0:00 What a wonderful introduction Brother John gave. The word on my heart is Luke chapter 12 verse 32. We can turn there. Luke chapter 12 and verse 32. 0:22 Do not be afraid, little flock, for the Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Do not be afraid, little flock, for the Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. So, I've been thinking about this verse for some weeks now and I want to share what the Lord has spoken to me about. 0:49 What this kingdom is. What is it. And what is it not. And who this promise is for. And who this promise is not for. Or how can I lose it. Yeah, I was thinking about this theme verse that we have. Romans 5 verse 2. 1:17 It says, we exult or we rejoice greatly in the hope of the glory of God. And we can read Luke 12 verse 32 as, in a similar way, it's a similar tone or spirit. It says, don't be afraid, which is, rejoice greatly. Rejoice greatly, for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. 1:43 And what is this kingdom, this kingdom is my birthright. It's my birthright as a child of God. If we read this verse like this, it's easy to believe. Oh, rejoice greatly, little flock, for the Father has chosen gladly to give you your birthright. 2:03 That, that makes sense, right? The Father is eager, he's longing to give us our birthright. But it's also true that I can lose my birthright. And we can look at this verse about Esau. It says in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 16. 2:20 It says, see to it that, among you, no one, is an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. Who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 2:41 Some translations it says, for a bowl of soup. There was a point in time when someone offered him this single meal, bowl of soup. And he said, I don't want my birthright. I'll go for that. 3:03 See, we could have been speaking today about Esau the way we speak about Jacob. We would have said, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau. But Esau said, no, I want this bowl of soup. It's good for us to think about, what is this birthright? 3:24 What is this kingdom? And in each of our lives, you know, what is this bowl of soup? Yeah, when we think about the kingdom, it's good that we understand what it is and what it is not. Okay? And the Bible tells us what it is and says what it is not also. 3:48 If we look at Luke chapter 12 and verse 32 in context. And verse 12, Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit. He says, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you ought to say. And then somebody in the crowd can't handle it anymore, changes the topic. 4:10 He says, teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. No? That cry, desire comes out, bursts out. And Jesus said, I didn't come to distribute money. 4:31 That's not what the kingdom of God is about. He says, guard against every form of greed. As you go on reading, he talks about a rich man who was not rich towards God. And he calls him a fool. And he goes on to say, don't worry about what you will eat or drink. 4:53 But, verse 31, seek first his kingdom and these things will be added to you. So God will give you what you need. But seek his kingdom first. And do not be afraid, little flock, for the Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. 5:15 We can look at Romans, chapter 14, verse 17. It tells us what the kingdom is and what it is not. For the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 5:40 Yeah, the kingdom of God is not getting my share, building bigger barns, worrying about what I will eat or drink. It's not earthly. The kingdom of God is a combination of righteousness, peace and joy that only the Holy Spirit can give me. 5:58 And this combination, I have often shared this individually with brothers and sisters, the world can offer you some kind of passing peace. There's a pleasure, a fleeting pleasure in sin. See, you know, at the point in time, Esau would have enjoyed his bowl of soup. 6:21 But, there's no righteousness in that. And then we know that there were the Pharisees who had a form of righteousness that depended on their self-effort, that made them hard on others, and they didn't have peace and joy. 6:39 So, the kingdom of God is the combination of righteousness, peace and joy, which only the Holy Spirit can give us. Let's look at another verse, which tells us what the kingdom of God is and what it is not. So, 1 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 20. 6:58 It says, the kingdom of God is not in words, does not consist in words, but in power. It's not eloquence, it's not activity, it's not making an impression, it's not pious talk. 7:21 Brothers and sisters, I say this with grief, because these are like bowls of soup that many of us can just reach out for, settle for that, make a good impression. You know, speak the right words, but Paul says, it's not words, but in power. 