0:00 I mentioned last year that we want to pray to God and prepare another generation to take over the responsibility in our churches in the days to come. 0:25 Some of us in the older generation are getting older and we'd like to live till the Lord comes or much longer. But even if we live many more years, we still want another younger generation to grow up 0:47 and take responsibility. In fact, I believe the time has come even to start working on a third generation, but the second generation needs to work on a third generation slowly because it takes time for a man to be a leader. 1:07 And one of the major preparations for leadership is one, a very intense study of the word of God. And the other is a number of experiences of being broken by God under different circumstances and humbled and crushed so that we put our face in the dust. 1:33 That takes time. So we are thankful that here and there God is raising up different brothers in Kerala, Tamil Nadu. And so today we want to hear one of those brothers, Brother Victor, who is an elder of the church in Tirkatapalli, where God has established a church. 1:56 Brother Michael will translate for him. Thank you. 2:29 I'm so thankful to the Lord for these days. In the previous days, among the many burdens, the burden which is most prominent in my heart, 2:59 the Lord's name must be glorified. In the morning, we heard that read in the book of Malachi. We read here in the book of Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 5. 3:28 My name is continually blasphemed all day long. For ages, the name of the Lord has been blasphemed by those who are enemies of God and by the people who are called His children. 3:55 That is what Paul would also say when he writes to the letter of the Romans, Romans chapter 2, verse 24. He says that the name of the Lord is blasphemed among the nations because of you. 4:25 The name of the Lord is blasphemed through the people who are called the children of God. Whether it is in the Old Covenant or in the New Covenant. I want to show two examples where the name of the Lord has been blasphemed and one example of where His name has been glorified. 5:00 We know that the name of the Lord has been blasphemed and His name has been defiled by the children of Israel. But we read one instance in Exodus, chapter 32. 5:28 We read in 32, chapter, I mean, verse 25 like this. Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control, poor Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies. In the Tamil Bible, it is written here that the children of Israel were made naked before their enemies or they were put to shame. 6:01 They behaved in a very undignified manner. They behaved in a very animal-like manner. They were playing a sexual game, orgies. 6:25 And who were these enemies? And who were these enemies? Who were watching them? Definitely it would have been the Amalekites. They were the people who opposed them in the beginning. The people who were surrounding them, 6:48 To them, To them, these people, the children of Israel, were naked and they brought a dishonor to God's name. How this incident came about, Moses has gone up into the Mount Sinai. 7:10 He didn't say that I will be there 40 days. And the Lord also didn't give him a time frame, saying, 40 days you are to be with me. He went up. And the people who were down, they didn't have enough patience. 7:33 We don't know what happened to the God, which brought us out from Egypt so far. We don't know what happened to our leader. 10 days, 30 days, 40 days, 44 days. 10 days, 30 days, now it's 40 days over. We don't know what happened. 7:54 Because of that, they took the matter into their hands. That is the golden calf. In many instances, we also make these gold calves. When we don't wait. 8:15 When the matter gets delayed. How much will I pray? How much will I wait? I'm not married. I'm not married. Now my age is crossed 30. I've got married. My children are not born. 8:37 I have completed my education. I have not had a good job. This problem is not solved. That problem has not got solved. I'm looking at my wife to see whether she will change. She will become better. It's not happened. 8:58 I brought my wife to CFC church so that she would change for the better. I brought my children to CFC church because I thought they would change. No formula has worked out. My wife, it doesn't appear that she has seen no change for the better. 9:21 So many years since I married, I don't have children. When the matters get delayed like this, people take the matter into their own hands. For example, I want to tell about a husband whom I have, 9:42 one of the husbands whom I met. If I keep, you know, giving freedom for my wife like this, nothing will change. If I put her in a place and beat her, she will change and she will, you know, obey me. 10:06 If I'm really rough and tough, then only she will come to the right path. now what that husband is doing is, he is making this golden calf. We should not say that the children of Israel made the golden calf. sometimes even some parents because their children, 10:29 they cross their age 30 or 32. So they say that, you know, we'll get some girl who's a Roman Catholic or CSI or TLC. we'll give them baptism. We'll give them baptism. 10:50 Then we'll get them married. Come bring them to the church and then we'll make them our person. This is the golden calf. This is what the children of Israel did. They took the matter into their hands. But what the loving father is doing up there is, 11:09 for the people of Israel, he is preparing these Ten Commandments, all the laws and statutes, all the courts he is making, all the foundations he is forming, all the festivals he is forming, 11:31 all the sacrifices he is preparing, He is making plans so that, when they come into the land of Canaan, they would behave in a proper, well-behaved manner. 