0:00 I'd like to turn to a verse in 1 Peter 4 which for many years I have considered to be verse that indicates who really belongs 0:17 in the family of God and who does not. See, this is sort of easy believism in Christendom today. And many are being deceived 0:35 into thinking that just because they repeated some magic formula they become Christians and they are eternally secure. It's obvious that such people haven't 0:53 read the New Testament completely. And it's our calling as a church to expose error to let the light shine in this darkness so that nobody's blood is on our hands in the final day. 1:11 It's an awesome responsibility I see to stand in a pulpit and proclaim the word of God and to make things so clear that no one who listens is deceived 1:27 about their eternal destiny. I'm not saying they'll all get converted but at least they'll know where they stand. So, here's 1 Peter chapter 4 is the verse I have in mind. 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. 1:47 It speaks here of the household of God or the family of God. And it says here that the time has come. It's time for judgment to begin in the household of God 2:07 or from the household of God and it must begin with us first. Then it goes on to say in verse 18 that it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved. 2:26 Now, most Christians don't believe that it is with difficulty that a righteous person is saved. They say it's very easy. You just say, "Lord Jesus, come to my heart." That's it. What do you do with verses like this that it's with difficulty that a 2:41 righteous person is saved? A lot of Christians have got some favorite verses which they take ignoring 75% of other verses that if they took would balance out 3:00 their understanding of truth. So I see the family of God or the household of God or the church of God as a place where people like it says in verse 17 3:19 judge themselves first. So if you are a person who judges yourself first and not others 3:38 you're part of the household of God. If you're a person who spends your time judging other people I don't know where you are. I hope you'll make it. But one thing I can be sure that if you're a person who judges yourself first 3:57 you're definitely a part of the household of God. There are many things in scripture that are little vague and I think God has kept it that way. There are verses that 4:15 I think God has deliberately put in a vague way to see whether man is really serious about obeying him or whether he's going into scripture 4:32 to find some loophole for disobedience. Some little verse from which he can get comfort in his sin. I think of a number of well-known television evangelists 4:52 who very famous people who when they fell into adultery and shameful adultery they stayed away from the television program for a few weeks and then came back and said 5:11 "Well, David also fell into adultery and he did not lose his position as a king. Came back. So, I've come back." See, they went into scripture to find some comfort in their sin and God allowed them to find it 5:31 to deceive themselves forgetting that David was in the old covenant and they were in the new covenant. I mean, if they had pointed to Paul or Peter falling into adultery, that would be something. But they found comfort in their sin 5:47 by going to the Old Testament. And God allowed them to find it to deceive themselves. I mean, they wouldn't go to a verse like 1 John 3 which says he was he who commits sin is of the devil. They wouldn't take that 6:05 cuz that would condemn them. Sin is the main subject in the New Covenant. And it's very important to understand that. I don't know whether you realize the only time that Jesus used the word New Covenant 6:25 we use it so often. I use it frequently. I believe it's one of the major things the Lord's asked me to proclaim and teach. But Jesus used the word only once. And it's at the Last Supper. He said, "This is my blood of the New Covenant 6:44 which is shed for the forgiveness of the sins of many." And what I learned from that is the New Covenant is all about being free from sin. It's got nothing to do with healing or prosperity or comfort or 7:01 evangelism or anything or ministry. It's got to do with being free from sin. From that will flow many other things and the ministry would be to lead other people to be free from sin and to enter the New Covenant. Of course, we should do that. 7:20 So I have found great comfort in this verse and I believe all God's God gives us his word to make us supremely happy. The the most joyful person that walked on this earth was Jesus Christ. 7:39 And the reason why God anointed him with the oil of gladness above all other people is mentioned in Hebrews 1 verse 9. Hebrews 1 verse 9 referring to Jesus, it says "You have loved righteousness 7:58 and hated iniquity. Therefore it doesn't say, "Therefore God your God anointed you with the oil of gladness." Period. It says, "Therefore God anointed you 8:15 with the oil of gladness above all the others." So, the reason why Jesus had such tremendous joy in his life well, there was a reason for it. He loved righteousness. He didn't just 8:34 do righteousness, he loved it. He didn't just avoid sin, he hated it. And there was a revulsion in him to sin. And we we may think we have come to great heights when we have just avoided 8:52 sin. A lot of people avoid sin but still miserable. But when a person loves or hates sin and love righteousness, God will anoint him with the oil of gladness because