7:43 And Paul says in context in that verse, 1 Corinthians 4, 19, he says, I'm coming and I will find out if all you have is arrogant words or whether you actually have power. Paul trusted that the Holy Spirit would give him the discernment and he would be able to tell whether the words that these Corinthians were speaking were just empty words or whether they actually had power. 8:12 Power means they had this combination of righteousness, peace and joy. They have the strength to obey the Lord. The only way we can have that is through the Holy Spirit. Yeah, Jesus said in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, we can go there, we can turn there. 8:29 There again we see what the kingdom of God is and what it is not. Acts chapter 1 verse 8. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses. But in the verse before that, it says, it is not for you to know the times or the epochs, which have been fixed by my father, by his own authority. 8:56 My father has all authority and he has fixed some times and epochs. And it's not for you to know, but you will receive power. So there's a contrast there between knowledge and power. What were the disciples concerned about? 9:15 They were concerned about political power, the kingdom of this earth. They said, you know, the kingdom of Israel. And Jesus once again said, hey, that's not the sort of king that I have come to be. And all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to God. 9:33 And you don't need to know. You need to receive power. There's a principle there. Is knowledge a bad thing? Knowledge is not a bad thing. Am I supposed to be a dumb person who doesn't know anything? No. But I must depend on God. 9:51 I must learn to trust in the Lord, not lean on my understanding. And this knowledge is offered to us all the time. The world is shouting out at us, saying, hey, you need to know this. This is the secret trick. This is what the experts are trying to hide from you. 10:17 And to say, Lord, I need to trust you. I need to love you. I don't want to choose knowledge instead of loving and trusting you. Because if I do that, I'm rejecting the kingdom of God. What I need is the power that comes when the Holy Spirit comes. 10:37 We know that this is the first temptation in the Garden of Eden. And Eve was distracted, deceived. She had a desire to become wise outside of a relationship with God, outside of obedience to God. And she went away from a simple, pure devotion to the Lord. 11:02 So, how does the Holy Spirit give us power? How does the Holy Spirit give us this combination of righteousness, peace and joy? We see that in Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, verse 5. A few verses earlier, he talked about the hope of the glory of God. 11:25 And he says, this hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. It's because the love of God is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. 11:45 When we have a revelation of the love of God, who he is, how much he loves us, the depth, the breadth, the height, and the length of his love. And we have the strength to do what is right. And we can do it joyfully. And we can do it with peace. 12:04 In all circumstances. Knowing that a God who loves us, is on the throne. He will make everything work for our good. The Lord who is on the throne in heaven, is also on the throne in my heart. And this is how I can have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 12:27 And I see that in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 1. I see a principle there. It says, knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. Or knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Or love builds up, or love strengthens. 12:50 And we need the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen our hearts. This is the only way we can have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. I think of another verse. I was sharing this with a young brother recently. 13:10 It's a verse that may be familiar to many of us. And I was encouraged to read it more closely. This is in James chapter 1, verse 19. It says, be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. 13:33 What spoke to me or struck me about this verse, which I didn't notice before, is it starts by saying, this you know, my beloved brethren, here's the problem, here's my problem, and here's the problem many of us face in this church. 14:02 I mean, even if I think of the verses that I shared this morning, I think we've heard them all before. It's very easy for me to sit, and, you know, when somebody starts speaking, to say, oh, that message, that message. I know that, I heard that. 14:20 Now he's going to say this, now he's going to say this. Yeah, we can multiply words. But if the Lord is speaking, there is power. There is a difference. See, the Lord spoke into the darkness, and there was light. 14:46 It's the voice of the Lord. And James is saying, be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, don't get worked up, don't get agitated. That does not achieve the righteousness of God. The Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom, which is the power of the Holy Spirit. 