SELF-CONTROL - FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - CHRIS HODGES

[Music] [Music] [Music] all right who's glad to be in church today anybody anybody how about we give Jesus a great hand clap of Praise everybody good to see you oh what a joy it is to be with you in church welcome to week number nine and the conclusion of our series on the fruit of the spirit and I'll tell you more about that in just a second as always ID like to begin by greeting all of our camp We Are One Church that just happens to meet in uh 24 different locations across Alabama and Georgia

and of course we are bringing this into more than 27 of Alabama's Department of Corrections facilities so God bless you men and women that are there uh what a joy also uh to be able to stream this for those that are somewhere around the world or maybe you're homesick I hope that's not the case but if you're watching online we're glad you're with us or later on demand Grant smill like you've never done it before come on put your hands together they can hear you come come on let them hear you that's awesome and just

a quick word before we get into the message today y'all know we have this little event going on this week called an election y'all heard about that everybody and uh and I just wanted to give you just a quick little thought uh on that and that is vote everybody just vote okay make sure you participate in the process and yeah vote okay come on people pay they gave their lives to give you that that opportunity and then pray everybody we need to pray for our country we have a divided country right now uh I think

it's a wonderful opportunity for a move of the spirit of God I think the Winds of Revival are getting ready to blow across America I truly believe that and I've seen two extremes that are happening right now there's this indifferent group of people that are like yeah whatever you know and they say I don't know how they figure this stuff out but the estimates are that 32 million churchgoing Christians are going to sit it out don't sit it out everybody go go let your voice be heard everybody right and then there's this this other extreme

they're freaking out come on right uh just worried about everything listen to me look in my eyes I'm your pastor God is still in control before the election and after the election you need to know that all right he's not nervous you don't need to be I say take it seriously but you don't need to be nervous and then on um Wednesday night we'll gather together of course that'll be the day after I'll be in the service with us and we're going to have a great time of worship and prayer together mentioning the the people

who gave their lives so that we could had that opportunity um we we're celebrating a week from tomorrow Veterans Day uh it's in a second annual event that we've had uh as a as an event sponsored by Highlands College where we are honoring veterans last year it was one of the most incredible events I've ever attended in my life and we're honored to host uh our veterans there's a breakfast at 8:00 a.m. the service begins at 900 a.m. we have a few spots left I would love for you to go to the Highlands college. edu

website and register if you are a veteran so we make sure we have a space safe for you but there's only a few spots left but we really would love for you to be there and how about we go ahead and put our hands together and honor all the veterans that are in the room right now awesome thank you for that and then you've already heard about this but let me give you my quick little take in two weeks uh from today we're going to start uh and a series that we've been doing for 15

years to do really what Jesus did uh this is not a time to be silly or we're not just watching movies okay Jesus told stories Modern Day stories to illustrate spiritual truth they were called Parables so we take movies that actually have Redemption built into the stories and we're going to preach between the clips and we just found uh that this is one of the best ways to reach people that are far from God so it is the best time all year long to have someone who's far from God sitting with you uh in church

in fact if if history repeats itself we'll have more than 20,000 visitors in three weeks and thousands will get their lives to Jesus so let's get ready for that we only do this so we can get more people into heaven amen everybody all right we're in week number nine of this series on the fruit of the spirit intentionally put during this election season knowing that is really important we believe uh that Christians not just believe in values but they live out their biblical values and I think it's challenging right now in a world that is

so divisive and everybody's mad about something and everybody's picking a side that's fine you can you can have an opinion without being disrespectful amen everybody and God calls us actually to live out our Christian values because we are the testimony the Bible is very clear about this that how we live points people to what God actually looks like and so that's why we're working on these values where we're doing them because the world needs us to look like Christ look actually look like Christians they shall know you are my disciples by the love you have

one for for another Jesus said the second reason why we're doing this is that it's fruit fruit lets us know if our Christianity is right or not so it gives us this little checkup on our faith we're getting a little checkup here uh in the series like and and if and and if it just if we go over a topic or one of the fruit of the spirit and you're thinking well I don't look nothing like that just let that be a self-correction like wait a minute then I need to work on my Christianity I

