 Let me just start off by saying a couple things first of all I really I don't know why it's grown on me But I like the little intro music. I don't know what it is about that thing and people have said get rid of that I don't like it. I love it. I like that little intro music matter of fact I like the pre-intro the one that comes with a little countdown. I like that one, too I like the intro with the red. I just like it what I don't like Our ball-headed truck drivers who cover their head like say go woods. That's who I don't like about that Anyway, I want to ask you guys a question And I want to see I think that this is going to resonate with each and every one of you. It should it'll resonate in a way that You will You know what I see your point or it might be yeah, I've experienced that I've been there I've done that you're right Corey now. I'm right about what I'm getting ready to tell you How do I know I'm right? Well, it's not my words. It's not me. This is God I'm right about what I'm going to say how it's going to help you or hurt you Some of you people are going to have a not so good 2023 some of you guys are Let's just be honest Enough people are going to watch this live stream either live or catch it later Enough people who watch it who see it are going to have some troubles in 2023 I don't know what the troubles are going to be I don't know if it's going to be maybe someone passes away because death is a reality in our world It's just part of how it is ever since a fall. Somebody's gonna die might be you Now depending upon where you stand Spiritually speaking might be a good thing for you, but not so much for your family Somebody's going to get sick Somebody might lose their job Somebody might keep their job but have to go and get a second job because bills are tight things are are not where we want them to be financially Someone's gonna have some emotional issues Somebody's gonna have some other physical issues some ailments Maybe your health might take a turn for the worse or things just aren't getting better Maybe it's a new diagnosis here there Anything can happen as a matter of fact We know what if Murphy's law say that anything that can happen will happen That's just kind of how it is. But for somebody some of us It is going to stack up in a sense to where you are not filling 2023 now some people though You may not have a bad 2023 you may have a 2023 that is just like 2022 that's just like 2021 What I mean by that? Well, here we are again at the end of a year And what do we do at the end of each year? Most of us we reflect on how the previous year or the current year went and There are some things that I wasn't really I'm not too happy with my performance or with the way things have gone I had some intentions on things turning out this way in January But here in December hadn't gone that way So what am I going to do about it? Now let me ask you a question. How many y'all have had that conversation with yourself this year? How many of you have said to yourself? You know what? I had some dreams. I had some goals I had some aspirations for 2022 and they didn't pan out Is there anybody that that's feeling like they didn't quite accomplish what they wanted to accomplish in 2022 now? Let's just be honest whether we admit it or not There's a lot of people who feel that way. Maybe you want to lose weight Maybe it was you wanted to make more money a different job. Whatever it is. Whatever it is Can I tell you the sad truth though? A lot of us who have had that or having that experience right now that feeling right now How many of you felt the exact same way as you do today about 2022? You felt the exact same way about 2021 You felt the exact same way about 2020 2019 2015 Why 2k? We keep having these same feelings Which is why every year we have these what these new year resolutions I resolved this year that I'm gonna lose weight. I resolved this year that I'm gonna save money I resolved this year that I'm gonna spend more time with the kids I resolved this year that I'm gonna stop Cheating on my family on my wife or my husband. I resolved this year that I'm gonna be a better worker I resolved this year that I'm going to start my business. I resolved all these things I resolved this year that I'm gonna be close with the Lord. I resolved this I'm gonna read the entire Bible from front to back I resolved this year that I am going to pray like I never had before all these things what do they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions there's always somebody that's got something that they want to do better I get that as a matter of fact there are a couple of places there are three places three places you can go to and you'll find these same sentiments there are three places you can go to I don't care what time of the year what time of the day what time of the month you can go there anytime and the people there without fail every last one of those people there are going to exhibit that same sentiment there are three places you can go to where people are going to have what we call regrets they resolved to do something and never did it three places you can go to one the hospital those folks who decide to be healthier eat better work out live all those things now they're in the in the doctor's office regretting it they're going through some sort of treatment regretting it a second place you can go to where you have these sort of regrets are in prison I can tell you that a lot of people they're in prison right now who are regretting the actions that led them to get as a matter of fact every prisoner has this in common they stated they said to themselves I'm never going to do the thing that I did to get myself in prison if you'd ask them whatever it was that they did to get themselves in prison there was time where they would have said I'm never going to do that there's no way but then something happens they get their frustration things aren't going the way they want to because they didn't do other things necessary things and so frustration built up and they decided I got to do I got to do something I got to do something through all