15:15 Here's another verse we can think about. It talks about what the kingdom of God is and what it is not. Luke 17. I'm reading Luke 17, verse 20 and 21. In some translations, it says, is amidst you, in your midst, among you. 15:54 Other translations, it says, within you. And I was, you know, trying to understand that. And if we can keep a finger there and go to John 14, verse 17. I see that, or maybe you don't have to go there. You may know this verse. 16:15 So, where Jesus uses very similar language. And over there, he's quite clearly speaking about the Holy Spirit. He says, the spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. 16:30 So that, with you and in you, we see that once again. The kingdom of God is among you and the kingdom of God is within you. The kingdom of God is with you because the king is in your midst. And thinking about the disciples, they saw Jesus, they saw his miracles, but that he was the king of heaven and earth. 16:59 No, they needed that revelation. It didn't come to them. It came to them a little bit, but they had hard hearts. But on the day of Pentecost, that changed. The veil was lifted from their eyes. They understood the gift of God. 17:23 They understood who Jesus was. The kingdom of God is with you because the king is in your midst. The kingdom of God is in you when you're filled with the Holy Spirit. Because you receive power. Because the king of love is on the throne in your heart. 17:42 And he will give you the strength to bear him. Brothers and sisters, when we are filled up with the love of God, it's not difficult. It's not difficult to do what is right. We can do it joyfully, cheerfully. I hope and trust that many of us have tasted of this. 18:07 And what the Father is speaking to me today is that, today, now, the kingdom of God. I want to give you this kingdom where Jesus is king in your heart. The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed. 18:30 Fullness of the Holy Spirit is not primarily about some experience. There may be an experience. Many of us have had an experience. We might see something. We might hear something. We might feel something. But that is not the big thing. 18:46 The big thing is that I have power. And that the king of glory is ruling in my life. And I want to seek that. This is what I need. I saw that there are two parallel passages where Jesus said, some of you standing here will not taste death. 19:13 And then he said, he said two things. So, this is Matthew 16, 28. Maybe you can just write this down. It's hard to look at, you know, both together. Matthew 16, 28 and Mark 9, 1. Both of these things happened just six days before the transfiguration. 19:30 And Jesus said, some of you standing here will not taste death until, in Matthew he said, you see the son of man coming in his kingdom. The son of man coming in his kingdom. And then in Mark 9, 1, he said, until you see the kingdom of God when it has come with power. 19:51 So, we can assume that both of these things are, you know, are the same thing. Jesus said, both of these things as captured in both the gospels. He said, you will see the son of man coming in his kingdom. You will see the kingdom of God when it has come with power. 20:10 I, you know, looked up on ChatGPT. What is this talking about? And people say all sorts of things. And I've heard this overall in my Christian experience. I mean, until before I heard Brother Zach's teaching. So, some people say, hey, it was six days before the transfiguration. 20:32 That was the kingdom of God coming with power. They saw faces were glowing. Moses, Elijah, Jesus, mountaintop experience. And, yeah, other people say, no, kingdom of God was the resurrection of Jesus. 20:55 Some others say that John the Apostle did not die. He's just, he's somewhere. And, you know, when Jesus comes back, the second time, John the Apostle will also be there. No, Jesus was not talking about these things. He was talking about the day of Pentecost. 21:14 And many of those who are standing there saw the kingdom of God. And he said, when the Holy Spirit came, he said, you will receive power. That is the kingdom of God coming with power. And that is also the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. 21:34 When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as king. This is the kingdom of God that the Father wants to give us. Do not fear, little flock, for the Father has chosen gladly to give you this kingdom. 