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and learn the Bible, I just pray that you would please just bless the sermon this morning, and help us to learn what we need to learn this morning, and take from it what we need to take. And God, I just pray that every single person would listen carefully to the message, and let it change them, and let it move them to greater service for you. And in Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Now, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, this theme is carried throughout the chapter, but the verse that I want to focus on right now is in verse number 17, where the Bible reads, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new. And then again, on the last verse of the chapter, where the Bible reads, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now, let me read for you another verse. You don't have to turn there. But the Bible reads in Ephesians 4-24, And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Let me read that again. And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, I'm going to lay a little bit of the foundation before I get into the message, just to explain to you the point of the sermon. But you have to understand what it says in verse number 17, that when you get saved, God makes you a new creature. Now, you hear people say all the time, well, so-and-so says he got saved, but I didn't see any change at all. And if there's no change, then somebody's not saved. You ever heard people say that before? Well, there's got to be, come on, there's got to be some kind of a change. Or you'll hear them say this. Well, if somebody gets saved, prays a prayer to get saved, and then there's no change at all, something's seriously wrong. Now, what does that even mean? I'm still trying to figure out what it means, something seriously wrong. Are they not, are you saying they're not saved? If there's no change, are you saying that a person who doesn't do any works, but believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is not saved? Is that what you mean when you say there's something seriously wrong? I still can't figure out what that means, but you have to understand that salvation is not a change. Salvation is a transformation into a brand new creature. He doesn't take the old and change it into something new. He says, I'm going to create something completely new. Now, the new man, the inward man, the new creature, the spiritual man, the Bible calls it, is what God made you the moment that you got saved. He took your spirit and regenerated it, like you could see in the word regenerate, like genes, like a gene code. He regened you, he regenerated you. He created a brand new Stephen Anderson. He created a brand new Dave Berson. He created a brand new Roger Jimenez, whatever the case may be. He created a brand new creature in your spirit, inward man. But see, your flesh did not get saved. Your flesh is unsaved this morning, because your flesh will not be saved until the resurrection, until the rapture takes place, and we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, when our body is changed to a brand new glorified, saved body. But right now, we have this dichotomy of the old man, which is the flesh that has not changed at all, never will change. It will just be created a brand new creature one day at the resurrection, and then we have the spirit, which has not been changed, but it's been a brand new creature. Now, when the Bible says old things are passed away, all things have become new, he's talking about that spiritual inward man. And so, if a person only walks in the flesh, you'll see no change, because their flesh did not change. My flesh is the same flesh it was before it got saved. Your flesh is the same flesh yours was before you got saved. And so the only way you're going to see a change is if I begin to walk in the new man, if I begin to put on a new man, boy, that's going to be different, because the new man is created in true righteousness and holiness. But think about this. Flip over in your Bible, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 10. I'm still just laying the introduction, the groundwork for the message, but look at 1 Samuel chapter 10. 1 Samuel chapter number 10. And this is just the foundational information that you need in order to understand the message, but look at 1 Samuel chapter number 10. And the Bible reads in 1 Samuel 10, 5. After that, this is Samuel speaking to Saul, after that, thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines, and it shall come to pass when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets, coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they shall prophesy. And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and watch this, and shalt be turned into another man. You see that? God is telling Saul here, and Saul was already saved at this point, but he says, when you run into these prophets, they're going to be singing spiritual songs, they're going to be singing godly, righteous music, they're going to be preaching, they're going to be prophesying, and he says, when you meet them, the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you as well, by being with them, and God will change you into another man. And then later on we see that these signs came to pass, and it says that God gave him another heart. Now flip back, if you would, to the book of Corinthians there, 1 Corinthians chapter 9, this is the last foundational scripture I'm going to show you, 1 Corinthians chapter 9. So we see that when we got saved, God created a brand new creature, a brand new man, that's completely righteous, that