Philippians chapter three. I'm like wore out now. Them music songs, they're straining. Or not music songs, but Christmas songs. A lot of long notes. And Pastor D said, what was it, what did we do? 11, 12 verses, back to back to back to back. Hey man, Philippians chapter three. Verse number three. For we are the circumcision which worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh, though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any other man thinketh that he hath that confidence. hath whereof he might trust in the flesh either more. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, the Hebrew of the Hebrews, touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gained to me, those I count a loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. for whom I have suffered the loss of many things and do count them, but done that I may win Christ. Amen, let's pray. Lord God, we thank you so much for your word, Father. We thank you for being able to open it up this morning, Lord. We thank you for having the freedom to do so, Lord. We thank you for the relationship we have with you, Father, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Lord, and be a child of yours, God. And I just pray that you may help us, Lord, to exercise that right today. Help us, God, to receive something from your word and be filled with the spirit to do something for your glory, God. And Lord, I just pray that you may just help us to be attentive, Lord. Help us to hear from you, Lord, and look to apply scripture to our lives, God. And I pray that you be glorified. In the name of Jesus, amen. And y'all may be seated, unless you wanna stand, it's fine. All right, here in our text, I'm just gonna go over it again real quick. It says, for we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ. Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh, right? This is gonna be a big part of the message today is not relying on the flesh, not holding to the flesh, not allowing the flesh to control our lives. It says, though I might have confidence in the flesh, if any man or if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof that he might trust in the flesh, I the more. circumcised the eighth day of the stock of israel of the tribe of benjamin a hebrew of hebrews uh touching the law of pharisee right paul he he had the he had the the bloodline he had the religion he he had the the heritage he had all these things and i mean he had something to boast about somebody proud of he was very intellectual very smart he was trained and it says that concerning zeal Persecuting the church right the zeal that he had for the law that he was holding to he was willing to persecute the Church of Christ because he felt that the law he was holding to Was above the church that they was trying to promote right? He says touching the righteousness, which is of the law blameless. There was no fault in him Says but what things that were gained to me Those I kind of lost for Christ Amen These are things that people spend their whole lives on. They go to school for years to get these doctorates and these PhDs and the associates and these bachelors and these MDs and all these other things that, as far as like the intellectual, they focus on building these businesses. They focus on their outward appearance. They focus on their knowledge, their wisdom, and all these things to be able to be seen of men as somebody. But he said, but these things were gained to me, those I count a loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. Amen. Paul had a lot of things, but he lost all of those things. He got rid of all of those things. God removed all those things. But why? So that he could use Paul. Amen. Imagine if Paul just stayed a Pharisee. We wouldn't have most of the New Testament. Amen. Think about that. Paul brought grace and salvation by grace through faith. He brought that to the Gentiles, right? He went to the Jews first because those were his people. That was his end crowd. That was the ones that he came from. He brought the message to them first, but when they rejected, God sent him to the Gentiles. Amen? If Paul wouldn't have submitted to God, if he wouldn't have laid down them things, we wouldn't be here. Amen? I mean, of course, God in his sovereignty would have used somebody else, but God in his sovereignty also knew that he could count on Paul. It says, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. What's dung? Poop. That's the word, poop. It is straight poop. Everything that, everything of who Paul was, his heritage, his religion, his masteries, everything that he, I guarantee you with all these credentials and things, Paul was well paid. He was taken care of. He had everything that he wanted. Counts him as poop. For the ecstasy of Christ, Emma. For the ecstasy of the knowledge of Christ. He says that I may, and I do count them, but done that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, that righteousness, which is of God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Amen. And here we see that Paul, he tells that everything he once valued is worthless compared to knowing Christ. And that's where we have to get to a point of that these things that we are focusing on is not, it should not be our focus. Christ gave all of himself. He laid down his life. He shed his innocent blood. He redeemed you for his glory, amen. He did not partially die for you, right? So we shouldn't partially surrender to him either. Amen, Isaac? The best we have has no value compared to the knowledge of Christ. As Paul says, he says, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. It's not that we have something tangible, we do. We can cash it in, but at the same time, it's the knowledge of Christ. says Christ is worth more than anything that we refuse to surrender. In Matthew chapter 16 verse 24, we see through here that Paul, he lost in surrendering, he lost his reputation, his position, he lost all of his success, but he did so willingly, right? because Christ was worth more than what he himself was. In Matthew 16, 24 it says, then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Right? deny