21:56 Rejoice, exult, because this is your birthright as children of God, that Jesus should be ruler and king in your life through the Holy Spirit. Yeah, as we read in Romans 5.2, it says, we exult in the hope of the glory of God. 22:17 And this phrase, exult in the hope of glory, I saw that it's the same phrase that's used in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 27. We can look at Colossians chapter 1, verse 27. It talks about a great mystery. And he says, the mystery has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now has been manifested to the saints, to whom God willed, God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is what? 22:53 Christ in you, the hope of glory. What is the hope of glory? What is the kingdom of God coming with power? It is Christ in me. That the life of Jesus will be manifested in me. That is how I have the strength to obey the words of the Lord. 23:15 And this paying attention to and obeying the words of the Lord is so very important. Oh, why am I rejoicing? What is the hope of glory? 23:36 That the life of Jesus will be manifested in me. That the Holy Spirit will establish Jesus as the King and Lord of my life. And then I will have the strength to obey his words. Yeah, I, you know, we read earlier that the kingdom of God is not in words, but in power. 24:00 It's not in my words. Because my words don't have any power in them. It's not in empty words of a man. But there is power in the words of the Lord. The word of the Lord has power. 24:22 I think about what the angel told Mary when the angel was announcing the birth of Jesus. This is in Luke chapter 1. Mary said, how can this be? Even today, everybody asks that question. How is it possible? 24:43 How was it possible that there was a virgin and she gave birth? And the angel said, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of God will overshadow you. 25:04 And then he said, Luke 1.37. I looked at different translations. And one of them says, no word of God will be without power. Or nothing will be impossible with God. But that can be translated as, no word of God will be without power. 25:23 The Lord said it. The power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. And the life of Jesus was formed inside of her. And how did this happen? It's because Mary said, may it be done to me according to your word. 25:50 Luke chapter 1, verse 38. Mary said, behold the bond slave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. I believe the Lord is asking us if we are willing to say the same thing. That the life of Jesus will be manifested in us. 26:10 We will receive the kingdom of God. May it be done to me according to your word. I was thinking about Psalm 62 and verse 11 in this regard. Psalm 62, verse 11. 26:32 It says, God has spoken once. And twice I have heard this. I was thinking, brothers, sisters, why should God say anything more than once? Have, I think many of us, you know, may have worked under a hard person, a hard boss, a manager, at some point in time. 27:04 Or, you know, maybe a mother-in-law or something like that. If they say once, that is enough. We do it. The centurion said, I tell a man go, and he goes. I tell him come, and he comes. I am a man under authority. 27:27 The Lord has spoken once. The psalmist says, twice I have heard this. I just was really convicted. I went to the Lord and said, Lord, this has not been my experience, and I want this to change. 27:47 Let me, let me hear. Let me hear ten times when you speak once. The truth is, you have spoken hundreds of times, and I have not heard. And there is opportunity for us to repent and go back to the Lord. 28:09 But the same verse, when I read it, you know, again in the margin, you can see that it can be read in another way. It can be read like this. It can be read that, oh, one thing God has said, but I heard two things. You know, the same verse, Psalm 62, verse 11. 28:31 God spoke once, but I heard two things. Maybe God spoke a command, or God spoke a promise. But there are two things we need to hear every time God speaks. Number one, that power belongs to God. To Him belongs the kingdom, the power, and the glory. 28:54 We have no right to touch it. He is the one who is on the throne. He is the one who speaks with a voice of power. But I must also hear this, that loving kindness is yours, O Lord. Every time the Lord speaks, loving kindness is yours. 29:16 Some translations it says, faithfulness, unending, enduring love is yours. When the Lord speaks, He speaks with an everlasting love. Power belongs to Him. Let me sum up what I have said so far. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. 29:36 It's not our words, our activities. It's not knowledge. It's not in science to be observed. But it's the love of God poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It gives us the power to obey the Lord Jesus. And this will bring righteousness, peace, and joy in our daily lives. 29:59 And this is the birthright that as a child of God, I can be filled with the Holy Spirit today. I thought it was fitting and I was reminded by a brother who spoke in the electronic city meeting that, you know, as we celebrate 51 years of this church, 30:20 it is the Holy Spirit that gave birth to this church. And as a child of God, I must receive my birthright. Who is this promise given to? It says, little flock. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. 