 Amen. First Corinthians chapter 9. So Paul here is talking about who he is. He's talking about what he does. And more importantly, he's talking towards the end of the chapter about how he does what he does. And that's what we're going to look at this evening. This evening we're going to look at the difference between those who succeed and those who don't succeed. And that's what we're going to look at this evening. You say in what? Well, in everything is what this applies to tonight. That's the thing about, you know, the thing about practical biblical preaching is that it just, the Word of God applied works everywhere. That's why it's so great. It's so powerful. It works in your spiritual life. It works in your life outside of church. If you apply the Word of God in your life, it's going to work for you. So we're going to look tonight at what Paul is talking about here in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. We're going to start in verse number 19, but don't discount what I just said. Those who succeed and those who don't, this is the difference. This is one of the main differences between those two groups of people, what Paul is talking about at the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Look at verse 19. He says, For though I be free from all men, yet I have made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. So we're going to cut these up, these verses, but I just want to kind of explain what he's talking about as we go through these first verses. Then we're going to go back and I'm going to break these down for you. But he's talking about what he's doing, what his goals are. Look at verse number 20. He says, Under the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews. To them that are under the law as under the law that I might gain them that are under the law. So he's talking about gaining people. What is he talking about? He's talking about winning people to Christ. He's talking about preaching the Gospel, being successful at it. Verse 21, he says to them that are, so he talks about here's what I do with the Jews. Now he's going to say to them that are without the law. He's talking to the Gentiles here. And I'll take a couple minutes to explain verse 21. He says, To them that are without the law as without the law, being not without the law to God in parentheses, but under the law to Christ that I might gain them that are without the law. So what does that mean? Is he saying like he doesn't follow the, what is the law? The law is the Bible. The law is God's word. So he's talking about them that are without the law. Turn to Romans chapter three. So let's just cut this up so we understand what he's saying and what he's not saying here. Go to Romans chapter three. Who are them that are without the law? Look at Romans chapter three and look at verse number one. In Romans chapter three and verse number one, the Bible says what advantage hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision? Talking about Jews and Gentiles and there is no, you know, there's no Jews and Gentiles in Christ. Like there's no difference. They can both get saved. And then he's saying in Romans three, he's like, so if Gentiles can get saved and the Jews can get saved, like what good is it to be a Jew? Like what advantage? I mean, what advantage is it to be a Jew? And he tells you in verse two, he says much every way chiefly, mainly, he says their main advantage is this, that unto them were committed the oracles of God. They had the Bible. They had the law. They had God's word. That's, I mean, tell me that's not an advantage. I mean, that's literally what we're talking about tonight is how the Bible is a huge advantage in your life. It's just an advantage that a lot of Christians don't use. It's a tool that a lot of people don't, they don't want to know what it says. They don't explore it. Maybe they're saved, but if you don't study out and learn the Word of God, it's of no advantage to you. So what he's saying is that the Jews had the Bible, so that was their advantage. Okay? Now back in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, he's saying them that are without the law. He's talking about the Gentiles, the people that didn't have this advantage, people that didn't have the oracles. So he's talking about how do I win them to Christ? He says, I become as one without the law. And then he says in parentheses, because then everyone, you know, we just studied through the book of Acts, right? And there's a big controversy in the book of Acts on the Gentiles getting saved and brought into the church. So you got this Christian church, everyone saved by what? By trusting on the Lord Jesus Christ. You got some people who are Gentiles and you got some people who are Jews. Well, the Jews are, you know, they do things a very specific way. They eat certain things. They don't eat certain things. They have all these, you know, ordinances and all these things that they claim to get from the Bible. And, you know, there was a lot of cultural problems there. So that's what God was trying to break down when he told Peter, you know, hey, kill and eat, slay and eat in Acts chapter 10 and Acts chapter 11. He's like, you know, the carnal ordinances are gone. Actually, turn to Hebrews chapter 9, you know, explain this to you. So there's a problem between the Jews and the Gentiles when it came to the church. And this was dealt with in the book of Acts, you know, over and over again, even towards the end of the book of Acts. And that's kind of what Paul is talking about. What he's talking about is how he relates to people. He's talking about how he relates to people when he goes to preach the gospel to them. Look at verse number, go to Hebrews chapter 9. Look at verse number 9. Let's start there. It says, which was a figure for