Are We Really Convicted?

Have you ever seen people making resolutions that say, this year I am going to whatever, stop smoking or lose weight or start an exercise program? And indeed, they start, but after a period of time, they give up. They don't stick to it.

It's easy to make and set up goals, but it is equally easy to give up those goals. Unfortunately, it is. And what is the most important goal of our lives? The most important goal of our lives is to be working towards the Kingdom and never give up. To do our part as true Christians to be absolutely not just convinced that this is the way and that we've got to do it, but that we are convicted. Now, there's a big difference between being convinced and being convicted. And that's probably one of the reasons why people when they set up goals in their lives, they set up goals because they convinced that we're going to do this or that I'm going to stop smoking or I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to do all my best to do that. But the question is, are they really convicted? Conviction is a lot more than just being convinced. I want you to turn with me to Acts chapter 24, Acts chapter 24 verse 25. And that is a section when Paul is talking to Felix. And really, I want to look at this question very carefully, which is basically, are you really, are we really convicted? So let's look at Acts 24 verse 25. So as I was mentioning in the context, Yah was Paul talking to Felix and his wife Drusilla was there as well. And then it says in verse 25 that Paul, now as Paul reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come. Felix was afraid and answered, go away. For now, when I have a convenient time, I'll call you. And here we have a situation in which Paul was, in a sense, what we'd call, debating and trying to convince, in this case, Felix, about righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come.

And when this convincing got a little bit more than just convincing, it actually touched their heart. That became more than just convincing, became like they started being prequed. And it says, uh-uh, that's enough, don't talk anymore, I'll call you back at a convenient time. And as you read that, they were also looking for a bribe as you read a little bit further. But now, the eye is a situation that Paul is saying, listen, we gotta seek righteousness, we gotta seek self-control, because there is a judgment to come. We gotta be convicted to do righteous and to have self-control, because there's a day of reckoning.

Indeed, judgment is already started, as you and I know, on us, the Church of God. Turn with me to 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 17. 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 17. 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 17. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. Judgment is now upon us as members of the spiritual body of Christ, which is the Church of God.

And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the Gospel of God? It's interesting, because this world, this Christian world out there, does not like the world obey. Oh yeah! The grace and the love of Jesus, but obey? Oh no, I don't have to obey, because Christ has obeyed. Now I don't have to obey. But it says here, what will be the end of those who do not obey the good news of God?

The good news of God. God has instructions for us in His good news and in His plan. There's another interesting scripture, which is in Judas, just before the book of Revelation, in Judas. Now we know that Judas' context is a big part of Jude, the book of Jude. Just before Revelation. And the book of Jude, the context, is that the judgment is going to come. And you know, it gives various examples like that.

That even Satan is, dies, and the demons are going to be judged, and false teachers are going to be judged, and that judgment is going to come, and the people will be condemned. But look at verse 14 and 15 of Jude. It says, Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these also saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints.

Yes, elsewhere it says, could probably well be 144,000 of His saints. So when He comes, and the resurrection, the firstfruits, could well be that. But it says, He comes to execute judgment on all. So there's going to be a day of judgment. To convict all who are ungodly among them, for all their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in all ungodly way, and for all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

And as we're reading the sermonette, I mean society today, we hear the news, and it's all these ungodly things. It says, Judgment is going to come. Everyone will be judged according to their works. You will not duck out of it. There's no way out. And so sinners will be punished. But you and I know, as we observe God's early days, and for instance, the meaning of the eighth day, the last great day of the feast, we know there's a day of judgment, which is, as we're reading other scriptures, which is after the millennium, which is the second resurrection, a thousand years after the first. And we know that there will be a time period of judgment.

And Christ referred to it, for instance, in Matthew 11 and Matthew 12, that says, those of Sodom and those of Gomorrah and the queen of the south, it will be resurrected with you. And they will point fingers at you. So there'll be a time of judgment. That time of judgment does not necessarily mean a time of only the final decision-making of final judgment. But it's a process of probation judgment with a final end-result conclusion. So understanding that, in verse 15, I sang, execute judgment on all to convict those people. Those people in the second resurrection will be convicted.

Now that's more than convinced. They'll be convicted.