30:44 This promise is given to those who hear and follow the voice of the Lord. When I hear and follow the voice of the Lord individually, I will find myself in a flock. See, the promise is not given to one individual sheep. It's given to the flock. 31:04 And if I seek to hear and follow the voice of the Lord, then I will find myself in a flock. And it also says, little flock. It says, small, weak, needy. Brothers and sisters, it is only those who see themselves like that, that this promise is for. 31:31 And for these, the Lord is saying that I have gladly chosen to give you the kingdom. Do not fear. God so loved that he gave, he gave his only begotten son, that no one should perish, but have eternal life. And he poured out his spirit so that this son might rule as the king over our lives. 31:59 And we also see that we can lose this birthright. If I seek an earthly kingdom of eating and drinking, of earthly knowledge, of external science, we can trade our birthright for a bowl of soup. So, I want to spend a little time giving us a picture. 32:22 This is a picture in the Bible, in the Old Testament, about a good example and a, you know, not good example. We can look at 1 Samuel. 32:44 So, 1 Samuel. I think we know this story, and I won't go over the whole story. 1 Samuel chapter 15. But it's good for us to think about the meanings of the names of these people. And I believe that will speak to us in the light of what we heard. 33:11 1 Samuel chapter 15. Samuel is speaking to Saul. So, the name Saul means ask or inquire. The name Saul means ask or inquire. It says about Saul that, you know, his head was his outstanding feature. 33:31 And he had a great desire to know, to ask, to inquire. And he wanted to know at any cost. We don't need to go there, but we know that there was a point in time in Saul's life where he asked of the Lord and he did not receive an answer. 33:53 And then he went and found a medium which was strictly forbidden. But he said, I have to know. The Lord is not answering me. Let me do it one way or the other. Brothers and sisters, this is the bowl of soup. 34:14 Where we feel that we must know. Oh, everybody knows. I don't know. And he gave up. He forfeited his right to the kingdom. Yeah. And then we think about Samuel. 34:37 Samuel said to Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people over Israel. Now, therefore, what should you do? Listen to the words of the Lord. Listen to the words of the Lord. What does Samuel mean? Samuel means the Lord hears or the Lord listens. 34:58 Saul is the one who spoke the words of the Lord at a young age when he was just five years old. He was under authority. He said, here I am, Lord. Here's your servant. Your servant is listening. 35:19 And we know that Saul did not listen and the kingdom of God was torn away from him. 1 Samuel 15 verse 17. Samuel says to Saul, if we read the portion before that, you know, we see Saul coming out with so many words. 35:41 Nice, religious sounding words, trying to make a good impression. But Saul had discernment. He could tell the difference between words and power. He could hear the bleating of the sheep and oxen. Because he was a man of God. 35:58 He was a man who listened to God. And Saul wanted to go on talking. But Samuel said, wait. Let me tell you what the Lord spoke to me last night. And then he said, is it not true, you were little in your own eyes. 36:22 You were small. And the Lord anointed you as head, as king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission. Why did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. For rebellion is as the sin of divination. 36:47 It's the same desire, oh, I have to know at any cost. I was also encouraged to think about the meaning of the name Jonathan. So we know David means beloved. Or if we don't know, we should know. 37:08 I mean, I shared about this some other time. And David is a picture, in this case, of Jesus the king. And the name Jonathan means that the Lord gives. The Lord gives. And that is the spirit we see in Jonathan. 37:28 That he was joyfully, willing, cheerfully to give to the king that God had appointed. We can look at 1 Samuel 18 and verse 4. Verse before that says, The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. 37:51 Jonathan loved him as himself. And verse 4, Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him, gave it to David with his armor, his sword, his bow, and his belt. And Jonathan was happy to cheerfully give to the Lord. 38:11 And he will be preserved in eternity as a good example for us. So, this is how we can receive the kingdom. What does it mean to receive the kingdom? Jonathan said in 1 Samuel 23, verse 17. 38:35 1 Samuel 23, verse 17. He is telling David, he is telling David, the beloved king, you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you. Brothers and sisters, this is what the Holy Spirit has come to do, to give us. 38:56 That we will be cheerful givers. The life of Jesus will be manifested in us. And Jesus will be king in our lives. And we won't grab for any bowl of soup, because we are delighted and satisfied in who he is. And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God in our lives. 