the time then present? So the book of Hebrews is mainly explaining how all the sacrifices and the carnal ordinances, as it's going to say here, were done in the Old Testament as a picture or a shadow of things to come, a shadow of the Messiah to come. It says, which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the sacrifice perfect as pertaining to the conscience. So it says, you know, in other places in Hebrews that the sacrifice of the blood of bulls and goats did not forgive sins. It's just a picture of the blood of Christ that would come and actually forgive sins. Okay, so he's saying, this is a figure, which stood what? Which stood in meats and drinks and diverse washings and what? Carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of Reformation. So this is why, you know, we don't follow the diet of, you know, the Old Testament. We don't follow the diet of the unclean and the clean animals, because those were just pictures. They were just figures that were meant to be in place until the time of the Reformation, which is the time of what? The time of Christ. So that time is gone, so the carnal ordinances are gone. Now turn to Matthew chapter 5. So that's why, you know, it's consistent with what God told Peter. And God was trying to get Peter to not be this person that would go and visit the church in Antioch and then separate himself and be like, I'm not eating that garbage. That's unclean. You know, and try to be, you know, elitist or whatever it was coming off as, just saying, hey, should all be eating the same thing. Just like, there is nothing clean. There is nothing unclean. You know, what God has made clean do not call unclean. So it's done. The carnal ordinances are done. All right. So now, here's what some people do though. There's this weird strange doctrine out there that because of, you know, the carnal ordinances, we don't sacrifice. We're not up here Sunday morning sacrificing bulls and goats. All right. We're not doing that. Those were just pictures of Christ. So that's done with. That's over. I mean, that would be a lot of work. I mean, I don't know about you, but when I read Leviticus and all the, the, the feasts and the sacrifices, I mean, these priests are working. I mean, you know, I mean, the fun part about hunting was like, you know, shooting the deer, you know, I mean, it's like, bam, it's like now the work starts, you know, you know, you got to dress the deer out and you got to clean everything up and you got to package it up. I mean, you look at what those guys in the Old Testament were doing. That was a lot of work. This has nothing to do with the sermon. Are you in Matthew chapter five in Matthew chapter five? So what people will do is they will say, Oh, because, you know, Jesus is here, you know, the, the card oranges are gone away with a lot of people will be like, if you ever heard people say this, like when you talk about, you know, Christian standards or things we should do places we should go separation, all these different things that both the New Testament and the Old Testament teach people will be like, Oh, that was in the Old Testament. That's Old Testament. First of all, like, they're always wrong when they say that. That is just in the Old Testament. Right? Nothing in the old, the moral law was not done away with even the civil law that God wants is not done away with up to and including the death penalty was not done away with. They're both talked about in the Old Testament and by Jesus himself in the New Testament. So this idea that, okay, because we were putting away the carnal ordinances and we don't sacrifice bulls and ghosts, like that those things were done away with because they were pictures of Christ. That's why they were in, they were done in the Old Testament. That's why God did that. All these things that were done in the temple and things people ate and things people didn't eat. But look at Matthew chapter five. Look at verse number 17 to those people that just say, Oh, that's Old Testament God. And that's this is New Testament God. No, you see, people have just made up a New Testament God today. They made up a completely different God that it has nothing to do with the New Testament or the Old Testament, because the New Testament exactly matches the Old Testament. And Jesus himself says it. Look what he says. He says, think not that I'm come to destroy the law. But what? He says, or the prophets, I'm not come to destroy but to fulfill. So yeah, the carnal ordinances are done away with, you know, all the, the eating and the drinking of the diverse things. It's like, you know, that's, that's done away with, but that's because those things were pictures of Christ. But the law is the law. The Bible is the Bible. The Old Testament God is exactly the same God as the New Testament. God, it's all God right here. And like, some people that just come up with this, it's just, it's to fit this liberal Christianity thing that is created today. You know, where, where Jesus is this good news only long haired dress wearing hippie carrying a sheep around. You know, that's that that's what it fits. But that's not the truth. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. That's why he told the Pharisees, he's like, Hey, if you would have believed Moses, you'd have believed me because it's the same message. It's the same voice. All right. So carnal ordinances where we had this cultural problem in the book of Acts between the Jews coming into the church getting saved, the Gentiles getting saved. The carnal ordinances what you can eat, what you cannot eat. You know, that's what God was saying. Hey, kill and eat. He's like, Peter, quit doing this. It's over. The carnal ordinances are over. You can eat anything you want. He's saying just it's it's done. All right. That's what Paul is talking about in verse number 21. He's saying that to the Jews, and I'll go into what he did with the Jews in a little bit. But he's saying to people that are without the law, he doesn't go and do what Peter did. He doesn't go and be like, Oh, I'm not eating that. He doesn't go and pretend like he's he's this person that's got all these different ordinances upon him. And, you know, demand that they all be circumcised and all these different things. He's he's becoming as one without the law, meaning he's without the carnal ordinances. But he says in parentheses, not without the law to God, meaning I'm not going into sin is what he's saying. I'm not going to just like going into whatever sin they're doing. He's just saying I'm not going and putting the law upon them. This was the big argument in the book of Acts where James finally just says, Hey, we'll just tell them to we'll tell them to, you know, just not eat things strangled, and we'll tell them to, you know, just do a couple of things. Stay away from fornication and don't eat something that you strangled all just good advice. Not to be saved though. Okay, so that's what Paul is saying. He doesn't go in there and pretend like he's just this, this carnal ordinance due to the Gentiles, because what would happen? He would just turn people off. He would just shut people off. So what he's saying is I try to relate people relate to people on the level that they're at. And the third one backs that up. He says to the week, I became as weak that I might gain the week. I made all things to all men that I might by all means save some. He's talking about just being a good soul winner. It's what he's talking about doing. Right. And this I do for the gospel sake that I might be partaker there of with you. Know you not that they which run in a race run all but one receive at the prize so run that you may obtain. So he's also staying here in verse number 24 is an interesting note here. He says many people run or all people run but one person receives the prize. So this implies that what I'm going to talk to you about tonight is a difficult thing for many people to do. What we're going to talk about tonight which we haven't even gotten to that yet is something that many people cannot do successfully. And it's the one thing it's one of the main things that divides the successful from the unsuccessful. Look at verse 25. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. I'll talk about that in a few minutes. And they that do it obtain a corruptible crown but we have an incorruptible. Therefore I therefore so run as not not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beat at the air not one just swinging at nothing is what he's saying. But look at verse number 27 but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Less that by any means I have right when I have preached under others I myself should be a cast away. Now I always pause and throw out some NIV stuff when we come across something or modern Bible version stuff but he basically says in verse 27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. In the NIV in verse number 26 I'm going to read for you what the NIV says here it says therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. The ESV says this you're like that's the NIV like it's like a clown book. Here's the ESV one of the most popular you know Bibles in Protestant churches today says this in verse 26 so I do not run aimlessly I do not box as one beating the air but I discipline my body still implying how do you discipline your children you spank them. So he's basically saying I spank myself and keep it under control less after preaching under others I myself should be disqualified. So Paul in the ESV is basically saying you know here's how I do all this stuff I give myself a spanking. It's funny I mean because it's like who would read this. But what is Paul talking about when he says I keep under my body I keep under my body and bring it into subjection. Look this isn't rocket surgery this isn't like we have to like dissect some archaic language here. He is talking about his body being underneath him like an authority. He's talking about he's the boss like I'm under my boss in an authority structure. You have a job you're underneath your boss. He's talking about keeping his body having control over his body his body he keeps his body in obedience to him you know what he's talking about he's talking about self control. He's not talking about punching himself he's not talking about you know spanking himself he's talking about self control. He's saying he goes to the whole chapter and he says here's who I am here's what I do here's how I do it at the end he says how I do it is I have control over myself and that's what we're going to talk about tonight. That's what we're going to talk about tonight. We're going to analyze these verses that I just read you and I'm going to give you some some very simple steps to take to have control over yourself to have control over your body because look folks this defines who is successful and who is not everybody wants to be successful right here everybody wants to win in the Christian life everybody wants to not have you know money troubles everybody wants to you know have a life that really does well and and and affects their family well and be a good dad and be a good son and be you know everybody wants that right here but people can't get this thing to do it and Paul is telling us how he does it not punching himself by controlling his body so the first thing is this the first thing that Paul does is this he and this is step one if you're writing things down I'm going to give you four steps the step one that Paul says is he defines objectives that's the first thing he does look at verse number 19 go back to verse number 19 he says