Joyce Meyer - Deception of Compromise (08/17/2019)
Joyce Meyer launches her series "How to Be Godly in an Ungodly World," challenging believers to live boldly as salt and light without compromise, religious pretense, or blending into the world's darkness. Drawing from Scripture like Luke 4 (Jesus' refusal to compromise) and 2 Timothy 3 (perilous last days), she warns against lukewarm faith, hypocrisy, and excuses while urging reverent fear of God, accountability for our lives, and authentic representation of Christ through holy behavior, kindness, and responsibility in everyday life.
Being Godly Without Being Religious
I'm doing a new series here that I worked quite hard on this week called How to Be Godly in an Ungodly World. I think it's a pretty good-sized challenge to get out in the world and be a godly person, a true godly person, but not come across as some religious person who doesn't really have a clue what's really going on.
You know, the Bible says that we are to be in the world, but not of the world. But many of us are of the world and act like we're not even in the world. We just float around on our clouds singing the Hallelujah Chorus all day. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord anyway. Thank you, Jesus.
Avoiding Dumb Comfort
And sometimes we say some really dumb things to people that are hurting. I mean, really dumb things to people that are hurting. I remember a friend of mine one time who was... She really loved God, but she had a little bit of a religious edge on her. And a relative of mine had... her husband died. And I remember when my friend was talking to her, she was really just earnestly trying to comfort her. She said, well, you know, just praise the Lord anyway.
Well, you know, that offended this relative because she wasn't used to that kind of stuff. And we have to realize that maybe we can talk to each other a certain way, but we have to be careful how we talk to people that don't even have a clue what we're talking about.
Don't Act Like Aliens
We don't want to act like an alien from some foreign planet called the Christian planet. I am an alien from Christian planet. I am an alien Christian planet. Talking Christianese and wearing your big Jesus saves t-shirt to work. And got your headphones on and sit over in the corner during lunch.
And, you know, you say, well, what am I supposed to do? Well, you're supposed to be a shining light in a dark world. You're supposed to quietly and calmly and wonderfully and boldly be what you are without compromise. Without compromise. But continuing to be friendly and be a blessing to those who need to know what you know that they don't know.
The World's Desperate Condition
Let me tell you something. Listen, the world is in desperate, desperate condition. It frightens me when I think about how things have declined in 50 years since I was a teenager. Just 50 years. What I've seen happen is like unbelievable. Unbelievable.
You know, 50 years ago, if somebody was not married, a man and a woman, and they were living together, they didn't tell anybody that. I mean, they did everything in the world that they could possibly to hide it. People, they don't have a problem telling you that. I mean, then there was even a time where they might tell other people, but they wouldn't tell somebody like me because they had a certain respect for people in ministry and still knew it was wrong.
No Shame Left
They don't bother them either now. The thing that's a problem is there's not too many things that do bother people. And we have to make sure that we don't get like the world. There's too much blending, too much mixture. The lines are becoming too faded.
And I don't think that anybody's doing it on purpose, but I think maybe we need to do a little more preaching about how to get out in the world and behave. And not just, listen, God loves you. He's got a great plan for your life. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to have the best of everything.
Balanced Preaching Needed
When you sin, you can be forgiven. God's grace is what changes us. We don't change by works of the flesh. I love to preach all those things that make people just feel, ooh. Yes. There's no problem with anything. God loves me. And no matter what I do, He's going to forgive me. Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
But, I'm not doing you justice if I don't also preach to you the other side of it. That the Bible says that the time will come when every man will stand before God and give an account of his life. Every man will stand before God and give an account of his life.
Accountability Before God
And you know, even when I say something like that, you notice about a fourth of the people clapped. And that's because it scares us. It frightens us. And there are multitudes of people watching me today that you are in serious, serious trouble in your life.
You've lived a life of sin and now you're reaping the benefits of it and you don't know what to do. Well, Jesus is your answer. He loves you. He died for you. You can be forgiven. You can have a brand new start. Listen to me. It's never too late to begin again. It is never too late to begin again.
Lukewarm Believers
But then there's also multitudes of believers watching me. But you're lukewarm. You got one foot in the world, one foot in the kingdom. And you know what the Bible says in Revelations? I would rather you be hot or cold because if you're lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth.