39:19 May the Lord help us. Amen. Last week I had a little fellowship with a couple of brothers, and then one of them I had lunch, and then as we were discussing, we were talking our struggles. 39:39 And he said, Brother, as we just heard, Brother Suresh, Brother, I am seeing more and more in my heart this agitation. I couldn't tell him, if you do this, you will be okay from tomorrow, because that's not my experience. 39:56 I said, Brother, I am in the same boat, but I am learning to trust the Lord. It's okay now, but I don't know about tomorrow, but I believe the Lord will give me grace. Many times I thought something will happen to me on one day, and from the next day, you will get 100 by 100. 40:19 But we have godly older brothers who walked much ahead of us. Sometimes I feel like a Sunday school child, honestly. But things are getting better. The other day I was working at my home here in Kanur, and we have a calling bell outside. 40:39 And as I was working inside, I heard this calling bell continuously, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. I was at work. A little agitation in my heart, and suddenly I thought it must be some children. I don't think any adult would do it. 40:57 So I just went down and opened the door, and it was some few children from this Sanapanali village. And they came to ask a little collection for their temple fest. So I looked at them, and then I also used to do that, to go for this Christmas carol and collect money from home, and buy cricket bat. 41:23 So I didn't want to discourage them, but I didn't want to give them the money for the temple fest. And there was nothing at my home to give them, kind of, you know, chocolates, nothing was there. So I thought I'll give some advice. 41:38 So I went into some conversation with them, and spoke about cricket. They said, we love Virat Kohli. I said, I like Sanju Samson. So after a little conversation, I gave them advice. You should study well, you should, you know, study well, and especially English. 41:58 They're from this village. And after having a little conversation, I said, I'm sorry, I can't give this money for the temple fest. And they were very happy. And they were not discouraged, because I didn't give them the money. 42:13 They went back. So I see it like that, certain times, to avoid conflict. But we learn wisdom slowly. And, you know, sometimes you've seen some nurses take injection. They come with a smile, and you don't even recognize the injection is over. 42:30 But some, when they're undressed at home, they come with the needle like this, and then somebody has to hold the hand, and then, yeah, we learn wisdom slowly. And I was thinking about that word, peace. Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 42:54 And the peace of Christ, often it says, the peace of Christ will surpass everything. The peace which surpasses all our understanding. So I look back to my own life, how the Lord led me in different circumstances. Because when we think about peace of Christ, and rest and joy, we may think this is something to do with outside. 43:23 It's not something outside. It's not in the circumstances in which that we live. But it's, the peace doesn't mean that it's an absence of conflict. So we taste peace in the middle of conflict. And, you know, there is a prize called Nobel Prize of Peace. 43:48 Madam Guion received that award once, sorry, Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa received that award once, and for her contribution to this world peace. I greatly love her. And she said, in one of her book, that we cannot do great things, all of us, but we can do small things with great love. 44:11 She was a wonderful woman, and I believe we are going to meet her in heaven. So I had a question, if there was Nobel Prize at the time of Jesus, would Jesus receive a Nobel Prize for peace? So I put this question in three chat GPT, as we heard, Brother Suresh. 44:32 I put it in chat GPT and then two more other AI tools. Chat GPT first told, yes, he would receive peace. He would receive this Nobel Prize. And then, then I asked, why did they crucify Christ? Then, chat GPT turned, no, no, he is not fit. 44:54 But other two AI tools told, no, he wouldn't receive, he is not fit for it. Turn to Matthew chapter 10, verse 34. Matthew chapter 10, verse 34. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. 45:18 I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. So, it's going on explaining the discipleship. He speaks about the division in our own homes. Now, I grew up in a home who, they didn't believe in water baptism. 45:41 I was baptized as a child. And after I was saved, immediately I got a conviction that I need to get baptized. But on the other side, I had another voice. Wait, first you convince your parents, then you will take water baptism. 