0:00 I want to turn this morning to John's Gospel in chapter 16. 0:26 John's Gospel, chapter 16. And the last verse, verse 33. This is the end of three chapters, 14, 15 and 16, where Jesus was giving his last message to the disciples at the Last Supper after he had washed their feet. 0:56 In John 13, Judas Iscariot had gone away to plan the betrayal of Jesus. Then to the remaining 11 apostles, Jesus spoke these words. And I want you to see verse 33 as the last words that Jesus spoke before he went to Gethsemane on the cross. 1:30 He never really gave any exhortation to the disciples after this. Because John 17 is a prayer that he prays to the Father. And that was entirely directed to the Father, not to the disciples. And so after John 16, 33, the next thing that happens is John 18, verse 1. 1:50 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden. And there, Judas, who was betraying him, came, we read, and betrayed him. And that was the end. 2:09 So, just like before a man dies, if he has the last few words to say to his children, we would listen very carefully. Take these as the last words that Jesus spoke before he went to the cross. 2:33 He wanted to encourage his disciples. And he does not encourage them the way we encourage people, saying, I'll make you prosperous, I'll make you healthy, you'll have no problems in life. Quite the opposite. He says, you'll have a lot of problems. 2:48 See, God's way of thinking is so different from our human way of thinking. And if we don't allow our mind to be renewed to God's way, I tell you, whether you know it or not, you will move towards the health-wealth gospel preached by Babylon, without a doubt. 3:07 And it's a great danger that all of us face, because that is the gospel that is more attractive to the flesh. The gospel that Jesus proclaimed and the apostles proclaimed is not attractive to the flesh. So, read it like that. 3:21 These things I have spoken to you, so that in me, you will have peace. But you're still in the world, so you'll have tribulation. But take courage. I have overcome the world. And therefore, you can overcome the world too. 3:44 There's a little expression there in the middle of, in the beginning of the first sentence. In me, you can have peace. This phrase, in Christ, is something that comes very often in Ephesians. Now, most of us, 4:05 in our Christian life, we think of the other truth, that Christ is in us. That is also true. You read about that in Colossians. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we say, we received Christ, and Christ is living in me. 4:22 You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. And most of the time, Christians think of Christ in them, which is a good thing. Because he who is in you, is greater than he who is in the world, so we can overcome. 4:37 But this other aspect, which is also true, that we are in Christ, very often, we don't think about that so much. Because that is, actually, what gives us boldness, when we come before God. That, not that Christ is in me, 4:56 which is true, but that, when I stand before God, I am in Christ. Christ's righteousness. Christ's righteousness clothes me. To come in the name of Jesus, in prayer, is not primarily thinking of Christ in me, is thinking of me in Christ. 5:12 In Christ, I come to the Lord in prayer. And when it says, in me, you will have peace. I see there, that the reason why, peace goes away from Christians, is because they don't recognize, their place in Christ. 5:35 If I really labor and strive to understand, as the Holy Spirit explains, what it means that I am in Christ, one proof of it will be, that I will always be at peace in my heart. There may be tribulation in the world around, 5:55 but in my heart, but in my heart, I will be at rest. All the time, no matter what happens, no matter what goes wrong around me, in the world, no matter if I lose my house, or lose my job, or like Job, lose my children, or whatever it is, 6:11 in Christ, I will have peace. So for myself, I've taken it like this, that the moment I've lost my peace, and lost my rest, at that moment, I have not recognized my position in Christ. I am in Christ, but I don't recognize it. 6:28 It's like having a million rupees in the bank, but I don't know it, and so I'm in a panic. It's there, I don't know it. So I'm in a panic, saying, hey, I'm going to starve. So when I lose this recognition, that is when I lose my peace. 6:45 If you are in, if you recognize your position in Christ, you can never lose your peace. You can never be in unrest, no matter if the whole world is against you. No matter if everything goes wrong, in the world around you, 6:58 in your office, in your place of work, with your relatives, no matter what happens. Like the psalmist says, with the mountains collapse, and fall into the sea, it won't disturb us. They could only say, because God is with us, 7:15 the God of Jacob is with us. My God is not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, like a lot of Christians pray even today. I've heard some ignorant Christians, ignorant Christians say, oh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 7:30 show me one place in the epistles, where any apostle prays like that. They were Jews, but they never prayed like that. It's amazing how much the old covenant has penetrated Christians, and they never think of the new covenant, 7:46 the God of this world, the devil has blinded their eyes. My God is the God of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Ephesians says, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You never read about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the epistles. 