there's no partiality with God. There's a law. 9:09 Lord God, you have anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness not because he's your son because he loved righteousness and hated iniquity more than all the others. So, what I learned from that is the 9:28 measure in which God gives us the oil of gladness joy and freedom from murmuring and grumbling and complaining and a life of constant thanksgiving for all circumstances 9:48 is if we love righteousness and hate iniquity first of all in ourselves. So, the thing I judge myself in is to see whether I hate iniquity. Whether I love righteousness. Whether I'm developing an increasing 10:06 revulsion to sin. Not satisfied with avoiding it but just like, you know, I often try to picture in my mind uh what is the most repulsive thing I 10:24 can think of. And I want to hate sin like that. It's not just that I'm in in the beginning, we don't get there soon. In the beginning we have lived in sin so much that the first step to that is 10:42 uh turning away from it, battling it, and being drawn towards it and avoiding it, and then fighting it, fighting it, fighting it like we sing in that song, "Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin. Each uh victory you win will help you another 10:58 to win." So, each time we resist temptation is going to make us stronger, and gradually we come to the place It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't even won't even happen in a year or two, but we can To me this is the mark of 11:16 progression into the likeness of Christ that we can gradually come to the place where we um have a revulsion towards it. We hate it. I mean uh like if like we would have a revulsion to lick the floor with our tongue or lick a toilet bowl. 11:35 Oh, would you do it for $100? To have a revulsion for sin like that. Lord, I want to hate sin and have a revulsion against it, every type of sin. To speak evil of others. 11:52 To have a dirty thought. To for even a a smell of looking at anything pornographic or ugly sexually. A revulsion to it. Just like I'd have a revulsion to lick a toilet bowl. 12:11 That's hating sin. And loving righteousness. Just like think of something you really love. Say, "Lord, I want to love righteousness like that." Like a good meal or something like that. And 12:30 I want to judge myself until I get there. If we judge ourselves, we will not be judged. In 1 Corinthians 11 says in relation to 12:50 the Lord's table. An expression which is true generally apart from the Lord's table as well. Verse 31, 13:06 "If we judged ourselves rightly, we will not be judged." And that is at the judgment seat of Christ, I won't be judged for anything. I picture this sometimes in my mind. 13:24 I like to read scripture and think in pictures. It helps me. God's given us an an imagination. And in our unconverted days we used our imagination for all types of filth. Why not use it for something good now? 13:43 I do it all the time. I imagine that Christ has set up his judgment seat. And I imagine believers through the ages standing before him and one by one being called up before him 14:02 to be judged. And you know, the Bible says that each one is going to be judged. And here it says in 1 Corinthians 11:31, "If we judge ourselves rightly, in that 14:19 day we will not be judged." So, I've got to judge myself rightly. So, I think of different ones going up before the Lord and the Lord pointing out various things in them that they didn't set right in their lifetime on earth after they were saved, and 14:34 things that they took very casually um in relation to his word or in relation to sin. And one by one they're judged, and I picture myself coming up there and my turn comes. And I want the Lord to say to me, "It's nothing. 14:54 Your record is clear." Wow. Can you imagine how it'll be if it's like that for you? Are you passionate that it should be like that? Or do you live forever like evangelical 15:13 Christendom that says, "Oh, it doesn't matter if you sin. The blood of Jesus is always there to cleanse us." You're going to have a shock when you get to the judgment seat of Christ if you ever make it there. You cannot have a casual attitude to 15:27 sin, to any sin that you know to be sin, that you know to be wrong, and expect that we can play the fool with sin and be ready to meet the Lord. It's not true. Whoever sold you that lie cheated you. 15:45 Listen to the truth. It says in 1 John in chapter 2, that when the Lord comes, 1 John chapter 2. These are scriptures. I'm not going to take you to the old covenant 16:03 to give you comfort for your sin from the examples of men who failed. No. This is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for the forgiveness of the sins of many. He was pointing out that there was a tremendous price 16:22 paid to forgive even one sin. I've often thought of it like that that if I was the only sinner in the whole world, if every human being was righteous, and had never sinned, and I was the only one who had sinned, and I had committed only one sin 16:40 in my life. Once I got angry, that's it. Jesus would still come down from heaven to die for this one man, me, who committed one sin, so that I could go into God's presence. I look at it like that. 17:02 And that's why I've learned to hate sin. That's why I've learned to love righteousness. Not just talk about it or hear about it. And that's why I can testify my life is filled with joy. The Lord's delivered me from bad moods 17:19 completely. It's not It's It's It's The laws are the same. If you love righteousness and hate iniquity, it's yours, too. 1 John chapter 2. Verse 28. "Little children, 17:38 abide in him." These are He's talking to born-again believers. "Little children, abide in Christ." Haven't you accepted Christ? Yes, you've accepted Christ. Abide in him. Is there a need for that? John, don't you know that once a 17:54 person's accepted Christ, he's automatically abiding in him? Brother John says, "I don't believe that rubbish. I tell little children, abide in him. Stay in him. He won't forsake you, but it's easy for you to run away from him. 18:10 Abide in him so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at his coming. So, there going to be two categories of believers. 