11:54 But these people don't know, that the father in heaven is making a good plan for them. We read this word in Zephaniah. He is sitting in silence, and out of love, he is making a good plan for you. That the people didn't understand. 12:20 The Lord, you know, God has just forsaken us. So, because of that, we have to take the matter into our hands. They made this golden calf. For that, there was a sacrifice, there was a festival. 12:46 The rule of the festival was, eating, drinking, and sexual orgy. In the morning, they rose up, and offered sacrifice of peace. And after that, what happened? Then eating, drinking, and playing. 13:10 This was the religion of the Israelites. This was the sin in the desert, in the wilderness. And the result of that was, that they were naked, and they were in shame, in the midst of their enemies. 13:34 The people who were surrounding them, they clapped their hands, and they were amused. They asked this question, what is the difference between you and me? We will leave out the Amalekites. How much the enemies of God, would have mocked or scorned? 13:58 You told it's a special people. You said that they were a tribe, but not mingle with the others. You told that you know, you want to worship God, and came out into the wilderness. You came out of the Egypt, 14:19 to worship God. Didn't you come out, separating yourself from the world, so that you could worship God? Is this the worship you do? 14:40 Is this the worship that you came out for? Eating, drinking, and playing evil games? This is how, the children of Israel, in the midst of all their enemies, 15:00 the Amalekites, and also the enemies of God, they were blaspheming God's name, and they were put to shame. All these things, beloved, are examples for us. Beloved, young people, religion, 15:21 our religion, pussy poo, kudip poo, vilayattu, if our religion will be, eating, drinking, and playing, these evil sexual games, Sunday morning, worship, Sunday morning, we come for worship, if you will be the people, who will be playing, 15:41 these evil games, from Monday to Saturday, definitely, before the, people who are not godly, we will be, you know, blasphemous. You are going to the church, I am not going to church. I quarrel, you quarrel. 16:03 You see movies, I also see movies. You are engaged in a love affair, I am also engaged in a love affair. I look at cell phone pornography, you also look at cell phone pornography. You husband and wife, you quarrel with each other. 16:24 We quarrel with each other, you also quarrel with each other. What is the difference between you and me? Is this the worship you do? It was like that, so many years ago, until now, the name of the Lord is blasphemed. I want to show one more thing. 16:45 another man of God. Another servant of God is Samson. Judges chapter 16. Judges chapter 16. 17:07 He was a man who was anointed by God. He was in the, having a vow according to the Nazarenes. He was a judge, among the children of Israel. Because he followed the lusts of his eyes. 17:30 We see in verse 21. Chapter 16 verse 21. Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains. And he was a grinder in the prison. We read in verse 23 like this. 17:48 Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their God and to rejoice for they said, Our God has given Samson, our enemy, into our hands. We read also in verse 24. When the people saw him, 18:04 they praised their God for they said, Our God has given our enemy into our hands. Even the destroyer of our country who has slain many of us. How much the Lord would have been grieved because of what is happening. They are worshipping 18:24 and sacrificing to the God Dagon. The man who is anointed by God is in prison. He is in the captivity of the enemies and he is grinding. His head was shaved and his eyes 18:44 were gouged out. And he was made captive. They are now worshipping Dagon and sacrificing to their God Dagon. We read the verse like this in Ezekiel chapter 36 19:05 verse 2. For ages how the enemy blasphemes the name of the Lord is the spirit of God has recorded the manner 19:25 in which they blaspheme and says, Aha! Today, Simpson is in my captivity. The man who is anointed by God, Samson is now in my captivity. I have held him captive today. 19:48 Beloved, Satan should not talk about like us, you know, this word to us at any time. I have captured him. I have made him into, taken him into my captivity. I have captured him by internet pornography 20:09 and taken him as a captive. No, no, that word should never be told. I made this family to get trapped in debt and now they are in my captivity. 20:32 I have, you know, made this boy to fall into a love affair with a heathen girl and taken him into my captivity. I have trapped him in covetousness and taken him as a captive. 20:52 The accuser, he keeps telling for ages, the people who are anointed by God, I have taken them captives. This is what he would have looked at Samson and told him. Today, Samson is in our captivity. and they 21:13 are bringing him into this place where there is a celebration because Samson was captured and for that celebration there is a show, an entertainment show and they are bringing there. like how we see today 21:41 also so many circus entertainment shows which are going on. here they are having many people there, thousands there and they are bringing Samson to entertain them. 25 25 25 25 25 25 He was entertaining them. We read in verse 25 22:02 and 27. It so happened when they were in high spirits that they said, call for Samson that he may amuse us. And so they called for Samson from the prison and he entertained them and they made him stand between the two pillars. 