John chapter 7, let's go there again. Let's start in verse 15 and let's read through 18. Now I don't want to start out crude and rude this morning, but you know, if you've got a wound or something and it gets infected, I mean, you all have seen enough and read enough and all of the old stories. How did they have to deal with it still? How did they have to deal with it? You've got to go to the bottom of it. You've got to get to the root of it and stop it. You can't just keep rubbing stuff on top of it and putting a Band-Aid over it. You've got to lance it and deal with the very bottom thing of the problem. And that's kind of what this is about this morning, I think. It's just, we're talking about the life of Christ. That's what we're focusing on through these, preaching through these bunch of messages. When will it ever end? I don't know. You just have to bear with me. When I get started in something like this, it just goes on and on and on. How could you ever exhaust what there is to know about Jesus? How could you? His example, everything about him, what he taught us, how he showed us. I'm more amazed all the time with it. I just really am. I can't get over Jesus. What he came to do, what he did, how he did it, it's just God. There's no other explanation. I know you're not getting what I'm saying, but let's start reading. Let's read in verse 15 John chapter 7 verse 15 and the Jews marveled Saying now they marveled because they were listening to him remember he went up can't went down to the to the feast got went up in the temple and started teaching and They marveled Now these were the guys that were seeking to kill him, but they heard him speak and they marveled, saying, how knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them and said, my doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. Now that's kind of where we're at this morning right there. But he that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory. He's speaking in general terms there. Anybody that speaks of their self, speaking of their own glory, seeking his own glory. But he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true and no unrighteousness is in him. Do you understand what Jesus said about himself right there? He said the doctrine, my doctrine is not mine. but His that sent me." I'm not talking about myself. Jesus was not here... Let me just put it this way. Jesus was the only life that was ever lived absolutely, entirely, completely unselfishly and disinterested in self. Now that's kind of hard since He was the Son of God. That blows a fuse in our mind because we can't assimilate that together. But that's what we're gonna talk about this morning. Lord, help us, I pray. May you bless your word, give it unction, and give it clarity. Help me in my mind to think clearly and to say what you want said in the way you want it said. That it be most effective and able to pierce through and be understood, in Jesus' name, amen. Now one of the most important things about Christ's example to us is that his life was completely about God and others and not about himself. He conducted himself entirely without selfishness in any form in all that he did and all that he said. Think about that a minute. Everything he did, everything he said, every action of his life was not about not to fulfill his needs, his desires, his selfish desires I'm talking about. It was about God. He came in God's stead. He was under authority of God. He was not seeking his own. He had, his life was all about the Father and his interests. And I've got a bunch of scriptures to read that just absolutely make that as clear as it can be made. That his life, the reason he was here, his purpose for being here, his mission was all about God, not about him. Now, he and the Father are one. Yeah. But that was his prayer that we be one also. And we can't just say, well, now that was Jesus, and so we're just men, and we can't, you know. No, this is the standard. He is unto the measure, the stature, the fullness of Christ. That's the measure for us. Nothing less. There's no shorter measure for men than Christ Himself. He is the man Christ Jesus. We talked last week about God with us. The Word made flesh and dwelling among us. I mean, we beheld His glory. Yes. And that's what we're to be. That's the standard for us. So he had no purpose of his own, separate from the Father. He always did those things that pleased his Father. The Roman centurion in Matthew chapter 8 and in Luke chapter 7 recognized this in Jesus, that he was not acting on his own, but was a man under authority. Y'all with me? Y'all listening? Let's read some scripture. John 4 verse 34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. My meat. What sustains me. What matters to me. More than my necessary food. When did he say that? That's the woman at the well. They went to town to get food. They come back and said, Here, have some. He said, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me. I live to do his will, not my will. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. In John chapter 17. John chapter five, verse 30, I can of mine own self do nothing. Now Jesus said that. Remember, he was made flesh. He dwelt among us. It was all about God. Not about a superhero man. You see, people hear that and they say, you're blaspheming. No, I'm not blaspheming. The only perfect life that was ever lived was Him. And the reason it was, was because He lived it for God and not Himself. That's the mark that's so different. It's what separates him from every other man. Other than his virgin birth. The fact that he lived that life. The life he lived proved that he was the virgin born son of God. Simply because he was, none of it was selfish. John chapter 6 verse 38. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will. but the will of Him that sent me." How do we understand this? Well, it's just one of those things that God is God. We were reading in Revelation chapter 4 this morning about the door opening in heaven and John describing the throne. And we talked about it, how the words are not adequate. It's impossible with words to describe. God and the scene in heaven and His throne and His glory. Man, we can't comprehend outside of what we see and feel and touch and taste. And so to try to describe with words is so far beyond. We look at the universe and see the heavens declare the glory of God, but that is not even sufficient to do it. And God was made man. I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. God was not divided, but God was made flesh for a time. And walked on this earth for a time. But God was made flesh forever. Get that? Touch me. I'm not a spirit. You got anything to eat? He ate fish, didn't he? And honeycomb. Flesh and bone, you know, he said, the Spirit hath not flesh and bone, as you see me have. He ascended into heaven, and he's coming back in a like manner. Just as he ascended, that's how he's coming back. How? In a body. That's right. Yes, sir. So how is this? Well, this is just the miracle and the wonder of God becoming flesh, being made flesh, dwelling among us, becoming one of us. How would we know what life is really supposed to be like if we couldn't see God live it in the flesh before our very eyes? If we couldn't behold His glory in heaven, but we could behold His glory on earth by a life that's lived for God and others and not self. to live with absolutely no self-interest, no selfish aims, no selfish pride, absolutely no desire, thought, or care about self, while putting the will of God and the glory and honor of God first. That's the most powerful testimony of the reality of God that can be given, that can be lived, that can be had. Y'all listening? What else matters? You talked in Sunday school a lot about all of this, about just doing things, just knowing right, and appearing right, and doing right. What about being right? It's what you are, is what's gonna matter. It's not what you know, it's not what you do, it's what you are. This is let me read some more scripture here John 15 verse 12 through 13 Jesus said this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you as I've loved you greater man greater love hath no man than this that a man laid down his life for his friends his life was not lived for himself his life was lived for God and First John 3 16 hereby perceive we the love of God Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Now we think about the cross, but that's not all he's talking about there. He laid down his life He didn't live for himself He lived for God, no matter the cost, no matter the suffering, no matter the response. Because He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. People take that so shallowly. They think, well, if we got to be a martyr, then we ought to be willing to be a martyr. That ain't what it's talking about at all. Lay down your life. Quit being all about me. Quit putting me first in any matter, in anything, in your thoughts, attitude. What matters to you? You or other people? God and other people or you? Well, who comes first? Who's first in your priorities? Who's first in all of your decisions? Who's first in all of your desires? Is it you? Matthew chapter 16, verse 24 and five says, then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life shall lose it. And whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. You know why people can't keep resolutions? Because they can't deny themselves. Because they will not deny themselves. That's the real reason. We will not deny ourselves. Which puts us in a category separate from Jesus. Who we claim is our Savior and our pattern. Who lives in us! And who's our Lord and Master. And yet we don't act like Him. Because we can't even deny ourself anything. We can't even say, I'm not going to do that anymore and hold to it. We just can't. We can't say, I'm going to do that. We just get to looking at it and saying, it's too hard. Never mind. It's going to hurt me too much. It's going to cost me too much. It's going to make me too uncomfortable. That's repeated, what I just read there, that's repeated by Jesus six times in the Gospels. If you save your life, you lose it. If you lose your life for my sake, you find it. Six times Jesus said that. It's kind of an important matter, isn't it? You think he's talking about dying, I mean physical death, dying, you're dead, buried. No! He's talking about laying down your life. Laying down yourself. Revelation chapter 12 verse 11, and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Does anybody know what the next words say? And they loved not their lives unto the death. That's one of the final scenes in heaven. This is how they overcame. by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." Well, what do you think that means? They were willing to be martyred. Well, you can take it that way, but that's an awful shallow way of looking at it. You're missing the main point. You love your life. I mean, you love your life, yourself we're talking about. You, what I want, what I think, what happens to me, what I succeed in, what I gain, is that what you, is that what you're about? Because that ain't what Jesus was about. And that's not what Christians are supposed to be about. If you're one of His, if you believe Him, if you follow Him, then your life can't be about