Okay, take your Bibles if you will and I don't know go to first John chapter 2 first John chapter 2 if you will It's a crazy world we live in isn't it? It's a crazy world The other day or last week. I bought some books written by John Haley who is really not a very good doctor in the I don't agree with him at all and Daryl said to me, Daryl was absolutely right. He said, you're going to pass those out, well, yeah, but I did it with a different intent. I passed him out to some of the people so that they can read through the book, get what you can out of it, and point out the parts that don't agree with the Bible. You need to be able to do that. But we live in a crazy, crazy world, and we're going to look at something this morning called success. How do you define success? But in order to do that, we're going to take a look at a lot of other things in the meantime before we get to that point. But we live in a world that is full of lies. It don't we? It really is a world of lies. Evolution is a lie. And it's taught in the schools like it is if it's truth, but it's a lie. Global warming is a lie. And it's taught on television and in the schools and everywhere else like it is it's the truth, but it's a flat out lie, global warming is a lie. It's either global warming or global freezing. You don't have a chance, folks. Lord's going to destroy you, forget it. Not true. Another lie is promoted where all God's children roam, roam, roam. John 844, Jesus said, you are of your father, the devil. No, we're not all God's children. most of our Gospels presented our ally. You pick up a book and the John Hakey had the book that we passed out the other day, the Gospel that he presents is a lie. Page 151. He puts the truth and he mixes it with the lie. It's a lie. We live in a world of lies. If you remember when they tore down the wall and rushed it in the east and west Berlin and they said communism is over, that's a lie. Communism is not a communism, it's not built on concrete and mortar. Communism is an ideology, it's not over. It'll be here until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. That's a lie. We live in a world of lies. We live in a world that says you can go to church and do whatever you do and feel good and get all emotional and you're a Christian. That's a lie. That is an absolute lie. You can get a motion all day long and go to hell emotionally. That's pretty stupid. I don't go to church and get emotional. I go to church to learn the Bible. Actually, I go to church to be with other Christians who learn who know the Bible. That's for me. That's what I enjoy. That's what I get out of life. Because of one of those, because of these lies, we oftentimes look at success, is promoted as a lie today. If you look in a dictionary, The definition of success, it means to happen or turn out as planned or attempted. I wrote it down so I wouldn't make a mistake. Or to realize a goal, and I agree with that. But then it takes the word successful, and it means, according to dictionary, a winning, fame, or fortune. No, that's not successful. You can win fame and fortune, or you won't, I don't know about you, but I don't care too much for the famous people in this, in our society to you. Not too much at all. I told my daughter, I said, when I told her to look up John 647, I said, you have a miscipropee at home, she said, yeah, and I said, look up George Washington Garber, why don't you? And she said, who's he? And I said, just look him up. So she did, and when I talked to her yesterday, I think it was. I said, well, did you look up George, she said, yeah, I know why you wanted me to do that. And I said, good. And we talked it over. But there was a reason for that. You know George Washington Carver, I probably mentioned before, was a success. He was a successful person. And I hope he's in heaven today. I don't have any idea if he saved or not. But I hope he is because I'd like to meet him someday. If you like peanut butter, thank George Washington Carver. Or if you've got plastic on your automobile, any plastic at all, thank George Washington Carver. Thank you for it. Do you like salad dressing in mayonnaise? I do. I like mayonnaise. Thank George Washington Carver. 1,000 uses for peanut butter or for peanuts. And probably close to that many uses for soy beans and sweet potatoes. A brilliant human being. Left home when he was 10 years old because he was an orphan of a family of slaves. They went to get his education. Had a dollar in his pocket, the new pair of shoes he wouldn't wear because he didn't want to wear him out. One of the most brilliant men that ever lived in guess what? He was black, one of my heroes. Can you imagine the obstacles you've got to overcome in a ten years old, a black person in the 1800s or the late 1800s? Can you imagine the obstacles? Alon, or out on a highway walking down a road all by yourself ten years old and you're black and you're going to get an education unbelievable. You never had to go through that neither did I. I'm no hero not me but he is. So anyway, nothing of that. First John chapter two what is the success before we get to the and we're going to show you what