cannot sin, the Bible says in 1 John chapter 3, whoever is born of God cannot sin, because the seed remaineth in him. And so look, if you would, at 1 Corinthians chapter 9, in verse number 19, and see what Paul says here. For though I be free from all men, yet if I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews, to them that are under the law as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law, to them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. Did you hear that? He said I'm under the law to Christ. He said even when I'm trying to reach people that are without law, he says I'm never out from under the law. We're not under the law, we're under grace. Well, the Bible just said right there that we are under law to Christ all the time. That's what it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. That I might gain them that are without law to the weak. Look at verse 22. To the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker thereof with you. You see, have you ever heard people say, well, that's just not the way I am. That's just not my personality. You know, you think about soul winning. You talk to people and tell them, every single child of God should open their mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. I don't care whether you stammer and stutter. I don't care whether you have a lisp and a speech impediment. I don't care whether you're shy and backward and awkward. It's your job. God can use you to win people to Christ. God can use you to reproduce spiritually and see people saved. God can take... God said with stammering lips and an unknown tongue while I speak to this people. He says I'm going to take the fullest things of this world to confound the wise. And so I say that every single person should be a soul winner, should be out knocking doors, should be preaching the gospel. Everywhere you go on the job, when you're with your friends, when you meet people out and about, you should be preaching the gospel. You should be trying to win people to Christ constantly. But you say I'm just a little bit shy. I've just never been like that. I've just never been a people person, Pastor. I've just never been outgoing. That's your gift to talk to people and to meet new people and to speak to them and to tell them the gospel. But that's just not the way I am. I'm just kind of shy. Well, God is saying here that you can become another man. He says the difference that happens when I put my spirit upon you, the difference that happens when you get around other people who are singing the right kind of songs, who are preaching the right kind of preaching, who are living the right kind of life, who are doing the right kind of things, He says when you get around them and I put my spirit upon you, He says I'll make you another man. I'll make you become the person that you never thought you could be. I can make you become a soul winner. I can make you become a bold preacher of the gospel. Some people just say, well, I've just never been one of those people who just comes Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. I've just always been more of just a Sunday morning only. I'm just not that fanatical like you are, Pastor. I'm not just that zealous as you are. I'm just a little bit more casual about my Christianity. Hey, why don't you become zealous and on fire for God? Why don't you become another man? Why don't you put on the new man? Why don't you let God's spirit rest upon you so that you can become, as Saul did, another man? You see, before that happened, Saul was not the way he was after that happened. If you study the life of Saul, you'll see before that happened, he was very timid. He was shy. He was scared. He was a little bit backward. He was embarrassed. They tried to make him king. He's embarrassed. He's shy. He's backward. He's very meek. He's very humble. But what happened? The Holy Spirit came upon him. God made him another man. He became a bold, fiery leader who rallied an entire nation to him. Every man that he saw that was a strong man, that was a fighter, that had skills that could be used for the battle, he took that man and said, Hey, you, follow me. Come with me. That's what the Bible says. Everybody that he saw, he could see the potential. He saw some man working somewhere in some field, and he said, Well, I see in that man the potential to be a great warrior. And he said, Hey, come follow me. Come fight the Lord's battles with me. And every single one of them said, Yes, sir, I will get behind. I'm going to follow you. And he became a great leader. Why? Because that was his personality. Because he was just one of those charismatic kind of leaders. No, God made him that kind of a charismatic leader. God made him become the person that Israel needed. Israel was under bondage to the Philistines, and they needed that kind of a leader. They needed an angry man. Remember, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and his anger was kindled, the Bible says, against the Philistines. They needed a warrior. They needed a fighter. They needed a leader. They needed somebody who could rally people and lead them and fire them up. And God said, I'm going to take a man that doesn't have these qualities, but I'm going to take a man who's little in his own sight, a man who is willing to let me change him into the man that I want him to be. See, the thing about Saul is that he was told that this would happen. He said, You're going to go down this hill. You know, if you read the whole chapter in 1 Samuel 10, you're going to go down this hill. You're going to meet a company of... This is what's going to happen. He says, You're going to