need to let this this work out in my life better because it's fruit it's a byproduct of who we are and the last reason we're talking about this is that God wants great things for us this is one of the Bedrock principles of Highlands the reason why we called it Highlands is that God has more we want to encourage you guys just to continue in your faith faith is not just this belief in Christianity hopefully I I I bought myself some fire insurance and go live like I want you know however no no no God

has God has great things for our life can you say a good amen right there everybody right you believe that and so the verse that we're learning from is a is a text that we've read every week here here's the conclusion of it but the Fruit of the Spirit for the results of being full of God are love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and then today we're going to talk about well this one this is really it's boy this is one I think I think this applies every single one of us in the

room is self-control and then it gives us a little line that I've been explaining every week in the series against such thing there is no law that's the Bible's Way to say like rules can't teach you this you can't just have a rule book that says hey be nice or be kind or be generous or don't be mad don't don't don't don't don't if you if you ever have this external law which is what the old testament's all about without an internal change it never works all right and so what the Bible is saying is

this is not a law this is a transformation this these are fruit so this is what's happening already on the inside of us and today we are going to study self contr control the King James version uses the word Temperance I love that word Temperance uh the ability to temper yourself and I was going to talk about a bunch of stories of uh and examples of people and occasions maybe in our life or ones we've seen where people just someone someone just got out of control man you even say like my God they're out of

control all right and uh and honestly I don't think I need to because we all know what that looks like we know what it looks like in our life and we certainly seen it in others and Proverbs says it this way like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control they just they've lost all control of their life and I want you to think about the areas perhaps where you don't have control of your life right and I want to I want to give you the Greek definition so I went

back to the original language of the word and this is I I didn't make this word this definition up this is actually what's in every pastor's dictionaries in every pastor's office is self-control is the virtue of one who Masters their desires and their passions so you have passions and desires and many times those get outside of the will of God and the ability to be a master of your emotions and your feelings and then honestly the word actually leans toward especially the areas of sensual Pleasures so you just need to know that all of them

are important like you know our our temper uh is an area where we need to get it in in control sometimes our attitude for some of you your thoughts are out of control some of you your emotions are out of control others of you it's it's it's not things that are on the inside they're just things like your finances are out of control or maybe your weights out of control hello everybody right I I set a goal this year to lose 20 lbs I thought I could do it over an entire year I mean come

on 20 lbs in an entire year here we are with 2 months to go I only have 30 lbs to go come on somebody where you at where you at so and but the good news is I have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up so I'm I'm going to be all right right dear Jesus right so it's out of control right get gets out of control thank God for the fast y'all that's why we fast no no that's not that's not why we fast but um it's just just of control and the Bible says that when

you I don't want you out of control and you honestly you don't want to be out of control cuz when you're out of control it makes you miserable CU right after you do the thing that you knew you shouldn't do you don't feel good about it and God wants us wants to help us in this area and by the way before you before you get too hard on yourself the Bible is filled with examples and people who were out of control God even used people who had to work through these issues and one of those

was the Apostle Paul and I love what he says boy if you ever want to encourage yourself when you're having a bad day uh just go read ma uh Romans chapter 7 because Paul who wrote more than one-third of the New Testament planted churches all across uh you know that part of the world says I really don't understand myself for I come on that's your theme verse isn't it everybody right for I want to do what is right but I don't do it instead I actually end up doing what I hate but if if I

know that what I'm doing is wrong this does show that I agree with the law and this is very important I don't want you to skim past this he because when I know it I did something that was wrong it lets me know that I have a standard on the inside of me I actually fear more for people who actually do wrong and say it's not wrong it's actually right then doing wrong and saying but I knew it was wrong hey look at me Church always make sure your heart and your actions stay aligned with

What God Says is right and wrong not with culture says right and wrong and now what your feelings say right is wrong come on clap there if you know I'm telling you the truth so he saying look I did it but I do agree I shouldn't have done it I mean I agree that the law is good so I am not the one doing wrong and this is an interesting little phrase other words I didn't do it yeah you did Paul he goes no but there's something going on in the inside of me Sin is

