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All right, well we're there in 1 Corinthians chapter number 9, and we've been going through this series since the beginning of the year entitled Winning the Race of Life, and we've been learning biblical principles from the Apostle Paul, specifically dealing with this passage and other passages where he gives these sports analogies and these sports illustrations, and we've been learning about how to win at life. And today we're going to continue through that, and if you haven't been here for the first few weeks, you might feel like you're coming into the middle of a movie or something, and I apologize for that. I would encourage you to go back and maybe catch up on the last two sermons in this series, but quickly I'll just remind you that in the first week we learned that in order to so run that ye may obtain, in order to live your life in a way to win, you must first determine what winning looks like in your life, and we went through that and developed that idea that we've got to figure out in the major areas of our life when it comes to our spiritual life, our emotional life, our relational life, financial life, whatever career, whatever it might be, we have to figure out what does winning look like in that area. Then last week we added a layer to that, and it was kind of the Christian layer, and it's this, that in order to win at life as a Christian, you must choose the eternal over the temporal. You must choose that which will last over that which will not last, and today will be no different. We're going to add yet another layer to this idea of winning at the race of life, and just so you know, I've got three points this morning, but they're really formatted as three steps. I want to give you three steps that you and I need to take if we're going to win at life, and I'll go ahead and give you step number one, and if you're taking notes, and I would encourage you to take notes. If you've got a babysitting on your lap or something like that, I understand if you can't write notes, but on the back of your course of the week, there is a place for you to write down some notes. Here's point number one, or step number one, and it's what we're learning about and what we're talking about this morning. It's this, that in order to win at life, you must choose the important over the immediate. Now last week we talked about the fact that we must choose the eternal over the temporal. This morning we're talking about the fact that we must choose the important over the immediate, and that's really one of the main focuses that Paul has in this passage. They're in 1st Corinthians 9. Look at verse number 24, 1st Corinthians 9, 24. He says this, know you not that they which run in a race run all? And we've been talking about this for the last several weeks, but you and I, if we were talking to Paul, would answer, yes Paul, we understand how a race works, that people line up and they, someone says ready, set, go, and they all take off running, but one receiveth the prize. He says you don't engage in a race, you don't engage in any sort of sports activity without trying to win. He says but one receiveth the prize, and then he says this is an analogy of your life. He says so run that ye may obtain. He says look if you're if you're in a race to win, and our lives are like a race, he says then you ought to live your life in such a way you ought to be in it to win it. He says so run that ye may obtain. Verse 29, excuse me, verse 25, notice what he says. He says and every man that striveth, I want to define a few of these words for you, that word striveth or strive means to put great effort, to make great efforts, to put effort into achieving. He says and every man that striveth for the mastery, I want you to notice that word mastery, that word is an older word that we don't use a lot in our modern vernacular, but the word mastery means to possess or display great skill and technique, because really when it comes to athletes, isn't that what they strive for? They strive to be the best at that sport, but they even try to be the best at that position in that sport, whatever that position might be, and Paul says this and every man that striveth for the mastery, he says is temperate in all things. The word temperate means self-restraint or having self-control. He says every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things, and what he's telling us is something that you and I already know, and it is this, that athletes, especially champions, those are actually good at what they do, are very self-controlled. If you were to study an Olympic athlete that's training for the Olympics, if you were to follow them from the moment they woke up to the moment they went to bed, you would find someone who's very temperate. If they were serious about winning, you would find someone that is very self-restrained or very self-controlled. The Olympic athletes, when they are in training for their sports, they don't sit around on the couch for hours on end. They probably don't spend a lot of time on Facebook. They don't just kind of go through the drive-through at McDonald's to pick up dinner. Everything they do, everything they put in their mouth, every waking moment is scheduled. It is controlled. Their diets are controlled. Their workouts are controlled. Their sleep is controlled. When they get up, when they go to bed, what they do, all of that is controlled, and we understand that. We understand that if someone is going to play a professional sport, if someone is going to be in one of these sort of Olympic Games and compete in the Olympic Games, they're going to be someone that's going to have to be very controlled in what they do, and that's what Paul is saying. He said, every man that strived for the mastery is temperate in all things. He says, now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, and we talked about that last week. He said, they do it for something that's not going to last. He says, but we an incorruptible. He says, I therefore so