18:28 One who have boldness. "Oh, Lord, you've come." And the others ARE GOING TO SHRINK AWAY. Who are these people going to shrink away? Is it unbelievers? Little children. Read scripture carefully. 18:45 This is the only book that can show us the truth. I believe it with all my heart. And my eternal destiny is too serious a thing for me to play the fool with. 19:05 People are so careful with a little scan report that shows a little patch in their lung. Doctor says it could be serious. They get so worried about that, which can never send them to hell. And they don't seem to be concerned 19:24 about sins that they take so lightly. "Little children, abide in him so that when he appears, we may have boldness that we can run to meet him and not 19:43 like some believers will do in that day, shrink away, run backwards. Imagine believers running backwards when the Lord comes. In shame. Because in that light they will see the seriousness of the sin they played 20:01 the fool with for so many years. And then he says, you know that if he's right if you know that he's righteous, verse 28, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. See what a great love 20:21 chapter 3 verse 1, the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. And such we are. For this reason the world doesn't know us because he did not know him. Is it true that the world doesn't know 20:38 you? Or are you popular with the world? Seeking to be popular with the world? The world does not know us cuz he did not know him. I do not want to be popular 20:54 in a world that rejected my savior. I do not want to be accepted by people who have rejected my Lord. I'm not interested. Why do I want to be popular with people with whom Jesus is unpopular? The world does not know us 21:21 because he did not know him. We're not popular with the world because he was not popular with the world. Beloved, you children of God, it has not yet appeared what we shall be. 21:38 But we know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. And if you have this hope, everyone who has this hope, this dual hope, 21:58 that I shall see him and when I see him I shall be like him. Not only see him, that's what most people only think of that. It's a double hope, it's the other side of the same coin. If you don't have the other side it's a 22:11 counterfeit coin. The hope that I shall see him and when I see him I shall be like him. Everyone who has this hope, if you want to test yourself whether you have this hope or not, will keep on purifying himself. 22:29 Will keep on judging himself. He doesn't have time to judge others because there's so much work to do in his own life. There are so many weeds in his own garden that he has no time to criticize the gardens of others. 22:47 He's cleansing himself, cleansing himself. Purifying himself till he reaches his standard of purity. That means he's not going to stop until he's reached the pure standard of purity of Jesus Christ. That's why we need to live in a 23:09 cleansing all the time. You cannot be satisfied if you really believe that God has predestined us to become like Jesus Christ. And that's what he's going to make us that. 23:28 If that is our goal, we'll purify ourselves just as he's pure. And that's why it's important to have the attitude that Paul had in Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3 23:47 and verse 13. He first of all says in verse 12, I have not yet become perfect. Obviously that was his goal. A lot of Christians are afraid of the 24:04 word perfect and perfection. The New Testament is full of it. The New Testament also says in Hebrews the law could make nothing perfect. So the Old Testament doesn't have that word. A person who's not interested in perfection is really an old covenant 24:24 Christian. I don't know what that means. It's like saying a blackish white or something like What is blackish white? An old covenant Christian, it's a anomaly, it's a contradiction in terms. Um 24:43 he says, I'm not yet become perfect, but I press on in order to Philippians 3:12 that I may lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me. Jesus laid hold of Paul on the road to Damascus and 25:01 he became it became clear to him over a period of time why he laid hold of him. Dear brothers and sisters, is it clear to you why Christ laid hold of you? Do you have a passion to lay hold of 25:19 that for which Christ laid hold of you? Christ did not lay hold of me just to come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. Christ did not lay hold of me just to sort of drift along in the world somehow keep on 25:37 confessing sin forever. No. He laid hold of me with the purpose that he may transform me into his likeness. And Paul understood that and he says, therefore, first of all he says, I haven't attained 25:55 it yet. I haven't reached that goal yet. But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, Philippians 3:13, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal 26:13 for the prize of total likeness to Christ. That is the upward call of God, always calling me upward, away from attachment to sin in the world. Call of God in Christ Jesus. 