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20. The book of Acts chapter 20. We do thank

Acts 20 · chapter mention

and praise our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for yet

another day.

Amen. Amen.

God is good.

He's a wonderful God.

And while you got Acts 20 and let's put a

thumbtack right there at Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Can you get that? Say amen. Philippians chapter 3. Amen.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Let us go before the Lord.

Father God, we come in the name of Jesus. Thank

you for praising and giving God, you're worthy of the

praise today. We thank you for a safe arrival today, God.

We thank you for waking us up this morning, Father God,

in the name of Jesus.

We come to be fed by you, God.

Feed our spirit, feed our soul, God, that we may

stand right in thy sight. We also bow before you

this morning, Father, in the name of Jesus. We come

with no shape, form, or fashion, no other plan but

to serve you today, God. and to hear a word

that will encourage us, a word that will change our

hearts to.

The righteousness of Jesus Christ. We come, God, that you

would help us to live.

This righteous life, even the more, with all the wickedness

that's going on in the world, Lord. We are in

some dangerous times, and you already prophesied that we'll be,

and they're here today. They're here now, God. Continue to

prepare us, Lord. Because you've already warned us. It's preparation time, God.

And some should already have been prepared. But it's up

to us, God, that you have given us these treasures,

these weapons of warfare, your word of God, to help

those who are losing in this battle to come and

have the victory that we have in the name of Jesus.

We dare not share this word, God.

We need and know that we have been called to

share this word to those of the lost. Help us

to be those bold soldiers in the name of Jesus.

And forgive us of our sins, Father. As we come, God,

this morning, even the more, Lord. Forgive us of our thoughts.

Forgive us of the sins we may have committed. Forgive

us of the way we may have acted, the thoughts

in our minds, the words that we may have spoke.

That were contrary to you, Father, in the name of Jesus.

All I'm saying, God, is help us.

In Jesus' holy name. We say thank God. The church

said amen.

Amen.

Chapter 20 of Acts, verse 24.

But none of these things move me, neither can I

my life give unto myself, it's Paul, so that I

might finish my course with joy.

Listen to Paul.

He's telling you, neither can I my life give unto myself.

His life belongs to the Lord, and the Lord can

do with it as he so desires. This is what

Paul's saying. We be lying when we're telling God that

at times. We want to take it back over. Paul said,

but none of these things will leave.

He's putting eternity in the hands of the Lord.

He is.

Neither can my.

Life be unto myself. He's telling us his life don't

belong to him no more. It belongs to God. And

God can do whatever he desires to do in his life.

I know we got some things we want to do.

If God tells you don't do it, you do it anyway.

But Paul said, I'm going to do what you say. See,

he took on the spirit of Jesus Christ only. Because

Jesus said, I go where you tell me to go.

I say what you tell me to say. I speak

what you tell me to speak. I do what you.

Tell me to do. In other words, my life belongs

to you. And then Paul goes on to say, so

that I might.

Finish my course with joy. He knows that if he

gave his life to God totally and take on the

very desires that God has for his life, he says...

that I might finish my course with y'all.

And that the ministry and.

That ministry and the ministry, see I said it a

couple times because see, y'all got a ministry like Paul.

Had a ministry.

And the ministry, he said, which I have received of

the Lord Jesus to testify that For the gospel of the.

Grace of God.

Y'all got that ministry. He's proclaiming. Basically what. This course

that he's on.

And his message. Was Jesus Christ.

And him crucified. Amen. See Paul.

Statement of his priority. His priority. And his value.

Is a great perspective to him. And it should be

a great perspective for.

Any believer of any age.

Self-preservation must be subject to the faithful completion of the

work assigned by the Lord Jesus Christ. To all of

us is what we should have too. Paul was single-minded

by the Lord Jesus. Paul was single-minded. He was a

single-minded person And the most important goal of.

His life was telling others. Y'all hear what I say.

The most important. There was some stuff that was important.

But the most important of his life was telling others

the good news.

Amen. That was the most important. We got important.

Stuff in our lives.

Amen.

But the most important should be.

Us telling folks about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Philippians

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and verse 7. But what things were gained

to me, Paul again, he's talking about the privilege as

a Jew. But what things were gained to me, talking

about the things that were gained and were privileged to

him as a Jew, these I counted lost for Christ.