caution to the wind and just do something and so they make a choice hoping that they won't get caught taking the risk and then out and so where are they in prison serving five years ten years fit 20 years there are people there with two life-senses that I know guys there with two life-senses plus 40 years after that just in case you outlive both of these two life-senses you still got 40 years on top of that because we're running the sentences consecutively yeah another place a third place that you'll find the people that are there full of regrets is a cemetery regret after regret I wish I would have done x y and z specifically I wish I would have placed my faith in Christ I said I was going to get saved but I put it off to tomorrow I knew Jesus died for me but I thought I had time that happens so why do I say that for a lot of us 2023 is going to be bad 2023 is going to be bad if we don't change something and I want to use a person in the Bible who is going to give us a perfect example and we can apply his failures his mistakes to ours everybody wants something everybody feels like they can be better off in life everybody you just I want a little bit more of this it's what it's what we call the flesh the flesh wants more more of what anything you name it more chicken more ice cream a few more dollars your coins more time more muscles more not fat but less fat I guess we all want something different so let's look at a person who is hanging out with the man of God a man by the name of a ghazi in second Kings chapter 5 go there with me I'm going to show you some other passages that Paul brings up as well to go with this he says this was after the man Naaman was healed of his leprosy and Elijah tells him to go and dip himself in the waters seven times and when he comes up he is his skin is perfect now he's got baby skin he's got flaw he's got flawless skin now he's got the kind of skin that you all are paying hundreds and thousand dollars to get he's got that kind of skin by going and dipping into the waters and he comes back and he wants to pay the man of God he wants to pay Elijah look at Elijah's response so he says when the man returned the man of God when he returned to the man of God with all his company he that being Naaman came and stood before him he said behold I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel so please take a present from your servant now look what Elijah says as the Lord lives before whom I stand I will take nothing and he urged him to take it but he refused and so Elijah says no I'm not no matter of fact Elijah's word was you know what now that you know there is a God in Israel that's good enough I serve from I as the Lord lives whom I before whom I stand before whom I serve some of your version may say that that's that's who I stand on as that Lord who I'm who I'm stating this before I'm not taking anything but now he's got a servant who has seen a lot of a lot of these miraculous wonderful things by the hand of Elijah his name is Gahazi let's look at what Gahazi says in his heart but Gahazi verse 20 the servant of Elijah the man of God thought behold my master has spared this name in the air man by not receiving from his hands what he brought as the Lord lives I will run after him and take something from him notice a difference though Gahazi says as the Lord lives but what did Elijah say something similar Elijah says as the Lord lives before whom I stand before whom I serve that's what so there's both of them invoke name invoke the name of the Lord but only one is actually interested in actually serving him but we're gonna learn a lesson from him he says so Gahazi verse 21 pursued naming when naming saw one saw one running after him he came down from the chair to meet him and said it's all well he said all is well my master has sent me saying behold just now two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim please give them a town of silver and two changes of clothes name and said be pleased to take two talents and he urged him and he bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to his servants and they carried them before him so he goes him he concocts a lie he puts together the story now anytime that you ever have to come up with something and put the Lord's name in it and kind of we do that often times maybe not to this degree but sometimes we want to come because we want to give validity what we're saying what we're doing we want folks abide what we're doing so we'll kind of make it seem like it's Christ like the Lord is in it maybe sometimes he is sometimes though he is I've seen people use the Lord to get what they want and I can promise you this the Lord will deal with you he will deal with you severely I've got a witness in myself and so Gehazi has this this money this money and clothes and he takes it back the problem is though he can't just take it back Elisha and someone else is going to see this and so verse 24 when he came to the hill country he took from there from their hands and deposited them in the house and he sent the men away and they departed he didn't want anyone seeing what he was doing he wouldn't be caught he didn't want anyone spying out and checking out so he said y'all go ahead and go on I got this and so he goes and he wants to hide his stuff verse 25 but when but he went in and stood before his master and Elijah said to him where have you been Gehazi and he said your servant went nowhere huh I haven't been anywhere were you talking about where you been where you been Gehazi I've been looking for you man I ain't been no right chilling been been hanging out around just over here with the camels on the side of the side of the house I ain't been anywhere but now you're talking to Elijah the man of God you realize you just saw him tell this man to go dip in the river seven times you know he's whose side he's on right and you gonna lie to him okay let's see how that goes for you Gehazi then he said this little Elijah says did not my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you can you can you can you see can you see Gehazi just sweating first of all when he asked