a success is by the way. I hope we have time for that. Verse 18 and 1 John chapter 2, little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, notice that, if you will, that antichrist, the antichrist, the one person, that antichrist, he is coming by the way, he will be here, I'd like to see him come tomorrow, you know why? because I won't be here. If the Antichrist comes tomorrow, I will not be here. Not tomorrow, tomorrow, let's use good English here. If he comes tomorrow, I will not be here. And I hope he comes because the Bible says before the Antichrist has manifest, the church will be gone. And I'm the member of the church because I trusted Christ as my Savior. That makes me a member of the church, and when I become a member of the church, the Holy Spirit dwells in me. He will be there forever, and when the Holy Spirit has taken away out of this earth, I'm gone. I'm out of here, history. So long. I'm going to leave Al Gore behind and all the many people that I don't care for. I'm only leaving behind because I don't like everybody. But we're told because, well, let's read on here and then we'll get back. that Christ shall come. Even now there are many antichrists, many, many, many. You gotta remember this was written almost 2,000 years ago. Imagine how many more there are today. Even now John said there are many antichrists by which we know that it is the last time. The last time we're living in the last time. It means the last dispensation, the last age. And I think it's going to end soon, or I hope it does anyway. And on down to verse 22. In other words, there are many antichrist. We know it is the last time, but there are many, many more by this time. Verse 22, who is a liar, but he did deny it. Jesus is the Christ. He is antichrist. That denied the Father in the Son. Imagine that. Anyone that denies that God the Father and God the Son are one is an antichrist. It sounds like the Muslim religion to me, but I don't want to condemn anyone. I would never do that. Who so denies the Son the same has not the Father? He that acknowledges the Son has the Father also. And then down to chapter 4, if you will. Verse 2, by this Just know ye the Spirit of God. Every Spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come to the flesh is of God. And every Spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come to the flesh is not of God. And this is that Spirit of Antichrist, of which you have heard that it should come, and even now already, is it in the world. Now remember this was written close to 2,000 years ago, and that the Spirit of Antichrist was in the world 2,000 years ago, it's still here and it's getting worse and worse and worse every day. Now, I don't want anybody to get paranoid, by the way. There are still a lot of nice people in the world, aren't there? I like to talk to people. Every time I meet someone, what are I've seen before, not I don't, doesn't matter to me, but I talk to everybody I meet. There's a lot of nice people in the world. The spirit of antichrist will usually not be made manifest except in the hierarchy, people of power and authority. So you won't notice it usually with the average ordinary person, but the spirit of antichrist does exist. That doesn't mean that we should get paranoid and avoid people and ignore people and know we don't do that. But because of all the many, many lies that our society promotes, a lot of young people are forced to believe that success is fame and fortune. If I don't have the same kind of a car or a big fancy house like Mom and Dad or Uncle So and so did, then I'm not successful. And the problem of that, the real problem of that is if a young person who hasn't acquired anything by the time they're 30 years old, they haven't got a nice home, a nice car, this that, this, that, then they feel like they're not successful and they're not measuring up to society's expectations. Well, I'll tell you what, I don't have to. I don't intend to measure up to society's expectations. My home is what it is, and if you don't like it, don't bother paying me a visit. My car is what it is, and if you don't like it, don't ride in it, I will. I'm not trying to measure up to anybody's expectations. You know how one of the reasons I know that this is all dangerous, because when I was young, I was 20 years old washing dishes because I didn't think I could do anything, didn't know how to do anything, didn't have any idea what I was going to do, what I could do, or if I could do anything. I did not measure up, and then all of them suddenly things begin to change and so forth and so forth, but you know a lot of young people today because they feel like they don't measure up to society and they're trying to achieve what they're expected of them, they really to go bananas, depress, drive by shootings, go to college and because you don't measure up, you go get a gun, you get into this, you get into that, you kill a bunch of people, it's driving people crazy because of the way society looks at everything. But as a Christian, God wants you to look at things in a different perspective. He wants you to be successful or feel successful, but not according to