They don't mean nothing in terms of Christ. Because he

let me know all must be given up. All we

give up for and a thousand times more, nothing we have.

Is worth us holding on when it comes to Christ.

Ye doubtless and count all things but loss for the

excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

For whom I have suffered the loss of all.

Things and do count them but done that I may

win Christ. Next to Christ, everything else is nothing. You

know what dung is, right? That's when he counted anything.

Outside of Christ. He counted as dung.

And he found in him, verse 9, not having my own,

oh my, not having my own righteousness, which is of

the Lord. But that which is through the faith of Christ.

The faith in Christ is what Christ did on the cross.

The righteousness which is of God by faith. That's a

spotless righteousness made possible by Jesus Christ by the cross.

That I may know him.

That I may know him. That I may know him

is referring to what he did on the cross and

the power of his resurrection. The power of his resurrection

is that he may know the newness of being raised

from resurrection like Jesus was. That he may know the

newness of the life that now he uses now, that

he's walking in now.

That the old life is gone, but that he.

May know him And the power of his resurrection. And

the fellowship of his suffering. Being made comfortable unto his death.

And being made conformable.

Unto his death.

Which means we must conform to what he did for

us at the cross. Not just being conformed to it,

but also understanding. that this is the only means of

salvation and sanctification.

If that even means I might.

Have changed into the resurrection of the dead, not as

though I had already changed. I ain't got that yet.

Either we're already perfected I'm still working, God's still working

on me. I'm still going forward, though. If that I

may apprehend for which also I have apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I cannot myself to have apprehended.

But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which

are behind, reaching forth.

Unto those things which I have before. So he's forgetting

those things which are behind.

Him.

Reaching forth into those things which are before.

Him.

I'm looking ahead. I ain't looking back. I'm looking ahead.

I'm not looking on what was in the past.

I'm not looking on what was in the past. I'm

not looking on what was in the past.

I'm looking ahead. Amen? These things consist of all victories

of the cross.

I'm looking ahead. You ain't looking in the past. I'm

going forward.

You can bring the past if all you want, but

I'm still looking ahead. And I press towards tomorrow. I

got a moral and spiritual target that I'm pressing towards.

I'm looking ahead for the prize of the high calling

of Christ. In Christ Jesus. Amen.

You may be seated in the house of the Lord. Amen.

Paul.

Listen to Paul's language. Paul said. I love the Lord.

I gave my everything.

To the Lord. All of my dreams, all of my hopes,

all of my desires, they end up here.

That he may live for me. It's not I that

live anymore, but.

He that lives in me. I decrease that he may increase.

I'm giving my all to Jesus Christ, holding back nothing.

Because I'm stretching.

Forth for the glory of the high calling of the

prize of Jesus Christ. Paul here denies that he has

already obtained his objective in verse 11. Amen? If that

means I'm not attained unto the resurrection of the dead,

he's saying I'm not attained yet. But my objective is

to know Christ and all that is included in this

knowledge that is experiencing his power, sharing his suffering, Being

made like Jesus in death and experiencing the resurrection from

the dead.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to be

like Jesus in his totality.

I don't want a little.

Piece of Jesus.

I want to be out of all of Jesus. At

this point in his life, Paul knew Jesus, but not

to the full.

Amen.

Amen. At this point, he knew Jesus, but not to

the full extent that was possible. This is where we are.

We know Jesus, but not to the fullness of what

is possible.

Of knowing him.

We still are getting to know him more and more

if we are trying to get to know him more

and more.

I said if we're trying to get to know him

more and more.

The only way that we can get to know him

more and more.

Is turning them pages in the Bible.

The only way we can get to know him more

and more is picking up this word of God on

a continuous basis. This has saved Psalter. They don't really

know him like they.

Need to know him.

Paul said, I don't know him like I.

Need to know him, but I'm.

Stretching forth to know him even more every day. Hallelujah. Oh,

I know we got to go to work.

We got to come home and cook dinner, clean up

a little, have a little entertainment.

But at some time of the day, we ain't doing nothing.

And if we sit around watching TV like I do sometimes,

we ain't doing nothing. And that's a time to get

to know me. We know the TV better than we

know Jesus. I'd watch almost every episode of Lord of

the Rings. I can't even turn to know Columbo no more.

I've never seen it all. Y'all hear what I'm saying?

We got to get to know Jesus that way.