46:04 So, it was very convincing. It sounds very wise. So, I yielded to that voice. And it went on for a year, almost. But on the other side, the struggle was growing. So, then, at last I came to a place I can't take one step forward without obeying the voice of the Lord. 46:31 So, I obeyed the voice of the Lord. It led me to a great, great conflict outside. But, deep inside, there was peace. Obeying the voice of the Lord can lead you to conflicts outside. But there can be peace inside. 46:53 And again, I came to this church. And then, my parents have, and my wife's parents have fixed a date to baptize my son into their child baptism. So, I heard this voice, which says, Hey, the situation is very bad. Let it happen. 47:13 I mean, you can bring them later here. Let them do that ceremony. And when you come here, it will be okay. I came, as I started drinking from this river, which was flowing through this church, this started troubling me. 47:30 I can't allow this to happen. So, I went to one of the elders here, and I asked, Brother, this is what I am going through. He said something which kind of made it very clear to me. He didn't give a long counsel or advice, but something which he spoke. 47:48 For me, it was very clear, I am not going to let it happen. So, I obeyed that voice. And allowed, didn't allow my parents to do it. So, it led to a greater conflict. But there was peace inside. Turn to this verse in Isaiah chapter 50. 48:12 Isaiah chapter 50, verse 10. Obey the voice of the servant. 48:42 Obey the voice of the servant. Obey the voice of the Lord. Where it led to. Darkness. There is no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord. I sometimes, I feel I have backslidden. Because I don't hear any voice. Sometimes it continues for some time. 49:03 And I cling on to some word like a dog bites on a bone. I was cling on Psalm 37 recently in a conflict in my own heart. So, it says, trust in the name of the Lord in the middle of the trouble. I was encouraged recently, Brother Zach was sharing about Apostle Paul. 49:26 He said, Paul, the word used is perplexity. He said, clarity and all this for children. For Paul, it was perplexity. So, we learned to trust in the Lord over a period of time. So, again, the word peace, peace of Christ, peace of God. 49:46 And do you know there was a, it says, blessed are the peacemakers. When you think of a peacemaker, what is the picture that comes into your mind? You know, when some, sometimes when we play football, there will be some kind of clash 50:00 and somebody, brothers will come and hey, separate, separate. And then, and there are in relationship, there are like, you know, in country we have diplomats. They get engaged and then solve problems and then create a sort of sense of peace. 50:16 That's not the peace of Christ. And I was thinking this voice which always come to me and spoke in a soft way, don't do it, do it a little later and do this way and all. I want you to turn to this word in Colossians chapter 2 verse 23. 50:35 Maybe I'll read from 21. Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. All this, which all refers to things destined to perish with use in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men. These are matters which have to be sure the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion 51:03 and self-abasement and a severe treatment of the body. It's a self-improvement program. It says self-abasement is basically what I understand is false humility. But the word which I want to use is the appearance of wisdom. 51:20 And this voice which I just recollected all these years, I heard this voice. It had an appearance of wisdom. It's called the counsel of the flesh. And Jesus went across and Peter tried to stop him. Lord, you should not go. 51:40 But that was the counsel of the flesh. But Jesus recognized that spirit and said no to it. So, the first peacemaker, or when you think of peacemaker, but Bible speaks about in Numbers 25, verse 12. Numbers chapter 25, verse 12. 52:03 It says God gave a man a covenant of peace. You know the story of, I don't want to get into the story, this man called Phineas. There was trouble in the camp and then he didn't sought for any approval. He just did what is needed. 52:22 It satisfied God's heart. And he was a man who made peace. Now, I want to show you another chapter. Another man, a man who made peace. Turn to Nehemiah 13. So, in Nehemiah 13, the scene is that the wall is completed and it was dedicated and Nehemiah had gone to Babylon. 52:48 And when they came back, when he came back from Babylon, he sees something there. I'll read from first verse, Nehemiah chapter 13, verse 1. On that same day as the book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said no Amorite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God. 53:18 For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. It tells a story in the past. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them. So, our God turned the curse into a blessing. Balaam was a hired man to curse God's people. 