8:02 I'm just telling you some things to show you how blind Christians are to the new covenant. And you know, sometimes people say, oh brother Zach, I never saw it till you showed it to me. I say, that's because you don't read the New Testament carefully. 8:14 You're careless. You're brainwashed by people. You listen to preachers more than you listen to the Bible. Dear brothers, and that's why we miss out on the level of Christian life that every one of us can live. That's my burden. 8:30 I'm burdened that so many people in CFC, some of you sitting, many of you sitting here, are not living at the level of the Christian life you can live. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, right through our life. I never lived like that myself 8:44 for so many years because I was ignorant. I didn't have a spiritual father to explain to me the new covenant is like this. I had to discover it myself. Please, please, think of what you're missing. Life is slipping by. Another year has gone by. 8:59 Are you going to live one more year with this up and down type of experience just with all the information about the new covenant in your head but not in your daily life? I hope it won't be so in 2015. Think of these last words of Jesus 9:13 before he went to the cross. In me, you will have peace. I say, Lord, I'm going to live there every single day of this year for the rest of my life. I'm not going to let anything bring unrest into my heart. I don't care what it is. 9:31 It doesn't matter how people behave around you. It's got nothing to do with that. In the world, you'll have not only people disturbing you. Jesus said, in the world, you'll have tribulation. Tribulation is the strongest word 9:42 you can use. And we get disturbed when somebody says something bad about us. That's not tribulation. That's a mosquito bite. Look at the little things that have disturbed you in the past year, 2014. Look back and say, what are the things 9:54 that disturbed you in this last year? That took away your peace and unrest, what your relatives said or what they did not say? I tell you, some believers are such slaves to their relatives. Amazing. That's why Jesus said, 10:10 you can never be my disciple till you hate your father and your mother and your brothers and your sisters and your wife and your children. You don't do that. You're not a disciple. Well, no wonder you have problems. Those who are not disciples 10:23 of Jesus will have tremendous problems. I decided long ago that I will never allow anything that my relatives say or don't say or do or don't do to disturb me. I'm in Christ. Take that position at least this year and don't keep complaining. 10:42 So and so didn't do this. So and so did that. When are you going to finish with that? Are you a member of CFC that preaches the new covenant? Or are you a member of some dead church that's going the route of Babylon? Think about it. 11:02 In the Old Testament they could never say I'm in Christ. One of the great chapters in the Old Testament that a lot of people love to read is Psalm 91. I want to show you Psalm 91. I read it. It's good. But when I read it 11:20 I say to myself this is how old covenant people lived. I can have that and I can have more. So I'm not saying you shouldn't read the Old Testament promises but when you read the Old Testament promises say I can have that 11:39 and I can have more because I'm in Christ. Because Psalm 91 is not written for people who are in Christ. Psalm 91 is for people who dwell in the shelter of the Most High. That means they're not in the Most High. The Most High 11:56 is sort of sheltering them. It's like a father saying okay I'll look after you. And they're in the shadow of the Almighty. The Almighty is here and they're in their shadow. I'm not in the shadow. I'm in the Almighty. You see the difference? 12:10 Have you ever noticed that when you read Psalm 91 you thought Psalm 91 is so great. I'm in the shadow of the Almighty. It's like these people who say I come to the foot of the cross. I never want to be at the foot of the cross. 12:20 At the foot of the cross are the Pharisees. You want to be there? I don't want to be there. I say I want to be on the cross. Not at the cross but on the cross. On the cross I'm victorious. At the foot of the cross you'll be defeated 12:34 all your life. You can live in the shadow of the Almighty and you can sin like Old Testament people. I'm just showing you Scripture. It's good. That's all they could have. But Jesus said now you're going to be in me. On the day of Pentecost 12:51 something happened that brought me into Christ and Christ into me. I never think of myself now apart from that. So I want to encourage you to think of this my brothers and sisters that in Christ you can have joy. In Christ 13:07 you can have victory. Let me show you this verse also in Ephesians in chapter 1. Ephesians 1 in verse 3. Ephesians 1 verse 3. This is new covenant. Not the God and Father not