1:19 Okay, brothers and sisters. Let's join and sing put on the garments of praise >> [music] >> for the spirit of heaviness. Let the oil of gladness flow down from your throne. >> [music] 1:45 >> Put on the garments [singing] [music] of praise for the spirit of heaviness. >> [music] >> Let the oil of [singing] gladness flow down from your throne. >> [singing and music] 2:04 >> Put on the garments of praise for the spirit [singing] of heaviness. [music] Your [music and singing] joy is my strength alone, my strength alone. From the top [music] again, put on the garments of praise. 2:24 Put on [singing] the garments of praise for the spirit [singing and music] of heaviness. Let the oil [singing] of gladness [music] flow down from your throne. >> [singing] 2:43 >> Put on the [music] garments of praise for the spirit [singing] of heaviness. [music] Your joy [singing] is my strength alone, >> [music] >> my strength alone. Make this [singing and music] broken 3:05 burial rise to dance again. [singing] >> [music] >> Wet this dry and thirsty [singing and music] land with a river. >> [singing] >> Lord, [music] our eyes are fixed on you. 3:27 We are [singing and music] waiting for your garland [singing] of grace. As we praise [singing and music] your name, put on the garments [music] of praise 3:45 for the spirit of heaviness. [singing] Let the oil [singing and music] gladness flow down from your throne. [music] Put on the [singing] garments of praise [music] 4:04 for the spirit [singing] of heaviness. >> [music] >> Your joy [singing] is my strength, oh Lord, my strength, oh Lord. >> [music] >> Make this broken, weary bones Make this broken, weary [singing] bones >> [music] 4:24 >> rise to dance again with this dry and thirsty [music and singing] land with a river. >> [music] [singing] >> Lord, our eyes are fixed [music] on you >> [singing] 4:43 >> and we are waiting >> [music] >> for your garland [singing] of praise. As we [music and singing] praise your name, put on the [music] garments of praise 5:01 for the spirit of heaviness. >> [singing and music] >> Your joy [singing] is my strength, oh Lord, my strength, oh Lord. [singing and music] Please be seated. [music] Sing to the Lord [singing and music] a 5:31 new song. Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto [music and singing] the Lord, bless his name. Sing of [singing] his salvation every day. >> [music] 5:48 >> Tell [singing] his glory to the world. His wonderful [music] [singing] deeds to mankind. For great is the Lord [singing and music] and to be praised. He is [singing] to be feared above all. >> [music] 6:07 >> Sing to the Lord [singing] a new song. >> [music] >> Sing unto the Lord all the earth. >> [music] >> Sing to the Lord, [singing] bless his name. Sing of his salvation [music] every day. 6:25 Ascribe to the [singing] Lord all the world. Ascribe [music] to the Lord glory [singing] and strength. Ascribe to [music] him the glory [singing] of his name. Come into his courts with offerings. Sing to [music and singing] the world 6:47 the Lord reigns. He will judge [singing] the world in righteousness. Worship [singing and music] the Lord in holiness. Tremble before [music and singing] him, all the lands. Sing only voices. 7:04 Sing [music] to the Lord a new song. Sing unto the Lord all the earth. >> [singing] >> Sing to the Lord, bless his name. >> [singing] >> Sing of his salvation every day. 7:23 Sing of his salvation [singing] every day. [music] There's a sweet and blessed [singing] story of the Christ who came from glory just to rescue me from sin [music and singing] and misery. He in loving kindness sought me and from 7:39 sin and shame has brought me. >> [music and singing] >> Hallelujah, Jesus ransomed me. >> [singing and music] >> Hallelujah, what a savior who can take a poor lost sinner, [music and singing] lift him from the miry clay, and set him 7:56 free. And I will ever [singing] tell the story shouting glory, [music] glory, glory. Hallelujah, [singing] [music] Jesus ransomed me. Sisters, go along. >> [music] >> From the depths of sin and sadness to the heights [singing] of joy and 8:15 gladness, Jesus [music] lifted me in His [singing] merciful and free love. With His >> [music] >> precious blood, He bought me when I knew that naught could save me. >> [music] >> And in love divine, He ransomed me. Hallelujah, [music and singing] 8:35 what a savior who can take a poor lost sinner, lift [music] him from the miry >> [singing] >> set him free. And I will ever tell the story [music] shouting glory, [singing] glory, glory. >> [music] 8:50 >> Hallelujah, Jesus [singing] ransomed me. Now, only brothers. >> [music] >> From the throne of heavenly [singing] glory, oh, the sweet and blessed story, Jesus came to [music] live the lost in sin and woe >> [singing] 9:07 >> into liberty, all glorious glories of His grace [singing] victorious, evermore rejoicing [music] here [singing] below. Hallelujah, [music] what a savior who can take a poor lost sinner, lift him from [music and singing] the miry clay, 9:26 and set him free. And I will ever [singing] tell the story shouting glory, glory, glory. [music] >> [singing] >> Hallelujah, Jesus ransomed me. >> [singing] [music] >> By and by with joy increasing and with 9:46 gratitude [singing] unceasing [music] lifted up with Christ forevermore [singing] to be. I will join the host [music] that's singing in the anthem ever ringing to [singing] the King [music] of love who ransomed me. Hallelujah, [singing] 10:05 what a savior [music] who can take a fallen sinner and lift him [singing] from the mire and claim and set him free. And I [music] will ever [singing] tell the story shouting glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah, [singing and music] 10:22 Jesus ransomed me. He is worthy to be praised who lifted me. He is worthy [music and singing] to be praised who set me free. He is worthy to be praised who opened [music and singing] heaven up for me. He 10:40 is worthy to be praised. >> [singing and music] >> Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, [singing] [music] hallelujah, >> [singing] >> hallelujah, [music] hallelujah, hallelujah. 11:04 Sing [singing and music] hosanna, sing hosanna, sing [singing] hosanna to the King [music] of kings. Sing hosanna, sing [music] hosanna, >> [singing] >> sing hosanna to the King. 11:22 What [singing and music] a wonderful savior is Jesus. What [music] a wonderful [singing] friend is he. >> [music] >> For he left all the glories [singing] of heaven, came to [music] earth to die on Calvary. 11:41 Come on and [music and singing] sing "Hosanna." Oh, sing "Hosanna." Oh, sing "Hosanna" to the King of kings. [singing] Oh, sing "Hosanna." >> [music] >> Oh, sing "Hosanna." >> [singing] >> Oh, sing "Hosanna" to the King of 12:00 kings. God [music and singing] is building a people of power and is making [music and singing] a people of praise who will move through this land by His Spirit and will [music] glorify [singing] His precious name. Oh, join in and sing with us. Oh, build 12:20 Your church, Lord. Make it strong, [music] Lord. Join our hearts, [singing] Lord, through Your Son. Make us >> [music] >> one, Lord, in Your body, in the kingdom >> [singing] >> of Your Son. Oh, build Your church, 12:37 [music] Lord. Oh, build Your church, Lord. Make it strong, Lord. >> [singing] >> Join our hearts, Lord, through Your Son. >> [music] >> Make us one, Lord, in Your [singing] body, in the kingdom >> [music] 12:56 >> of Your [singing] Son. Rejoice. Rejoice. >> [singing] >> Let every tongue rejoice. >> [singing] >> One heart, one voice. 