wives, you know, you serve your husbands, right? 33:19.150 --> 33:20.530 You submit unto them, do it 33:20.530 --> 33:22.410 as unto the Lord. And these are things, 33:22.630 --> 33:24.390 you know, as husbands, yeah, we fill 33:24.390 --> 33:26.570 at times, right? We probably jerk some of 33:26.570 --> 33:28.170 the times, right? Most of the time, 33:28.510 --> 33:30.270 some of the times, right? But why should 33:30.270 --> 33:32.250 you still submit? It doesn't matter, you know, 33:32.270 --> 33:33.930 regardless of how your husband is, because you're 33:33.930 --> 33:35.670 doing it as unto the Lord. You know, 33:35.670 --> 33:37.650 children, you know, obeying their parents, 33:37.870 --> 33:39.790 they're doing it as unto the Lord. And 33:39.790 --> 33:41.570 not every parent is perfect. You know, our parents 33:41.570 --> 33:43.570 made mistakes. We as parents, we're going to 33:43.570 --> 33:45.130 make mistakes. You know, sometimes 33:45.510 --> 33:47.690 we're not always going to, you know, we try 33:47.690 --> 33:49.470 to keep our promises, right? But sometimes things 33:49.470 --> 33:51.670 come up and you don't do what you thought 33:51.670 --> 33:53.370 you were going to do, right? But children 33:53.370 --> 33:55.590 should not develop this attitude of just obeying 33:55.590 --> 33:57.550 their parents if they're good parents, 33:57.690 --> 33:59.390 right? You're doing it as unto the Lord 33:59.390 --> 34:01.630 as Christians. Now go to 2 Timothy 34:01.630 --> 34:03.490 chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 34:03.490 --> 34:06.230 3. So the title of the sermon this evening is 34:06.230 --> 34:07.770 the Winter Arc. But before 34:07.770 --> 34:09.650 you even start that, if you choose to start 34:09.650 --> 34:11.650 that, or whatever, you know, time 34:11.650 --> 34:13.650 in the year you choose to hit, like a 34:13.650 --> 34:15.670 reset button, you know, these are things 34:15.670 --> 34:17.210 that you should consider. Number one, 34:17.630 --> 34:19.150 you should consider, you know, what motivates 34:19.150 --> 34:21.470 you? What is it that motivates you? Number 34:21.470 --> 34:23.730 two, how is it that you handle 34:23.730 --> 34:25.470 tribulations and trials, right? 34:25.970 --> 34:27.650 Are you better at doing that this 34:27.650 --> 34:29.370 year than you were last year, right? 34:29.470 --> 34:31.210 Because some people are not here in church 34:31.210 --> 34:33.750 anymore. And it's, you know, they were here 34:33.750 --> 34:35.310 earlier this year. But because 34:35.310 --> 34:37.210 they got involved in sin 34:37.210 --> 34:39.250 or, you know, some trial came into their life, 34:39.390 --> 34:41.170 they're out of church now. And as 34:41.170 --> 34:43.050 Christians, you know, if we want to be better 34:43.050 --> 34:45.070 Christians, we got to, you know, get that 34:45.070 --> 34:46.870 thing down now of being 34:46.870 --> 34:49.170 able to go through hardships. You know, 34:49.230 --> 34:50.870 you should develop some thick skin. 34:51.350 --> 34:52.810 You should develop some strength because 34:52.810 --> 34:54.850 some Christians, you know, they get out for whatever 34:54.850 --> 34:56.970 reason. You know, some small problem happens. 34:57.410 --> 34:58.350 They get a flat tire. 34:58.850 --> 35:00.510 Or, you know, it's something small, right? 35:00.690 --> 35:01.970 And it just takes them out of church. 35:02.450 --> 35:04.590 And there's people, unfortunately, that 35:04.590 --> 35:06.390 are always getting out of 35:06.390 --> 35:08.370 church every year. It's like, instead of 35:08.370 --> 35:10.290 getting better, they're just regressing 35:10.290 --> 35:12.250 each year, right? And it's almost 35:12.250 --> 35:14.390 expected of them to be, oh, well, this is 35:14.390 --> 35:15.710 around the time that they get out of church. 35:16.010 --> 35:17.670 You know, that shouldn't be you, right? 