Amen. Well, nobody would understand what I'm going to say, maybe a preacher, a separate preacher, only a preacher would understand what I'm fixing to say. But, you know, and this is a little bit different for me in a revival meeting, I'll be honest with you. Sometimes, sometimes you just take a verse and just preach. I don't know what I mean by that. Just sometimes I try to study, I try to preach, I get my text and get it in context and work out of that, but just sometimes the Lord just has you read a text and preach. And that's what I come to do tonight, amen. I have no idea how this is gonna turn out. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, amen. But I know the Lord just gave me a text tonight and I'm just going to go right back and preach it. I don't know what I'm going to say, I don't know what I'm going to do, amen. So we just let them do what we can do and let the chips fall where they may, that's all I can tell you, amen. And nobody will understand that but a preacher, I'm telling you. So I want you to turn your Bible tonight to 1 Timothy. I want to thank you again for letting us come. It's been a joy to be here. My heart's been encouraged, amen. Praise the Lord, nice room, great meals, had a great meal tonight. Missionary ate with us again tonight, amen. We thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship time around the table, amen. If you're physically able to stand, we'll stand. I am so nervous tonight, this really makes me nervous, amen. So I feel like I'm at home, so if it bombs out, we'll come back tomorrow night, amen. First Timothy chapter number six, let's look there in verse number 12. First Timothy chapter number six, verse 12. And I knew I was gonna preach this when I come up here, but I didn't know what night. I really thought I was gonna preach it Monday night, and anyway, we're preaching it tonight. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold of the eternal life, where unto thou hast Where unto thou art also called has professed a good profession before many witnesses Fight the good fight of faith is what he said 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy chapter 4. Let's look there Amen verse number 7 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 7. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course. I've kept the faith. I was going to preach on this simple thought tonight. It's a fight to the end. It's a fight to the end. Let's pray. Father, help us tonight. I'm very nervous, Lord. I guess I'm away from home and I'm in a church that, Lord, I feel like I need to do all I can, the best I can. And yet, Lord, I know this verse has been laid upon my heart to preach tonight. Lord, I have no really direction of how it's gonna end up, but Lord, I pray somehow through it, I know it's on my heart, that God, you'd use it to speak to hearts and challenge us, that Lord, we might fight the good fight of faith. Help us now in my prayer, in Jesus' name, amen and amen. You may be seated. Fight the good fight of faith. Paul is saying, I'm in a good fight. It's a good fight, amen? And when I read that sometime a while back, I went and, I hope you wouldn't consider this to be carnal, amen, but I went and read about Rocky Marciana. And I read about him being a fighter. He was a he was a heavyweight champion And I know that's a carnal illustration but over in the book of over the book of paul used analogies of men in the bible that uh A sport and events. Amen. He talked about running the race over in hebrews chapter number 12 1 and 2 He talked about running the race if I could read that to you hebrews chapter 12 1 and 2 you'd know that verse He said, So Paul made analogies to sporting events, amen. And I don't want to be carnal, but Paul did use analogies to sporting events. Then over in the book of our text tonight, he said, fight the good fight. Over in 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, chapter number nine, he said, and every man, verse 25, every man that striveth for the master is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, talking about a race, not as uncertainty, so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. I keep under my body, bringing in subjection, lest that by any means, that when I preach to others, I myself should not be a castaway." So Paul said there, he said what? He said, so fight I. And I did look that up and it said we're not shadow boxing. That's what that term means. We're not shadowbox. You can believe this tonight. We're in a fight This is a this is a fight now. I know American Christianity is not used to that terminology to be real honest with you. We're so laid-back today Amen, most people in the church say what kind of fights you talking about? We are in a spiritual battle and And if you don't learn to fight, you're not gonna make it. So it's a fight to the end. Amen and amen. And so Paul knows he's against a diabolical determined enemy who is determined to knock him out. And you can believe this tonight. There are the demons of hell that are determined to knock us out so that we will not fight, finish the course, amen. I believe that with all my heart, amen. I believe the devil and the demons of hell are out to stop us. Now, I say that to say this, we are in a fight. Most church people don't even know what you're talking about. I need an amen. I need all the amens I can get. Most church people do not know what we're talking about when we talk about a fight. We are in a fight, amen. Now, I wanna give you just a few quick things and I'll be through. Men who didn't win every round. Hey, we're