that. Jesus was in stark contrast to the religious leaders who were clearly in it for themselves, weren't they? The Jews, the Pharisees, the scribes, all of those who were after Him and wanting to kill Him here in John chapter 7, already wanted to kill Him. Why did they want to kill Him? He was a threat to their comfortable position of power and wealth. That is the reason they wanted to kill him. They had everything under their control and had it working just like they wanted it to, for their sake. And Jesus called them children of hell. He said, your father is the devil. He said, how can you escape the damnation of hell? You're living for yourself and that's all you care about. To the cost of the souls of others. You're in trouble. His life was in such a contrast to that. You couldn't accuse Jesus of being stingy, selfish, self-seeking, proud. No way. The devil had nothing in him. And he said, which of you convinces me of sin? When the multitudes followed him for the loaves and the fishes, they proved that they didn't believe in him, but only cared for themselves and what was in it for them. That's what this message is this morning. What's in it for me? What's in it for me? Even His own disciples showed their unbelief and total lack of understanding of what Jesus was about when they argued among themselves about who should be the greatest. Remember that? Remember that? They were arguing among themselves over who's going to be the greatest. They ain't even in the game yet. They haven't even begun to understand. Jesus said, Understandest thou these things? And they said, Oh, yes, we do. No, you don't. But after they were converted, they did indeed lay down their lives for his sake. And they followed in his footsteps when they were converted. That's what he told Peter. He said, Well, now we're converted. And Christians today take the example of unconverted disciples as the norm for Christians. You know, like Peter Custon denied the Lord. Well, he just got in the flesh, you know, and that's how we do. Because that's what we are, you know. That's your common Baptist teaching everywhere. And it's totally off from the Scripture. So it's one of these, this is one of the most obvious truths of the New Testament, that a true believer and follower of Christ lays down his life and lives solely to honor God and do God's will. That's the standard. You say, nobody can do that. Well, you just don't understand. You just don't understand. How can you reject that and say, well, that's impossible, when the Bible clearly says that that is the standard. And the life of Jesus shows that above everything else. That shines above everything else. That He came not to do His own will, but the will of His Father. that even a centurion, a Roman centurion, could look at him and recognize right away, this man's not acting on his own. This is not a self-seeking, glory-seeking man. He's under authority. Because that's what he said to him, I'm a man set under authority, like unto them. I say to this man, this servant goeth and he goeth and another, and I see that's, so that's what the deal was. So he had a demon possessed son, he wanted Jesus who had the authority to do something about it. So the very essence of sin and wickedness is that we care more for ourselves than others. You care more for your life than you do for the lives of others. That's the very bottom line. I mean, you want to cut to the very core of the infection, there it is, right there. You care more for yourself than anybody else. I mean, when it comes right down to it, if there's just one sandwich, you're getting it. If it's the last drink of water and everybody's about to die, you're going to get it. I mean, that's really what it amounts to. You say, I'd never do that, but really? Really? Well, most people have their little circle of people that they care more for and they would die for. Well, is that how it goes? I mean, is that what it really means? Does it say you ought to love your mother and your father and your children and your husband and your wife that way? But everybody else, they can just... That's not what it says, is it? Love thy neighbor as thyself. Well, who's our neighbor? Hmm Our life takes priority over the lives of others. This is the very essence of sin even those we claim to love Why are people drunkards and drug addicts and why do people Why are people immoral and why do people do like? People we know that's had four or five different wives and kids with all of them and the whole thing's a big mess. Why? Why did that happen? Because there's somebody who doesn't care about anybody more than himself. All he cares about, all he lives for, all he's about is what he wants. Today, tomorrow. Doesn't matter. Sin is transgression. It's desires. Our desires are our top concern regardless of how other lives are affected. That's what sin is. That's its ugly face right there. Sin is transgression of the law. It is a trespass upon someone else's life. You know, the trespass offerings in the Old Testament, that had to do with your neighbor. Trespass. You did something, you wronged him in some way. You took from him. You got over on his, everybody around here knows what a no trespassing sign means, don't you? That means stay off of my property. Well, a trespass, what are you doing when you just walk past it? What are you doing if you just knock it down or take a shotgun and just walk on in? Cut the fence? Drive on in? What are you doing? You're trespassing. Is that right? In any way? Can you justify that in any way? Well, we all live on this earth together. And as long as there were just one person, what does it matter? But when there's