0:00 It's good to have our eyes open to see the mistakes other people have made not to find fault with them but to learn lessons for ourselves. A foolish man does not learn 0:21 even from his own mistakes. An ordinary man learns at least from his own mistakes. But a wise man learns watching the mistakes of others. Not judging them but learning for 0:40 himself. Can you think of some lesson you have learned by watching somebody else's mistake without judging him? That's very important. initial tendency is to judge him but to say Lord there's something I 0:59 can learn from there I have read the old testament like that we have proclaimed in CFC through the years that we are not under the old covenant that is the covenant God made with Moses on 1:17 si with all those terms and conditions ten commandments we are not under them we are under a higher law of the sermon on the mount. But the Old Testament, the 39 books, that is for us. That is part of 1:34 the Bible. That is not abolished. And the main thing I can learn from those 39 books and from the historical sections of the New Testament is lessons for myself. And I believe this is one of the 1:52 mistakes the Pharisees made that they never sought to learn anything for themselves. They had very sharp eyes to judge other people. They even it's not only the woman caught in adultery. They were watching even 2:09 Jesus with very sharp eyes. They would send people to Jesus to trap him in his words. And can you imagine doing things like that? And they were supposed to be the most righteous people of that time. So the most righteous people of 2:29 their time were the ones whom Jesus condemned the most. I don't find him condemning the Herodians or the Sadducees so much or the Greeks or the Romans or the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the people who obeyed the 2:49 scriptures and who had the closest in doctrine to the Old Testament Bible. It's a verse I've shown you before. I'd like you all to see it again. And those who haven't seen it before, let me point it out to you. Matthew 3:06 23. Matthew 23 is a chapter full of the denunciation of the Pharisees by Jesus. But if you look carefully in the midst of this chapter, there are two good things that the Pharisees that Jesus said about the 3:23 Pharisees. There are lots of things that we have to beware of and avoid. But there are two good things. And one of those good things is this. In verse three, he's talking about the Pharisees in verse two. Verse three, he told the 3:39 disciples, "Everything that the Pharisees tell you to do, do." What does that prove? That proves that all their doctrines were right. Like Jesus cannot look at all the religious groups today and say, "Whatever they tell you to do, do." 3:58 Impossible. He cannot even look at all the Christian denominations and tell you whatever they tell you to do. Some of you have come out of Christian denominations. Why did you leave them? Because they were teaching some 4:11 things that were not correct. Not that they were bad people. There were some things in their teaching that was not correct. So think of that denomination you came out from for that reason. Jesus will not say whatever they tell you to 4:23 do, do. You don't believe in infant baptism. You're not following their methods and many other things if they practice in their Christianity. But when Jesus says about any group, whatever they tell you to do, he's almost giving a certificate saying all 4:42 their doctrines, their doctrinal statement is 100% right. Which group is that today? Do you feel you belong to a group which has got its doctrines all correct? 5:02 I don't want to be act humble but I really believe that what we believe is exactly according to scripture in everything so that Jesus may say listening to our messages and all the sermons preached here Jesus will say to 5:17 people who come here whatever they tell you to do do cuz what they are teaching is absolutely right but does he have to say please don't watch their private lives that the way they do certain things is not 5:37 right. Their attitudes towards certain people is not right. But their doctrine, you can sign it. Jesus says, "I can sign it myself." It's absolutely true. Now, if that is true, we are pretty close to the Pharisees. We might as well face up to 5:56 it. And if so we have to judge ourselves and cleanse ourselves. For many years I have felt that one mark of the house of God or the family is go of God is what is described in one Peter and chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4 is what I believe 6:19 is one of the marks of the family of God, the household of God. It's a unique verse. 