22:15 Now the house was full of men and women and all the lords of Philistines were there and about 3,000 men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them. How much the angels would have been sad and how much 22:35 the heart of God would have been grieved. Beloved, to whom am I a person who is amusing them. How can the Lord take me and show me as an example? When Paul is writing 22:55 to the Corinthians, when we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, he would say that we are a spectacle to God, to the angels, to the world and even demons. can you see 23:17 the distinction between what Samson did as an entertainment and what Paul is telling about a spectacle? In the Old Testament, the Lord was not able to show an example like Paul. The Lord 23:40 wants to show through all of us like what He did for Paul that you will be a spectacle for the angels and the world. We will come back to that word a little later. I want to show another man who 24:00 was chosen by God. He is a man after God's heart. After David's sin was forgiven, Nathan the prophet tells him, the Lord has removed 24:20 your guilt. That's what Nathan told David. But you have given the enemies of God a reason to blaspheme God's name. We will read that word. 2 Samuel chapter 12 24:40 2 Samuel chapter 12 we read in verse 14 like this however because this deed you have given however because by this deed you have given 25:00 occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child also that is born to shall surely die here we can see that David was a cause for the enemies of Lord to blaspheme beloved 25:20 how much our hearts should mourn after we have sinned if we have given our first born to die and we mourn for that death to that extent we should 25:40 mourn if we mourn like that then we would not give an opportunity to blaspheme like that many times we say that after we have sinned we receive forgiveness 26:01 and we go scot-free after we have sinned our house should be like a death house there is a small dispute between the husband and wife a little 26:21 bit we have lost the peace we would have apologized to one another we would also forgiven one another but before we go into the presence of God we should be ashamed we should have this feeling how can 26:41 I go and look at his face how can I quarrel with my wife then go and look at my father's face I have quarrelled with my husband I have apologized I 27:01 have said things right but how will I go to my father's face and look at his face I have seen a scene which I should not have seen I have sinned but the Lord has forgiven me there should be so much of grieving mourning in the 27:21 heart there should be no food our house should be a house of grief and sorrow mourning if a house is like that then we survive we have blasphemed the Lord's name so 27:41 much in the past days whether it is the Israelites or Samson David like many people had defiled the holy name of the Lord 28:01 in the middle of all that in the Old Testament there was one man who lived only to honor God's name we read in Job chapter 31 there 28:22 were three secrets in his life so that he would not sin he kept three important factors in his mind before him all these sins were 28:42 in his mind in his heart and in his eyes all these are not open sins here is a man who feared God so much that in his attitude he 29:02 was able to cleanse his eyes and his mind that is why maybe the Lord looked at him maybe when Job mentioned that he was mentioning it in a self defense he he the 29:23 Lord made these three friends to accuse him and brought these things out otherwise it wouldn't have come out so that it would be a challenge to you and me today in God's eyes definitely he was defending 29:43 himself but the Lord allowed it just to know how much he had judged himself the Lord allowed these friends to come there that is what is written as Job 30:03 chapter 31 there are about seven or eight things where he has judged himself and he has written it there were three reasons why he did not want to sin before God and those three things I want to mention the 30:25 whole secret for his life was these three things the topmost secret in Job's life we read in verse 23 like this how it is mentioned in the Tamil Bible is because of his majesty I cannot 30:45 do this thing it's written here because of his majesty I can do nothing the way it is written in Tamil is that I should not bring any grief for 31:05 his majesty I should not in any way grieve God or dishonor him in any way his majestic name that should not be dishonored this is the first secret Job 31:26 had in his life for example I want to show one or two verses his examples we read in chapter verse 1 this is the new covenant standard not lusting with the eyes he 31:49 was a man who lived a life where he was not lusting after woman with his eyes what was the reason why he didn't do it if I lust with my eyes then I will bring dishonor and grief into the name of the 32:09 Lord we read in verse 7 I am a big business man he had many servants all the earning that he made there was not a single spot if 32:33 any spot has stuck to my hands whatever he earned