for though I be free from all men you know I made myself a servant unto all that I what that I might gain the more he's saying my objective is to get as many people that I run across saved as possible that is his objective it's a pretty good one brother Trevor has said in sermons before he's like you will how do you say he's like you basically you you you hit every you if you if you don't aim or something you missed the target every I well I can't remember the exact same it makes basically like I can't remember what your statement is but it's really good if you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time this is what Paul is doing he's clearly see he's clearly showing what he aims he's aiming at here he's defining his objective Paul says here's what I'm trying to call accomplish I'm trying to win people to Christ that's it so you have to ask yourself you know we talked about this morning ask yourself questions you say what what kind of objectives should I have we should be asking yourself questions throughout your life you ever you ever ask yourself questions questions like what am I trying to do what am I trying to accomplish in my life you know how about this one you ever I mean you should self-reflect on things you say you know where am I good where am I bad you know what are what are the problems in my life you should ask yourself these questions and you say well I have no problems in my life then you just take a nap for the rest of the sermon this doesn't apply to you but you should ask yourself these questions and then you can start to define some objectives in your life ask yourself questions about your spiritual life ask yourself questions about your church life ask yourself questions about your prayer life some of you are like prayer life what I come to church on on Wednesday we pray together I'm talking about your personal prayer life you should ask yourself questions about this do I do I like where that's at is that knowing what I know about the Bible knowing what I know the pastor screams about all the time is my spiritual life is my Bible reading is all the things that I know the Bible says that I should be at this level am I am I there you know how is that it's basically a heart check should be asking yourself that question I mean even just your your physical personal life this applies to that as well I mean your your family life your home life your your your work life your health you know all these different things about this one your sin life are the things in your life that you are struggling with okay unless you've reached sinless perfection which you will meet those people and less you've reached that you you have sin in your life you should ask yourself these questions are there sins in your life that you're struggling with again and again and again where you're just like you get right with God you confess you know you confess your sins to God and you just keep struggling with this these are the objectives that you should set for yourself just like Paul set the objective that I'm going to try to gain these people that I might gain the more the objective is that I win as many people the crisis possible we should all have that objective by the way but we can set objectives everywhere in our life because if you aim it nothing you'll hit it every time the second one is this go back to verse number 20 once you've gotten your objectives I mean we're just going to look at what Paul does that's all we're going to do tonight we're just going to look at how Paul is successful I mean I think Paul probably you know one of the most influential if not the most influential evangelists that has lived on the face of the earth I think we can learn a thing or two from this so you're like I found my objectives now look at verse number 20 now you need an action plan to achieve those objectives or what you could even call a routine just some plan of action some routine to help you achieve that goal look at Paul's action plan here verse 20 under the Jews I became as a Jew that I might gain the Jews to them that are under the law is under the law that I might gain them that are under the law look at Paul did in verse number go to acts chapter 21 in verse number 23 so his action plan was to become to be as the Jews to the Jews to be as the Gentiles to the Gentiles with you know without going into sin and you know to the weak as weak but to the Jews he became as a Jew look at verse 21 this will really explain what Paul did you know wall around the Jews that he didn't do around the Gentiles is really the difference here between a really good example of the difference between his routine his action plan between verse 20 and verse 21 in verse 23 of acts chapter 21 it doesn't when he had saluted them he declared particularly what the things God had wrought amongst the Gentiles by his ministry now he's telling the Jews how the Gentiles are getting saved when he goes out on these missionary journeys and when they heard it they glorified the Lord and said it to him Valseus brother how many thousands of Jews there are which believe and they're all zealous of the law this is a problem right this is a problem he's like yeah they believe they trust them Lord Jesus Christ but they're just like they're hanging on to all these cardinal ordinances not for salvation if they're saved but they're just like it's going to cause cultural division in the church right and they're informed of the that thou teach us all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to circumcise their children neither walk after the customs so there's some exaggeration going on there where you know he you know they're fake all the Jews are saying like yeah he's going after the Gentiles and getting them saved saying you don't need to do anything you just keep living