0:16 Let's turn to Hebrews and chapter two. Here we are told of a a danger that all Christians can face. Verse one. 0:38 For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it. Now, the word used in the English Bible is that we can drift away from this 0:57 truth that we have heard. That means it's not like we just leave it and forsake it and go. It's the picture of a ship 1:17 that is not anchored. Why do the ships drop an anchor when they come to the harbor? Because otherwise 1:33 next morning they'll be somewhere else. go and hit on the rocks. That is called drifting away. It's a very slow thing. You don't even realize it. 1:58 We think nothing is happening but we are drifting. I've seen that happen with believers. You know, when the Lord told the church in Ephesus to the leader, you have left your first love. Do you think he just suddenly one day 2:20 left God and went away? No, I don't believe that. I don't believe it happens like that with anybody. It's a slow Because the devil the devil doesn't try to drag us away quickly. We will wake up 2:39 and repent and come back. Every drift is a very slow drift away. And it says here we must pay much closer 2:58 attention to what we have heard. And if we are not gripped by these things, if we don't drop an anchor on these things, slowly we can drift away. I have myself seen 3:17 people who were really gripped with the truth once. And then they got taken up with their job or opportunity to make some money somewhere and slowly very slowly drifted away from what God called them 3:36 to do. There's nothing wrong in earning money. There's nothing wrong in doing a job. But it's very easy for those things to 3:55 drag us away from what God has primarily called us to. This is how many married marriages also become unhappy. It happens in most marriages. 4:18 Where the first few days of marriage, the husband and wife are so happy with each other. very thankful even if the wife makes a cup of tea. The wife is always looking forward to 4:42 the husband coming back from work in the evening. They go for walks together. After one or two years, it's not the same anymore. But this slowly 5:02 a little distance comes between husband and wife. Many of you are married. Think of how it was when you first got married. Even if yours was not a love marriage 5:21 but an arranged marriage, you still loved your wife. But slowly a drift may have come. You didn't just forsake your wife and go away. But that original happiness was not 5:42 there. Something is wrong. The same thing can happen in a fellowship in a church. That in the beginning a lot of people come together to start a church and they really love one another and they really 6:01 are joined together to be one. But slowly the meetings become routine and heavy and when that fellowship disappears. There's no more of the excitement of 6:23 being able to meet together. Something has happened. Our relationship with the Lord can be like that. Then that's a serious thing. Because if we have lost that, it's no use coming to meetings and conferences 6:43 and even reading the Bible. So, we must be very careful to preserve that relationship with Jesus. I have as I said, I accepted Christ as my Lord 7:03 52 years ago. And I came into a very loving intimate relationship with him as like a bride and a bridegroom. And it's the same today. 7:25 It's even better. Um Ministry is secondary. It's the relationship with Jesus that is primary. And I want to ask all of you, dear 7:42 brothers and sisters, do you have such a personal loving relationship with Jesus Christ? He He wants to be your bridegroom. See the marriage 8:03 Jesus marriage with us is a love marriage. It is not an arranged marriage. You chose Jesus. Nobody arranged the marriage for you. Jesus chose you. 8:28 You chose Jesus. It's a love marriage. And in the worldly love marriages, that love disappears. In one year it's gone. But in our relationship with Christ, it 8:45 must keep on increasing. You know, when the Apostle Peter had failed the Lord so much, denied him three times. We read that 9:03 after Jesus resurrection, he came and met him on the seashore. And he helped him to catch many fish that day. And he wanted to commission him again to serve him. That's the last chapter of Gospel of 9:27 John. And one of the wonderful things we see there is that even when you have failed the Lord, he still wants to come to you and call you to serve him again. And he wants to do the same with you. 9:52 You don't have to feel discouraged because you failed the Lord somewhere. I'm sure Peter said I can never be an apostle again. Three times I said I don't even know 10:11 Jesus. That's a terrible sin. Would you ever do that? Supposing somebody came to you and said, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" Will you say, "No, no, no, I don't know 10:29 Jesus. I'm a Hindu I'm a Hindu only." I don't think any of you will say that. But that's what Jesus Peter was saying. He denied Jesus. No, no, no, I don't know I don't know who he is. 10:48 Because he was afraid of getting killed or persecuted. And then he felt so ashamed. But he was he felt sure now God can never use me again. Sometimes it is possible that you can 11:09 make some serious blunders in your life. You may feel well God can never use me again after what I did. I made such a mess of my life. God can never use me again. 