was through the righteous means he was a big landlord of those days he was a big industrialist at that time but 32:54 there was no spot in his hands he had to to go to go to the goal he had was I should not bring dishonor to my God's name verse 3 he had 33:19 never never never despised the hike or the bonus or the increment or the repair revision of whatever it is that was due to his servants the reason for that was I should not grieve the majestic name of my God we 33:40 read later we read from verse 16 to verse 22 he was the man who opened his hand generously to the poor the destitute the orphans the widows he just opened 34:00 his hands wide to them later on Paul would tell to Timothy those who are rich in this world let them give generously let them give abundantly let 34:21 them be rich in good deeds they should remember this here is an old testament man who held to all those things we can even read little further we read from verse 24 onwards he 34:42 had never put his confidence in gold or silver he was never very happy about the great wealth or the real estate he had he never kissed his hand he says that if he kissed his hand then he is denying God here's 35:03 a man who lived in the days of old covenant he had a lot of love he had a lot of love he had a lot of love the reason was the reason was that I should not cause something to degrade the majesty of the name of God verse 29 35:16 he never rejoiced you know because of the fall of his enemies in the days when he lived there would have been a lot of competition whenever they fell he was never happy that is the spirit which was there in Jesus Christ who lived in the new covenant 35:40 to not rejoice when your enemy falls is that kind of a spirit of the new testament oh Jerusalem you are going to be destroyed not one stone will be left off on another stone you didn't receive me 36:02 I came into you but you didn't receive me he never said that you you should be cursed he never did that he never rejoiced when he said that you know you will be surrounded by enemies and you will be captured 36:22 he looked at Jerusalem and he wept this is the spirit of the new covenant here is a man in the old testament sitting like this he says I never you know was happy when my enemy had some difficulty if I had rejoiced like that then I would have brought you know dishonor to God's name 36:49 the highlight is in verse 35 let anyone write anything against me whatever he wants to my enemy can write and sign it and give it let the lord approve it 37:11 that will be a crown for me that is a crown for me whatever you want to write against me you want to write an email against me whatever you want to say it is an honor for me it is an honor for me it is a crown for me 37:32 here is a man who lived in the old covenant before the majesty of the lord's name let my name be tarnished in any way that was the topmost goal he had 37:53 that my lord's name will not be dishonored in any way that is why the lord looked at him he called satan even his family life not just chapter 31 38:13 we read even in chapter 1 from the day I came to know that this was the first book in the bible through Brother Zach I desired this book much and started reading it 38:34 in the first chapter in the first five verses the lord showed me something there is an order in the first three verses the first chapter 38:57 a godly man a godly man there is an order in his life it is personal godliness in the second verse order number two order number two is about the godliness which was there in his children he had seven sons and three daughters 39:21 that is an order in his family the continuation of that the continuation of that is in verse 4 and 5 the continuation of that is in verse 4 and 5 the continuation of that is in verse 4 and 5 the continuation of that is in verse 4 and 5 39:31 what we read in verse 4 is about his business number one number one my personal godliness order number two order number two the godliness of my children my family third order number three business money making 39:51 the third is my business how I make money he never changed this order the continuation of verse 2 we read in verse 4 and 5 wherever this order is changed the business of satan is to keep the third thing in the second place 40:21 and move the second into the third place day and night money making day and night business day and night it is only business and the children and their godliness comes third if it happens like that everything becomes topsy-turvy 40:38 when he feared god he kept the order he maintained the order lord in my personal life I must be godly there should be purity in my eyes there should be purity in my hands 40:58 there should be purity in my heart I should not put my trust on money we read all this in chapter 31 then he went straight to children we read in verse 4 his children were in different places 41:19 there would be feasts and you know festivals and they would visit each other the children would visit each other in the days of these feasts in those days they didn't have cell phones he would send his servant 41:43 into the eldest son's house then he would call him then he would call him and make him sit I heard that you had a feast in your house what was that feast? I heard that there was a function in your house what was the function? 