1 Peter and chapter 4 and verse 17 in the middle of that it 6:43 speaks of the household of God or the family of God and it says here it is time for judgment to begin not to the unbeliever judgment must begin within the family of God. Are you part of the family of God? Judgment 7:01 must begin with you. And this judgment must begin with us first. So I have taken that very seriously now for many many years in my life. I can stand before God and say this. God is my 7:20 witness that every single day of my life for many years now I have judged myself in something or the other. I preach a sermon, I go away and judge myself. What was there that I could have done better 7:39 or I should not have said or I should have said or did I bore people? Did I take too long? I'm judging myself all the time. Even in a thing like that, even though preaching a sermon may be a good thing and 101 people may have come 7:52 and told me they were blessed by it, okay, but I still judge myself. I sometimes listen to my own sermons on YouTube and say, "Lord, show me. Is there something I need to cleanse myself?" I do not that is a that is simply saying I am not perfect. When I 8:11 judge myself, I'm testifying to the Lord, Lord, I'm not perfect. And so I'm not perfect in my preaching. I'm not perfect my living. I keep judging myself in my relationship with my wife even though I never lose my temper at her anytime but I judge 8:25 myself. I say Lord that's not enough. Uh I don't want my testimony to be negative. The testim it's not the Bible doesn't say husbands don't lose your temper at your wife. That's a negative thing. The Bible says husbands love your 8:40 wives as Christ loved the church is a positive thing. So, the mere fact I don't lose my temper at my wife, that's okay. It's good. But that's not a great thing. The great thing is to learn to love your wife as Christ loved the 8:50 church. And I haven't got there yet. I'm working my way towards it. My point is as long as you I think all of us will say we have not become like Christ. We all say that. But what are you doing about it? I mean it's like saying a child wants to 9:09 complete let's say at least 12th grade and he says I haven't attained 12th grade but he doesn't want to sit in the second grade all his life no every year it's going forward it's examination in the class is a promotion to the next 9:27 and that's how our life must be and you'll never be promoted in the Christian life to a higher level if you are not judging yourself it is the Mark of the family of God. And this is a very precious verse to me. Ever since I 9:41 understood this great truth that anyone who acknowledges that he has not become like Christ will be judging himself every day. And if he does that, what will happen is he will make progress not once in a year. Children get promoted to 9:56 the next class once in a year. But a true Christian can be promoted every day. Let me show you that. That's how Paul lived. That's the challenge that comes to me. 2 Corinthians in chapter 4, we read Paul says in the verse 10:16 16, 2 Corinthians 4:16, the middle of that verse, our outer man, that is our physical body is decaying every day. I mean doctors will tell you there are thousands of cells dying in our body every day. blood cells, brain cells are 10:34 dying. That's why as people get older, their memory becomes weaker because brain cells are dying by the hundreds every day and our outer body is decaying. But he says in the same way our inner man is being renewed every day. I mean the body 10:53 doesn't take a break for one month. Okay. And no cells will die in this one month. No such thing. Even if you're the healthiest person in the world, your brain cells are dying every day whether you like it or not. And many parts of 11:05 the other part of your body, there are cells that are dying. Some blood cells are replaced, but their cells dying every day. And it doesn't never takes a holiday. In the same way, the opposite of that, the inner man should be renewed 11:18 every day. Renewed means a little more like Christ. That's the only meaning of renewal. a little more like Jesus Christ than I was not last year than I was yesterday. Okay, we haven't got there. Fine. Let's work on it. When you read 11:35 something like that, does it challenge you? That's my question. Not have you attained it. When I read something in scripture, my first question is not have I attained it, but does it challenge me that I want to get there? I want to be 11:48 where Paul was. There are many things you know if you read scripture with take a challenge from the life of any of these men for example John the Baptist I was just reading what I've read many times before somebody came to John the 12:00 Baptist you know how great preachers like to be famous and known and that's what puffs them up and ruins them people came to John the Baptist and said are you Elijah now he could have said people think I'm Elijah he says no he didn't even think 12:18 like Are you that prophet, the Messiah? Oh no, what are you? This is what challenged me. Read it in John chapter