run. He said, with that idea, without understanding, Paul says, this is how I try to live my life, and this is how you and I should try to live our lives. He says, I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, so fired I, not as one that beateth the air. And then he says this in verse 27. He says, but I keep under my body. And that phrase, keep under, means to conquer, to bring under control, to bring to subdue. He says, I keep under my body. He says, I keep my body under control. He says, I keep under my body. I subdue my body and bring it into subjection. I bring it under control. I bring it under dominion. I make it submit to me. He says, lest that by any means, when I preach to others, I myself should be cast away. And here's what Paul is saying as we develop that thought, that he that strived for the mastery is temperate in all things. When he says, I keep under my body, here's what he's saying. He's saying, an athlete who's actually going to win at life does this. And if you and I are going to win at life, we're going to have to figure out how to do this as well. An athlete decides that they might, they must choose the important over the immediate, right? Because if you develop, if you figure out what's important in your life, week one, if you figure out what winning looks like in your life, if, if, if, if an athlete decides I want the goal, that's what's important, then I'm going to choose that which is important over that which is immediate. And here's, and here's what you know, and you know it already. Here's what we know. Health is important. Dessert is immediate, right? I mean, here's what we know. Saving for our financial future is important. Buying something we really want on a credit card is immediate. I mean, intuitively in life, we know this, that there are things that we value. There are things that we want. There are things that we look at and say, yes, that is important. But then there are all these other options that are immediate. They are immediate temptations. And here's all we're learning. And here's step one. To win at life, to win at life, you must choose the important over the immediate. Now, without re-preaching last week's sermon, I just want to help you with some clarifying questions. You say, how do I determine what is important? Well, if you remember, we learned in the first week that you had to answer these questions. What does winning look like in your life? What's the win? We said you could ask it this way. If you could write down your own life story, what would it be? If you could control what the pastor or what your spouse or what your children or what your friends say at your funeral, what would you like them to say? If you could write your own eulogy, if you could write your own obituary, what would you want it to say? And when you figure that out, you'll figure out what you value most. And you have to ask yourself this question, what do I value most? What is the most important to me? And here's the point. You say, well, why do we need to do that? And why do we need to understand that? Here's why. Because in winning and to win, and when we see an athlete, we say, well, of course, that makes sense. But in your life and in my life, it's the same way. To win at life, you must choose the important. You must choose the important over the immediate. Now, here's step two. Step one is this. To win at life, you must choose the important over the immediate. Step two is this. To choose the important over the immediate. To choose the important over the immediate. Because what some of you are thinking is this, you're saying, well, pastor, you're not really telling me and it's something I don't already know. We already know this, pastor. In fact, I come here to learn the Bible and to learn how to apply it to my life, and you've not really helped me at this point because I already know that I need to choose importance over immediate. I already know that eating ice cream every night is sabotaging my diet, which is important. I already know this. In fact, not only do I know that, I'm aware that that's the problem. That's what I need help with. I get it. I should choose the important over the immediate. The problem is that I'm not able to choose the important over the immediate. Okay, so here's point number two for you. Here's step number two. To choose the important over the immediate, you must develop the discipline of willpower. You must develop the discipline of willpower. Some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, you're still not helping me. I'm going to help you, all right? I'm going to try to give you something that will apply here in a second, but you need to understand this. If you're going to win at light, you must choose the important over the immediate. And if you're going to choose the important over the immediate, you must develop the discipline of willpower and you say why and here's why because in order to win at life we must align our actions with our purpose in order to win at life we must decide and we must determine and we must figure out what does it look like to win what does it look like to win and then we have to align our actions in that purpose and here's what's interesting Paul is actually the perfect example of this in fact it's why he even brings up this whole context of striving for the mastery and being temperate in all things and run that you may obtain he brings all that up in the context of his life's definite purpose I want you to notice there you're there in 1st Corinthians 9 look at verse 20 I want you to notice what Paul said the context leading into this passage that we've been studying and looking at this week notice what he says and unto the Jew 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 the law as without the law being not without the law to God but under the law to Christ and here's what he's saying he's saying my actions in life were this my actions were this that I became a Jew to the Jews he said I embraced the Jewish culture and I became as much like them as I could become