like a barbarian or whatever right what is it therefore the multitude's must needs come together for they will hear that thou art come he's like we've got to find some way to get this solved do therefore this that we say to thee we have four men which have a vow on them take them and pure take them take and purify themself with them and be at charges with them that they may shave their heads and may know all those things where they were informed concerning the are nothing but that thou thyself also walk as orderly and keep us the law is like hey we got some guys that you're under an azurite vow it would really help the Jews out if they saw you like participate in that with them if they saw that you were still walking orderly you still remember that you were a Jew this would kind of help patch things up so he does it and what is he doing he's to the Jews he's becoming as a Jew that's exactly what he's doing and to the Gentiles as a gentile he's not going to the Gentiles and like encouraging them to take an azurite vow he's just not doing that because to the Gentiles he's becoming as a Gentile not sinning look at verse number twenty three around sorry verse number twenty two says to the week I became as weak what does that mean what that means is this Paul spent three years being taught by Jesus I mean this guy was a spiritual like heavyweight I mean this guy knew every piece of doctrine that Jesus wanted him to know Jesus Christ taught him himself I mean he wrote two thirds of the New Testament that we read you know inspired by the Holy Spirit of course but what he's saying is to the week he humbled himself he's saying to the week he didn't come off as some great spiritual sage because look he's saying like you know it's easy to glorify yourself amongst the week it's easy it for someone that doesn't know any Bible that this is all new to them to just try to just convince them how smart you are these are the people that we've talked about that they speak in a way where you know I don't care if you understand what I'm saying I just want to speak in a way where you walk away thinking man that guy's smart what did he say though I have no idea that guy's brilliant like that's a that's a that's a proud way to approach weak people and Paul is saying like to the week I just became as weak what's he's saying you can either you have weak people that are new to the faith you can either do you know you could be a Jordan Peterson and just try to like speak a bunch of gobbledygook that people are just like whoa or you could just like you can relate to them you know I mean a good way to relate to people that are that are their babes in Christ that are weak is to be like hey you know I was once weak and be an encouragement to them you know I just just just be an encouragement to them just teach them and what a sign of a great teacher is someone who can take and moms should pay attention to this someone that can take complicated things and make them simple take complicated subjects and make them easily understood if you can do that you will be a great teacher I I stress about that a little bit like when I have when I have complicated sermons like that are complicated doctrine where there'd be end times prophecy or some other doctrine that's maybe not the simplest thing in the Bible you know maybe a 300 level class or a 400 level class I really worry about that I mean I try and I really I really twist myself up trying to find a way to to explain it in a way that is understandable by everybody and that is a sign of someone who will have success teaching people and I'm not saying I'm successful with that every single time but that's what I strive for and that's what Paul is saying he's like to the week I become as weak I try to relate to these people so the point is this was Paul's methodology for accomplishing his goal he had a goal to win more is the most people that he could the Christ and his goal you know his his routine was to relate to people in these specific ways that's his routine and that's what he did so the question is do you have here's another question for yourself when it comes to your goals when it comes to your your things that you need to or that you want to change or you want to get control over do you have a routine are you a person that has routines in your life because that's what Paul did here he had routines so or do you sometimes do things and then sometimes not do things this is why in Genesis chapter 49 Jacob told Reuben he said you're unstable as water you will not excel I mean if you're unstable he's saying if you're unstable you're unsuccessful why because you need a routine you need a routine to be able to accomplish the goals that you set forth for yourself see Paul was Paul was decided you know Paul was decided Paul wasn't like oh should I go out and evangelize today it was just like what he did that's that's what he's telling you in first Corinthians chapter 9 he's like I'm an apostle this is what I do he's like whether you give me anything or not this is what I do and this is how I do it and that's what we're trying to learn is how he does it there wasn't this constant decision-making with Paul his life was very simple this is what I do all the time there was no am I going to follow my plan today you know I'm going to do this today no the decision was made turn to Proverbs chapter 26 Proverbs chapter 26 Proverbs chapter 26 so you need to define objectives you need to set a routine that accomplishes those objectives and then look at Proverbs chapter 26 you need to have some determination in your life look at Proverbs chapter 26 and verse number 13 Proverbs chapter 26 verse number 13 the Bible says the slothful man sayeth there's a lion in the way a lion is in the streets now doesn't say there is a lion in the streets it says