Sin that's living on the inside of me and so what we're going to do today I'm going to show you how you can get rid of that thing on the inside of you that drives you to do things you don't even like doing he says and I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful nature I've got this Noti words I've got this war going on this this other part of me there's this part of me that just loves God loves to worship God just grateful for what God did for me

but I've got this other thing going on side of me where I want to do what is right but I can't and uh and he of course is going to show us how in just a second he I want to do what is good but I don't I don't want to do what is wrong but I do it anyway he keeps on you he just like Paul we get it already no no no I got to talk about it more I've discovered this principle of life that when I want to do what is right I

inevitably do what is wrong I love God's law and by the way you can be a person who loves God you're going to heaven you it's not the matter that you really don't love God something else is going on in the inside of us he says I love God's law with all my heart but there's another power on the inside of me that is at war with my mind this power makes me and boy some of you feel this way like I'm a slave to it I really hate it and I keep on acting that

way making those choices and then he says this oh what a miserable you you miserable wretch you what a miserable person I am now he's kind of beating himself up here he says who is going to free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death now I'm dedicating this message to all of us who feel this way I I I I would like to believe that probably all of us have one area or another where that man you that that verse just described what I feel like because there is this cycle most

of us have been through it hopefully a bunch of us have have have gotten out of it but there this cycle of not doing what I want the lack of self-control and basically it looks like this that when I want to do right and fail I automatically have this sense of hopelessness and shame now let me be very clear there's two emotions going on when you do something that's wrong one of those God's involved in and one of those the enem is involved in the one God's involved in is he will send you the holy

spirit this is the role of the Holy Spirit and that is to convict you so when you feel bad about it that's not bad but when you start beating yourself up and saying and there's no way out now that's bad one's called conviction one's called condemnation and God never wants you condemned say Amen right there everybody Jesus did not come into the world to point his finger at you and to yell at you and fuss at you maybe like you got fussed at by other people your boss or your dad or no no no he

came to save the world he came he he didn't make he didn't come to make you sorry he came to save you he came for a solution okay you need to know that but you still are going to have this feeling on the inside now this we all have this the question is is what you do next if you if you let God in you never get this next one I'm going to show you if you don't let God in here's what usually happens and that is now I'll allow that thing to become who I

am well I'm just my daddy was angry my great granddaddy was angry you know we're Scottish we're all redheaded we just hate people no no no no right or I'm an alcoholic always was an alcoholic it's one of my things I don't like as much as I respect those those 12-step programs and I do respect them and I know they work in a lot of people's lives the fact that you can be 20 years sober and still start the whole meanings identifying with I am this no you're not you are who God says you are

you do not have to put these labels on your life and for some of you you've taken on the identity you've even said I just that's just who I am I'm feisty I'm mean I'm angry I'm a you know I I just I L I just I think the girls are so pretty no sure's quiet out there all right and then other people start noticing it and maybe even on whether it's indirectly like I'm doing on a stage right now or maybe it's someone close to you and they said dude you can't talk to your

wife that way you're like wow man why are you responding like that or really you did that again and when we challenged we actually don't allow change to take place we feel like you're wait wait wait you're you're threatening me and now we're begin to be defensive some of you gotten defensive in your sin that's who I am I can't control my feelings yes you can yes you can we don't live by our feelings we live by our choices and choices leading our feelings will follow God will change us into His Image everybody and we

have a whole generation now honestly that's just saying well that's how I was born that's just who I am no no no no no if I if I if I followed every feeling in my life I would not be your pastor right now no I submit my feelings to the will of God and he changes me into his likeness ain't that right everybody right that's that's the truth and so if you don't really handle that then you're back to that miserable place you're a place where you're beating yourself up and you really almost feel like

you're losing your life and guess what you are you're losing what God intended for you remember I said these fruit are for you these aren't for God God's not set telling you to do all these things to make him happy he's telling you about all these things so you'll be happy so oh what a miserable person I am Paul said who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death look at the next line thank God everybody read everything in yellow out loud here we go the answer is in Christ Our