13:15 >> [singing] >> Oh, church of Christ, rejoice. >> [music] [music] [music] 13:37 >> Join and sing with us, brothers and sisters. Come, people of [singing] the risen king, who [music] delight to bring him praise. Come >> [singing and music] >> all and tune your hearts to sing to the morning star >> [music] 13:55 >> of grace. From the >> [singing] >> shifting shadows of the earth, >> [music] >> we will lift our eyes to >> [music and singing] >> him. Where steady arms of mercy reach to gather [singing] children 14:16 Rejoice, [singing] >> [music] >> rejoice, let every tongue [singing] rejoice. >> [music] >> One heart, one >> [music] >> voice, >> [singing] >> O church of Christ, rejoice. Come, 14:43 >> [music and singing] >> those whose joy is God's own son, and those weeping through the [singing and music] night. Come, those who tell [singing] of battles >> [music] >> won, and those struggling in the For his [singing and music] perfect love 15:02 will never change, and his mercies never cease. >> [music] >> They follow >> [singing] >> us through >> [music] >> all our days with the certain hope of >> [music] >> Rejoice, >> [singing] 15:20 >> Rejoice, rejoice, let every tongue rejoice. >> [singing and music] >> One heart, one voice, >> [music and singing] >> let all church of Christ rejoice. >> [music] >> Come young [music] 15:45 and old from [singing] every land, men and women of the faith. Come >> [music and singing] >> those with full or empty hands, find the riches of His grace. Over >> [singing] >> all the world [music] 16:04 His people sing, shore to shore >> [singing] >> we hear them call. The truth that [music] Christ [singing] through every age, our God is all in [singing] all. Rejoice, >> [music] >> rejoice, 16:25 let >> [singing] >> every tongue rejoice. >> [music] >> One heart, one voice, let >> [singing and music] >> all church of Christ rejoice. >> [music] >> My [singing and music] Jesus, 16:49 my savior, Lord, there is [singing] none [music] like you. All [singing] of my days, >> [music] >> I want to praise the wonders [singing] of your mighty >> [music] >> I [music] 17:15 [singing] comfort, my shelter, tower [music and singing] of refuge and strength. Let every breath >> [singing and music] >> all that I am never [singing] cease to worship you. 17:39 >> [music] >> Shout [singing] to the Lord, >> [music] >> all the earth, let us sing. Power [music] [singing] and majesty, praise to the king. >> [music] >> Mountains bow [singing] down 17:58 and the seas >> [music] >> roar at the sound [singing] of [music] your name. >> [singing] >> I sing for [music] joy at the words of your [singing] hand. Forever [music] 18:17 I love you, forever I stand. >> [singing] [music] >> Nothing compares to the promise I have >> [singing and music] >> in you. Shall we all stand? 18:40 >> [music] >> We'll sing last song, more love, more power, more of you in my life. I will worship you with all my heart, >> [music] >> my mind and my strength, for you are my God. >> [music] 19:14 >> More [singing] love, >> [music] >> more power, >> [singing] [music] >> more of you in my life. More [singing and music] love, more power, 19:36 more of you >> [singing and music] >> in my life. And I will worship you with all of my [singing and music] heart. And I will worship you >> [singing and music] >> with all of my mind. 19:55 And I [singing and music] will worship you with all of my strength. For you [singing] are my God. >> [music] >> You are [singing and music] my God. >> [music] 20:18 >> More [singing] love, more [music] power, more of [singing] you in my life. >> [music] >> More love, >> [singing] >> more power, 20:38 >> [music] >> more of [singing] you in my life. And I will worship you >> [music and singing] >> with all of my heart. And I [music] will worship [singing] you with all of my strength. 20:57 And [music] I will [singing] worship you with all of my strength. For you are my [singing and music] God. You are [music] my [singing] God. >> [music] 21:46 >> Brothers and sisters, let's continue to bow down in our spirits. We can tell the Lord, "You are all I need. 22:06 There's no one else like you." Let's just come and be still in his presence. Acknowledge all his goodness 22:26 and love, wisdom, and the glory that he has revealed to us that draws us to him. As he alone is God, there is no other. 22:52 We want to worship him. We shall worship and serve the Lord alone. >> I want to read from Psalm 116. It's a song of Thanksgiving. [snorts] 23:16 And the Holy Spirit floods our lives and we're filled with Thanksgiving. Cuz the love of God sustains us. It carries us. We can rest and trust him. It's good for us to remember 23:36 all the wonderful deeds of God, all that he did in our life and his promises. I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my supplications, my specific requests. Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I shall call upon him as long 23:56 as I live. And there was a time when the cords of death encompassed me and the terrors of Sheol came on me. I found distress and sorrow, but then I called upon the name of the Lord. I said, "Lord, I beseech you, save my life." 24:13 Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yes, our God is compassionate. The Lord preserves the simple. I was brought low and he saved me. Return to your rest, oh my soul. For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have rescued my soul from death, 24:32 my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Now, what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call 24:47 upon the name of the Lord. I shall pay my vows to the Lord. Oh, may it be in the presence of all of his people. I will offer a sacrifice of and call upon the name of the Lord. Oh, may it be in the presence of all his people in the courts of the Lord's house 25:06 in the midst of you, oh Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. Brothers and sisters, shall we lift up our voices and give thanks and praise to the Lord, the one who delivered us, who lifted us up, who saved us, who clothed us with 25:20 righteousness, who's done all things well, who's worthy of praise and glory and honor. Yes, Lord, we want to lift up our voice and praise you and thank you, Lord. Give you all the glory. Lord, if we had a thousand tongues, it would not be 25:34 enough, Lord. We want to acknowledge all your goodness and kindness, Lord. Your faithfulness through all our days. Your mercies, Lord, that are new every day, Lord, and your loving kindness that endures forever, Lord. We thank you and 25:46 praise you for your great wisdom, Lord. Your great plans for our life. Your calling, Lord, your upward call. Thank you, Lord, you never give up on us, Lord. You had compassion on us, Lord. You clothed us with your righteousness. You lifted us up to stand 26:02 and and to sit with you, Lord, in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We want to sit there, Lord. We want to see things as you see things, Lord. Fill us, Lord, with your Holy Spirit. Even now, Lord, we ask that you have liberty in 26:15 this place, Lord. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. We praise you, Lord. You're worthy of all praise and honor. We thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness and kindness, Lord. Lord, we want to draw near to you in our need. Trust you that you'll meet with us 26:30 once more, Lord. Thank you and praise you. Pray in your mighty name, Jesus. Brothers and sisters, please be seated. >> [clears throat] >> Let's look at our memory verses. 26:53 Let's meditate on them. Let's think about what they mean even as we say them. Let's repeat last week's verse together. This is Proverbs chapter 1 verse 23. Turn to my rebuke. And I will pour out my spirit on you. 27:18 I will make my words known to you. Yeah. Praise God even this morning. We We want to have hearts that are ready to turn and trust the Lord. Let's say this promise together. This is uh the verse for this week. 27:37 Repeat after me. Isaiah 43 verse 25. I alone am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for my own sake. Say that once more. 27:57 Isaiah 43 and verse 25. I alone am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for my own sake. Amen. Amen. Yeah. So, [clears throat] 28:19 brothers and sisters, we want to come with a listening heart. The Lord who knows everything about us knows our secrets, our thoughts, our motives. He's the one who's called us here. 28:37 He is the one who is the glory and the lifter of our head. He's the one who gives us a hope. Let's come with that hope. With that faith that the Lord is able to write his laws on our heart, change us as we listen to him. 28:55 We want to listen to a word that's part of a message that brother Zach spoke. Um it talks about the balance of truth in the Christian life. Uh the need for repentance and faith to always go together. It's It's a word that we can hear once 29:14 more and uh the Lord I believe will challenge us to draw near to the Lord and and to receive all he has for for us today. So let's listen to that and after that I will share and and and someone else will share. >> Mhm. 33:24 >> What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Repentance and faith. We cannot be saved if we don't have both. It's something like electricity, if you know anything about electricity. What happens at a switch? 