be the king of Israel. God's going to use you. And he said, Go through it, and just let these things happen. He says, Meet these people. They're going to offer you some bread. They're going to offer you a bottle of wine. He said, Take it from them. They're going to offer you... And obviously there's a lot of things pictured there about the power of God and the Holy Spirit, but he says, They're going to offer this to you. Take it. And Saul said, Okay, I'll do it. I'm willing. I'm willing to be another man. I'm willing to be somebody greater than I am. I'm willing to be somebody greater than I am right now, is what Saul's saying. And that's why he followed out this whole chapter and did everything that Samuel said and became the great leader of Israel. You say, Well, I just never... You think about being friendly. Some people are just standoffish. You ever meet people that are just really rude and just mean? You get around people and they're just... They're a jerk. That's what I was going to say, right? And you say, Well, that's just kind of how I was brought up. People in my house, we were just kind of rude to each other and mean. We just kind of had a forked tongue and a sharp tongue toward each other. And that's just the way I am. Hey, listen, when people walk through that door, visitors to this church, I want you to be friendly to visitors to this church. I want you to greet people that visit this church. I want you to put out your hand and shake their hand. I want you to smile and say, It's good to see you. You say, That's not my personality. Hey, why don't you become the person that God says to be in the Bible? The Bible says the man that had friends must show himself friendly. That's what the Bible says. The Bible says to be friendly. The Bible on and on will tell you to be courteous, to be friendly, to be kind, to love people, to reach out to people. Hey, when people come through the door, show them the love of God. Be friendly to that person. You say, Well, I'm just kind of a grumpy person. I'm just always in a bad mood. Hey, Dick, why don't you change? Why don't you change? I don't care what you're like right now. I don't care what I used to be like. I don't care what I'm like right now. Hey, if I find something that I need to change, I need to change it. I'll bet you that there's something that I need to change this week, and there's something that you need to change in your life this week. Don't ever get to that place where you think, Well, that's just the way I am. Hey, God can make you another man. God can make you another woman. God can make you into exactly what he wants you to be. You can change anything about yourself. You can change anything about your life. Why? You say, Pastor Anderson, why would I change? I like to just be the same way I am. I show up to church on Sunday morning. I'm half in, half out. I'm half in the world. I'm half in the things of God. I go soul winning half-heartedly every once in a while, or maybe I don't even go soul winning at all. Hey, what's the big deal? Why don't I just stay the way I am? Well, why did Paul change? Why did Paul say, When I'm around the Jews, I'm going to try to be as much like the Jews? What do you mean by that? I mean, is he saying that he's going to put on a stupid little goofy cap, like the Jews do, and he's going to braid his beard into all these little rubber bands and stuff? Hey, is that what he's saying he's going to be when he gets around the Jews? No, he says, When I get around people that I'm trying to reach with the Gospel, I'm going to try to get along with these people. I'm going to try to fit in with people. He says, I'm never going to cross lines of breaking God's laws. He made that very clear. He said, I tried to reach people that were just without law, just lawless, just ungodly, just the wicked crowd. We know people like that through our jobs, through past friends that we've asked. People were just completely ungodly. He said, I became like them, but I was not without law to Christ. He said, I was always under the law to Christ, always. Within the parameters of the Bible, within the parameters that God loves, he said, I became as much like them as I could to try to reach them. I didn't just purposely do things to irritate them, to annoy them, to offend them. I tried to befriend them. I tried to love them. I tried to be like them. Hey, you say, But Paul, was it your personality to be this lawless person? Was it your personality to be like a Jew? Was it your personality to be like a Greek? Was it your personality to be like an Asian? He says, Who cares what my personality is? I've been made to be all things. He said, I'll make myself be you. What do you need me to be, God? I'll be it. I'll change. What do you want me to change, God? I'll change. What do these people need me to be? What does my church need me to be? What kind of a pastor do I need to be? Hey, what kind of a pastor do you want to be, Pastor Anderson? Who cares? What kind of a pastor do you need me to be? What kind of a pastor do I need to be? What kind of a father do I need to be? What kind of a husband do I need to be? I need to be what my kids need me to be. Not just, well, this is the way I am. No, I'm going to be another man. I'm going to be whatever people need me to be. You see, look back, if you would, at 2 Corinthians. I think you're in 1 Corinthians right now. Flip over to 2 Corinthians where we started the sermon. Look at 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. And I'm going to show you something. 