that's what he says that's what he's saying he's saying that there's a reason that he can't go and do what he's supposed to do he's got a routine that he knows about he's like I don't want to do it there's a lion out there there's danger out there what you have to understand is that there is always going to be something put in your way to stop your routines especially especially if it is a spiritual goal if it is a spiritual goal you are guaranteed to have things put in your way and what will be put in your way for your spiritual goals will be your biggest weaknesses you say what do you mean like how about this like money opportunity it's the babe in Christ that thinks any opportunity put in front of them is of God I mean I don't know how many times I have to say that every opportunity that comes your way is not of God maybe it is all you have to do is measure it against your spiritual life does this make my spiritual life better or worse it's a very simple methodology worldly interests people people people can stop your routines people can derail your routines that you've put in place in your spiritual life how about this one sins that you struggle with can derail your spiritual life so you have to recognize that things just just expect it expect that things will be put in your way to derail your spiritual life go back to first Corinthians chapter 9 there's a line in the way there's a line in the streets there's always going to be a line in the street there's always going to be something in your way always expect it you're like oh man but it's something I really struggle with exactly that's how it's going to be guaranteed especially with the spiritual things because Satan doesn't want you to be spiritual Satan can't take away your salvation but he can knock you out of your routine he can stop you from being profitable look at verse 25 here's the fourth one here's the fourth one so you need some determination you need some goals you need some routines you need some determination to actually stick to those routines no matter if there's a lion or not first Corinthians chapter 9 look at verse number 25 look at this it says an every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things the next thing that you need is patience and I'm going to explain what biblical patience actually is in just a minute but look at this sentence right here which is every man that strived for the mastery is temperate in all things what's he talking about strived for the mastery of what anything he's talking about any man that strives any man that strives to be a master that strives to obtain expertise strives to obtain perfection you know completeness in whatever they're trying to do is temperate in all things you know what that means it means he's controlled in all things now they do it he's comparing like somebody trying to be a master of their trade or a master of a skill or something like that he's like they do it to obtain a corruptible crown they do it to make more money they do it for praise they do it for these things he's like but we an incorruptible he's talking about I'm gonna go and I'm gonna gain the more and I'm gonna get an incorruptible crown I'm gonna get rewards that are incorruptible is what he's talking about turn to Romans chapter 5 look biblical patience is what's needed when it comes to you know being determined and staying on your routines to accomplish your goals you know what biblical patience really means it means pain tolerance it means that you are to you know you walk out in the street and guess what there's really a lion there and he starts chewing on you and and and you're going through some discomfort in your life and he's talking about just like hey you just you just control yourself through it you just keep going through it even though you're getting torn up by the lion so it doesn't matter if a lion is there or not because you go anyway because if the lion attacks you you have the patience to deal with that look at Romans chapter 5 verse number 3 I love these verses in the Bible right here it says and not only so but we glory in tribulations these are the these are the lions these are the lions that come after your spiritual life right here we and he says you know what you do when you get out you're doing the right thing in your spiritual life and you got your church life and your prayer life and your your family spiritual life you got everything in order and then people start coming at you and the lion start attacking you he's like a glory in that like yes you know what any why are you going to say all the work and glory in that why because the Bible is true you're like the buttons why the Bible tells you this I mean you have to notice those moments in your life where Jesus says you know you shall suffer persecution where the Bible tells us you will suffer persecution if you're doing what you're supposed to do and you're following a good spiritual routine you you're going to be persecuted you're going to go through tribulations the tribulations work at what knowing the tribulation work patience you know what you get some pain tolerance you can take it you have the patience to let the lion tear on you and keep going with your routine and patience experience experience meaning now I know now I know I can walk through that street whether there's a lion there or not now I have that knowledge that I can get through that and experience and once I know once I know when I walk out of my house in my spiritual life and I walk towards the street I don't even care if there's a lion there because if he's there it doesn't matter I just keep going I have and you know what that gives me that just gives me hope I don't even I don't even stress out about the lion anymore because I know I've done it before I have that experience because