him his heart's just beating fast he's starting to sweat starting to fidget I ain't been anywhere and then Elijah looks at him says don't you know that my heart went went went with you when you got off that chair and turned towards don't you know that don't you know that I saw that whether it is I know you or mainly because God knows me I knew what you did but look at what Elijah accuses Gehazi of remember Gehazi takes what some money and some clothes but look at what Elijah accuses him of he says in the middle of verse 26 he says is it time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants wait a minute they didn't get all that what what are you talking about I just took some money and some clothes you're talking about vineyards and and olive groves and what do you say sheep and oxen and male and female servants I didn't I didn't do all that you you accuse me of too much but have you ever noticed ever seen somebody that would get involved in something they start off right here but you know in a week a month a year they doing a whole lot more yeah you started off still in money and clothes next and we know you gonna be you gonna be selling people you gonna be the slave trade next you start off doing this little thing but I can see you in jail in a few years you start off doing this I can see you on dope strung out in a few years you start doing this I can see you selling your body you can just see the beginning of the genesis of their problems and the end how it's gonna grow and so all he's ever telling him is this is where you hit it this is where you're gonna go I understand you may find you stuck in this little cycle year after year after year but what you're doing now it right and oh by the way he said it's not time for that well that might be an indication that maybe you'll get those things just not right now that happens I you're not guaranteed to be broke but if you go about it by the wrong means well then God will break you let's continue what he says verse 27 he says therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever so he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow there the very same leprosy that Naaman had that was cured that he wanted to volunteer give the money that you want to connive and scheme to get that leprosy is now on you and what makes it worse is it's not that it's just on you it's on who on your family on your what does it say on your descendants forever because it feels like that what I'm going through I can't get out of this rat race so now see me one thing if what I was going through only bothered me or affected me that'd be it that I can deal with that matter of fact I could see if I was living under a bridge by myself as long as my family was taking care of I could I could live with that but if my family's got to suffer with me too you understand that when you have leprosy you are a an outcast you can't work around anyone because the rules state that you can't you are unclean as a matter of fact if you're walking and someone comes in or coming close to you you have to yell out and scream unclean unclean you can't live in the city you live outside and you live in this this outside the city and you feed off the garbage heap by the way the word for for for grave Gahana comes from this word garbage heap and that's where they got their food and so if you're gonna be a leper unless unless you're like now this guy name and he was a leopard but he was not he was not a Jew so there they treat leprosy different but here in our camp as Jews no you can't hang out with us you are a an outcast and you can't make any money and so it's affecting you but it's also as he says on your descendants forever it's on it's on your defendants your descendants rare is but it's gonna not just hamper and hurt you it's gonna do the same thing what you did is gonna affect the very people who you say you love who had nothing to do with any of this stuff and some people going into 2023 have not dealt with some of the stuff that happened in 2022 or 2021 or 2019 having dealt with those things and it's gonna cause a problem with your family and it's this forever part that makes it harder you say forever but come on God can you help a brother out forever how about a week how about a month I'll do anything Lord well no you should have did anything before you tried to ski he says that Namans leprosy shall cling to you and your descendants forever now the problem is does God have forgiveness in him I put it back on the screen he says your unless I'm reading this incorrectly he says that the therefore the leprosy of naming shall cling to you and your descendants forever hmm the Hebrew word is Olam forever am I am I the only one seeing that so now we got a problem and what is God good now the problem is that the deal is we've got a man who has seen God work miracles and the people that he's supposed to be a part of God has always been forgiven so is there any forgiveness in him but he pronounces a penalty on this man the penalty that he pronounces on this man is forever forever now the question is how long does forever last let me just ask you guys forever last how long does anybody have any idea of how long forever is does anyone have any idea of how long forever last it's not it's not a trick question the question is the question on the floor ladies and gentlemen is how long is forever forever and ever and ever like a song how long if infinity and into into infinity and beyond CG says it never ends so I'm gonna be stuck with this forever okay now there was let's fast forward cuz I want to get to the point of this there was a famine in the land to make matters worse remember how I said that they would get their food they would get their food cuz they can't work they've got their food off of the scraps the throwaways that people have from the trash heap the trash heap outside of the city the town the village that's where they're eating from problem is though what happens when inflation hits what happens if not make enough money and inflation hits or in his case what happens if you have leprosy you're depending on people to throw