himself, that's when we have to get rid of those things that we're trusting in. We have to get rid of those things that we're lifting up, that we're allowing to identify us, that we're holding ourself to, that is saying who we are. We have to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. You know, something interesting that I always hang on to is when Ananias, or when Jesus was talking to Ananias, and he was telling him that Paul was coming to the city, and he wants him to greet him, And I was like, Lord, do you not know who Paul is? He's literally hunting us down, and he's killing us, and he's putting us in jail and stuff. And he says, I know exactly who Paul is. And he says, I will show him what things he must suffer for my name's sake. Now, the whole time. God bless Paul. God saved his soul. He saved many people through Paul. But at the same time, Paul suffered a lot for the name of Christ. Amen. And to him, to us, it should also be that everything that he lost, everything that he gave, it was worth it. Amen. Moses, we looked at earlier in Hebrews chapter 11, we talked about how he chose the reproach and opposition from the world over the riches of Egypt, but why? because Christ is worth more, amen? Because we have to be willing to lay down all things for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and not just for our personal, but for that of others as well. You can't cling to Christ and cling to sin at the same time, amen? Whatever we refuse to let go of, that is your God, right? Anything that you won't give to God, anything that you won't correct in your life, anything that God is speaking to you about and you're just trying to put in the back there, That's your God, because that is more important to you to hang on to than to let go of and let God work in you, amen? And that's why you cannot, you can't have Christ and sin at the same time. Go with me to Joshua 24. Yes, sir, Joshua 24. Brother, we're gonna give you the pulpit one day, but today's not the day. Joshua 24 verse number 13. If you don't know, Joshua, he was the one that he took over after Moses, right? And so now he's leading these people. And here it is. This is kind of like the renewal of the covenant covenant that is titled in my Bible here, the renewal of the covenant between them and God. In verse number 13, it says, and I have given you a land which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them, and in vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not. Do ye eat? Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him." You think about that. Think about all the stuff that God just gives us that we just so easily take advantage of, amen? Like the breadth of life when you woke up this morning. the fact that your eyes opened up, the fact that your heart beats on its own, and that your blood flows like it's supposed to, and that things just work, and you don't even have to think about it, amen? That's the blessings of God. Verse 14, it says, fear the lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the god which your father served and the other side on the other side of the flood and in egypt and serve ye the lord amen the other side of the flood in uh egypt that's your lost life amen that's that old man he was living in egypt he was living in sin he was serving sin he was loving sin But praise God, he parted that sea, amen. Verse 15, it says, and if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods or your fathers. That's that sin you won't let go of. That's that sin that you're okay with, that you don't want to necessarily let God have control over and give you deliverance from, whether it be the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods, right? That should just be a natural thinking. Amen. That is the way that it is for everybody. You see all this stuff that God has done. And I'm not even talking about just in the Bible. I mean, yeah, God did miraculous many things in the Bible, but you just think about your life. Looking back, what God has done in your life, it should be just as it says here, And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord and serve other guys. Like how can that even be a thing, amen? Once you know the true God, how can you even have a false God? You know the true God, amen? It's like if I have a pocket full of money, I'm not going to trade it to Emma for her counterfeit bills. It just don't make sense, does it? Emma stopped counterfeiting money. But it says in verse number 17, it says, for the Lord our God, He it is that brought us up out of the land, out of our fathers and out of the land of Egypt, for the house, out of the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight and presented us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed." Right? He delivered you out of every single one of situations. He pulled you through all of it. He guided you every single step of the way. But verse 14 there, man, it says, now therefore, fear the Lord. Serve him with sincerity and truth. Put away the gods. Again, anything that you won't let go of, anything that's more important to you than serving God in purity is, put away the gods which your fathers have served on the earth side of flood and land of Egypt and serve ye the Lord, amen? Because holding on to sin, it's going to rob God of that glory that he purchased with his blood, amen? He redeemed you for his glory, not for you to live your life and do whatever you want, right? If knowing Christ is worth more than anything, or it should be, then the next step is surrendering everything that competes with Him. Amen? I mean, we understand that Christ is important, right? And we can easily say that God is way more important than I am, let alone anything that I have, anything that I do, God is greater, right? I mean, everybody can say that about me, about themselves, about anybody else in this world. I mean, it's obvious, but the thing is, is that we cannot, the total surrender, it requires, you to walk in Christ, to walk in His righteousness, not to serve sin. Amen? It requires you to let go of that sin. It says in verse