one. I am a voice. Brother, sister, are you willing to be just a 12:36 voice? A voice for Jesus? Nobody sees your face. Nobody knows your name. That's the way the Holy Spirit spoke to me. Are you willing to be a person whose name nobody knows? Whose face nobody recognizes anywhere you go? You're not a famous person. You're 12:55 just an unknown. But you're a voice for the Savior, a voice for Jesus Christ. I mean, I've read that before, but just some time ago, I read it again. I said, "Boy, Lord, that's a challenge to me. I want to be a voice." John the B. That's why Jesus 13:11 said that man was the greatest man that ever lived up to his time. What was so great about him? And you know the another thing about John the Baptist, he was the one prophet who never did one single miracle. Some people think prophets must 13:24 do miracles. John the Baptist did none. Elijah Elisha did so many. John the Baptist did zero. And Jesus said he's the greatest prophet that ever walked on this earth. Not only the greatest prophet, he he's the greatest man since 13:38 Adam before Jesus was John the Baptist. And what did he say about himself? I'm a voice. Never sought to promote himself. Be a Christian like that. Brothers, Jesus said in Matthew 11 that the lowest member of the kingdom of heaven of 13:56 Christianity of a Christian would be higher than John the Baptist spiritually. What does that mean? If I am to be higher than John the Baptist spiritually, it means that I'll be willing to be humbler than him. That's the 14:11 meaning. I if he was only a voice I want to be less than that. That is to be greater than John the Baptist because that I mean Jesus is the humblest of the all. We can never reach his level. I was thinking meditating the 14:26 other day on this great verse. I mean I've meditated on it many times before but it came home fresh to my heart. It's amazing how the Bible is like a well from which you can keep drawing all the time even after 60 years. Um by the way 14:40 I was converted exactly 60 years ago. I was just celebrating my 60th anniversary this month of being born again. I was 19 and a half. I was in the naval base in July 1959. My ship had been w I mean my spiritual ship was wandering wandering 14:57 wandering for so many years. But that day I dropped an anchor. I believe Jesus accepted me. John 6:37. He never he said I'll never cast you out. And I had read that verse before. But that date was like an anchor and I never doubted it. All these 60 15:13 years I've been anchored on that verse. Him that cometh to me I will never cast out. Even though since then I made many mistakes, many blunders, disappointed the Lord, hurt him in so many ways. Took time sometimes to confess my sin. Took 15:28 advantage of the Lord in many ways. But he was so merciful, merciful, merciful. till he finally after about 16 years of being a born again Christian, the Lord began to open my eyes to the new covenant and to being filled with the 15:43 Holy Spirit and to knowing God as my father and to knowing this wonderful truth that God loves me exactly as he loved Jesus. So many things opened up to me, but for me it took many years to get there. That's that's increased my 15:58 responsibility. But and it's been my passion since then to really become or I knew that I realized then my destination was not heaven. Till then my destination was heaven. Now my destination was to become like Jesus Christ which is very 16:15 different from heaven. I told the Lord I'm ready to go to hell. If you're there I spend eternity with you in hell. No problem. Because for me I don't desire anything. I don't desire the comforts of heaven. I desire Jesus. And when I stand before the Lord, 16:30 as we all will stand in the day of judgment, I don't know whether you realize that the fact that we are going to stand before the Lord should bring within us a great reverence and fear. If it doesn't bring a reverence and fear in you that you are going to 16:45 stand before the Lord to give an account of everything in your life, I want to say to you, my dear brother and sister, I want to say it as lovingly as possible. There is something fundamentally wrong with your Christianity. 16:57 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10- 11 to be read together 2 Corinthians 5:10 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that we will be recompense 17:16 means rewarded or punished accordingly for the deeds we did in our body according to whatever he's talking about believers now whether what he did was good or bad. And therefore, whenever you read 17:34 therefore in the Bible, see what it is therefore. What is it there for? Is related to the previous verse. It's saying knowing the fear of the Lord. Why? Because we're going to appear at the judgment seat of Christ. I know 17:49 the fear of God and we persuade men. And what about your own ambition, Paul? Verse 9. In light of the judgment seat, we have only one ambition. Whether at home in heaven or absent from home here on this earth, one 18:09 ambition to please him. You know, in the context, he's saying that one day we'll be absent from the body and present to the Lord. He's saying in verse one and two, our permanent home is heaven. So verse 9, whether we are in our permanent 18:22 home in heaven or absent from our permanent home here on this earth, we want to be pleasing to him. The meaning of that is the way I pictured it in my mind is when I get to heaven, my life is going to go full speed in one 18:39 direction. Pleasing God, pleasing God, pleasing God. That's absolutely certain. You and me, we'll be going full speed in one direction in heaven. pleasing God, pleasing God, pleasing God. And that we have no doubt about. 18:52 And he's saying here that I want to go in the same direction when I'm absent from heaven here on this earth. That means it's not that I'm going in some other way here and suddenly the Lord comes and I have to change direction and 19:06 stop pleasing him. No, I want to be moving in exactly the same direction right now as I will be moving when I suddenly get transported to glory. If I die tonight or the Lord comes tomorrow, no change in direction. Oh, yo, come 19:21 Lord. Well, we're going the same way. Pleasing the Lord. I hope all of us will take this challenge that there'll be no change of direction. If Christ comes, your ambition, what is it? Verse 9. What is our 19:39 ambition? To please the Lord. Young people ask me, is it good to have an ambition? I said, "Yeah, sure." But make sure our mission is a good one. You know, children have all types of ambitions. I want to drive fire engines or I don't know how many of them 19:53 grow up to drive fire engines when they grow up. It's all exciting things. you know, I want to be a marathon runner in the Olympics or but here's a good ambition that we can have and we can attain an ambition to please the Lord in 20:09 exactly the same way as I would be doing when I'm absent from the body and present to the Lord. Lord, I don't want even a slight change of direction. It must be I'll do it more perfectly then, but my ambition must be the same. 20:28 Even if though I may do it more perfectly in heaven, my ambition should not change at all. He's not saying I'll be able to do it as perfectly on earth as I do it in heaven. But I believe my ambition can be exactly the same here on 20:41 earth as in heaven. Holy please the Lord any situation. Okay. What is pleasing to the Lord here? We're finding God's will about some complicated situation. Lord, what's pleasing to you? That's all. No other question. What is pleasing to you? 20:55 Not what is good for me or what is most beneficial for me or what's most beneficial for my family or how much money I've learned. Okay. Okay. Those are the things worldly people have as our ambition and those are the things 21:08 that we also had once upon a time. But I hope we are converted. I hope you have turned around from that to say now I want to please the Lord. And don't think you know there's a word in English called spoil sport. Spoiled sport means someone who likes to 21:24 mess up your life in some way by spoiling your So sometimes people think God is a spoiled sport. If I yield completely to him, he'll mess up all my he'll tell me to take the worst possible job and go and live in the most 21:38 difficult place on earth to live. What a crazy idea. Do you think your earthly father will do that to you? Any of you, would you think your earthly father would try and plan something like that for you? And Jesus says, "You earthly fathers know how to 21:53 give good things to your children. How much more will your heavenly father?" Many people have a wrong concept of God is a spoiled sport. I say he's a my earthly father always planned something good for me. I've always planned 22:05 something good for my children and I tell you my heavenly father is a million times better than that plans what is good for me. But he knows what is eternally good for me. That's the advantage. So he may take me through some trials which I may like to 22:20 avoid my children going through but my father does not stop me from that because he knows that's good for me. So but we live in this fear one day I'm going to stand before the lord and I have to give an account to him and when 22:33 I give an account to him the verse that has helped me I hope it'll help you also is 1 Corinthians chapter 11. You know, I pictured it like this when we all, you know, like uh one by one we are going to stand before the Lord to be judged by him and 22:52 I picture Christ sitting at his judgment seat and he calls up different people by name. There are millions of course we got all eternity so plenty of time to do it. Uh one by one he calls different ones and he goes through the record of 23:07 their life. That's what you read. everything done in his body. Maybe there's going to be a video that the whole world can see the video of all that you did. At least at least from the time you were born again. Okay, all the 23:20 past is blotted out. But from the time you were born again, everything that you did, every sin that you confessed and forsook cleansed, that will not be in the video because you confessed it, forsook it. But if you didn't forgive somebody 23:37 or you did not ask forgiveness from somebody all that will be there a lot of things are going to be in that video and when the Lord plays that video there are there things which will make me shrink in shame. Do you know the Bible says that 23:53 when Jesus comes again there going to be two categories of believers. Now, we all know there are two categories of believers and unbelievers. But here's two categories of believers when Christ comes. Turn with me to 1 John and chapter 24:11 2. When Christ comes again, 1 John and chapter 2 and verse 28. Can you see the two categories there? 24:29 My little children, when Christ appears, there will be two categories of people. One who have confidence and boldness and say, "Yeah, Lord, praise God, you come. I'm waiting to stand at your judgment seat." One group is like that and the 24:47 other believers now. I'm still believers. Oh Lord, have you come already? And I haven't settled those matters. I haven't repaid those debts. I haven't asked forgiveness from that guy. I didn't go and forgive that other person. And they shrink 25:02 away. These are believers in [Music] shame. A lot of people think that all believers are going to be the same. I don't think so. There are two groups right here. And I'll show you from Revelation that there are two groups. A lot of 25:21 people don't like to face up to this, but it is true. You might as well face up to it now. Here is one group in heaven. Revelation 7. And I saw a great multitude. Verse 9. Revelation 25:40 7:9. No one could count. No one could count means billions and billions. I'm not talking about human beings. I'm talking about people who are in heaven. Okay? Praise the Lord. Billions of people in heaven. from every 26:00 nation, every tribe, every people, every tongue. Now, I want to tell you quite honestly, if you study the spread of Christianity right now up to the 21st century, every nation has not been covered with the gospel. Every tongue 26:18 does not have a Bible. Every tribe does not have one convert at least from every tribe. I mean even in India in the Adamance there's a tribe there not a single person being converted from that but here it says there will be from 26:35 every tribe and tongue and nation and I'll tell you who they are in every tribe and every tongue and every nation in the world babies have died at birth. That's how there's going to be people from every tribe and tongue and 26:52 nation in heaven. Not one will be left out because from every nation and every tribe there have been babies that have died at birth and they all go straight to heaven. Not because they are babies but because the blood of Jesus is put to 27:07 their account. You know just like you can be a millionaire's son baby and a baby and you can have a bank account of a million when you're one day old because the daddy put that much in your account. So the blood of Jesus is put to 27:20 the account of babies who have not consciously committed any sin. So there will be some from every tribe, tongue and nation there. Think of all the aborted babies, millions of aborted babies even in the educated countries. 27:33 They're going to be there. And then what do they say? All that they say is our salvation is due to what the Lord has done for us. They cry out saying verse 10, our 27:52 salvation is due to our God who sits on the throne and our lamb. What do we have? Verse 13, we have white robes and we have made them white. Verse 14, in the blood of the lamb. That is their only testimony. Even babies are born in sin, but it has 28:11 been cleansed. Even that baby that never saw life on earth, that aborted baby that's in heaven now, say, "The blood of Jesus has allowed me to be cleansed and I can stand here." And the great sinner who died, the thief on the cross who 28:27 murdered people till almost the last day of his life, he says, "The blood of Jesus has cleansed me. I'm here. They cannot boast about anything. My robe was filthy. But the blood of Jesus made me clean. I cannot boast about anything else. I 28:40 didn't do a single thing for the Lord. That baby says that. The thief on the cross says that. But the blood of Jesus has cleansed me. I'm here. And how many are there? Millions. Billions. But there's another group in heaven which is a little smaller group. 28:56 The first group is so big you cannot count them. The second group is small enough to be counted. I mean it's fairly large but it's small enough to be counted. Revelation 14. Remember Revelation is a book of symbols. So when it says 144,000 is not 29:13 literally 144,000. The meaning is in Revelation 7 is a number that cannot be counted. In chapter 14 is a number that can be counted. That's the only difference. It need not be exactly 144,000. But this is a group of people who have the name of the father 29:32 and of the lord Jesus written on their foreheads. Now you need to see that the contrast is between the followers of the antichrist who have the name of the and name of the uh antichrist written either verse chap the previous chapter chapter 29:49 13:e 16. The antichrist allows you to have his mark on the forehead verse 13-16 or on your right hand. But the lamb of God does not allow you to have it on the right hand. It must be chapter 14:1 on the forehead. You got to 30:08 see the contrast. The devil allows you to follow him publicly. I am a follower of Satan on your forehead. Or secretly, hide it inside your right hand and uh follow the devil secretly in your office and come to the church and act 30:28 like a wholehearted believer. follow the devil watching pornography in your room uh secretly even come to the church and look smart. The devil allows people to be secret believer, secret followers of him but or a public follower like the 30:43 Satanists and worshippers both types. There are religions where they put the mark of the says religion on their forehead. They openly proclaim I am a follower of this wrong religion or something. But there are others who follow the same 30:59 unrighteous principles but it's in secret. The devil says, "I allow you. Put the mark on the hand so nobody will see it." But the Lord Jesus says, "No, if you want to follow me," verse 14, "you must have my name on your 31:12 forehead. There's no such thing as being a secret follower of me. Wherever you go, you're publicly known as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I'm not ashamed of that whether you're a school boy, a college student or working in an office 31:29 where everybody's corrupt, you stand up for, you don't have to be a preacher, but you see, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. And I tell you, it's one of the greatest honors and privileges. I had such tremendous opportunities to do that when I worked 31:43 in the Navy with unconverted non-Christian bosses before whom I had to say sorry sir I'm a Christian and I cannot do that what an honor and sometimes they would punish me for it I 32:03 would suffer for it fine they I mean they almost locked me up in prison when I refused to not for being a Christian, but for refusing to obey an order which I said I cannot do with a clear conscience. I'm sorry, sir. Okay. But somehow God protected me from 32:22 that. But I'm thankful and I was only 23 years old and that I had number of occasions to do that. And then after the Lord had seen me doing that one day, the Lord said, "Okay, you can quit the Navy and serve me now." But he tested me for 32:39 years before doing that. I think mainly to see that when he took me into the ministry years later whether I would stand up against all the corruption there is in Christianity. But he trained me out there out there in the Navy. And 32:52 I I'm telling you this that God is God will give you opportunities in your place of work to stand up for what is the truth. And I remember one secretary for a off in an office Christian asked me this question. And brother Zach, see I'm 33:09 sitting with the boss in the office and the phone rings and those I mean those not cell phones those days there's handphones on the table years ago and the boss asked is secretary says brother Zach the boss asked me to pick up the 33:24 phone and if he's as calling for me tell him I'm not here what should I do so I said You discover it only when you pick up the phone what he's who he's asking for. So here's what you should do. You pick up the phone and your boss has told 33:44 you and that chap asks you, "Is the boss here? Put the phone back. Disconnect the phone." And he'll ring again. Now tell the boss, "Sir, please ask somebody else to answer the phone now cuz the chef's going to call again. I'm a Christian. I 34:00 cannot tell a lie. You may lose your job. I tell you in Jesus name you'll get a better one. I've seen people this is what I've taught and I've seen people experience it because of one verse in scripture which says those who honor me I will 34:16 honor. I've experienced it myself so many times. Once I got a transfer in half an hour after I took a stand for something I was turned out of my job and get another one. I said praise the Lord. So those are precious experiences. 34:33 So have the mark on the forehead but this number is very small. And what is the characteristic of them? It says here they one is described in verse four. They followed the Lord the lamb wherever he 34:52 [Music] went. Wherever Jesus went they looked for the footsteps of Jesus and they walked there. So follow the lamb wherever he goes. It's not always easy. Jesus didn't have an easy path. But it's wonderful to be in that small group of 35:08 people. Not like the millions who say, "Oh, the blood of Jesus has cleansed me. I was a rotten sinner, but somehow the blood cleansed me. I'm here." That's great. Praise the Lord, brother. You're my brother in Christ. But I want to have 35:20 to I don't want to be like the dying thief. What do you think regret the dying thief has in heaven today? He, oh, I wish I had lived at least one day for my savior. I did not even get one day to live for him. Think of the 35:35 regret that man has. I got saved and I died immediately. And he'll tell you, you guys are so lucky after you got saved. You had so many years. I hope you did something for the Lord in those years. That's what the dying thief will 35:46 tell you and me. And I want to say yes, my brother. The Lord gave me 60 years after I was converted and I could do things for him. I hope you'll have some testimony like that. He followed the lamb wherever he went. And it says here 36:04 they were those who kept themselves. When it says they were verse four, they were not defiled with women. The women mentioned are the daughters of Babylon. You read that in chapter 17. Corrupt Christianity is called a harlot system 36:18 full of harlots. Spiritual harlotry. And this is a group that kept themselves from the spiritual harlotry of the daughters of Babylon. Babylon and his daughters. It speaks in chapter 17. They did not defile themselves with 36:32 compromising Christianity. Babylon is compromising Christianity. So that these are the things that we need to judge ourselves in. And 1 Corinthians chapter 11 tells us how we can be ready for the coming of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11. Think of 36:48 this day when we stand before Jesus and he judges all human beings. There are many things we regret for failures. We ask God to forgive us and repent from those failures. You know when I think of the Apostle Paul, he lived 67 years and then he was 37:06 beheaded by Nero the emperor. Out of those 67 years, 30 years he did wrong things. What type of wrong things? Worse than you and me. He persecuted Christians and killed some of them. Anybody here done anything like that? 37:22 Imagine having a record where I have persecuted God's people and killed some of them and then I get converted. I know I regret the years where I disappointed the Lord so much. But you know what the result of that was? When I meditate on those years, I 37:40 say, "Lord, I'm going to run much faster because I wasted so much time." It's like that Olympic runner I saw in a video of this is one of those recent Olympics, one of those African long-distance runners. He tripped and 37:55 fell and he got up. You know, once you trip and fall in a race, it's almost impossible to win. This guy tripped and fell and got up and ran and came first. I said, "Wow, what an example for me." because he he he said, "I got to make up 38:14 for this time I lost." But that's exactly how I felt. I said, "Lord, I've lost a lot of time by being half-hearted and not serious in my Christian life. I have to make up for it. I can't be like all these other young fellows who sort 38:28 of slowly move along at a steady pace. I have no time for that steady pace. I've got to go full speed because I wasted so much time." I've told people in my own home church I said many of you guys are learning things at the age of 17 and 18 what I 38:45 learned when I was 36. So you have much more opportunity if you come to my age 80 to go way much further than I have come in the Christian life. But when I see the way you're 39:02 living I don't think you'll beat me. because I've got so much regret over the way I messed up things in my life that I'm going full speed. And I don't see you guys going full speed like that. I see you guys are so careless and slack 39:20 and drifting along. You come to a good New Covenant church, but you're not radical. And so I tell you, I'm disappointed in the sort of half-hearted way. You're moving in the right direction. Agreed. and you've understood 39:35 all the new covenant and all, but it's not a radical, wholehearted fast pace at which you're running. That's how Paul felt. I've messed up so much of my life. I've done so many evil things. Peter, Paul, Peter, John, James, and all haven't done it. 39:50 I've got to run. That's why God picked him up and used him so much. There's no partiality with God. It's no partiality. He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. He says, "If you seek me with all your heart, you will 40:04 find me. Whoever you are, there's no partiality with me." So 1 Corinthians 11, come to this verse has been a tremendous help to me. When the Lord judges everyone, it says here 1 Corinthians 11 uh vers 31. 