you say why would you do that Paul that I might he says he says that I might gain the more he says that I might gain the Jews he says to them that are under the law as under the law is it to those that are under the law I became the most law abiding person that I could be that I might gain them that are under the law he says to them that are without the law as without the law he said now look being not without the law to God but under the law to Christ is that I never went against anything God told me to do but when those that were under the law I tried to become as much as under the law without the law you say why that I might gain them that are without the law he says 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 and I want you to notice here's Paul's definitive purpose in life Paul decided I've got one goal I've got one thing I'm doing this is what I value the most this is the most important thing in my life he says that he says there in verse 22 to the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak I made all things to all men that I might by all means save some he says I'm a missionary he says I'm an evangelist he says this is this is my goal and and and Paul would say this should be a goal of all of us but he says for me this was my one thing this was my big thing in fact in other passages Paul said I didn't even emphasize baptism that much he said I didn't baptize many people because I had one focus as an evangelist and it was winning some now look for Paul that was Paul's thing in the local New Testament Church we want to do soul winning and baptism and all of that here's what I'm saying so winning ought to be a goal for all of us but for Paul it was just the most important the most valuable thing and here's what Paul says Paul says when I figured out what the most important thing in my life in my career Paul was not married Paul was traveling throughout starting churches reaching people with the gospel he was an evangelist he was a missionary he was a soul winner that and we should all be so winners but he was like that was his thing that was his job that was his career he says look my definitive purpose in life is to save some and when I figured that out I aligned my actions to bring me to that purpose he says so to the Jew I became as a Jew you say why Paul that I might gain the Jews and to them that are under the law is under the law that I might gain them that are under the law to them that are without the laws without the law he says I was never without the law to God I was never without the law to Christ but that I might gain them that are without the law to the weak became I as weak that I might gain the weak I made all things to all men that I buy my by all means save some notice verse 23 and this I do for the gospel sake that I might be partaker thereof with you that's the context that leads us to know you not that they which run and race run all and one receive at the price so run that ye may obtain and here's all I'm telling you here's I'm telling you you've got to figure out what the win is in your life you've got to figure out what you value the most you've got to figure out what is the most important thing in your life because if you're gonna win in life you're gonna have to choose the importance over the immediate and you would say yes I know that but I have a problem with that and here's what you need to understand to choose the importance over the immediate you must develop the discipline of willpower why because you must align your actions towards your purpose we must align our direction to our lives definite purpose and you'll need willpower for that now keep your place there in 1st Corinthians 9 or I think we're gonna come back to it we're gonna come back to it later in the in the sermon but go to the book of Matthew if you would Matthew chapter 26 Matthew chapter 26 and I'm gonna give you something practical here in a minute but I just want to we need to define some things here let's define willpower what's willpower here's the definition I found for willpower the ability to delay gratification the ability to delay gratification to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals willpower is the ability to delay gratification to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals and when we talk about willpower when we talk about willpower and we try to define it here's what you need to consider and here's what we really need to know what power is this self discipline self-discipline and self-denial what power is actually self-control and self-control is self-discipline and self-denial and we see this in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ I'd like to show it to you Matthew 26 verse 36 Matthew 26 and verse 36 because what power is self-discipline right willpower is self-discipline Matthew 26 verse 36 then come with Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane so right before Jesus is going to the cross to die he goes to a garden of Gethsemane to pray and saith unto the disciples sit ye here while I go and pray yonder and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then saith he unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death tarry ye here and watch with me and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed saying I want you to notice the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ right before his crucifixion he says oh my father if and that's a big if if it be possible let this cup pass from me here's what Jesus is saying and I don't know if you ever thought about it but here's what he's saying to God the Father right before his crucifixion I mean just hours before he's arrested and crucified and all these things he says if it's possible let this cup pass from me here's what he's saying I don't want to do this so what well here's what you need to understand and if you don't understand it we'll talk about it in our doctoral series so show up for that Jesus was 100% God but he's also 100% man and in his humanity knowing what was coming knowing the pain