more than one, then you got to consider one another. You got to consider one another's lives. You got to consider how your actions are going to affect somebody else. And sin throws all that out the window. Sin makes you God. Just like the devil said to Eve, you shall be his gods. Having your way, doing what you want, anytime, anywhere, with anybody you want. You can do what you want. I seen somebody yesterday, their resolution was to live the way they wanted to. and not care about what anybody thought. That's their new resolution for the year. That is sin in its rawest, basic form right there. The other side of sin is how we react and respond to the sins of others. If it includes any pride or selfishness, then it becomes our sin also. Now you just think about that just a little bit. You see how sin is just that, it's like some kind of goo or something, and if somebody gets it on them, and you try to fix it for them, you got it on you. How do you deal with sin in the lives of other people? Is there any of you involved in it? Any of your pride involved? What if it's your kids? What if it's your husband or wife? Or your parents? What if it's somebody in the church? When we deal with it, is there any pride? Is there any concern about face? You know, and all of that? Do you understand what I'm saying? The other side of sin is how we react. It's not caring about other lives, but when somebody sins, the other side of it is how we react to their sin. If there's any pride or selfishness in it, then it becomes our sin also. Don't you understand that? This is to walk after the flesh. And it means condemnation before God. True righteousness is to do justly before God and toward others. We all have heard some of these verses. Let me read you a couple here. Micah 6 and verse 8 says, He has showed thee, O man, what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. So true righteousness is to do justly before God and toward others, not to trespass, not to transgress against other people as well as God. I mean, God's law is God first, others second. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then love your neighbors, yourself. Jesus said that's everything hangs on that. All the law and prophets, there's the core of it right there. Love thy neighbor as thyself. That's saying that you don't love anything more than yourself. When it comes to other people, you don't love anybody more than yourself. The standard is you love them as yourself. Well, when you do that, you'll give them. I mean, if there's one lifeboat, if there's one seat left on the lifeboat, and there's a hundred more people on the boat, or let's just put it a different way. There's one little girl left on the boat and there's one seat, you and one little girl, and the boat's sinking, there's one seat left on the lifeboat and you're going to take it and let her drown. You say, well, ain't none of us that mean. Ain't none of us that ugly. Be surprised when it gets put to the test. How can we live our lives that way with that basic principle ruling and reigning in our life? And then when it comes to something like that, we're all of a sudden going to change and be like Jesus. No, it doesn't happen that way. It ain't going to happen that way. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 12 therefore all things Whatsoever you would that men should do to you do ye even so to them For this is the law and the prophets. That's Jesus. What do we call that? The Golden Rule, that's what it's known by We know what we know in our own so every man knows when he's been wronged Don't do that to nobody else Don't do to somebody what you wouldn't want them to do to you. See, that's all the law and the prophets right there. It's just that you regard other lives more than your own. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. You regard life. Galatians chapter 5 verse 14, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Whoa! Man, that just really, that even pinpoints it even closer, doesn't it? That focuses it in even sharper. All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. That's what Jesus did. That's the thing about Jesus' life that stands out more than the miracles, more than all of the things that he did and said. The attribute of his life, that thing of his life, that he did not live for himself. He was not a man that was about himself. They went to town to get something to eat because they was hungry. Needed a break. You reckon he was hungry? The devil came to him after 40 days in the wilderness of fasting and he said afterward he was in hunger and the devil came to him and said, turn these stones into bread, you can do it. What was the devil trying to do? He was trying to get him to please himself. Did he have it right? Well, that's the way most people look at it. I mean, he could do it. Why not do it? It would have ruined everything if he had. It would have ruined everything. I couldn't preach this sermon this morning if Jesus had turned the stones into bread and satisfied his hunger. It didn't matter if he was hungry. It didn't matter if he was cold. It didn't matter if his heart was broken. It didn't matter if people spit in his face. or drove nails in his hand. He said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. He didn't respond to the sins of others with pride or any kind of selfish interest at all, or selfish response, or holier than thou. The Pharisees did. Everybody else did. Everybody else still does. They said, he can't be a prophet or he would know what kind of woman this is that's rubbing on his feet. Well, he knew. He just didn't respond to her the same as they did. Why not? Well, for God