33:41 When you say you put on a switch, the fan runs and the light comes on. All that's happening at that switch is two wires touch each other. That's all. Electricity is flowing through one, and the moment it gets contact with the 34:00 other, the lights come on. You cannot have an electric wiring with just one wire, nowhere in the world. You need two wires. And then, when they touch at the switch, comes on. So, it's like that. I see repentance and 34:19 faith are like that. If you have only one, there's no light. Nothing works. There's no life. But when repentance and faith touch, there's life and light. That's just an illustration and it's helped me to see how 34:37 God has put certain things together in pairs. And you know, it's like a man and a woman. You can't have a baby without a man plus a woman. A man alone can't do it. A woman alone can't do it. But it's a man plus a woman. In many 34:51 things in life it is like that. And it's the same with repentance and faith. We saw a little bit about repentance, which is Let me just say one final word about repentance, and that is What is the finest definition of sin? 35:10 You know, repentance is turning away from sin. So, until you know what sin is, you can't turn away from it. Repentance is turning away from sin. So, you need to know what sin is. I mean, if you want to face the north and you would know where south is, you 35:26 can turn towards the north. Something like that. So, there are many definitions of sin in scripture. And one of them is in 1 John chapter 3 verse 4, which says sin is transgression of the law. That means you go against God's command. 35:46 That is sin. Something God told you to do and you went and told you not to do and you did it. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You do something which you went against the law. 36:02 Another definition of sin is the opposite of that in James 4 where the first one is you did what you were not supposed to do according to God's law. In James 4 17 36:22 it says, "You know what is the right thing to do and you don't do it." That's the opposite. Here's something you don't do. There's something you did. So, there are two types of sins. One is what you did, which God told you not to do. 36:40 And the other is you don't do what God said you should do. So, those are the two definitions of sin. But, beyond all that, the most perfect the most perfect definition of sin is in Romans 3 36:57 and verse 23. Where it says, "Everybody has sinned and come short of the glory of God." That's the complete definition of sin. More than the other two. Coming short of the glory of God is sin. 37:19 And the glory of God is We read in John 1:14. It's defined there. See, glory of God is sort of a vague term. Some people think of it as a light, brightness. No, no, no, no. It's not all that. It's very down-to-earth and 37:34 practical. Rom- In John 1:14, it says the glory of God was seen in Jesus Christ, in his life full of grace and truth. So, the glory of God is seen in Jesus Christ. John 1:14. And sin, according to Romans 3:23, is 37:53 coming short of the glory of God. So, ultimately, the finest definition of sin is anything that comes short of the life of Christ. Anything I cannot do in fellowship with Christ is sin. >> [clears throat] 38:13 >> I mean, down-to-earth practical things like if you're sitting watching something on television, and if Jesus is sitting there with you and you come to some some program on television and Jesus says, "I can't sit and watch this 38:29 anymore." You'd also get up and go or you turn the channel. Can't watch that. A person who's serious about his Christian life his attitude will be anything I cannot do in fellowship with Christ 38:47 I don't want to do. Can be different things, you know, you in in your office or something uh you decide a certain statement which may bring you financial loss because that's the truth. So, you modify it or you change it. 39:06 What would Jesus would Jesus countersign that as a witness? No. Now, I say I want to be honest there. That's happened to me many times. It even happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I was to sign a statement and I say that I 39:20 want to say what's 100% true. It'll bring me financial loss, fine. It's okay. I'd rather lose money than lose fellowship with Jesus Christ. You take that attitude, your life will 39:36 grow spiritual life in leaps and bounds. People will not be able to recognize you 1 year from now how much you're grown. But if in your private life and nobody sees there are things you're doing where you know, it's fishy 39:53 questionable Christ would not go along with you in what you did or what you said. Well, you're not going to make much progress in the Christian life. Anyone can make progress in the Christian life. He says, "I'm I'm going to do only what I can do in 40:13 fellowship with Christ." And most of us have heard the scripture so much in this church, we know in many situations your conscience will tell you you cannot do that in fellowship with Jesus Christ. If Christ were right here, 40:28 you would not sign that statement because it's false. Even if you made a little money through it. There are a lot of Christians who do that. They bend the law, twist it a little bit, make it mean what it doesn't mean. And Jesus never did that. 40:46 Can you convince Jesus about that? And you know, ultimately, you have to give an account for that in the day of judgment, don't forget that. Whatever you may do, uh you may have escaped the notice of people on earth, but one day 40:56 in the day of judgment, the Lord will bring it up. Uprightness. That's repentance is turning away from anything un-Christ-like. I never forget a story I heard of a poor repairer of shoes who was a fine Christian 41:16 in another country. And he was not making shoes, he was repairing shoes. He was a poor man. But he was an upright Christian and he used always the best material of leather or whatever it is or to repair shoes. And he had an assistant as a little boy. 41:33 And that boy said to him, said, "Sir, why don't you use some inferior material when you repair the shoes because then they'll come back to you again sooner because the shoe wears out because the meta met- material was inferior." 41:50 He thought he was giving a clever idea to his master. And the master said, "No, I'm a Christian. In the day of judgment, when I stand before the Lord, there'll be a big pile of shoes next to the judgment seat. And the Lord will pick up each one of them 42:04 and say, 'John, why did you make this one like this with inferior material?' And what will I answer to the Lord in that day? He says, "That's what concerns me more than can I make a little more money now?" People like that will have a glorious 42:21 entry into the kingdom of heaven when Christ comes back. Well, many other Christians in the judgment seat of Christ will hang their head in shame. Don't ever forget that every single thing we do and say you have to give an account in the day 42:38 of judgment. Jesus said that in Matthew 12:37, "Every idle careless word men speak, every word they'll give an account in the day of judgment." That's made me very, very careful in my life. In my early Christian life, I was not very 42:52 careful about that because people did not stress that in the messages I heard. The church I went to, tell you honestly, the churches I went to never once did I hear a preacher tell me, "Your words, you'll give an account for 43:07 every word in the day of judgment." It's written in scripture, Matthew 12. But why is it nobody preaches that? They only preach, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved." And I'm sorry, I believed that for a long 43:19 time and my life was just as defeated as in my unconverted days. Till I began to take the scripture seriously. Like Abraham said, "They've got the Bible, let them read that. They don't need a preacher to tell them. They've got the Bible, they can read 43:31 it." And I've often used this statement, made this statement, "If you can read, that means if you can read and write, you're educated, you can read, and you have a Bible in your language, and you don't read it, you deserve to be 43:48 deceived by preachers. You deserve to be deceived by preachers because you got a Bible and you know how to read. You have no excuse." I want to say that plainly. Repentance must be coupled with faith. Faith is there are many, many 44:05 expressions, many things that faith in is involved and I