in a fight. There are great men in the Bible that didn't win every round, but they stayed in the fight. Moses, can I mention Moses? Moses lost a number of rounds, but he stayed in the fight. Are you listening to me? He was called a meek man, but he had a temper. And as a result of his temper, amen, he struck the rock. And as a result of that, God said, and I'll preach the message on this whole message, but I'm not tonight. Hey, God said, Moses, because you struck that rock, you're not going to the promised land. What I'm trying to tell you is he got knocked down. Moses got knocked down, but thank God he did not stay down. He got up and he got back in the fight. I read about Rocky Marciano. He won 49 fights. He never was defeated. I read about when he fought Joe Louis, him and Joe Louis was fighting. I mean, it was a fight to the end. And I'm gonna tell you what, he knocked Joe Louis down and Joe Louis got back up and Rocky Marciana hit him again and knocked him, slammed through the ropes, amen. I mean, knocked him out. It was a fight to the end. They said he wasn't supposed to win that fight. He had short arms. He didn't weigh but 187 pounds. And he was the heavyweight champion of the world at 187 pounds. Does anybody, what I'm trying to tell you, you ain't gotta be big to be in this fight. Amen. You just gotta get saved, get with God, and get in the fight. We're in a fight, I'm telling you church, I don't know how to convey that any better, but we're in a fight, but most church members don't even know it. Why are you listening? We're fighting the demons of hell, amen. But I'm gonna tell you, Moses got knocked down, but thank God he got up and got back in the fight. Listen to me now, God said, Moses, you're not going to the promised land. That would've been enough right there to say, I just throw up my hands and quit. But you know what that didn't deter? That did not deter Moses, amen. Hey, what did he do? He got back up, got back in the fight. You know what he got knocked out because he got angry I use that I just use it I was jotting this down just a few minutes ago. He got mad. He got mad He let wrath get into his life and wrath knocked him down, but thank God he didn't stay down I read this while we I read this while we pray Bible said over the first Timothy chapter 2 verse 9 lift up your hands without wrath and doubting Amen and amen. Let me tell you what I knock you out the fight getting angry. I Now I'm preaching where we're living, you can say amen or don't, I am preaching where we're living. A lot of people are out of the fight tonight because they got mad at somebody. And they've never got it right. And you're gonna have to get it right. You have to apologize, humble yourself, do what you gotta do. If you don't, you're gonna stay knocked down. But no Moses didn't stay down, he got back up, got in the fight, and finished, amen. Hey, I'm simply saying, we're in a fight. Some heavyweights got knocked down. David got knocked down. Acts 13 through 22, David said, the Bible said David was a man of God's own heart. Do you know that was written hundreds of years after he sinned? Stay with me, church. Hey, that is stated hundreds of years after he sinned. He lost some rounds, but thank God he stayed in the fight. Oh, you listen to me? Hey, he lost a round with Bathsheba. Amen, he lost around numbering the people he lost around killing Uriah now. Wait a minute now David you're disqualified. No God said David get back up and get in the fight I'm gonna tell you a lot of people get knocked down and they don't get back up You got to get back up and get in the fight Amen and amen. I dealt with that in my church. I Dealt with a man that messed up with a woman in my church. I Are you listening to me? I preach this message Sunday morning. Hey, I Got a man in my church messed up with a woman Why you listen to me? We had to discipline we had to discipline we had we had to put him out of the church Till we could deal with him and get this thing saddled And hey, I said, well, that'll be the end of him when we have to dismiss him from the church or correct him from the church. He's gonna quit. He's gonna leave. Thank God he didn't quit. Thank God he was sitting there Sunday morning. And I said, thank God that you got up and got back in the fight. Amen and amen. I'm not justifying sin. I'm just simply saying, when you get knocked down, get back up and go again. I'll tell you what, it proved our church. It proved our church is a forgiving church. Our church had to deal with a discipline, a man who went with a woman and went with a woman. And I'll tell you what it held. I'll tell you since this is the truth, I went back and thought that over, pastor. I went back. Please don't think I'm justifying sin. Hey, I mean, we put him out of the church. I said, you cannot come back to this church till this is settled. Are you listening? I'll tell you what our church, and I had rumblings in the church. If you bring him back, we're leaving. Stay with me. We're not going to have a man like that in our church. So we disciplined him, I brought him before the church, I had some rumblings that they wasn't gonna accept him back. And the night that we presented him back to the church, he asked the church to forgive him, got up in front of the church, apologized to the church, got up and said he was wrong, did wrong, appreciate that the church bore with him, appreciate what the church did for him. And the first ones down the aisle to welcome him back is the ones that said they didn't want him back. And I'm telling you, since that day, God has touched our