42:01 when you ate and you drank did you do it for the glory of God? the word is written in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 31 Job was one who kept it in his house whether you ate or drank 42:22 did you do it for the glory of God? what happened? where did you have this party? who all came for this party? what did you eat? what happened? he inquired from his son and came to know like today how we can ask our children 42:46 and come to know are you living without taking any debt? are you living within the income you are earning and without taking a debt? are you crossing your boundary? are you not using your credit card? 43:09 because everyone says they are going to give loan are you entering into this territory of loans? like how fathers can influence their children Job had the spiritual influence on his children what are you doing? what are you doing? 43:28 why did you have this party? what was the need? did you in any way blaspheme God's name? sometime maybe you had blasphemed God so for that he was a man who had a sacrifice according to all these things he did in those days 43:53 and the Lord looked at it from heaven the Lord looked at this man he looked at his business he looked at his family he looked at his personal family and the topmost secret for his godliness was 44:14 that my Lord's name majestic name should not be dishonored tarnished because of me or my family God's name should not be dishonored the Lord confirmed this and then he called Satan then the Lord said 44:36 there is no man like Job have you seen it? the Lord was so bold and he told that the Lord kept on intently looking at Job's life and then he told this because in his heart only that one thing was primary the final show 45:01 the final show was about how the house collapsed or how all his cattle were stolen all these things were the final show the Lord told very boldly you do what you want beloved this is an Old Testament man 45:23 who is challenging us I will not bring dishonor to God's name the second secret which Job held in his so that he would not sin the second secret which he had 45:43 in his life Job chapter 31 it's in the verse 2 that that secret is found we will read verse 1 and 2 I have made a covenant with my eyes how then could I gaze at a virgin and what is the portion of God from above or the heritage of the Almighty from one high 46:05 What is he saying? If I look at something with lust in my eyes, then whatever blessing the Lord wants to give me from heaven, I will not get it. 46:31 I have written like this in my Bible. I have given this reference, Ephesians 1.3, Ephesians 1.3 speaks about beloved young people, beloved brothers. 46:52 If this verse will be an eye-opener for you, it will be very good. How crafty the enemy, Satan is. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 47:17 In the heavenly places, the Father has deposited in the name of Jesus Christ all the spiritual blessings. All these blessings are in my account. It's there in your account. In Christ, he has kept all these blessings for us as our inheritance. 47:42 Now, we have to download all those blessings. We should get each one of our blessings for ourselves. When we go into eternity, that deposit should have been emptied. We should have inherited all of that on this earth. 48:05 If we go into eternity and the Lord says, You know, I have put all these things into account for inheriting. But you, you know, inherited only a little bit. How much of grief it will be? Just imagine if it is money. If we go into eternity and the Lord says, 48:26 Some foreigner has deposited in our account, lakhs and lakhs. How much of effort you would take to download that? How much of effort you would take? I mean, passion you will have in trying to find out this form, that form, sign it, meet here, there and then get it. 48:50 That is how God, in Jesus Christ, has kept all these spiritual blessings for us. For us, there is a hindrance by which we won't be able to download that. 49:12 He is teaching us that, an Old Testament man. If I am not faithful with my eyes. If I look at all the evil, filthy, gutter things through my eyes. 49:33 Job knew that, I could not get those blessings from heaven. If I have, you know, looked at a woman with lust in my eyes. I will not be able to inherit or get any of those blessings, which the Lord has kept for me in the heavenly places. 49:56 That is something we have to guard so faithfully. Whoever can guard their eyes so carefully. If we can guard this purity of our eyes. We will be able to see God in all situations. 50:19 Job was able to see God in all situations. He didn't look at the Chalteans or the Sabayans. He didn't look at the Chalteans who took off these blessings things or, you know, Sabayans who drove off that. The Lord gave, the Lord is taken. 50:40 How was he able to see God? He was a man who could preserve the purity in his eyes. In all situations, he could see God. Joseph was one man who could preserve the purity in his eyes. He could look at his brothers and say, 51:00 Not you, but God sent me ahead of time. Don't feel sad. He didn't look at those enemies who had hated him and was jealous of him and what sold him. He was a man who saw God. 51:25 Jesus was one who preserved the purity in his eyes. He didn't look at Judas Iscariot. He looked at the Father's hand. The purity that was in his eyes. We have to inherit, beloved, all the spiritual blessings. 51:48 If we are pure in our eyes, then we can behold the blessings of heaven. We could see the place where the Lord has seated us in the heavenly places. We can see like how Jesus Christ would say that I see Satan falling like lightning. 52:14 The Bible should be a printed letter for me. It need not remain like just a printed book. If we had holiness in our eyes, we would be able to see the revelation concerning Christ from this book. We would see the majestic things about Jesus Christ. 