0:00 Jesus often spoke about our life like a building. 0:28 He once said about some people who laid a foundation and didn't complete the building. Then he told another story about some people who built a foundation on sand and the whole building collapsed. 0:49 And Paul also speaks about the importance of building properly. Many times in the new testament we read about the christian life is like a building. Our house is like, our personal life is like a building that we are building. 1:16 Our family, our house is like another house that we are building. And our church is also like a house that we are building. And the important thing is that all these buildings, our life, our home and our church must all remain for eternity. 1:36 So if you are young, you only need to think about your personal life. If you are married, you need to think about your personal life and your family. 1:59 And if you are a part of this church, then you also need to think about the church. So all of us certainly need to think about our personal life. And just like if you were going to build a building, we first of all make sure there is a very good foundation. 2:26 Because if the foundation is strong, you can build to a great height. If the foundation is not strong, then maybe you can build one floor and you can't put a very heavy roof. 2:48 Now those of you who are young, maybe you are in school or college, you are very lucky. Because you are hearing all these things when you are a child. It's like, you know, many of you have advantages that your parents didn't have when they were, 3:14 even earthly advantages. That today's generation of young people have many advantages their parents never had. Even earthly way. 3:34 I remember when I was in school, I never had a watch. Even all the years I was in school. Even for my final examination, I had to borrow my father's watch. But today, 3:55 first-handed students are going with a watch to school. I never owned a bicycle in all the years of my life. I had to take a bus every day to go to school, catch a bus, change buses, and go to school. Not even a cycle. But today, 4:17 you find children going to school on and mopeds, and all that. And there's so many, even clothing and all that. We used to live, they're very simple clothes and shoes. But now, it's all very fanciful now. 4:39 It's good. The world is advancing. In all the years I lived at home in Delhi, we never had a refrigerator in our house. But today, even poor people have a fridge. 5:00 What I'm saying is, in the worldly ways, many things are advancing. Life has become so much easier for this generation. But that doesn't mean that they have become more spiritual. They have advanced materially, 5:20 but not spiritually. That's a sad thing. Because today's young people learned bad habits much sooner than people learned it when I was in school 60 years ago. Even when my children 5:47 were in school 25, 30 years ago, it was easier for me to bring them up than today's parents have to bring up their children. But at the same time, 6:10 all of you children in this church have the opportunity to hear truths that I never understood till I was 35 years old. Imagine, what I learned when I was 35, you can learn when you are 12. 6:30 That's like saying, I joined first standard when I am 35 and you join first standard when you are 12, spiritually. See how much 6:50 you can progress. you all can progress way beyond me provided you take your spiritual education seriously. You don't take your education seriously, you keep failing, failing, failing, failing. 7:14 We had a couple of cases of young men who came to Bangalore the couple of brothers who came from Kerala their parents were very rich and they wanted their children to be doctors and engineers. 7:38 They didn't have the intelligence or ability to become doctors or engineers. But the parents had a lot of money. So they would put them in these colleges where you give money and get a seat. And these 7:59 boys would fail and fail in the very first year. By the time their classmates got a degree these people were still in the first year of their study. Now I see a lot of Christians like that. 8:19 Every year they fail, fail, fail spiritually. And finally these boys dropped out of that college. And some Christians also drop out. Now I want to say to all of you young people just as 8:42 you take your academic studies seriously. You must take your spiritual studies also seriously. Because that is more important than your academic studies. 9:06 how bad you feel if you failed one year in your school or college. You must feel exactly the same way spiritually. Lord, I have made no progress in my life in the last one year. 9:28 I'm still sitting in the same class. Or I'm sitting in the same class for two or three years. You know, I noticed in the school where my children studied that some students would do badly 9:48 because they got the wrong type of friends they were fooling around with in school. The type of friends you have can affect your life. when we build 10:08 a house the most important thing is the foundation. So I want to tell you all something about the foundation of the Christian life. because sometimes we don't know that clearly. 