the world. three views of success. One is the man's view or the world's view and that is you have to have this. You ever see that commercial on TV? The new one now should have went to what was it called credit report.com. Do you ever see that one? Yeah. Yeah. Now I'm driving in the issue in a little subcompact with my and my pockets or something or whatever. the idea behind it is, you're not successful. You're not successful, so you don't measure up, you're a little bit degraded, so that's the idea behind it. You know what? I don't like that. You know what I can, Dr. and Dr. and Dr. think he comes from the old anti-Christ. And there's a lot of other commercials on there. I told my wife, she didn't know I think most of these commercials are followed up by the homosexuals. I really do. I think they're behind a lot of our commercials and what's that? Yeah, absolutely. They don't know what it's like to have to work. Yeah, you're right. Remember what we said last week? When I have a problem or when I get down or when I get to, I have three ways of bringing myself back up. And I don't work anymore, but its number one is get a job. Get a job and if you're retired, then just find something to do. but find something to do. Get a job. The next thing is get a life, which is the same thing. Get a job and get a life. If you're not working anywhere, you don't have a life. I mean, how can you? Who's supporting you? Where's your money coming from? How are you getting this? Get a job and get a life. And then if you're feeling sorry for yourself, get over. Those are three principles, but I got two more. Get over, get over. So this, get a job, get a life, get over it, get over it, get over it, get over it, get over it. Too many people in this world are depressed and feel sorry. Okay, let's go on, quiet, get carried away. So we have man's view, man and the world's view of your success. Then we have your own personal view of your success. Do you look at yourself as successful? There's a real key of being successful. It's very simple. if we had time, we'll show you what it is. And then we have God's view of a successful person. All together different, isn't it? God's view isn't totally different than the world's view and my view. It's all together different. So let's take a look at a man who was successful and we're going to take a look at him this morning in Acts chapter 21. We'll begin there, if you will. and you probably know who I'm going to talk about, his name is Paul the Apostle. In Acts chapter 21, we're going to take a look at a man by the name of Paul the Apostle and then she'll go to it. Actually, go to chapter 18 here, verse 3 first, if you will. In Acts chapter 18, verse 3, I want you to take a look at Paul the Apostle. He stayed with some people called Priscilla and Claudius and Aquila and verse 3. And because he Paul was of the same craft, He abode with them and labored or worked for by their occupation, they were tent makers. Paul the Apostle was a tent maker. That's how he earned his living. He worked. He supplied his own needs. You know what? Probably made him happy, don't you think? He had a life. Of course he had a lot more to life than that. But he was a tent maker. Now go over to chapter 21, if you will. Chapter 21, and verse 37, if you will, over here, Paul Ephosal, taken prisoner, and as Paul was to be led into the castle or barracks, he said unto the chief captain, may I speak unto thee, who said, can't thou speak Greek? Art not thou, that Egyptian, who before these days made us an uproar, and let us out into little wilderness, 4,000 men that were murders, and Paul said, I am a man who was a Jew of Tarsus, a city of Celicia, a citizen of no mean city, and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. Now, Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus, and he spoke Greek, and notice something else, if you will. And when he had given him permission, the word should being permissioned here, license, permission, Paul stood on the stairs and beckoned with the hand and took the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke unto them in the Hebrew town. So Paul the Apostle was a Roman citizen, he could speak Roman. He was also a citizen of Tarsus, which was an outreach of the Roman government. In Celicia, he spoke Greek, he spoke Hebrew, he spoke Roman. I would call it, and he was a tent maker, by the way, which was a very prosperous occupation. I say he was a pretty successful, wouldn't you? I'd say what? In verse chapter 22, on down if you will. Men, brethren, and fathers, here you might defense which I make now unto you, and when they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them that kept more silence or quiet, and he said, I am barely a man, also, I am barely a man, who was a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Celicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamalillo, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, was jealous towards God as all are this day. And I perceive this way unto death binding and delivering unto prison both. So Paul the Apostle was not only a Jew, he was a Roman citizen living into, he was a