so loved the world. That's why. Because He cared for her soul. If He had not, what would have ever happened to her? What if her only hope would have been the Pharisees or the Sadducees? Well, she'd be in hell right now. That's why he said, the publicans and the heartless go into the kingdom of heaven before you. It's something people respond to, too. It's something people are looking for in a Christian. They're looking for that reality of unselfishness, that reality of no pride, humility, true humility, not fake, feigned, made up, not a religious costume they're wearing. They're looking through all of that junk for the reality of this. It's the true measure of true saving faith. How much of me, how much of my life, how much of what I do, what I think, how much of it is for me and how much of it is for God and His kingdom? How much of my time? How much time do we invest in reading, studying, praying, and seeking to know God more? I mean, if you got a chart here and you're comparing time you spend on yourself and time you spend seeking God and His righteousness, seeking to know God, seeking to learn about, I mean, where are you at on your graph here, your gauges? Think about it. You got 24 hours a day. How many of those hours are flat, wasted? And how many of those hours are spent in self-indulgence? How many of those hours are spent in selfish thoughts? Well, are you feeling good? How much of our time do we spend in any effort to reach out to others in any real tangible way? I'm talking about letters, phone calls, communication of any kind. You know, we started reading Revelation and I'm just, oh, my soul, I see so much there. In the churches, a great door was opened. I mean, the great opportunity. That's what we got right now. You can communicate with anybody, almost anybody in the world. All of us can. What are we doing with this opportunity? Nothing, basically. All we can think about is some selfish thrill, some laugh, some self... you know, increasing self and my knowledge and my understanding. I can just learn, learn, learn. I just know all this stuff. I can just learn. Gathering information and knowledge and stupid opinions of ignorant people in this world. And the world's perishing. And we got all these hours and all these days that we could be using to reach out there somehow to somebody. I went out there. What did I do with it? I went out there to the mailbox and there's a letter. Well, it's here somewhere. But there's an envelope. No return address, no signature, nothing. It's just a letter from somebody with a couple of little cards in it, like they're track cards is what that is. You put them in places and stuff like that. But nobody seeking any glory because I don't have a clue who it is, where it come from, nothing. Just a little short letter, just thank you for the powerful message, Bible-centered message on this subject, on sermon audio, and blah, blah, blah, and you know, this is something that Christians need to be doing. Just something! Doing something! That's just somebody, somewhere, that ain't a church, that ain't an organization, that's just a Christian somewhere, who's concerned about all the evil, and wanting to do something about it. and just reaching out with a letter and saying, here, you know, I can help you with these if you want to put these somewhere. Well, what have we done? What have you done? Not even thought about it. We just look out there and say, oh, a bunch of Sodomites. God's going to rain fire and brimstone on them, yes sir, and we're going to be glad when he does. Jesus said, if Sodom would have heard the things you hear, They would have repented and sat clothed in ashes. And God would have been glad. Jonah went down to Nineveh and preached to them. God wanted them saved. And Jonah was mad when God didn't destroy him. There you go. That's how most people are. How much of our time do we spend trying to reach people? There's all kinds of ways. There's endless avenues that we could use, and everybody in here could do it. You can write to people. You can visit nursing homes and hospitals and jails. It's wide open. Lord, help me not to get to coughing here. If we're honest, we'll have to admit that most of our time is spent in our own interests and pleasures, and whatever time we give to these other matters is really only a token to keep our conscience quiet. I go to church. I mean, I'm a member of a good church. I mean, I help. I give. Jesus gave it all. All! Every minute of every day of his life was lived for God. God's will to do God's will. To bring honor to God. We just do it in spurts and little... You want to do it? And thumbs ups. How much of my strength? When we stand before God and give account for ourselves, what will be shown that we have worn ourselves out on while living on earth? You ever think about that? I mean there the truth is absolutely going to be shown, come out. God's keeping records. If we're going to give account of every idle word that we speak, And we're gonna give a count of ourselves before God. Every man shall give a count of himself before God. If that's really the way it's gonna be, then we know that the truth is really gonna come out then. What have I worn myself out on in my life? I had my life, I had my strength, I had my youth. What did I spend it on? Vanity or are things eternal? I wonder sometimes people even know the difference. How much of our strength and vitality is actually spent on the kingdom of God? In the garden. Such a sad and heartbreaking scene to me. Jesus is at his most, I mean, the pressure, the hour. He sweat as it were great drops of blood. I mean, you talk about the load of everything. It