52:39 Only four Gospels. The glory of Jesus Christ is buried in these four Gospels. How can I inherit them? I should preserve my eyes. Beloved, where do we spend our time? 53:00 We have to preserve it so that sin will not enter into our eyes at any time. So, the second secret which Job had was that if he lusted with his eyes, 53:22 then he would lose all the inheritance which God had prepared for him. The lower level, the third, you know, the reason why he didn't sinned. He had a sense about the judgment of God. Verse 11, 53:42 For that would be a lustful crime. Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by the judges. Verse 14, What then could I do when God arises and he calls me to account? What will I answer him? We read in verse 28, That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, 54:05 for I would have denied God above. Beloved, this is the kind of reasoning a man who lived in the Old Testament had. I would not bring grief to the name of God. I would not want to lose any of the inheritance which God has kept for me because of my sin. 54:33 If I stand before God in judgment, I don't want to be condemned. This is how he lived and preserved his testimony before God. That is why God could show him, exhibit him to Satan. 54:53 All the rulers in the heavenly places, the Lord displayed him as an example. The Lord, like what Paul writes, 55:15 The Lord wants to show us, like the example to Satan and his hosts, we who are standing in the New Testament days. May the Lord give us this kind of grace in the days, in the coming days. Amen. 55:45 If all of us would have one prayer uppermost in our heart, even if we don't actually pray it every day, if it is in our heart, there is a song in English which says, 56:09 Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, whether it is spoken or not spoken. What we say with our mouth is not necessarily the prayer that God hears. There could be an unspoken desire in our heart 56:29 which is stronger than what we pray with our tongue. And that is why many prayers are not answered. Because God answers according to the unspoken desire of the heart when man looks on the outward appearance, listens to the tongue. 56:49 So, in our heart there should be one prayer, the one that Jesus taught us. Hallowed be thy name. Lord, I don't want to do anything that will bring dishonor to your name. That is the unspoken longing of our heart all the time. 57:10 We are not speaking it. But we have this tremendous desire that I never, never want to bring dishonor to God's name by anything I say or anything I do. You will find a tremendous difference in your life. Many of you who are seeking 57:31 to be filled with the Holy Spirit continuously. You will experience that. Continuously. I don't mean a once for all experience. You know, when Nathan came to David, we read it just now, after he sinned. One of the things that 57:50 Nathan the prophet said to David was, you read in 2 Samuel 12 and verse 13, David said to Nathan, I admit, I have sinned. You know, it took nine months. It's amazing. It took nine months for David, 58:12 you know, because he committed adultery and the baby was born nine months later. It took nine months for David to realize that committing adultery with somebody's wife, killing her husband, and marrying her was a sin. 58:34 Imagine, how can anybody be so blind to this? You commit adultery with somebody's wife, kill the husband, marry the man, marry the woman, and you still don't feel it's a sin. The longing that David had 58:54 when he was a young man slowly disappeared when he was a young man. Do you know that David wrote many of his psalms before he was 30 years old? Because you read at the top of some of the psalms when he was running from Saul 59:14 to some cave and many of the psalms when he was running away from some king, when he pretended to be mad. It was all before he became king, before he was 30 years old. I'm sometimes amazed how a person younger than 30 years old 59:29 could write scripture which is a blessing to people today and how the same man when he was 50 commits adultery, kills the woman's husband, marries her and he's still not convicted of sin. How is that possible? That is because 59:50 it can happen to us. Think of your own life when you started out. We read about Job. You know when Job said, I do not lust after a woman. His 10 children were living in their own houses. 1:00:11 Remember, he's a grown-up man. Job was probably more than 130 years old. More than a 100-year-old man saying, I made a covenant I will not look after her, look at a woman. He had kept that. I mean, Job was probably 1:00:32 richer than David. It says he was the greatest man in the East. And yet, he kept his eyes pure. He was watchful. He feared God and he was upright. And not only that, 1:00:53 he brought up his children in a proper way, all 10 of them. You read there what we read that what he said was perhaps my children have sinned in their hearts. Not externally. You read that in Job chapter 1. Maybe in their hearts, 1:01:14 in their thoughts, they didn't blaspheme God externally. They were having this feast and in their thoughts they may have sinned. What a concern this man had that his children may have sinned in their thoughts. Today we have 1:01:27 a generation of people who are not even bothered when they themselves sinned in their thoughts. I have a burden that my children should not sin in their thoughts and to pray for