number nine here, he says, not having my own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, amen. Self-righteousness, it resists change. And that's the problem, like, I mean, you hear change coming from the word of God, you see change in the word of God, saying that there needs to be a change, but you resist it. Oh, that don't apply to me. He's talking to the Israel there. Oh, that don't apply to me. He's talking to them people there. Glad that don't apply to me there. It all applies to you. I don't care if he's speaking to somebody individually or indirectly as a whole. This all applies to us, every single bit of it. And that's why we have it, amen? Because it is profitable for reproof, for correction, for every single, for doctrine, for everything that pertains to our life. It's profitable, amen? Isaiah 64, six. It says, our righteousness are as filthy rags, right? That self-righteous, that's what resists the change, but we don't have nothing to be righteous about. We don't have nothing to cling to that says that this is the way it is, right? I mean, we like controlling, I mean, comfortable obedience, right? We like to give God what we feel okay with giving Him, but we don't want to completely surrender to God, and that's the issue. And the reason we don't want to completely surrender to God is because we love our sin. And that's not good. Go to 1 Samuel 15. While we're here in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 15. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. 1 Samuel. 15. This is Saul here. We're gonna start in one, sorry. Samuel also said to Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore, hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Amen? The Lord has sent me. Who did he send? He sent Samuel. To who? To Saul, right? Just like God sent, he sent me here today, amen? to you, because he has something to say, or to anybody else who's ever preached a message that you have sat under, because they're the reason you weren't somewhere else, right? And that's because God is trying to get ahold of you about something. It says, thus saith the Lord of hosts. I remember that which Amulek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way. when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not. But slay both man and woman, and infant and suckling, and ox and sheep, and camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them, and tell them, 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Canaanites, go, depart. Get you down from the other side of the Malachi. Destroy you with them for a ye showed kindness unto the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt So the Canaanites departed from among the Malachites and Saul smote the Amalekites from Heavilla until the Until thou comest to sure that is over against Egypt and he took a gag and the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of his sword but Saul and the people spared a gag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refused that they destroyed utterly." Meaning he didn't follow what God said, right? Verse 10, then came to the word of the Lord and Samuel saying, it repented me that I have set up Saul to be king. Why? because he didn't obey him because it didn't follow him. God puts you in a position because he trusts you with that position, right? Because when he speaks, you do. Amen? And he did, right? But he didn't do everything. That's the depth of it. We do the things that the Lord wants us to do, but we don't do everything that the Lord wants us to do. Verse 11, it says, they repented me that I had set up Saul to be king, for he is turned back from following me, and it hath not performed my commandments, and it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all night. And he didn't want to go tell Saul this. says and when Samuel rose up early to meet Saul in the morning it was told Samuel saying Saul come Saul came to Carmel and behold he set him up a place and has gone about and passed on and gone down to Gilgal and Samuel came unto Saul and said unto him blessed be thou of the lord i have performed the commandment of the lord and samuel said what meaneth then this bleeding of the sheep in my ears and the lowering of the oxen which i hear and samuel said that's a kind of poetic way of saying that god told me that that's not the case right because saul said that in verse 13 Blessed be thou of the Lord. I have performed and commanded of the Lord what the Lord has said, right? He said, I did that. Samuel says, that's not what I heard. Verse number 15, and Saul said, they have brought them the best of the sheep and of the oxen and sacrificed them to the Lord thy God, right? They're gonna do good with it though. The things that they kept that they didn't destroy, they're gonna bring and they're gonna give that to God, right? That's not what God told them to do. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Or, yeah. Then Samuel said unto Saul, stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord has said to me this night. And he said unto him, stay on. And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? Right? When you didn't God take you out of that miry clay, didn't he set your feet upon a rock, amen? Wast not thou made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord has set thee in a journey and said, go and utterly destroy the sinners of the Amalekites and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then dost thou not obey the voice of the Lord? But this fly upon the spoil and this evil in the sight of the Lord. And Saul said unto Sam, well, yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and I have gone the way which the Lord sent me and have brought Agag and the king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took upon the spoil, the sheep, and the oxen, and the chief, and the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel saith, hath the Lord God a great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices? Does God need those sacrifices? No, he needs your obedience, amen? He says, as obeying the voice of the Lord, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. Right? To