11:32 It is for such people that the story of Jesus and Peter is written in that John 21. He came to Peter and said, "Listen, I still want to use you." I know you denied me. But that's because you were weak. 11:54 I understand it. You didn't have the power of the Holy Spirit. But Peter, don't worry. I'll give you the power of the Holy Spirit and then you'll never deny me. I believe that's what the Lord is saying to you. Don't get discouraged if you have failed 12:15 in the past. You did not have the power of the Holy Spirit. But I want to fill you with the Holy Spirit. I want to keep you filled with the Holy Spirit all the time. And then you won't drift away 12:35 to all those worldly things that have attracted you in the past. But the Lord told Peter and I don't know Peter about to say that. Before I give you the job 12:54 to serve me I want to ask you a question. What did he ask him? Did he say, "Will you deny me again?" He never asked that question. And he didn't get to really ask it. Will you give up all of this and all of 13:14 that and all the other things? He didn't even ask him, "Will you lust after women?" "Will you give up the love of money?" "Will you try and overcome your anger?" See, all these things we emphasize in 13:32 the church is good. But the foundation for all that He asked him one question. Verse 15. John 21:15. Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He says, "Simon, you, son of John, not 13:57 the other Simon, you." Jonah and Kumar and his semen and me. I want to let me The Lord is calling you by your name. Me. You, the daughter of so-and-so, wife of so-and-so. You you. The son of so-and-so. 14:19 Now tell me one thing. Can you stand before me and say that you love me more than everything else? You look into my face, Jesus says, and say, "Lord, I love you more than I love 14:36 my job." I love you more than my relatives. I love you more than my house and my property. There's nothing on earth I want but you. Okay, then verse 15, you can take care 14:59 of my lambs. Then he asked him a second time. Verse 16, do you really love me? Okay, then shepherd my sheep. And the third time Do you really love me? You know, when three times somebody asks 15:21 you, "Do you love me?" you're wondering, "Is he doubting what I'm saying?" You know, in the olden days Peter would say, "Yes, Lord, I If all people deny you, I will not deny you." No. 15:45 In the English language this question and answer does not come out very clearly. But in the original language in which this Bible was New Testament was written the question Jesus asked was, "Do you 16:04 love me with that highest love of all?" And when Peter said, "Yes, I love you." And now I'm going to make you say something. He did not use that word. He used the second level word and said 16:24 "Not with that type of love, Lord. I love you with this lower type of Second time again the Lord asked, "Do you love me with this higher type of love?" Peter said, "No, Lord, with this lower 16:44 type of love." There you can see this is not the old Peter. The old Peter would have said, "Of course I love you with this higher type of love more than anybody else in the world." No, just like if I were to ask you, "Do 17:06 you love Jesus?" I think you'll say, "Yes, I love him more than anybody else in the world." You're like the old Peter. You don't know yourself. You really don't really know You can feel like that now and you go back to your work next week and 17:25 you've forgotten everything about what you It's good to have a proper evaluation of our life. I'll tell you something, God loves 17:44 honest people. He doesn't want you to pretend. Be honest. That's what Peter was. He said, "Lord, if I was the old Peter I would have said, 'Yes, I love you with that high type of love.'" But he says, "No, I love you with this 18:09 lower type of love." Second time Jesus asked, "Do you love me with this higher type of love?" No, Lord. I want to be honest. I don't love you like that. I want to 18:32 But it's not there. I think my love is only at this level. Okay, I'll still give you a ministry. Shepherd my sheep. Then Jesus the third time came down to Peter's level. 