church. Amen and amen. Hey, if David cannot get knocked down, a man of the God's own heart, I'm telling you, you can get knocked down. We better don't get too proud. We better don't get too boastful, amen. I'm telling you, if David can get knocked down, if Moses can get knocked down, we can get knocked down, and you're gonna need somebody to forgive you and help you get back in the church. Amen and amen. Hey, Abraham got knocked down. David got knocked down over a woman. Moses got knocked down over wrath. Abraham got knocked down over worldliness. Amen, he went down to Egypt. When his faith grew a little weak, hey, he got knocked down, went to Egypt, met up with a woman named Hagar. He told Elimelech, he told Elimelech, that's not my wife. Y'all help me. The way I'm going right now, I probably ain't gonna preach this no more. Hey, can you imagine Abraham said, that's not my wife. I can't even comprehend that. Elimelech was gonna go with his, he said, that's not even my wife. How do you reckon him and her got back together? Well, I'm trying to tell you, Abraham is a man of faith. He's called the father of faith. But Abraham got back up and got in the fight. He got knocked down, but thank God he got up. I'm telling you, when I read the Bible, I'm amazed that practically every character in the Bible got knocked down. Lost a round. But they didn't stay down, they got back up and they got in the fight. Hey, maybe you've been knocked down. I say get up, get in the fight. God will forgive you, Amen. Amen and amen. Here's all I'm saying to us tonight church if Abraham can get knocked down if Moses could get knocked down if David can get knocked out who says you can't Amen and amen Hey notice this notice this. Can you imagine Abraham after he got right with God? Please don't take this as compromise. Please don't take this for compromise. Can you imagine Abraham the father of faith being at the fellowship meeting? I Is anybody listening? We're gonna let Abraham preach at the fellowship today. I can hear it, but it's quiet right here. You're gonna let that man preach? Abraham? Anybody listening? I believe there's qualifications on the ministry. Far as I can tell, he didn't break none of them. Are you listening to me? You know what I'm saying about Abraham? He got knocked down, but he didn't stay down. Amen and amen. How many people, how many people, I've been pastoring one church for 37 years, how many people have I seen got knocked down, but they never got back up? They're not in church tonight. Their family's a wreck. Their children have gone to the world. Here's my point tonight. The way you get knocked down, get back up. Amen and amen. Are y'all listening to me? Amen. Hey, how about Noah? I know this is elementary, I know this has no content, but it's got a lot of intent. I didn't come with a lot of content tonight. Well, most of my preaching ain't got a lot of content, but this has very little content, but it's got a whole lot of intent. My point is, when you get knocked down, hey, get back up and get in the fight. Winners never quit and quitters never win. Amen, and amen. How many, how many have I seen get knocked down, but they don't get back up and get in the fight? Hey, Noah got knocked down. Are y'all listening to me? Noah got knocked down over wine. Can you imagine preaching 120 years and then go get drunk? Somebody said, if you've been in a building program for 120 years, you get drunk too. Anybody listen? Hey, somebody said, did Noah really mean to get drunk? You know, there was a change of the atmosphere in the country. Did Noah really mean it? And somebody asked me that the other day in the church. Did Noah really mean to get drunk or did he start drinking that wine and it was from it? Did he really mean it? I said, sure he meant to get drunk. I believe he meant to get drunk. Amen, I can tell y'all don't. But he got drunk, whether he meant to or not, he got drunk, and God was not pleased with him. Amen and amen. Do you believe a saved man can get drunk? I believe a saved man. I'm gonna tell you about my church. When I get through with y'all, ain't none of y'all gonna visit our church. We went one way tonight to church, and one of the brothers stood up and started testifying, and I thought that was kind of unusual. On a Wednesday night, a brother got up and started testifying, and I said, are you drinking? And he broke down and started crying. He said, preacher, I am, I'm drinking. On a Wednesday night service, I said, you are drinking and you've come to church drinking. He said, preacher, I gotta have help. I cannot, I cannot kick this alcohol. I know I've been saved. I've had doubts about it. He said, I have doubts about my salvation and I cannot kick this alcohol. And he, long story short, he come to the altar that night. We prayed around the altar that night. We prayed God would deliver him that night. Far as I know, he ain't got drunk since. Amen. My point is simply this. I'm telling you a saved man can go back to drink. I got some businessmen in my church and they really travel all over the world. And here's what they tell me. They said, preacher, everywhere we go, it's kind of, we have to take people out to eat and things like that, to be social about jobs and stuff like that. And we go in the restaurant and they said, practically all those men, They order alcohol and we say, we're not drinking. He said lots of them are deacons in churches and professional people that members of churches and they order mixed drinks and they ask us why we're not, they said drinking is wrong. Why would I preach on liquor in this church? Why