yes it is there is an answer I'm here today to tell you that you do not have to continue to act that way be that way think that way feel that way come on everybody I said there's an answer in Jesus in fact the next line even though we have a chapter division um the original text did not have chapter divisions humans put that in the Bible so we could find stuff but in chapter 8 verse1 which is really just the next verse so now there is no condemnation so don't be condemned there's an answer

for those who in belong to Christ Jesus because and because you belong to him the power of the lifegiving spirit can free you you look at me everybody look at my eyes you can be free ain't that a cool thought he you can you you can be free you don't have to be that thing that makes you feel so miserable he can free you from the power of sin that leads to death the law of Moses remember I told you about the external law the rule the rules on a tablet was unable to save us

of course it was because it told us to do it but we didn't want to change it was it was external not internal the law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature so God did what the Old Testament the law couldn't do he sent his own son in a body like the bodies we Sinners have and in that body God declared an end to sin's control over Us by giving his son as a sacrifice for our sins he did this so that the just requirements of the law

would be fully satisfied in other words you just he just he he he he doesn't he doesn't just give us the law he writes it on the inside of us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the spirit so we're going to talk about self-control in fact I kind of after reading all these verses I read every place in the New Testament with the word of fact I read every verse in the whole Bible where the words self-control were used and I wrote my own little definition based on all itself self control

is the fruit of God's spirit God's power in me that helps me to do what I want to do and not to do what I know I shouldn't do so what helps me real self-control isn't a discipline it's something that's written on the inside of us through the power of God so that I can have the life I want to have in the future and I and if there's nothing else you hear I want you to hear that that if you allow me and better yet us this church and really God ultimately to take you

on a journey you can actually be free you don't have to have a life that's always angry always lusting always spending or whatever it is the thing that you think it's out of control no no no God can temper us and he can do a work in our life and and there can be misery no longer as we allow God's work in our life do you believe that church I really do I really do in fact I thought it one of the best ways to not only uh give you a a solution for this one

value this one Fruit of the Spirit uh was actually to give you some value some some solutions that really I think these serve all nine of the fruit in fact I I truly believe that what I'm getting ready to give you I'm going to give you the Practical side of all of this we're going to conclude this series with okay now go and do this go do this and I want you to hear this and this is not preacher talk I'm guaranteeing it that if you do this that you're going to start to Bear the

fruit of all nine of these and especially this area of self-control and here they are this is the Practical side we're going to close the series this way and it's just you got to tell God I was wrong you got to repent and the word repent simply means for your note takers I saw a lot of you guys heads go down you're taking notes you're using your app to take notes you are truly the most spiritual people at Church of the Highlands all right but it really literally means change your mind so you can change

your direction so you can't change your direction until you change your mind and the first thing you need to to do to change your mind is is God you're right and I'm wrong now what the world is trying to tell us right now is that when you have a feeling it's right because it's your feeling so what where where people go off the rails even in some Churches and some Christians is they say no no no for me this is my truth this is right this is okay for me no no no God is always

right it says let it let God Be Be True in every man be wrong the Bible says and when you come to the place you don't even have to get it right you just have to tell him he is right getting it right is going to happen I'm going to show you how but even when I don't understand it don't even agree with it or don't feel it if God said it that's it you're right God and I Repent make me more like you that's what it says and I'm asking you don't don't don't fall

into the lies of the world right now that's saying oh no you can have your own set of Truth God's word is truth the Bible says it is true so we just accept it his way and I don't judge it based on how I feel I don't trust my feelings I trust God I want God to change my feelings the whole essence of the Bible is change that's what it means if any be man be in Christ he is a new creation the old things are gone behold all things are made new I had a

girl come up to me oh man I think it was last year there was some like summer of last year and I was standing right here at the front between services and she kind of ran up look mid 20s and she goes oh my first time at Highlands Today and I absolutely loved it I said great that's awesome she said uh if I keep coming back are you going to try to change me I said oh yes we are yes I hope it changes me I don't want to stay the same I want to look

like Jesus come on everybody right so you're repent I'm me tell you what's going to happen this is how you'll know it's right because the second you do this is going to happen repent turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out that times of refreshing may come from the presence of God you're the second you're going to do it you're going to feel the sense of clean pure made right because you submitted yourself under the lordship of our God and it changes us then you do that that's not the only step you

