In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of renewing our minds and choosing what we think about. He encourages the audience to spend time in God's word, memorize it, and have their own personal mini-conference with God every day. The speaker also discusses the need for balance in areas such as taking care of ourselves, trusting God, and prioritizing education without compromising our faith. He highlights the importance of obedience to Jesus' commandments and the strength we have through Christ. The sermon also touches on the topic of human sexuality and the creative power it holds when channeled in the right way.

They have found some... Thank you. They have found some new books. And I want to mention these books. I didn't even know that we had these outstanding books. I don't know if the name Ralph Chalice means anything to you. He was a missionary in North Africa. And then most of his life in France. He is an Englishman who knew French so well that he wrote his books in French. They had to be translated back into English. He was a man used in a great revival ministry. For 25 years he was promoted to his heavenly reward. And this is one of his books called Jesus, which is available in Polish. And it's a very small book, so it won't take you long to read it. Another man who I had the privilege of knowing was called Little. He was killed in a car crash. But his books continue to speak in a tremendous way around the world. He was involved very much in the student movement. And he wrote this book about faith, knowing reasons for our faith. It's a very, very excellent book also to give to someone who may have doubts about the Christian faith. And then a book by a very intellectual man. This man recently had a debate with one of the leading Muslim scholars in the world. Again giving the reasons for our faith. Tens of thousands of people have come to Christ through the ministry of Josh McDowell. And this is an evangelist of strength in their faith. So there are three more books out there. They'll probably bring them inside the back of the tent. We just have a few English music tapes and books that we are going to probably display for the final time. If it's raining, we'll probably do that here in the tent. I'd like you to turn now to the Gospel of Luke. Chapter 9. One of the longest chapters in the Bible. 62 verses in Luke. Speaking on the subject of obedience and real, ongoing commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to read Luke chapter 9. We're going to read from verse 57 through verse 62. Read in Polish. I'd like also to read Romans 12, 1 and 2. We have 11 chapters of great theological truth. Romans, your heart has just been greatly warmed and challenged. And then we have this transition to chapter 12, where we have this chapter of exhortation about following Christ in a practical way. Very strong words from God. Read Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. Let us just pray together. Father, it's hard for us to realize that tomorrow will be our last day here together. We thank you for what we are learning. We thank you for your Word. We believe that these last two days are going to be very important. Lord, there may be some who are tired. You know each one of our special needs. And we do now with all of our heart commit ourselves to you, not only to hear your Word, but to obey. All ongoing commitment in our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. I think it's important to understand that each message that I have been sharing is linked with the previous messages. And if we get into a strong message about obedience to the Lord Jesus, without having some degree of victory in terms of accepting ourselves and basic faith, then probably we will not get very far. It's easy when we hear a strong message about obedience to just feel very condemned and to feel very weak and very inadequate and nothing happens. There are many strong words in the New Testament on the subject of following Christ with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Many people at this present time, their minds are caught up with the goodwill sporting events going on in the Soviet Union. In the western countries everybody is talking about the Commonwealth Games. That's a very big thing in their thinking right now. I don't get much time to watch sports. I'm not against that. I just have other things to do. But when I do watch sports or read about some of these people, it challenges my own heart. Because often sportsmen are very committed to what they are doing. And they go through very intensive training. Many Christians that talk to me, they want some one experience that's going to solve all their problems. But they are not willing to be trained as a disciple of Jesus Christ. As I read about the New Testament church in the Book of Acts, I see a church where people are growing stronger and stronger and stronger in their faith. I remember some years ago when I was ministering here in Poland, I shared from the Book of Acts the marks of a New Testament church. And I found people were very responsive to what the Word of God said about this. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 9. As we think about real commitment and obedience, this is a very strong passage of Scripture. And it's interesting that God uses the analogy concerning sports. Verse 24. From verse 27. Please read and take note in your notes. Billy Graham, speaking to a group of students many years ago, said if you are not willing to learn a disciplined life, you will never live for Jesus Christ. Perhaps you have come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior here during these days. That's wonderful. I've already shared how that happened in my own life. But now that must be followed by God's training program which we have been emphasizing each morning. It must be followed by day by day obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you love me, keep my commandments. Sometimes we tend to feel it's spiritual to say, oh, I can do nothing. That sounds good. If you turn in the book of Philippians, you will find the Apostle Paul had something quite different to say. He said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I know the verse, but I can't find it. What number is that? Four, no, no, not 419. 413. Okay. 413. Please read that. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We are not computers. We are human beings created in the image of God. So beautifully emphasized by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer. Man is a special created being. Created in the image of God. That means we have free will. We have creative power. Billy Graham who speaks quite openly on the subject of sex says this is our creative power. We should not be surprised by the tremendous sexual energy that we sometimes have. And if it's channeled, if it's used in the right way, it creates, it does great things. If it gets out of control, if it's used in the wrong way, it is destructive and it causes many difficulties. The Bible talks a lot about the mind. In Romans 12, 1 and 2, we spoke about the renewing of the mind. We choose to some degree what we think about. That's why it is good to gather in this way and to spend extra time thinking on the Word of God, hearing the Word of God, memorizing the Word of God. And we must determine before we leave here that every day we're going to have our own mini-conference, just like this is a big conference, we're going to have our own mini-conference, right in our own heart, in our own room, with our Bibles open