53:40 He didn't know what he was doing. But God turned that cursing into a blessing. Brothers and sisters, do you believe all that which happened in your life, including the blunder, it can work for good if you love Christ? Believe that in your heart. 54:00 Cling to these promises. Lord, I believe all that which happened in my life, it can work for good. So, I trust you. Lean upon him, even if it is darkness around you. And it says, when this passage of the law was read, all those of foreign descendant was immediately excluded from assembly. 54:22 Now, verse 4. Before this had happened, Iliashib, the priest, who had been appointed as a supervisor of the storerooms of the temple of a god, who was also a relative of Tobiah. So, Tobiah was an Amorite. He was not a Jewish man, but there was some relation. 54:43 So, he had converted a large room and pierced, placed it at Tobiah's disposal. Basically, this man, Tobiah, was living inside the temple of the Lord. So, the high priest had given him, sorry, not the high priest, this priest had given him a room and he was living there. 55:03 And, you know who Tobiah was? He was the man who ridiculed the work of God, discouraged God's people, tried to destroy the work of the Lord. And, Nehemiah was not there at the time. When he came back, in verse 6, I was not there in Jerusalem at that time. 55:26 For I had returned to king, this king of Babylon, and then he came back. Verse 7. When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Iliashib's evil deed in providing Tobiah a room in the courtyard. So, you know what he did? 55:48 He said, I was very upset and threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room. So, this is a man who made peace. So, we have a wrong understanding of peace. So, I say this with burden for young people. 56:10 Many of us, when I talk to you, I see you want the approval of your parents. In a little decision, you can't take left and right without parents' approval. You can't stand. I want to show you a river. Not a verse, it's a river. 56:32 Those who are hungry and thirsty can drink from that river. Slowly, consistently. And I want to conclude with that verse. 1 Corinthians chapter 16. It's a river. It's a source of life. It's a source of courage and strength. 56:50 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse 13. Be on the alert, it says. Now, when you think, heard this word, be on the alert. Don't look outside. Look into your heart. Don't think that you are Nehemiah or something like that. You're just ordinary brothers. 57:13 Have a very low estimate of ourselves. As we heard, rate ourselves of insignificant. Don't allow any high thoughts in our hearts. If you have fallen, repent and turn and believe. Just walk in that lowliness. 57:35 And it says, stand firm in the faith. Stand firm in the faith. In the midst of darkness, conflict. Don't compromise on your conviction. Stand firm in faith. And it says, act like men. 57:55 Act like men. Now, this word is very confusing. Because when we think men, we think something courageous or supernatural. I was on bed for 10 days because of some trouble in my back. There are members in our body. We don't care unless there is a trouble. 58:15 So I could see a little bit of understand how the function of this backbone. It support your body to stand and then that's all we know. But it needs to bend. It has to be very flexible. That's a healthy backbone. And if you can't bend, it's a great problem. 58:37 But if you can't stand again, it's a great problem. So I thought of Jesus' life. You know, sometimes we can have a wrong understanding of God's mercy and justice and kindness and all. It says, year of mercy and day of judgment. 58:54 I looked at Jesus' life. Ninety percent of his life, he bent his back. He bent his back to serve others. Bent his back to lift the needy. But boy, ten percent he stood. Nobody could bend him. Now, if you look at where he stood and where he bent. 59:17 With miserable, ignorant, sick, poor, lame, he bent. But he stood against the Pharisees. So, if your backbone is right, that's what we will do. If not, we will stand against the ignorant and misguided. The picture of children growing up in the church. 59:39 We can judge them. Your hair is not like that. But the Pharisees, who pretend that everything is okay, will be so nice to them. He says, act like men. Act like Christ. And the most important verse is in 14. Let all that you do be done in love. 1:00:04 I just want to say one more thing. Not just in love. Love and submission. Love and submission. Love and submission. If there is no balance, we are perished. And if it is a false submission, you are perished. 1:00:24 Ephesians, it says, submit one another in the fear of Christ. Not in the fear of man. So, brothers and sisters, that's my word for you for this anniversary. I hope many of our young people will find strength. You will stand where you need to stand. 1:00:41 And you will bend where you need to bend. May the Lord help us. Amen.