would I even bring up that subject in this church? We all know drinking is wrong. I'm telling you, sometimes it would amaze you churches you go into that a lot of people ain't got that conviction. I know this is far from where I, I'm just gonna preach. Are you listening to me? I'm telling you a man called Noah, do you know where Noah is in the Bible? He's in Hebrews chapter 11. By faith, Noah. God put that man in the Bible after he got drunk and called him a man of faith. Is anybody listening? If it hadn't have been for Noah, hey, we wouldn't have been here. Hey, can that kind of caliber of heavyweight get knocked down? He got knocked down, but he got up. Have you been knocked down? Amen and amen. Hey, I wasn't no fighter, even my brother was. I'd go start him and he'd fight him. But a man coming out of town, it's been years ago, I'm 73 years old, I guess I was about 20 years old, and a man coming out of town, and he was gonna train people to box. And so I said, that sounds good. I was about 20 years old, and I said, I'm gonna go down there, and I'm gonna get in on that. And I went down there, and we started sparring around, punching the bag, you know, beating that little, whatever that thing is, I don't know enough about it to know, started beating that thing, and hitting the, punching the bag, amen, and then he put me in the ring. Well, I've been watching Muhammad Ali, Y'all help me and I you know float like a butterfly and sting like a bee and so I just started floating around You know it and the man said get your hands up get it and I said, I'm thinking I said man I'm watch Muhammad Ali. I just you know, I'm a floating like a butterfly I'm a stinging like a bee. Hey, man, and I'm a floating around here, man Get your hands up get your head about that time. I've got pop out there God next thing. I know I was on the ground for him He come on, he said, I told you to put your hands up. I said, put my hands up, I quit. Is anybody listening? As I'm telling you, and I'm telling you, hey, we're in a fight. It's not a physical fight, but we're in a battle. I'm telling you, I think most Christians don't realize that. You think the devil is not out to destroy you? You think the devil's not out to stop this church? I'm telling you, church, we ought to stay on our knees. The devil is out to stop. I come out of a church just like this. We run about 140 or 150. I mean, we had a school run about 400 or 500. I'm telling you, it was a great church, powerful church. And the devil got on our trail. And the devil got our pastor with a woman. Can I tell you about that church tonight? I'm talking about a strong church now. I'm talking about we were known far and wide. We were fundamental independent separated I'm talking about love God serve God. Can I tell you about that church tonight? There is no church You know why the devil hates this church if you don't understand that if you don't understand that you're not in the fight I'm telling you the demons of hell are trying to do all they can to stop Ridgeview Baptist Church and He's gonna fight you. He's gonna fight the church. He's gonna fight the preacher. He is gonna, I told some young preachers in my church the other day, we got some young men surrendering to the priest. I told them, I said, now listen to me now. Listen to me, all you see is the glory. All you see is the pulpit. All you see is the suit and the tie. Y'all help me, y'all help. I said, all you see is the glory of it. I'm gonna tell you now, when you get in the ministry, you put a mark on your back that the devil is out to get you. And I'll tell you what, since I've been preaching, the devil has attacked me and my wife, the devil has attacked my son and his wife, the devil has attacked my daughter and her husband, the devil has attacked my grandchildren. The devil has got a bead on you if you sell out and get in a fight. That's a fact, that's a fact. We're in a fight. Hey, Paul said, but it's a good fight. I'm glad I'm in a good fight, ain't I? Hallelujah. I'm talking about he's knocked out some real heavyweights. Amen. Are you listening? How about Peter? Peter got in the fight. Round one, I don't know him. Round two, I don't know him. Round three, I don't know him. Is anybody listening? Well, thank God he stayed in the fight. And hey, round four, he come back and preached. And 3,000, God saved, thank God. I'm glad he got up. Amen, amen. Hey, notice this he was in the fight. He was in the fight of denial. I don't know him You ever feel like down on the job when all them heathens around you you feel like you go home that day and say lord I've denied you today Man, I used to work in charleston. They were shipyard work for the government. I was a pipe fitter pipe fillers and welders That's the customers group. I haven't been around. I was part of it. I was in it. Amen I'd go to church sometime on wednesday night and feel so dirty because i've been among all that filth that day. Amen Thank God by go to church and get souped up. Hey, man, get charged up Go back in on Thursday morning and fight the good fight of faith Are you in the fight? You've been knocked down I got to fight one night down at the beach. Amen. I felt he got me He got me back back back me up to the car and I got down like I didn't know rocky marciana But he told me rocky marciana. He would get down low and he would come up at you and and one guy was fighting and the trainer said uh That's the way to fight him, Rocky, because he can't hit you down. He's not good at hitting down. Stay low, stay low. And Rocky Marciano would get him, and he'd push him back so