10:29 Let me read a verse to you in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 10 and 11 1 Corinthians 3 see Paul says as a wise master builder I laid a foundation and other people are building on it. 10:50 yeah read it where here but be careful how you build upon it and it says there's no 11:11 other foundation anybody can lay verse 11 than Jesus Christ so the foundation of your life must be Jesus Christ what does that mean because from 11:32 childhood we have all believed in Jesus Christ I never doubted that Jesus Christ was God anytime in my life but there's a lot of difference between knowing about Jesus Christ and knowing Jesus Christ knowing 11:56 about him and knowing him personally it's like all of you may know that Dr. Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister of India but do you know him personally I don't know him 12:17 you also don't know him and I also don't know him but you can know everything about him you can know where he was born how old he is what degree he has got you can know everything about him but 12:38 you don't know him personally in the same way you can read the Bible and know everything about Jesus Christ where he was born how he died why he died he rose up he ascended 13:00 he's coming back what all miracles he did that is just like knowing about Dr. Manmohan Singh but you don't know him you don't know Jesus personally and 13:20 like Dr. Manmohan Singh does not know me Jesus may not know you also the Christian life is where you know Jesus Christ personally and he knows you that is the foundation 13:41 very important to know this now let me show you an example of some people who did not have this foundation but who thought they had it you know a lot of people who are in Christian born in Christian homes think 14:01 I've got this foundation and because they have a lot of knowledge about Jesus Christ they think yeah I'm alright it's like I can study a whole book about Dr. Manmohan Singh and I think I know him very well and 14:26 all my information is 100% correct I can write a full essay about him but I don't know him so in the same way you can answer every question from the 14:47 Bible about Jesus Christ and still you may not know him now see Matthew chapter 7 he says in the final judgment day many people will come to him and say 15:07 Lord Lord Lord Lord we preached in your name we cast out demons in your name Matthew 7 22 we did 15:28 miracles in your name how many of us can say that how many of you can say Lord in your name we did many miracles we cast out demons probably 15:49 none of us so you think these people are way ahead of us what all they have done in Jesus name and you know what the truth is they are not even Christians can you 16:10 believe that somebody who does miracles in Jesus name is not even a Christian today there are so many people on platforms and all that doing big big things in the name of Jesus Christ have you ever thought that the 16:31 Lord will reject them one day and it says here I will tell them I never knew you it's like if I ring up Manmohan Singh and he says I don't know who you are I 16:54 phone him up and I say you were born on so and so date and I give full detail of his life he says all that's true but I don't know you that's what Jesus is saying what is the 17:14 important question in the final day not did you do miracles not did you preach not did you go to the meetings not did you read the Bible the Lord says did I know you I 17:37 did not know you go away depart from me let me show you another example in Matthew 25 we read about ten virgins it's a 18:00 parable they were waiting for the coming of the bridegroom verse 1 now remember they were not five virgins and five prostitutes no no no all ten were virgins 18:20 that means they lived a good life and all ten their lamps were burning because when the bridegroom came it says in verse 7 all the ten trimmed their lamps and 18:42 the foolish said verse 8 our lamps are dying out that means it was there but it was dying out they didn't have 19:03 oil that was the only lack outwardly you looked at them they all looked so white dress and lamp burning but something was missing inside and 19:25 while they went to get that the bridegroom came and the door was closed and then afterwards they came and said verse 11 open lord for us what is the answer he gives 19:45 I don't know you again you see the same word do you know the lord does the lord know you that 20:07 is the important thing in the day of judgment not I was a virgin I was witnessing for you my lamp was burning I did miracles the lord says forget it did you know 20:27 me did I know you it's very serious now you know we all know this very well known verse john 3 16 god so loved the world that he sent his 20:47 only begotten son permission that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life what is eternal life most people say eternal life means a life that never 21:07 ends no that's not the meaning because if that is the meaning then the people who go to hell also have eternal life because they live there forever can 21:30 you have eternal life in hell so you know that cannot be the meaning because people go to hell also have eternal life so eternal does not mean that which never ends listen eternal 21:52 means that which never had a beginning and doesn't have an end when we were born our life may not end but it did have a beginning when we were born it's 22:13 not eternal life because our life had a beginning in the day we were born or when we were conceived in our mother's womb it began and it may never end heaven or heaven or hell that's not 22:33 eternal life even the angels don't have eternal life eternal life belongs only to God it's life which had no beginning and no end that is the meaning of 22:53 eternity no beginning no end actually the bible is very simple if you read it carefully so eternal