26:33 Now when most Christians take that verse, forgetting the things that are behind, to refer to the mess they've made of their life in the past, well, thank God I can forget the mess I made of my life in the past and I can press forward, that's good. 26:50 That's a kindergarten way of understanding that verse. But Paul was not in the kindergarten. He was a mature Christian. And mature Christians when say, when I was a child I thought like a child, I spoke like a child. When I became a man I put away childish 27:09 things. So it's all right when you're a child, born again last month or something like that, to say, well, forgetting the things that are behind, I'm really thankful that I can forget them. Messed up life I lived. But when you've been a Christian for 20 27:25 years like Paul or more, what you're trying to forget is how much you've already become like Christ. Paul says, I know I've overcome this and this and this and this and this and I've sacrificed this this this this this, 27:43 I've given up this this this and this, but I'm going to forget it. That's what he's forgetting. He's forgetting the progress he's made, not the mess he's made of his life. That's the attitude of the mature Christian. He says, I'm not thinking of how far 27:58 I've already progressed in likeness to Christ or how much better a Christian I am than some of my fellow Christians in the church. That's not in my mind. If I keep that in my mind I'll never press on to perfection. I'll just keep congratulating myself 28:11 that I'm a better Christian than some of the others and probably judge them as well. No, I'm going to forget it. I'm going to forget the things that are behind. And what was behind Paul? All that he had suffered for the Lord, his 28:27 overcoming life and he had written scripture and he had planted churches. He says, I'm going to forget all that. I'm only going to see I've not yet become fully like Christ and I've got a long way to go. But you say, Paul, you're already miles 28:42 ahead of most other believers. I said, that's fine, God bless them, but I'm pressing on to the goal. I mean, I hope they will press on to the goal, too. And so he says, let us therefore, verse 15, 28:57 as many as are mature, have this attitude. In the margin of my Bible it says mature. If we are mature, we will have this attitude. 29:14 Lord, I want to be more like you. And if in any area, verse 15, you have a different attitude, that means a casual attitude toward sin, God will show it to you. And when God shows it to you, 29:33 acknowledge it humbly and say, Lord, I'm sorry, I don't have that attitude. However, let us keep living by the same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example 29:50 and observe those who walk according to this pattern. This is another emphasis in the New Testament. That we you know, call people to look at our life. 30:08 It's a completely foreign concept to the apostles to say, "Oh, don't look at me. Look at Jesus." That means, "Don't look at my messed up life. I'm not a good Christian, but look at Jesus." You'll never find that in the New Testament. 30:22 Paul says, "Look at me. Follow me as I follow Christ." He said, "I haven't yet become there, but as far as I've come, you can follow me. See my goal. See what I'm pressing on towards." And every one of us should have this attitude. Let everyone 30:39 who's mature A lot of us think we're pretty mature. You may not be. You may still be in the kindergarten. If you don't have this attitude. So, this business of judging ourselves The church of God is a group of people who 30:56 judge themselves. And they have so much to cleanse in themselves that they have no time to judge others. And it's from that or or as John says, "Purify themselves as he is pure." 31:14 Like that the channel gets purified and purified and purified. And as God sends the living waters through, it flows out in purity without any pollution in the channel. So, in that light, let's turn to 2 31:32 Corinthians in chapter 5 and see something more that Paul says in relation to the Lord's coming and our going to be with him in eternity. I said how we don't want to shrink away in shame. The Bible speaks about two judgment 31:51 seats. In Revelation 20, it speaks about the great white throne of God where unbelievers are going to be judged for the degree of punishment 32:09 they're going to have in hell. There're going to be degrees of punishment in hell. It's not just hell. It says, "He who knew his master's will and did not do it will be beaten with more stripes than he who did not do his know his 32:27 master's will." That's Luke chapter 12. So, here it says about the judgment seat of Christ at which believers will stand. That's different from the great white throne of God mentioned in Revelation 20. Here it speaks about 32:46 our appearing at the judgment seat of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:10, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. So, 33:05 he speaks in verse 1 about our earthly house or tent. The earthly tent is our body. This body is a tent or a house 33:23 in which the real person's living. And what we