them. How many people pray like that today for their 1:01:39 children? Lord, my son is working in a dangerous place. There's a lot of wickedness there. Please protect him that he won't even sin in his thoughts. Yeah, it's amazing what that man Job was. David, on the other hand, 1:02:00 he became king and had so much money and gradually what happens over a period of time when wealth increases I'll tell you this, when wealth increases and comfort increases we begin to become careless in our thoughts and begin to 1:02:16 sin, which we never did in our younger days when life was tough and we were struggling to survive, we were earning so little and no job and running around seeking God. Those days we were careful, but once we had settled down and 1:02:30 got a good job and we were well off, that's when David sinned. He didn't sin when he was running for his life, when he was poor, a person strumming the guitar and looking after the sheep. I think for many of us, when we 1:02:46 started out our Christian life and we were poor and struggling, it was easier. But David said he had sinned and Nathan said to David, okay, 2 Samuel 12, 13, okay the Lord has forgiven you. He's taken away your sin. 1:03:07 Doesn't that mean all your problem is solved? No. That is God's mercy. But you have to reap what you have sown. Your child will die. Why does a child die when God has forgiven your sin? A man commits sin and gets 1:03:28 the disease of AIDS. He prays and God forgives him but he dies of AIDS. I've seen that happen. Born again believer. in his unconverted days he got AIDS. Really forgiven. Born again. He died and went to heaven but he died of 1:03:45 AIDS. You have to understand God acts in mercy but we still have to reap what we have sown. Your sin is forgiven but you will still reap what you have sown. Think for example if you spend many many years watching 1:04:05 pornography and then you repent. The Lord says all your past sin is forgiven but for the next 30-40 years you will keep on having dreams of the things that you watched in pornography. They'll never leave you. They'll torture 1:04:22 you at night. You will reap what you have sown. You can't escape it. It doesn't mean your sin is not forgiven. The Lord has taken away your sin but your child will die. Please remember this that God taking away our sin does not 1:04:43 mean that on this earth we will not reap what we have sown. If we have done foolish things and taken advantage of God's goodness and say it's okay I'll confess and he'll forgive me. Of course he'll forgive you but you will reap 1:04:58 what you have sown. Don't forget that. You can lose your temper at home and ask the Lord to forgive you. Of course he'll forgive you. But you keep on doing that you'll never get victory over your anger. You'll die without ever 1:05:16 getting victory over your anger. And you can sit in CFC and talk about the new covenant is absolute rubbish. so we reap what we have sown. If you're careless with your eyes you're going to have problems in your dreams at night 1:05:34 that will torture you. You'll reap what you've sown but you can confess Lord I'm sorry I slipped up forgiven. Remember what Nathan said the Lord has taken away your sin but you will reap what you've sown. That's why we need to 1:05:52 be careful. You know the two things which we sin with the most are eyes and tongue. And that is why when the Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount and he said in Matthew 5 20 your 1:06:12 righteousness must be greater than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees had an external righteousness Matthew 5 20 and he said I'll tell you where your righteousness must be greater. 1:06:26 I'll give you two examples. First your tongue and then your eyes. What he said. Your righteousness must be more than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees first in your tongue and then in your eyes. Let's leave aside 1:06:38 all the other things. The Pharisees say don't commit murder. I say with your tongue. Matthew 5 22 don't be angry. It starts in the heart. Number one. Step two. You say something to your brother or husband or wife or anybody in 1:06:57 anger and then after some time you say something more. You know all of people who get angry know this. It starts in the heart and then you say something and then you go when you say no I haven't told him enough. go back 1:07:11 a second time and tell him some more. It's exactly what happened. It was described in Matthew 5 22. You're ready to go to hell. Ready to go to hell. How many people believe that? Do you believe Matthew 5 22 that if anger 1:07:29 starts in your heart and you say something and you still don't judge yourself you go and again go and say something you are guilty enough to go to hell. Then you go and pray. No you can't pray. Go and settle your matter with 1:07:46 that person. Will the Lord forgive you? Yes the Lord will take away your sin. But the thing which God wanted to deliver you from you will never be delivered from. And there will be eternal loss in our life because of 1:08:06 this uncontrolled tongue which we will discover in eternity. You think that forgiveness dealt with everything. Yeah forgiveness dealt with the past but you reap what you have sown. What God wanted to do through you on earth 1:08:24 could never be accomplished. I believe there are people who could have been prophets and apostles and godly women who never got there because they took sin lightly because of forgiveness. they didn't realize that you're forgiven 1:08:42 but you'll still reap what you have sown. And the second sin Jesus said is with the eyes. Pharisees only thought about adultery but I say to you lust with your eyes you're guilty. these are the two areas Jesus spoke about. 