Now, I'm not even going to go there and try to figure out what that means. I just know enough to know that God don't like it. So let's just let it be that. Well, what does that mean? Let's get theological. What does that mean that he's going to spew you out of his mouth? Well, I mean, I thought if you were saved, you're saved.
Get Stirred Up
And I don't understand. You know, nah. Let's just get a little more reverential fear and just say, I don't think I want to be lukewarm then. I need to get stirred up, red hot, on fire, be bold, be aggressive, and serve God like I really mean it.
And that doesn't mean here again that we have to get out in the world and see how obnoxious we can be. That's not what that means. But it means you've got to turn the light on. You've got to put a little salt on your life before you go out.
Salt and Light
I love the thought that we are the flavor of the world. We're the flavor everywhere we go. I'm telling you what, the world is pretty tasteless without God. It's like tasteless. But we are the salt and light of the world.
Everybody look at me. You have a job. And it's more than for you to sit out there and gawk at the preachers. And it's more than for you to get your little remote, lay in bed on your soft pillow in the morning, and flip onto my channel. We learn so we can do! Amen?
Behave Better Today
Alright, so this morning we're going to talk more about the same thing. Actually, we're going to talk about the same thing all weekend. We're going to go in little different areas. Tonight you're going to have to really be bold, because tonight we're going to talk about holiness.
Now we'll see who comes back. Well, sister, I was a part of the holiness movement growing up, and I've had all that legalism. Listen, I'm going to teach you in a very balanced way. We're going to have fun, but I'm telling you what, when we go out of here tonight and leave, we're going to be ready to do it in a better way than what we've been doing it in the past.
Jesus Refused Compromise
Luke 4, 5 through 8. We're going to talk about deception and compromise. Then the devil took him up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time in the twinkling of an eye.
And he said to him, To you I will give all this power and authority and all their glory, all their magnificence and excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace. For it has been turned over to me and I give it to whomsoever I will.
Just Once Compromise
Therefore, if you will do homage to and worship me just once, it shall all be yours. And Jesus replied to him, Get behind me, Satan. Come on now, right here is where it all hinges. Jesus was tempted to compromise just once to get something. He wasn't comfortable right then.
I can give you comfort. I can take away your suffering. I can give you everything. If you'll just compromise just once, just a little, you know what a compromise is? A compromise means that you go just a little bit below what you know is right. It's just a little. Just a little. Only once. Everybody does it. God's merciful. You can be forgiven.
Little Things Matter
How many of you are glad that Jesus didn't compromise when he got that temptation right there? I wonder how much we damage our lives with these little things that we think don't really make any difference.
Jesus said immediately, Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written. When are we going to learn that this book contains the truth that we need for our lives? But see, this messes with people's lives.
Leaven Affects All
Paul told the Galatian church, A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Now, leaven is like yeast and although I'm not a great baker, I have enough sense to know that if you mix up flour and water and you try to cook it, you're going to get something flat.
But if you put yeast in it or leaven in it, it's going to change the whole shape of it. And so, the message that Paul was trying to give to the church, although he was speaking to them about not letting legalism back in, the message can be taken in a much broader sense that when any little compromise that we make actually does distort everything.
Sins of Omission
You've got to be very careful about these little, little things. James 4:17 says, to know what is right to do and not to do it, it is sin. So we have sins of commission, sins that we commit, and then we have sins of omission, things that we know we should do that we don't do.
And to be honest, I think there may be more of those than there are the things that we actually do that are wrong. Maybe our greatest problem is not doing enough right. Maybe it's not so much what we do wrong as it is what we don't do right.
Take Responsibility
Even what Dave shared about there being 60 million Christians and only 30 million are even registered to vote, and out of the 30 million that are registered to vote, 14 million of them don't even bother to vote.
Now, people know that's wrong. So why don't they go, oh, it's raining. But then when things go down the drain, because we didn't bother to elect the right people, then everybody's complaining, complaining, well, they need to do something. They, they, they, they, they, they, they.
It's time for us to take our responsibility in many areas of life. And you know what? The more responsible you are, the happier you're going to be. There's nothing about lazy, apathetic, passive living that makes anybody happy.
Give an Account
Well, you're clapping weakly, but I'll keep at it. We'll see where we go here. You know what? I'm going to put out a challenge to you today. By the time we leave this morning, I want everybody to have made a decision that you're going to go out in the world and you're going to behave just a little bit better than you were before you came here today.