obey is better than to sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. God don't want your sacrifices. He wants you. Amen. says, for the rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft, and the stubbornness as iniquity of idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Right here we see that he obeyed partially but because he obeyed partially, he lost everything. Amen. The blessing that he acquired in his life, like it wasn't all immediate that he received those things, it was step by step by step by step by step. But because he wasn't faithful, because he wasn't willing to obey 100%, he lost everything that he had acquired along the way. He had lost his kingdom. And because partial obedience is disobedience, amen? Partial obedience is disobedience. And that's a hard truth to accept, but it's the word of the Lord, amen? That we have to 100% surrender to him. There's nothing in our life that he cannot have. Christ came that you might have life and have it more abundantly, as good as you think that your life is with that sin that's in your life, it could be so much better and he wants it to be better but you got to give it to him he christ must be lord over everything not some things amen not not just a part of your life you need to be lord over your life not you being lord you can't be lord over your life and serve jesus amen galatians uh 220 says i am crucified with christ nevertheless i live yet not i Because I'm crucified, right? Not I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, right? I'm still alive. I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Right, just as Saul, he was blessed in many ways. He was given the kingdom. He was given a lot of positions and royalties and things and power. Just as Christ did, live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. We got them same things, which means Christ lives in us. And if Christ lives in us, then he must also lead us. Amen, because it says here that I am crucified with Christ and nevertheless I live, right? I'm dead, I don't exist no more. That old man, he has passed away. Says, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God. It's a new life. It's a new person in control. Amen? If Christ lives in you, he has to lead you. Jesus asked in Luke 6, 46, he says, why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? That's deep. Why call you me Lord, Lord? Why are you at church? Why do you even come here? If you're not willing to apply what God says. It's like standing in front of God and just, yeah, okay, cool, right on, Lord, thanks, I gotta go do this real quick. It's the God of heaven, y'all, the creator of all things, the one who spoke and it was, amen? He is the amen, amen? The one, this is who we are. in relationship with and he's the one that tells us that we need to put these things aside because partial surrender is not surrender at all whatever area we refuse to submit to God whatever habit or relationship or attitudes or angers or fill in the blank with your secret sin whatever it is it reveals who is truly on the throne in your life and God will not bless it unless it's him amen Romans 6.13 says, Neither yield ye members of instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Amen. Our instruments are us, what we are able to do, everything that we have, that's our instruments. We are to yield them to God as one that is alive from the dead. Amen, as one that is grateful, as one that was in the grave and God rose him out. Amen, that person will walk a different kind of life, won't he? If he is given a second chance, right? If he was dead and he woke up and realized that he came out this casket with people at his funeral, he's gonna walk a different kind of life, ain't he? God saved your soul. He forgave you for every sin that you have ever committed, every sin you thought about committing. He forgave you for all of it. He gave his son who was murdered for you, for us, for me. Henceforth, we should not serve sin, amen? And these commands, they, They command us to yield every part of ourselves to God because the word of God, it doesn't just suggest changes, right? It has the authority to command them, amen, to demand them, to say, thou shalt and thou shalt not, amen? And he tells us here in Galatians 5.24, they that are Christ have crucified the flesh. Meaning that flesh, it should not be in control. They have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lust. With all them sins that you used to hang on to, all that is gone. It's not that you're saved now, but you still struggle with this. That's gone. You choose to struggle with that, amen? Christ freed you from that. He who the Son sets free is free indeed, amen? You cannot have Christ as Savior and keep yourself as Lord. You guys understand what a Lord is? That's the one that calls the shots. That's the one that guides and directs and makes the decisions. Christ cannot be your Savior and you be the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. Amen? Because partial surrender still leaves room for the flesh to leave, and that's the problem. Is there anything you keep alive? According to Galatians 5.24, God wants dead. Because that will eventually cause you to backslide. That sin that you won't let go of, there's gonna come a time where there's that decision that you make. And it's gonna harden your heart to God, cause you won't let go of it. And God's gonna punish you, chastise you, worst of all, take his hand off you. Let you figure it out, right? I don't know about y'all, but I figured some things out in my life. And it wasn't fun. None of it was fun. He says, and they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and the lusts. Believers, we got to crucify the flesh, y'all. We can't let it control us, because the power of his resurrection is accepting that. is it takes full submission. Amen. In being saved, it takes full submission to be saved, right? But we let that go. Philippians 3.10, he says that I may know him in the power of his resurrection. He counted all things but loss. He got rid of all of it. He submitted every part of