35:18.210 --> 35:20.270 And so how is it that you're handling tribulation 35:20.270 --> 35:22.110 and trials? Go to 2 Timothy chapter 35:22.110 --> 35:24.250 3, 2 Timothy chapter 35:24.250 --> 35:26.210 3. The Bible says in verse 35:26.210 --> 35:28.050 12, yea, and all that will live 35:28.050 --> 35:30.170 godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 35:30.170 --> 35:32.150 persecution. And so why are we 35:32.150 --> 35:34.190 amazed, right? If you were choosing to 35:34.190 --> 35:35.970 live for God, serving God, 35:36.370 --> 35:37.930 living a good life, right? Living 35:37.930 --> 35:39.990 righteously, why are you surprised 35:39.990 --> 35:41.770 that you suffered through persecution, right? 35:42.330 --> 35:44.050 And persecution could be anything from, like, 35:44.150 --> 35:46.050 losing friendships, losing a 35:46.050 --> 35:47.810 girlfriend, losing a job, 35:48.270 --> 35:50.190 you know, whatever the case may be. These are things 35:50.190 --> 35:51.890 that happen in life. Get over it, right? 35:52.610 --> 35:54.150 And as a Christian, you should be able 35:54.150 --> 35:55.610 to endure hardships. 35:56.230 --> 35:57.610 You know, it's not, you're not going to go 35:57.610 --> 35:59.230 through your whole life with the same friends. 35:59.670 --> 36:01.870 Sometimes you're close to somebody and you 36:01.870 --> 36:03.210 grew up with them, maybe you've been friends 36:03.210 --> 36:05.190 with them, like over the years, but eventually 36:05.190 --> 36:07.390 things could happen, right? And don't let 36:07.390 --> 36:09.130 that take you out of church. You know, sometimes 36:09.130 --> 36:11.230 friendships end. Sometimes relationships 36:11.230 --> 36:13.390 end. Sometimes you do lose your job. 36:13.590 --> 36:15.470 Sometimes, you know, there's problems in 36:15.470 --> 36:16.830 your marriage. Sometimes there's problems 36:16.830 --> 36:18.090 in your life. You go through health, 36:18.850 --> 36:20.830 you know, you go through health problems, right? These 36:20.830 --> 36:22.550 are things that we're all going to go through, 36:22.990 --> 36:24.750 experience it throughout our lives. 36:24.990 --> 36:26.890 And it shouldn't be something that takes us out of church. 36:27.950 --> 36:28.590 Now go to, 36:28.830 --> 36:30.650 if you would, go to 36:30.650 --> 36:32.610 Mark chapter 4. Mark chapter 4. I'm going to 36:32.610 --> 36:34.110 read to you from John 16. 36:34.910 --> 36:36.850 John 16 says in verse number 1, 36:36.990 --> 36:38.490 these things have our spoken unto you, 36:38.830 --> 36:41.030 that you should not be offended. They shall 36:41.030 --> 36:42.770 put you out of the synagogues. Yay, the 36:42.770 --> 36:44.550 time cometh, that whosoever 36:44.550 --> 36:46.490 killed with you will think that he do with 36:46.490 --> 36:48.790 God's service. And these things will they do unto 36:48.790 --> 36:50.610 you because they have not known the Father 36:50.610 --> 36:52.690 nor me. But these things 36:52.690 --> 36:54.790 have I told you that when the time 36:54.790 --> 36:56.690 shall come, you may remember that I told you 36:56.690 --> 36:59.010 of them. And these things I said not unto 36:59.010 --> 37:00.630 you at the beginning because I was with 37:00.630 --> 37:02.610 you. And so Jesus, he always warned 37:02.610 --> 37:04.330 his disciples, right, of the things to come. 37:04.650 --> 37:06.850 And isn't that what pastor does every Sunday, 37:07.050 --> 37:08.590 every service, you know, telling us, hey, 37:08.890 --> 37:10.590 you're going to go through persecution, you're 37:10.590 --> 37:12.430 going to go through trials in life. These are 37:12.430 --> 37:14.270 things that he tells us that we, so that 37:14.270 --> 37:16.310 we won't be offended, right? And maybe 37:16.310 --> 37:17.870 you're like, oh, I've never heard him say that. 37:17.990 --> 37:19.430 Well, maybe you're not paying attention, right? 