They'll be proven that what they've done is wrong. And they will not be able to duck out of it or to have any excuse. As we heard in the sermon, yeah, the sermon is referred to Romans chapter 1 and says, they are without excuse. Well, today people think, ah well, I'm okay, Jack. But at that day, they'll be proven wrong and they will be convicted. In other words, they know and they know that they know that they are wrong. Checkmate. Think about it. Convicted is like checkmate. It's not just check, you know, convinced is like check. And then you can duck out of the sweat. And then you can duck out of the sweat. And then you check, you know, when you play chess, you know, you check and then you can, oh, we duck it this way, you know, go. But convicted is like in an analogy, like checkmate. That's it. There's no way out.

This ties well together with Jesus' words that we're going to look at now, which is said on the night that he was betrayed after the Passover and foot washing ceremony. And that section I want you to turn to is John chapter 16. John chapter 16 verse 7 and 8. John chapter 16 verse 7 and 8. And he says, nevertheless, and this is part of this lecture or sermon that Jesus gave the apostles after the foot washing ceremony and the Passover on the night that he was betrayed, says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. Yes, it is to our advantage that Christ went away and is now in heaven because he sent us the Holy Spirit. You see, for if I do not go away, the help, it was God's Holy Spirit, will not come to you. But if I depart, and which he did, and he went into heaven, he's now at the right hand of the Father, he sent to us the helper, which is the Holy Spirit, which proceeds from the Father, which is God's Holy Spirit. But he sent it to us. And verse 8, and when the Holy Spirit has come, the Holy Spirit will convict, will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Of sin, because they do not believe in me. You see, because if you really believed in Christ, you would do what he tells you to do, and people don't believe in you. Or they say, I believe in Jesus. That's fake believing. Real believing is doing. I always give the example. Like for instance, you have a little, a child is on top of a chair, and you as a parent says, jump and I'll catch you. If the child believes you, the child will jump and you'll catch her, team or her. Or it's like you're on the second floor of a building, which is a fire burning, and you at the window, and the firemen are out there, and they got a big round thing, and says, jump and we'll catch you. If you believe the firemen, you will jump.

Believe means do. Believe is not just saying, oh well, I give my heart to the Lord. Believe is doing. Believe is action. And so, it says, yeah, convict the world of sin because they don't believe, they don't act, they don't do, they don't imitate Christ. Secondly, convict the world of righteousness. And it says, because I got to my father, and you see me no more. Because we need to follow his example, just like he has access to the Father and reconciling us to the Father, we have now Christ living in us, and we have to follow that reconciliation, and practice righteousness, and of judgment, because of this ruler of this world is judged. You know, when Christ died, Satan was condemned. Because until that moment, Satan will say, you'll never do it. Oh, you're just talking, you're just talking. When the God being, that through whom all things were created, including Satan, well, obviously he didn't create Satan, he created a spirit being which then went wrong and became Satan. But that being, that being was created by who we call now Christ, that spirit being which was an ease of the God family.

When Satan contradicted Christ time and time and time again, at that time was the Word. When he saw the Word emptying himself of being God, as we read in Philippians chapter 2 verse 6, he emptied himself of the form of God and became, as it says in verse 7, 2nd Philippians chapter 2, he became of the form of man, and then he died on the cross. Satan's checkmate, goodbye, is gone, is judged, is judged. So that's why it says there's going to be a judgment because Satan is judged and we will be judged. There's going to be a judgment. And so Christ, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, is telling us that God's Holy Spirit is going to convict us, is going to make us not just convinced but convicted, which is more than convinced. It's that we know, that we know, and we know it's fact convinced that the East Sun, and we got to repent, that we got to be just. In other words, we got to have righteousness, we got to practice righteousness, and there's going to be a judgment to come. And so let's look at these three sections in a little bit more detail. Conviction of sin, conviction, as it says, of righteousness, and conviction of judgment. So let's look at Acts chapter 2, which was Peter on the day that they received, and the Holy Spirit was given to the church, Acts chapter 2 verse 36.