that he'd have to hit over the back foot. And they couldn't get no power. And I'll tell you, Rocky Marciano, back him up to the ropes, and bam, knock him through the ropes. Y'all forgive me, but I loved it. Is anybody listening? And so I was fighting that guy, and amen, and finally I got up under him, and I come up to hit him, wham, and missed him, and come down and hit the seaman. God, I don't have no skin on my knuckles. I said that's my second fight, I quit. Now, God, it was a good fight. That was a bad fight, but I'm in a good fight tonight. Hallelujah. Amen and amen. You step in the pulpit, you'll fight the demons of hell. Amen, you know the average the average church member don't know what that the preachers going through when you step into my prayer My church tell me sometimes when I get real loose, you know and jump pews and all that Oh preacher we worried about you You're too old for that I said don't worry about me when I'm jumping pews worry about me when I can't even move That's when you find the devil Amen, I'm tell you when you walk in that pulpit friend the devil's doing we're preaching the gospel You think the demonic force of hell run things through your mind? I'm tell you what Nobody knows this unless you're in the fight Is anybody listening? It's probably my last time I preach this Amen It's a good fight Thank God Paul got in a fight You know Paul was always he was always in disputes He was always having to wrestle with people. Barnabas. Can you imagine that day, Barnabas, when Paul had to depart? Can you imagine his heart was broken? But Paul didn't stay down. He said, Silas, you come go with me. But I'm telling you, no doubt in my mind, he probably never forgot about Barnabas. Are you listening? Man, I tell you, I've been in this fight a little while. I've seen the best of them walk off and leave me. Are you listening? I mean, I've seen those I've rolled down the road and we've sang together and worshiped together and prayed together went soul winning together Amen went to the house of God and worshiped together And then some little friction some little some little friction come between us about some situation and they walk off and leave you That's a fight friend And I'll tell you heart is gone. You get into bed at night. You can't sleep you roll your toss Amen, and I'm gonna tell you what what did I do? What did I do? How can I correct and I'm tell you what? There's nothing you can do and nothing you can say to correct and they walk off and leave you. Are you listening to me? And I'm gonna tell you what, I've thought about quitting. I've had my heart, I've had my heart down in my shoes, so to speak, and I've thought about, man, if they would leave me, if they, as much fellowship and as much friends as we were, if they would leave me, hey, that makes me feel like I wanna quit, but I can't quit, there's something in me that keeps me going. It's a fight. Paul got in a dispute with Barnabas, Paul got in a dispute with Peter. He was always getting in disputes with people. But Paul just stayed with it. Thank God he stayed in the fight. You're gonna lose some rounds. Here's my point, you're gonna lose, there are men that you're gonna lose some rounds. We proved that tonight. There's some great heavyweights in the Bible that lost some rounds, but thank God they stayed in the fight. Let me give you this and I'm through. The message of not winning every round. The Bible said in Proverbs 24, 16, for a just man falleth seven times and rises up again. Don't count me out when I'm down. Amen. Hey, could I ask you this? Could I ask you this? The world will count you out. When you get knocked down, the world will count you out. When you get knocked down, sometimes your family will count you out. When you get knocked down, sometimes the church will count you out. Hey, don't count me out while I'm down. Anybody listening, y'all help me now. Hey, if you'd been there, would you have counted Abraham? Would you have counted him out? Would you have let Abraham come back to your church? Would you have let Abraham sit over there and say, amen, preacher? And he said, I don't even know, that's not even my wife. He'd been to Egypt out of the will of God. Brought back Hagar, messed up Lot. That's why Lot ended up in Egypt, because he got a taste of it when he went down there with his uncle. Would you let Abraham come back and sing in the choir? I want to tell you something, not like I'm somebody, I've had to go through that. You going to let them come back? I said, you're not going to let them? If a man asks you to forgive him, I'm sorry, I did wrong, I messed up. I lived in the flesh, I was wrong, I admit I'm wrong, I'm sorry, I've laid awake, I've wallowed in my sin, I'm so sorry. Would you let him come back? It's all right if he gets quiet, right? Are you gonna let Abraham come back preaching? Do you know what Abraham did? You gonna let Noah come back preaching? Do you know what Noah did? He got drunk! You gonna let him come back? We're talking about some heavyweights. You better than Noah? You better than Abraham? I'm not justifying sin, honest to God, I'm not justifying. I try to stand as strong against sin as I possibly can. Amen, we got so many rules in our church, they won't even let me sing in the choir. They said my pants was too short. And the split's too long, somebody help me. My grandson is a choir leader. I asked him the other day, can I join the choir? He said, no, you're not qualified. Your pants is too short. Amen, amen. Y'all got that right. I told a preacher today, I said, preacher, I'm now preaching an independent