what because I gained that patience that pain tolerance that I know it's like you never you know once you've been in a fight you know you can be in a fight and I don't know you know maybe I didn't come out of that one so well but I know I can be in a fight so he's keeping that controlled routine through patience whether there's a lion or not this is a prerequisite for success in anything the things that Paul is talking about here being able to control your body what you do what you don't do you read the bible you know the truth can't control myself fail think about it I know the whole bible I've read the bible you know you say somebody comes up to me I've read the bible you know two dozen times I've read the bible this many times I read the bible can't control myself fail this is a big deal what we're talking about turn to proverbs chapter 26 again turn to proverbs chapter 26 look I mean you ask yourself these questions and you define you say you know I know there's a problem I know there's a problem but I can't control myself you're gonna fail because what people do and what the bible calls it look at this just think about just think about sin just think about sin you know look if you if you sit in a church like this and and you you read the bible and you hear the bible preach you know what the problems are you know what the problems are think about in proverbs chapter 26 look at verse you know what the bible calls it you think about alcohol you think about pornography I don't know what the stats today are on on pornography I I don't want to yeah I look those things up in every device in my house explodes and sends a message to my wife so but we'll talk about that in a second but the point I'm trying to get you to understand is that there's a lot of things that people struggle with and if you can't look knowing that they're wrong knowing it's a problem is not good enough you have to get control of yourself or you'll fail you think about things like what does the bible call it look at proverbs 26 and verse number 11 see in the bible there's no addiction you think like you think like addiction is such a big thing today drug addiction alcohol addiction pornography addiction what other addictions are there I mean everything is an addiction but the bible doesn't say there's addiction you know what the bible says there is though look at verse number 11 of proverbs 26 it says it's a dog return to his vomit so a fool returneth to his folly the bible is saying here that that you know a dog goes back and eats his own throw up it's gross a dog goes and he eats his own throw up and he just keeps doing that and he'll just do that until because he's a dog it's like somebody that just continues to go back to their same sin is just like that dog is just a fool so in the bible there's not people that are addicted it there's fools that's the first thing go to proverbs chapter 23 go to proverbs chapter 23 I mean you think like if addiction was a thing the bible would the bible would say it the bible would talk about it what I'm not saying that people don't struggle with sins that they return to but the bible is saying that that's foolish look at proverbs 23 and verse 35 proverbs 23 and verse number 35 a lot of verses here talking about alcohol people drinking alcohol people you know waking up wounds without cause look at it look at verse 35 it says they have stricken me thou shalt say and I was not sick they have beaten me and I felt it not when shall I awake it's saying like all these people that drink alcohol they're gonna like to wake up on top of a mast they'll wake up with wounds that they don't know where they came from they're all beat up you know it sounds like a good idea but then look what what will they say they'll be all beat up they'll be sick they'll be wounded they'll be just realized they were in terrible danger they'll wake up on top of a cliff like how would I get here they'll wake up in terrible danger and what will they do they'll seek it yet again see addiction all there are addiction the bible doesn't acknowledge addiction but what it does say is that there are people that are that have trained themselves to have bad routines and the bible says those people are foolish look you can train your body well you don't think you can train your body go talk to somebody who's an elite anything you hear about this like with with people in high stress situations soldiers whatever it is they get in high stress situations and they still perform why training they just trained again and again and again and again and again and then when a seriously stressful situation came to them what happened that routine just kicked in you can train yourself in a good way you can train yourself in a bad way you can train your body to need things you can train your body to not want things you can train your body to want sugar and then you won't want fruit you can train your body you can get good routines and bad routines and your body will be trained in that way so if you just have no control over your body you're gonna get a lot of bad routines into yourself and the bible says that people that do that are foolish the bible calls them fools i mean addiction as a disease it's just like it's the only disease you can willingly give to yourself and then willingly cure yourself i mean if it was some disease to be an alcoholic or a heroin addict or whatever it's like well i mean certain people have been able to cure themselves with that disease and certain people have it it's just some people are foolish and some people are not it is basically what it comes down to and they've trained themselves to want these things can your body crave things of course it can but it's because you've trained it to your body gets used to routines you might as well get it used to good routines