can't complete it all in just a few minutes. But, first of all, it's based on the fact that God loves me intensely. That's the one thing that the devil 44:22 tried to deceive Eve about. Look at that beautiful tree. Implying, that's what the devil was implying and Eve was clever enough to understand the devil's reasoning. Look at this beautiful tree. Makes your mouth water. Isn't it such so wonderful? Why has God 44:40 not allowed you to eat it? I'll tell you, Eve, it's because he does not love you. And that seed, once it was sown in in her mind, "Oh, perhaps God doesn't love me." And the devil even went further and said, "God knows that if you eat of it, 44:56 you'll become like him. And he doesn't want you to become like him." And the fool that Eve was, she believed the lie of the devil. But, she's not the first one. Millions and millions of people since then, even born-again Christians, 45:10 believe the lie of the devil. That God doesn't love you. He's always looking at you with anger. I know in my early Christian life, after being born-again, many times I felt the spiritual thing to do was to always believe that God was frowning at me. 45:26 "You're not good enough." And I thought that was the spiritual thing to do. Uh to imagine that God was happy with me, oh, that was carnal. The spiritual thing was to always believe that God's frowning at me. One day, God gave me a dream. 45:40 Now, I don't believe all the dreams, but I've got a few dreams in my life that God gave me and they really helped me in my Christian life and I'll tell you what that was. I saw in my dream I was coming back from preaching at some 45:54 big conference and I poured my heart out and worked hard and uh um the power of the Holy and poured out my heart and I felt that I had done my best. And as I came back, I heard a voice behind me saying, 46:12 "You could have done better than that." Oh, I thought that must be the Holy Spirit uh challenging me, "You could have done better than that. You could have done better than that." And I felt discouraged. I came back from the meeting happy cuz 46:27 people had responded to the truth and I felt discouraged when I felt And I said to the Lord in my dream, "Lord, whenever you speak to me face to face, you're always encouraging me. Why is it when I hear you speaking from 46:45 behind my back, you discourage me like that? It was not good enough." And I heard in my dream the Lord tell me, "Turn around and see who's speaking." And I turned around and it was the devil and he fled. I learned something that day 47:06 that I've never forgotten. The Lord never tells us, "That was not good enough." I never tell my children that. I still have with me 47:25 some birthday cards that my sons wrote to me when they were about 3 or 4 years old. The spelling is all wrong. The E is written in the opposite way and all that. Why have I kept those cards with all the wrong spelling and 47:42 I couldn't care less if the spelling is wrong. It's an expression of their deep love for me. They couldn't afford to go and buy a birthday gift for their dad. They don't have any money. But they picked up It wasn't even a 47:52 regular card. They were just some piece of paper that they picked up and and I tell you that's more precious than that $10 card you go and buy buy from somewhere because it came from a loving heart. And you know, it's wonderful to know 48:12 that our children love us and that's how it is with God loves us and it's good for children to know that we love them. But I'll never go to my child and say, "Hey, what did you write for my birthday? Do you know that E is written crooked? 48:27 That's not the way to write E. And that's not the way to write the D." Is that what I tell him when the child out of love comes and gives me a to the best of his ability tried to say, "Happy birthday, Dad." >> [snorts] >> And if I won't do that as an evil 48:44 father, how in the world I will never say my son, "That's not good enough." I'll never say that. Came out of a loving heart. And I say when I seek to do something for the Lord, not perfect, I know it's imperfect, but to the best of my ability 49:02 I try to do something for him, he will never say to me, "That's not good enough." That's making him out to be a more evil father than I am. Now, I say that for your encouragement. I'm sure many times you've heard the devil tell you, pretending to be the 49:17 voice of God, "That was not good enough what you did." And you got discouraged. And you can condemn yourself saying, "When will I ever meet up to God's standards?" I say, "Brother, sister, he's not looking for some standard. He's 49:31 looking for a heart that loves him." Will you understand that? He's looking for a heart that loves him. And if you love him, he's accepted even though your spelling is wrong and the the letters are crooked and many other things are not right. It's 49:46 the heart that God sees. Faith is to believe in a God like that. Is that easy? Why should we believe the devil's lie? God is love, the Bible says. It's the most perfect expression of love that we can ever think of. A million times better than your dad and 50:05 mom or whoever else you think loved you. >> [snorts] >> That's how God's love is. And you know, I believe this with all my heart and many times I think of it also. When Christ comes back and we see him face-to-face, 50:24 I believe that the thing that will make us miserable, >> [snorts] >> you think you'll be happy when you see Jesus? Yes, we'll be happy also. But there's something that will make us miserable is Lord, I never [snorts and clears throat] 50:41 knew you loved me so much. There'll be love radiating out from his heart and his face and you'll be overwhelmed that you doubted him so many times on Earth that he loved you so much. That will melt our heart. I believe I'll 51:00 weep when I see it. And he loved us so much. I don't believe any of us have understood the intensity and immensity of God's love for us. And that's why we don't have faith. We doubt every little thing comes along and the devil says, "There, that proves 51:19 God doesn't love you." Or something else goes wrong. "There's another proof God doesn't love you. He didn't answer that prayer, so God doesn't love you." He's always around. He like he's told Eve, "God doesn't love you." 51:31 See what happened there? That God doesn't love you. I start believing those lies of the devil quite some time ago. You know, these are the things I wish, when I was born again at the age of 19, I wish some preacher who was in touch with God had drilled 51:46 these things into my head. What repentance was, what faith was. Boy, I could have started making progress. I could have started running the race much earlier than I did. I had to wait 16, 17 years after I was born again before I started running this 52:03 race. But one thing I decided then, I said, "Lord, what I missed in my life, I can give to my spiritual children. >> [snorts] >> I can give to those who listen to me what I missed." It's you know, just like all of you parents, 52:20 all of us parents want to give our children a better lot in life than we had ourselves when we were young, right? It's exactly the same. I want to give to God's people more than what I had when I was born again. That they will know from the beginning 52:35 what repentance is, >> [snorts] >> and what faith is. It's to believe that God loves me intensely, and that he will always give to me whatever is the very best for me. One day when we see him, we'll realize 52:57 how much he loves us. I was challenged by that once in reading Revelation chapter 5. >> [snorts] >> Revelation chapter 5. >> [clears throat] >> I've said this many times, that in heaven, 53:15 they sing a new song, we read. Verse 9, Revelation 5:9. This is the new song they sing in heaven. And the word new there means fresh. Fresh means something they never sang before. New. And what is it? "Oh Lord," they're singing to the lamb, 53:38 "you are worthy [snorts] because you died, and you shed your blood to purchase us. I say, "Hey, that's not a new song. I've known it for 60 years. I've known it even before I was born again. He died and shed his blood. That's not a 53:54 new song." And then the Lord opened my eyes one day to see that when you get into the realm of eternity and you become like Christ and you come to the purity of God's presence the truth, the simple truth 54:14 that Jesus died on the cross for a sinner like me and shed his blood it will be