And he was giving the sermon, and then he explained to them, and they became aware, it actually clicked in their minds that they had killed the Messiah. Because before that, he says, oh well, he's not a Messiah, you know, he says, if he's a Messiah, you would come here and rule. You'd be a king, you'd be, you'd be now establishing a kingdom. But that second coming, the first coming, was just for him to die for us. But they didn't understand that duality thing. But when they received God's Holy Spirit, and Peter is explaining to them this, then they realized they had killed Christ. And so we read in Acts chapter 2 verse 36, and he says, therefore let all the house of Israel, and it was let you all know, assuredly, it was without any doubt that God, that's the Father, made this man now that you see in Jesus whom you crucified, he's made him Lord and Messiah. He was the one that was the word that always created through him. He emptied himself of being the form of God. He became the form of man, became the form of man, and this man Christ has now gone back next to the Father, glorified back to the glory that he had before, and you have killed him. In fact, we all have.

We all have. We're all human beings. We have done that. And then verse 37, now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. When they heard this, it pricked their hearts. It hit home. It's like it was a home run. It was a home run. It really hit home. And they got it. And they said, what shall we do? They were convicted of the sin they had done, and they said, what are we going to do now?

And that's why it says, repent and be converted. The Holy Spirit, that power of God is what makes us get it.

Look at John chapter 16, back to where we were reading a moment ago. John chapter 16, where we were reading a moment ago. It's the Holy Spirit that convicts us. It's the Holy Spirit that makes us get it.

And then, Christ, we read up to verse 11. Then verse 12, it says, It says, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. I still want to teach you a lot of things, but you know, it's like your little baby, you still need a milk. You need to be, understand a little bit longer, and as you are in the church a little longer, then you start getting other things. So you can't bear it all. However, when God's Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, has come to you, God's Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.

You know, God's Holy Spirit guides us, is what makes our minds to get it, to be convicted. He says, you'll not speak of his own authority, but whatever years you'll speak, and he'll tell you things to come. You'll understand prophecy. All these things start becoming clearer.

It's God's Holy Spirit that guides us.

It's God's Holy Spirit that convicts us. So I can, or Paul, or Peter, could talk to the people and talk and talk and talk and preach and preach and preach and you can go on a corner and preach and preach and preach. You'll not save any souls unless God calls you and touches your heart. And with his Spirit opens your mind.

And as we had a blessing of children, God has done that to these children. Their minds are open. That is such a wonderful blessing.

That is such a wonderful blessing. It's God's Holy Spirit that God has not given to the world, but has given to us and to our children. And as we teach them, you read in Deuteronomy 6, you see, as you walk, as you do this, as you do that, you teach your children. As you go to the supermarket, you go, yeah, you're teaching them all the time little things. That's how they taught. And God's Holy Spirit does the rest. God's Holy Spirit is that element, that component, that triggers that conviction. I don't know, some of you probably took chemistry. And you know, in chemistry you had these labs. You know, I don't know if you had these labs and you had to put this liquid with that and whatever. But then they said, well, you do this, this, and nothing happens. But they said, if you put this little thing in the others, other liquid, yeah, and then you put this one, and then, why? Because this one was the triggering agent that caused the other combustion or whatever it was. It's the same thing with God's Holy Spirit. In an analogy, God's Holy Spirit is that triggering agent. It's that component that convicts us. It's the convicting agent.

We need God's Holy Spirit to prick our hearts, to prick our minds, and to make us really convicted. And look also at John chapter 6, verse 63.

It is the Spirit who gives life. Think about it. The Spirit is the seed of life from the Father that begets us, that begets us and gives us eternal life. He says, the flesh profits nothing. The words, that's God's words, that's the Bible. The words that I speak to you are Spirit. And they are life. God's Word, the Bible, is Spirit. The instruction you get here is Spirit. So there are two convicting agents. God's Word, the Bible, and God's Holy Spirit. That's why it's so important to read the Bible every day. There's a thing that somebody showed to me on the Internet just recently. They've done some statistics that if you read the Bible more than four times a day, suddenly the benefit of it is exponential in quality of life, in understanding, and in less fear of things, etc. It's an exponential benefit. See, so it's life, it's Spirit. It is such a powerful thing. So we have two convicting agents, which is God's Word and the Holy Spirit. Now, you and I, and in the sermon that we went into scriptures and said, we are without excuse. Man has done these things, but you know what? It's not just those people. It's easy to sit and point fingers as well. It's those people. It's all of us. Look at Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3, just a little bit further than Romans 1, we went through in the sermon. So Romans 3, look at verse 19. A big part, verse 9. Romans 3 verse 9. What then? Are we better than thy?

