0:00 In the last few weeks, we've been trying to emphasize for the benefit of newcomers to 0:29 this church and for the benefit of children who have grown up in this church, some of the things that we taught in the early days when this church started, 39 years ago, there's a great need to re-emphasize that because there's a generation that's grown up that 0:50 has not heard those things and we dealt with some foundational truths in the first session of repentance and faith and water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And then we spoke about justification by faith, the imputed righteousness of Christ which 1:09 is what we need till the last day of our life on earth. You can never get to heaven with your own righteousness. Sometimes it has to be the righteousness of Christ put to us, to our account, which is called justification. 1:26 And then we spoke about the imparted righteousness of Christ, which is a progressive thing which the Bible calls sanctification, that we purify ourselves as Christ is pure. We partake more and more of God's nature. 1:46 So, I want to share a little more along that line. I want to share a little bit more and more and more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. 1:58 I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. 2:05 I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. I want to share a little bit more. 2:13 the kingdom of God is compared to the kingdom of heaven, compared to the kingdom of earth. The Old Testament was the kingdom of earth and John the Baptist came saying, "Repent. Turn around from seeking the kingdom of earth and seek the kingdom of heaven." 2:31 That is repentance, but a lot of Christians have not repented like that. They've just given up their smoking and their gambling and their drinking and their dancing, but they're still seeking the kingdom of earth. They haven't repented. 2:41 They haven't turned around to look for the things of heaven and there the foundation is wrong and they have problems all through their life. So I want to speak a little bit about eternal life. Now when I was a young Christian, the people showed me only one verse about eternal life 3:01 and that's what many people know. And that's the only verse I knew for a long time as well. It's probably the one which is most familiar to most of you. In Romans 6:23 the gift of God is eternal life. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. 3:21 In fact, people were taught to go that way. Go to Romans 3:23 tell everybody you've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Then go to Romans 6:23 and tell them the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal 3:34 God is eternal life. And you receive it and you are saved and the fellow thinks he is saved and goes away. And later on when he goes into sin he thinks he is a backslider. He is not a backslider. He never had a forward slide in his whole life. 3:49 How can he backslide when you haven't gone forward at all. They are never converted probably. Because whoever led them to what they call Christ, led them to some verses. So I want to show you what we studied earlier, how when the devil told Jesus it is written. 4:10 Jesus said yes, but it is also written. So we must see, and it is very easy nowadays, if you know English, you got an English Bible and you have a little thing called a concordance, you can find all the verses on eternal life 4:26 in the New Testament. It will take you five minutes to read through them. Have you ever done it? Do you stake your hope for eternity on the words of a man? Or do you read the Bible for yourself to find out where does it speak about eternal life? 4:48 I will tell you something, remember this all your life, God never rewards a lazy man or woman. If you are lazy and you go astray, you deserve it, because God gave you a Bible, you never 5:09 took the pains to read what it said. You took pains to study history and geography and chemistry and mathematics in school and your parents urged you to do your homework, but they never urged you to study the Bible. They wanted you to get 100% in mathematics, but it doesn't matter if you got 20% in the 5:29 Bible. Don't be like that. It's better to just pass in mathematics and get 100% in the Bible. So I want to encourage you my brothers, study the scriptures. There is only one book God gave this world and that's not a mathematics book, it's the Bible. 5:52 Remember that. Study it. And it's very easy. I mean, if you are illiterate, you have an excuse. Say, Lord, I can't read or write. But even that, we have an elder brother in one of our churches who can't read or write. He still reads the Bible every day. 6:05 You know how? Somebody is loaded to him on his cell phone, and he has a quiet time with his cell phone, listening to the Bible, audio Bible every day. And he's an elder brother who preaches every Sunday from what he hears. 6:19 I wonder how many of us would do that. How eager such a person is to study the Word and he can't read or write. Yeah. In the day of judgment, God will bring up such people before you and say, you knew how to read and write. 6:34 A person who did not know how to read and write, did you do even 10% of what he did? Dear brothers and sisters, let me tell you, the reason why we don't understand God's ways is because we don't read his book. So let me share with you something about eternal life. 6:53 How many of you know this verse? Supposing somebody were to ask you, "How can I get eternal life?" Would you quote this verse, New Testament verse, not an Old Testament verse, Romans chapter 2? I don't think any of you would ever quote this verse to a person because it's not a very popular verse. 7:11 Romans chapter 2, verse 6, "God will render to every person according to his deeds." Okay? God will render to every person according to his deeds. 