I know how Columbo works better back in my head.

I'd probably watch every episode of Parabasis.

But how much do we know about Jesus? We got

to get to know him.

Paul said, I don't fully know. And I'm.

Working towards knowing him more and more and more. More

and more.

He said, I know, but not to the full extent possible.

He has experience and power, but not to the degree

he desires it. I've experienced his power. But not to

the degree that I desire it. Because I've got a

desire to experience more of the power of God. I'm

talking about me. I don't know about anybody else.

He has been made like Jesus in his death.

But he can die still more to see it and

settle just like us.

Amen, somebody. We've been made like Jesus in his death.

But we too, like Paul, can die more to sin

and more to ourselves.

We, like Paul, walk in the newness of life, but there's.

Room for improvement.

Amen.

You walk around with your head way up like this.

So you can trip over everything until you realize you

ain't really that tight.

Like folks walk around like they.

Got everything they need in life. All the money and

food and clothes. And they can stiffen their nose up

in the air towards everybody. And sooner or later, they're

going to fall off a cliff.

And they can't see the cliff coming. Here, too high.

Too pride.

We need to die more than sin itself. We walk

in the news of.

Life, but there's room for improvement. Either we're already perfected,

unlike the perfectionists.

There are some perfectionists, Brother.

Mary, who claim to be sinless in this life. Hard-mixed

then he is not. I admit that I am not.

I live in a fallible body. Sin could be an occasion.

Could be an occasion.

Amen to that. Could be.

But they claim to be sinners in this life. But

Paul admits that he is not. Because I have not

yet apprehended him fully.

So if the chief, the chief.

Of the apostle does not feel he has arrived spiritually,

you got people walking around like they already arrived. I'm

super jealous of this division of the soul of God.

Like that superintendent thought they had arrived in that church

that was in the church in the past.

They had chairs facing this way and chairs facing this.

Way up front. And they had people in the pool

pit and all the rest of the chairs facing this way.

And the church was so crowded.

People were standing up around the wall. And the superintendent

came in late because he wasn't there when.

The service started.

So he was late.

And I'm sitting here in about four rows going this

way right there. And I should come to me and say,

excuse me. I said, no. I said, if the superintendent

was on time, the superintendent would have had.

To see it.

They looked at me like I was crazy. Superintendent don't

mean more to me than to do to you like that.

Superintendent ain't nobody.

If you'd have said, excuse me, can you give me

a seat? I'd have popped up. No, I can't give

up my seat. Being that you're the superintendent, she's putting

on time. But you probably felt like you already arrived.

And when you get there, somebody's going to give you

a signal.

It wasn't me.

It wasn't me, Sister Lisa.

It wasn't me.

But the apostle does not.

Feel that he has arrived being the chief apostle.

Then neither should we. I followed after Jesus Christ.

Jesus made me.

He laid a hold of Paul on the road to.

Damascus for the very reason mentioned in verse 11.

In verse 10 and 11. To know him, that's why

he laid hands on him.

To know him, Paul conceded that he has not yet

realized this goal to the full extent possible.

But he is in hot pursuit of it.

He ain't realized the total possibilities, but yet he's in

hot pursuit of all the possibilities that's possible. You see,

people get on the job and they pursue every possibility

that they can reach on the job.

This level, that level, and another. Trying to make it.

They bootlegged some to get to other levels. They sleep

with some to get to other levels. They put their

all in it. But I will put my all in

to get to another level knowing Jesus.

That's what's important. That's what's going to keep us alive.

Along on his job and sometimes you'll wind up with

a boot that.

You've been licking.

You'll wind up with that boot, D. You're out of here.

All that boot licking got you there. The boot.

I can see it. That won't get you kicked out.

Follow after Jesus. Amen.

Get in hot pursuit. Paul was in hot pursuit of Jesus.

Amen. He lets you know in verse 12 he's in

hot pursuit of the Lord. Not as though I had.

Already attained either there or already perfect.

But I follow after that if that may happen. if

that I may apprehend for which I am apprehended of Christ, Jesus.

I'm going after this thing. He said, brother, I count

not myself to have apprehended it, though. So here Paul

did not consider that he had achieved spiritual marching. He

was not all he knew he could be.

See, we're somewhere, but we're not all that we know

we can be in Jesus. Amen.