Not at all. For we have previously, we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they all understand. Yes, they all. But it's not just them, it's us. Because it says there's none righteous, not one. There's none that understands. There's no one that seeks after God. They all turn the side. They all have together become unprofitable. There's none that does good. No, not one. You see, we all are sinners. But there is a judgment to come. And so God's Holy Spirit convicts us that we are sinners, that we have sinned. And we've got to change. We really have to change. Now, as you read the I, you read a little bit further in verse 23. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All, you, I, we all have. And then verse 24 says, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. You see, you don't have to obey the law. You're justified freely.

You see how people convince and say things incorrectly.

Justified does not mean you don't have to obey the law. I'll give you an example. Somebody's in jail and to get out of jail, they're going to serve whatever number of years or pay a certain fine. Or maybe both. So He pays that fine a thousand dollars and therefore is justified to actually walk out free. Isn't it? Is it made just? According to that law, He's paid the penalty. And for He can now walk out free. Oh, therefore does it mean now I can go on and drive under the influence again? No! Justified means the penalty is paid. Does not mean that you can now keep breaking the law. Our penalty for our sins is death.

Our penalty is paid freely by Christ. So now we can live. Does it mean that now we can go on and sin again? No! Now that we've been forgiven gratis for nothing, for zero, for nothing, for zero, by God's mercy, by God's grace, by Christ's sacrifice, now it's even more incumbent upon us not to go back the same way. Otherwise we're making a shame of the sacrifice of Christ.

You see, we have been justified freely. Yes!

But that does not mean that now that I have the fine is paid, does not mean I can go on breaking the law.

Therefore, Paul says in verse 28 of the same chapter, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. In other words, it's not things that you do that are paid the fine, the penalty of sin. What pays the penalty of sin is Christ's sacrifice which is given to us for free. Not what you've done. Not what you wear, not how you wear, whatever. None of that. No deeds of the law.

He says, or is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, the Gentiles also. Since there is one God who will justify therefore both the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised also through faith, do we then make the law void?

Do we throw away the law because you and I have the penalty of our sin paid by the sacrifice of Christ gratis for free? No, certainly not. On the contrary, you establish the law because now that you've been forgiven for free, don't do it again. Don't get back into the same because Christ is not going to keep doing it, then doing it, then doing it. Otherwise, you're making a shame of Christ's sacrifice. Or put it another way, if there was no law. Yeah, because if we don't waive the law, so then why not do it away with the law right in the beginning? And so if there's a law, there's no sin, and if there's no sin, you don't need the sacrifice of Christ. You see, so the sacrifice of Christ proves that the law is in place, and the law is not done away. Granted, look at it in Romans chapter 2. Romans chapter 2 verse 13. This is what people don't understand. Romans chapter 2 verse 13 says, for the years of the law are not just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified.

Oh, if we justify by faith alone, but now it says the doers of the law will be justified. You're contradicting yourself. No, I'm not. The Bible is not contradicting itself, because your penalty is paid freely by the sacrifice of Christ. But now you've got to live the right way. Because if you go back to do the same thing, you go back into jail, back into the same role, and therefore you're not justified. Once your penalty is paid, now it's incumbent upon us to stay on that line. Because if we don't stay, we go back to death. You see, so that's how that is. So it's God's Holy Spirit. It's God's Holy Spirit that convicts us, that helps us to understand that we have sinned, and we've got to repent, and we've got to make a change. That is so important. And that is why Satan wants mankind to be deceived about this. That is why Christians, the whole Christianity says, Revelation 12 verse 9, Satan deceives the whole world, Revelation 12 verse 9, Satan deceives the whole world, does not say, well, just a few people, the whole world, the whole Christianity out there is deceived.

How? In many ways, but one of them is, oh well, all we have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus in your heart, and you can go on breaking the law as long as you want, because now it's the spirit that counts. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says is, yes, you are saved freely by the sacrifice of Christ, but that was an easy, big sacrifice. Don't take it lightly, because now that your sins are being paid, don't now go back to them. Live a clean life. And therefore, understand that Christ has opened the way for you to be reconciled with the Father. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20. Now then, we are bestest for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

We have a job to do. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20. You see, it's not just Christ that reconciled us. We have to be reconciled to God. It says, For he made him, who knew not to be sent for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Look at verse 19. Look at verse 19. It says, Yeah, and he has committed us the word of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is an amazing thing. It's more than forgiveness. It's all different topic. We have to forgive. We have to forgive. But you know what? It takes two to reconcile, to have real reconciliation. Christ has died for us and opened up the way for us to be reconciled to the Father.