18:51 Peter in the level and the third Jesus is coming down. Okay, Peter. Do you love me with this lower type of love at least? And it says in verse 17, Peter was grieved because he asked him that question. He saw that Jesus had come down to his 19:15 level. To me this is one of the wonderful things I love about Jesus Christ. If I can't reach his level he comes down to my level. 19:37 Isn't it wonderful? Because I could not reach his level he came down to my level so that he could gradually lift me up to that level. How is it the Tamil? The same word but 19:55 love used? Oh, yeah. So, in Tamil it is very clear. Do you love me with that higher love? He says, "No, I love you with this lower love." That time Jesus asked him the lower 20:14 level. Did you notice that? If you read the Bible slowly, you understand that. And you see something of the tremendous humility of Jesus Christ. That he comes down to your level. 20:38 You may look at some other brothers and sisters in the church and say, "Oh, they are so spiritual. I'm not like that." And you hear people standing in the pulpit and preaching some fantastic things. Some of the things you can't 20:53 even understand. You may not even understand. What is all this new covenant about? I don't understand. Okay, it doesn't matter if you don't understand. Lord comes down to your level and says, 21:12 "Do you love me with this lower level type of love?" And Peter says, "Lord, I cannot even say that." Look what he says. 21:30 Lord, you know everything about me. You know everything about my heart. To the best of my knowledge, I love you. I think so. The Lord said, "That's all I want." 21:51 And he took up that weak, broken man who honestly acknowledged, "Lord, I don't love you as I should." And made him the greatest apostle. See what God can do. 22:12 So, what does the Lord expect from you? To be a great witness for God? Go and do some miracles? Pray for the sick and heal them or things like that? No. 22:30 He only asks, "Do you Do you know how you love me or not?" That's all he asks. Do you love me or not? If you love me, I'll give you I'll give you a ministry. Please remember that, brothers and sisters. 22:49 Peter's life is a great example for all of us. Cuz he was a man who failed. He denied the Lord. His whole story is written for our 23:08 encouragement. So, it's very important when we talk about victory in the church. Don't that we don't pretend to have a victory we don't have. God can lead us higher if we are honest. 23:34 If you are honest and say, "Lord, this is my level right now. I don't love you as I should." And then see what the Lord told him. He said, "I want you to look after my sheep. 23:53 I want you to look after my lambs. You know, that is something that all of us can do. He didn't say, "I want you to go and preach." See, look at this. Verse 15, "Tend my lambs." A lambs is different from sheep. 24:19 Take care of my little ones. Can you take care of the Lord's little ones? There are so many little children in our church. Do you have to become a great preacher 24:39 to love them and encourage them and lead them to Jesus Christ? No. I want to say to all of you, take care of the little lambs of Jesus Christ. The people who have come newly into the 25:02 church, who are new believers. The people in your church who are very shy and reserved. Don't have many friends. Not the smart, capable people who can 25:23 stand up and sing and do so many things. Take care of the little weak ones. God cares for the weak ones. That is the type of person who can be a 25:40 leader. And you don't have to be an elder brother to be able to take care of the lambs. You can be a sister and you can encourage the little children. We want all our children to find Jesus 25:59 Christ as their savior. Not only your children but all the children in your church. You remember what Moses said to Pharaoh? Pharaoh said to Moses, "You leave the children in Egypt and all of you 26:17 grown-up people go." Moses said, "No. We will not leave one child behind. We will not leave even our animals behind." Do you have that burden? 26:40 I have often said in CFC Bangalore, I said, "We got so many children here, maybe 100 children. We don't want even one of them to go to hell. We want all of them to be saved. I don't want only my children to be 26:58 saved. My children are saved. I don't want to sit back and say, "Now my work is done. My children are saved." No, you If you're in a church, your work is not finished. I see it like this for myself. 27:20 As long as God gives me life, even if I'm 100 years old, my work is not finished. There are always little children being born, growing up, who need to know the 27:38 love of Jesus. I want to encourage you with that word. Jesus is saying to you, "Take care of my little lambs." Make friends with those little children 27:56 in your church and bring them to Christ. You don't need great gifts to be able to help them. The Lord only asks you one question. Do you love me at least with this minimum type of love? That's enough. Let's start there. 