Because no matter how we say, well, you know, God knows my heart. God does know our heart and I'm grateful that, that He deals with us according to our heart, but the world can only see my behavior.
We Are the Billboard
And we are the billboard for Jesus Christ. Our lives, the church, we are the billboard, the advertisement, if you will, for Jesus. Would you like to have my life? Well, no, thank you.
We need to be happy, peaceful, loving people, giving, forgiving, patient, all the fruit of the Spirit, kind. I got some, I got some good people right here in the middle of this section here. I think you guys got back in the same seat. You were with me last night too.
Stand Before God
There's not one person in here, including me, that couldn't make a decision to come up just a little bit higher in your behavior. Not one. Not one of us. And that's called growth. It doesn't just happen without any activity on our part.
Let's look again at Romans 14, 11, and 12. Let me scare you a little bit more. Romans 14:11-12. For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God. Acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise.
And so each of us shall give an account of Himself. I want you to think about that. Just think about that. You say, well, I thought I was saved by grace and, you know, when I stand before God all I have to do is say I believe in Jesus.
More Than Just Heaven
Well, that is all you need to do to be saved and go to heaven. But you know what? I think God would like to get a little bit more out of us than that. I think that's a decision we have to make today. Do you just want to go to heaven or would you like to take a bunch of people with you?
I mean, I think that's the question. Really, if you want to know the truth, I'm handing out employment applications today. Who in this place would like to work for God?
Work for God Now
And if you think I'm offering you a job at my ministry, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying who in this place today wants to fill out an application and go to work for God right where you're at in your neighborhood, in your place of business, where you shop, where you go to school?
We have to stop just being godly or some form of what we think is godly when we're with our other so-called godly friends and then act like everybody else when we're out with everybody else.
Behavior Matters Everywhere
Do you sit and gossip and complain at the lunch table like all your unsaved co-workers? Do you steal ballpoint pens and take them home from work? Do you sit half the day and play on the Internet when your boss isn't looking? Well, bless God, they don't pay me enough anyway.
Oh, get off it. Even if they don't, two wrongs don't make a right. You stealing from them doesn't make up for it. Every man will stand before God and give an account.
Make God Proud
I don't know about you, but listen, I've just made a decision. I want God to be proud of me. I mean, I just want Him to be proud of me. I know I'm not perfect and I've got a long way to go, but I want God to be proud of me and I want God to be proud of you.
I am not going to spend my life doing what I am doing, which I've already been doing for 35 years, and if I'm going to do this until I draw my last breath, you are not going to get to just sit there and never change. That is not the way we're going to work this deal.
Change or Stop Listening
You might as well get ready to change or you just might as well quit listening to me because it is going to be very annoying if you keep listening to me and you don't want to change. I'm going to make you extremely uncomfortable if you don't want to change.
Lukewarm is not going to work. Compromise is not going to work. Excuses are not going to work. Self-pity is not going to work. Oh, hallelujah.
Woes to Hypocrites
Let's look at Matthew 23. Let's get a little woe going here. Woe be unto you. Christine Kane flew in to join us and she said, I can't believe you had the guts to preach on the woes in the Bible.
When somebody says, what did Joyce preach on this week? And you can say, woe. There's a lot of woes in the Bible and to be honest, if I stood here and read them all, we'd all be scared like really bad.
Woe to Pretenders
I spent a lot of years not knowing what it was, but it sounded very frightening. I didn't think I wanted any of it. But I took the trouble to look it up in preparation for this. And woe means the worst kind of misery. Like a kind of misery that you cannot get away from no matter what you do.
And so when we see, woe be unto you who do thus and so. Like last night I shared about in Isaiah it says, woe be unto the judges who issue unrighteous decrees. Wow, I don't want to be one of those judges who have made some of the decisions that are being made today.
Religious Hypocrisy
But the thing. the day is going to come when they're going to have to give an account for their actions. Can they be forgiven? Yes, and I pray that they'll repent before they have to face God and that they can be forgiven.
And when we turn to God He wipes away our sins and He forgets them and He removes them as far as the east is from the west. And God's not going to bring up your past. I'm trying to teach this in a balanced way where we all understand that God loves us and we don't have to live with the wrong kind of fear but we do need to have reverential fear and awe of God that he means what he says.
Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
So there's all kinds of woes. But these woes are to the religious crowd. But woe to you scribes and Pharisees pretenders and hypocrites. Now you're thinking praise God I'm glad that's not me.
Well you know what is a religious person? A religious person just to put it in plain English would be somebody who marches off to church every week has turned their Bible into a coloring book they've got everything underlined red and yellow and pink and you know I'm kind of into I'm into pink right now myself I've got myself some new pink markers and man I'm just I'm doing it up see pink all over my message today I like it.
Behavior Behind Closed Doors
And then when I get really serious about something you see that I got a big pink star next to that one. whoa so that means. So you know, you can go to church three times a week. You can memorize scripture. We can have our Bible underlined.
But still, what are we acting like out in the world? How long does it take you to forgive somebody when they hurt you? I said, how long does it take you to forgive somebody when they hurt you? Who are you mad at right now?
Real Change Needed
Well, that got quiet. Oh, I better sit down and have a motherly chat with you. Come on, who are you mad at right now? I mean, there's so many people that go to church all the time angry. Who are you gossiping about? Who have you been judging and criticizing? Whose business have you been minding except your own?
Oh, I just feel so anointed today. Well, I have so many problems in my life. And I thought, surely, if I came to your conference, I would get comforted.
Christ's Representatives
I already told you this morning, and I meant it. I love you, love you, love you, love you. And I want you to have the very best life that you can possibly have. But this is part of it. And anybody who doesn't tell you both sides doesn't really care about you, they're just preaching to you something that you'll clap for because it keeps them happy.
It's time for the church to wake up and realize that according to 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are Christ's personal representatives out in the world. Put up 2 Corinthians 5:20. Let me show you this. It's amazing scripture.
Ambassadors for Christ
So we are Christ's ambassadors. God making His appeal, as it were, through us. We, as Christ's personal representatives, beg you for the sake, for His sake, to lay hold of the divine favor now offered to you and be reconciled to God.
So He's saying, we are Christ's personal representatives, and through our lives, God is pleading with people, be reconciled to me. Can you get this understanding? When you go to work, God wants to plead through you to somebody who's lost, please.
Live as Witnesses
And you don't even, you don't have to preach one word to do it. You say, well Joyce, I'm just not good at witnessing. Let your lives be a witness. If you're bold enough to say something and you think the time is right, then say it in a loving way. Hand somebody a book. Give somebody a Bible. But let your lives be a witness.
When my husband worked in the engineering field, everybody knew he was different. They knew it. And I don't mean like different in a weird way. But yeah, there were things that they did they didn't invite Dave to do. He ate lunch by himself a lot of days.
People Come to You
When their marriages were falling apart. I mean, honestly, everybody came to him. Even people who'd made fun of him. Even people who, who maybe had given him a hard time. Or had tried to persecute him a little bit. They, they come around to Dave.
You know, they had big drawing boards back then. Because he was in the engineering field. Kind of hang around his drawing board. Hey Dave, how you doing today? Well, you know, whatever it is. I don't know, you know, what's up, you know.
Gift of Desperation
Well, man, my wife blessed me. I was wondering if you could talk to me a little. See, if you stand your ground, people will come to you. Because the time is going to come when they're going to get desperate enough to need to talk to somebody.
I love what that one woman shared in that media presentation last night. She said, I finally got to the point where God gave me the gift of desperation. I love that. And we need to pray for that. That God would give unsaved people the gift of desperation.
Pray for Desperation
I think that would be a great thing to pray for people. That they will be so fed up with their lives. But what are they going to do if their life is full of darkness and everywhere they look it's darkness?
What are they going to do? Oh, you guys are like, I don't know. How many of you agree that it's very easy to go out in the world and just start compromising and kind of just, you know, well, yeah, you know, we're believers.
No Compromise
And, you know, yeah, we go to church. We got a bumper sticker. You know, we wear our cross. And, but, you know, we just, we want to fit in. You know, so we just kind of blend a little. And it's just a little.
Well, if you'll just, just bow down to me this once. If you just compromise just a little, you can get that promotion at work. And because, you know, you need to make more money. And, you know, you already know if you don't compromise, if you stand your ground, then you're not going to get promoted.