and the heartache knowing the the humiliation that was about to happen he says hey if it's possible if there's any other way if there's something you know in my flesh in my humanity if this cup could pass from me he's a I don't want to do this but then I want you to notice that we see the self-discipline of the Lord Jesus Christ he says nevertheless not as I will but as that won't because here's what self-discipline is self-discipline is making yourself do what you should do when you should do it even if you don't feel like it and aren't you thankful that Jesus made himself do what he should do when he should have done it even though he didn't feel like it self-discipline self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it whether you feel like it and self-control or willpower is connected to this idea of self-discipline that you make yourself do what you should do when you should do it even if you don't feel like doing it but there's another aspect and it's this aspect of self-denial go to Matthew chapter 16 if they're in Matthew 26 just flip back a few chapters to Matthew 16 we'll see Jesus teach this concept as well so we're defining willpower what is it self-discipline making yourself do what you should do when you should do it even though you don't want to do it or don't feel like doing it and it's self-denial what's self-denial mark Matthew 16 verse 24 Jesus says this then said Jesus unto his disciples if any man will follow after me he puts this as a requirement you want to be a disciple of Christ you want to be a follower of Christ this is what Jesus said to his disciples and this is what I'm saying to you do you want to be a disciple of Christ do you want to be a follower of Christ well here's what you've got to do is what Jesus said if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me you say what's self-denial well self-denial is keeping yourself from doing what you should not do when you should not do it whether you feel like it or not self-discipline is making yourself do what you should do when you should do it whether you feel like it or not self-denial is keeping yourself from doing what you should not do when you should not do it whether you feel like it or not and when we bring these concepts together we have willpower or self-control the ability to delay gratification to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals that's defining willpower you say I'm still not being helped here's the problem with willpower here's why you're not being helped the problem with willpower is this that what you learn and what I've learned is that willpower is not always on will call isn't that true willpower fails us sometimes see willpower is like a muscle and like any muscle it can get fatigued are you there are you there Matthew 16 go back to Matthew 26 I do 26 here's what's interesting about the time in the Garden of Gethsemane is that Jesus is regular wrestling with this self-discipline thing where he's saying I don't want to do it I'm gonna make myself do it nevertheless not my will but thine be done but he's got this idea of self-discipline on him and he's asking the disciples will you pray with me will you pray with me and they're giving in they're not having willpower they're falling asleep and notice what he says in Matthew 26 and verse 41 he says watch and pray they enter not into temptation he says the spirit indeed is willing he says I know that inside you really want to and look I know that inside you really want to diet you really want to save money you really want to start that project or start that Bible reading challenge it's kind of late you know you can still do it but you know you really it the spirit indeed is willing but here's the problem with willpower but the flesh is weak and sometimes what I really want to do I just can't get myself to do it because willpower is like a muscle and it can get fatigued and the problem with willpower is this the problem with willpower is that willpower is not always on will call and willpower is self-discipline and self-denial go to the book of Philippians if you would Philippians if you kept your place in first Corinthians you can go from first second Corinthians to Galatians Ephesians Philippians you find Philippians and while you go there I'd like to read for you an article and again this kind of these are all the step one and step two but this is kind of just for your knowledge and for your to lay the context and it's this step one is that to win at life you must choose the important over the immediate step two is that to choose the important over the immediate you must develop the discipline of willpower willpower we define it as self-discipline and self-denial the problem with willpower is that it's not always on will call and sometimes when you need it it's not fair because the spirit truly is willing but the flesh is weak but I want to just give you the advantage of willpower because for some of us we've kind of given up on this idea of willpower we say I'm just never gonna do it I'm just never gonna develop a habit of Bible reading I'm just never gonna develop the habit of daily prayer I'm just never gonna develop the habit of doing what I should do or not doing what I should not do it just I just can't happen it can't it's not something worth fighting for and I want to explain to you that there is an advantage in willpower now we already saw that Jesus said if you're going to be a follower of mine you've got to be able to deny yourself and by the way the greatest Christians in the world figured out how to do that Paul said I die daily Paul said I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ live within me he says in the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me look the greatest Christians figured out that they've got to die to self they've got to deny self every day if they're going to win so we should already know that but let me just go ahead and give you a secular kind of synopsis of the advantage of willpower why do you want to fight for willpower I'm ready to