Baptist church that they wear Bermudas in the choir. I'm talking about women walking in the choir with Bermudas on. And I'm sitting there to preach. I told me an illustration there, I was preaching a revival in the church, I think it might, maybe Wednesday night, I can't remember what night it was, and I had my message, I already had it prepared, I walked in church that night, and the pastor walked in, he said, preacher, we got a guest choir tonight. I said, great, man, great. He said, I invited them over to sing, you know, a little different for the revival. I said, great. Dear God, they walked in. Great Lord. It looked like a burlesque show. And I had my Bible and I had my message. And I already had it down. I even had the points. I ain't gonna do that no more. I had down what I was hitting that night in my message. And here's what the Holy Ghost told me. I'll tell you the Holy Ghost told me. He said, the last time you preached that message, you hit every one of them points. What you gonna do tonight, big boy? And I said, Lord, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Because every point I got down there hits that choir. Short dresses, low cut dresses, v-neck dresses. Somebody help me. Long splits in their dresses. Amen. I'm talking about dresses above, only up to their thighs. And I'm sitting there with this message, and this is the guest choir, and I'm the guest preacher. And he said, what are you going to do tonight, big boy? He didn't say big boy. He said, what you going to do tonight, little boy? He said, the last time you preached it, you got all of it. I said, Lord, by the grace of God, if you help me, I'm gonna get it all tonight. And I closed my eyes, and I wanted, I said, get your clothes on! After that meeting there, God is going out the back door, side doors, nobody was coming up my door. And the next night, I went out to eat with the preacher, and the preacher picked me up, and he's about my age, him and his wife, and when we get in the car, my wife is there to testify. When we went to get in the car, his wife was dressed like that. In other words, preach what you want to preach. You're ineffective to me. We were in a fight. We were in a fight. I'm telling you, we were in a fight. Whirling, it says. Hey, Abraham went down to Egypt. He got whirly. Worldliness is taking over our church. You better thank God you got a man of God that's gonna stand against worldliness You ain't got enough money to pay you couldn't pray for him enough. Hey to stand against the worldliness of this church world I'm telling you it is taking over our church But by the grace of God, I've come too far to turn back. I tell you what. I'm a statement the one who brought me I Yeah, amen and amen. Preacher, why don't you tone it down? The church will grow. Yeah, it'll be full of the world. Help me, it's got enough world in it. Hey, souping it up. Somebody help me. I pray by the grace of God. I'm trying to keep my spirit right. I don't want to get mad like Moses. Moses said, you bunch of rebels, wham! That's what he called them, you bunch of rebels. Must have been a southerner, amen. He said, you bunch of rebels, wham! Hey, man, I'm telling you, you know the water still came out. You can preach in the flesh. Lord help me. He did that in the flesh and the water still came out. I've seen preachers preach in the flesh and it seemed like people still get saved. I don't understand all that. It ain't what we're doing, it's that Word of God. That don't excuse us for not having a bad spirit. Matter of fact, you read Psalm 106, Moses, Bible said Moses sinned against God with his lips. When he struck that rock, I don't know all he said, but he said, you spoke unadvisedly with your lips. Amen and amen. What are you trying to say, preacher? I'm trying to say to us tonight, hey, the Bible said a just man fall at seven times, but he gets up again. Hey, don't kick me while I'm down. Help me get up. Amen, if you'd been there, would you have let Abraham, would you have let David come back? What about Peter? Would you have let Peter come back to your church and preach again? He's been knocked down. I don't know him. I don't know him. I don't know him. Would you have let Peter come back and preach in your church? I'm glad they did. Next time he preached, 3,000 walked out. Anybody listening? Hey, we're in a fight. If you don't get nothing out of this message tonight, get this, we're in a fight. If the devil can knock those great heavyweights down, I'm telling you, we have the potential to be knocked down, but don't stay down, get up. Amen. Hey, the only official that's able to say the fight is over is the judge. The referee has to say the fight is over. Amen, I'm gonna tell you what, when Rocky Marciano knocked Joe Louis, hey, I read where Muhammad, he wouldn't call him Muhammad Ali. Rocky Marciano wouldn't call Cassius Clay, he wouldn't call him Muhammad Ali. He said he ruined boxing, he said he ruined boxing when he brought all that religion, but Muhammad in it. Because I'm gonna tell you what, after one of Muhammad Ali's fights, after the fight, here's what he said, the power of Muhammad, the power of Muhammad, Muhammad won tonight, Muhammad. I'll tell you what, it's the power of God, it ain't the power of Muhammad. The power of God gonna win our fight. Amen and amen. And here's what Rocky Marciano said, he said, when he brought all that junk religion into the sports arena, he ruined boxing. I say amen. Praise God. I had a black family in my church Sunday. I was preaching this Sunday. I had a black family in my church Sunday, and I got on this