37:19.850 --> 37:22.070 These are things that pastor 37:22.070 --> 37:23.930 warns us about. The Bible warns us about 37:23.930 --> 37:25.150 we know that we're going to go through 37:25.150 --> 37:26.930 hardships. And if you know that you're going to 37:26.930 --> 37:28.290 go through hardships, you know that you're 37:28.290 --> 37:30.350 going to go through trials, why is it that 37:30.350 --> 37:32.110 you let it affect you, right? Why is it 37:32.110 --> 37:33.470 that you let it get you out of church 37:33.470 --> 37:35.890 or get offended? Now go to 37:35.890 --> 37:37.750 Mark chapter four, Mark chapter 37:37.750 --> 37:41.290 four. You know, people do marvel 37:41.290 --> 37:42.830 when bad things happen to them as if 37:42.830 --> 37:44.950 life doesn't consist 37:44.950 --> 37:46.190 of bad things happening, right? 37:46.810 --> 37:48.390 Don't be surprised when bad things happen. 37:48.730 --> 37:50.770 Don't be surprised if, you know, a relationship 37:50.770 --> 37:52.750 didn't work out. Don't be surprised 37:52.750 --> 37:54.630 if, you know, a job didn't work out. 37:54.770 --> 37:56.450 There's more jobs out there, right? 37:56.810 --> 37:58.630 And God is faithful. He's going to provide for you. 37:58.710 --> 38:00.570 He's not going to let you, you know, just, you know, 38:00.690 --> 38:02.310 be in the red or whatever. But, you know, 38:02.570 --> 38:04.710 he's going to provide for every single need that you have. 38:04.950 --> 38:06.490 And maybe you did lose a friend. 38:06.610 --> 38:08.570 Maybe you got sick this year. Maybe you got, 38:08.830 --> 38:10.630 you know, whatever happened to you this year, 38:10.630 --> 38:12.530 the point is this, it will get better. 38:12.870 --> 38:14.590 And even if it doesn't, you know, you know 38:14.590 --> 38:16.190 that this life consists of those things. 38:16.390 --> 38:18.450 So don't be offended at that. Now 38:18.450 --> 38:20.270 Mark chapter four, look down at verse 16. 38:20.450 --> 38:21.950 The Bible says, and these are they like, 38:22.190 --> 38:24.090 and these are they likewise, which are 38:24.090 --> 38:26.390 on stoning ground, who when they have heard 38:26.390 --> 38:28.070 the word, immediately receive them with 38:28.070 --> 38:30.130 gladness, and have no root in themselves 38:30.130 --> 38:31.690 and so are endured, but for a time 38:31.690 --> 38:33.610 afterward, when affliction or persecution 38:33.610 --> 38:35.650 arises for the word's sake, immediately 38:35.650 --> 38:37.750 they are offended. And so there are a lot 38:37.750 --> 38:39.550 of people like that that are going to come to the doors 38:39.550 --> 38:41.110 of our church. They're going to get saved. 38:41.570 --> 38:43.450 They're going to get plugged in church, but 38:43.450 --> 38:45.750 unfortunately they don't get rooted in the word, 38:45.910 --> 38:47.630 right? And so because they don't get rooted 38:47.630 --> 38:49.210 in the word and they think everything's like 38:49.210 --> 38:51.190 lovey-dovey in the Christian life, they're going to get 38:51.190 --> 38:52.630 offended. They're going to get out of church 38:52.630 --> 38:55.330 when hardships come. Now go with me if you 38:55.330 --> 38:57.430 would to Proverbs chapter six, Proverbs 38:57.430 --> 38:59.510 chapter six. I'm going to read to you 38:59.510 --> 39:01.270 from Proverbs chapter 24, the Bible says in 39:01.270 --> 39:03.410 verse 10, if thou faint in the day 39:03.410 --> 39:05.330 of adversary, thy strength 39:05.330 --> 39:07.390 is small. And so if you 39:07.390 --> 39:09.330 quit, you know, if you faint in the 39:09.330 --> 39:11.230 day of adversity, what does that tell us? 39:11.330 --> 39:12.970 Your strength is small. 39:13.250 --> 39:15.290 And this kind of always reminds me of like 39:15.290 --> 39:16.970 you know, when you're lifting, right? 