take that's just saying God you're right the second thing we do if you really want to start bearing the fruit of the spirit and especially the fruit of self-control because the law doesn't work so I can't tell you look okay here's how you do it um get a filter on your internet um that's fine I'm all I'm all for it but if you still want to do it on the inside you're just going now you're now I'm almost setting you up to live this miserable life no so what I want you to do is fall

in love with Jesus okay because the best def defense is a healthy offense I can tell myself every day don't you don't commit adultery Chris don't you look at another woman don't stop don't or I can fall in love with Tammy and I don't want to look at anybody else I don't want to do any of that CU I'm so in love with her okay the more you're in love with Jesus the more you're going to want to do his commands not have to do his commands you got to get this this is the essence

of the Gospel in fact Jes Jesus himself said if you love me you will obey my commands and some people read this the wrong way here's how they read it if you love me prove it prove it by doing what I told you to do and if you don't do what I told you to do well then you don't love me that's not what it says it says if you love me you'll do what I command the emphasis is not on the obedience it's on the love because love produces obedience so I always ask people

what side of the comma are you living on on everybody are you over here trying to obey everything are you trying to are you working on your love relationship with God cuz Christianity is easier when you're in love let me show it to you in another place in this is the this is in the book of Titus this was my biggest reveal verse by the way I don't think I've ever taught this verse and I've never but I'm getting ready to tell you I've never saw that's the beauty of the Bible you read it and

you go I never saw this I really never saw this before Watch what it says oh I just can't wait to teach it to you all right so it says for the gra of God the grace of God is his extravagant love for you Grace means it's what he gave you that you did not deserve and when anybody gives you something you don't deserve you go why did you do that and it makes you fall so much in love with them so this is basically saying be in love with God watch this for the grace

of God has appeared that offers salvation to every knead on Earth every one of us everybody all right and watch this so Grace is the noun here it so it's talking about Grace it teaches the more you realize what Jesus has done for you it teaches how he loved me teaches me to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live in self-control upright Godly lives in this present age what what teaches me no somebody slapping me and telling me and yelling at me on Sundays no no no it's when you realize how much

Jesus loves you and now you fall in love with him it te like I don't want that anymore I just I I love you so much I just don't want that anymore it teaches me to say no it teaches me to say no so Grace literally is when I when I when what I ought to do becomes what I want to do and that's what I want for you the last thing I want for you is is you to go home and say oh I'mma try I'm I'mma try to do it oh PC said today

in church I don't know if I'm be able to do it I sure don't want to do it but I I don't want to go to hell or anything well I guess I'll do it no I want you just to fall in love with Jesus all right doesn't end there though so we repent God you're right I'm wrong never never never call what you're doing right if God says it's wrong then I'm a fall in love with Jesus and it's going to teach me how to say no but we also you got to realize those

things can EB and flow like you can you you have to have some way to maintain it and it comes through this daily lifestyle of a disciple so I don't know that I can actually help you come any parts of those fruits of the spirit if you've not committed to the lifestyle of a disciple so honestly so you'll do it maybe for a couple days you'll get to Tuesday maybe but if you don't commit are y'all listening to me everybody sermons sermons aren't enough in fact it hurts my feelings a little bit but sermons can't

change your life they can make you want to change your life Sundays are catalytic in nature I come here and I preach and and and and your want to goes hopefully through the roof like yeah I need that in my life but now it's up to you to walk it out look in my eyes everybody every every campus but if you don't walk it out I promise you you won't get to Tuesday or Wednesday so there has to be some lifestyle of a disciple that maintains because I got to wake up on Wednesday morning and

go Lord you're right I'm wrong and I love you and worship you and God I'm laying down all of my attitudes my sins my steps and for today God I want to live for you and God help me today give me your streng I got to do and then guess what that'll last about 24 hours and then I need to wake up on Thursday morning Lord God you're right I'm wrong God I love you and I fall in love with you today I worship you thank you for saving you didn't have to do it but