My Seafood Company Story
Come on, I tell a, I tell a good story that happened in my life and I'm going to take the time to retell it because it'll help get my point across. I worked at a seafood company many, many years ago before I ever knew anything about being in ministry.
But I did have a love for God and I, I didn't want to do wrong things. And I was a bookkeeper and at the end of every month we sent out all the customers' statements telling them what their balance was.
Refusing to Falsify
But occasionally somebody would have a huge credit and if they got a statement with a credit on it they might just wait and let future purchases eat up that credit. But sometimes they would call us and say, can you just send me a check?
Well, this one particular customer had a pretty good size credit and so my boss said to me, he said, just, I want you just to debit that offer there and make it look like they had purchases so when they get it, there's, we don't owe them any money.
Standing Firm
Well, I was scared all day long because I'm thinking, I can't do that. I know I can't do that. Should I do that? And all the reasons, well, he is the boss and I do have to do what he tells me to and I can't afford to lose my job.
And, you know, I just started a bunch of work on my teeth and I was in the middle of that and what am I going to do if I lose my job? And, you know, all the things that we think about. Well, I went home that night and I was so stinking miserable.
Do Right Anyway
How many of you know about being so miserable you can't hardly stand it until you finally get around to saying, okay, I'm going to do it God's way? So I went back in the next morning just pretty sure that I probably would get fired and I just, I went in and I said to him, I said, look, I know that you don't believe the way that I do but I'm a Christian and I believe that I believe in the Bible and I believe that it would be wrong for me to do that.
And I told him, I said, I don't want to lose my job. I need my job but I can't, I can't do what you're asking me to do because I would be offending God if I did. And man, he sputtered and popped and got red in the face.
Promotion from God
Well, just get back out there and go to work. Well, all day long, I kept thinking I'd get fired. Finally, just about five minutes before quitting time, I can imagine the battle he went through all day. He came out and slapped that statement down on my desk and said, just send him a check.
Well, the devil would have had me think that I would get fired for doing the right thing. But as it turned out, I kept getting promoted in that company until I was, the only person that had any more authority than I did was him. And I didn't have enough education to be doing what they were paying me to do.
Don't Compromise for Riches
So, please, please, please, don't compromise. You know, riches are deceitful. The Bible says in Mark 4 that many in the world are deceived by riches. And that's what Satan was trying to deceive Jesus with. I can give you the world. I can give you this. I can give you that. I can give you promotion. I can alleviate your suffering. You can be part of the group.
And all you have to do is just bow down to me just once. And Jesus didn't even have to think about it. Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written.
Live Ready
When are we going to learn that this book contains the truth that we need for our lives? But see, this messes with people's lives. I can hear your thoughts. I mean, not like really, but I kind of get a little... Don't want you to get too scared. But I get this little sensing of like, I can hear the wheels turning.
Well, what does this mean? What am I going to have to change? Oh, my gosh. If I'm going to live by this, I may have to quit my job. I mean, oh, what's going to happen? I mean, if I live like this, I'm liable to lose all my friends. I'll be rejected. I won't be part of the group.
Woes to the Religious
I need to go back to the woes. I've left them. I'm telling you what. I believe that God can put up with just about anything better than a hypocrite. And I'll say one thing for the young people today. Which, by the way, young people, they are very unimpressed with Christians.
Because for anything else you want to say about them, they want something real. And we need to show them something real. They're not in for hypocrites. And I believe if there's anything that's distasteful to God, it's hypocrites. I think he'd rather you just be a full-on sinner than to act like a religious person that has all kinds of compromise and hidden things in your life.
Woe to Pretenders
Verse 13. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders, hypocrites. For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. For you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to enter.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders, hypocrites. For you swallow widows' houses, and for a pretense to cover it up, make long prayers. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Won't help anybody that's in need, but go to early morning prayer at church.
True vs. Pretend Godliness
Oh, you guys, you know. Listen, I remember when I did it. I remember going to 6 A.M. prayer three times a week with all my spiritual buddies. And we would rant and rave and scream at the devil and march around the church. And then I would go home and couldn't even be respectful to my husband.
Maybe if I get a little plainer, we'll understand this. I had a mouth that wouldn't quit. I mean, I'd go pray with all the people and leave and gossip about them. That's what a hypocrite is. That's what a pretender is. That's a scribe and a Pharisee.