There's room for improvement. There are thoughts still that make

me need improving on. Sometimes a little quicker of that

anger when we used to be angry all the time.

Here's the anger management right here, Jesus. I don't need

to lay on the couch and talk to somebody who's

probably angrier than I am.

I want to talk to Jesus.

Gives me the joy that the world can't comprehend.

Amen, somebody.

Paul lived in absolute confidence of his ultimate salvation. Can

we say that, church? Like we too must have perfection

as our goal. Perfection must be our goal. Let's look

at Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

I'm going to go through it. Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Go to chapter 5, not 4. Let's look at verse 4.

Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

It says, blessed are they who move, and they shall

be comforted.

Amen. These are not people.

And these are people who, blessed are they who mourn. Amen?

They mourn for sinlessness. Amen?

For they shall be comforted. So the Holy Spirit will

do for these who properly elevate themselves to spiritual power.

Amen?

To obtain the very essence of the character of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are they.

Amen.

So we too must have this mindset of perfection as our.

Goal to be perfect in Jesus Christ.

We have not arrived, but yet we need to be

working toward the prize of the.

High call, rather, of Jesus Christ.

Amen. And not to pretend, to pretend like folks are.

That sin does not exist.

We're not to pretend that sin does not exist. 1

1 John 1 · chapter mention

John chapter 1 and verse 8 tells us, if we

say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Look

who gets deceived. Your own self. keep telling folks all

the time, if you are tricking yourself, if you're deceiving yourself,

who's going to tell you? If somebody else is tricking you,

somebody might be the king. But if you're tricking yourself,

it's a hard thing.

To say.

If you say you have no sin, you deceive your

own sin.

And the truth is not in you. It's all going

on with you.

The past should not be used as a barrier to

the future. Amen? The past should not be used as

a barrier to the future, as an excuse.

For dropping out. You see, I'm.

Talking about this this morning, about how people get saved,

and they're walking this walk of salvation.

And God is blessing it rapidly.

And then you've got to know that there's a saying,

there's a bigger devil on every level. And when your

levels start coming up, things get a little bit more hard.

The trials and tribulations get a little bit more tougher.

And when they begin to get a little bit more tougher.

This is when some people, because the.

Deliverance ain't coming as fast as they want to, I

look at it like this. Right here is the prayer.

Right here is in the meantime. And right here is

the answer to the prayer of your deliverance. But people

get caught up right here in the meantime. And when

they get caught up in the meantime, a lot of

people give up right there. And they drop out. Don't

drop out.

Your strength is being tested right there.

Don't drop out.

But they want to drop out at this time. But

you got to be like Paul and have absolute confidence

of your salvation.

Amen? And not let the past be used against you. Like, see,

I tried to do this, but I can't do it.

So here's your idea. You're that person on the devil's sticks.

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.

Are you back?

Well, listen. That's what soothes your nerves instead of Jesus.

You go back to the drinking and the smoking. But

you got to hold on and don't drop out. Amen.

The past should not be used as a barrier to

the future as an excuse to drop it out. Or

for avoiding proper spiritual conduct in our relationship with God.

God ain't listening to you. You keep talking about you.

Love the Lord and you bragging. You got to think

about a holy God. A holy God.

Come on. A holy God.

What's wrong with you?

Thinking of you singing to a holy God in Iraq.

You see, you never heard of it before until a

year back. Where was it in Jesus' time? Where was

it when Jesus went on the cross for the sins

of this world? Where was it after the burial and

the resurrection? Where was this gospel rap being? Because it

should have came somewhere at the time that the Lord

began his ministry and he died on the resurrection. And

he didn't say nothing about gospel rap. Did he leave

here and forget to tell us it was a such

thing as gospel rap? Because I don't believe, I know

he didn't because, you know why I know he did?

Because he's still here. And he still ain't said nothing

about gospel rap. So our conduct.

And our relationship with God should be holy.

You see, Paul would forget his past credentials as a

Jew and the knowledge that he had of the law

and his accomplishments and sin and run the race reaching

for the finish line, pressing on towards the goal.

That's what we're supposed to be doing. Amen? Amen.

I'm going to bring the baby to the podium in

a minute. Y'all pay attention. Amen. Paul.

You know it's ironic that that just came up. I

like that. Because Paul stayed focused.

He didn't let anything take.

His focus off of him. I'm preaching in the baby's.