was on him that night. He said, can you pray with me? What'd they do? Went to sleep. He came back and he said, what? Can't you pray with me one hour? Twice. He come back and they're sleeping twice. They're not, you know. His strength was completely spent on that. What had they been doing? I mean, they were so tired they couldn't even stay awake to pray for him in the most critical hour. So, how much of my possessions? What is our real heart attitude about the things we possess? Is it a clinging to what is mine? Or do we really just count it as junk, because that's what it is? How much do your possessions mean to you? I guess it depends on how much are worth. No, no. People will cling to worthless things. How much of my heart, where do my affections really lie? Here, Jesus said in Matthew 22 and verse 36 and 37. I'm sorry, I'm reading the wrong verse here. I'm getting ahead of myself just a little bit. Where do my affections truly lie? Where are they supposed to lie? Well, here's what he said. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus didn't hesitate, didn't have to think on it. He didn't have to go to the books and find it. He said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. He was quoting Deuteronomy 6 and verse 5. Jesus was. Did you ever notice Jesus always quoted Deuteronomy? Look at all the places Jesus quoted scripture. Deuteronomy. You don't like Deuteronomy? Jesus did. What is supposed to be the supreme affection of our heart? God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Is there anyone or anything that we love more? Well, here's what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 37, he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Man, that just kind of leaves us out on a limb, don't it? I mean, you'll just have to search your own heart, all of us do. Who do I really love the most? I mean when it comes right down to it. How much of my mind? Let me ask you something. What occupies most of the capacity of your mind? What is your mind full of? Think about it. What's your mind full of? Garbage of the world. Selfish desires and ambitions and thoughts. Critical, mean, hateful thoughts. Oh, how much room is there in there for God? How much of the capacity of your mind is taken up with God? Eternity. The great need around us right now in this lost world. How much of your mind is taken up with that? Your mind's a pretty big thing. We talk about small minds, but your mind's a pretty awesome thing. There's a big space in there. How much of it's taken up with the things of this world and how much of it's taken up. Hey, let me ask you this. What are your sweetest and dearest memories centered around? with all thy mind." What's your dearest and sweetest memories? Some earthly thing you did? Your sweetest memories of life centered around some place you used to live? Some place you've been sometime? What should they be? What should the sweetest memories in your mind be? Well, they should be of God and His dealings with you. They should be of God's people and the blessing they've been to you. All the blessings of God and His people. That's what ought to occupy your mind. So how much? How much of my body do I yield to God? How much of my presentation of myself and my appearance is under the Lordship of Christ? Or how much am I seeking the eyes of the world or somebody else? Women, how much is it seeking the eye of a man or men? Or how much is it seeking the eyes of women, men? When you dress yourself, when you paint yourself, when you pierce yourself, what are you looking at? Who is that toward? What are you thinking about? The glory and honor of God? I don't think so. I don't think a tattoo brings glory and honor to God. And I don't think poking holes in your nose and all over you, I don't think that does either. God made man a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. And then we take that that he created in his image and crowned with glory and honor and we go to Walmart and look what man has done. How much of your body do you yield to God? Let me tell you something, your body is His. Lost or saved, He's bought you. It belongs to Him. You can paint it, and you can tear it up, and you can mutilate it, and you can do whatever you wanted to, but it's just like stolen property. It's like you stole somebody's car and you're vandalizing it. It's dishonoring. That's what Romans chapter one talks about. They dishonored their bodies. They dishonored themselves. It's a dishonor. So how we dress, how we present our bodies to the world says a lot. I mean, it tells a story of whether we're living for self or whether we're living for God. Sorry, but that's just the truth. You might as well just choke it on down. A lot of people won't take that. They'll spit it right out, but it'll get spit right back at you when you stand before God, because you heard. It's God's body. He made it. He can do with it what He wants, and He will. Right now, you've got the possession. And so you, you're going to answer for what you do with it. We're going to give account of the deeds we do in our body. Well, it says. So how much do I consider others in how I present my body? Well, I see everywhere I go, they don't give a hoot about what you think, what you see, what your kids see, what your husband sees. They don't care if it gags you. They don't care if it, if it, you know, what it does to you. You just look the other way. That's the thing. Women think they can go naked and it's dirty old men that have evil thoughts. No, you're a dirty harlot is what you are. Flaunting yourself around in front of everybody and acting like nobody should think nothing and they're