life is the life of God some people ask can I get eternal 23:13 life and lose it they say if God gives me life that lasts forever how can it go away if God gives me a life that lasts forever how can I lose it that's 23:35 because they think eternal life means living forever so many wrong understandings Christians have they don't realize that eternity means no beginning first of all to ask whether I can get God's life and 23:55 lose it it's like asking can this light come on and then go off yeah that can go off you unplug it it goes off you plug it in it comes on if I'm 24:17 connected to God I have his life if one day I decide I don't want to be connected to him I lose his life so it's a great deception to think that once I'm plugged in automatically I've got life with God forever there's so much 24:41 of deception in Christianity and there's one reason for it they don't read the Bible carefully let me give you one example this is a very famous verse with people John 10 25:01 28 and 29 listen to it I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish and no one will pluck them out of my hand 28 John 10 25:22 and verse 28 no one can take them out of my hand 29 25:44 my father is greater than me and no one can take them out of my father's hand so people say see there it says no one can take me out of Jesus' hand I say in English 26:04 it is very clear do you know that sentence begins with a and d and verse 28 28 and don't read a sentence in the middle there is a condition so start 26:24 in verse 27 my sheep hear my voice and then then what I know them see that word again I know them and they 26:44 follow me and then I give them eternal life but you know what most Christians do they wipe out verse 27 they jump into the middle verse 28 and say I got 27:05 eternal life and God allows them to believe a lie even though they don't fulfill any of these three conditions verse 27 they don't hear his voice 27:25 he does not know them and they don't follow him they say oh it doesn't matter if you don't follow him whether you follow or not he has given you eternal life yeah brother then be honest and say that Jesus Christ is a 27:45 liar I don't believe Jesus Christ is a liar I believe there is eternal life for everybody who follows him otherwise Jesus should have said whether you follow me or not I give eternal life to you are 28:08 you going to believe the words of men or the words of Jesus Christ if I follow Jesus nobody can pluck me out of Jesus hand nobody can pluck me out of the father's hand but if I decide one day I don't want to follow 28:28 him then this condition is not true see if the electricity board says as long as you pay your bill we give you electricity and one day you decide no 28:48 I don't have to pay the bill and you wonder why they disconnected your electricity the next month you go and complain there they said listen the condition was we'll give you electricity as long as you pay the bill you 29:11 pay the bill we give you electricity but you don't want to pay the bill and you get the electricity it doesn't work but in these earthly things we understand Jesus said if you follow me I give you eternal life isn't that in 29:31 your bible like that you hear my voice do you follow me and I give eternal life who made you change that christian preachers who deceived you 29:51 that's why I say to you be careful about what you read I find so many christians are more careful about reading a court document than about reading the bible supposing 30:12 you go to court and you ask to sign a document how many people say it's okay I'll sign it say please give me 2-3 days let me read it let me consult a lawyer then only I'll sign it because we 30:33 love money we love earthly things we are very careful about earthly things the devil knows we are not so careful about spiritual things so he fools us left right and center in the most important things that 30:54 whether you follow or not you will have eternal life don't be deceived I'm not asking you to believe me I'm asking you to believe what Jesus wrote here my words are as worthless as any other preacher's words just 31:15 because one preacher preaches to hundred thousand people doesn't mean he's right Noah preached only to eight people and he was the only one who was right in his time Noah preached only to eight people all the others were 31:35 wrong so don't think the majority is right Christians make a big mistake when they think large numbers are going after them that must be right you know from the beginning to the end of the Bible God 31:58 was always with a small minority in Enoch's time one man Enoch walked with God all the rest were going astray the majority was wrong in Noah's time eight people 32:19 got into the ark the majority were wrong when they came to the Israelites came to the borders of the promised land of Canaan only Joshua and Caleb two people were 32:39 right and the other ten spies were wrong and the 600 thousand people decided to join with the majority because they thought majority must always be right and 33:01 they all perished teaching us if you follow the majority you will also perish out of 600 thousand people only two were right what are these warnings written in the bible for when 33:21 Jesus came to earth there were thousands and thousands of people studying the bible the old testament they were all wrong only 120 who waited for the holy spirit on the dear pentecost they were right they 33:41 were the only ones who were right they were the only ones who were right but Jesus preached to the