every day as if you're hearing it for the first time. Can you imagine a one who's never heard and who's desperate that he's going to hell never 54:32 heard about Christ and it he's he knows that he's violated his conscience and sinned and gone his on his way to hell and he hears this truth that you don't have to go to hell. Jesus died for you, shed his blood for you. And the first time he hears it and 54:47 believes it, wow. He says, "Really? That's how it'll be every single day in heaven. Really? Wow. He died for me." You know, when I saw that the new song, the fresh song 55:05 I said, "Lord I want a foretaste of heaven here on earth. One of the areas where I want to have a foretaste of heaven is that whenever I sing or think of Jesus dying for me 55:25 and saving me from sin I want it to be as if it's the first time I'm hearing it. A criminal condemned to death hearing that you don't have to die. Prison doors are open and saying you can go free. And I thought I was going to be 55:41 hanged this morning. And instead of getting hanged, they come to the prison door and say, "You can go free." What happened? Somebody else died for you. Really? Wow. That can't happen on Earth because they don't allow another person to die for 55:57 me, but according to God's laws, he does it. And to be gripped by that and many, many times when we sing the simple songs about Christ dying for me, brings tears to my eyes. God's answering my prayer. I wanted to be fresh. I never want the 56:16 simple truth of Christ died for my sins ever to be stale, old news. Then I know I've backsliding has begun. >> [clears throat] >> For myself, anyway. Anytime I can sing about it or talk about it and it is stale news for me. 56:35 Oh, I know I knew that. My backsliding has begun. I never want to backslide. Even this morning, I was singing that song, uh, which you've sung it here sometimes. Uh, I'm not skilled to understand what 56:53 God has willed, what God has planned. I only know at his right hand stands one who is my savior. You know that song and >> [snorts] >> uh, there's a line further down uh, which says that he who lives to be 57:10 my king once died to be my savior. I kept on singing it to myself this morning. That he who lives to be my king once died 57:28 to be my savior. That's how much God loves me. That's why I have faith. Faith is not such a difficult thing to have when you believe God loves you intensely. Is it difficult to trust a father who's sacrificed his life and done 57:47 everything for your good? When he tells you something, says, "My son, my girl, let me tell you something." Would you doubt him? Even if it looks like some impossible thing. If he says, "Don't worry, my girl, I'll do that for you. Don't worry, my son, 58:03 I'll do that for you." You trust your father. Why can't we trust God like that? Faith is really such a simple thing, but it has to be based on the recognition that God loves me. That's the thing that God that the devil took out of Eve's 58:17 mind, and that's the thing that he's always trying to take out of your mind. That God's frowning at you. He's always saying you're not good enough. He's saying you'll never make it. You haven't made it till now, you'll never make it in the next 50 years. 58:33 I'm sorry to say I believed all those lies for years and years and years till it made my life miserable, made me a backslider. I got out of it. I'll never get back into that rut, and I'm determined to get every believer I meet out of that rut. 58:51 I don't want to be a great preacher. I never want to be that. >> [snorts] >> I want to be one who helps people out of the pit they've fallen into. I want to go around helping people out of the gutter. Most Christians are in a gutter 59:05 with filth and sin. And their married lives are like a gutter. I want to get them out of it. And it can only come when you say everything that God says is for your good. It's difficult for children to believe when you're 59:21 getting an injection for them or taking them through an essential surgery that that painful thing which the doctor is going to do is for your good. Very difficult for children to believe that. We are grown-ups submit to a doctor's 59:33 surgery because he say he's going to take the cancer out of my body. So sometimes we go through a painful experience. If you can trust a doctor, can't you trust a heavenly father who takes you through some painful experience to deliver you from some 59:47 cancer in your system which is worse than physical cancer? I have faith. I believe my Lord will only do what is good for me. That's faith. It's a leaning upon God. Another picture of faith that's helped 1:00:04 me a lot is the branch that is in a tree that say in Jesus use use the example of the vine because that is the most common thing there. Today we can use the example of apples or oranges or something like that. Let's say apples. The branch that is in 1:00:22 an apple tree it produces apples. The trees the apples don't grow on the tree they grow on the branch. >> [snorts] >> But it grows on the branch not because of some ability in the branch zero. The branch is in the tree. 1:00:40 And the sap that liquid from the tree flows into the branch. That's what keeps the branch fresh. That's what produces the apples. And if you were to ask that branch if it could speak, how do you produce these 1:00:57 wonderful apples? I don't know. I just stay in the tree and the sap keeps flowing by some miracle the apples come out. And that branch can never take if it's an honest branch it can never take 1:01:15 credit for the apples. It's not boast over another branch either of five apples hanging on my branch and only three on yours. That's a stupid branch. As if it produces apples itself. And those are the stupid believers who 1:01:29 compare themselves with other believers and think I'm better than them. I'm more spiritual than them. I can do something better than them. People admire me more than them. These are the most stupid believers in the world. 1:01:42 They have not understood faith. Faith is leaning helplessly upon the tree and say, "I can do nothing." What if that branch has been in that tree for 50 years? You cut it off today, not one apple will come on that branch 1:01:56 from now on. 50 years experience with God makes no difference. Today, I've been a believer 60 years now. But I'm as helpless today as that person who's converted today. He's a branch in Christ. I'm a branch in Christ. And to both of us, Jesus says, 1:02:16 "Without me, you can do nothing." 60-year-old believer, you can't do anything without me. That newly converted believer, you can't do anything without me. That is faith. Lord, I'm helplessly dependent upon you. That is the basis of prayer. 1:02:36 A lot of people don't know how to pray because they don't pray with faith. You can pray for all night and get nothing. Jesus always said, "When you pray, believe. Have faith." And many people have made And then the devil's made faith such an 1:02:50 you know, mysterious thing that many people try to understand. I hope you've understood a little bit of what faith really means. It means leaning helplessly upon God. >> [snorts] >> I'll give you my testimony. Every time I come to preach, 1:03:08 I say, "Lord, I'm like the branch in the tree. >> [snorts] >> Many times I don't know what to say. But that's not the problem of the branch. The branch doesn't have to produce one apple. The branch has only got to stay in the 1:03:22 tree. The tree will produce the apples through the branch. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Without him, I can do nothing. Faith is to say, "I can do nothing without Christ." And I don't know 1:03:41 whether all of you believe that. Because you feel that you There are a lot of things you can do because you got so much experience. You know so much of the Bible. You come to RLCF where you hear so many wonderful truths. 1:03:54 You know more than other Christians. So, of course, you can do so many things. No wonder your life remains shallow. I want to encourage you, my brother. Come down. Come down. God's greatest blessings are on the lowest shelf. 