2 Corinthians, chapter 5. The Bible reads in verse number 21, For he hath made him, talking about Jesus Christ, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. See, this is a two-way street, okay? God says, I'm willing to become sin. Now, do you think that Jesus Christ wanted to become sin? I mean, do you think that was comfortable for him to become sin? Flip over, if you would. Keep your finger there in 2 Corinthians, but we're going to be back there in a second. But flip back to John, chapter 3. And then look at what the Bible reads. Look at John, chapter 3. John, chapter 3. Look at verse number 14 of John, chapter 3. The Bible reads, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. You know, me and my sister were just talking about this yesterday, how the NIV and all these modern Bibles, they take out the word everlasting completely. Never occurs in any of the, taken out in the New King James, it's taken out in the NIV many times. It doesn't even occur in the NIV, actually. And all these modern Bibles, they take out that word everlasting. Now it's clear, if you look at the end of verse 15 and the end of verse 16, I mean, can you see that God's trying to show us two different things? Why would he repeat the same phrase twice in a while? It doesn't make any sense, does it? I mean, is he trying to sound like a broken record? No, he's not repeating the same phrase because he's using two different words. He says in one case you could have everlasting life. He says in one case you could have eternal life. You see, eternal life and everlasting, which word is easier to understand? When you're out soul winning and you're talking to people, which word do they more readily understand? Eternal or everlasting? Everlasting is pretty easy to understand because it lasts forever, it's everlasting. And so God is helping define the word eternal by putting it with everlasting, but also you have to understand that one of those words is a negative word and one's a positive word. The word eternal, e means not, that prefix. Turn means like termination, end. So eternal means not ending, never ending. Whereas everlasting means lasting forever. So God's saying your life will never end in one hand and he's saying on the other hand your life will last forever. He's just trying to tell you two different ways from both sides, from the positive and the negative. It won't end, it will last forever. How many different ways can I tell you that once you believe on Jesus Christ it's an eternal everlasting thing? It's a once saved, always saved. And so he's trying to tell you from every different direction he can. No, it will not stop. And yes, it will last forever. But look what it says in verse 14. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Remember in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers when they lifted up the brazen serpent? God told Moses to create a serpent made out of brass and to put it up on a pole and lift it up. And the Bible says that every single person who was dying from the poisonous snake bites, if they would look up, all they had to do was just look at the brazen serpent and they would be healed immediately. They would live, they would not die. Now, did you ever wonder why a serpent would represent Jesus Christ? I mean, what do you think of when you think of the serpent all throughout the Bible? The devil, right? That old serpent which is the devil and Satan. Why would a serpent represent Jesus Christ? Because obviously that serpent lifted up on the pole was Jesus. He looked to Jesus for salvation. And here in John 3.16, Jesus tells us that was a picture of salvation. But I'll tell you why. Because when Jesus Christ was on the cross, he made him to become sin for us. And that's why when they looked at that brazen serpent, they were looking into the future of Jesus Christ on the cross. They were looking and seeing sin. I mean, they were seeing ungodliness. I mean, can you imagine what Jesus Christ went through on the cross when he all of a sudden had to be guilty of every sin that you've ever done and every sin I've ever done? And people that are far worse than anybody in this room. I mean, can you imagine the moment that the sins of the world were placed on Jesus Christ and all of a sudden it was like he was the mass murderer? All of a sudden he was Jeffrey Dahmer? All of a sudden it was like he had committed the sins of Adolf Hitler? All of a sudden it was like he had committed the sins of Joseph Stalin? All of a sudden it was like he had committed every abortion that's ever been committed? I mean, all of a sudden it was like every filthy cuss word came out of somebody's mouth? It was like he had spoken it? I mean, it was like he killed every murder? Every filthy, perverted, sick act in the world? He took the sins of the whole world upon him and he became sin for us? I mean, can you imagine what it would be like to have the sins of the whole world on you like as if you had done it? And then a holy God, the Father, says, now I'm going to punish you for every sin that's ever been done. How would you like to face the punishment? How would you like to stand before God and it was like your record of life and Adolf Hitler's record were switched and it's like you're going to pay for Adolf Hitler's sins? How would you like that? I mean, how would you like to face a God that has so much wrath and so much anger that he created a place called Hell? The Bible says that the destruction in Hell comes from the presence of the Lord. His fiery wrath and indignation is what kindles the fires of Hell. Can you imagine facing that God with the sins of the whole world, every sin that's ever been done, and being punished by God with the sins of the world? I mean, Jesus Christ became sin for us. So you have to