food away but a famine hits that a famine means what they're throwing away the pickings are going to be slim and so we have this famine that's taking place in the land which makes it a lot harder for who the leprosy now there's a story I won't get into this particular story but in this story there's a woman who was dealing with this famine in this famine it was so bad that people were eating pitch and dung people were eating horse head I don't know where they eat horse head that don't even sound good but people were eating horses head and it was so bad that two women came together and said let's eat your child a day and tomorrow we'll eat mine and they eat one but the other lady whose child didn't eat she said no one I need mine and they have to go before the king and the king has to settle this dispute there's a woman whose land is in dispute because she goes away and so she's having to deal with this as a matter of fact let's pick up there about this woman who had to whose son was restored to life by Elijah starting chapter 8 verse 1 of 2nd Kings and read this he says now Elijah spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life saying arise and go with your household and sojourn wherever you can sojourn for the Lord has called for a famine and it will even come on the land for seven years so this is that that famine I was talking about these the seven-year family that pops up all these seven-year famines pop it up in the Bible but here's one here and so in verse 2 so the woman rose and did according to the word of the man of God and she went with her household and sojourn in the land of the Philistines seven years verse 3 at the end of the seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and her field now here it is I want you all to pay attention what we are getting ready to read in verse 4 you need listen if you hadn't heard anything else pay attention to verse 4 going on now the king was talking with Gahazi the servant of the man of God saying please relate to me all the great things that Elijah has done and he goes on verse 5 and 6 relating what's happening are you with me did y'all just hear what I just said I said pay attention I put a sharpie marker a light white bright green marker and said pay attention what we're going to read in verse 4 did you all see what I said what we read in verse 4 does did anybody catch what was just read in verse 4 what was read in verse 4 is let's read it again now the king was talking with Gahazi the servant of the man of God saying please relate to me all the great things that Elijah has done now we're in chapter 8 chapter 5 Gahazi has leprosy remember the rules of leprosy you cannot be in the presence of anybody much less the king so your head there should be something moving your head right now how in the world did Gahazi how was he back in front of the king after having this pronouncement of Naaman's leprosy forever forever y'all y'all I asked you a question I asked you how long is forever you said for a long time in eternity until it never ends but this is just seven years this is seven years and Gahazi is back in the presence of people we know so because he's talking with the king you don't do that with leprosy you do not do that with leprosy but here we've got Gahazi Gahazi doing this we got Gahazi doing this and so there seems to be something where some explaining needs to be done there needs to be somebody got to explain something so let's figure out what happened let's figure out what changed what caused forever to no longer be forever remember we got this this famine going on as a matter of fact let's start in verse one of chapter seven go to verse verse one of chapter seven then then Elijah said listen to the word of the Lord thus says the Lord tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for Shekel and two measures of barley for Shekel in the gate of Samaria the royal officer whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said behold if the Lord should make the windows in heaven could this thing be then he said behold you will see it with your own eyes but you will not eat of it now he's speaking to a guy who just didn't believe he says you know what you'll see it but you'll die before then now let's continue this is where it gets good goodest verse three now there are four leprosy men at the entrance of the gate and they said to one another why do we sit here until we die if we say we will enter the city then the famine is in the city and we will die there and if we sit here we die also now therefore come let us go over to the camp of the arameans if they spare us we will live and if they kill us we will die okay so here it is these leprosy men are saying we we're dying out here we're starving we can do one of two things we can go into the city and see if we can get some food but they'll kill us if they see us we can't be leprosy and in the city because they'll kill us but we can take our chances there or we can go into the camp of the arameans the arameans are against the jews and there's this outpost this camp there and they say let's go there they'll either take us as slaves or they'll kill us either way we'll die so let's go there take our chances see what happens they seem to be a little bit more friendlier towards people with leprosy after all Naaman just had leprosy his was cured so why is this passage here why is it in the middle of this we see some leprosy men in chapter previously the chapter before this five i'm sorry before this we see a man named Gehazi who has leprosy and then we see this very same Gehazi afterwards who don't have leprosy what happened i believe that these four leprosy men would be Gehazi and probably his sons i'll show you i'll tell you why in just a little bit but see if this makes sense so verse five they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the arameans when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the arameans behold there was no one there for the lord look at this for the lord had caused the army of the arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses even the sound of a great army so that