call death is this person moving out of this house. That's death. The person doesn't die. You know that none of you will never ever die. Not even an unbeliever dies. He just moves out of this house. What we 33:42 call death is the body dies, but it's a moving out of this house which is a temporary house. And he says, uh "This house is going to be torn down. We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 34:01 But in this house, verse 2, we groan because we're sick and tired of living in this house. We long to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. And when many people think of that, 34:21 they're thinking of sickness and pain and aches in this house. I'm thinking of unlikeness to Christ in this house. What are you thinking of when you say, "I'm sick and tired of this body." Is it 34:39 "Lord, in this body I'm still not behaving like you. I'm not talking like you. I'm not thinking like you. I'm not having the same attitude that you have. That disturbs me more than the sickness and the aches and pains." So, 34:52 when I think of groaning in this body, I'm not groaning because I got aches and pains. I I'm not bothered about that. All our aches and pains multiplied by 1,000 are not equal to one sin. A mature Christian is one who takes one 35:07 sin more seriously than 10 sicknesses. I want to have that attitude. If I had cancer and leprosy and tuberculosis and AIDS all combined, and I say, "Lord, that won't disturb me as much as one sin." One sinful thought or word or attitude 35:30 or motive that I get angry or lust or run after money, to me that's more serious than having leprosy and tuberculosis and cancer and AIDS all combined. If you've seen it like that, you're a 35:48 mature Christian. If you haven't, pray that you will. I really believe that. When sickness is more serious to me than sin, I'm in the kindergarten. It's okay. I'm not saying you're not 36:06 saved. But we don't want to sit in the kindergarten forever. We all enter the kindergarten initially. How long do you want your children to sit in the kindergarten? We want to move on, right? So, we groan in this body to be clothed 36:24 with the dwelling in heaven so that when we put that on, we won't be found naked. It says one who's naked is going to shrink away in shame. For indeed, when we're in this tent, we groan being burdened because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be 36:42 clothed. And I To me, that clothing is the nature of Christ that takes over in order that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. And he who prepared us for this purpose is God who has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge. 36:59 Therefore, being always of good courage, knowing that while we are at home in the body, in this body, we are absent from the Lord. Our real home is there. But now in this body, we are absent from 37:19 the Lord. I mean, we don't we're not physically with Jesus. And so, we walk by faith and not by sight. We are of good courage, I say, and we are rather eager to be absent from this body 37:37 to be at home with the Lord. So, Paul, when he talks about home, he's not talking about this earth. He says, "My home is in heaven. And right now, I am absent from my home." He says, "I long to be home with my Lord. And therefore, we have as our ambition, 37:59 now remember this, at home means to be in heaven. Absent from home means to be on the earth. So, keep that in mind. Verse 9, therefore, we have as our ambition, whether at home in heaven or absent from heaven on this earth, 38:19 to be pleasing to him." So, that means that when I'm in heaven, I want to please the Lord. And here on earth, I want to please the Lord, too. 38:38 So, in other words, I'm going in a certain direction. And when I leave this body and enter God's presence, my direction is not going to change suddenly. It's going to be the same direction I always had on earth. To please the Lord. 38:58 It's not that I was running after money on this earth and suddenly I have to turn direction because now I have left the body I'm in heaven. Or that I took sin so casually here on earth and suddenly I have left the body and gone to heaven and I got to change 39:11 direction. No, no, no. It's the mature Christian. He says, "Whether I'm here or in heaven, the direction of my life is not going to be any different. The passion of my life is going to be to 39:29 please the Lord." Good way to examine ourselves. If were to take you out of your body tonight, and let's not boast. James says, "Don't boast about tomorrow." 39:47 But say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this tomorrow." But if the Lord were to call us home today, can you say that the direction of your life will not change? You won't have to suddenly change direction because you're now entered God's 40:06 presence. It'll be just the same because you lived in God's presence here. Always wanting to ambition Our ambition is to please him. That means a burning passion to please the Lord. 40:24 And I could only do it in a limited way on Earth. And I'm excited that I can now do it in fullness, but my ambition hasn't changed. Make that your goal. If it isn't If it's not your goal already, if you're not already, don't don't get 40:42 discouraged, but say, "Lord, I want to come there. I want to be a mature Christian. So that when I leave this body and come into your presence, the direction of my life is not going to change even 1°. It's going to be to 40:57 please you. It's going to be please you here, please