understand about him being on the cross. But the Bible says that there's a reason why he became sin for us. He became sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He says, if I can become sin, if I can become guilty of every filthy, perverted sin that's ever been done, every murder, every violation, if I can become sin for you, can you, the sinner, become righteous for me? I mean, can you become a soul winner? I mean, can you become right with God? I mean, can you become a clean and decent person? I'm not asking you to take the sins of the world on your back. I'm not asking you to become something bad. I'm not asking you to become something evil like I had to take on the sins of the world. He says, I did that, and all I'm asking you to do is become a good Christian. Hey, is it so hard for you to become another man? Is it so hard for you to become a soul winner? Is it so hard for you to step out of your shell in your comfort zone a little bit and do something that you're not comfortable with? Hey, is it so hard for you to become a godly Christian that dresses the way that the Bible says you should dress? Is it that hard? Is it anything like what Jesus did? I mean, can it even be compared to what Jesus became for us, what He's asking you to become? I mean, He's asking you to become something that's going to make you happier, that's going to make you a better person, that's going to make you respect yourself more, that's going to make you rejoicing all throughout eternity. Hey, can you become what God wants you to become? Can you quit saying, that's not how I am, that's just not my personality, and just become the person that God wants you to become? Can you just change? You know, you hear the word a lot, repent. And the Bible uses the word a lot, repent. You know what repent means? It means change. You know, when it's in regard to salvation, it's saying, change what you believe. You know, it's not saying change your lifestyle, because changing your lifestyle will be work salvation. What he's saying is, change what you believe. You say, well, I was raised Catholic, I've been a Catholic my whole life, I'm going to die a Catholic. Hey, why don't you change and become a Bible-believing Christian? Well, you say, well, I just raised Methodist. Hey, change, change. That's what he means, repent. Hey, repent, and why don't you believe the gospel? And then once you're saved, you say, well, I'm saved, I'm born again, but you know, I just come Sunday morning. Hey, change, change that. Become what God wants you to become. Hey, become the new man. Become righteous like God wants you to become. You say, well, I'm too shy to go sewing. Hey, why don't you become bold? You say, well, you know, I'm a man, and I've just always been a little bit effeminate. You know what? If the shoe fits, wear it. No, I'm just kidding. Hey, I've just always been a little bit effeminate. My dad just wasn't that manly, or I grew up with a single mother, and I've just been a little soft. I'm just kind of sensitive, that's all. Hey, why don't you become a man? Amen. Why don't you become what God wants you to be? Why don't you become manly? Why don't you dress like a man? Hey, you say, well, it's just not my style. I like to go to, you know, the Gap and Old Navy, and I find, Abercrombie and Fitch, I like to go to these cute little stores in the mall with all my little girlfriends, and I go pick out these designer little clothes. Hey, you know what? Why don't you go down, why don't you become a man? Why don't you just limit yourself to, like, the work uniform store? Why don't you go to, like, the Carhartt Outlet? Why don't you go to, like, the Dickey's Distribution Center and just go there and just say, dress me like a man! Dress me like a man! Because I need to become what God wants me to be! Dress me up like a man! Walk into the barber, and if they say, how do you want your hair cut? Don't say, how about you? Hey, just say, just say, you know what? I'm going to close my eyes. Can you make me look like a man? Can I walk out of here looking like a man? And if they look at you funny, you're at the wrong, go to a different barber, okay? Find some barber where you can just walk in and say, blindfold me, because I'm too stupid to know how my hair is supposed to look, and make me look like a hair-legged man when I walk out this door. You need me to start buying your clothes for you? I'll buy them for you. Tell me your size. I'll buy you some men's clothing. You say, well, I'm a woman, and I'm just kind of a tomboy. I mean, I just grew up swinging from the trees and playing in the mud, and that's fine, you know? I'm sure that my little daughter with three older brothers is going to end up playing roughhousing and everything. But you know what? Why don't you change? Now that you're an adult, why don't you put away childish things, and why don't you be a feminine lady like God wants you to be? Why don't you make it so that people can tell that you're a woman and not a man? And they'll have to take a second look to decide whether you're male or female? You know, male and female created he them. You know, God put a difference between man and woman in Genesis chapter 1. Hey, look like a woman dressed. He said, it's not my style. Why don't you get God's style? Why don't you change your style? Why don't you change and be what God wants you to be? Why don't you repent and change and do what God wants you to do with your life? And so, don't ever get this attitude that says, well, it's just the way I am. Well, then change, and be different, okay? Why don't you ask my little sister here that's with us this morning, why don't you ask her after