1:08:58 That is in Matthew 5 28 and if your right eye offends you tear it out and then I would add to that after that with one eye you lust with that eye also tear that one also out. Otherwise your whole body will be thrown into hell. 1:09:12 I'm absolutely convinced that most men do not believe this. They do not believe that if you keep on lusting you can end up in hell. Strictly speaking they should scratch out 1:09:32 that verse from their Bible and believe what all the other rest of Christendom believes your sin will be forgiven. Remember what Nathan said sin is forgiven but your child will die. 1:09:52 And there's a reason also given there Nathan told David because of this the enemies of the Lord have blasphemed against him. When you lose your temper at your wife or husband you think nobody is 1:10:12 watching. There are demons who are laughing in your house at that moment and there are angels who are hanging their head in sadness when they see that. You think when you watch pornography on your cell phone or your computer 1:10:29 nobody is watching. Nobody may be in the room but the demons are there. Great. Now I can torture this fellow's mind for a few more years. Or you watch a movie which has got about ten seconds of some filthy scene. Ten years 1:10:50 later you will forget the story which you saw for two hours but you remember that ten seconds and you confess it your sin is forgiven but you will reap what you have sown. So these are the reasons why we must 1:11:11 and then the Lord's name is blasphemed by those demons. They go up to God after watching you do all this. Say Lord this is the guy who calls himself your child and not only that Lord this guy says he belongs to CFC Rich 1:11:23 Holiness this is supposed to be a holy sister. I believe there is a great need for us to repent many times. I repent every day of my life. 1:11:44 God is my witness. It's not of these sins that I mentioned. You know once you go past second third standard you are not battling with addition and division and all. You go to more difficult things in mathematics when you go 1:11:59 to college and graduate so sin is not at the same level but you never finish with sin. As you grow more and more there are many other sins that you want to battle with but you'll never come there. You're always living in 1:12:16 kindergarten. If you're satisfied with I got past marks in first standard. Or you fail in first standard and say never mind I can do again next year. Same test. No. How long do you want to sit in first standard? How long 1:12:30 do you want to sit in second standard? Don't you want your children to move on? Press on and see the example of Job how he was so careful with his eyes. An Old Testament man. That's like some village person who didn't have 1:12:45 proper schooling. who studied on his own. Sat under lamp post and studied and went ahead of you who had the opportunities to study in a college with rich parents who could send you here and there and he does better than 1:12:58 you. Job did better. we really need to repent and say Lord help me to take these sins seriously. That before I leave my earthly life I've conquered these two things. I'll tell you honestly why I sought the baptism 1:13:19 in the Holy Spirit. I said Lord I don't want other tongues I want my mother tongue to be controlled. Just control my mother tongue. Seek that God will help you to control your mother tongue. Forget other tongues. Don't seek for it. 1:13:37 I never sought for it. God gave it to me because I sought to control my mother tongue. I could not control my mother tongue. Because I read in the Bible in James 1 and if a 1:14:00 man cannot control his tongue verse 26 his Christianity is worth zero. I read that the paraphrase James 1 26 if a man or a woman cannot control his tongue his entire Christianity is worth zero. He got 1:14:20 zero out of hundred in his Christianity because he could not control his tongue. And I also read that if a man can control his tongue 1:14:40 he is a perfect man. that's what the Bible says. So I say Lord I want to control my tongue. I want to keep myself unspotted from the world as it says in James 1 27. And we got a whole chapter on the 1:15:02 tongue in chapter 3 of James where he speaks about our blessing God, praising God and cursing person in James 3 2. You can control your tongue. He's a perfect man. 1:15:25 So two verses. If I cannot control my tongue my Christianity is worth zero. And if I can control my tongue I can be a perfect man. Do you know who wrote it? James who spoke in tongues but he doesn't tell you to seek for the 1:15:42 gift of tongues. He says seek to control your mother tongue. And I want to say to all of you dear brothers and sisters ask God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit to control your mother tongue. And I want to say God has 1:16:02 helped me. An angry man from whom anger is gone. I can control my tongue by God's grace. Let's bow our heads in prayer. 1:16:25 We've heard some solemn things today. Example of Job. How David's sin made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Lord, these things are written for our instruction. Help us to be watchful and careful. Help us to honor you 1:16:43 Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, we're going to come back in about 15 minutes. Ten past six and we'll start at 6.15. Meeting is over.