1:04:11 Remember that God's greatest blessings are on the lowest shelf. You're seeking for them up there. Those are all empty. Come down. Recognize that you're a nobody. And you're a nothing. >> [snorts] >> And if people were to ask me, "Brother, 1:04:28 what is your position in the body of Christ? Are you a teacher, evangelist, apostle, prophet?" I say, "No. I'm a voice." So, John the Baptist said, he was the greatest prophet. They asked him, "What are you?" He said, "I'm a voice. I'm a 1:04:41 voice calling people to repent. Turn back to God. Get ready for the Lord's coming." I'm doing the same thing. Just a voice saying, "Get ready for the Lord's coming. He's coming back again." Be ready. Get rid of sin. That's all we are. 1:04:59 And God may give one gift to one and another gift to another. I believe that if you're a member of Christ's body, he has given some gift to you which I I cannot do. I look at some things that some of you do here and I say, "I can't do that." 1:05:12 You have a gift I don't have. And I have a gift that you don't have, but we are members of one body, so uh your gift is really I'm happy about it, because I'm in the same body. I mean, no part of the body is jealous of another part. No member is jealous of 1:05:28 another member of the body. I say, "We're all one body." There'll be no jealousy when you see the that you're a part of the body with others. And all of us are helplessly dependent on the head. And the head makes the picture of the head of the body or 1:05:43 the branch of the tree is the same thing. This hand can do nothing without being connected to the head. You know, when you say a man's hand is paralyzed, what is paralysis? The hand is still there. The five fingers are there, and 1:05:57 all if you look inside the body, I'm not a medical person, but in a paralyzed man's body, the nerves and the uh limbs and the veins and the arteries and the skin, they're all there. But, the hand can do nothing. There's 1:06:12 only one thing missing. Its connection with the head is broken. That's all. >> [snorts] >> And there are believers like that. They look like members of the body, but their connection with Christ is broken, and so they are useless. 1:06:26 They hang around in the body. They come to the meeting. They do absolutely nothing for the Lord. They sit in the chair on Sundays and warm the chair. That's the only thing they do. Nothing. And the other members of the body have 1:06:41 to carry them. You know, like this paralyzed hand, all the other members of the body have to carry this paralyzed hand. For nourishment, oh, the hand this paralyzed hand is very eager to get the nourishment from the body. All the food 1:06:54 that's eaten must go to the hand, also. There are believers like that. They only think of receiving, receiving, receiving. The paralyzed hand keeps on receiving nourishment. If it didn't, it would die. It receives nourishment, but what does 1:07:07 it do for the body? Zero. >> [clears throat] >> We're not to be believers like that. Would you like to have a paralyzed hand in your body? You think the Lord wants a paralyzed hand in his body? Or a paralyzed leg? Dear brothers and sisters, I want to 1:07:26 challenge you. Will you say from today onwards, I want to have faith that weak as I am, I can do something for you. I always use the example of the nail. The nail is such a small thing. But do you know when you feel scratchy, 1:07:45 it's only this little despised nail that helps, that relieves you of that itching feeling. It's not your nose or your eyes or your tongue. You need that. You can be the smallest member in the body of Christ, but you're useful. 1:08:03 You can scratch somebody's back. You can say a word of encouragement to someone. How difficult is it to say a word of encouragement to someone? To say to somebody when you speak on the cell phone, "Don't worry, brother. Don't 1:08:14 worry, sister. God will help you. God will see you through that." How long does it take to say that? That can lift that person's spirit. We criticize people enough. Why not once in a while say a word of encouragement to your wife, 1:08:30 to your husband, weary under life's burdens, struggling with children or struggling in their place of work? To say, "Don't worry, my husband, you'll be okay. It'll be okay. God will see us through." Or "Don't worry. Child is sick, but God 1:08:45 will see us through. Don't worry." It can be such an encouragement, and it takes a few seconds to say it. And a person who's connected to the head will say, "It is not a great sermon, but it is a great sermon to that discouraged 1:08:57 person." I want to encourage you to have faith. Lean upon God and say, "Lord, I'm a helpless person, but I want to lean upon you. I I can't do the great things that those some of these great preachers do and great servants of God who bring hundreds of 1:09:12 people to Christ. I can't do all that, but I can give one sentence encouragement to my husband, to my wife, to that brother who I see a little discouraged, to my children to lift their spirit. I want to be someone who goes around lifting people's 1:09:28 spirits. The world is full of people depressing them. Let me not add to that. Let me not add to the gloomy faces in the world, but me let me lift up people's spirits. Praise God for what we heard. 1:10:04 Can we turn to Luke 18? I thought we could see a picture of faith there. Jesus is talking about faith. Luke 18. So, he tells them two parables. The first parable is about a widow. 1:10:23 He says, "Pray at all times. Don't lose heart." He gives us a picture of a widow. Helpless helpless widow. And it seems like for a long time nothing is happening. As though the judge is an unrighteous judge. We know that's not the case. 1:10:42 We know that's not the case. We don't have an unrighteous judge on the throne. We have a loving father. But it seems like that. And Jesus gave us that picture. And and he said, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find 1:11:00 faith on the earth?" Will he find those who are willing to come and ask again and again in weakness and helplessness trusting entirely on the Lord. Then he gives us another picture in Luke 1:11:19 18:9 onwards, the picture of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Again, he's talking about faith. And the Pharisee stood and said, "Lord, I've done all these things. No, 1:11:38 I'm better than everybody. I pray, I fast. Not like that tax collector over there." And the tax collector was standing some distance away and he was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven. 1:11:56 He was beating his breast saying, "Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner." See, he didn't do it just once. Because the the awareness of his sin was heaviness was heavy upon him. So, he was beating he just didn't he didn't say once, you know, he didn't 1:12:16 just beat his breast like that and say, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." He spent some time crying out to the Lord. But Jesus pointed to this man as an example of someone who had faith. And how do we know he had faith? Because he 1:12:33 went away justified. Not like the other man whose prayer, you know, didn't cross the ceiling as we've heard. Yeah, so what does it mean to have faith? The The that we have in our minds of 1:12:51 someone who has faith is is someone like this Pharisee. [snorts] Yeah, I've done so many things. God has helped me. And he'll help me again. Brothers and sisters, there is there is a balance of truth in this. 1:13:09 See, if the if the Pharisee went on, you know, beating his breast and went with his head down, then no, he doesn't have faith. But it says he went away justified. And that repentance and faith always go together. And we come to the Lord with that 1:13:29 absolute helplessness, absolute unworthiness. No, zero confidence in myself. And at the same time 100% confidence in God. He is full of love, full of power, 1:13:48 able and willing to help me to save me. I want to look at uh 2 Corinthians. Paul asks a question, "Test yourself to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourself." And Paul has a different kind of boasting. 1:14:08 He says, "You know, you You see all those great people, all the great things they do. No, I'm not like them. I'm weak." He says, "I will boast in my weakness." And he says, "Examine yourself. Do you 1:14:26 recognize this about yourself that Christ Jesus is in you?" And the verse before that tells us about, you know, how we can see whether we are in the faith. It says Jesus was crucified because of weakness. And 1:14:44 to come and see the glory of Jesus who was weak and was crucified and gave himself up to be crucified. And he says we are also weak in him, yet we will live with him because of the 1:15:02 power of God directed towards you. And uh a little bit earlier in 2 Corinthians, we can see 2 Corinthians chapter 4. He gives this picture. He says 2 Corinthians chapter 4, looking at 1:15:19 verse 8 onwards. If we if we look at those phrases, you know? On one hand, I'm I'm just looking at, you know, I'm I'm leading 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 8 onwards. 