7:34 To those people who by perseverance, that means continuously working hard in doing good. And they are doing good not to get honor from men but seeking for glory and honor in immortality. God will give eternal life. 7:54 Have you ever read that verse? How to get eternal life? By patiently, continually doing good. That means what gets God's approval. And doing it, not to get any honor from men, but to seek for eternal glory. 8:14 An honor from God and an immortal, indestructible life. God gives eternal life to them. I wonder if any of you have ever heard any preacher show you that verse. And just by the way, Romans 2 comes before Romans chapter 6. 8:34 How is it you missed it? Okay, I'll show you one more verse. Romans 6. And this is so close to verse 23, you could not have missed it. The previous verse, verse 22. 8:54 Now, there are certain steps here. You are freed from sin. Romans 6:22. You become a slave to God. And from that, you are experiencing your benefit of fruit, which is sanctification. 9:16 And the final end, eternal life. How about that verse? And then it says, but even that eternal life is a gift from God. You can't take credit for it. So if you take verse 23 all by itself, you got it all wrong. And that's why most Christians have got it all wrong. 9:37 And that's why their lives are so shallow and so defeated. Because they don't read the whole scriptures. It is written. I say it is also written. It is written the gift of God is eternal life. But it is also written in the previous verse. 9:51 That it is being freed from sin and becoming a slave to God. And you get your benefit resulting in sanctification. And the final end, eternal life. Which agrees with what we read in Romans 2:7. To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor, immortality, eternal 10:09 life. But you say, I thought salvation is free. Sure. I'm not talking about salvation. I'm talking about eternal life. Those of you who think blue is green and yellow is red. I can't help you. 10:29 But these are all different colors. They all together comprise white. The rainbow has got seven colors that make white. But there are different colors in it. So, now that I've confused you sufficiently. You can pay a little more attention to God's word. 10:45 These are words from scripture. God's word is simple. I'll tell you that. But we have to take it exactly like it says. Okay, then what is eternal life? Now we have seen here how to get it. Now let's ask ourselves, what is eternal life? 11:01 John chapter 17 and verse 3. I mean, you couldn't get a better definition than this. It is given by Jesus himself. This is eternal life. That you live forever? No. People who go to hell live forever. Yes. They are there where the fire never is quenched and the worm never dies. 11:29 Living forever is not eternal life. Jesus said, this is eternal life. That they may know you, the only true God. And if you see the context of it, as a father. Because he says in verse 6, I have manifested your name to these men whom you gave me. 11:54 He is talking about his 12 disciples, one of whom fell away. To these 11 people I have manifested your name. You know what that name is? It is not Jehovah. It was in the Old Testament. It was in the Old Testament. They already knew that. 12:13 It is father. They never knew that. You know when God told Moses to go to Egypt. Moses said, if they ask who sent you. He says, tell them, I am that I am. In Exodus 3. 12:33 And later on he revealed himself as Jehovah or Yahweh. We don't know which is the right pronunciation. It doesn't matter. I don't need to find out the pronunciation. Because I don't know him as Jehovah. I don't know him as I am that I am. 12:47 Because I am not a Jew. I don't sing songs to Jehovah like a lot of Christians do. Guide me O thou great Jehovah. That's good for a Jew to sing. I sing guide me O my heavenly father. Because I am not a Jew. You know how many songs we sing without even thinking. 13:06 Because we are not talking to God. We are just enjoying singing. Just like all the young people enjoy rock music. That's how a lot of Christians sing. They never think about what they are singing. To whom they are singing. 13:18 Heavenly father. I revealed your name. That's why Jesus said to his disciples. When you pray. Don't pray like those. Like in the old testament. Pray our father. Who art in heaven. For many years after I was born again. I did not pray to the father. 13:41 Like Jesus commanded me to do. Because all the people around me never prayed to the father. In the church. So you know when you are little children. You just imitate the older ones. And my life was so insecure. I was so discouraged. 13:58 Frequently depressed. Constantly defeated by sin. Inwardly backsliding. Even though I knew the scriptures. And a day came in my life. After God filled me with the Holy Spirit. Nearly sixteen years after I was born again. 14:15 That I came to know God as my father. He had become my father. Earlier. But I never knew him personally. As I said like. If you have a father who lives in Russia. Or the Gulf country. You never see him for sixteen years. 14:31 You just get occasional letters from him. That's how I knew God. But then he came. It's like that father finally after sixteen years. Comes home and says. Hey son. That's what happened to me. Have you experienced that? Your father in heaven hugging you. 14:48 And saying. Son. You're mine. And I'm yours. It made all the difference in my life. It changed me from an insecure. Discouraged. Frequently depressed person. To one who is secure. Still imperfect. 15:08 But now. The Christian life was not a. You know. Drudgery. And a struggle. I had experienced a little bit of the Bible says about rest. Because like it says here. Jesus said. I manifested your name. To these men you gave me. 15:28 The day came in my life. When Jesus manifested the father to me. And I want to say to you. My dear brothers and sisters. I know. You've got a father in heaven. It's not enough. John 17:3. This is eternal life. That they may know. 15:45 Not about you. But know you. The only true God. And know you as a father. That is the eternal life you need to have. It's not living forever. It's knowing the father. This. Jesus is defining eternal life. 16:06 Do you love the truth? To love the truth means. When you see something in scripture. Jesus said later on in John 17:17. Thy word is truth. And if you love the truth. Which is God's word. And you discover today. For the first time in your life. 16:21 That your whole understanding of eternal life. Was wrong. Till today. Are you willing to love the truth. And say I was wrong. It's very difficult to say I was wrong. Especially if you've been a believer for many years. To say I was wrong. 