39:17.410 --> 39:19.390 And if you ever deadlifted, you know, there's 39:19.390 --> 39:21.210 that point in the deadlift where like 39:21.210 --> 39:23.270 you just think to yourself like I should just let 39:23.270 --> 39:25.210 it go, right? But if only 39:25.210 --> 39:27.250 you just keep pushing, right? You let 39:27.250 --> 39:29.390 yourself just shake and like, you 39:29.390 --> 39:31.290 know, tremble. It's going to go up, 39:31.350 --> 39:33.370 right? So these are things that I kind 39:33.370 --> 39:34.790 of picture in my head where it's like 39:35.340 --> 39:37.390 if I let that bar go, if I fell at 39:37.390 --> 39:38.930 this PR or whatever, I'm speaking about 39:38.930 --> 39:40.730 deadlifting, you know, my strength was small. 39:41.150 --> 39:43.070 You know, at the end of the day, I just wasn't strong enough. 39:43.410 --> 39:45.230 And maybe you're a runner, you know, 39:45.650 --> 39:47.330 I ran for one week, I already 39:47.330 --> 39:48.330 quit, but 39:49.130 --> 39:51.310 you know, when you're running, right? 39:51.490 --> 39:53.550 There is a point whether you're running fast 39:53.550 --> 39:55.110 or slow, it doesn't matter. 39:55.530 --> 39:57.290 You know, you get it in your mind, you know, 39:57.370 --> 39:59.410 I could just stop, I have free will. You know, why am 39:59.410 --> 40:01.370 I going to continue? But if you have 40:01.370 --> 40:02.730 that going in your head, I am trying to 40:02.730 --> 40:05.090 accomplish this and you keep pushing forward, 40:05.530 --> 40:07.310 you know, your strength increases. And 40:07.310 --> 40:09.150 it's the same way in the Christian life, you know, 40:09.610 --> 40:11.830 if you constantly quit in the Christian life, 40:12.370 --> 40:13.270 that trial is going to happen 40:13.270 --> 40:15.370 again. And because you didn't develop 40:15.370 --> 40:17.290 the thick skin, you didn't develop the strength, 40:17.610 --> 40:19.010 you're going to quit again, right? 40:19.430 --> 40:21.210 And so you don't want it to be said of you, like, hey, 40:21.310 --> 40:23.290 last year I went through this same exact thing 40:23.290 --> 40:25.330 and I ended up quitting last year. And 40:25.330 --> 40:27.030 then it happens again this year and then what happens? 40:27.210 --> 40:29.390 You end up quitting again. You want to develop the strength 40:29.390 --> 40:31.690 every time you go through a trial, a tribulation, 40:31.890 --> 40:33.430 a hardship to be able to get over it. 40:33.690 --> 40:35.430 And the way that you do that, the more you do 40:35.430 --> 40:37.170 it, the stronger you are as a Christian. 40:37.710 --> 40:39.790 You know, more problems arise, you're going to 40:39.790 --> 40:41.550 get through it. And you know you are, why? 40:41.670 --> 40:43.290 Because you've done it in the past, right? 40:43.710 --> 40:45.430 But if you're known to be a quitter, whenever 40:45.430 --> 40:47.390 hard things come your way, you're just 40:47.390 --> 40:49.470 going to quit all the time until you develop 40:49.470 --> 40:51.510 that strength. Now 40:51.510 --> 40:53.270 go with me if you would to, I think 40:53.270 --> 40:54.930 I told you, go to Proverbs 6, look down 40:54.930 --> 40:57.210 your Bible as verse number 19, it says, a false witness 40:57.210 --> 40:59.130 that speaketh lies, and he that so 40:59.130 --> 41:01.210 would discord among brethren. And so here 41:01.210 --> 41:02.630 we see one of the problems that do arise 41:03.090 --> 41:05.090 when it comes to friendships and church is this 41:05.090 --> 41:07.530 matter of just division of strife, right? 41:07.790 --> 41:09.290 And a lot of times it has to do with people 41:09.290 --> 41:11.270 purposely causing strife. 