28:19 I will gradually make that love increase. See this verse in Isaiah 49 and verse 10. It's a beautiful verse. It has helped me many times. In the world, they look for so many 28:36 qualifications for leadership. And even in many churches, they look for gift and qualifications and degrees to become a leader. See See the qualification for leadership the Lord has put here in the middle of 28:54 this verse. Put it in the middle of the verse. Isaiah 49:10. The one who has compassion will be the one who will lead them. What does that mean? 29:10 Yeah. The one who has compassion You want to be a leader, sisters? You only need compassion. Concern for the sorrows and difficulties of 29:28 other people. Look for the weak ones. Look for the poor ones. Look for the shy ones. Go and become friendly with them. May God give a heart of compassion for 29:50 them. Lord, please fill me with the Holy Spirit. Not to stand up in the pulpit and preach some great messages. Just to care for the little ones and to have compassion on them. You won't get any honor from men like I 30:15 get and other preachers get. But God who sees what you do in secret will reward you openly. I often tell people 30:35 you take care of other people's children, God will take care of your children. I've seen that in my own life. Care for other people's children, God will care for your children. There's a verse in the Bible like that. 30:53 See Proverbs chapter 11. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 25. The last part. He who waters others will be watered 31:11 also himself. That means I go and water somebody else's plant. Let me plant means this little child. I go and water his plant. And God waters my plant. 31:32 Oh, what a wonderful thing that is. God is so faithful. You go and help somebody in his need. God will take care of you in your need. That is leadership. It's not being great 31:52 preacher and gifted speaker. He who has compassion will lead them. So, the Lord says take care of my little lambs. Have you read Psalm 41? 32:10 You must know these wonderful promises in the Bible. Do you know when you don't read the Bible what a lot you're missing? You're missing like checks of lakhs of rupees. How blessed is he who considers the 32:36 helpless or the poor? The Lord will deliver such a man when he's in trouble. what all blessings he says. The Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble. The Lord will protect him. 32:56 The Lord will keep him alive. The Lord he will be called blessed on the earth. He will not be given over to the desire of his enemies. And when he is sick the Lord will make 33:16 his sick bed. And in his illness the Lord will restore him. Did you see those seven blessings? Seven blessings. 33:34 And what does this man do to get these seven BLESSINGS FROM THE HE cared for some helpless person. Not for some rich capable person who could reward him in return. He cared for that helpless poor person 33:59 who could do nothing for him in return. Dear brothers and sisters, be kind to the poor. Be compassionate 34:18 to the weak to little children. God will do amazing things for you. Jesus once said in Luke chapter 14 Luke 14 verse seven. 34:43 He says he saw parable where he saw the invited guests always picking out the best seats. And he said don't do that. Don't go looking for a place of honor. Go verse 10 and sit in the last place. 35:10 Do you know that Jesus told us to seek for the last place? Wherever you go Jesus says look for the last place. Do that. 35:28 I have sought to do that for many years. Lord, I do not want the place of honor in I will seek for the last seat, the last place. I will never think that I'm so important that I have to be in a respectable 35:48 place. Then you don't have any complaint against anybody. I remember many years ago when we didn't have so many people in CFC. In the early days when we just got that 36:07 new building about 30 years ago. There were very few brothers in CFC those days. And we had a lot different jobs to different people for to clean the 36:25 under One day the brother who was supposed to clean the toilet never turned up. Then 36:41 I began to wonder why isn't he come? And the Lord said why are you wondering about that? Go and clean it yourself. And then the Lord said something wonderful to me. He said supposing in your own house 37:05 one brother says Brother Zach I will come every morning and clean your toilet for you. I will clean it myself and he says he will do that. I'm surprised who why should he come to my house and He said I like you and I want to serve 37:23 you. And he does that. And one day he does not turn up. What will I do? Call him up and say, "Hey, why haven't you come to clean my toilet?" No. 37:43 I'm so thankful that he came the other days. I'll go and do it myself. And then the Lord said this to me. Remember my house is your house. Treat it like your house. 