the service if I've changed at all? Am I the same as I was when I was 15 years old, Lisa? Am I the same as I was when I was 16 years old? Am I the same personality? Do I like the same music? Do I dress the same way? Do I have the same haircut? Do I hang around with the same friends? No, you say, why? Why, because you wanted to? No, I did it for the gospel's sake. I did it for the hundreds of people that got saved last year in this church. I did it for the people that are going to get saved this year in this church. I did it for the people that needed to see somebody lead a church and preach right. Hey, that's why I changed. I became what God wanted me to become, and I'm still ready to change more. I want to become it. I hope next time you see me, Lisa, I'll become even different. I'll become even more righteous because I'm constantly changing. You say, don't change. Don't ever change. Hey, I want to change. I want to get more fundamental. I want to get more righteous. I want to be more zealous. I want to be more on fire for God. Why? Same reason why Paul did for the gospel's sake. That's why. For the sake of Jesus Christ, who became sin for me, I think I can make a few changes. But look, if you would, look at 2 Corinthians back where we were. Are you still there, I think? 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 21. For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God and him. And then look, the next thought continues right on, verse number 1 of chapter 6. We then, as workers together with him, see, the then there is saying, because of what we just read, because Jesus Christ became sin for us, we then, as workers together with him, beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. He said, don't just get saved in that state. You know, just get saved and then you don't become the righteousness of God like he wants you to be. I mean, don't just receive the grace of God and be born again and go to heaven, but not become righteous in this world. He says, for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted. Hey, I heard you when you got saved. He says, I heard you when you call on me for salvation. You're saved. And in the day of salvation, have I suffered thee? Yes, you've been saved. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. See, what he's expressing there is that salvation is an instantaneous act. He's saying, when you call on me for salvation, I heard you, I suckered you, you're saved. That's the day of salvation, not the lifetime of salvation. Well, I'm trying. I'm working on it. He says, no, it was the day of salvation, the day that you got saved. Notice the past tense. I have heard thee in a time accepted. In the day of salvation, have I suckered thee? And then he quotes, behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Giving no offense in anything. That's what we're talking about. Becoming all things to all men. Being what people need you to be. Being what your wife needs you to be. Being what your kids need you to be. Being what your church needs you to be. He says, giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed. But in all things, approving ourselves as the ministers of God. In much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, by pyramids. Did you hear that? He says, not only did we labor and suffer and sweat and toil, but he said, we also, because we didn't want to offend anybody, he said, we lived a pure life. By pureness. By knowledge. He said, we studied the Bible. We knew what we were talking about. We knew our doctrine. We didn't say things that didn't line up with the Bible because we knew what we were talking about. By long suffering. By kindness. By the Holy Ghost. By love unfeigned. By the word of truth. By the power of God. By the armor of righteousness. On the right hand and on the left. By honor and dishonor. By evil report and good report. As deceivers and yet true. As unknown and yet well known. As dying and behold we live. As chastened and not killed. As sorrowful yet always rejoicing. As poor yet making many rich. As having nothing and yet possessing all things. He said, I became all things to all men that I, by all means, saved some. He said, I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry. Both to abound and to suffer and eat. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. So what's the application of the famous verse, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me? He says, I can be what people need me to be. I can be what my family needs me to be. I can be what Phoenix, Arizona needs me to be. I can be what God needs me to be. God, you want me to be poor? I can be poor. You want me to become poor for you to make many others rich? I'll be poor. You want me to become rich? You want me to abound? Hey, I can abound. I'll do both. I've learned in whatsoever state I am, wherewith to be content, Paul said. I can be abased. I can be mocked. I can be abased means humbled and humiliated. I can have people laugh at me and mock me. Is that what you want? Or God, or do you want me for people to look up to me and see me as a leader and think that I'm a great Christian? Or do you want people to think that I'm a terrible Christian and to think that I'm a horrible person? What do you want me to be, God? Who do you want me to reach? You want me to reach the Jews? I can be like a Jew. I can act like a Jew. I can be friendly to the Jews. I can learn to love the Jews. Oh, you want me over here with the Asians? Hey, I'll reach the Asians. I'll be like they are. I'll eat rice and sushi and Hispanics. Hey, you want me to reach the blacks? I'll reach the blacks. You want to reach everybody? I