you did and oh God I'm so in love with you today and Lord I'm just and and God help me for today to say to be kind to people no nothing unhealthy out of my mouth Lord I'm giving you my mind my eyes my ears God today just for are y'all following me everybody are you going to be back on Saturday night doing everything you're back to Romans 7 and then you show up here and you the same place at what point does this in the lifestyle of a disciple I'll show it to you this

is a verse that's before the fruit of the spirit so those are in verses 22 and 23 this is verse 16 of chapter 5 it says so I say say it out loud so I say walk walk walk by the spirit and if you walk notice it's not an event it's a journey walk by the spirit and if you do you will not gratify the desires of your flesh some of you need to make this your theme verse if I walk if I just have a day I need to figure out my daily walk the

the the the Greek word for walk is parapo in the Greek and it literally means a continuous regular action a habitual way of life I did not make up that definition that comes straight from the Greek word so how do I I not gratify the desires of My Flesh how do I not get so angry like I used to how do I keep stopped from sinning how can I not want that habit that addiction that whatever it is I got to learn how to walk this thing out I'll show it to you in another place

just so you can see it his divine power has given us everything we need for a Godly life he really has through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness through these he has given us his very great and precious promises so that through them you may be able to participate in a nature that doesn't look like you it looks like Jesus it's called the divine nature having escaped the corruption of the world caused by evil desires for this very reason make every effort to add so don't just attend don't

just have an event but I got to add to it I got to have Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday are y'all following me everybody add to your faith goodness goodness knowledge knowledge self-control self-control perseverance perseverance godliness godliness like I'm working one layer at a time for if you possess these qualities not not on Sunday Sunday morning or at a at a hand raise or no no in an increasing measure if I do that they will keep me from being ineffective and unproductive I don't look like the thing I just repented of and that's what I want

for us if we're really going to get it down to okay this is more than just a good amen and a man yeah God help me with that Lord all right back to money same old same all if you really want to to change God you're right I'm wrong and I'm going to love you with all my heart and it's going to teach me how to say no but God now I'm going to commit to a lifestyle of walking it out now I'm going to fly through these y'all know our vision around here is not

our vision it came from God it's been in the Bible since the book of Exodus we just call it know God find Freedom discover your purpose make a difference I could show you 14 places Old Testament and New this is what God wants for you but those are principles those are labels those are those are titles I'm I I decided today to just I'm going to show you very quickly three things you can do under each one of these so basically it becomes 12 action steps that if you really want to be a disciple I'm

asking you to have these in Your Arsenal in fact I'm gonna fly through these okay so under no God if you really want to know God I this is just what the Bible says you first make that relationship with God public that's called water baptism if you've never been water baptized I promise you if you take that step of obedience to your to your discipleship Journey you're going to notice that saying no to sin is easier when you ignore what God has commanded us to do serving God is much harder so be water baptized well

I didn't come prepared which is why we prepared for you after every service at every campus today we have T-shirts black t-shirts black shorts underwear stuff for your hair Yeah but I I I had plans to go have brunch after this and my hair is going to be wet Jesus went to the Cross like your hair can be a little wet people going go my God why is your hair wet I I obeyed God in baptism today that's what I did and then you spend time with God every day and then weekly Worship in church

just week I'm I'm going to commit to maintaining this through weekly Worship in church the average I don't think it's true of us but the average Christian in America only goes to church twice a month it's fine but why don't why don't you just commit like I'm I'm I'm going I'm going to be there every time I can be there by the way I was just I was watching this documentary on the blue zones you know what the blue zones are that's those it was it was a secular documentary on the seven places of the

world where people lived as centenarians over 100 years old and they're the healthiest people on Earth did you know that one that in all seven zones where they have extended life and every Zone faith is one of the components that they've attributed to their longevity and they said not me that if you attend a faith service every week four times a month that it can extend your life expectancy four to 14 years and they have dated approve it now what is that why is that because when we do commit to not just a decision but

a walk a pair of poo a habitual lifestyle you begin to change so this is all under know God it under fine Freedom that's the part where we're going to work through some things in a group we're going to be honest and transparent we're going to invite the work of the Holy Spirit on the inside of us like okay I'm saved I'm I'm a Christian but now holy spirit all right work in me and I'm going to get to a friend say I need somebody else to know man I keep clicking I keep spending I