before God. Now, one of the key verses when we think about living this life of total commitment to God, we think of running in this great spiritual race. We know that takes training. We know it takes discipline. When I was reading about some of these sportsmen, this young 18-year-old tennis player from West Germany, Boris Baker, he just won Wimbledon again. At 18 years of age, I saw a replay of this on television. I heard him being interviewed over the radio. And he has shared only one thing in his life is of any importance whatsoever. Tennis. Nothing else. They asked him about whether he had a girlfriend. He's not against girls. But he said he has no time for girls in his training program. He was only 17 when he first won Wimbledon. That's the most important tennis prize in the world. He didn't even have a driver's license yet. He has all the money anybody could ever want. He has no time to spend it. He has no interest in a car. That man could say to live is tennis and to die, I don't know what he would say. And, you know, there are many, many sports people like that. You have some from Poland. The Soviet Union has many. East Germany has many. What about in the Church of Jesus Christ? Where are the young people who can say to live is Jesus Christ? Other things do not interest me. Just to love Christ, to serve Christ, to live for Christ. And it's interesting how these sportsmen discipline their bodies. How many great sportsmen do you find just before the game smoking a big cigar? Guarantee, almost a guarantee that you'll never win any sports. Also that you can get a nice overdose of cancer. I have people that tell me, oh, I cannot possibly give up smoking. I cannot live without smoking. Let us not think a man cannot be a Christian. That is not the issue. There are Christians who smoke. Spurgeon, the great Baptist minister, smoked. He also suffered from many illnesses, including extreme depression. My brother-in-law smoked. And then he got cancer of the throat. You know, he never had trouble. Never smoked again. He never could stop. Just could not stop. But when he got that cancer, he went into the hospital. Down the throat with a big knife. And fortunately the operation was a success. He never smoked again. That's many years ago. So if any of you are having a problem in this area, and you're unable to stop, there are still other possibilities. And then you will stop. Or you'll be dead. I understand there's no smoking in the grave. But a lot of these problems, a lot of these problems, are because we are not really disciplined people. And you know, this is why I like to speak to young people. Because as people get older, they do not change easily. Now, I did not say they don't change at all. My own father was converted to Christ after me. He was already an older man. And I saw God change him. I saw God set him free from many habits. And then my dear old dear mother got converted to Christ. She was a little more difficult because she was religious. And sometimes the more religious you are, the more difficult to come to the feet of Jesus and really be born again of the Spirit of God. Because we have religious pride. We have some people in our country they are very religious. They tell about their grandfather. Their grandfather was a pastor. And his father was the founder of this church movement. And their mother sang in the choir for 50 years. And they have so much religious credentials. And it's hard sometimes for a religious person to repent of his or her sins and come humbly to the feet of Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of salvation. My mother was a Methodist. And she was religious. But she had not been born again. And come to know Christ personally. But she also took that step of faith in a quiet way, her own way and surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. And then my sister, she was a sportswoman. She then surrendered her life to Jesus Christ. And God brought our little family back together because we were coming apart. And you know, sometimes the hardest place to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is in your own home. And I would really beg of you with all my heart don't get discouraged if you have some failure in your own home. If you're a human being and you're living with other human beings you will have problems. No matter how spiritual you are no matter how fast you're running in God's race you're going to have some problems because we all have so much to learn and some of us have problems with our tongues. My problem is very serious. My tongue is going faster than my brain. I don't know if any of you have that problem here. But it has got me in difficulty with my mother, my father my wife, my daughter, my son almost anybody that gets near me I have problems. And yet for my whole Christian life I have been working for self-control. Reading and memorizing the scriptures listening to in the Lord. Let us read that verse. Many, many are experiencing great failure because they are trying when he was first what's called in one book all of us know there is something something in there in the mind that wants its own way easily gets upset that is the self-life. I don't know if you have ever visited England where I live about the Queen Big deal big and awesome in the hands but it will not work for the people that is tremendous he has no in Polish but in English it is very strong speaking world how are you living each day tonight I have to leave here tomorrow it has been a very meaningful experience interesting stories going on about me in Poland long before I did don't have to worry about me you can pray for me but you need to be concerned about me and verse 20 in fact Jesus himself said if any man come after me he has to deny many things in their life when they are in pain for their love they win they lay aside in a serious you are going to have to be willing even to lay aside some of the good things enemy of the best but so easily they become enemy of the best and they bring us spiritual compromise of the good the enemy of the best number one do you have relatives they are good where we are always with God the good and they were going to go to India but grandma this little girl asked her over for a big piece of pie you are not going to get any more pie if you go to India to go against the opinion of relatives thank you but they didn't want me after his room he opened the window necessarily Daniel I want all of you to go back to your house for two hours blowing your gospel trumpet take care of ourselves people of course when they think of places like Africa immediately they have these mosquitoes take care of ourselves told us to evangelize the whole world good health is education education becomes like just literally sell their spiritual life where I live in order to get a degree they must have a degree at any cost and what if you live in a country where you cannot get a degree unless you compromise your Christian number four our future number five our homes and our material possessions number seven do you have a good word for that self-control moderation a place for all these things for the Lord to complete because they want quick easy answers to incredible things you are very happy and some of these people who come they're going to have their they're going to say if you do this and you do that you will be a happy Christian for the rest of your life for wisdom after the word from A.W. you will happy Christian for the rest after the and you will be a happy Christian for the rest of your life for wisdom and you