41:11.350 --> 41:13.010 And these are things that will happen. You know, 41:13.030 --> 41:14.910 sometimes you do have a fallout because 41:14.910 --> 41:17.150 somebody, you know, tells lies about 41:17.150 --> 41:19.330 you or rails on you. These 41:19.330 --> 41:21.130 things will happen. And 41:21.130 --> 41:22.650 whether or not that person gets it right, 41:23.210 --> 41:24.590 you know, that shouldn't surprise you because 41:24.590 --> 41:26.490 the Bible warns us of that. You know, there's people 41:26.490 --> 41:28.670 that will lie about you. And you can't 41:28.670 --> 41:30.710 let, you know, a lie, if you know 41:30.710 --> 41:32.490 it's false, you know, don't let it get 41:32.490 --> 41:34.670 out of you, get you out of church, right? 41:35.390 --> 41:36.570 That's why I'm like thankful for 41:36.570 --> 41:38.610 pastors in our movement because they have thick skin. 41:39.270 --> 41:40.650 You know, how many people have rails on 41:40.650 --> 41:42.550 them? Not just like in person, but 41:42.550 --> 41:44.410 online, right? If they were like 41:44.410 --> 41:46.810 sensitive and they had like, you know, 41:46.850 --> 41:48.610 thin skin, they would have been out of church already, 41:48.750 --> 41:50.550 right? But I'm thankful that we have men of 41:50.550 --> 41:52.650 God to look up to that, you know, 41:52.650 --> 41:54.950 go through it. Whether in the comment section 41:54.950 --> 41:56.910 in life, you know, people are constantly 41:56.910 --> 41:58.790 lying about them and they develop that 41:58.790 --> 42:00.690 thick skin and they don't let them get out of 42:00.690 --> 42:02.810 the fight. Now, go to 1 Corinthians 42:02.810 --> 42:04.470 chapter 3. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. 42:06.190 --> 42:07.030 So, the title of the 42:07.030 --> 42:08.930 sermon is the Winter Arc, but here are 42:08.930 --> 42:10.370 three things I want you to consider and 42:10.370 --> 42:12.390 I'm almost done. Is that number one, 42:12.870 --> 42:14.430 ask yourself, you know, what is it that 42:14.430 --> 42:16.570 motivates me? Number two is it, you know, 42:16.730 --> 42:18.170 how well do I do with tribulation 42:18.170 --> 42:20.390 and trials? You know, am I better this year 42:20.390 --> 42:22.570 than I was last year? And if you're not, 42:22.790 --> 42:24.250 you know, get it right this year, right? 42:24.910 --> 42:26.270 Develop that thick skin, develop 42:26.270 --> 42:26.910 that strength. 42:28.470 --> 42:30.110 Now, the third thing that I want you to consider 42:30.110 --> 42:32.090 this evening, and it's the last thing, 42:32.510 --> 42:33.950 is, you know, how do you handle 42:33.950 --> 42:35.830 temptation, right? How do you handle 42:35.830 --> 42:38.090 temptation? Now, before I get there, 42:38.150 --> 42:39.050 let me read to you from, 42:40.170 --> 42:42.150 let me say, let me read to you from 1 Corinthians 42:42.150 --> 42:44.070 chapter 3. The Bible says in verse number 42:44.070 --> 42:45.850 1, and I, brethren, could not speak 42:45.850 --> 42:47.810 unto you as, unto spiritual, but as 42:47.810 --> 42:49.790 unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 42:50.370 --> 42:51.670 I have fed you with milk, and now with 42:51.670 --> 42:53.770 meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear 42:53.770 --> 42:55.670 it. Neither yet, now are you 42:55.670 --> 42:58.130 able, for ye are yet carnal, 42:58.470 --> 43:00.030 for whereas there is among you envy 43:00.030 --> 43:01.810 and strive in divisions, are ye not 43:01.810 --> 43:03.890 carnal and walk as men? So there's 43:03.890 --> 43:05.630 constantly, you know, striving your life 43:05.630 --> 43:08.150 and you're constantly fighting against other people. What does that tell us? 43:08.270 --> 43:09.450 You're just a babe in Christ, right? 43:09.850 --> 43:11.810 Because little kids do that. You know, 43:11.830 --> 43:13.650 those of us that have small kids and the 43:13.650 --> 43:15.790 siblings are always fighting, right? They constantly 43:15.790 --> 43:17.790 fight. And that's how kids are, but 43:17.790 --> 43:19.670 as a grown adult to always be fighting, 43:19.970 --> 43:21.270 right? To always be like, hey, 43:21.650 --> 43:23.730 you know, like just always having problems with people. 