whole thousands and people who went by the majority missed the truth the same thing when the apostles preached very 34:03 few people followed the truth now I'll show you the words of Jesus Christ Matthew chapter 7 and verse 14 the gate is small and 34:23 the way is narrow that leads to life and very few find it how many find the way to life very few I believe that I don't 34:45 believe the whole of India is going to get converted I would like everybody to repent and be converted God also wants that God wants all the 1000 million people in India to be converted but how many 35:05 will actually find life Jesus said very few did did he know the future he knew the future better than you and me I'll tell you one thing if you want to know the truth all you have to do is humble yourself 35:28 and say Jesus knows more than me just say that that's enough if you say that you'll be safe but if you think you know better than Jesus Christ today's preachers know better than Jesus Christ 35:48 I can give it to you in writing you'll go astray and probably end up in hell I don't have the slightest doubt about it because today's preachers are leading everybody astray because they don't show these verses in the 36:08 Bible they make people think they've got eternal life who are not following Jesus they say many people will find life when Jesus said very few will find it who is right these lying preachers or Jesus Christ now I'll show 36:32 you what these preachers are Jesus said very few find the way to lie and what's the next word now beware of false preachers who don't tell you that who are these false preachers 36:52 oh plenty will find the way to eternal life I believe Jesus Christ let God be true and every preacher a liar you know that's why people didn't like the preaching of the apostle Paul preached 37:16 repentance turn from sin turn from sin many people don't preach that today and that is the main reason why many people today are not really born again they've been told to believe without repentance 37:36 Acts chapter 20 I'm trying to show you this foundation of the Christian life Paul says Acts 20 verse 21 everywhere I go I preach 37:56 to the Jews and Greeks repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 20 verse 21 you know 38:22 two things everywhere he went he preached these two things repentance toward God faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that's all that's required to be saved and what God has joined together the Bible says let nobody put asunder 38:42 God has joined repentance and faith together but man has separated you listen to most of the preaching today whether it's in the public platforms or on television you'll 39:04 never hear the word repentance it's faith faith faith faith faith believe believe believe believe where are the people who preach repent repent repent repent repent turn from sin turn from your 39:24 anger turn from lusting with your eyes turn from internet pornography turn from your jealousy and your bitterness turn from angry words and turn from your love of money turn from your love of this world seek the 39:46 kingdom of God first turn turn from everything evil forgive others and ask forgiveness from those you hurt we hardly hear these things it's all believe believe believe and so 40:07 there's no fruit of holiness repentance and faith are like husband and wife you can't have a child just with a wife a wife tries all her life she cannot have a child husband 40:30 all by himself cannot have a child it's husband and wife together that have a child it's like that repentance and faith if you have both you get salvation if you only repent repent there's no salvation if you 40:54 only have faith you'll have no salvation you combine the two the child is born I'll use another illustration see we're all born facing the world and the devil facing the world 41:14 and the devil the world and God is behind us and now supposing God wants to give me eternal life here's eternal life God wants to give it to me I've got 41:35 my back to him you know what repentance is what is repentance turn around I can't get it till I turn around I can't face like this and say okay I want eternal life the Lord says it's 41:56 free but turn around it is free but turn around and second thing faith I have to take it that is faith it is that simple I have to turn around and take it it's all free you don't 42:17 have to do any works we cannot be saved by good works I don't have to do so many things in order to get forgiveness of sins and eternal life but I have to turn around I have to turn my back to the devil 42:38 and the world see a lot of people are willing to turn their backs to the devil nobody likes the devil but they don't turn their backs to the world God and the world are in opposite 42:58 directions let me show you a verse James in chapter 4 now to whom is James writing chapter 2 he says my brethren verse 5 43:20 my beloved brethren chapter 2 verse 5 my beloved brethren chapter 3 verse 1 my brethren what is he telling my beloved brethren chapter 4 verse 4 you adulteresses don't you know 43:41 that friendship with the world is hostility toward God and whoever is going to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God so many of you have heard hundreds of sermons have you ever 44:04 heard a sermon on this verse that if you are a friend of this world you are an enemy of God false prophets will not preach that sermon false prophets will only tell you how you can be healed and how you can get money from God 44:22 they'll never tell you that if