1:15:39 Paul is saying that we are not crushed, we are not despairing, we are not forsaken, we are not destroyed. The resurrection life of Jesus is manifested in us. He's saying all these things in that passage. When you hear that, 1:15:57 you know, it sounds like, oh, this this man is like Superman. Oh. But at the same time, he's saying we are afflicted, we are perplexed, we are persecuted, we are struck down, and we carry about with us the dying of Jesus. 1:16:19 See, Paul knows that as he's led by the spirit of God, he seeks to do God's will, that he goes through these experiences. That is when the power of God becomes manifest. 1:16:35 And he is so so happy. And he longs and he's inviting us and calling us to go that same way. Yeah. Brothers and sisters, uh I was reminded of Hebrews chapter 12. 1:16:54 It says we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2 says, "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith." We know this verse many many times, hopefully. 1:17:12 But what what I saw is that we need to be reminded of this again and again and again. Uh and I was especially taken up, I mean, this this phrase caught me, "The sin which so easily entangles us. The sin which so easily entangles us." 1:17:29 Um the distractions of this world. The pleasures of this world, the worries of this world, so easily entangles us. And that's why again and again we need to turn to Jesus, consider him. Um I I think many of us would remember a 1:17:47 message we heard from brother Santosh about a blind man who first thing every morning he reaches for his cane. I'm sure I mean, we remember it when we share about when I speak about I'm sure many of you, unless you've been coming recently, 1:18:01 will have will remember this message. But the question I wanted to ask myself is, yeah, am I like that? Do I reach out in the morning like a blind man for his cane? Yeah. Sin easily entangles us. We are 1:18:20 distracted. And that distraction, you know, takes us away from the tree of life, which is a simple pure devotion to the Lord. And uh yeah, it's the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches that that chokes the word of God. 1:18:40 That God has been faithful to plant this word in my heart. But I need to say no, no. Burn up these thorns. Let me receive the word with a with a honest and good heart. Let it bring forth fruit for your glory. I I think of the the man who buried his 1:18:59 talent in the ground. The story's in Matthew 25. We know that we know we know that story. And that's the question, you know. Why did you bury your talent in the ground? When we see Jesus on the final day, this will be the the cry, "Oh, what was 1:19:17 I thinking? Jesus loved me so much. He had a good plan for me. I could have been filled with the Holy Spirit. I could have been taken up with his kingdom, his will, his glory." Yeah, the Lord says these things to us. 1:19:35 Never never never to discourage us, brothers and sisters. It's because he loves us. Because he loves us. And this this is a challenge to me. I I thought of something that I had done only once in my life as as I remember. 1:19:52 It's something called rappelling. I don't know if any of you know what that is. It's So, where you actually So, suppose this is a a cliff, okay? There's a cliff. And uh uh you're standing at the edge of the cliff. And then there's a rope tied somewhere, 1:20:08 and then you sort of lean back. And you know, you're perpendicular to the cliff, and then you lower yourself. You sort of take small small steps, and the rope, you know, is released. Uh and and you're able to go to the bottom, okay? 1:20:23 Now, I I I thought about it because >> [snorts] >> very few of us may have done it. I just happened to, you know, go somewhere and got the opportunity to do it. It's not particularly difficult in terms of the strength that you need. See, if 1:20:38 you have to climb a mountain like you see many videos nowadays, you need a lot of strength and skill. This is not tough. But in your mind that point where you don't stand like this anymore and you lean back and the rope is taking all of your weight. 1:20:55 That's That's very hard. It's very hard. I remember that. Like, you know, I I used to be fairly not so heavy and and fairly, you know, fairly physically active at that time, but just just to do this trust in the rope, not to lean on my own strength. 1:21:14 And I I thought that was a good picture, you know, because my orientation has changed. I'm not looking at the earth anymore. I'm looking straight up into heaven. And I It seems like I'm going backwards, right? I'm going taking small steps and 1:21:29 going to the bottom. I'm going down. And people who are comfortable doing this, you know, you'll find them taking photos like that where it's just the rope, you know. See, whether you hold the rope or not, the rope is what's 1:21:39 holding you, right? Yeah. I want to trust the Lord like that. I need to trust the Lord like that and to go down in humility and believe that He will lift me up. There's a helicopter at the bottom, you know, waiting to take me 1:21:53 up into the heavenly places. We'll sing a song and after that we want to hear from Brother Polo. Lord, I come 1:22:31 just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. Shall we sing this song together? >> [music] [music] 1:23:00 [music] >> Just as I [singing] am, without [music] one plea, but >> [singing and music] >> that thy blood was shed for me, and that 1:23:20 >> [singing] [music] >> thou bidst me >> [music and singing] >> come, O Lamb of God, I come. >> [music] >> I come. >> [singing] [music] 1:23:40 >> Just as I [singing] am, and [music] waiting not to rid >> [music] >> my soul [singing] of one dark >> [music] >> blot, 1:23:59 to >> [singing] >> Thee whose blood can cleanse >> [music] >> each spot, O Lamb of >> [singing and music] >> God, I come. I come. >> [music] 1:24:19 >> Just [singing] as I am, poor, wretched, >> [singing] [music] >> blind, I come. >> [singing] >> Precious >> [music] >> healing of the mind, 1:24:39 may all >> [singing] >> I needed be >> [music] >> thine. O Lamb of God, I come. >> [singing and music] >> Just as 1:25:01 I am, thou wilt [singing] >> [music] >> receive, wilt welcome, [music] pardon, and cleanse, relieve. >> [singing] >> Because >> [music] >> thy promise >> [singing] 1:25:20 >> I believe. O Lamb of God, >> [singing] >> I come. >> [music] >> Just [singing and music] as I am, 1:25:39 thy love unknown has broken >> [singing and music] >> every barrier down. >> [singing] >> Now to be thine, >> [music] >> yea, 1:25:58 thine alone. >> [singing] >> O Lamb of >> [music] >> God, I come. >> [singing] [music] >> Praise God for the spiritual fathers 1:26:33 that we have who drill these truths into our mind and our hearts time and again. Like brother Zach was saying, I wish someone drilled these truths into his mind and his heart. But what a privilege it is that we can hear these truths in this 1:26:52 church time and again. That these truths can be drilled into our hearts. And we heard that Satan is a liar. And that we shouldn't be believing in his lie. And we read in John 8:44 that he's a liar and father of all lies. 1:27:11 He's a liar from the beginning. And he's father of all lies. And we may I I may perhaps say that oh, I believe in God. And James says even demons believe in one God. Even demons believe in one true God. 1:27:30 They believed in God. 1/3 of the angels who went away with him believed the lie of the angel who was called Lucifer who turned into Satan. They believed in his lie. Went away with him. They believed in one true God. 1:27:49 But they believed in the lie. They did not believe in God. They did not believe that God is sovereign. That he is loving. They believed his lie and went away with him and became demons. They doubted God's love. As I'm examining my own heart, yes, I I'm 1:28:06 saying that I'm a believer. I believe in one true God. But how is it in different situations in my life, in different times in my life? Do I still believe the lies of the devil, young people? Do I still go back and think about, 1:28:25 you know, my old self, how