they said to one another behold the king of israel has hired against us the king of the hittites and the king of the egyptians to come upon us therefore they arose and fled in the twilight and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys even the camp just as it was and fled for their life so as these men are walking god causes the sound of their walking to sound like in the ears of these people as hired people from the hittites or the egyptians coming to fight against them and they were afraid and they took off so afraid they took off and left everything so these leopards men who i believe is ghazi and his sons they show up and there's a feast there's food there's money there's clothes all these things and let's see what happens verse eight when these leopards came to the outskirts of the camp they entered one tent and ate and drank and carried from their silver and gold and clothes and went and hid them and they came and they entered another tent and they carried from there also and went and hid them now what are they taking they entered the camp and they take what money and clothes they take these money and these clothes take them and go hide them they come back and take money and they take clothes now let's pause for a second what did ghazi do what was ghazi's crime what did he do to to get him leprosy in the first place what did ghazi take money and clothes he took money and clothes and hid them what did these leprosy men do they were at the city they take they go and take money and clothes are y'all seeing something here you should be seeing something if not we're gonna make it a little bit clearer let's continue verse eight then they said to one another wait a minute hold up stop the presses we are not doing right this day is a day of good news but we are keeping silent if we wait until morning light punishment will overtake us now therefore come let us go and tell the king's household so they came and called the gate the gatekeepers of the city and they told them saying we came to the camp of the arameas and behold there was no one there nor the voice of men only the horses tied and the donkeys tied and the tent just as they were so what happened here's what i believe happened i believe we've got ghazi who sees himself doing the exact same he same thing he did in 2023 as he was doing in 2022 and 2021 and 2020 and 2019 i know i'm using i'm taking some license here i'm using today's dates but it's what we do doing the exact same thing maybe we saw some benefit but doing the exact same thing knowing there's going to be some problems somebody said wait a second hold up hold up hold up hold up i can promise you this one thing if we do this he says we go get caught we're going to get in trouble meaning that these lepers were jewish lepers they were part of this camp they were part of these jews there and so we can't do this i recall doing this before and so if we do was right watch and see how god blesses let me ask you guys a question and i've said this before i want to see if you if you guys can can follow along if you can track this i bet you can because i bet we've all been in this situation i told matter of fact is market in in the chats i told this to market i'm telling you i'm telling you guys as well how many of you guys have ever been in because all we have right here guys is a test we have a first of all ghazi failed the test the first time around he failed the test he was so eager to go and take something that wasn't his and then to lie about it he failed the test now we we have them taking another test but this time he failed i mean he passed when you take a test and you pass the test you get graduated you move to the next test in some cases the next grade however if you take a test and you fail the test what's going to happen are you going to take the test again you're going to take the test again question is when are you going to take the test when you have another test to take do they always tell you when the next test is going to be when when when will i get a chance to make up this test if ever it might be in a week might be in a month might be next year or in their cases might be seven years might be seven years what to happen who knows but it would behoove you when the test comes to pass the test now when the test comes what you're not going to be able to do you're not going to be able to do when the test comes is to ask the teacher for answers to the questions on the test that you're taking that's not how test works at least none of this i know that's not how the test work the test works like such when you take it the teacher expects that you will have studied the teacher expects that you will have even asked questions previously as a matter of fact if you want to ask the teacher any questions you should have been asking the teacher questions all along while the teacher was giving instructions handing out study notes giving you out giving homework you should have been asking questions then but once the test comes the teacher ain't talking to you you can raise your hand if you want to nope you are going to take that test and let's see if you're going to pass or you are going to fail i know a lot of folks they're interested in in just passing students regardless but that's not how the world works no with especially with god you're going to take this test and you're going to either pass it or fail it if you fail it uh as clary said you're going to repeat it you might repeat that grade again some some i'm not going to ask you guys but some folks might flunk that flunk that grade do you got to repeat fourth grade all over again or you just may have to do the test all over again you may have to show up later and keep going after after after school is over with um study hall and then maybe take them a makeup test later but you're going to take that test you are going to take that test again and there's no guarantee that you're going to pass the test the second time no no guarantee again i it would behoove you that if you fail the test the first time or the second time or the let's be honest can we be honest y'all some of