16:33 To say I was wrong all these years. I thought eternal life means I'll live forever in heaven. It's nowhere in scripture. You heard that from some preacher. And unfortunately you did not check up scripture. You just believe that preacher. 16:42 Whatever he said. And there are a lot of lying preachers going around. They're not lying. They just don't know. To say, I was wrong all these years. I thought eternal life means I'll live forever in heaven. There's nowhere in scripture. 16:55 You heard that from some preacher. And unfortunately you did not check up scripture. You just believed that preacher, whatever he said. And there are a lot of lying preachers going around. They're not lying. They just don't know. 17:09 I mean, when a maths teacher teaches you something wrong, it's because he doesn't know. He's not telling you a lie. That poor guy didn't study maths properly. And he's teaching you the wrong thing that he studied. Same way, many preachers, they don't know. 17:27 And they tell you something. And you don't check the scriptures. Like I said, if you know, if you got a Bible in your language. And you don't check everything you hear in a church. You deserve to be deceived. Be like the virions. 17:45 Who searched the scriptures, even when Paul preached, to see if it's right. That's what I did. As a young Christian, that's why I discovered so many things. Which other preachers couldn't tell me. Most of the things that changed my life, I'll tell you honestly, no preacher taught me. 18:03 A few things other preachers taught me. I'm thankful for that in books. But most of the things I discovered from my need. I didn't discover because I wanted to study something to preach. I had a need in my life. When you go to God with a need in your life, you'll discover things in the scripture. 18:20 When you go to God just to prepare a sermon to preach in a church, you will have a sermon that won't change your life. Or you'll have some information and knowledge. A lot of people are pursuing knowledge, information. What shall I preach the next time I get to the church service? 18:36 I couldn't care less what I have to preach. I want to know God. And I wish somebody had told me that the day I was born again. I'm sorry that it took me 16 years. But it doesn't have to take you that long. Brother, I'll tell you something. 18:53 Make it the passion of your life to know God. To know God is eternal life. To know him as a father. And it's not something that you finish with early. Not only to know God as a father, but it says in verse 3, John 17, 3, to know Jesus Christ. 19:15 The son of God as your elder brother, as your forerunner, as your example. If you know God as your father and Jesus as your earthly example to follow, you got it. 19:38 But both those things I understood only 16 years after I was born again. And I didn't understand it by study. I understood it because God filled me with the Holy Spirit. That's why I say that is the most important requirement. 20:02 We're not Pentecostals. We're not Charismatics. Not in this church. I disagree with both those groups. I love them. There are good brothers there. I love believers in the Methodist Church. And to tell you honestly, I love some believers in the Roman Catholic Church as well. 20:18 I'm pretty broad-minded that way. But with most of these groups, I don't agree with a lot of their doctrines. That's what I'm saying. I don't believe that the most important thing about being filled with the Spirit is speaking in tongues. 20:33 I speak in tongues. I've done that for 40 years. But that's not the most important thing. It's knowing God as Father. Knowing Jesus as my forerunner. That's what changed my life. Speaking in tongues didn't change my life. 20:47 It was knowing God as my Father. And Jesus as my forerunner. Let the Holy Spirit show that to you. That's eternal life. Let me show you 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy chapter 6. 21:08 Paul says to Timothy. Now remember, this is Paul writing towards the end of his life when Paul is, Timothy's already been working with him for 25 years. Timothy's joined Paul probably when he was around 20. Now he's 45. 21:29 And he had spent those 25 years with Paul. Wholehearted, so wholehearted that Paul says, when I look at all my co-workers, there's no one like Timothy. He's the best of the lot. He says in Philippians 2.19, what does Paul write to the best of his co-workers? 21:45 Look what he says. 1 Timothy 6. There are a number of things he says there. Concerning, you know, flee from the love of money, for example, in verse 10 and 11. And remember, the Lord, verse 15 is, 22:06 like one paraphrase says, the blessed controller of all things. He says in verse 19. Instruct those who are rich in the world. I'm sorry. Yeah, in 18 and 19. 22:28 To do good. To be generous. Ready to share. Storing up for themselves. Treasure of a good foundation. That they may take hold of that which is truly life. And earlier on, he tells him what is truly life. In verse 12. Fight the good fight 22:42 and take hold of eternal life. That's the main thing. After he tells him to run away from the love of money, in verse 11. You run away from something. What should I run towards? Eternal life. You know, you can't run towards eternal life 23:00 if you don't run away from the love of money. If you don't believe me, let's read it together. Or let's read with me in your Bible. Verse 10. Love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. You man of God, verse 11, run away from it. 23:17 Flee. And fight the good fight of faith against the love of money and take hold of eternal life instead of taking hold of more money. I am absolutely convinced that it is the love of money that prevents many believers from taking hold of eternal life. 23:36 Their hands are already full. How can they take hold of that? Because their hands are full of the riches and pleasures and comforts of this world. I am not saying you should live in the slums. I don't think Jesus would live in the slums. 