his life that I may know him. The problem is we want this resurrection, right? We want the blessings of God, but at the same time, we don't want that crucifixion. We want resurrection without crucifixion. That old man, it has to die in order that it may live. Amen. Just like Christ, he had to die that we may live. Amen. In this, in Philippians here, what was that verse that we just talked about? Yeah, no, he says that I may know him in the power of his resurrection. But we can't have victory without repentance. And we can't have the power of God without living a, a cleansed, pure life, because the spirit can't work in that. Right? Because if you're not living pure before God, then the Spirit of God, it's not in control. Whatever that impurity is, that's in control. Right? If I put one drop of water, one drop of dirt in here, what color is this water going to turn? Is the dirt going to turn clear? No. The water's going to turn dirty, ain't it? And that's because the impurity is in control. Think about Samson. Or hang on, Romans 6, 6, it says, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Because that old man don't even exist. The one that was causing you to do those things, he's been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, we live. Yet not us, but Christ live within us. Amen? Think about Samson. I don't wanna go there because it's several chapters, but he wanted God's strength, right? But think about, I mean, repeatedly, he was given into his own desires and lust and anger and, I mean, revenge even, over his Nazirite vow to God, right? Whatever he said went, but at the same time, he wanted the blessings of God. I think about how how Samson died. God told him not to mess with that girl. He told him not to mingle mingle with those people. But that's the people that he wanted. And he got what he wanted. But God can't he can't fill us if we refuse to empty ourselves. Amen. If this bottle is filled with water, and I try pouring more water into it, it's not gonna take any more water. Because it's full. We have to be willing to submit and get rid of everything that is in that bottle so that Christ can work, so that He can fill us, so that He can use us, amen? And you know the thing is, is that bottle, it'll also have a hole in the bottom of it so that it never gets full and God can keep pouring. And he could keep working, and he could keep using you, and he could keep blessing you, and he can keep blessing others, right? Because at the bottom of this here, where this hole is, that's filling another cup. That has a hole in the bottom of it, that's filling another cup. That has a hole in the bottom of it, that's filling another cup. But he can't do that if you're full of yourself, amen? In Acts 3.19, says repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the lord this fellowship it to have this fellowship with god we need to We, our self has to die. Philippians 3, 10, 11 says, that I may know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. He gave everything. So he demands everything. Like I said earlier, Christ didn't just partially die. He didn't just hang on the cross and be like, all right, that's good enough, guys, let me down from here. But that's what we want to do. All right, God, you can have all those sins. I'm going to hang on to this one. Right? It's not good. And just like he didn't partially die, he don't want partial submission either. Luke 9.23 says, take up your cross daily. Right? Daily, there's things that are gonna need to be changed daily. We are called to be conformed to the image of Christ. And that don't happen overnight. Positionally, yeah it did. We're going to heaven, amen? God looks at us and he sees the blood of Christ. Praise the Lord. But at the same time, we got a long road of being sanctified, per se. And growing in the grace of knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Think about Abraham. As far as submission goes, I don't really wanna go there either, sorry. It's just a lot of time, but Abraham, I mean, he submitted to God, right? God called him out of a land that, I mean, it had everything, like, I mean, where he was, it's like. It was a, had everything. I mean, it was like an equivalent of Vegas or something. I mean, he, he had everything. God said, get up and go. He didn't even know where he was going, but he got up and went. Amen. Left everything. Why? For the ecstasy and the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Before, because thus saith the Lord, because he was submitted to God and he prayed for years for a son. Abraham was a hundred years old by the time he had a kid of his own with his wife. 100 years old. Think about that. Something that you pray so long for, something that you want probably more than anything I'd imagine, and then God gives it to you. That is going to be the hardest thing to let go of, ain't it? Would that replace your relationship with God? Would that cause you to love that one thing more than the Savior? I hate to call a son a thing, but I'm just saying that blessing is what I, I kind of generalize that. That's why God wanted him to be able, be willing to sacrifice Isaac. Because he gave him that blessing that he prayed for forever. And so he's like, all right. He's like, I want you to give that to me. And Abraham, I mean, he was hurt, I'm sure. took his son up on a hill, had his son carry the logs that he was going to sacrifice him on. He said, he said, Father, he's like, here's the wood, but where's the sacrifice? He said, son, the Lord will provide himself a ram for the sacrifice. Amen. And think about that. Not only did he provide a physical ram, but he did provide himself as that ram sacrifice. Amen. He provided, not only did he provide the sacrifice, but he provided himself as a sacrifice. But you don't see the sacrifice, you don't see the love of God if you're not willing to let go of that that you're hanging on to. Abraham here, he was willing to give it all. And guess what happened? God gave it right back to him. Amen. Gave it right back to him because he was willing to get rid of that. Amen. But what sin are you living with? You