us have failed the test not once some of us have failed the test not twice some of us have failed the test about four or five maybe 20 times some of us we've just been flunking all our life i can't pass this test some of us some of us have failed test after test after test after test and then we think that when we go before the test to take the test again this time it's going to be different somebody asks how is this tied to 2023 because 2021 2020 2019 2018 what have you been doing failing the same test doing the same thing over and over and over and so come january the first you're going to give another new year's resolution i resolve to do this but you haven't gotten to where you're ready to pass to you haven't studied you haven't learned your lesson and so the beginning of 2023 is going to look just like the beginning of 2022 the beginning of 2021 you'll find yourself at january 2024 saying this year is different it's going to be different no no not if you haven't passed the test well i already failed the test well the test is coming again and so i would say to you better make sure that you have done everything you can to pass the test now you can apply this anything you want to you can apply to your finances you can apply it apply it to your health whatever but you better certainly apply it to your faith walk you better apply this to your walk in christ oftentimes you do all these other peripheral things and you spend no time in the lord you don't pray like you should you say i'm gonna pray more i'm gonna read more i'm gonna this more i'm gonna that more i'm gonna search the scriptures more and then we don't we'll hear a sermon throughout the year where someone's going to remind us to do this where 2022 is not going to be like or 2023 is not going to be like 2022 someone's going to remind us that we'll hear if someone else studying like we said we were going to study we'll hear of someone else praying like we said we were going to pray we'll hear if someone's saying or doing the things that we said we're going to say or do and we're not and then you find yourself in 2024 like dog go on here i am again going after one big cycle year after year after because the one thing the teacher doesn't have a problem doing is constantly giving you the test the teacher in this case god has all the time it's going to take you don't want to die with a second grade education you don't want to die like Jethro about voting with a sixth grade education and i mean biblically speaking you don't want to do that you want to die having graduated move on now god has some more tests to come after this is you won't go the rest of your life without that test but dog gonna if you're going to take a test why not take a test at the next level instead of failing the same test on the exact same level after a while instead instead of just putting you at that level, they just flunk you. You know what, we're sorry, you're not equipped to take these fourth grade tests. We'll put you in third grade. Matter of fact, I tell you what, you're 34 years old, how about you go ahead and just take the GED, you ain't gonna get this thing right. But it's okay, even if you go take the GED, you pass that, amen. You're gonna have to put some time, invest some time in the thing that you wanna pass. And it might be some sort of sexual addiction, some issues with money, your anger, your lust, your lack of love, your lack of time with the Lord, your lack of opening your mouth and sharing the gospel. Who knows what it is, what the tests are or a compilation of tests that you keep failing. Paul puts it this way, even those who have passed the test, even those who have passed the test, because everybody at some point in time, you're gonna at least pass a test. Even if you just pass the kindergarten test, somebody passed the second grade test, somebody passed test in eighth grade, somebody passed the college test, got their master's, but there's always tests after it, even if you're not in college anymore, you're going in and you're at work, there's tests there, there's tests there. And so, what you will figure this one thing out, you haven't made it. Matter of fact, you'll never make it. You'll never make it as long as you're here, but you know what you will do. If you keep studying, keep spending time with the teacher, talking to the teacher, preparing for the next test, you'll never become perfect. You'll never achieve or attain what you're always looking for, but you'll get closer. Paul puts it this way. He says, verse 13 of Philippians chapter three, he says, brother, I do not regard myself as having laid a hold of it yet, but one thing I do for getting what lies behind me and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I do what I press toward the goal of the prize of the upper call of God in Christ Jesus. And so, yep, I passed my last test. Yippee, I got an A. Look, mommy, look, daddy, I got A. Okay, now get ready for the next test. We got some more studying to do. We got us some more studying to do because there's some more tests. Because how bad, have you ever seen someone that has gotten their bachelors or their masters or even their PhD or what have you and they're living a life that says, I think I wasted this degree. You got a PhD and you're working in 7-Eleven grocery, you're back in groceries. You're working at 7-Eleven. I would say you got your PhD and you pump in gas. They don't, some of you young folks on road, they used to pump gas. I know in some places, I think they still require that, but we used to go to the gas station and we can get self-serve or full service and a guy would pump the gas. That guy pumping the gas, one of two things. He didn't reach his desired level of education or maybe he owns the gas station, that's different. But there are people who have gotten his education and haven't applied it. How sad would it be to pass test after test after test and then just stop? I'm through taking tests. I'm through studying. No, because if you don't want to take that test, there's other tests you're gonna take as a result of you not wanting to continue, not wanting to