you there." Because we must all appear, verse 10, in the judgment seat of Christ, that each one of us may be rewarded for the deeds that we did in our body, 41:14 whether good, that means whether it was to please the Lord, or bad, which is to please ourselves and please other men. Whether it is good, I only wanted to please the Lord, even if I didn't please myself and I 41:32 offended a lot of human beings, or whether it's bad, bad in the sense I did what I pleased. I did what satisfied my ego. I did whatever I wanted to do. And 41:52 I did what would please other people. That's bad. He says, "Therefore, verse 11, knowing the fear of the Lord." Boy, that's something which most people don't know today. If we knew the fear of the Lord, 42:10 we would have more wisdom. When it says in the Old Testament, "The fear of the Lord," Proverbs 9:10, "is the beginning of wisdom." It's like saying that is the ABC of wisdom. You know, children, when they go to 42:27 school, they first learn the ABC. You can't learn anything else without learning ABC. Whether you want to study history or geography or physics or science or anything, you got to start with ABC. And 42:43 you can never afford to forget it. If through some brain injury, you forget your ABC at some time, then all your education stops as well. Because your entire education is based on never forgetting your ABC. 43:02 The fear of the Lord is the ABC of wisdom. And if I ever lose it, my entire spiritual education comes to a halt. And that's happened in the lives of many who claim to be believers. It can never happen in the life 43:24 of a believer who judges himself instead of judging others. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. Verse 14, 43:48 "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded that one died for all, therefore all died." This is a mystery, a New Testament mystery, that when Jesus died on the cross, we died with him. As I was saying on Sunday, 44:06 the word of the cross has got two parts. One is that Christ died on the cross, and second part is that I died with Christ. The first part is foolishness to the unbeliever, and the second part is foolishness to most believers. 44:20 That I died with Christ. The first part most unbelievers do not accept. The second part most believers don't accept. Because if I died with Christ, then I will not live for myself. And there are two places in scripture where it says 44:38 why Christ died. In 1 Corinthians 15, it says, "Christ died for our sins." Very clear. That's the gospel. Christ died for our sins to take the guilt of our sins. Have you seen the second reason why Christ died here? 44:57 He died, 2 Corinthians 5:15, 2 Corinthians 5:15, not so popular verse, "that those who live should never again live for themselves." Did you know that Christ died that I should never live for myself 45:15 again? It's as much scripture as 1 Corinthians 15 that says Christ died for our sins. You know how irresponsible children, selfish children grow up wanting privileges in their home, but 45:35 not willing to take a responsibility. It's a mark of a spoiled kid who wants all the privileges of being in a good home, but doesn't want to take any responsibility in the home. And so it is with Christians who want 45:54 all the privileges of being God's children and not the responsibility. Who want the fact that Christ died for my sins. I want that privilege. But the responsibility that he died that I might never live 46:11 again for myself, they don't want that. So it's very easy when you read these scriptures to discover whether we are going getting closer to maturity or not, or we are in a merry-go-round, like these carousels in parks where 46:35 you always come back to the same place. You sin, you repent, confess your sin, get forgiven, and sin again, and repent, and confess your sin, and you're forgiven. Again, you sin again. This is a 46:55 a carousel or a merry-go-round from which the devil never lets you get off. Get off it. Say, "Lord, I'm not going to sit there anymore. I'm going to get off it. I want to press on." He died that I might never live for myself, but 47:15 I must live for him who died and rose again for me. And that is the meaning of verse 17, that if any man is in Christ, he's a new creature. Christians have this bad habit of taking verses 47:32 by itself without seeing in its context. What is this new creature? This new creature is the one who doesn't live for himself. Cuz the old creature is race of Adam. They all live for themselves. That's the meaning of that. 47:47 So, it's because I see how Jesus lived on this Earth never to please himself. And I say, "Lord, that's how I want to live. You called me to live like that." And that's not a miserable life, I tell you. The devil keeps saying, "Oh, your life 48:05 will be miserable if you live like that." It's the happiest life you can ever live on this Earth. The happiest, most joyful, and most useful life that anyone ever lived on the Earth was the life Jesus lived, and he was not a 48:17 millionaire. It was not because he had a big house or a lot of resources. No, that's all a deception of Satan. It's because he had a certain attitude towards God that he lived the most useful and the happiest life that any 48:31 human being ever lived. And once you're gripped by that, you'll say, "Lord, that's the way I want to live." It's the only worthwhile way to live on this Earth. Every other way is second best or third 48:51 best or 10th best. It says about Jesus in Romans 15 and verse 3, Romans 15 and verse 3, it says, "Christ did not please himself." 