Heart, but I'm still focused. So if I can still

preach by the way of Holland, you can still focus

while I'm preaching. Amen to that.

Thank you, Lord.

You see, the enemy will use anything to distract you

from the very thing that God wants you to have.

You see, Paul said, when.

He said he pressed towards the mark, he pressed towards

the mark.

You know what oppressing is. To press is to keep

on going.

Don't let nothing stop you. The woman with the issue

of blood, she pressed through the crowd. Twelve years of bleeding,

she had heard about him who did what he did,

and when the crowd was there, she went before him

against the law because in the condition she was in,

she wasn't supposed to touch nobody. but she had to

get her delivered, so she pressed through the crowd. She

couldn't actually reach him, so she touched the ATM of

the H.I.M.

And got her delivered.

Why? Because she pressed towards the mark, and it all

dried up after 12 years. See, this was the crowd.

This was in the meantime, and when she touched the

ATM of the H.I.M., This was a deliverance, but in

the meanwhile, 12 years had passed.

But she kept pressing.

I said 12 years. Some people, if one minute passed.

They'd fall apart.

But Paul pressed on toward the goal of the high

calling of Christ Jesus.

In other words, Paul says, I count myself. I count

not myself to have apprehended.

Whatever gift, grace, or honor I may have received from

Jesus Christ, I consider everything as incomplete till I.

Have sinned my course. So, out of the grace.

the gifts, all of the blessings that God and Jesus

had given to him, he still said, I.

Count myself still incomplete.

People get a little guilt and they take off running

like it's done. He said, I count it as incomplete. Why?

Until I have finished my quarrel. It ain't complete until

All the grace of God, all the mercy of God,

all the gifts of God. It ain't complete until I

finish my course. Because you know what? You see, this

is it. After all the gifts God has given to me,

after all the grace and mercy he's given to me,

after all of the blessings he's given to me, they

turned their back on God.

They didn't finish the course. Dad and went to heaven.

He said, I kept myself incomplete.

He still said, I ain't arrived.

Even after all the grace and mercy and blessings and gifts,

I ain't arrived. Until I finished my course. He said,

until I got the crown. I got to get the crown.

I got to get the crown, dude. When I get

the crown, I'm in. I done finished my course. I

got to get the crown. And not just the crown.

Get the crown and have my body raised and fashioned

after his glorified body. After his glorious body. Then I

finish my course. I've got the crown and my.

Body been raised in glory.

Covered with the gloriousness of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

I finish my course. I'm there.

I've apprehended him.

I'm there. But not right now. This is the concern

as it is the sole business of my life, as

Paul says. Forgetting those things which are behind. That his

conduct is not regulated nor influenced by others. I consider

my cause, my master, my work, and my end if

others think they have time to be sinful. I play games.

I'll be idle-minded.

I have not that kind of time.

This is Paul saying, I ain't got that kind of time.

I ain't got that kind of.

Time to tell people, oh, maybe you're going to get

a little bit. He said, I ain't got that kind

of time to play that kind of game. The Lord said,

25 people in here are going to give a hundred.

He said, I ain't got that kind of time to

be playing them games. I ain't got that kind of

time walking around with my nose. I'm Bishop Duro.

No, I Because time is flying and eternity is at hand.

How about that kind of time? Because time is flying.

Eternity is at hand.

Is at hand. Your time is just about up for

this thing. So you got no time to play.

I don't have that kind of time because eternity is

at hand.

In all in all.

And all, and my all, and all.

Is in faith. I don't have time to pray. Because

my all, and all, is in faith.

Your soul is.

In faith, church.

Look at the times we're living in.

You think the Bible is right. The prophecy is here.

The end time is about to happen. You keep having

so much time, but no time for him. You're going

to find yourself shot down. You're going to be like

that movie I told y'all about.

Man with all the money trying to buy you. Man,

that money can't get you anywhere.

But you're done for, dude. He's letting you know that

you understand you're done for. You missed the first resurrection.

You missed it. It came like a blink of an eye. Yeah.

Had already arrived. No, Paul said keep working and working

and working to the end of your time.

Keep working. Don't give up.

Don't drop out. Stay in faith. Stay on your knees.

Stay in prayer. Stay in fasting. Stay in belief. Stay

away from the sinner. Keep on moving towards the high

call of Jesus Christ.