graduate, not wanting to press forward. There's other tests that you're gonna have to take. Now, what I want you guys to do to make sure your 2023 is not like your 2022, is not like your 2021. I want you to first to make sure if you have not placed your faith in Christ. This is the vital part. Now, some of you are gonna say, I have, I've done that, but if you haven't, place your faith in Christ. If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, paid a debt that you couldn't pay, you believe that you have faith in that, the Bible says you'll be safe. That's step one. Many of you will say, I've done that. I have done that. Okay, now here's the next point. Be comfortable enough in that to where you've got a relationship with a teacher. You've got a relationship with the teacher so much so that you don't have a problem asking the teacher any questions. Teacher, I'm struggling right here. Show me, help me out with this. Don't act as though the teacher doesn't know you're struggling, he sees everything. And so go to him, spend time with him, because you know what's gonna happen, the more you spend time with the teacher, the more you spend time with God, the more you pray with him, the more you read of him, the more you praise him, the more you fellowship with other folks who are doing the exact same thing, even when you're around folks who are struggling as fellow believers. You know what happens? There's a level of contentment that comes. When I say contentment or being content, cold word, faithful. I've got faith in whatever guy's gonna do, I'm good. Can I tell you another way that Paul puts it? I like the way Paul puts it. He says verse 11 of Philippians four. He says, not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. What if the hazard would have known that I'm gonna be content just doing what I'm doing? Just doing what I'm doing, I'll be content. Look what he says, I know how to be brought low. How many of y'all know how to be brought low? I know how to be brought low. I know what that's like. I know how to abound, I've been up before. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Here it is. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. It doesn't mean that I can do everything on the planet. There's nothing that I can't do. No, that's not what that passage says. It says that I can do and the word for all, let's go back to it. The word for all is the word ponti, which means each and everything. So whatever, all the things that I go through, everything that I go through, I can do it, I can prevail through Christ, through the Lord who strengthens me. He has strengthened me to go through it, to endure it, to make it away, to persevere. And so I'm content in that. And if I'm content in that, keep, now content doesn't mean lazy. Being content does not mean complacency. Those are two different words, guys. Separate the two. Being content is not being complacent. Because Paul just said in the chapter before, I will press forward towards the call. Well, why would he come back and back that pressing forward up with being content? Because pressing forward doesn't mean you're gonna reach the goal at that moment. Pressing forward doesn't mean that I'm gonna reach the prize at this very moment. I may get some prizes along the way. I might not this month get the open prize, but I will. And as long as I'm content, he, God who is far more faithful than I can ever hope to be, he's the one that's faithful. He's the one that's gonna complete it. He's the one that's gonna see me through. That's why Paul starts off. How does Philippians one start off, guys? How does the book of Philippians start off for chapter one? Let's go to it. He says in verse three, I thank God in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Look what he says. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Paul says, you're gonna get there. You're going to get there. In the middle of knowing that you're gonna get there, I want you to push, not that you haven't attained it yet, you haven't, but keep pushing. And along the way, the ups and downs be content. Oh, by the way, let's don't forget the lesson learned by Gahazie because I had Gahazie been content. And had Gahazie continued to push for it like he was supposed to. And had Gahazie continued to lean on the Lord. Paul brings this up as well. As far as leaning on the Lord, we're doing everything through Christ Jesus. And so if I'm doing it through Christ Jesus, that means I'm also talking to him. That means I'm also praying. I'm reading. I'm listening for any and every way to be filled. I want to be filled with his spirit. I'm learning of him. He says, take my yoke and learn of me, the King James version. And so what are we gonna do? The same thing. Teacher, what about this? Well, you can't ask a teacher anything if you ain't with a teacher. I know they have the little iPads or whatever little tablets where you could, but you gotta have a relationship with a teacher in order to ask the teacher a question. That's kind of the way that works, right? And so teacher, help me out here. Help me. And when you're talking, how many of y'all have ever had a study session with a teacher and you just felt content? You felt at ease. Okay, I'm getting it. Now, if you were like me, the knucklehead that I was, I didn't ask a teacher anything. I didn't ask a teacher nothing. For what? I figured out myself. Well, that's why I got straight Cs. That's why I got straight Cs. Matter of fact, I didn't even get straight Cs. I got in high school my first two years. I didn't get straight Cs. I wish I would have. That would have been an improvement. My first two years in high school, I got a couple of A's, a couple of B's, mostly C's, mostly D's. My GPA. My GPA was like 2.1. I'm saying it's okay. No, my core GPA, remember guys, I was playing football and I wanna go to college and play ball. My core GPA was 1.6. My guidance counselor said, I don't know what football you're playing on plan, but it ain't gonna be in college. What are you talking about? I got a GPA of 2.0. All I gotta do is do pretty good on the, and I scored pretty well on