Accountability in Behavior
They know what to do, and they're very willing to tell everybody else what to do. But they only do it when people are watching. It doesn't matter to me how people behave in church. I couldn't care less. It's how they behave at home behind closed doors.
Well, I'm having fun. I don't know about you, but I am. You say, well, Joyce, I just make mistakes and I can't help it. Well, when you make mistakes and you can't help it, all you've got to do is repent and ask God to forgive you, and it's done instantly.
Live Ready for His Return
I'm not talking about not making mistakes. I'm talking about having a determined attitude that I'm going to press forward. I'm not going to keep mistreating people. I'm not going to be a phony and a hypocrite. I'm not going to get out in society and just blend in.
God, I need courage. I need you to make me bold. Help me, God. We need to begin to address these issues and not just float along in our little religious boat thinking it's all okay.
I don't have time for all these woes. Let's look at 2 Timothy 3, 1 through 5. I think more than any time in history, and I know that everybody's probably said this. Every preacher that's ever preached has probably said what I'm saying right now.
Perilous Times
But probably more than any other time in history, it is vital that we take a stand and act like we really believe what we say that we believe. How many of you believe that Jesus is coming back soon? Okay, now look at me.
Please don't get mad when I say this, but no, you don't. Because if we really believe that... Let me ask you. If somebody could tell you, and you knew for sure, that Sunday at noon, Jesus was coming back. Is there anything in your life that you would change right away real quick?
Last Days Characteristics
That makes me squirm a little too. Of course. So then, it's just kind of become something we say, oh, Jesus is coming soon. Well, what if He really is? What if you meet Him before you thought you might? What if He comes tonight for me or for you?
I think it's time that we need to learn how to live ready. Just in case we don't have time to get ready, let's live ready. Amen? Come on now. Come on, all my beautiful, wonderful people watching at home.
Don't put this decision off. If you've not made Jesus the Lord of your life, call the number on your screen right now. Let us pray with you and lead you into a personal relationship with God. Please.
Form Without Power
2 Timothy 3:1-5. But understand this, that in the last days will come and set in perilous times of great stress and trouble. Hard to deal with and hard to bear. For people will be lovers of self. Utterly self-centered. Lovers of money. Aroused by an inordinate, greedy desire for wealth.
Proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, blasphemous, scoffing, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, profane. Yeah, I think we're there.
Avoid Such People
They will be without natural human affection, callous, inhuman, relentless, admitting of no truce or appeasement. They will be slanders, false accusers, troublemakers, intemperate, loose in morals, conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of all that is good.
They will be treacherous, betrayers, rash and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
And let's look at verse 5 because I wrote beside verse 5. Wow. For although they hold a form of true religion, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it. Their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession. Avoid all such people turn away from them.
Real Over Pretend
Do you know that you're better off hanging out with a sold-out sinner who knows they're a sinner and is honest about it than a goofy, starchy, religious, legalistic person who pretends to be one thing to your face and is something else behind closed doors.
I could use a little coffee right now. 2 Timothy 3:10-14. You guys love it, don't you? I know you can take it here in Minneapolis because you're the ones that God let me pick on.
Paul's Example
I thought about it and I thought, God, are you sure you want me to preach that in Minneapolis? All right, now, here, this is so good. Let's get this. Now, you have closely observed and diligently followed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose in life, faith, patience, love, and steadfastness.
My persecutions, my suffering, such as occurred to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and Lystra. Persecutions I endured, and I love this, but out of them all, the Lord delivered me.
Persecution for Godliness
Now, I am not going to tell you that if you really decide to live what you say you believe, that you're not going to experience any persecution. Matter of fact, I can promise you that you will. You will be made fun of. You will be talked about. You will lose a few friends. You might get passed over at work for a promotion, but true promotion comes from God. It doesn't come from man.
And I can tell you a little secret that I believe with all my heart. I believe when that situation happened to me at that seafood company that I worked for, I think God was checking me out. I think He had me in mind for this job that I'm doing right now. I do, I believe that.
Stand Firm
And I believe that if I would have compromised then, that I wouldn't be sitting here today. Now, I don't mean that God doesn't give us second chances and third. I don't know, maybe He would have let me, had another try.