23:56 I am saying don't run after it. Everything you have in your life should be you should be able to say I can say this. Honestly, I stand before God right now and I say I have never run after money from the time I was born again. 24:15 Not even as a full-time worker. I never went where I could get more money. I spent my life seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness first. God added a lot of things to me. That should be your testimony the end of your life. 24:36 I got what I didn't pursue. I pursued eternal life. The kingdom of God and his righteousness and God gave me what I needed. as my needs increased he gave me more. He'll take care of you. Don't worry. But make eternal life 24:55 your goal. Then you're a wholehearted disciple of Jesus. You keep one eye on eternal life and one eye on making more money. That's why you are where you are today. Imagine your life could have blessed thousands by now but you're sitting 25:14 in your little well thinking that the whole world is in your well. It's like a frog in a well thinking the whole world is this well. There are oceans out there you frog you don't know. Imagine if one day my brother, sister 25:29 when you stand before the Lord and the Lord tells you you heard so much in CFC if only you had responded to that if only you had trusted me fully and sought my kingdom and my righteousness first do you know how much I could have done 25:45 with your life? but you allowed the prince of the world to fool you that he could offer you more than I could offer you? Ah, you're in heaven but you wasted your earthly life. The one life I gave you where you could show your gratitude 26:03 to me for dying on the cross for you you waste it. Don't let that be said about you my brother, sister when you stand before Jesus. I told the Lord many times I said Lord I'll never be satisfied going to heaven that's what 26:19 other Christians are interested in. I'm interested in showing my gratitude to Jesus for dying for me on the cross before I go to heaven. And I never forget 21 years ago when I had an accident down that railway crossing and I was driving 26:38 my moped and I got knocked out by the level crossing those guys put it down before I crossed and I got knocked out and I was unconscious lying on the railway line and I almost died. but somehow God saved my life I just had a crack 26:51 in my skull and a shoulder dislocated I got up and I said Lord I have not finished saying thank you to you for dying for me give me a few more years he's given me 21 years more keep saying that to Jesus Lord Jesus 27:12 I have not finished saying thank you to you for dying for dying for me I want to live for the things that are eternal I want to lay hold of eternal life and if it were easy why would he tell Timothy to fight a good fight 27:26 he'll take hold of it the kingdom the kingdom of heaven suffers violence Jesus said and violent men take it by force what does that mean you know that verse we are not people of violence on the outside we are men of peace 27:41 we refuse to fight with people we pursue peace with all men but inwardly we are people of violence against the lusts in our flesh against the devil and the spirit of the world that seeks to enter our heart we are men of violence 27:57 and we take hold of the kingdom of heaven inwardly a true disciple of Jesus is a man of peace on the outside you can never get him into a quarrel you can never get him into an argument you can never get him into a fight 28:09 but inwardly he's fighting the devil in his lusts every day and the world till the devil is scared of him be a man and a woman like that from a young age you young people this is the only life worth living I'm telling you 28:27 exactly what I told my own children and which I've told them for many years this is the only life worth living fight the good fight and take hold of eternal life and if you've been a lazy sluggish Christian till today start the fight 28:42 today and say Lord I want to lay hold of eternal life I want to know you more and more as my father you know for so many years I used to think of a God who was always frowning at me can you imagine if you have a picture of a God 29:01 who's oh you wretch and next time you pray to him he's saying oh you wretch you won't want to go to him anymore or a God who says yeah that was good but it's not good enough that even when you struggle to do something he says 29:18 not good enough you won't want to go to such a God and that's why most of you don't like to pray to him who would want to talk to such a God but that's a lie he's not like that he's a father who rejoices over you he says in the 29:40 old testament even there's no mother who rejoices over her child as much as I rejoice over you God is a father and a mother have you seen mothers a woman didn't have babies for a wife didn't have babies for a long time she finally 29:58 has a baby how she looks up to that child and the glow she may be a poor beggar of a mother but the glow in her face as she looks at that baby and says all types of things which the baby can't understand but she's so excited 30:16 have you ever thought of God looking at you like that you say oh but I'm so weak and I do so many things yeah that baby messes up so many things but it doesn't make a difference to that mother it took many years for me to 30:34 believe that God looked at me like that I always thought I'm such a wretched sinner how can God look at me like that it's because I didn't know the heart of God it's not like the heart of man think of a mother see Isaiah 30:50 49 if you want to know what God