But if you are not doing your part, and I am not doing our part, how can we be reconciled to the Father? Because Father is holy, righteous, clean, perfect. How can he have uncleanliness and impurity from us to be reconciled? To be reconciled. We have to become convicted of righteousness. You see, the first thing God's Holy Spirit does is convicts us of sin. The second point that we read early on is God's Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness. In other words, it touches your heart and my heart that we have to become righteous. It says, Be you perfect like your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect. In other words, be you clean and righteous like God and Christ are righteous. Now, we all fail miserably, but God sees the hearts. And as much as we try it, and yes, now and again, we trip, but our spirit and our attitude is to be on that path of righteousness. That's what God looks at.

So God's Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness. And therefore, that's why Peter said in that sermon during the Pentecost, Repent and be converted. Be baptized, repent and be converted. What is being baptized? Baptized is make a commitment. Make a commitment to work on yourself to be righteous. So, with conviction comes a commitment, a commitment to strive to be righteous, to be convicted and realize that we gotta strive after God's way of becoming righteous, so that we can be the righteousness of God. Look at verse 21, where we're reading just now. That's in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. That we might become the righteousness of God. Oh, it's easy to read over it, but think about it. It doesn't say the righteousness of George, or put your name there. It's the righteousness of God. It's not my self-righteousness. It's not your self-righteousness. It's God's righteousness.

You hear? No man is righteous. No, no one but God.

You see, it's not our justice. It's not our righteousness. It's the righteousness of God.

You know Matthew 6, 33? You probably know it off my heart. Secure the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It doesn't say, secure the kingdom of God and George's righteousness, or put your name there. Secure the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. What is the kingdom of God? It's the target. It's the end goal. It's God's kingdom. His righteousness is the way to that kingdom. It's the path to that kingdom. Seek you the kingdom of God and seek the path to that which is seeking God's righteousness.

We don't have God's righteousness. God's righteousness. You don't have God's righteousness. I don't have God's righteousness. I've got to seek. That's why it says hunger and thirst for righteousness, for God's righteousness. You know, human righteousness or human justice, think of it that way, is nothing but legalism.

Think about that. Our own self-righteousness is nothing but legalism. It's love far, far, far away, a long way from the righteousness of God.

Our human righteousness is incomplete. It's incomplete. You see, our human righteousness, what do we do in our human righteousness? We make additions to the law.

Our self-human righteousness, we make additions to the law. That's legalism.

That's not the love of God, because God's law is love. So what do the Pharisees do? They've got a list of 100 or whatever items. You shall not do this on the Sabbath. You shall not do that on the Sabbath. You shall not do the other on the Sabbath. That's legalism. That's human righteousness. I must do this, or I must do that, or I must not do this, or I must... That is human righteousness.

I gotta wear this, or I gotta not wear this. That is human righteousness. It's not God's righteousness. You see, God's righteousness is principles of the heart. For instance, modesty.

For instance, we read in 1 Peter 3, you know, when you don't go into these exaggerated things, but what you want is a humble spirit of the heart, meek and teachable. That's God's righteousness. It's spiritual attributes, not physical things that you say, oh well, this is it or that is it. That is legalism.

What is our righteousness? Look at Isaiah 64 verse 6. Isaiah 64 verse 6.

Isaiah 64 verse 6. We are all like an unclean thing. All our righteousness are like filthy rags. In Hebrew, that implies something like a filthy, smelly, dirty menstruation cloth. Real, filthy, dirty.

That's our righteousness. That's what it is to God. A piece of rubbish. An unclean thing.

So what are we going to do?