evil. No, you're the evil one. How much do I consider others when I present my body? It's a selfish person. Self-seeking. They do that in order to get the attention of other people on themselves. So they, you know, it's like that thing we was talking about. All these women are putting on Facebook. Somebody help me. It says, post this to see how many, what it is about me that everybody loves the most. Good night of life. What in the world is the matter with... Well, I know what's the matter. It's just what I'm preaching about. What do you think of me? I mean, look at me. What is it you love most about me? It's just unbelievable that people can be so steeped in it and blind to it. Look at me, look at me, look at me. No, this is not, Jesus, His life was not about, look at me, look at me. It was, look to God. Preaching is supposed to be that way. It's not about, wow, what a preacher. It's, wow, what a Lord. That's the thing, that's the way it's supposed to be. What controls my appetites? Still talking about the body. Do I consider the honor of God or just the lust of my own flesh? Hmm? My life is about the honor of God. I mean, that's my testimony. And to honor God, I've got to live for Him and love others as myself. And lay down my life. Lay down my life. It don't count. What does it matter? What people think of me? What people say about me? What they do to me? What does it matter? Paul wrote to him and he said, why do you write to me and break my heart by telling me that I shouldn't go up there to Rome, you know, and all that? He said, I'm ready to die. What does it matter to me? See what broke his heart? That they thought more of him than they did of God and the work of God. This is all about God and his kingdom and it's not about me, Paul. Well then it's not about me either. And it's not about you either. How about how much of my rights? Let me just hurry here. What do I cling to in regard to my rights to myself? What do you think you got a right to yourself? What are you clinging to? What are you holding on to? I mean, I'll go this far, but you ain't pushing me that high. Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh. I mean, I got my rights. I got a right to make up my own mind. I got a right to do what I please, do what I think. Oh, yeah? You want to show me that in here somewhere? You want to show me that in the life of Christ and anywhere in His example? The example, the standard that we're going to be measured by. You understand that? He is going to be the measure. And the whole purpose of the church and the whole purpose of sanctification is to bring us to this measure, the stature, the fullness of Christ. So we're yet in this, we're yet in this Well, see, the words are failing me. Where you at in this process? What do I cling to in regards to my right to myself? What do I refuse to surrender when it comes to making my decisions about life? How do you react when things don't go your way? When you don't get what you want? When your plans are just wham, wiped out? What you thought, what you wanted is just flattened to the ground and burnt to a crisp. And it ain't never gonna happen. How do you react? How can you take it whenever you don't get what you want? How do you react when what you think is right just doesn't happen? How do you take it if you are wronged by somebody else? How do you take it? If somebody does trespass against you, somebody does transgress against you, how do you react? Well, it shows you how much of your right to yourself you're hanging on to. If they were driving nails in your hands, you hadn't done a thing, you're innocent, everybody knows it, and they're doing it to you anyway, can you say... I mean, after they've spit in your face, and beat you, and railed on you, and cursed you, and called you every name in the book, and then throw you on a cross and nail you to it, would you say, Father, forgive them? They know not what they did. These two thieves on the cross, everybody talks about the good and then the bad one. They both railed on him saying, if you're the son of God, get us down from here. They both did. But one wised up. Did Jesus hold it against him? He said, no man, I heard you a while ago. Don't you remember what you said a while ago? No, not Jesus. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. But what about us? Would you do that? Would you? Now wait a minute, remember? Remember what you said a while ago? Remember what you did to me? How much authority over my life do I yield to God and how much do I retain? You see, it's not how much you give, but how much you keep. That's how God measures things. The widow throwed in the two mites. The rich man throwed in out of their abundance. Jesus said, she cast in more because she gave all. She didn't keep nothing. She went home with nothing. The rich man went home with their pockets still full. So it's what you keep. It's what God measures by. I must decrease. He must increase. That's the Christian life. It's what it is to be like Jesus. Now, the main concept that we got to have about all this, now listen to me, because some of you are going to take what I said just here and then you're going to say, I just don't know what to do about all this. I just don't know. Well, listen to me. The main concept we must have about all this is how it looks in the sight of God and how it affects and influences other people. Do you understand what I said there in tying all of that together? How much of our time, how much of our heart, how much of our mind and body and rights and all of that? We're all talking about me, me, me, me, me, but we got to have an outward look. Don't take all this and just look at yourself and look at yourself. Look out. What is other people seeing? What are other people seeing in me? And don't put up a false facade to try to make them believe that you're something you're really not. Be what you're supposed to be. You can't fool people. I mean, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. There's more to that, but I mean, that's all you need to know right there. You can't fool some of the people. I mean, you can fool some of them some of the time, but you can't fool them all of the time. They're going to see through you. There's a stink that comes with hypocrisy that's just there. And it oozes out. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19 through 20. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not of your own? For ye are bought even with a price. You are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. You see? Your body, which is God's. That my very being, when all is refined down to what I really am in my heart and in my mind and what I care about and what I invest in the most, that is what I really am. Romans chapter 15 verse 3, for even Christ pleased not Himself. What about that? even Christ, please not himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." He didn't please himself, but he bore our shame and our reproach. Philippians chapter 2, verses 4 through 7. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus Who being found in the for who being in the form of a of God thought it not? robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and Took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men So look not every man on his own things. Is that what Jesus did when he lived here? Did he do that right there? He went about doing Good. He went about seeking. He came to seek and to save those that were lost. That's what he did, didn't he? Everywhere he went. Did he go there to get something to eat? Did he go there to see the great sights? Did he go there to enjoy the festival, the feast? What did he go there for? people. There was people there that needed to know God, needed to hear from God every time. That's what his life was about. Is that clear enough? Okay, well we'll spend another 45 minutes trying to make it clear here. This is our testimony on earth. This is our testimony on earth. What is our testimony on earth? Living unselfishly. Being unselfish. I'm not talking about just in what we give and money and things and all that. It's your heart, your mind, your spirit, your attitude toward God and other people. How do you see this world? Do you see it from your little castle with your walls around it? Or do you see it as fields, ripe unto harvest, and nobody's doing anything? Do you see it as the opportunity of the ages? The great harvest is here. I mean, this is the time. This is the last day of the year, marking the time. The whole world's anxious. The whole world is fearful. Because we've never lived in times like this. And I urge you this morning to get serious about God, your walk with God, your life, what you are, how you look at this world, what you're doing about it, priorities, what really matters. There is no telling. where we'll be next year. If another year rolls around, and the Lord don't come, and we get to December the 31st next year, I don't know what we're gonna be looking at. But the world is changing fast, and the window of opportunity is closing fast. And we need to work while it's day, for the night cometh, when no man can work. It's our testimony on earth, and it will be what testifies for or against us when we stand before God. Did we love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourself? Is that our testimony of our life? Would people say that about you? Me? Wouldn't they? To be like Jesus is to live your life for the honor and glory and the will of God, and to love others and to esteem their lives more than your own. Now that's it right there. That's not something new. That is orthodox right there, Christianity. Rare in this generation. Rare in this generation. And I'm going to keep preaching. I was telling Seth yesterday, December, this is the holiday season. Usually it's the most unspiritual time of the year. It's when all the churches just get, they're all caught up in this Christmas spirit and all of that. And this month, now we're going to have over 6,000 on Sermon Audio downloads. That's 6,000 times people have listened to messages from this little old place. from me, uneducated, stumbling, coughing, saying things wrong. And what if, I told her the other day, what if everybody that has the truth would just use the means to do this? This is over twice as much as we've ever had in all of these years this month. Amazing. Everybody's scared. The world is. Everybody's, there's a lot of people looking. Many that you would never suspect. Don't look out there and look at their outward appearance and say, ah, there it is, there ain't no hope, right? Ain't no use talking to them. No, the ones you better think that way about is these mossbacks in the churches. that are all set in their ways and happy with their casseroles and their potluck suppers and their singings and their concerts and their, what did one of them old guys call them, a Christian hootenanny. They don't even know what a hootenanny is. Look it up. Father, thank you for the Word of God. It's true. Lord, I know this is true. Oh, that people would hear it and believe it. and apply it and live it. Lord, we're coming down to the last chance that we have to do something about all this carelessness and loose living and thinking and vanity in our lives. Help us, Father, I pray. Deal with hearts, in Jesus' name. Amen.