43:23.950 --> 43:25.690 You know, that just shows us that you're a babe in Christ 43:25.690 --> 43:26.630 and it's time to mature. 43:28.550 --> 43:29.770 Now, I think I told you go to 43:31.630 --> 43:33.890 go to Philippians chapter 4. 43:34.090 --> 43:35.210 Go to Philippians chapter 4. 43:36.270 --> 43:37.470 Sorry, just go to 43:37.470 --> 43:38.390 Philippians chapter 4. 43:42.410 --> 43:43.890 And so, again, live, before I 43:43.890 --> 43:45.630 move on to the last point, it is filled 43:45.630 --> 43:47.550 with good times and bad times. You know, 43:47.650 --> 43:49.450 the Bible talks about the seasons of life. 43:49.910 --> 43:51.850 We're not always going to have a good time, right? 43:52.270 --> 43:53.430 Life is not always linear. 43:53.770 --> 43:55.750 You know, it's not always like your life is just 43:55.750 --> 43:57.630 like, you know, you're on top of the world. 43:58.010 --> 44:00.030 You know, sometimes we have low points. 44:00.170 --> 44:01.390 Sometimes we have high points. 44:01.750 --> 44:03.790 But, you know, if we know this, 44:03.910 --> 44:05.530 you know, when those hard times come, 44:05.710 --> 44:07.670 we're going to be ready for it. Now, 44:07.690 --> 44:09.230 in Philippians chapter 4, look down on your Bible, 44:09.310 --> 44:10.550 it's verse number 11. The Bible says, 44:10.550 --> 44:12.670 Not that I speak in respect of one, for I have 44:12.670 --> 44:14.290 learned in whatsoever state I am, 44:14.570 --> 44:16.610 dare with to be content. I know 44:16.610 --> 44:18.510 both how to be a base and I know how to 44:18.510 --> 44:19.750 abound everywhere. 44:20.670 --> 44:22.610 And in all things, I am instructed both to 44:22.610 --> 44:24.410 be full and to be hungry, both to abound 44:24.410 --> 44:26.510 and to suffer need. I can do all 44:26.510 --> 44:28.510 things through Christ with strength as me. 44:28.950 --> 44:30.310 So, at the end of the day, you know, we need 44:30.310 --> 44:32.490 to learn contentment. We need to learn 44:32.490 --> 44:34.750 how to be content with the circumstances in our lives. 44:35.550 --> 44:36.570 Some days are going to be 44:36.570 --> 44:38.610 good. Some days are just going to be hardships. 44:38.610 --> 44:40.870 But we need to develop this attitude 44:40.870 --> 44:42.030 of contentment. 44:42.610 --> 44:44.410 So, the last point I wanted to make is this. 44:44.830 --> 44:46.250 How do you handle temptation? 44:46.650 --> 44:48.510 You know, are you constantly just giving in 44:48.510 --> 44:50.750 to sin? You know, obviously, we're sinners. 44:51.290 --> 44:52.350 We're going to sin to the day that we 44:52.350 --> 44:54.770 lie, to the day that we die, right? 44:55.310 --> 44:56.710 But, you know, there are certain 44:56.710 --> 44:58.870 things that as you grow in your faith, 44:59.030 --> 45:00.310 you're going to get away from, right? 45:00.430 --> 45:02.330 You're not going to be, like, let's say you used to drink 45:02.330 --> 45:04.350 all the time. The more you mature in your 45:04.350 --> 45:05.710 faith, obviously you wouldn't be in this church, but 45:06.030 --> 45:06.510 let's say 45:07.410 --> 45:09.830 you got out of that habit, you stay away from 45:09.830 --> 45:11.630 that, you know, you're not going to constantly open 45:11.630 --> 45:13.810 that door, right? You want to be to the point 45:13.810 --> 45:15.390 where, like, I don't hang out with those people, 45:15.710 --> 45:17.970 right? I'm not living in fornication. 45:18.170 --> 45:19.710 I'm not living with my girlfriend, you know, 45:19.830 --> 45:21.470 and stuff like that. That's what I'm talking about. 45:21.790 --> 45:23.530 So, you don't want to, you know, just be 45:24.010 --> 45:25.870 constantly falling into sin, getting 45:25.870 --> 45:27.730 out of church. You know, this time around 45:27.730 --> 45:29.630 if you have something like that in your life, 45:29.630 --> 45:31.950 we're like, maybe I develop a covetous attitude. 