Pharisee. I'm going to take a look at that shortly. I think actually let's go on here and look at a couple other verses and then we'll go take a look at that. verse 25, if you will, same chapter here, verse 25. And as they bound him with bones, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, is it lawful to you for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned? When the search centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain saying, take heed what you thou doest for this man as a Roman. Imagine that if you will. He was a Jew. He was a Roman. spoke Greek. You know, I've often said that when the adiach Christ comes along, the Bible said in Daniel chapter 9, verse 24 to 27, he will be Jewish. And in Isaiah chapter 10 it says that he will be Assyrian, but some people say, well, how can he be both? Wasn't Paul? He was a Roman Jew. Absolutely. It's very possible. Verse 27, then the chief captain came and said unto him, tell me, art thou a Roman?" He said, yea. So Paul the Apostle was all of these saints. And in verse 28 he said, he obtained his freedom, and he was free-born. So Paul the Apostle was successful. Now take in your Bible, if you will, and turn over to Philippians chapter 3, if you will. In verse 4, Paul the Apostle was successful. He felt successful. He looked successful. He acted successful as a matter of fact, when Paul the Apostle went to a stone stifle and many many of the Jews in the Book of Acts, he condemned the Christians and the Jews giving letters to put the Christians in prison, and he was well accepted and admired and respected by all the Jews that hated this new church. In verse 4, book in chapter 3, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, by the way that's success, by the way, in the world's eyes. Confidence in the flesh is success in the world's eyes. In other words, I'm happy being admired and respected by everyone. confidence in the flesh. If you have confidence in the flesh, I have a suggestion, get rid of it. The other flesh is, it's the old nature. The old nature says, I want to be respected. I want to be admired. And if I don't have a great big church, I'm a failure. That's confidence in the flesh. Well, I thank God I don't feel that way. I'll take a small church with two people that have the truth than an 18,000 church or 20,000 church and nobody has the truth. Hang it up. That's not success. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any other man think that he had reasons for which he might trust in the flesh, I'm more. That's personal success, by the way. The world's view, man's view. In verse 5, Paul said circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law of Pharisee. I don't know if you have any idea how important a Pharisee was, but look it up. One of these days, get a strong concordance or better yet a Smith Bible dictionary and look up the word Pharisee. And if you want to know what Jesus Christ thought about the Pharisees, read Matthew chapter 23. Not much. Read the whole chapter. But he was a Pharisee. He was successful. He was a success, especially in his own eyes. And in the eyes of everybody around him, he was a success. learning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless verse 7. But what things were gained successful, by the way you might put that word in there. But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to lose anything for Christ? Give up your fancy car for Christ, probably not. Give up your fancy home for Christ, probably not. Give up your paycheck for Christ, probably not. But Paul was, because he didn't think all those things meant success. You doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. Think about that. I wonder how many of us could handle that. Yeah I told you before my wife and I went every tires meal made company I took a $265,000 with me. Rolled it over into an IRA account. We thought we could live the rest of our lives on that. We were told we could. We had to roll it over into an IRA account and I thought boy this is great and I haven't worked part time here and there. I can work in the church I can do. You know what happen, the Lord took every bit of it. He said, that's terrible. I'd feel terrible. I'd be angry. Well, I'm not happy about it, but it's a big lesson. You know, who I trust for my daily needs, the Lord Jesus Christ. He forced me to go that far. He forced me to put my faith and trust in his daily provision. Took every bit of my retirement money. It's gone. Been going for a long time. What do we do, all right? My wife's dog is fat, must be getting fat pretty good. I don't know why I didn't make it up. I'll go home and apologize to him when I get home. He's really not fat, he's cute little rascal. What are we willing to suffer loss for the Lord Jesus Christ? I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done, which is a pretty hard word in and do count them but done that I may win Christ and be found in Him not having my own righteousness which is of the law. Notice the success here. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. You know what a success is? The righteousness of God by faith. My willingness to give up everything, all the things that the world you know Satan will take you up on a mountain just like he did the Lord say look at there do you want that you can have that or you can have that that's all by the way it does belong to Satan the Lord has given this world over to him it is his even though God still owns it he's in charge but he's letting Satan run it sort of like the form and it work the company owns it but they let they give the form in charge and you might not like the jerk but he's still in charge. I used to have some forms I didn't care for, but they were in charge. I used to get in my hard time. We used to fight like crazy. What an environment. Turn over the second Timothy, if you will. Timothy, chapter 1, if you will. You know I'm going to tell you personally, I probably haven't done as much as I should have done for the Lord, but I'm going to tell you, I consider myself a success. You know what a success is? Remember we were talking about George Washington Carver, a success is a person that pursues a goal and goes towards that goal to the best of their ability, but success is a person that picks herself up every time they fall and just keep plugging away. A person that's not successful when they fall stays down. They don't keep plugging. Every time a little obstacle gets in the way they give up, well, this is not for me. You know, I've tried many, many, many things in serving the Lord, many of them didn't work, but I kept plugging away. Well, Lord, if you don't want that to work, I'll do this. Well, okay, if you don't want that to work, I'll do this. And so you just keep plugging away, but I've made up my mind that if I can teach two or three people, the Bible, and I'll show you a verse here shortly, the truth, if I can teach two or three people the truth, and then they can teach two or three more, each one of them. Imagine where that'll go in time. Just imagine. Verse 10, chapter 1, 2 Timothy, if you will, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ to have abolished death and have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. unto which I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. let me just stop there for a minute and point something out if I may. The reason I picked these two verses is this reason. Remember we talked about the lie that we live in. The world is a lie. You know what the biggest lie is? The gospel. My wife said she saw John Havion, a political rally, which I don't understand. But at the rally he called the Catholic Church Babylon. Why would the idiot do that. You know what Babylon is in the Bible? We've studied this many times. What is it? Somebody tell me. Huh? It's an ideology. Yeah. It's an ideology. It's false religion, isn't it? Babylon is false religion. That's what God calls harlotry. Well, guess what John Higgy promotes? He promotes the gospel, which is the lie, which is false religion, which is Babylon. You know what the Bible says? Leave in the Lord Jesus Christ and now shall be saved. John 6.47, that's the verse I gave my daughter. Jesus Christ said, barely, barely, whosoever, believe it in me, have everlasting life. Did he lie? No, he didn't. Or did he only tell half the truth? No. He told the whole truth. All you have to do to have eternal life is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ plus nothing. But if you read the gospel on page 151 of John Hinges' new book, it'll say believe in plus this, plus that, plus that. You know what that is? Babylon. No difference in the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, Lutheran Church that make it back to church, no difference. If it's a lie, it's a lie. So I've got some technical installs in there. Yep. And the reason they do it is, well there's a multitude of reasons, but then marry me what the reasons are. I'm not going to do it. So Paul the Apostle said, I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. On down to chapter 2, if you will, look in verse 2, here's my goal. Here's my idea of being a success because I've got to tell you, there's only one person I have to please and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I feel that I can please him, I'm happy. I feel like I'm a success. Notice if you will learn chapter 2, verse 2, 2 Timothy, and the things that thou hast heard from me among many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Did you get that? Whatever, listen to this read that again. The things that thou hast heard from me. The things Timothy said, Timothy, the things you heard from me, the truth, the things you heard from me among many witnesses, by the way, let me point that verse if you guys, okay? You are all witnesses and the things you heard from me. You see, you're the witnesses, you heard it from me. The same commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. You know what I think someday probably I'll be going this fall, I won't be behind this fall, but if somebody will, hopefully the person behind this fall will be somebody that I had the opportunity to teach. And hopefully that person will teach the truth to more men who will be able to teach the truth to others also. Does that make sense? And