know, the crazy part is God just told you what it was. That's crazy how God works, ain't it? I mean, what sin have you been living with for a year or more? Two years? Five years? God's telling you right now what it is. That's the Holy Spirit, amen? I love how God works. He's doing it to me too. Some of you, it's a person. Some people's bitterness, addictions, resentment, anger, you fill in the blank, lust, pride, dishonesty, whatever it is, you gotta let go and let God work, amen? He don't want you feeling guilty before him. He died that you might be free from it. Hebrews 12, let's go there real quick. Just cause we all went to nothing in a little bit. Hebrews 12. Verse one says, wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, that's that sin that's holding you down, that bondage and chains that you can't get out of, lay aside every weight, and the sin that does so easily beset us, that's that sin that gets you every time, that you can't let go of, that has a hold on you, lay it aside, and run the race with patience, the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, Amen, that's how you have victory over that sin. You have to keep your eye on the prize. You have to stay looking forward. You have to keep your eyes on Jesus, amen? Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. Amen? We have to lay aside every single weight. We have to let it all go, and we have to be willing to give it all to God. You cannot live a resurrected life. You cannot live in glory to God. You cannot live as a new man and protect your sin and hang on to that sin and continue to sin. What then, shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid, amen. Second Corinthians 5.15 says, and that he died for all. that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Amen? That makes sense, don't it? We live for the one who died for us. And here toward the end here of Philippians, Paul, he, sorry, I lost my verse there. He brings a message to us that what am I not willing to submit to God or to change for God? What am I not willing to let go of? All things are done for the excellency and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Count them all done. But this one right here, this one's more important for some reason than God himself. What am I holding on to? Go to Psalm 139. God will work if you let him, y'all. God will work if you let him. Psalm 139. Verse 23. Search me, O God. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me. See if there be any wicked way in me. And guess what? If God sees it, he's gonna show it to you. So then lead me in the way everlasting. That is the purpose of all of this. That we might be cleansed of this unrighteousness and filled with his righteousness. That this that we are full of might be emptied that God can fill us. But it doesn't end with you. God wants to use you. He wants to fill you. He wants to bless you. but that you might be able to fill others and use others and be willing to help others, amen? Because this Christianity, this religion, this relationship with God, it can't end with us. Because other people need it. Just like these men in the Bible here, I mean, if it ended with them, we wouldn't have it. But that's the blessings of God. He says, search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. It takes full submission to pray this prayer and mean it. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Think about the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. We had looked at him a couple weeks ago. He said, Lord, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Christ basically said, sell all that you have, take up a cross, and follow me. And it said that the young ruler, he was sorrowful because he had many riches. And he walked away. Again, Christ doesn't need your sacrifice. He didn't want his sacrifice. He didn't even care about his stuff. But he wanted his obedience. He wanted eternal life, but he didn't want to surrender to God. He kept the one thing that Christ touched. Christ touched his things. That's what he said that I want. Sell all that thou hast and follow me. And he wouldn't do it. Where's that man today? Most likely in hell, right? Had everything. He's known as the rich, young ruler. Not willing to surrender to Christ. Not just himself, but things, stuff. Not willing to get rid of stuff. What sin am I protecting that Jesus shed his blood for? Christ deserves all of you because he gave all of himself, amen? James 4, 7 and 8, it says, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. But it takes surrender. Christ laid down his life, he shed his blood. Christ redeemed you for his glory, amen. He didn't partially die for you. So don't partially surrender to him. Lay down whatever he's been pointing to. He showed you today what it was. I guarantee it, he has. Even if you didn't know you had it, something popped up in your head, you're like, man, I didn't know that was a problem. Lay it down, y'all. Whatever he's pointing to, let it go. And give God the glory that he deserves. That glory is all of you. That's what he wants. Amen. Let's pray. Lord God Almighty, we thank you for your word, Father. We thank you for sending your son to die on the cross for our sins. God, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Father. We thank you that you loved us so much and you cared so much for us, Lord, that you desire to have a relationship with sinful creatures such as us, Lord. that you didn't want to see us to go to hell, Lord. When you seen that we would err in our ways, Lord, that you sent Jesus to die for us, to redeem us, that we may dwell in heaven, Lord, and have fellowship with you, the God of all things. And God, we thank you for your word today, Father. We thank you for being willing to forgive us if we're willing to confess, God. We thank you that, Lord, that you're merciful and you're gracious. God, we just pray that you may work in us, Lord, help us to be conformed to the image of Christ, Lord, that we may be effective for the ministry you've called us to, Father, that we may see the world saved, God, and that you be glorified. Praise the name of Jesus. Amen.