But I look back and I see several things over the years that God asked me to do or things He told me not to do. And I believe that they were key to me being where I'm at today.
Hold Fast No Matter What
Indeed, all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and a godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution. They will be made to suffer because of their religious stand.
But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves. But watch verse 14, but as for you, no matter what anybody else out there does, no matter what any other Christian that you know does, as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced knowing from whom you have learned them.
How Shall We Live?
So what's our job? No matter what anybody else does, we're supposed to hold fast. One more scripture I want to read you. I have to go through all my notes to get to it. I didn't preach much on here.
2 Peter 3:10-11. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. And then the heavens will vanish and pass away with a thunderous crash. And the material elements of the universe will be dissolved with fire. And the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.
Live Ready Now
Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved. What we just read in verse 10 is in the process of happening. We have not seen the fullness of it yet. But someday the trumpet's going to blow. The heavens are going to be rolled back.
And everything that we have invested so much into and lied to get and compromised to get is going to go. Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved. What kind of person ought each of you to be in the meanwhile?
Be Christ's Representative
I don't know about you. That gets me. How then shall we live? How then shall we live? That God has died to give us this life. And He's given us the privilege to work for Him. And to be His representatives in the earth.
Can I tell you something? If you work for God and you're on His payroll, He's going to always take care of you. Did you hear me? And I'm not talking about having to work in a ministry or have a reverend in front of your name.
Represent Well
I'm passing out applications today to find out who wants to work for God. I would love it if every day when we get up we would think about today I'm going out to work for God. I'm going out today to represent God.
I'm going fishing today. And I'm going to catch fish with holy behavior. Come on, the Bible says in Colossians put on behavior that's a credit to God. Put on kindness. Put on humility. Above all that you put on. Put on love.
Behavior Credits God
In Ephesians it talks about our behavior. It talks about our behavior all over the place. Could I just say what a tragedy it would be if the stores and the businesses around here didn't have a wonderful report about all the people who came to this conference.
But you know what? We have to stand up and tell people in our conferences and we do this especially at the women's conference in St. Louis. This year we'll probably have 25, 30,000 women hit downtown St. Louis. And man, there won't be a piece of clothing left or a donut that hasn't been eaten.
Represent in Public
And sadly we've had times when the people in the restaurants have come and said those Christians are some of the rudest, cheapest, most ridiculous acting people. So now we get up and tell people if you are going to come to this conference do not get out in my city and make a fool out of me.
You get out there and you represent God the way you should represent Him. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be patient. Be kind. Don't shove. Don't push. Give good tips. Say thank you. If your meal doesn't come out exactly the way you want it say it's no problem. I understand.
What If All Christians Behaved?
You know what? We have to get the attitude. You know what? I'm not so important that everything has to be the way I want it. And you know what scares me? I mean it really scares me that people could come and sit all weekend in something like this and then be nasty to somebody even at the resource table.
And it happens all time. All time. Pushing and shoving. I had two ladies get in a fight one time. They were both trying to sit in the same seat in the front row. This is a very important word.
Light Swallows Darkness
And you know many of you are wonderful godly beautiful people. I mean you've let God work with you and you've got good behavior and you do represent God well and God bless you. I hope it gets catching. I hope other people catch your vision and learn from you.
But we all need to be that way. Thank you. Let me ask you just think with me for just a minute. What would happen in the world if everybody who calls himself a Christian would just simply go out and act like one?
Come on this is not rocket science. what would happen? I'm telling you what light swallows up darkness. And it's just that simple.
Turn On the Light
All we need to do is turn the lights on and get out our salt shakers. Amen. Come on get up on your feet and give God some praise today. whoo! Hallelujah! Come on you might as well get happy. You got more tonight more tomorrow. Whoa! Glory!
Now let me tell you something you don't change by trying. you change by praying and asking God to get involved and help you. You change by studying. yes I want you to go out and try to behave better but I don't want you just to try.
Pray for Help to Change
I want you to pray and say God I need your help I do need to be more patient I do need to be kinder I do need to forgive and I cannot do it without you. God help me help me help me help me help me help me help me and the more you pray for God to help you the more he's going to help you and me and the better we're going to behave.
I'm going to go and be nice to somebody how about you? Love you.