you know what that is, that's success, isn't it? That is success. Not the fancy car, not the fancy home, not the fancy clothes, not the commercials on TV. And the credit to Ben Black grabbed down a rudiment or whatever. But that is success, isn't it? You know, I chose this verse many, many years ago when I started our institute and I started start teaching the Bible. And I chose that for that very reason. But those of you who have a couple more verses here at Nimble closed, we won't take them much more your time. First in verse 3, Paul says, in your hardness as a good soldier, you know what you are when you serve Christ as soldier. And then he says, strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strives, strive for the crown. And then in verse 6 he uses the farmer, the farmer that labor, you're everything in the Lord Jesus Christ, you're the soldier, the farmer, you're looking for the crown. And in verse 8, remember that Jesus Christ, the seed of David. And Paul says, therefore, verse 10, I endure all things for the elect's sake that they may also obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus one more verse, and then we'll go back up here if you will to Philippians. And then we'll close, but I want to point this verse out many, many times I've done, We've done this. This is the this is the the sum. This is the sum of success. Verse 11, Philippians chapter four, not that I speak in respect of warmth. Remember what Paul said. Remember all the things that Paul gave up. He was a popular. He was a Pharisee. He was a Jew. We gave all these things up just to preach the gospel to be a success in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that I speak in respect of what or not that I have learned in whatever state I am, in this to be content, have you got there yet, have you got there yet, have you learned to be content in whatever state you are, know what that is, that's the sum of success. If you're not there yet, you're not successful. You're still striving, you're still fighting the battle, you're still not trusting Christ completely, you're not happy with your Christian life. If you're not there yet, get there. I have learned to be content in whatever state I am. Boy, I'll tell you what, if you rely on this world for contentment, you're in trouble. If you rely on what you can earn, or your money, or your fame, or somebody's recognition of you, you are in trouble. Or if you rely on your lousy government, you're in trouble. You know what, I think we live in the greatest country in the world. And I think we need to pray for our country on a daily basis, twice a day if not if possible. I do. I pray for my country, this is the greatest country in the world. our politicians are going to ruin it pretty darn quick. You know I was thinking the other day, all the many things that have been written in the world. Number one is the Bible. And you know what I think number two is the Constitution of the United States, and I think number three is the one that followed it. What's the name of that? Thank you very much. I knew that until two minutes ago. I think those are the most three important things ever written in our world. But the Bible is definitely number one because without the Bible you wouldn't have the number two and the number three would you? No. You know what, when you have learned to be content in whatever state you are, as long as that contentment is in God's view, amen? Because how does God look at your success? Are you a successful person in his eyes or in the world's eyes, or how about your own eyes? I think I'm a success. I don't have much, not wealthy, not handsome, not respected. I'm not popular, but I don't care. I still think I'm a success. I'm content where I am. Let's have word parable close. By the way, hold on, hold on, look up here for a minute. Gotta do this. Gotta do this. I'm sorry. This hand represents me at the the center. I am, have been, always will be. Used to be still am. This represents my sin. I should go down and pay for it from a 6.23. The wages of sin is dead. And I hope all my kids believe this someday. This hand represents Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for my sins 2,000 years ago. He said, all I have to do is believe that. Make it personal. You know, Nobody can believe Christ died on the cross. Anybody can believe that. They'll go to hell believing that. But if you don't believe he died on the cross for you personally, you'll go to hell for your own sin. I believe he paid for mine. They're paid. I can go to heaven right now. Isn't that great? Sure is. That's the beginning of success, isn't it? Just sure is. Let's have real prayer. If you hear today and you don't know, you're going to heaven when you die, right before we close just between you and the Lord say, I believe you died on a cross for me. Then repent of your sins call it not kidding. Just believe you died on a cross for you. That's all you have to do. And you'll have eternal life. And you can thank him for it in his name. Amen. OK, please rise. Turn to page 257. We'll sing the last verse. Well, thank everyone for being here this morning. Thank you very much.