can be like a black to the blacks. I can be Hispanic to the Hispanics. I can be like I'm rich to the rich. I can be like poor to the poor. I can be happy and jovial and friendly to those that are happy and jovial. I can mourn within the mourn. I can rejoice within the rejoice. I can weep within the weep. I can be what you need me to be. I can be what God needs me to be. Nowhere are you seeing somebody saying, well, this is my personality. I'm just melancholic. I'm just sanguine. What are the other ones? Who? What reprobate in here that Sigmund Freud follower knows would be, you know, sanguine, melancholic. Come on. Help me out. Choleric. Come on, sinners. Choleric. That's me. Choleric. That's the angry, right? Choleric, melancholic. That's your down, you're down, you're depressed, you're a loner. Sanguine. I don't know what that means. Who cares? It's so stupid, I don't even know what it is. Hey, I'm going to tell you something. Quit being so stinking melancholic and put a smile on your face when you get around me because I'm not a melancholic. And you know what? Hey, calm your choleric down because some people don't like that. And you know what? Hey, why don't you be the choleric to the choleric, be a sanguine to the sanguine, be a melancholic. Hey, don't tell me your side, I mean that's a whole bunch of junk. You know who came up with that? Some sodomite Greek philosopher named Plato. That's who came up with those. And then all these Christians, Tim LaHaye and all these psycho-babblers, they take some faggot from the ancient Greece and they take his philosophy about sanguine, choleric, melancholic and say, oh, these are your personality types and this is just who you are. You know what? If that's who I am, I'm going to change. I want to be like if I'm with somebody that's melancholic, hey, I'll be what I need to be is what I'm trying to say. If I need to be a melancholic, I don't even know what these are, why am I saying this? I feel like an idiot. Hey, if I need to be happy and friendly around somebody, I'm going to be happy and friendly. Say, well, if that's not your personality, then change because God said rejoice within the rejoice. God said rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice. God said weep within the weep, and weep is the power of the Lord. He said be what other people need you to be. Not only be what God needs you to be, be what other people need you to be. And get around somebody, be what they need you to be. You're out soul winning, be what they need you to be. Become all things to all men. That you might by all means save some. You say, I didn't know I saved people. Well, you just found out because I just read to you from the Bible because Paul said I try to save people because God, Jesus does the saving. God doesn't save anybody without Jesus. He says that he's committed us, the ministry of reconciliation. He works together with us. We get in the yoke with Jesus. We put on the yoke with Jesus and we go out soul winning. And without Jesus, we can win nobody to Christ. And without us, Jesus can win nobody to Christ. That's a fact. God has chosen to limit himself to using human vessels to preach the gospel and win people to Christ. The only time that Jesus won people to Christ and win himself was when he was on this earth because then he was a human being and he was relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Father. But he was a physical instrument showing us soul winning, showing us how to be a soul winner. But you know what? Once Jesus left, he said, as long as I'm in the world, I'm the light of the world. But then he said, you're the light of the world. He said, as the Father had sent me, I'm going to be the soul winner. I'm leaving. And he says, it's your job to get people saved. So we have to be a team effort in the yoke with Jesus and we have to be what people need to be because we need to save people. Jesus needs to save people. Jesus is the savior. We're leading him to the savior. We're ambassadors for Christ. We read a few verses earlier. We're pleading with people to be reconciled to God and without us sounding out that voice, people are not just going to fall because Christ will not appear to them and win them to Christ. It's never happened and it never will. And so, on and on, the Bible teaches that we need to become what we need to become. Let me give you one last illustration. Think about athletes. Think about people who train for athletics. And boy, training for athletics is very taxing. I mean, we were doing a little training yesterday and we got tired fast. And these people that run these 26-mile marathons and these people who do the triathlon in Tempe, they ride the bikes, they swim across the Tempe Town Lake, they do all this stuff. Hey, those people train a lot. I mean, these people in the Olympics, they don't have a job. That is their job. I mean, their job is to five days a week train for the Olympics or seven days a week. I mean, they eat, breathe and sleep the Olympics. The Bible says they do it for a corruptible crown. We do it to give your life to that of an athlete like God compares it or that of a soldier. Think about the boot camp. Think about the training. You know, my dad told me about when he was in boot camp and he had to memorize. He had to memorize a long list of rules and regulations about his particular branch of the service. And they'd walk up to him and say, I don't remember how that exactly worked, but they'd say like, quote, paragraph, number four, or I don't remember what it was, but I've never been in the military. But, you know, they'd say like, quote, paragraph, number five or whatever, and he'd