45:32.470 --> 45:33.690 You know, get that right now so that 45:33.690 --> 45:35.790 when the new year starts, you could start 45:35.790 --> 45:36.850 on a good foot. 45:37.490 --> 45:39.370 So, go to James chapter one, James chapter one. 45:40.110 --> 45:41.090 Here's the last passage. 45:42.730 --> 45:43.670 How do you handle temptation? 45:44.470 --> 45:44.930 The Bible says, 46:06.550 --> 46:08.570 And so, we're all going to be tempted, right? 46:09.230 --> 46:10.290 But here's the thing. 46:10.550 --> 46:12.030 We're not supposed to give into it. 46:12.330 --> 46:13.750 You know, God gives us the ability. 46:14.350 --> 46:16.250 God told us to walk in the spirit so that 46:16.250 --> 46:17.630 we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. 46:18.150 --> 46:19.530 And as I said, you know, you can't 46:19.530 --> 46:20.530 prevent, what do they say? 46:20.630 --> 46:22.070 Like, you can't prevent birds from flying 46:22.070 --> 46:23.750 over your head, but you could, like, 46:23.850 --> 46:24.910 prevent it from, you know, 46:25.710 --> 46:26.990 building a nest on your hair. 46:27.130 --> 46:29.090 I forgot how it goes, but you get the point. 46:29.230 --> 46:30.570 You know, obviously you can't control certain 46:30.570 --> 46:32.250 things in life, right? There are certain things 46:32.250 --> 46:33.490 that are just going to happen no matter what. 46:33.850 --> 46:36.450 But how you react to it, how you handle that, 46:36.650 --> 46:37.610 you could control that. 46:38.490 --> 46:40.570 Now, go to James chapter four, James chapter four. 46:44.810 --> 46:45.990 And then verse number seven. 46:46.130 --> 46:46.490 The Bible says, 46:51.850 --> 46:53.410 And so, one of the ways 46:53.410 --> 46:55.030 that we can avoid temptation 46:55.030 --> 46:57.030 is just resisting Satan, right? 46:57.270 --> 46:58.230 And the Bible says, you know, 46:58.270 --> 46:59.650 he's going to flee from us 46:59.650 --> 47:01.710 for a season. So yeah, we're always going to be 47:01.710 --> 47:03.470 tempted, but we need to resist 47:03.470 --> 47:05.810 the devil. And so, what I'm trying 47:05.810 --> 47:07.810 to get across in this point is just this, 47:07.870 --> 47:09.830 that you need to learn how to handle temptation, 47:10.010 --> 47:11.290 because we're all going to be tempted with things. 47:11.830 --> 47:13.790 And you need to learn how to put yourself 47:14.150 --> 47:15.630 in a place where you're not, 47:15.730 --> 47:17.150 you know, you're not putting yourself 47:17.150 --> 47:19.530 in a situation where 47:19.530 --> 47:21.230 you're going to commit that sin, right? 47:21.610 --> 47:23.590 Let's say you're dating. You're not going to 47:23.590 --> 47:25.410 put yourself in a situation where you could 47:25.410 --> 47:27.390 commit fornication, right? You're not like, 47:27.390 --> 47:29.050 well, I don't know how I fell into fornication. 47:29.230 --> 47:30.930 Maybe because you keep riding with your girlfriend 47:30.930 --> 47:32.930 by yourself, right? Or maybe because 47:32.930 --> 47:34.670 you keep hanging out with her by yourself. 47:35.110 --> 47:36.850 Or like, how about, you know, 47:37.050 --> 47:38.830 people that have children out of wedlock, 47:39.010 --> 47:40.850 you know, bastard children, how did that happen? 47:41.010 --> 47:42.930 Well, maybe because you kept fornicating, right? 47:43.690 --> 47:44.790 Why are they so shocked? 47:45.230 --> 47:46.390 You know, these are things that 47:46.970 --> 47:48.970 people could avoid, you know, from 47:48.970 --> 47:50.690 happening. You know, the temptation 47:50.690 --> 47:53.070 is there, but just remove yourself from it, right? 47:53.290 --> 47:54.770 Be like Joseph, flee fornication. 