I was, and how bad how many times that I committed a particular sin, or how miserable my life was? Even the worldly men out there in the world, they say, "Once a man is dead and gone, don't talk about his, you know, 1:28:44 bad things. Leave him alone." Do you believe that your old self is gone? Behold, you are in Christ, and all things become new. And that's the word of God says, "You are in Christ. The old self is dead and gone." I don't need to give room for Satan to, 1:29:03 you know, bring about all the old life, and how bad I was, and to be discouraged, and say, "Oh, I don't have hope. I was such a terrible sinner." No, the old self is gone. I've made new with Christ. I want to talk about some of the lies 1:29:22 that Satan, time and again, brings to my life, and how God, you know, wants us to take back to the truth, that we don't believe in his lies. If I believe in his lies, I'm being deceived. I'm not a true believer of God. 1:29:42 If I believe in the lies of the devil, I'm not a believer of God. I believe in his lies, then I'm in deception. I'm being deceived. Brother Zac said, "Same rut, gutter." And that's one of the tactics of devil that he wants me to believe in his lies. 1:30:01 Now, I often remember Brother Newton saying this, "Don't have fellowship with the devil." And Ananias was a man who had fellowship with devil. And that's what Peter says, why did you let Satan fill your heart? What was he 1:30:16 doing? He was having fellowship with him. When Satan said, hey, this and that, and he kept a portion for himself. That was an idea from Satan. He was in fellowship with Satan and he filled his heart. It did not happen all of the 1:30:31 sudden. All of the sudden Satan filled his heart. No, it was over the period of time. He was listening and fellowshipping with the devil and Satan filled his heart with a lie. He went up to the temple and he lied to the Holy 1:30:43 Spirit. I don't want to have fellowship with the devil. I want to, like Jesus said, get behind me. Go away. And that's of the many lies, one lie that often we hear in this church of 1:31:00 how, you know, that God is not pleased with you. I want us to turn to that passage. If you are the son [clears throat] of God, lieth the devil. Are you really a child of God? Are you a born-again child of God? We read that in Matthew 4:3. 1:31:18 If you are the son of God. Has Has God left you? Abandoned you? We heard that from Isaac many times. Had God left you? Does he love you? He has left you for 40 days. Does he really care about you? Are you the son of God? 1:31:35 What is the truth? We know the truth in Matthew 3:17. A few verses before that. That's the truth. A voice from heaven came saying, This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. That's the truth. The truth is that God 1:31:55 loved Jesus. Jesus was loved by God and God testified about his love. You are my beloved son. I am well pleased with you. And Satan here, he comes and says, "Are you the son of God? If you're the son of God, do this." Oh, Jesus wasn't listening and 1:32:13 fellowshipping with the devil. Oh, really? Guys, God left me. And he said, "Go away, Satan." He went back to the truth. Another lie that we heard from the Zach, "You're not good enough." And when we do some things, "You're not 1:32:31 good enough." That's a lie of the devil to pull us backward. I took a decision. I messed up. The lie of the devil is voice of the devil is, "You're not good enough." "You're not good enough." But the God's call, the truth is always 1:32:45 come up higher. We've heard in this church from Revelation 4:1, the call The call of the God is come up higher. Yes, you might have messed up. You You might have done it in a way it was not, you know, perfect, but the call is not to 1:33:00 discourage us. It's come up higher. Another lie of the devil in my life that I've seen, "God doesn't love you." How often we hear that lie and give in to that lie? I want to The truth is I want to take Satan to the 1:33:18 Calvary and show that God so loved me. He loved me intensely. Many times we've been encouraged in this church to personalize the verse. Not God lo loved the world God so loved the world, but God so loved me. That he gave his only son. That's the 1:33:38 truth. I want to come back to the truth and not listen to the lie of the devil which says, "God doesn't love you." Perhaps another lie from the devil, "This is a punishment from God. God is punishing you." No, the truth is he 1:33:51 disciplines. Hebrews 12:6, he disciplines for those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. This discipline, perhaps, you know, Satan wants me to think it is a punishment. Others around us, perhaps, wants us to think it's a punishment from God. I 1:34:10 remember one Sunday I was playing. There's an auntie Pentecostal auntie who stays nearby. Who always says, "Don't play on Sundays. Sunday is a holiday for the Lord." I don't you know, judge her for that. And one day I was playing, I broke my legs, and 1:34:26 she came immediately after that and said that's a punishment from God. You should not have played. You know, perhaps, if we laugh at it, but in different situation where we doubt, "Oh, is really God punishing me? Is this 1:34:40 a punishment from God for this and for that?" No, it says discipline out of his love. He disciplines me because he loves me. Another lie, he has not forgiven you. If we confess our sins, he's faithful to forgive us from all 1:34:58 unrighteousness. I remember sometime back, some years back, I went back to the Lord and prayed like this, "Lord, again I did this. Again I did this. Again I fell into the same sin. And I was so condemned to go back to the 1:35:15 Lord and say, "Lord, I did it again." And that's the lie of the devil to makes us think, "Again? The Lord asked me again, what do you mean by again? Again? The last time when you confessed your sin to me, when you repented, like we 1:35:30 heard from brother Suresh that, you know, the man, the tax collector, went to God and confessed, and we went home justified. I repented and confessed. Last time when you repented and confessed to the Lord, it was forgiven. 1:35:46 Once it's forgiven, I want to look at this verse. Hebrews 8:12. Hebrews 8: 12. We read that two times in Hebrews. One of the instances in Hebrews 8:12. For I'll be merciful to their 1:36:10 iniquities. And I will remember their sins no more. See that? That's the love of God. God opened my eyes to see his love. In that situation to say, "I don't remember his sin. It's not again for me. Last time when you confessed 1:36:28 and repented of your sin, it was forgiven. I don't remember it. I see you justified just as if you have never you have never sinned. And this is the first time you are ever committing the sin." Oh, it's not easy to believe. 1:36:46 But that's the truth. To believe that God has forgiven me and he doesn't remember. Lord, I want to come and know your love. And that love has changed this whole situation. Lord, you love me so 1:37:02 intensely. I never will go back. Not being a condemned state and saying, "Lord, I did it again. I did it again." But every time we repent and confess it to the Lord, he forgives us and he doesn't remember it anymore. Every time Satan reminds us of our sin, 1:37:20 let's turn the table to him and use it an opportunity to praise God for his love. And let's bring all thoughts captive. All the thoughts which makes us to doubt God, God's love, his forgiveness. 1:37:40 Let's bring it captive into the obedience of Christ and believe in the truth. May God help each of us. Amen. Yeah, let's just pray based on what we 1:37:58 heard. Brothers and sisters, let's bow our heads. Loving Father Lord, great great is your goodness and mercy. We can call you Father. Uh, we want to stand against Satan's lies, Lord, and we want to 1:38:18 um use every opportunity, every means, Lord, and rejoice that you have given us the Holy Spirit and you sent your son and you've given us brothers and sisters, you've given us your word. We want to trust you, Lord. You've 1:38:36 put us in circumstances where you've helped us to see our need. We want to thank you and praise you for that, Lord. And we want to stand against uh Satan's lies. Yes, Lord, you can do this in us. That is why you're here, that's why you've 1:38:52 spoken to us today. We commend ourselves into your hands. We pray in your mighty name, Jesus Savior. Amen. Amen. Uh brothers and sisters, we'll have the announcements. >> Mhm.