Preach the gospel to the sinner, to the Lord. Don't

hang out with them. Hang them off. Because they don't

understand it's very important in this day and time that

you hang them off. They need to know Jesus. But

if they don't want to receive it and just want

to have fun with you, shake them off.

The Bible says shake them off before they... mess you up.

Before they corrupt you, shake them off.

Because bad communication corrupts good habits.

That's scripture. That's God's word.

God has said it. Y'all know what that means. It's

a done deal.

It's a done deal.

It's over. I consider my call. He considers his calling.

God has called every one of us in this house

Every one of us that's listening on the airwaves, God

has called us. But Paul said, I have considered my calling.

All of us should be.

Considering the call that's on our life by our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ. He said, I have considered my calling.

Not only have I considered my calling, I consider the one.

That called me.

So I consider my master. And then I consider the

work that the master wants me to do.

I consider my heart. I consider my master. I consider

my work. And I also consider my end.

He was ashamed. the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was

a sinner. He was a sinner. I went to the hospital,

ministering the gospel to him. I knew he wasn't saved.

I knew he was a wretched individual. He knew he

was a wretched individual. But I knew he was dying.

He had AIDS. He was dying of fat. And you

know what I mean.

I don't know if he was trying to be bad

at his family. I was trying to give him the

word of God. He didn't want to hear it in

front of his family because he was ashamed of God.

But Paul said, I consider my calling. I consider my

master and my work and my end.

We can sit on it.

With the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't have that

kind of time.

I don't have time to be idle-minded because the idle

mind is devil worship. I don't have time to be idle-minded.

I have not that time because time is flying.

And eternity is ahead.

And I got to, and my all along is a state.

My soul is a state. I got to keep pressing

towards the mark. I got to reach for it.

People are reaching back.

The Bible said, don't put your hand to the plow

and reach back. You're not worthy of the kingdom of God.

He said, I'll reach forth. This lets us know that

Paul has strong.

Exhortation that he's making in this race. He's running this race.

He's running this race with every muscle, every nerve, in

his body, is exerting, and he's putting forth every particle

of his strength. Now, y'all hear what I'm saying? You

see runners run a race in a women's. You see

runners run a race in college and high school. What

do they all do when they get close to their

finish line?

They stretch forward.

Are you hearing me, D?

They stretch forward.

They're stretching forth for the finish line. Paul said, I

stretch forth for the finish line. Runners running a race.

They're running.

Do you really think they're running 100 yards like this?

They're running.

They're running.

They get down. And then when they get to the end,

they stretch forth. They put every part of their body

in the race. Remember Paul was saying, I put.

My all in this thing.

And when I see the finish line, I stretch forward.

He's trying to win. That's why they stretch forward.

They stretch forward because they're trying to win. Paul said,

I stretch forward. But if it's 20 runners, and Paul

stretched forward, and the man behind him stretched forward, and

the other man stretched forward, in this race, they all win.

I put it all in my running posture. Because he

was running. You know why I put it all in there?

You know why he put every fight in his body.

Every muscle in his body, everything he had to give,

he put it in.

And when he got close to the finish line, you

know why.

He stretched himself like that?

Anybody know? Because he was running for his life. See,

he wasn't running for a trophy. He wasn't running for.

The world's record.

He was running for his life.

You hear what I'm saying? He was running for his.

Life.

That's how they do it.

I've seen a race one time where a girl cheated

and tripped the other girl and she was way behind.

I think this was a little one. That girl put

everything she.

Could in when she got here. Look, you know what

she did? She didn't get back up. She didn't get

over it.

No. No. And the rest of you.

Are you with me?

She fell down.

She got back up. She fell down. She fell into sin.

But she got back up. And ran with every sin

in her. And she actually won the race. She dusted

herself off and got back up. She didn't stay down.

She didn't feel like she was defeated because she fell

short of the glory. She got back up and jumped

in the glory. And kept running the race. Paul strengthened

the people. Paul pressed on to reach the end of

the race and receive the prize, the prize of salvation

in Jesus Christ. Paul aimed to win the prize. His

aim was to win the prize. Look, The target's right there.

Why would I want to shoot over there? I'm going

to aim at the target. My job is to aim

at the target. My job is.

To aim at the target to try to hit the bullseye.

So that I can win the prize. Why would I

be pointing the way over here? My aim is off.