is like to know God is eternal life Isaiah 49 and verse 15 for those of you who don't know this verse know it today the Lord says 31:10 verse 14 Zion says the Lord has forsaken me the Lord has forgotten me is that what you're saying and the Lord replies can a woman that's a mother forget her nursing child she may forget her three year old child for a few 31:27 moments but not her nursing child child that is just born that needs milk so many times a day he won't forget that he says even they may forget but I will not forget you 31:47 I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands the wounds on his hands remind Jesus of you and me I have learned God to talk to this God and that 32:08 is why it's so enjoyable to talk to him this is the Jesus who is my friend and my bride room whom I talk to and it's not boring to talk to him dear brothers and sisters many of you say you're Christians I want to 32:28 introduce you to this God who is a father and a mother to this Jesus who has got you on the palms of his hands this is eternal life to know God as your father who cares for you and loves you to know this Jesus who is your 32:48 forerunner you know the book of Hebrews is the only book in the New Testament where you read that title of Jesus called forerunner so eternal life is to know Jesus and one way in which we need to know him is forerunner many 33:09 Christians know him as the good shepherd I am the way the truth and the life I am the light of the world I am the door I am the resurrection and the life there are I think seven I am in the book of gospel of John but forerunner 33:29 he couldn't say that to his disciples when they were on earth he told them in John 16 I've got many more things to say to you but you can't understand them now because you don't have the Holy Spirit when you are filled with the 33:41 Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost you will begin to understand I can honestly say that and God filled me with the Holy Spirit I began to see things in scripture I've never seen before I want to urge you my brothers and sisters 33:54 seek with all your heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit and you will receive power your eyes will be opened and you will receive power to follow Jesus as a forerunner to fight the good fight in Hebrews chapter 6 it says 34:14 about Jesus our forerunner in verse 20 Jesus our forerunner has entered verse 19 inside the veil you know in the Old Testament there was a veil behind that God lived it 34:34 says Jesus our forerunner verse 19 and 20 has entered inside the veil not just entered as our forerunner that means we can also go behind him inside the veil to get to know God and that's why it says in Hebrews 12 let us 34:53 run this race looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith where is he running inside the veil that's where he has taken me nobody in the old covenant could go there when you are in the outer court you mingle 35:10 with all the believers who believe in forgiveness of sins and water baptism when you go into the most holy place which is the second compartment of the tabernacle you meet with those who are serving God and they talk about 35:26 what I'm doing for the Lord here and what I'm doing for the Lord there I meet a lot of people like that I'm doing this for the Lord there and doing this for the Lord there and I'm doing this for the Lord there this is the 35:33 holy place it's good we don't despise it we should be doing a lot of things for the Lord but when you go into the most holy place there you are not with people who just whose sins are forgiven who gone beyond that there 35:49 you are not just with people who are serving God who gone beyond that there you are with people who are worshipping God that's the greatest thing to be a worshipper where you'd be very happy to just be with God for the rest 36:09 of your life I love that song father of Jesus in eternity loves reward what rapture it will be prostrate before your throne to lie and gaze and gaze on thee you think that's boring right to 36:29 lie for thousands of years there before God's throne and just look at him you see you mean that's what we're going to do for all eternity just gaze at him boring right you don't know God to me that's precious when you get 36:45 into the most holy place you'll know that then you become a worshipper when you realize this is the most wonderful thing of all do but I'll tell you something Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God 37:00 if you're not interested in purity of heart you'll never get there the pure in heart will see God the rest will see their fellow believers all the time the rest will be serving God and doing this and doing that but the pure in heart will see God 37:16 that's what I want because when I come out from the most holy place to serve people there'll be a glow in my life just like in Moses face there was a glow and if you've come out from the most holy place there'll be a radiance 37:38 and a glory in your life there'll be a radiance and a glory in your words which you cannot produce by Bible study I encourage young people to share the word you need to study the word or you need to get into the most holy place 37:54 you need to rend the veil die to yourself take up the cross get in the most holy place follow Jesus there and say Lord I want to live before you and then there'll be a glow and a radiance in the words you speak even if you speak for two minutes 38:08 this is what I long that all of us will have think of the blessing you could be to your to your relatives and your neighbors and in this church and wherever you go there's a he is a forerunner he has gone inside the veil 38:28 this is another ministry of Jesus and the book of Hebrews speaks more about this human Jesus and just so that you don't think that he doesn't believe in the deity he spends one full chapter in chapter 1 in Hebrews to say he is God 38:47 many many things he says he is God he created the world the angels worship him even the father calls him God and Lord