47:54.770 --> 47:56.910 And there are other things that I could bring up, you know, 47:57.510 --> 47:58.810 just drink. Why do I keep falling 47:58.810 --> 48:00.390 into like drinking with my friends? 48:00.550 --> 48:02.230 Why are you hanging out with those people, right? 48:02.870 --> 48:04.610 There's certain, there's so many ways that you 48:04.610 --> 48:06.430 could avoid sinning, right? 48:06.730 --> 48:07.970 Sinning in that way. 48:08.210 --> 48:09.770 And things that would get you out of church. 48:10.210 --> 48:11.710 You know, why is it that I keep losing money? 48:12.030 --> 48:14.290 Or maybe because you keep buying lottery tickets, right? 48:14.770 --> 48:16.610 There are certain things that you can do 48:16.610 --> 48:18.410 to avoid, you know, 48:18.490 --> 48:20.230 falling into these traps. So we're all 48:20.230 --> 48:21.890 going to be tempted. We're all going to sin, 48:21.890 --> 48:23.850 but we don't always constantly have to 48:23.850 --> 48:25.970 fall into these bigger sins is what I'm trying to say. 48:26.490 --> 48:27.850 And so tonight I just want to encourage you, 48:27.930 --> 48:29.390 you know, think about these things, you know, what are 48:29.390 --> 48:31.710 the three things that you should consider? What is it that 48:31.710 --> 48:33.950 motivates you, right? We all need motivation, 48:34.410 --> 48:35.530 you know, let's be honest about that. 48:35.970 --> 48:37.890 And then, you know, what, you know, 48:37.950 --> 48:39.970 how are you handling trials and tribulations 48:39.970 --> 48:41.950 this time around? You know, are you doing better 48:41.950 --> 48:43.510 this year than you were last year? If you're not, 48:43.890 --> 48:45.410 you know, hit a reset button, you know, 48:45.790 --> 48:47.450 you got the rest of the end of the year 48:47.450 --> 48:49.870 to get it right, to start 2027 48:49.870 --> 48:51.870 on the right foot. You know, how are you handling 48:51.870 --> 48:54.030 temptation? Are you avoiding going 48:54.030 --> 48:56.190 to places where you shouldn't be? Are you, 48:56.410 --> 48:57.970 you know, October is coming up, you know, 48:58.110 --> 48:59.810 don't go to a Halloween party, you know, 48:59.890 --> 49:01.890 don't be dressing like a whole on October 31st, 49:02.470 --> 49:04.170 right? You know, I don't know how I blacked 49:04.170 --> 49:05.930 out maybe because you went hanging out with your friends 49:05.930 --> 49:07.490 and drank alcohol, right? 49:08.850 --> 49:10.670 I was going to say something, but 49:13.150 --> 49:13.790 idiot, I 49:13.790 --> 49:14.190 don't want to say 49:14.190 --> 49:15.570 another thing, but yeah, you don't want to, 49:15.690 --> 49:17.850 you know, you don't want to put yourself in those situations. 49:18.310 --> 49:19.710 You know, some thought just came in my head 49:19.710 --> 49:20.870 and I try to avoid it, right? 49:22.190 --> 49:23.730 But, you know, you want to be able 49:23.730 --> 49:25.770 to set yourself up for success in this 49:25.770 --> 49:27.590 upcoming year. Let's pray. Emily and Father, 49:27.730 --> 49:29.530 Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for allowing us, 49:29.610 --> 49:31.510 Lord, to gather tonight. We got 49:31.510 --> 49:33.370 people and be able to hear from your word. 49:33.850 --> 49:35.690 I pray, Lord, that you would help us to have a successful 49:35.690 --> 49:37.390 year. Help us, Lord, to develop 49:37.390 --> 49:39.670 good habits, spiritual habits, Lord, that 49:39.670 --> 49:41.650 would help us do what's right. I pray 49:41.650 --> 49:43.770 also, Lord, for a pastor and that he 49:43.770 --> 49:45.470 would feel better, Lord, so that he would be here 49:45.470 --> 49:47.430 on Sunday. I pray, Lord, that you put 49:47.430 --> 49:49.290 your, that you would heal him, Lord, 49:49.730 --> 49:51.650 for whatever he's going through. I pray, Lord, 49:51.730 --> 49:53.550 that you keep us safe. Help us get home safely 49:53.550 --> 49:54.510 in Jesus' first name. Amen.