just have to be like, I mean, you had to say it fast. You'd be like, sir, sir. And I remember my dad telling me that every single person, they went up and down that barracks and every single person in order to pass boot camp, and if you didn't pass, you've got to do it again. And some people were there for the third time, literally, but you will pass this. You must pass. And they'd go down the barracks and they asked each guy just one question about this book that they had to memorize, this book of the code or whatever it was that they had to learn about their rules and regulations of this branch of the service. And I remember he told me that they got to my dad and they asked him like six questions. I mean, they asked everybody else just one. And so, I mean, he was, you know, he was rattling off like six different answers. He got them all right and he passed and he thought maybe the guy didn't like him or something. He was just trying to make him fail because if you make one mistake, sorry. Don't tell me that you can't memorize the Bible. You know, don't tell me that you can't memorize the verses that you need to know for soul winning. You don't tell me you can't memorize what you need to learn because if these worldly guys in the military can memorize some stupid little book of rules or whatever, anybody must be able to do that. And think about this. Think about for soul winning. You've got to train yourself to be a good soul winner. I mean, it took me years to where I was even comfortable going out soul winning. I mean, I would go out and just stammer and stutter. I was nervous every single time I went soul winning, probably the first year that I went out soul winning. I mean, you know, 75 times probably I went out soul winning, just nervous, just didn't want to knock that first door. You know, I got my Bible and I underlined all the verses. I learned where everything was at. I memorized the verses. I would practice, you know, hi, my name's Steve Anderson. You know, I'm from Regency Baptist Church and I just want to invite you to church. I mean, I practice. You say, that's kind of silly. I mean, you just show up and say, no, I train myself because why? I was trying to become a good soul winner. I mean, I got to become, you know, when I went to the start of church, I tried to learn how to preach. Why? Because I was trying to become a preacher. So I trained myself. You know, get the sermons that I preach. I preach two sermons on the soul winning techniques. Hey, get those sermons and listen to them. Get those sermons and listen to them and learn the techniques and those sermons that are straight out of the Bible, that have been used by people all over to win souls effectively. Hey, get those tapes and listen to them again and listen to them again. And then get out the Romans road and the verses out of the book of John, whatever verses stir your heart about soul winning, about salvation by grace through faith, about how Jesus paid it all. Hey, learn those verses like the back of your hand. Hey, train yourself. Get yourself, you know, note cards or whatever and learn how to do it. Become a soul winner. Become who you need to be. If somebody can train for a corruptible crown, you can train for an incorruptible crown. Do you ever look at your Christian life like a race, like an athletic competition where you have to train yourself? I mean, here's what I'm trying to say. Here's the bottom line. Don't be casual about it. Be a professional. I'm not an amateur preacher. I'm not an amateur soul winner. I'm not an amateur Bible student. I'm not an amateur anything about the Bible. This is professional. This is the most important thing that I do and so I'm going to just treat it like I would treat my job at work. Do you show up for your job every time or do you just not come because you don't feel like it? I mean, you show up every single time. I mean, why? Because it's important. Why? Because it's something that you have to do. Look, the love of Christ constrains us to be a soul winner. The love of Christ constrains us to be faithful to church. The love of Christ constrains us to live a holy, clean, and decent life. Hey, get serious about it. Get zealous about it. Put yourself in spiritual boot camp for the next six weeks and say, I am going to make myself into an effective soul winner. I am going to make myself into a godly, righteous, fiery preacher of the gospel. I'm going to make myself a loving, kind, friendly person. I'm going to make myself act like Jesus Christ. I'm going to make myself greet the visitors and be friendly. I'm going to become all things to all men. I'm going to train myself and work out myself so that I can be what Jesus Christ and what other people need me to be. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. God, I just pray that you would help all of us to never resign ourselves and say, well, that's just the way I am. God, help an attitude that says, that's just the way I am and that's not willing to repent, that's not willing to change and say, you know what? Maybe this is the way I am, but I'm willing to take the steps necessary, as Saul did, to become another man because I'm not satisfied with the way I am. I want to become another man. I want to become another woman. I want to become what you want me to be, God. Father, help each and every one of us to be like Saul, in our own sight, to think what I want is not important. My personality is not as important as reaching people with the gospel. And I'm willing to change what needs to be changed in order to become another man, to become a better man, to become a greater man, or a woman, or whatever the case may be.