Not hunger and thirst for our righteousness, but hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. Look at Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10 verse 1, 2, 3. Romans chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be safe, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. I was talking to somebody recently and I was saying, it's like I was talking to Christians. Christians out there in the world have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Because they don't have God's only spirit to convict them of sin and of righteousness. Verse 3, for they be ignorant of God's righteousness. Christianity out in the world today is ignorant of God's righteousness. And so they seek to be righteous, and so they seek to establish their own righteousness with either lists of things to do, as the Pharisees do, or we even that the church could become Pharisee-like by creating our own lists of things that we do or don't do, or wear or don't wear. That's why in the church we don't say, you can wear a dress so long or so short, we just say, be modest, because it's a spiritual view. You see, they seek to establish their own righteousness, and they have not submitted to the righteousness of God, not submitted to the righteousness of God. So we have to submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law. Oh, you see, Christ is the end of the law, so there's no more law, because we've got Christ. You see, now you're injecting a meaning into this, which is not there. What Christ is, the end of the law, is that Christ is our standard. Christ is our example. Christ is who we must imitate. Christ is the ultimate end-fulfillment of somebody that has fulfilled the law. And that's how we got to imitate. He is the end of the law. In other words, the law is for us to become like Christ. That's what it is. That's why it's the end of the law, because the law is the way to us to strive, to be righteousness, the righteousness of God, so that we become like Christ, sons of God, in the kingdom of God, like Christ is the son of God. That's what it is. It's so clear.

And you read other scriptures like, we are a new creation. We are a new creation. Yes, we are. Because we are changing, seeking righteousness. In other words, being committed. We're being committed. We are convicted of righteousness. That means we are committed. So we're convicted, and then we're committed to do this. Because this conviction of righteousness takes us to a point that I'm going to be a new man. I'm going to put away the old man and put on the new man. That's what we're going to do. And that work of us becoming the new man, or the new woman, is God's work. You know, are you doing God's work? Oh, I've got to go to God's work. I've got to go out and preach. What about changing yourself? Daddy is God's work. How are you doing with that?

To become a new man. How are we doing with that? How are we doing with that?

So, God's Holy Spirit, therefore, convicts of sin, convicts that we have to change, be committed, and then he convicts of the judgment to come. Why? Because we see that otherwise there's going to be an outcome, and that outcome is for sure, and therefore, we better put the effort and have the courage to do it.

I know there are times when the fight against sin exists as if it's bigger than us. But you've got to do it. We've got to do it. We've got to fight against sin. Look at Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12.

Look at verse 4. Hebrews 12. Verse 4. It says, For you have not yet resisted to bloodshed striving against sin. You and I have to strive against sin. It's an ongoing fight. But have you been fighting to the point that you are now struggling with sin? You have to fight with your own blood? No! You see, it's a fight inside the eye, and we really got to fight. We got to do our part 110% and then God will do the rest.

It's like Thomas Edison, I think it was him, that said, he's 99.9% inspiration and 1%... No, we're not not perspiration and 1% inspiration. I mean, it's just work, work, work. That's what it is. We got to make the effort. And we got to have the courage to do it.

You see, the problem is that we are selfish. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3.

Verse 1 through 4. It says, Now this, that in the last days perilous times will come, brethren, it's Yah. Brethren, it's not 100 years from today, it's today. Men will be lovers of themselves, it's today. Lovers of money, boasters, proud, obedient to parents, unholy, unloving, brutal, without self-control. And look at it, traitors. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power. Oh yeah, they appear very Christian, but they really deny that power of self-control, that you and I have to overcome and stop sinning. Or they deny that power, says, oh, I don't have to overcome. I can just live the way it is, because Christ has made me free. You see, there's 2 sides to this thing of loving yourself. There's one side of the problem that says, oh, these people are all selfish. They're all narcissists. They're all selfish people.

There's an executive coach called Melody Wilding, a licensed social worker and professor of human behaviour at Santa College. And she said, as an executive coach, and human behaviour professor, I hear from readers every day who claim that they work with a narcissist.

Oh, it's so easy. Somebody comes to you and says, you see the problem? Is that the leadership are narcissists? Narcissists. They're selfish. That's the problem. They complain about managers and colleagues who make their work life harder than it should be, and frustrate them to no end. It was because the people are narcissists. They're selfish. Then he says, they blame, quoting again, the other person's narcissist's tendency for lack of control. Then he says, they blame, quoting again, the other person's narcissist's tendency for lack of progress. It was that finger pointing. Oh, it's the manager. It's this. It's they. They. And then she says, yeah, interesting point. Not realising that their own self-absorption might be contributing to the problem. See, every time you point a finger, there's three pointing at you and one pointing at God. So be careful when we point fingers. So, narcissism with selfishness is a personality trait that everybody has to one degree or another, less or more. We all have a degree of selfishness. We just have to watch ourselves and be careful.