Jesus is God that's settled in one chapter now he says let me go on to chapter 2 till the end of the book 38:59 he was also a man and that is what changed my life all my Christian life I knew he was God even before I was born again but a day came in my life when I was gripped by the fact that Jesus became a man like me 39:20 that he was tempted exactly like me and there I saw the secret of godliness 1 Timothy 3 we need to know Jesus in this way this is a mystery 39:42 my brothers and sisters a mystery means something that you cannot understand by study you can only understand it by the revelation of the Holy Spirit that's what the New Testament calls a mystery if you could understand 39:54 it by study then only the intellectual people could grasp it and a lot of Christians think that the more you study and if you are clever you will understand the Bible no sir you will not understand the Bible because you are clever 40:08 you will understand the Bible by revelation of the Holy Spirit Paul tells the Ephesians I pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened that God will give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him 40:21 he doesn't say read my epistle ten times and study it and look at the Greek words and the root meanings and all that he says no no no no you need revelation that's one of the things I prayed when God filled me with the Holy Spirit 40:36 I said Lord if this is really a genuine experience the New Testament should be a new book from today onwards I should be able to see things that I have never seen in 16 years of my study and I did this is a mystery 1 Timothy 3 16 40:51 great is the mystery of godliness there are two great mysteries in the New Testament many smaller mysteries mysteries of the kingdom of heaven mystery of iniquity we don't have time to go into all that but two great mysteries 41:04 one is the mystery of how to live a godly life and the other in Ephesians 5 32 the mystery of the church being the body of Christ these are the two great truths that changed my life God opened my eyes to see it the secret of living 41:21 a godly life and the church not as an organization but as a body so here's the great mystery of godliness he was revealed in the flesh God lived on earth as Jesus in the flesh and the word flesh 41:41 is never used of Adam it's used of us but even though he came in the flesh he was absolutely pure in his spirit declared righteous by the Holy Spirit whichever way you read that second statement vindicated by the spirit 41:59 justified by the spirit declared righteous by the spirit or pure in his spirit and even the angels watched it and beheld it this is the Jesus we have proclaimed among the nations and people have believed in he was taken up 42:11 into glory great is this mystery of godliness turn back to Hebrews in chapter 2 you know after he has proved that Jesus Christ was God he goes on to say in chapter 2 about his humanity see there are two equal truths 42:32 about Jesus he was 100% God always was even today but he's also 100% man and that is what many people they believe theoretically but they don't get any benefit from it supposing you say Jesus Christ is God but I never worship him 42:47 I never pray to him and then you don't really believe he is God it's only a theory I ask you what is the practical result of your believing that Jesus Christ is God I'll tell you I pray to him I worship him I bow down to him 43:02 I believe he's got all authority in heaven and earth I believe he's God okay then I ask what is the proof that you see him as a man I'll tell you I believe I can actually walk as he walked on this earth he walked as a man 43:17 Hebrews chapter 2 he says it says in verse 6 somewhere he someone has said what is man that you care for him you've made him a little while lower than the angels but you've crowned him with glory and honor but now verse 8 43:37 we don't see everything subject to man do we no but we see Jesus who was made lower than the angels why lower than the angels because he died angels don't die he was made lower than the angels because he was allowed to die 43:53 but we see him crowned with glory and honor with everything under his feet by the grace of God so this what is man in verse 6 is referring to Jesus he became a man that is the point he's trying to bring out here and because he's a man 44:08 because he was made like us his brothers verse 17 in everything therefore he was also tempted verse 18 and he suffered by denying himself in that temptation he knows what you're going through when you're tempted he can run 44:27 to assist you when you're tempted this is what I discovered this is the secret of godliness that through the Holy Spirit Jesus comes to running to assist me when the pressure of temptation becomes so great that I'm about 44:42 to fall and I say like Peter who's sinking Lord save me in a moment he holds my hand and prevents me from sinking in that temptation and why did I sink because like Peter I turned my eyes away from Jesus and looked at the temptation 45:02 or looked at other people as long as I looked at Jesus like Peter I could walk on the water that walking on water is a picture of overcoming sin because the law of sin is like the law of gravity why can't you walk on water 45:15 because the law of gravity will pull you down how is it Jesus overcame it not as God but as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit if he overcame the law of gravity as God that day he could not have told Peter to come out 45:30 because Peter was not God but when he said Peter you come and Peter walked on the water that proved that even Jesus overcame the law of gravity by the power of the Holy Spirit and he said Peter you can do it too the greater miracle 45:47 there is not Jesus walking on the water the greater miracle is Peter walking on the water and that is a message for me as Jesus said you believe I can overcome the law of sin and walk without sinning come out of that boat 46:00 and walk that boat where we are sitting secure I'm saved I'm going to heaven