box, and I got on Muhammad Ali and the power of Muhammad, amen, and he's a black preacher. I don't know what kind of preacher he is, but dear God, he got in on that, friend. Somebody help me. I tell you, if I believed in reincarnation, I'd come back a black preacher. Dear God, they seem to enjoy it a whole lot better than us young people. White people enjoy it. Where you ever seen white people at church on three o'clock Sunday afternoon? Dear God, we're home taking a nap, trying to get a rest for Sunday night. They're still getting it. Somebody help me. I come back a black preacher. Seems like they enjoy it more than we do. Dear God, that fellow was back there. He had his wife and his daughter with him. Man, he was in that thing about that boxing now. Hey, I called on him to pray at the end of the service. He said, God, help us in the power of Jesus, help us to win this fight. I said, glory to God. He prayed better than I preached. Amen. Somebody help me. Sometimes it might be good to get knocked down. You know why? It knocked that arrogance and pride out of us. Amen. Ain't nothing worse than fighting and getting knocked down. Amen. Hey, I'm trying to say this. I'm trying to maybe help maybe some one person here tonight. You've been knocked down, but we want you to get back up. Hey, get up! You've been knocked down, get up! And that'll shut the Pharisees up. They'll never get back up, they'll never get back up. Hey, get up and put them to shame, amen. I'm telling you, when people fall, there's a crowd in the church that says, oh, they'll never get back. But thank God you can. I'm telling you, we've experienced, I know y'all have experienced, we've experienced in our church, hey, I wanna help the down and outer. Amen. I'm through. If you got knocked down, at least you're in the fight. If you don't ever get in the fight, you'll never get knocked down. Anybody listen? Amen. Paul did not say he won the race. Paul said he finished it. You don't have to win. You just gotta finish. That's what I mean, getting back up. Anybody listen? He said, I finished my course. They ain't talking about golf either. I said that Sunday, I said, now probably some of y'all were running a race and now somebody said, finished my course, Paul's playing golf. Paul ain't never been on a golf course. Chased a little white ball around, tried to knock it in a little hole. Somebody help me. I know some of y'all golf, that's all right. I'd rather preach. Anybody listening? I said, some of you wise, some of you real spiritual joes out there, by the time we get back to church tonight, y'all will have something in the Bible on basketball. Sure enough, walked in the prayer room, and I'll tell you how spiritual our church is. Preacher, we got something on basketball. I said, what's that? He said, they were men in the nets. I said, now we go pray. Another guy sat up, another guy up and said, Jesus was in Pilate's court. I said, shut up and let's pray. Is anybody listening? Here's what I'm trying to tell you. You've been knocked down. Get up. Do you know what God did? Do you know what God did? God put Samson in Hebrews chapter 11. Now, if you ever read any more carnal fella than Samson, and God put, now listen, here's what got me. He didn't put Job in there. You don't read by faith Job, but you read by faith Samson. God explained, you can tell I didn't write the Bible. I would have left Samson out. and put Job in. But God didn't put Job in, he put Samson in. Was that to magnify his sin? That was to magnify his grace. God has got enough grace to help you get up when you've been knocked down and get back in the fight. Amen and amen. And what one of us really, in some aspect, had never been knocked down. I tell you what, I don't know how long ago it's been. I was standing in my yard, I think it was a Saturday afternoon, and a woman drove up in my yard, got out of her car, I could tell she was angry, walked over, hand me a piece of paper. I read that piece of paper, and my heart sunk to my knees, and I said, my ministry is over. I won't go into no details, but I read that paper. I said, well, 30-something years, and it's over for me. And I thought it was preaching. I thought my ministry was over. When I read that piece of paper, I said, it's over for me. All the preaching, all that I've tried to do, hold a standard, maintain the Gospels, preach to God, it's over after I read that piece of paper. I really thought it was, brother Bud. And somehow or another, God helped me to get back up and get back in the fight. I'm telling you now, when you really get in the battle, you're gonna be in a fight. Here's what I told my church Sunday some of y'all ain't got to worry about this because you'd have last ones to get here and the first ones to leave You ain't come to see the fight you don't even know what the fight is Because you you sneak in late and leave quick as you can you come to church, but you're not in the church You a church attender, but you're not a church one of the actions of the church. I Glory to God. When I get in, I wanna get in all the way. Dear God, I'll join the Women's Missionary Society if you want me to. I'm trying to tell you, when you get in, get in. There's a lot, there's a lot to do in Ridgeview Baptist Church. And it takes all of us. And the more of us serving and singing and praying and shouting and giving, hey, the greater we can do for the cause of Christ. Get in the fight, amen. Well, I'm a spectator. No ain't no spectators. Well, there are but they ain't supposed to be. And if you are a spectator, egg me on. You didn't just come to sit and watch. Egg