you are a friend of the world you are an enemy of God see friend of the world is not a small weakness he says you become an enemy of God and it makes 44:42 you an adulteress you say he's speaking to worldly people no my beloved brethren you adulteresses see these apostles spoke the truth they were like a doctor 45:03 who gave you a good scan of your heart and said listen my friend your condition is pretty serious and he doesn't even charge you for it but these false preachers 45:23 they won't give you a proper scan of your heart they say oh you're alright you're going to heaven God loves you and they charge you for it they take your money the true servants of God are not interested in 45:43 your money they're interested in giving you a true scan of your condition of your condition Jesus was not and the apostles they were not interested in money from anybody not for themselves not for their ministry they trusted 46:04 God for that but they gave people a true scan of their condition even if it was Peter Peter you are interested in your own things you're the devil speaking now what a 46:26 scan that was because Jesus loved Peter so much the more Jesus loves us the more strongly he rebukes us Judas Iscariot was the real devil 46:47 but Jesus never called him the devil he never turned around to Judas Iscariot and said you devil his rebukes to Judas were very gentle because he knew that Judas Iscariot 47:07 gets offended very quickly but Peter he said get behind me Satan and what did Peter say Jesus said do you want to go away and Peter 47:28 said in John 6 Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life you called me Satan those are the words of eternal life because you showed me my true condition 47:48 you showed me that when I'm seeking my own I'm satanic I've known the Lord for 50 years I've known the Lord for 50 years and I'm so thankful for the strong 48:08 rebukes he has given me in my life he has also encouraged me but a God who only encourages you and never rebukes you is a false God I want 48:33 to ask you when was the last time you got a strong rebuke from the Lord for something wrong in your life yesterday or never you're worshipping a false God the 48:54 real Jesus encourage people and rebukes them when we know him how do I know that I know Jesus he encourages me and rebukes me see John chapter 17 we 49:16 talked about eternal life what is eternal life John 17 verse 3 eternal life is to know Jesus Christ to know God and Jesus Christ I want 49:39 to say to all of you you can begin to know Jesus Christ right now and you can have eternal life the beginning of eternal life now what do you have to do here is eternal life being offered I 50:00 love the world I'm unwilling to humble myself and ask forgiveness from people because I'm proud I love money I love so many sinful things I love my worldly friends more than 50:20 godly people but I make one simple decision today I say Lord I don't have the strength I don't have the strength but help me I'm going to turn around today I'm going 50:43 to turn my back to all those things I live for I'm going to receive from you right now eternal life I believe you died for my sins you died to save me from all those wretched things I'm facing which 51:06 will destroy my life one day you died to save me from it and you rose up from the dead you're living I want you to come and control my life fill my 51:26 whole life with your Holy Spirit dear brothers and sisters turn like that to the Lord you come to our church in Bangalore who told me after some years of being there they 51:49 said you know brother Zach I thought I was saved before I came to CFC but only after I came here I discovered I was not really saved at all because I never heard about repentance till I came here nobody 52:10 explained to me what sin was one 70 year old man once said I never knew that anger was a sin till I heard you preach on it born in a Christian family imagine going to church for 70 years 52:30 and not knowing that anger is a sin how many of you believe every time you get angry you're sinning how many of you believe that every time you lust after a woman you're actually committing adultery with her how 52:56 many of you believe that when you click on a site to see some filthy thing on the internet you're actually going and committing adultery with somebody I don't blame you your preachers never told you the truth see 53:16 in a school everybody gets zero in mathematics it's because a mathematics teacher is bad dear brothers and sisters today you can say Lord thank you for opening my eyes I want 53:37 to give my life to you I want to know you Jesus say Lord don't spare me I know you and you know me let's bow our heads in prayer while our heads are bowed in prayer I want you to pray this 53:57 prayer you pray this prayer silently in your heart Lord Jesus I want to know you I want you to know me I want to give my whole life to you and today 54:18 I want to turn from all the wrong things in my life I don't have the strength help me I believe you will help me I want you to come into my heart I want you to become Lord of my life I want 54:39 you to become Lord of my life right now I believe that you have accepted me thank you for hearing my prayer my life is going to be changed from today I believe that thank you Lord 55:00 Jesus for all those who made that decision today I pray they will see a change in their life from today I pray they will be filled with the Holy Spirit and they will know you better and better every day we pray 55:23 in Jesus name Amen