and that's why you need to learn to control it especially when it comes to sin turn to Job chapter 31 turn to Job chapter 31 it's like ah i've tried and i'm just no good at it i don't know how to start look at what Job said in verse number one of Job chapter 31 Job chapter 31 look at verse number one this is how this is how Job it's kind of a strange statement here but this is how Job controls what he looks at say well i keep looking at things i shouldn't look at you know a huge problem today look at verse number one it says i made a covenant with my eyes he's made i made a promise or i made a deal with my eyes he said why then should i think upon a maid isn't that interesting turn to Philippians chapter 4 turn to Philippians chapter 4 so what he says is i made a deal with my eyes that i should not look upon a maid he's talking about not looking upon a woman that's not his wife he's saying i shouldn't look upon a woman Jesus says if you look upon a woman to lust after her you've committed adultery with her in your heart so this exact Old Testament New Testament they match wow so he's talking about not wanting to do that and how does he do it he doesn't even think upon it isn't that interesting he's like i made a covenant with my eyes so i don't look at that that's not what he says he says i made a covenant with my eyes i don't even think upon it look at verse number eight of Proverbs or Philippians chapter 4 Philippians chapter 4 verse number 8 finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are a good report if there be any virtue if there be any praise do those things no it says think on those things see that's what Job's doing he's he's Philippians 4 aiding this thing he's like i got a problem i don't want to look at things that i shouldn't look at so i'm gonna i'm gonna i'm gonna take care of it three steps back he's like i'm gonna i'm gonna control what i think about and then Philippians chapter 4 and verse number 8 see like the bible has all the answers the bible has all the answers but hey you know what you know what if you feel your life if you feel your life full of garbage if you feel if you sit there and you just watch all this garbage all this trash from hollywood hollywood went on strike i heard this is the best thing that's happened to this country in 50 years i hope they all i hope they all stay wherever they are because that's what people do people are sitting there like oh they just sit there and they watch tv and they watch movies and they watch all this filth and garbage and then they start to think about filth and garbage hello i mean this we're not building the space shuttle here this is what hollywood has done to this country for the entire time it's existed they programmed everybody to want filth they've given you a a routine of filth the average american watches seven hours a day of tv and we're a bunch of we're a country of perverts i don't understand how this has happened because none of those things are true and honest and pure and lovely that's why so you crave it so you crave it so yeah you know it's good to go put protection on every single device you have that your children touch that you touch whatever that you should do but you know what quit filling your life full of trash quit filling your mind full of trash they can't even measure how much your mind can record they can't measure it we're sitting here and i started in the semiconductor design industry in 2019 99 and i watch how the memory on these chips gets it just gets exponentially more and more every single year what god designed can record forever you can't unsee the things that you see so you know what control what you look at control how do you do that control what you think about control what you let in your home i mean it's it's it starts here and then it goes i mean this this controls this feel i mean i i feel myself i feel my mind with trash and then i desire trash i mean we should just pray right now because this is really what it is that's it it's that simple it's bad routines that people are training themselves for and look satan has controlled the media in this country since the beginning satan has controlled all this the this perversion and the movies that just inch things in and all this kind of stuff i remember i remember watching movies in the 80s folks in the early 90s and i remember there would be some guy in the movie it was like some action movie or something and there's some guy that's just in the middle of the movie just dancing around in a dress and it was just like because i mean it's like you know it's vile like you just don't like seeing that like why would that you're just confused like why would that be there why would they look at us now control what you think about control what enters that's what job is talking about you know you got to tell yourself i i don't go there ever i don't i don't do those things ever maybe i need new friends and i need to get rid of the old ones and and and get the new ones but you must put your body in subjection identify problems put in place routines be determined be on all excuses and then execute patience pain tolerance on those routines anyone folks that has achieved any level of greatness anywhere has figured this out i mean i don't care we don't even have to talk about spiritual things you look at any athlete that has achieved greatness you look at any businessman you look at any expert you look at any kind of intellectual giant and you know anyone that strives for the mastery has figured this out it is possible it's possible to control yourself and the bible tells you a very detailed way how to do it and you know what you apply that as a christian and and look at what paul look at what paul was able to achieve all right let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer