0:00 So let's turn again to one John and two. 0:22 We were looking at verse 16. How the Holy Spirit describes the things that are in the world. The lust of the flesh. Which is mostly related to sexual desire. 0:48 The lust of the eyes. Which is mostly related to the things we want to see and buy. And desire for money. There is no sin in the eyes. 1:14 It's from the heart. When you get angry, the sin is not in your tongue. It's in your heart. The devil is not interested in getting your eyes or your tongue. God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can control these parts of our body. 1:48 And the third thing mentioned here is the pride of life. That's the third thing that the devil makes us seek to be somebody important. 2:09 Everywhere in the world, people want to be more important than somebody else. And that doesn't look like a sinful thing. 2:34 And that's how the devil comes. And it's not only in the world. Christian churches are full of people who want to be sure they are more important than others. 2:54 To get some honor in the church by how they can sing or how they can preach or something like that. It doesn't look as bad as, you know, sexual lusting with the eyes or stealing money. 3:19 For example, when somebody wants to be an elder and wants to be appointed as an elder in a church. 3:39 It doesn't look as if it's evil. And he can think, I've got a good desire to be an elder in this good church. But I've seen in the last 40 years as we've appointed elders in many churches. 4:04 I've always told that the first qualification, number one qualification to be an elder is to have no desire at all to be an elder. In all the churches where I have responsibility, I tell them. 4:40 If you desire to be an elder, you're totally unfit. And if I sense in a brother, the slightest desire to be an elder, I'll never make him an elder. 5:01 Because, because he will be an agent of the devil in the church. You think somebody who commits adultery is an agent in the church, of the devil. That's very obvious. Everybody knows that's evil. 5:23 Or if somebody steals money, everybody knows that's evil. But this third thing is more subtle and dangerous. And why is it dangerous? For that we need to understand the origin of Satan. 5:51 Sin did not come into this universe through Adam. It came into the human race through Adam. But who was the one who tempted Adam? That was the devil who came in a snake. 6:15 So where did Satan come from? How did he become so evil? We know that nothing can exist in this world unless God created it. So Satan was created by God. 6:38 But we also know that God never creates anything evil. James 1.17 says every good and perfect gift comes from the father. So that means when originally when Satan was created, he was good and perfect. 7:07 So how did he become Satan? So how did he become Satan? Many of you may know it, but those who don't know, let's turn to Ezekiel 28. 7:27 Ezekiel 28. I want to tell you some things about how he was created before he became Satan. Before God made man, he made all the angels. 7:53 But the angels were not made in God's image like Adam was. What that means is, an angel cannot get God's nature in him like Adam could. See, we as human beings can take part in God's nature. 8:24 No angel can take part in God's nature. Because they were not made in God's image. But they were created to serve God. They were created to serve God. They have intelligence, power, conscience, everything. 8:48 And so, the head of these angels, was this one person. His name is not mentioned anywhere in scripture. What was his name before he became Satan? Some people call him Lucifer. 9:11 But that was not his name. That's just a Latin, a translation in the Latin language of something in Isaiah 14. But nobody knows his name. I think God didn't want us to know his name. 9:35 We know the name of some of the archangels, like Michael and Gabriel. But what was Satan's name, nobody knows. So, but he was the head of the angels. Ezekiel 28, verse 12 says, 9:56 He had the seal of perfection. He was perfect. He was full of wisdom. Perfect in beauty. Perfect in beauty. 10:17 None of us have ever seen a person like this in our life. Some people are good looking, but not clever. Some people are clever, but not good looking. But here was an angel who was perfect in wisdom and in beauty. 10:39 And, he was in Eden, the garden of God, verse 13. This was, before Adam, there was Eden where this angel was there. 11:02 And, it says here, in verse 14, He was the anointed cherub that guards the garden of Eden. 11:22 He was guarding the garden. The same job which God gave Adam later on. And, that's one reason why Satan was jealous. Because, that was the place he was before. 11:45 You see how that jealousy can come in human beings also. If somebody gets a position that you had once and you are put out and that person gets that position. In an office or anywhere. That's what happened to him. 12:06 And, verse 15. He was absolutely blameless in all his ways. What an angel he was. Until, one day, unrighteousness was found in him. What was that unrighteousness? 12:27 When we think of unrighteousness, we think of cheating, telling lies, hurting people. But, see this. And, this is the, there was no sin in the world those days. 12:48 Everything was perfect and holy. And, here is the description of the first sin that polluted this beautiful universe. And, it is a sin. 13:11 Which, many people don't think is a sin. If you say, in a church, we put out this man because he fell into sin. Invariably, you will think he committed adultery. 13:35 Or, he stole money from the offering box. Those are the things that immediately come to your mind if you heard somebody was put out of the church because of his sin. Because, those are the things that immediately came to our mind. 13:56 But, this angel did not do any of those things. There was no money those days. And, there were no women. There was no question of sexual sin. No money. No women. 14:16 Where is the question of sin? That's where we need to understand something worse than the love of money. Something worse than sexual sin. It says, in verse 17. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. 14:37 You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. You are. Here, you see the origin of sin. This is the root from which this terrible tree called sin has grown. Let me repeat. 15:00 It was not love of money. It was not sexual sin. Even if you are free from the love of money. And, if you are completely free from sexual sin. You can still have this sin which is worse than all of them. 15:29 Pride. Pride because of how beautiful he was. And, pride because of how clever he was. And, because of his position. How he was the head of all the angels. 15:51 His appearance. His abilities. What all he could do. And, his position. Everybody else. All these things were good. God made him beautiful. God gave him wisdom. 16:12 And, God gave him this position. And, but the moment he became proud. Sin came. And, God cast him out. One moment he was a perfect angel. The very next moment he became Satan. 16:36 From the highest created being. To the bottom of becoming the devil. It did not take a hundred years. It did not take even one minute. 16:57 In a moment. He fell from there down. That is how serious. Pride is. So, if we understand this. We see this. Is what Satan tries to. Infect people with. 17:18 When he cannot infect them. With love of money. And, with sexual sin. If somebody is doing. A lot of wrong things with money. 17:38 After some time. He will get caught. If somebody is fooling around with women. He can't stay long in the church. He will get caught one day. But, a person can be proud. And, sit in the church for 50 years. 18:02 And, be an elder. And, all those years. He can be the agent of Satan. In the church. Because, nobody thinks of that as a sin. And, it is very difficult to detect it. 18:23 Because, his money and sexual sin. Is mostly on the outside. But, this is inside. And, do you have it? You need to find out. 18:43 I will help you to find out today. You know, how you can go to a doctor sometimes. And, the doctor says. I will take a scan. You stand in front of this machine. I will take a scan. Of your dark side. And, he takes that picture. 19:06 And, says. Hey. You got some cancer here. You say. No. I feel quite okay. You may feel okay. But, you got cancer. And, if you leave it like that. It will spread. 19:28 And, it will kill you. Pride is like that. So, if a doctor shows the scan. And, says. You got cancer. What do you do? You get angry with the doctor. Or, do you tear up the report? That doesn't heal you. 19:51 And, supposing the doctor says. There is no charge for this. I have given this scan free. And, he says. I can cure you of it. I do some surgery. I can remove it. So, when God shows you. 20:13 Pride in your heart. You shouldn't get upset. You shouldn't try to say. No, no, no. It's not in me. Because, then it will remain. See. None of us like to say. We are proud. None of us like to think we are proud. 20:40 All of us like to think we are very humble people. But, I want to tell you. It's not true. It's the main reason why we don't grow. Spiritually. I've seen many of God's children in many churches not growing spiritually. 21:15 Spiritually, they are in the same level all the time. They can be compared to a child that's never growing more than two or three feet. Or to a child that's always in the kindergarten, that's never growing more than one of us like to be in the kindergarten. 21:40 That's how many of God's people are. Not only now. Even in the first century. See 1 Corinthians in chapter 3. Paul told the Corinthians. 22:00 I could not speak to you as spiritual men because you are still babes in Christ. And I have to keep on giving you milk to drink. They were babies even though Paul was their apostle. 22:23 You know, sometimes we glory in our leaders. The Jews used to say, we come from Abraham, that great man of God. John the Baptist said, don't glory in that. 22:44 Because God can make children for Abraham from these stones. So in those days, people gloried, hey, we belong to the church planted by Paul. People say, oh really? You mean, you know Paul? 23:08 Yes, you know Paul, he came to my house. And you think, oh, what a wonderful brother, he knows Paul. But he's a baby. Many people like that who were babies, even though they were in a church planted by Paul. 23:32 Not only in Corinth. I'll show you another church, Hebrews chapter 5. This letter was written to some Jewish people who were converted to Christ. That's why it's called Hebrews. We don't know where they were. 23:53 We don't know where they were. But they were babies. Hebrews 5, 12. He says, the time has come when you should have become teachers. But you still need to learn the elementary principles, the oracles of God. And you're still drinking milk and not solid food. 24:21 You know, any mother will be concerned if the child cannot eat solid food, even when it's one year old. Even by six months, you're giving them some solid food. 24:44 Think if you had a child, five years old and can only drink milk, can't eat any solid food. That's how these people were. Believers for so long, but still babies. There are a lot of people like that. 25:06 What is one proof that they were babies? One Corinthians 3. He says, your babies, and here is the proof that you're babies. Now you're going to get a scan. 25:28 Free. God is going to give you a scan right now to tell you whether you're a baby or not. Don't get angry with me. I'm only the postman. The letter is from God. 25:50 Listen. You are babies. You are babies, he says in verse 1. You can only drink milk, verse 2. And here is why I say that. Here is the scan. You have jealousy, verse 3. 26:16 That's the first scan. I want to ask you. Are you jealous of anybody else? Are you jealous of somebody else in your church? Are you jealous of somebody else in your family? 26:41 Are you jealous of somebody who's got a better house? Or a better job? Or a more good-looking wife? Or jealous because somebody else's wife can cook better than your wife? 27:02 Are you jealous? Are you jealous, you children, that somebody else got better marks than you in the school or college? Are you parents jealous that somebody else's children are doing better than your children? 27:22 Are you jealous that somebody else is being more appreciated than you in the church? Are you jealous that somebody can preach better than you? Sing better than you? Or play some instrument better than you? Or play some instrument better than you? 27:45 The scan says, You are a baby. And here is another proof. The second scan. There is fighting among you. Do you fight with people? I don't mean physically. 28:09 Words. Words. You fight with words. Don't answer me. You answer yourself before God. You fight with your wife. You fight with your husband. 28:29 You fight with brothers. Here is a scan report. Here is a scan report. Here is a scan report. Here is a scan report. You are a baby. As I said, I am only the postman. I am delivering the letter. I am delivering the letter. 28:45 This is not Paul. This is the Holy Spirit writing. Even Paul was only a postman here. He was writing what the Holy Spirit told him to write about those believers in Corinth. You are babies because you are jealous of one another. 29:10 You are jealous because you fight with each other. Verse 3. You are walking just like other human beings. You are not supposed to behave like other human beings. You are to walk like children of God. 29:33 You fight with auto rickshaw drivers about a fare. I have seen a lot of people do that. They fight with porters in the railway station. They fight in the office. But in the church, they look like holy men and women of God. 29:59 This is hypocrisy. We can look out, all right, on the outside and there is a cancer inside. What is the root cause of it? Pride. The highest angel became proud of his beauty. 30:26 So I want to explain to you how pride comes in our life. How did it come in this angel's life? Supposing 10,000 other angels were more beautiful than him. 30:47 Would he have been proud? No. He became proud because he compared his beauty with the beauty of others and said, Hey, I am more good looking than all of them. Pride comes by comparison. 31:14 If all the other 100,000 angels were cleverer than him, he could not have been proud. We can learn a lesson here. Pride comes by comparing with other people. 31:35 Supposing as your son gets, or let's, some boy gets, 10 out of 100 in mathematics in the school. Can he be proud? Yes or no? 31:57 Tell me. Yes or no? He's proud. Because all the others got 5, 4, 2, 0, 1. He only got 10. 32:19 But he comes home and says, Mommy, I came first in the class. So you don't have to get many marks to become proud. You just have to compare yourself with others and you get 10 out of 100. You get proud. 32:43 Now you take that same student who came first in his class. You put him in another top class school. Where everybody is getting 90, 95, 98, 99, 100. 33:04 He suddenly becomes very humble. He comes home weeping to Mommy. I came last. He still got 10. Same marks. But now he's humble. How did that humanity come? 33:26 By comparison. So we learn something. We become proud by comparing ourselves with others. We become humble by comparing ourselves with others. 33:47 Remember this all your life. This is the secret of pride. This is the secret of humility. Let's take musical instruments. That's going to be a great source of temptation when we can praise some instrument well. 34:14 Even if it's just a timbrel or organ or anything. But supposing a hundred people in your church can play better than you. No pride. But you go to some other church and you're the best player there. 34:40 You suddenly become proud. You suddenly become proud. How does it come? How did this humble person become proud? Comparison. Please remember that. All the pride in your heart is because you're comparing yourself with other believers. 35:05 And remember that pride is the root cause of how an angel became a devil. Pride can change an angel into a devil in a moment. 35:26 And pride can make you like the devil in a moment. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 11. Matthew chapter 11. Verse 29. 35:47 In the middle it says. Learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart. There are only two things Jesus told us to learn from him. To be gentle with people. 36:13 Because we are such hard people. That we are always hard on others. Even many preachers are so hard. I have heard many preachers in my 55 years as a believer. And some of them are so hard. 36:34 They hurt people and try to criticize that person. Criticize that person. These are usually people who have got no message. So the only thing you can do is criticize people. 36:58 Whenever you hear somebody criticizing, criticizing, criticizing, criticizing. You know the poor guy has got no message. Jesus said learn to be gentle. There is a place to be strict. There is a place to be strict. 37:19 Jesus was very strict when he spoke about the Pharisees. He called them blind fools everything. He was very strict when he saw people making money in the temple in the name of God. Those things we must be very strict with. 37:43 That's why I cannot stand all these television preachers who are always asking people for money. I spent 40 years preaching against them. Because that's what Jesus did in the temple. 38:03 But Jesus was very gentle with women who fell into adultery. And lepers. Blind people. And a five times divorced Samaritan woman. 38:28 And a murderer hanging next to him on the cross. He never shouted and yelled at them. Today's preachers shout and yell at adulterers and murderers. But they don't criticize the hypocrites. 38:53 They don't criticize the money loving preachers. They are the opposite of Jesus Christ. Jesus criticized the hypocrites and the money loving preachers. James criticized the rich people who didn't care for the poor people in the church. 39:18 He told the rich people in James chapter 5. Go and weep you rich people for your sins. God has chosen the poor of the world rich in faith. 39:39 So you find that pride can come in very easily. Pride can come in very easily. What should we beware of? We must decide never to compare ourselves with others. 40:00 Jesus said learn gentleness from me and learn humility. He never told us to learn from him how to sing. I don't know how Jesus sang but I don't have to learn that. 40:21 The only thing he said learn from me primarily was humility. So when you compare yourself with other believers. It's very easy either to be jealous because they are better than you. Or proud because you are better than them. 40:50 And both are sins. It's very dangerous to compare ourselves with anybody. You know how the Pharisee prayed in the temple. Lord I thank you that I am not like other people. I'm not like that man over there. 41:12 And Jesus said that Pharisee just went to hell. It's very dangerous to compare ourselves with others. Why did the Pharisee go to hell? Because he had the same spirit as Satan who is in hell. 41:35 Satan got that spirit of hell in him. Which is right. And he tries to put that into our hearts. See the three things John says. Sexual sin. 41:56 Love of money. And pride. And that is the most dangerous because it's not easily detected. So I want to explain to you how to be free from it. How to be free from it. Number one. 42:16 Never compare yourself with anybody. Even children. Don't compare yourself with other children. Be happy with the way God has made you. Don't look in the mirror and say I wish God had given me a better face. 42:42 God has a plan in everything. You say Lord I thank you that you made me like this. So many people have complaints against God. I'm too short. Or I'm too fat. Or I'm too tall. 43:04 My color is dark. This is all the devil. Because you feel you should be better than that. So humility comes when I refuse to compare myself with anybody. And say Lord you made me absolutely right exactly the way I am. 43:34 See a lot of children are comparing themselves with other children. In the school or in the church or somewhere else. And they have a lot of problems. So that's why I tell children. Accept yourself the way God made you. 43:57 See Psalm 139. There's a beautiful psalm here. Where it says in verse 13. You made my inward parts and wove me in my mother's womb. 44:21 So that's the first question I want to ask you. Who made you when you were inside your mother's womb? It was not the devil. It was God. 44:42 God made you when you were a small baby inside your mother's womb. And he says. Verse 15. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret. 45:05 It says in verse 13. Last part. You wove me in my mother's womb. It's something beautiful you know. Just like people do embroidery. The Lord was making this beautiful child inside a mother's womb. 45:30 You must believe that about yourself. You must teach your children. My son, my daughter. Be thankful the way God made you. The color of your skin. You did not choose. God chose it for you. 45:53 The shape of your face. God planned it all inside your mother's womb. Be thankful. Then you won't have any complaining. 46:14 Complaining is what puts us into the hand of the devil. And so, verse 14 he says. I give thanks to you. For I have been made wonderfully. 46:35 You must say that to God. When you look in the mirror. You may not be very good looking. But you say, Lord, you made me like this. I am wonderfully made. You are lovely in God's eyes. 46:59 God made you like that. We must teach our children. When they wish they were like somebody else. Don't compare yourself. If you don't teach them that, later on in life, they will have a problem with pride and jealousy and destroy themselves. 47:19 Don't let them get discouraged because they didn't come first in the class. Some of them may come very low in the class. I don't think the apostle Peter came first in the class. 47:44 Judas Iscariot must have come first in his class. But Peter may be 35th or 40th in the class. Because he was not so intelligent. 48:04 Judas Iscariot was very, very clever. Clever people are not the one God chooses. So, that's the first lesson. Never compare yourself with anybody else. 48:25 If you want to overcome this sin of pride. In physical matters. School matters. House matters. Whether you got a scooter or a cycle or a car makes no difference. Don't compare yourself with other believers in the church. 48:52 Don't compare yourself whether you can sing better than others. Whether you can preach better than others. I have seen some preachers who quote this verse, that verse, that verse, that verse. In one sermon they quote 300 verses. 49:10 They never turn there to tell you to look at that. If they ask you to turn there and read it, that's good. But only when they quote, quote, quote, quote, unquote, verses. They are trying to show you, see how much I know the Bible. 49:32 That's pride. We can be proud of anything. And spiritual pride is the worst pride. That's the reason why many people are babies. That's the reason why many people are babies. 49:52 So this comes very easily. To compare ourselves. To compare your church with another church. Because you are an elder. You say, I've done a wonderful, I made a wonderful church. We must preach the highest standard in our church. 50:16 But we are not here to decide, is our church better than their church? I say, that is God has to decide that. I'm only a student. I'm not the teacher giving the examination marks. So, that's the first lesson. 50:37 Never compare yourself, or your family, or your children, or your church with anybody else. So, the second lesson. To learn humility and overcome pride. 51:00 Always compare yourself with Jesus. It is impossible to be pride, to be proud, if you compare yourself with Jesus. Because whatever area you look at him, he is a thousand times better than you. You know, like I told you, this first boy, ten marks out of hundred, he got. 51:31 When he goes to the other school, when he goes to the other school, where everybody is getting hundred, he suddenly becomes very humble. So, I told you, pride comes by comparing yourself with others and thinking you are better. 51:48 Humility comes by comparing yourself with Jesus. See, when I realized one thing, that the temptation to pride is always there. See, sexual temptation is not always there. 52:13 It may come many times a day, but not all the time. The temptation to do wrong things with money does not come all the time. Sometimes, you may not have a temptation with money for a whole week also. But pride, there is a temptation to pride all the time. 52:41 The only time you don't get tempted is when you are asleep. As soon as you wake up, all day, something or the other tempts you to be proud. That is why the Bible says, 53:01 in Hebrews 12, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 and 2. Let us run this race, looking unto Jesus. He is the author and finisher of this race. 53:25 So, how much should we look unto Jesus according to this verse? It says we are in a race here. Have you seen people in the Olympic games or any games running a race? 53:48 Even in a school race. Supposing you see one school boy running. Long is looking to see, is he ahead of the others? He will never come first. The one who comes first, 54:08 is the one who is not looking anywhere else. He is looking at that finishing line. I got to get there. So, that is the way to run the Christian race also. Not looking here and there at others. But it says, 54:28 you are looking unto Jesus, we run this race. Then you will never sink into pride. It is very difficult to remain in humility all the time. What can we compare it to? 54:51 Think of something which is very difficult to do. Impossible. I will tell you. Walking on water. That is impossible. So, let us look at this. Humility is like walking on water. 55:17 Impossible. But Jesus walked on water. All his life, he was humble. And Peter said, you know that story. Lord, if that is you, tell me to come. Jesus said, 55:37 come. And Peter began to walk on the water. Now, you tell me, which is the bigger miracle? Jesus walking on the water, or Peter walking on the water? What do you think? 55:59 Oh, definitely Peter walking on water. Jesus walking on water is not such a great thing. He is God. But Peter, somebody like me, walking on water, that is a miracle. When a human being, 56:21 can walk in humility, that is a miracle. But what happened to Peter? Do you know the story? Do you know why he began to sink? He turned his eyes away from Jesus. 56:45 Looked at something else. And immediately, he began to sink. And that is the reason why every believer sinks into sin. He does not look at Jesus at that moment. 57:05 So I want to encourage all of you, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. See how humble he was. Philippians chapter 2 is a very important chapter. 57:28 Philippians 2 have the same mind in you which was in Christ Jesus. You read that in Philippians 2 and verse 5. Have the same mind in you which was in Christ Jesus. 57:49 And there are three steps here. I want to show you these three steps. Maybe you never saw it till now but I will show it to you. First step. Humility. He was God verse 6 and he became and he became a man. 58:11 Verse 6 and 7. For God to become man that's humility. Have the same mind in you. Humility. Second step. After becoming after becoming a man 58:31 verse 7 he became a slave. He became a slave. Now being a man itself is humility. To go down and become a slave. Not a servant but a slave. Slave is lower than a servant. 58:54 Further humility. Third. Something lower than slave. He hung on the cross and that was the punishment for criminals in the Roman Empire. 59:14 The worst criminals. Like we hang the worst criminals today. You know even some people who kill others don't get hanged they just get life imprisonment. 59:34 Hanging is for the worst. Those days crucifixion was for the worst criminals. And Jesus went down to that depth and died on a cross. It says in Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 59:58 verse 12 middle he was numbered with the criminals and transgressors. he was numbered with the criminals on the cross. One criminal this side and one criminal that side and people 1:00:20 who did not know Jesus said oh that is another criminal hanging there. so see so see the three steps God became man man he became a slave and went down and became a criminal. 1:00:41 So humility humility humility humility those are the three secrets of the Christian life. humility humility humility humility humility because God gives grace to the humble. So remember these three things that we read in 1 John 1:01:01 2 be very careful of these three areas because that is how the God of this world tries to control you through loving money through 1:01:22 being careless in sexual thoughts and thirdly in pride if you can be an overcomer in these three areas you would have overcome the world and Satan will not be able to get you. 1:01:46 That's a wonderful way God wants us to live. Amen.