1 Corinthians 40:31 11:31, "If we judge ourselves rightly, rightly, rightly in the day of judgment, we will not be judged." What a promise. That means my 40:50 turn comes to stand before the Lord. The Lord calls out Zach Pune and I come and stand there and the Lord opens the records, the video No, Zach. Nothing to be judged. Wow. Can you imagine how excited I'll be? Is there anything on earth to 41:09 compare with that? Well done, good and faithful servant. There's nothing to be judged. It says here, "There'll be nothing to be judged." Why? because I tried my best to judge myself every day from the time I got light and I decided to run faster than 41:26 the others because I wasted so many years of my life. Dear brothers and sisters, take it seriously. We can glory in the fact like the Pharisees, Jesus says, "All that this church says to you, do do." NCCF is 41:46 teaching the right thing. Everything they tell you to do, do believe what they do. This absolutely the right doctrine. You won't find another church like that in California. Great. It means nothing. You can boast about it, glory 41:59 about it, but it'll mean nothing when you stand before the Lord. If you have not judged yourself rightly, that born again, God-fearing man from the Roman Catholic Church may be ahead of you because he judged himself rightly. His 42:14 doctrines may have been wrong, but the Lord will say, "Look at that what man did with that wrong doctrine." And how you should have been way ahead of him with all the right doctrines. To whom more is given, more will be required. I've had some people 42:28 tell me, "Brother Zach, my life I can't progress much because my wife is so half-hearted and not serious disciple." I say, you know what'll happen to you in the day of judgment when you stand before the Lord and give that excuse? 42:42 Lord, I couldn't wholeheart wholeheartedly follow you because my wife was such a drag on me. The Lord will say, "Hey, let me call that man from there, that man from that country. Come here." He'll call him before you and say, "I'll show you a video of his 42:55 life and show you what type of wife he had." You see that? How she yelled and screamed at him and did all types of things against him. But see what a wholehearted life he lived. What do you have to say? Your mouth will be shut. 43:13 John Wesley was one of the greatest men of God who lived on this earth and is a witness for Christ. He had a wife who is really unconverted would pull his hair in the presence of his senior co-workers. He she would open up the letters which 43:31 he had written for posting and when he was away he she would open up and write some other nonsense and said that in those letters fold it up, stick it and mail it. Have you got a wife like that? Don't ever complain that your wife 43:46 or your husband is not wholehearted. There is absolutely no excuse. God's grace is sufficient to overcome every single problem. You have only yourself to blame if you sin. You have only yourself to blame if you're not becoming more like 44:04 Christ at least every year. And people around you should be able to listen to it. Whenever I hear some couple comes to me and some brother says, "Brother, I've been listening to your message for 10 years. I I say I want to ask your wife whether 44:23 you've become a better husband otherwise what you saying you listen to me for 10 years let your wife tell me that you'll become a much better husband in 10 years awaits it's just knowledge it's very easy for people to listen to me and get 44:40 a lot of knowledge correct knowledge but it doesn't help to know that 2 * 2 is 4 2 * 3 is 6 is all accurate but how does it help you spiritually. So it's very very important dear brothers and sisters to be ready for the coming of Christ with judging 44:58 ourselves rightly and having no regret when we stand before the Lord. May the Lord help us. Let's bow our heads for a moment. Thank you father for your word which is a lamp to our 45:17 feet and light to our path and above all the life of Jesus which is a tremendous example for us to follow. Please help us we pray everyone here Lord. We know you have great plans for this church and for the truth that is proclaimed here that 45:32 can transform lives and families. We pray that you will bless every single person here and all those who have come newly and those who are seeking to be members here. Lord, we pray there'll be a radical attitude towards disciplehip 45:48 and also an unashamed proclamation of their loyalty to Christ in a time like this where so many are compromising. Help this church and everyone here to be true to you. We know we will have no regret when we stand before you face to face. Thank you, 46:03 Father, in Jesus name. Amen.