49:09 It's quite a verse. He never pleased himself. We think it's not a sin to please ourselves. We think sin is those gross, terrible things. You know, I often feel that if you were to ask most Christians, believers, 49:28 to make a list of say, five of the worst sins that you can commit. I have a feeling that their list will not be any different from the list that 49:47 an unconverted man makes as well. If my understanding of sin is pretty much the same as that of an unconverted person, what's the difference between me and him and what light have I got on what sin is? Whereas Jesus spoke about 50:06 sins like pride, hypocrisy, pretending to be spiritual when we're not, and uh wrong attitudes to people. These are the sins he spoke about. 50:29 Unbelief, which most people don't even think of it as a sin. The Christ's list of sins will be very different. And the more mature we become, our understanding of sin changes from that worldly understanding of you know, fighting with people and um 50:48 lusting after women and um hating and changes from that to the most serious sins which the Lord speaks about. Pleasing oneself, for example. We read in 51:05 2 Corinthians 5, we have this ambition. You know, when we get to heaven, let's see. Every one of us is going to have an ambition in heaven to please God. You can be absolutely certain of that. Don't you think so that in heaven when 51:19 we get there, we'll have only one desire to please God. And what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, he says just the same for me now. It's just that I'm in a different body now, but the inner desire in this body is just the same as 51:33 the desire I'm going to have when I have got that body. It's not going to change. It's just the body that's going to change. I'll be able to do it better. That's all. But the basic ambition won't change. That's what I want to say, my brothers 51:49 and sisters. That's what the Holy Spirit comes to do. I feel so grieved that so many Christians are deceived that the fullness of the spirit is some type of emotionalism. It just gets them excited for a few moments when they come to a 52:08 service. And they call that the fullness of the spirit and they go out from there and live the same old selfish, defeated life they've always lived. I get mad at the devil when I see how he's fooled God's children like that. 52:25 And that's what gives me a passion to speak out against this deception in Christendom. You must do your part, too, to make it clear to people around you who are deceived. Don't let their blood be on your hands. Christ did not please himself. 52:45 And if you're a Christian, you're This is what he laid hold of you. He laid hold of you that you might lay hold of this life of Jesus. These are the bricks with which Christ is building his body. And every one of us 53:05 can be a part of that. We may not have gift. That's a different thing. God gives very few I mean, if gift was the most important thing, do you think it'd be difficult for God to give all of us a gift of mighty gift of preaching the 53:20 word? Not talking about human eloquence. Talking about anointed preaching. God can give that gift to anyone. I know he gave it to me. I was a very shy, withdrawn type of person. I was not the naturally that type of person who'd 53:39 stand up before people. I'm withdrawn. And uh I'm a bit like that even now. But God gave me a gift and I've often thought you could give that same gift to somebody else. I mean, if you have electricity in your house, 53:59 you could run any machine in your house that I can run in my house. Why not? If you've got the same electricity, you can run a washing machine and a dryer and a dishwasher just like I have in mine. It's a power. And God can do that. Why hasn't he done 54:13 it? If that is the most important thing, why doesn't he give it to all the believers? Because that is that gift is not the most important thing. The spirit of God has come to produce in us the life of Jesus. And that is that I do not seek to please 54:30 myself. And this is the area where we need to judge ourselves constantly. Purify ourselves until he is pure. So, one last verse in 1 Corinthians in chapter 4, we read about when Christ 54:49 comes, what is he going to judge? 1 Corinthians 4:5. It says here, "Don't go on passing judgment before the time." He's saying those of you who have a 55:10 great lust to judge other people, just hang on. I'll give you an opportunity to judge them. Uh but just don't do it before the time. The time will come when you can judge other people as much as you like. Just don't do it right now. 55:25 That's all he's saying. Do you have a great lust to judge others? Sure. God will give you an opportunity to exercise it, but just wait. Just wait till the Lord comes. Then you can judge people as much as you want because then you will be able to judge 55:40 people rightly. Right now, you're seeing only 5% of their life. Most of us, and not most, all of us know 5% of the others here. Maybe you know a little more about your 55:58 spouse, your wife or husband, but even then, not everything. You know, you can live with your wife for 50 years and she may still not know whether you love money or not. Cuz it's an inward thing. She can know the external things. 