I I keep I I get mad every time you to tell another Christian not every Christian just another one and if you do that's the power of groups you're going to start to walk in this under disc discover purpose man you can discover your gifts and passions you can get on a dream team and then you can just continually like I'm not going to I'm not going to let my my Christianity my growth discipleship Journey get stagnant I'm going to be a lifelong learner and grower and by the way today is step one of the

growth track you if you've never been on it step onto it today it's is 6:00 at every location and it's where you can hear what it means to be a member of our church you're going to hear a little bit of this all over again but we talk about what it means to be a member of our church and then you can like commit to a local church it's great to attend one look at me everybody you need to belong to one you need a family you need a family so that we can do this

last step in the spiritual journey and that is make a difference make a difference make a difference difference We Make a Difference by serving God by serving other people by giving generously and sharing our faith which is what this at the movies is all about watch this some of you are going to your sin and your self-control issues are going to be solved just when you start sharing your faith with another believer because now you know they're watching you too it's true so Jesus you're you're right I'm wrong the word of God is true and

I'm never going to stop I'm never going to stop pursuing what your standard of right is period and it's in the word of God and I'm going to fall in love with you every day and I'm going have this lifestyle of a disciple and then finally I'm a guard against going back to my old way of living what does that mean that is you are going to have to put something in place and it might be a filter on your internet and not it might be an accountability partner who knows everything you're going through so

now I'm not even going to trust me I'm going to have to trust somebody else I'm have to change something and my question to you today is this listen to me just my last thought I want you to think about this what would you have to put in place for some of these things to stop have you ever thought about that I mean do I just need to tell somebody do I need an accountability like what is there something I could put in place and I remember not too long ago I was counseling um a

a one of our college students not Highlands college but I actually spoke in Tuscaloosa this week and I'm going to be in Auburn in a in a couple weeks and I love being around our college students and they always asked me about relationships and this particular girl was actually in a relationship with a with a guy where they were they were not living a holy they weren't having a holy relationship and the guy's not a Christian and so but so if she were to hear this and just try to maintain all this without making a

decision about that well good luck and I just said you know what you're going to probably in fact you're going to need to break that that relationship up cuz you're not going to be able to live out these things while you still have some things in your life that need to change because every time you make great decisions they're pulling you further and further away from God are y'all following me everybody and I told a guy one I I told a man it was like 10 years ago he had somebody in his office that he

was just lusting at just it was a secretary or something felt he thought she was so attractive he said PC I don't know if I'm going be able to handle this I said move like what quit your job and move to another city I I hate it because I want I want to be your pastor but I I'd make I'd make drastic decisions before I lose my marriage and my relationship with God and all that God's done are y'all listening to me everybody I'm not trying to be dramatic I'm just trying to say at what

point do we actually do the reality of this verse since we have the promise that you can actually be a person of love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control since you have that purify yourself God did his work do your work from everything that contaminates perfecting Holiness because I love my God bow your heads in prayer father this one's a tough one this one's this one steps on the feet God but I pray Lord that you help every one of us grow grow and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit God so Lord

let healthy conviction take place right now and I bind every bit of Shame condemnation Lord we're going to emerge from this this service this message better taking steps CU you're right and we love you and we're going to live like a disciple and we're going to make some decisions to keep our lives pure before you father I I bless the church today heads bowed eyes closed it all begins by surrendering your life to Jesus it all begins by saying Lord you're right and I Repent I'm going to give you my life and if you're here

today and you're ready to surrender your life to the control of Jesus there's a public aspect of that it happens after the service that's called baptism but the first step happens privately personally it's you and God and if that's you today today pray this prayer say I Repent I've changed my mind I'm changing my direction and I'm going to live my life for you Jesus be the Lord of my life say that whisper that right there where you are be the Lord take control of my life I Surrender my life completely to you because you're

the Son of God you are the Son of God and you rose from the dead and today I put my faith and my life in you in your name I pray amen congratulate everybody who just prayed that prayer come on everybody