you this article just real quickly it's called 40 years of standard research found that people with this one quality are more likely to succeed it says this in the 1960s a Stanford a Stanford professor named Walter Mishkow began conducting a series of important psychological studies during his experiments Mishkow and his team tested hundreds of children most of them around the ages of four and five years old and revealed what is now believed to be one of the most important characteristics of success in health work and life the experiment began by bringing each child into a private room sitting them down in a chair and placing a marshmallow on the table in front of them at this point the researcher offered a deal to the child the researcher told the child he was going to leave the room and that if the child did not eat the marshmallow while he was away then they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow however if the child decided to eat the first one before the researcher came back then they would not get a second marshmallow so the choice was simple one treat right now or two treats later the researcher left the room for 15 minutes as you can imagine the footage of the children waiting alone in the room was rather entertaining some kids jumped up and ate the first marshmallow as soon as the researcher closed the door others wiggled and bounced and scooted in their chairs as they tried to restrain themselves but eventually gave into the temptation a few minutes later and finally a few of the children did manage to wait the entire time published in 1972 this popular study became known as the marshmallow experiment but it wasn't the treat that made it famous the interesting part came years later as the years rolled on and the children grew up the researchers conducted follow-up studies and tracked each child's progress in a number of areas what they found was surprising the children who were willing to delay gratification and waited to receive the second marshmallow ended up having higher SAT scores lower levels of substance abuse lower likelihood of obesity better response to stress better social skills as reported by their parents and generally better scores in a range of other life measures the researchers followed each child for more than 40 years and over and over again the group who waited patiently for the second marshmallow succeeded in whatever capacity they were measuring in other words this series of experiments proved that the ability to clearly delay gratification was critical for success in life success usually comes down to choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of destruction and that's exactly what delayed gratification is all about I like to quote in the bulletin it says suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret and here's all I'm telling you say why would you read that I'm just reading that to let you know self-discipline is something you want to fight for willpower something you want to fight for number one because you can't even be a follower of Jesus Christ if you're not able to deny yourself take up your cross and follow him but the success of your life the success of your life is has been proven that it is connected to your ability and to my ability to delay instant gratification and achieve a more important goal so to win at light to win at light you must choose the importance over the immediate you say I already knew that to win at light you must choose the important over the immediate and to choose the important over the immediate you must develop the discipline and the muscle of willpower and you should say I already knew that here's step number three to develop the discipline of willpower and here's really the application you must connect your future to your president to develop the discipline of willpower you must connect your future to your present are you there in Philippians 3 I can look down at verse number 13 Philippians chapter 3 and verse 13 I want you to notice what the Apostle Paul said these are famous verses we've already seen them actually in this series but I want you to look at it again Philippians 3 13 brethren I count not myself to have apprehended brethren I count not myself to have apprehended Paul says I realize I have not arrived I've got a lot of work to do he says but this one thing I do see Paul had the this idea of a target he understood what his goal one goal was he says this one thing I do now we saw in first Corinthians 9 we already know what that one thing was that I by all means save some he said this do I for the gospel sake he had a definitive purpose in his life he says this one thing I do and then he says this forgetting those things which are behind and see Paul understood this and you understand this and it is this regret is the realization that my past choices are the result of my present state isn't that true I mean isn't that kind of intuitive do you have any regrets you're just been discouraged or depressed you ever been saddened by where you find yourself in life whether it's spiritually emotionally relationally your health your finances your career your personal development see intuitively we know this that regret regret is the realization that my current state is a result of my past choices my current state is a result of my past choices my past intercedes and intersects with my present and regret is when we realize I made some choices in the past I am so some things that I'm reaping now that's why you and I get discouraged that's why we get sad depressed upset that's why there's regret in our life why because regret is the realization regret is the realization that our current state is a result of our past choices and this is why Paul would say forgetting those things which are behind you know why because Paul was a man with a lot of regrets Paul was a man with a lot of guilt Paul if you've been reading your 9th chapter today will go off and tell these lists about how he was beaten and he was in prison and he was stabbed in the back by people he loved it and there was false brethren and false prophets and all these people that were attacking him and all these trials that he went through but you know every time that Paul went through those things he remembered and he realized that this was probably me reaping what I've sown because there was a time in my life when I wrecked havoc upon the church there was a time in my life when I was the one beating when I was the one imprisoning when I was the one doing these things to individuals and I've sown that and now I'm going to reap that and even though I'm in the will of God even though I'm doing everything God has called me to do it doesn't matter how right with God you are because at the end of the day your current state is a result of your prior choices and you and I know that intuitively if we no regret but here's motivation motivation is the opposite of that motivation is this motivation is the realization that my current choices will result in my future states see be not deceived God is not mocked for what's our man so that shall he also reap works both way it's negatively but it works positively he that saw to his flesh shall have a flesh reap corruption but he that saw to the spiritual of the spirit reap life everlasting and he says and let us not be weary in well-doing he says right now today let us not be wearing well-doing you say why Paul for we shall reap if we faint not and regret is the realization that my current state is a result of my prior choices and when you flip that around motivation motivation is the realization that my future state will be a result of my current choices and Paul would say this he would say brethren I count on myself to apprehend it I realized I've got a lot of work to do and things I've got to accomplish but this one thing I do he said I'm clear about my definitive purpose he says forgetting those things which are behind he said I cannot change the past that's why they call it the past there's nothing I can do about it but here's what I can do and reaching forth unto those things which are before motivation he says I press toward the mark purpose for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus the win here's what I'm telling you you say I really struggle with this whole you know willpower and self-control and self-denial and I would say to you join the club but I'd like to help you with it and here's the point here's the point to develop discipline the discipline of willpower you must connect the future to your present to develop the discipline of willpower you must connect the future to your present not only have your prior choices resulted in your present state but your current choices will result in your future state and here's what I'm telling you the more clearly that I can connect my today to tomorrow the more clearly that that I can connect my today to my tomorrow, the more likely that I will exercise the power of willpower. I told you this in the first sermon. Be careful about having these five-year goals and one-year goals. And I'm not against those things. But the problem with a one-year goal, the problem with a goal that's really far away, is that most goals do not get reached because they are too far away and they feel out of reach. Even a one-year goal, here we are in the middle of January and you've got this goal for December and it just kind of seems far away. And though it's important, though weight loss is important, though getting out of debt is important, though saving money is important, though re-establishing that relationship or trying to have a better marriage or trying to be a better father or better mother, those things are important. But they're so far away and dessert is so immediate. But when you are able to connect your tomorrow to your today, when you can clearly connect your tomorrow to your today, you will more likely exercise the power of willpower. Here's what I'm saying. When it comes to your goals, most goals don't get reached because they feel out of reach. Even your one-year goal seems very far away. So what do I do? Here's what you do. If I can take my one-year goal and decide what must happen this quarter to put me on track for the one-year goal, now that one-year goal feels a little closer. If then I can decide what needs to happen this month in order to reach my quarterly goal, then that quarterly goal feels closer. If then I can decide what needs to happen this week in order to reach my monthly goal, now that goal feels even closer. And if I have to decide what needs to happen, what I need to do today in order to reach my goal for the week, in order to reach my goal for the month, in order to reach my goal for the quarter, in order to reach my goal for the half the year and for the full year and for the next five years or 10 years, then we bring it closer. Here's what I'm telling you. People who are good at having willpower, at self-denial, self-discipline, saying no to the immediate for the purpose of the important, those people, they're not smarter than you are, they're not better than you are, they're not stronger than you are, they're not, it's not some decision they made in a Stanford classroom about eating a marshmallow that ruined their life. It's the people who have determined that my future is determined by my present. And I wish, I wish that young people would realize that your present will affect your future. And your past will come back into your present. And the choices you make today, the choices you make today will affect who you are in the future. So you say, what do I do? Here's what you do. To win at life, you choose the importance over the immediate. You say, okay, then what? To develop, to choose the important over the immediate, you must develop the discipline of willpower. And to better exercise the discipline of willpower, you must connect the future to your present because the choices, whether you understand it or not, the choices you make right now will come back. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever man soweth, that shall. You also read. The more clearly that I can connect my today to my tomorrow, the more likely that I will exercise willpower. And since willpower is like a muscle, remember we talked about that? Willpower is like a muscle, which means sometimes it gets fatigued. Willpower is like a muscle, which also means that it can be strengthened. And the more you say no, and the more you say no, the more you say no to that which is a distraction, and the more you say yes to that which is the most value, the better you become at willpower, which means the better you become at life. Go to Hebrews chapter 12, I'll show you one last verse and we'll finish up. Hebrews chapter 12. Say, why should this matter to me? Well, at the very least, it should matter to you because you cannot even be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without learning to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. So, here's what we've learned. To win at life, you must choose the important over the immediate. Now, for some of you, you still haven't even taken the advice from step number one. You haven't even figured out what winning looks like in your life, what's important. What do you value the most? Because here's what I'll tell you. What you value the most, what you value the most will determine the actions. Your actions will be aligned to what you value the most. Some of you are lying to yourselves. You'll say, if somebody were to ask you, and nobody should ask you this, and I hope nobody asks you this, but if we were to sit you down and say, what do you value the most? You would say, my wife, my husband, my children, my walk with God. But then if we aligned your life and looked at your life and looked at what your life actually is doing, then we would say, well, actually, it looks like what you value the most is work. Actually, it looks like what you value the most is entertainment. Actually, it looks like what you value the most is alcohol. That's where you spend most of your time. See, actually, it looks like, see, your actions, your actions, whether you lie to yourself or not, and look, this is a sermon for another day, but in order to lead yourself well, you must be brutally honest with yourself. And you can tell yourself all day long, God is my priority, God is my priority, God is my priority, but if you're skipping church, if you're not reading the Bible, if you're not praying, you're not soul winning, your actions tell us otherwise. And at the end of the day, at the end of the day, what you actually value will have your actions aligned, will have your actions aligned to it. So to win at life, you must choose the importance over the immediate, which means that you must develop the discipline of willpower. You say, what is it? It's self-denial and self-control, self-restraint. And in order to develop the discipline of willpower, you must actively, you must actively connect your tomorrow to today. Those kids, those kids, they're young, they're young right now, but one day they're not gonna be young. And the relationship that you have with them and how they do in life will be determined by the choices you are making right now. So choose the important. Choose the important over the immediate. You say, how motivating is that? Is that actually work, pastor, does that actually work? Well, here's the rule I have in life. If it worked for Jesus, if it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for us, right? I remember Jesus, the God of Gethsemane, he said, he said, I don't wanna do this. If it be possible, let this come pass from me. You know, I don't wanna do this and if I can get away from it, I'd rather get away from it. Praise the Lord that he said, Nevertheless, not my will but thine. I want you to notice what motivated Jesus on the cross. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse two. Are you there? Hebrews chapter 12 verse two. This is the last verse we'll look at. Notice what it says. Hebrews chapter 12 verse two. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Notice, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. Don't miss that. For the joy that was set before him, his future, endured the cross, his present, despising the shame. Jesus despised the shame of the cross. He didn't wanna do it. But he had a clear view of the future and he was able to connect his future to his present, his tomorrow to his today and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. How did Jesus do something he did not want to do? How did he exercise discipline? The Bible tells us, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross. You know what he did? He connected today to tomorrow, his future to his present. He said, I don't wanna do this, but I'm gonna do it because I'd rather choose the important over the immediate. So here's a question for you. Here's a question for you. Are you choosing the important over the immediate? And I'm not trying to ruin your lunch, but it's true. Your health is important, but desert is immediate. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, I pray that you would help us. Lord, I realize that willpower and self-control and self-discipline and self-denial and these concepts can be frustrating to us at times because sometimes the spirit is willing, but the flesh is just weak. Lord, I pray you'd help us to realize that willpower is like a muscle. It gets fatigued at times, but because it's like a muscle, it can be strengthened. And Lord, I pray that you would help us to realize that the decisions we're making today, the choices we're making today, our present will show up in our future, just like our past has shown up in our present. Lord, I pray you'd help us make good choices and help us to be motivated by this idea that we must choose the importance over the immediate. If we want to win at life, we must choose the importance over the immediate. We love you. We thank you for sending your son to die for us. And we thank you for the great example of discipline that he showed us through his death. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.