56:16 You can live with your wife 50 years and she still may not know whether you lust after women. That's what I mean. A lot of things you don't know and vice versa. You don't know what's going on through your wife's mind. So, a lot of things we don't know about 56:31 others. We know about 10% of the most. And we judge on the basis of 10%. It's absolutely foolish. The Lord says, "Wait till I show the whole 100%. Then, go right ahead and judge everybody." And what's he going to expose in that 56:46 day? Two things. One, he's going to bring to light all the things hidden in darkness. That means all those areas in our life, our thought life which nobody could read, which is darkness to others now. The private areas of our life where 57:04 we did things in secret that nobody in the church knows and perhaps even your spouse doesn't know. The areas of darkness. It's going to be exposed in that day. Every bit of it. That's number one. Don't forget that. 57:22 If you fear God, you'll take those areas seriously. And secondly, the second thing God's going to disclose is the motives. That means the good things I did which other people commended me for, the Lord will say, "Now I'll show you the 57:38 motive with which he did it." The motive with which he said that, the motive with which he gave that money or spoke that word or preached in the church. Our motive, not what he preached or how well he preached, but motive. 57:54 Was it the glory of God? Or was it his own honor? His own glory. And that wonderful sermon which looked so pure white, you will see is pitch dark and black in that day 58:12 when we see the motive. And a lot of things that appeared good in the eyes of others, we'll see in that day was ugly, repulsive. So, the Lord says, "Don't judge till that day because you don't know." 58:31 And we judge people. Sometimes a person can do something foolishly, but he did it with a good motive. He tried his best and he bungled up. And you give him zero and God gives him a hundred out of a hundred. He says he did it with 58:44 a good motive. It can work the other way around, too. So, these are the two things, two areas where we can profitably judge ourselves. The hidden areas of darkness 59:02 and motives. It's a wonderful thing that God has given us his word. I I often use the example in India of a of a final examination for a very important examination. And everybody doesn't know 59:20 what questions are going to be asked, but you've been given the question paper in advance. The Lord says, "Here's the question paper which I'm going to check up in the final day. The things hidden in darkness. 59:38 The motives of men's hearts. Was it to please God? Or to please yourself? Or to please man? That you did, said, or didn't say, or didn't do certain things. That's great. I mean, if if my son was going to 59:57 having two subjects tomorrow for the examination, maths and science. I'll tell him, "Listen, forget about geography and history now. It's maths and science you've got to concentrate on." That's all. Don't waste your time 1:00:10 reading these other books now. It's not coming in the examination. These two subjects. So, I say Joe, the Lord has said there are two subjects coming, the things hidden in darkness and the motives of men's hearts. These other things of what impression 1:00:22 you make upon people, forget it. It's not going to come in the final examination. How many times you went to church? How much money you gave for God's work? Forget all that. What uh what is the condition of your hidden life? 1:00:40 And what are the motives? Are you really seeking to please God? Or please yourself? Or please man? These are areas where God judges me. I seek to live in the light of that. And I can say as I've lived in the light 1:00:58 of that, I've learned more and more what it is to love righteousness according to God's understanding. Not just being upright in money matters. And many people understand that righteousness is you speak the truth. Be upright in money matters. A lot of 1:01:11 godless unbelievers who live according to those standards. But righteousness in these areas, in the hidden areas of darkness, in the motives of men's hearts, to love righteousness and to hate iniquity. So, that our life can be filled with joy 1:01:24 for many years I put a little I printed something out on a piece of paper and stuck it in front of my table for 25 years. Uh it said, "The happiest people in the world are those who 1:01:43 judge themselves always and never judge others." I kept looking at that, looking at that for 25 years. It's in my head now. I really believe that. It'll make you happy as a byproduct. A byproduct. The main result will be that you'll 1:02:02 please the Lord. Let's bow our heads before God. And don't let the devil say to you, "This is impossible." Shame the devil by saying, 1:02:20 "By the grace of God, this is how I'm going to live." And if it takes me 10 years to get there, I'm going to get there. I'm going to turn around and pursue this path. I'm going to press on forgetting the past, pressing forward to the things that are 1:02:39 ahead, determined to hate sin more than sickness, determined to seek to please God more than to please myself or human beings. For I see now this is why Christ died. Thank you, Lord, for opening my eyes. 1:02:59 Thank you, Lord, for your word. The entrance of your word gives light. The unfolding of your word rings light and understanding. Help us to live in this light. Each one of us. That we shall not shrink away in shame when you come. 1:03:18 But run to meet you with boldness even if you were to come any moment by surprise. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