and all the other disciples are saying no no no this is a dangerous doctrine don't go out there you'll drown say what you like Jesus has told me 46:14 to come out and step out and believe that I can overcome the law of sin and I step out and experience something with all the other eleven disciples sitting in the boat don't experience and I have something to testify to 46:28 I walked on the water I overcame the law of gravity but I got a bit scared and looked around and I sang but thank God he didn't let me down I cried out immediately Lord save me and as I was beginning to sink he held me he didn't give me 46:46 an exhortation because by the time I reached the bottom of the lake he held me and then gave me an exhortation thank God solve your children's problems and then correct them don't correct them and then try to solve their problem 47:05 get the right order hold their hand and make them stand then advise them how to do it better next time that's how God is so he runs to assist us in chapter 4 because he's a high priest 47:27 verse 15 who can sympathize with our weakness you know what is our biggest weakness it's not that we can't overcome the germs of flu or the germs of the common cold or the germs that give us fever or the germs 47:47 that give us diarrhea no of course those are little things we can't overcome but the biggest weakness we have is that we can't overcome temptation it's invisible just like these germs that get into our bodies and give us 48:04 all these little little sicknesses but Jesus it says here Jesus can sympathize with our weakness because he was tempted just like us in every point do you believe verse 15 I'll tell you honestly I never believed it in my 48:22 heart for 16 years because I never saw Jesus that he came in the flesh that he was tempted like me so I did not know how to live a godly life I talked about holiness but I was inwardly defeated I'll tell you honestly till I 48:40 got so fed up you know what happened way back in 1974 when I was the famous preacher in that Baptist church over there I was so defeated I said Lord I'm gonna quit preaching because 49:00 I'm a hypocrite and these guys who sit and listen to me in this Baptist church don't even know that and the Lord said to me one Sunday morning you know I used to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit Ian and I would pray 49:19 together he was just as needy as I was he didn't know I was more needy than him we just cried out to God we'd pray together sometimes fast and pray and one day the Lord said to me are you willing to stand up in the church this 49:33 Sunday morning and tell everybody I am a hypocrite I've been preaching to you things which I'm not practicing I said yes I'll do anything I couldn't care less what anybody in the world thinks about me today there's another preacher 49:51 preaching there when he gets up to speak and he gives the invitation I'm going to go forward first saying I'm the most needy person in the church and something amazing happened that day that preacher he was from England 50:09 every single time he preaches every time I've heard him he always gives an invitation those who want to be filled with the spirit come forward that Sunday he did not I wondered what happened and I'm waiting just to run forward and 50:25 I don't get the invitation I go home disappointed and as it were the Lord said to me the people sitting there were bigger hypocrites than you I didn't want you to confess your sin to them I had laid my Isaac on the altar 50:40 and the Lord said I don't want it that's what happened that day I went home and I shared with this brother who were preaching that day about my need we prayed together God met with me filled me with the Holy Spirit and turned 51:00 my life around and then a little later I began to see things in scripture I'd never seen before but the new covenant that Jesus came in my flesh I said Lord why didn't I understand this all these years I was studying studying 51:14 using concordances and commentaries and all that and Jesus said it's not by all that it's by revelation of the Holy Spirit if you think you can get it by study you'll get the glory to your intellect you're cleverer than those 51:32 fellows so you understood something but God has made it in such a way just like righteousness you don't get the righteousness of Christ because you were better than that other filthy sinner the thief on the cross who was 51:44 a murderer and a thief is in heaven on the same basis as I will go to heaven the worst sinner in the world the prostitutes and thieves who get into God's kingdom get into heaven the same way as I do and the same way with 52:02 understanding God's word whether you're intellectually clever or stupid doesn't make a difference God gives it on the basis of revelation that's when I began to understand he was tempted like me in all points and he did 52:17 not sin therefore what verse 16 therefore Hebrews 416 let us also go to this throne of grace so we can also get the same grace that he had to help me in my time of need and my time of need is when I 52:42 come and say Lord save me and he saved me again and again and again and again and again and tell you through these years you know in my ignorance Paul said when I was a child I spoke like a child when I grow up I speak in 52:57 a more mature way and when I was a child in the early days of victory over sin I would say God gave me victory over sin and the Lord said to me don't say that say Jesus kept me from falling same thing but it's got a little 53:12 different ring about it when you say I got victory over sin and when you say Jesus kept me from falling so today I say Jesus keeps my from falling not I got victory over sin Jesus keeps me from falling what could Peter say 53:30 when he came out on the shore not I walked on the water Jesus kept me from drowning and that will be my testimony at the end of my life when I get up to heaven Jesus kept me from falling he can keep you if you see that 53:51 he can sympathize with your struggles because he was tempted