38:03 Don't wait for other people to come and clean the toilet. Go and clean it yourself. I went and cleaned it myself. I'm ready to do that today also. Always take the last place. 38:27 You don't have to let anybody know about it also. I'll tell you God will do amazing things for you. You take care of his house, he will take care of your house. You treat his house like your house. 38:52 He will treat your house like his house. I can say I have experienced that in the last 45 years. Take the last place. Have compassion on the weak and the 39:10 helpless in the church. And then he said in verse 12. When you give a lunch or a dinner, don't just call all your friends and brothers and all the people who can repay you. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, 39:33 the blind. Now, we got to understand the spirit here. I'm not saying for your wedding reception, don't invite any of your friends, but go to the streets and call 39:50 all the beggars. See, when Jesus said cut off your right hand if it sins, he didn't mean actually cut it off. Even he said pull out your right eye, he 40:12 didn't mean actually pull it out. Jesus said, "The words I speak are spirit and life." When he said eat my flesh and drink my blood, he didn't want us to eat his body. The spirit. 40:35 And here also we have to understand the spirit. Meaning is Don't just care for the rich big people. Care for the poor. Care for the ordinary simple people in your church. I remember when I was a young person. 41:01 Every church I went to I saw all the board members were all the people who were big in society. board Elders were some people who had big big 41:19 jobs. I said, "This doesn't look like the church of Jesus Christ." I was very young. And I said, "Lord, if I ever build a church in my life, I will never do that." I will not care for a man's position in 41:44 the world. I will see if he's a humble godly person. And I don't care who he is. What a joy it is to have 42:01 some wonderful elder brothers like that churches. That's a great honor. We highly respect such people. Like brother Jyothi Muthu, gets up in the morning at 3:30 to make water ice 42:20 and go around selling. What a godly elder brother he is. He's not a big famous man. Yeah, God cares for such people. 42:38 And we must care for such people. We have compassion. We are qualified to lead others. It doesn't matter how much we have failed like Peter in our past life. Dear brothers 42:56 God has called us as a church to fulfill a certain function in Tamil Nadu. To preach certain distinctive truths that Jesus taught which nobody else is preaching. For example, this very thing which I 43:19 just said. You go around and see all the big big meetings being held in Tamil Nadu. Who do they make to sit on the platform? You think they will call somebody like brother Jyothi Muthu to sit on the 43:36 platform? They will call some unconverted politician. You think Jesus would call Herod and Pilate to sit on the platform when he's speaking? How far Christianity has drifted away 43:58 from Jesus Christ? So many Christians sit in these meetings and think, "Oh, he's a great man of God there." He is not a man of God if he's got some 44:17 unconverted politician sitting supporting him. He's a politician himself. He's not a preacher. I have no respect for such people. That's just one example. 44:35 God has called us to stand for certain things. To preach things that nobody else is preaching. Do not emphasize money, money, money which is emphasized in so many churches. How many groups of churches do you find 45:00 in Tamil Nadu where the elder brothers are not paid one rupee for their ministry? Can you tell me? God has called us to emphasize certain things which nobody else is doing. Why is it? Because all our elder 45:21 brothers are millionaires and crorepatis or what? Many of them are struggling to earn their living. But we want to follow the example of people like Jesus and Paul, how they served God. And we have followed that principle in 45:46 all the churches. Can you tell me a church where they never take an offering? Have you heard of a church like that? Where for 30 years we don't take an offering. We just keep a box and those who want to 46:06 put put. Even in a conference we don't take an offering. The younger generation that's growing up must see the value that the reason why we do these things. Paul said, "I don't take money from you 46:28 people." And he says it's something I boast about because I'm different from the others. Some people say we should not boast about these things. Let's see what Paul says. 46:53 Second Corinthians 11 verse seven the last part I preached the gospel of God to you without any charge. Second Corinthians 11 verse seven last part He preached the gospel without charge. 