me on. Get in there. Preach, preach. If you don't like this preacher, let me tell you what you do to him Sunday. When he starts preaching, say, preach, preach. Oh, let it rip. He'll drop dead with a heart attack. I don't preach for amens, but I love them. Hey, God uses weak people to do his work. I'm through, I'm through. Paul said it's a good fight. Amen and amen. Hey, let me give you this. I found this in my Bible just a while ago. I knew I had it, but I didn't think about it for this message. Let me read this to you and I'm through. I hope I haven't bored you tonight. I really hope I haven't bored you. Told my wife, I am scared to death to preach this message tonight. Let me read this to you. Let's stand, let's stand again. Crowns are reserved for God's faithful servants. Adonai Judson, a missionary to Burma. He was arrested, falsely accused of being an enemy agent. Imprisoned in a tiny cell, he was forced to stand so others could lie down and sleep. The sun was unbearably hot. Since they were not allowed to bathe, the stench was horrible. One day the officials decided prison was not enough punishment for this infidel called Adonai Judson, so they hoisted Judson into the air by his thumbs. They hung him by his thumbs. Pain filled every fiber of his body. When he was returned to his cell, his precious wife Anna would creep in after the dark and whisper to him, hang on Adonai, God's going to give us the victory. Week after week, torture, torture, torture. Anne would come by every night and encourage him in the same words. Hang on, Anaheim. God will give us the victory. One night she didn't come. Another night passed. No signs of her returning. Weeks went by. His loneliness grew at an unbearable level. No one told him that Anna was dying. Months later, he was released, a man whose body was so broken it was miraculous he could walk. He began to search for his beloved wife, returning to the place where she used to live. As he limped toward his home, he saw a child sitting in the dirt, a little girl so covered with filth that he failed to recognize her as his own daughter. He picked her up, staggered into the tent, his eyes squinting through the darkness. It was then that he saw her, a bundle of bones, rags lying on a cot. So weak and frail, she looked like a skeleton. It was Annie. His beautiful wife's hair had fallen out. Her bright blue eyes staring blankly at nothing. Hugging his daughter to his chest, he knelt down and wept, calling her name over and over. Annie, Annie, my darling Annie. Hot tears fell on her face. Slowly her eyes began to move with recognition. She struggled to speak her last words, her last words. Hang on Adonai, God will give us the victory. That day Adonai lost his sweetheart, but not his faith. He got knocked down, but he wasn't knocked out. He lost his loved one, but not his courage. He began to preach again. Soon he was building churches. When he died, he left scores of churches and hundreds of Christian converts in the Muslim nation. He had fought a good fight, finished the course, kept the faith, and he will receive a crown of righteousness. I put that in my Bible to remind me, preacher. I live too easy. I live too easy. Men have paid the price. I went to Europe when Brother Jeff Trotz was in Europe and he took me to the house of a man from Bulgaria that preached the gospel and communism come and they would come to his house and beat him. They'd hang him up by his feet and beat the top of his feet, beat his feet to blisters would form on his feet. And even years later, he could hardly walk on his feet from where they'd beat him. and beat him, and beat him, and beat him. And we went into that house, and sat down in that house with him and his wife, and they loved God. And you could feel the presence of God. And here's what he told his wife, let's sing. Let's sing, honey. And they started to sing. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. And I am looking at a man who was beat unmercifully for the cause of Christ. I know I can't relate to that. But I'm telling you, he was in the fight. And we need to get in the fight. We need to give it more. When you get, I have to watch myself when missionaries come to my church, it makes me mean. Brother Matthews, we eat with Brother Matthews too. He's gonna take his family, load his family up, and take them to Vietnam. And you got people saying, well, I don't think I can make it tonight. Why? Well, I bumped my toe. Is anybody listening? You're preaching, you're beating us up. I'm beating myself up. We're in a fight. I think the church has forgotten we're in a fight. That's why a lot of them throw it in the towel. It's a fight. If I didn't preach on worldliness and separation, I probably could cruise right on in pretty easy. Anybody listening? Let's pray. Father, I did my best tonight, feel like I've done better, but that really don't matter. What matters is that we get the message, and when we apply it to our hearts, and Lord, have a desire to get in on the fight. Help us tonight, I pray. Lord, I'm preaching to probably one of the best churches I get to preach in, and I get to preach in a lot of good churches, separated, love God, but Lord, we could all pull up another notch or two. Help us tonight to do that for the glory of God. If there's somebody here tonight outside of Christ, help them to get in the battle. and know Jesus as their Savior. Bless now, help us as we sing the invitation, and God, get glory to yourself. In Christ's name we pray, amen and amen. We're gonna sing, amen. You come tonight, if you're here tonight and you're not saved.