exactly like you and this is what I used to do when I was tempted you know as young man I was only about 36 years old when I began to understand these truths and 54:05 you know how 36 year old young men can be tempted in so many ways men you faced exactly these temptations as I'm facing right now you felt the pull like I feel 54:25 what did you do I want to do the same thing you're my forerunner I want to see your footsteps and run that race and I saw his footsteps where he said no to his own will cried out to the father for help and he was helped 54:44 Hebrews 5 and verse 7 in the days of his flesh this is not when he was in heaven when he came to earth in our flesh he prayed with loud crying and tears to 55:04 the only one who was able to save him from spiritual death and he was heard he was heard means his prayer was answered that proves that's not physical death he never prayed to be saved from physical death and if he did pray 55:17 it was not answered but he did pray to be saved from spiritual death which is the end result of sin so we read it like this he prayed with loud crying in tears to the father keep me from falling into sin and he was heard 55:32 because of his godly fear he had such a godly fear father I don't want to slip up and sin even once in my thoughts or words or deeds or attitudes or motives because I have to present myself finally on the cross as a perfect 55:47 sacrifice to you see we don't take sin so seriously because we take oh the blood of Jesus is there it doesn't matter if I slip up and fall it doesn't matter if I lost my temper at my wife I can always ask her forgiveness 56:01 ask the Lord's forgiveness and move on Jesus did not have that luxury of sinning occasionally and getting it forgiven sorry he couldn't afford to sin once in thoughts deeds attitudes motives that's 56:22 why he prayed desperately and I discovered that if I pray as desperately as he prayed inwardly with loud crying and tears I discovered how to pray with loud crying and tears in the heart without making a noise with my mouth 56:37 you got to discover that that means inwardly there's a terrific cry to God to keep you from drowning keep you from falling down even a little bit keep me keep me father I'm helpless I know without you I can do nothing but 56:57 with you I can do all things keep me keep me you're my and Jesus you're my forerunner you prayed to the father and the father helped you you'll help me now he runs to assist those because he knows our weakness he knows that 57:13 pull that pull which you're not able to overcome you cannot control your anger you cannot control your sexual lust Jesus felt it believe it or not he felt it and he prayed to the father and the 57:33 father helped him the same way he will help you if you're serious about it if you're serious about laying hold of eternal life God bless you let's bow before God in prayer 57:53 now there are many truths you have heard today that have come into your mind will you pray to God that from your mind it will sink into your heart from your mind it should sink into your heart and grip your heart so 58:14 that you live your life gripped by the truth of God by the secret of godliness that Jesus is your forerunner that he sympathizes with your struggle what a wonderful thing it is we look for human sympathy 58:34 don't look for human sympathy anymore there's someone greater than any man who sympathizes with you in your struggle whatever your struggle is my brother sister do you have wayward children is that your struggle are you 58:49 enslaved to a lust which would be ashamed to let people in this church know about is that your struggle is anger your struggle is love of money your struggle Jesus can sympathize and he can help you just cry out to him say 59:04 Lord save me I don't want to fall anymore I want to learn what it is to walk in your footsteps to walk as Jesus walked you heavenly father we thank you for such a wonderful salvation and for such a wonderful savior you have 59:23 given us not only one who forgives us but who came to save us from our sins thank you I pray that everyone here will see this wonderful savior in the way that many here have seen you as forgiver I pray that they'll also 59:42 see you as savior from the sins that they are defeated by today help us each one in Jesus name Amen when 1:00:03 bowed with burdens and with care your soul is in despair you don't have to fear God is very pure he loves you as he loved the son and he will 1:00:23 help you too just trust his word of promise and he will see you through this is the good news what God can do what he did for Jesus 1:00:44 he did for you with mighty power he will strengthen you there is no when to what God can do oh 1:01:05 sin and evil fill this world and you are overcome yet God's word is true sin can't reign o'er you and and when temptations call is strong God's grace will be 1:01:25 your stay so you can walk like Jesus in victory every day this is the good news what God can do what he did for Jesus 1:01:45 he did for you with mighty power he'll strengthen you there is no end to what God did you use a voice and sing when 1:02:06 pain and sickness come to you and touch your loved ones too God knows how you feel he has power to heal your father will provide your need he's faithful and he's 1:02:27 true and as he cares for Jesus he will dare for you this is the good news what God can do what he did for Jesus he'll 1:02:47 do for you with mighty power he'll strengthen you there is no end to what God can do oh what a 1:03:08 glorious power for this if you have come to know Jesus as your Lord and elder brother too for all God has is now your own and he won't let you go and 1:03:28 now that God is for you who can be your foe this is the good news what God can do what he did for Jesus he did for 1:03:48 you with mighty power his strength and you there is no end to what God can do this is the good news 1:04:09 what God can do point in for Jesus give you for you with mighty power his strength and you there is no end 1:04:29 to what God can do