the SAT. No, no, no, no, no. You ain't going nowhere unless you get this core GPA up. And so, you know what I had to do? In order to get it up, I had to work my tail off. I averaged for the last, my junior and senior year in high school. I averaged a 3.7. You know how far behind I was? That 3.7 for two years brought me up, my core GPA up to a 2.00000. I had to work my tail off just to get to be averaged. Now, what if I would have done those things? What if I would have studied and took and passed the tests in my first and second year in high school? Yeah, how bad are you doing where you get a 3.6, 3.7 the last two years, and that's only good enough to bring you up to a 2.0? Yeah, that's, but you know what I was doing then? Cause I learned my lesson. You should have seen me. My junior and senior year, I was Mr. Goody Two Shoes. Miss So-and-So, Mr. So-and-So, can I ask you a question? You got some extra credit. What about this? What is this? I'm asking everything. What does this sentence mean? I'm at why? Cause there's something that I'm trying to accomplish and I can't if I don't pass this test. And the only way I can pass this test is if I talk to the teacher. I don't, and I don't need just a C. No, I need some B's and some A's. I gotta get this bad boy up. Wait, you had a 2.0 too? God bless us perfectly average people. And so the lesson that's learned guys is, if you, I promise you, I promise you, if your 2023 is like your 2022, are you gonna be happy? No, that's not what I'm looking for. Especially Lord, I got all these bills. I got all these issues. No, I want a little bit better 2023. Of course I had hair in high school. I had hair, I could get waves on one and two, as a matter of fact, I had, I could cut it and put the little box and the little slope and all that. Yeah, that was back in those days where we could just do all kinds of stuff with our hair. I didn't do too much for my father, wouldn't let me have too much leeway. But yeah, I had hair, I was born with a little hair on my head. But the more mature I got, as I matured, then the Lord blessed me about taking hair. Y'all do know that baldness is a sign of maturity. Can I get a witness from somebody out there? You folks probably don't know that because you hadn't gotten there yet. I mean, I mean, man. I mean, man, I mean, man, I just know that the Lord, when you, when you, when he takes your hair away, it's because he has grace you with wisdom. Anyway, no, I didn't have, I didn't have no big ways. I wasn't into ways like that. I wouldn't like that. CJ said, I disagree. No, you guys, listen, CJ, you disagree because you hadn't gotten there yet. You haven't attained that level yet. But don't worry, you still, yo, you got time. But do I have hair in the, oh, in the picture behind me? In the picture behind me, I've got hair in that picture. Y'all act like I just, I just started off bald. Again, I told you I had to graduate to that level of wisdom where my hair left, where God said, God said, you no longer need a hair covering. Hey man, can I get a bald head brother in there to say, hey man, with me, this is ridiculous. I mean, some of you folks ain't catching this. I got all these hair people picking on me. But I rebuke you in the, in the name of baldness. Anyway, tell your garment. Listen, now I'm not zooming that picture in. Now I ain't, I tell you what I will do though. I will show y'all some pictures of me. I'll show you a picture of me with Afro. I'm looking for the picture of me crying on Santa Claus lap with Afro. That's what, that's what, there you go. Mark, hey man, once I started passing tests, God said, you don't need no more hair. Once I started passing tests, I didn't need any more hair. Now, if you go look at senior Conrad, he got a hair full of hair, a head full of hair. I'm not casting as personal. I don't know what to deal with that, but, you know, he's still got a head full of hair. There we go. We need to start a bald channel. We need to start a bald channel. Does gray count? Well, it's okay if you're a woman. Yeah, that, yes, I don't, listen, I don't care if you got hair or not if you're a woman. I don't care if you got hair or not if you're a woman. But if you're a man, gray hair, yeah, maybe, maybe. I don't know, I don't know. I have absolutely no use for hair. I don't want to say why you folks have use for hair. He said, I got straight, there's your problem right there. He got straight A's in Marcus Rogers University. There's your problem. There's your problem. So anyway, guys, I hope that has in some way, shape from a fashion, blessed you guys. I remember this story and this lesson when I was in prison, when I was going through the story resonated with me. I can't, I probably preach that particular message three or four times in prison because there are inmates that need to hear that. No, I take it back. No, I preach it every year in prison. As a matter of fact, so yeah, for 13, 14 times, I preach that message because it resonates. We have these regrets. We have these things that we just, they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing every year, after year, after year, every time, doing the exact same thing, hoping for different results. That actually isn't the definition, but it's an example of, and it is insane to keep doing the exact same thing. And if I am not going to study and take the test, I mean, I'm sorry if I'm not gonna study and ask questions and seek the teacher's face then I can expect to pass the test. And if I failed it, I want to prepare myself the next time because at the end of it all, there lays up for me a crown. There lays up for me a reward. So where I can go before the teacher, the master, the Lord, God. And when he sees me and I see him, I'll have this big smile on my face. I'm just waiting. I'm just waiting. I'm just giddy. I'm like a little kid getting ready to go into Disney World or going to the theme park. I'm just giddy because I know what he's getting ready to tell me because I've studied, I've talked to the teacher and what is he gonna say to me? He's gonna say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Amen.