We gotta be obedient in the heart and look at ourselves and analyse ourselves, examine ourselves as the scripture says. And we gotta change from the old man to the new man. That is a miracle. That is God's work. So if he's saying, well, I can't do God's work because I'm just a mother of her own. Well, you can because God's work is changing yourself.

And what's more, you're raising up future children of God. That is a big work of God's work.

That's one side. Then there's the other side. The other side is this. Oh, I'll never do it. It's too difficult. It's too hard.

I can't do it. I'm nobody. I'll never be able to win. I'll never succeed. I'm such a failure. It's impossible. And this is what they call an impossible. An eternal negative talk. That's in our minds. Always putting you down, putting you down. And this is that loud voice that is putting you down. It says, I'll never achieve. I'll never succeed. Think about the story about Elijah. And then, oh, I'll never succeed. I'll never do. Why am I? Everybody's against me. And then, you know, God was not in the thunder. God was not in the earthquake. God was not in the fire. God was in that still, small voice. You and I have to put away that loud voice that's always pushing you down. It says, I'm rubbish. I'm no one. Nobody looks at me. Nobody cares for me. We've got to put that down and listen to that still. Small voice from God, from God's Holy Spirit, that says, I will never leave you or forsake you.

He's got a liar. Because he said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Oh, yes. It's a battle. Oh, yes.

It's hard. Oh, yes. There's pain. Every successful marathon runner or athlete will realize there's pain. And you've got to break through that pain. It's a very interesting film that it just came out on a market called Overcomer. Very interesting, where it shows that this marathon runner had to push, push, push. And our Christian life is the same thing. It's pain. But we got to push. We got to, we must not give up. We must suffer with Christ. You see, it's like a difficult tunnel that you and I have to go through. You've heard about the story about the butterfly coming out of the cocoon, and then somebody cut the thing so the butterfly could come out of the cocoon easily. And then the blood or whatever it is in that butterfly doesn't go to the wings so the butterfly can fly. Why? Because it doesn't go through that difficult time. God, in His greater wisdom, knows what is right for you and I.

So there is pain. We got to suffer with Christ. But we got to push through. Don't listen to that voice that says, I'm rubbish, I can't do, I'll never succeed. But listen to the voice that says, I'll never leave or forsake you. Go through it. There's an interesting scripture that people forget. And that's in 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. I want you to look at that scripture and really think about it. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 20 and 21.

It says, 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 20 and 21. For what credit is it? When you are beaten for your faults, that you take it patiently. Look, if you've done something wrong, if you've done something wrong and you get beaten, you deserve it. I deserve it. We deserve it. But when you do good, you've done nothing wrong. And there's the suffering that keeps going on. If you take it patiently, it is commendable before God. It's like that butterfly has to go through that suffering. To come out of the cocoon. We have to suffer to go through. But you see, at the other side of the tunnel, there's a light. And the light is the kingdom of God. It's our hope. There's a light. Verse 21. For to thus you were called.

What? Why were you called to the church?

You were called to suffer. What? Is this why I got baptized? To suffer? That's what it says. For this you are called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps and suffer likewise. Wow. There's no shortcut. There's no shortcut. That is it. Even Christ said, Father, if there be possible another way, but let your will be done, not mine. And we all have to go through sufferings. Sometimes we think, oh well. Oh, oh, of course we know what God's will is. God's will is that we prosper and be good health. Yes, it is. But we've got to go through that cocoon first. We've got to go through that suffering first. And that's his greater wisdom.

So, dear brethren, God's only spirit makes us convicted that there is a sin that we've got to repent. God's only spirit makes us convicted of righteousness, which means we've got to be really committed and stick to it, committed, convicted. And God's only spirit makes us convicted of a judgment to come. That means, therefore, we've got to have the courage to go ahead and do it, even though it's going to be hard. In the end, we will receive the great reward. And look at, to complete, in Philippians chapter 1 verse 6.

Philippians chapter 1 verse 6. Philippians chapter 6.

Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.