You got to get focused. The target's right there.

Paul said, I ain't winning the prize. But all who run,

it's a good thing. But it's not until all who

finish the race win. All who run, that's well.

But all that finish are the ones that win the prize.

For the prize of Christ Jesus is calling us.

Hear the music.

Call.

Is the summons.

To win. The victorious prize.

Of salvation. That's what God's calling us.

He summons in all of us. Get summons according to

what God is saying. Come on. put a warrant on you.

But even though they put.

A warrant on you, you'll be all right.

But miss the summons of God.

You ain't going to court. You're going to hell. And

you can't come out of there. And you're not going

to be all right. Don't miss the summons. He summons

us to win the victorious prize of salvation. The renewed

Which God from above calls us.

Back to Christ Jesus. The renewed. You know those that

need a life in Christ.

Those that are.

Not looking back to the past, but stretching forth to

the future. Those that are not allowing the past and

the folks in the past.

To dictate who and where and how we should act.

but looking forward to the one that leads.

Us, who is Jesus Christ. He's our reward, which God

from above calls us back. Amen.

And it's very willing for us to have it. We

just have to receive it. He's more than willing for

us to have it. He's trying to double it in

our life. We just need to receive it. Paul, like us,

should keep in view. See, Paul yet still keeps in view.

His crown of mourning and his glorious resurrection.

Paul can't wait to get out of here. He's looking

at it one at a time. I believe I've done

all I can do. I ain't ready yet, but I'm

going to do it.

Looking for his morning. He was looking forward.

To his morning. He wasn't afraid of death. He was

ready to go and wear a crown. He read that

crown on his head. But in due time, he was

ready for his glorious resurrection. But in due time, amen

to that. Amen. In due time, Paul was expressing his

absolute dedication.

To the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was

making a statement.

Of priorities. He had priorities. His priorities was God's priorities.

His values were God's values.

His faithfulness in completing his work in the gospel.

Of Jesus Christ.

Well, Paul replied, if you would be willing to bear

the self-denial with the deliverance of such an unwelcome message

with the Jews, they refused to, they were in denial.

There are people today that are in denial. There are

people that know and are in denial. There are people

that know him, but refuse to worship him. They refuse

to run the race. But Paul, again I say, when

you look at Paul's life, it was like.

He was sinning.

Paul said, he called himself a chief sinner.

I'm top-down.

I'm the top dollar seller. Y'all ain't better than me.

You ain't better than me, brother Thompson. I don't care

what you did.

I'm cheap, sir.

Yeah.

You hear me?

Paul said, I'm cheap, sir. But I'm absolutely now dedicated.

You know what Paul did? He just switched masters. He

didn't change his ways. He just switched masters. He switched masters,

you and me.

Then his nature changed and his ways became righteous.

He was absolutely dedicated to serving the church and prosecuting.

The sin and prosecuting the church.

He was prosecuting the church. He was absolutely dedicated in it.

But on the road to Damascus, when Jesus Christ knocked

him off that horse and he got up off his

feet and Jesus dusted him.

Off, set him on a different path.

Showed him how glad he was, gave him sight again

so he could see the right thing. Y'all know what

I'm saying. Now he's absolutely dedicated to doing what the

Lord wanted him to do. To serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

My priorities, my values, my faithfulness, my completion is in you.

Can the church say amen? I'm done. Paul was fully persuaded.

We got to get that in us. Paul was fully

persuaded because he didn't allow any distraction. He didn't allow

himself to get at the heart. I mean, when the

ship wrecked and they were floating around, Paul was fully persuaded.

Y'all calm down. We're going to make it. Don't worry

about the storm. We're going to make it through the storm.

We good. Then they made it through the storm, made

it to land. And the aliens on the ground.

And they met a fire.

And out of a fire, a serpent jumps up and

snaps on to him. And he said, holy ghost, shake

it off. And the serpent tried to catch the serpent.

He was evil.

That's why he had to throw it at them.

Shake it off. He shook it off.

And then the people on the island was watching hard

like this.

Because they knew the snake that bit him was very venomous.

And they were waiting for him to swell up and die.

But the Holy Ghost shook it off.

You can shake it off. I don't care what color.

You can shake it off. Pack it under your feet

and I like what Isaiah said about the dust.

I'm going to be talking about the dust from now on.

Put that under your feet.