47:19 That means I preached the gospel without taking a collection, without taking an offering. Where do we find that IN INDIA TODAY? WE SHOULD NOT drift away from these things. verse nine When I was present with you 47:40 and I was in need, I was not a burden to anyone. Paul, are you boasting? He replies inspired by the Holy Spirit. verse 10 As the truth of Christ in me 48:02 this boasting of mine will not be stopped. I will keep on boasting about this. verse 10 He says, "I will boast about it." Why do I boast about it? 48:26 In one paraphrase it says like this. To show that I am not like these other preachers. To challenge them to see whether you will serve God like me. Like that I will expose that you ARE 48:49 FALSE PREACHERS. BECAUSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE verse 13 are false preachers, deceitful workers. DISGUISING THEMSELVES AS APOSTLES OF CHRIST. Paul was very strong on criticizing these people who were after the money of 49:08 others. See See how he exposes these false preachers who are going after money. How many preachers have you heard in India exposing those who are going after 49:27 others for money? Where are the people like Paul? What did we read in the beginning? Be careful that you don't drift away from these things that we have heard. Christianity has drifted away from the 49:49 faith of the apostles. Particularly in the area of money. In caring for the poor and the weak. When I got married to my wife 40 50:10 three years ago. I told her something. I said God has called me to preach. And he's called me to preach to the poor. And the tonight I thought to tell you 50:32 you you're a doctor. There are many poor people in India who need your help. So if you marry me you can't make money. We have to serve the poor. As a condition to get married. 50:58 Cuz that's how Jesus did. Do you think we have suffered because of that? No. What do we read in Psalm 41? Those seven blessings we have experienced it. I want you to experience those seven 51:19 blessings in Psalm God tremendously rewards those who serve him. What is the qualification? What did he ask Peter? 51:37 Peter, do you love me? Be honest. Say Lord, I want to love you like that but at moment this present time I only love you very little. Many times I have to say that to the Lord. Lord, I want to love you more. 51:58 My love is not rising up to the level I want it to come to. I even said that to the Lord this morning when I woke up from my bed. I said Lord, I don't love you as I should. I'm sorry that I'm not so wholehearted 52:22 as I should be. Forgive me. I really want to make at least a good use of the rest of the years of my life. Lord says do you love me with this high 52:40 love and I say Lord I not down not up. I know there is so many others who sing songs oh Lord I love you so much I love you so much. It's all lies. 53:01 Dear brothers and sisters Let's be honest with God. God loves honest people. Say Lord, make me what you want me to be. I have only one life. We all of us have only one life to show our love for Jesus Christ. Don't live for the things that will pass 53:26 away. Live for the things of eternity. Even if you are a weak helpless person. God can pick you up and use you. Even if you have failed so much like 53:43 Peter. God can pick you up and use you. So as the church let us not drift away from the values that God has given us in the past years. We must preach holiness. 54:05 We must preach godly family life. We must preach freedom from the love of money. We must preach serving the poor and the weak and the helpless. Caring for the children. 54:25 Preach faith that God is almighty and he can do all things for our good. We must preach faith in such a wonderful God. Let's pray. Dear brothers and sisters 54:49 I want you especially those who have been in the church for many years. Can you for just a few moments look back to the time when you first came to the church and heard these wonderful truths? And how you were gripped. 55:17 How you were so excited. How you loved the Lord. Have you drifted from that? Have you now gone after earthly things? Have you lost your burden for the lambs 55:38 and the sheep of God's people? Are you only taking care of yourself and your family? Come back. 55:56 Hear the loving invitation of Jesus. Do you love me more than all these other things? Do you love me more than all the things around you? Say Lord, I want to love you more than 56:18 everything else. Heavenly Father help us to respond to your word. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