the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. We've finished 13:26 with all that. Remember it's Paul writing this. For years for 30 years Paul called God the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob but you know sometimes we develop a habit that we can't get rid of. Like people who are brought up 13:43 in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches even years after they are born again when they finish their prayer they do the sign of the cross. I'm not against it. But I say Jesus never taught me to do it. What I'm saying 13:55 is a habit of praying never goes away from us. and Paul had a habit of praying God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob for 30 years but he got rid of it when he was filled with the Holy Spirit and he said blessed be the God and Father 14:10 of our Lord Jesus Christ. Never for 30 years he thought of God as Jehovah. We still sing some songs to Jehovah. A lot of Christians do and they don't even see the inconsistency of it. Paul called him 14:31 Father. Jesus said when you pray when you sing call him Father. I call him Father. That's why my life is secure. You won't be secure knowing Jehovah. You'll be secure when you know that Jehovah is your Father. Blessed be the God 14:50 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us even the previous verse he says grace to you from God and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this God has blessed us now read carefully very very carefully 15:08 with every spiritual blessing that means every blessing of the Holy Spirit which is love joy peace okay love joy peace every blessing of the Holy Spirit is mine where? In Christ there's that expression 15:30 again in the heavenly places in Christ that means because Jesus is in heaven God has placed me in my spirit in Christ in heaven even though I live on this earth this is an amazing truth and that's why the atmosphere of heaven 15:48 can be found in my spirit even though my body is suffering in the world the Christian lives in his spirit in heaven and his body on this earth this is the true Christian life that there can be turmoil and storms around him 16:07 all the time but in his spirit he is in Christ and Christ is in the heavenly places Christ in me is good it's a truth but I can still think hey I'm here on this earth and Christ is in me but when I think that I am in Christ 16:24 where is he? he's not on earth he's at the right hand of the Father and when I am in Christ I'm accepted by God and when I came when it says pray in the name of Jesus this is what it means that I pray recognizing my position 16:45 in Christ I mean these are truths that we should have known the day we were born again I wish I had known these truths the day I was born again that would have made my life so wonderful right from that day but it took me many 17:01 many years to discover it you know the Bible says if you seek me with all your heart you will find me I wanted to seek God with all my heart and I discovered so many things that other Christians could not teach me I want to tell you 17:20 you don't have to learn it from me you seek God with all your heart you'll find it yourself but be diligent to read the scriptures because it's only here it's the only book God's given us in the world where we can know his truth 17:31 so this is something very important turn back to John 16 the last words that Jesus spoke the last words Jesus spoke before he went to the cross in me you will have peace and that's why I've spoken these words to you I have spoken 17:49 these words to you so that in me you may have peace and that's why I read the words of Jesus that's why I study the words of Jesus in the gospels and then more than what Jesus said if you turn to John 16 he also said in verse 12 18:11 this is important to know this John 16 12 I have many more things to say to you remember he's coming to the end of what he's saying to the disciples he's already spoken to them John 14 John 15 and John 16 towards the end 18:26 he says actually there are many many more things I want to say to you for example concerning building the body of Christ concerning the meaning of grace the difference between mercy and grace concerning how the church is built 18:45 on the foundations of the apostles and the prophets concerning the different gifts with which the body of Christ will be built etc etc many many things Jesus never spoke in the gospels at all but when the Holy Spirit the truth 19:02 has come he will guide you he's telling his apostles he will guide you into all the truth and that time you'll hear from the Holy Spirit what I cannot say to you now because you can't understand it now and after the day 19:21 of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came on his apostles and Paul and others and said what Jesus wanted to say so when I read Paul's epistles I say hey this is Jesus speaking have you ever thought of it like that this is what Jesus wanted 19:37 to tell his disciples when he was on earth but he told them I can't say it to you now because you guys won't understand it it's like trying to teach geometry to a kindergarten student and you have to say geometry is a great subject 19:50 but I'm sorry you can't understand geometry yet you have to be content with ABC and edition and things like that but there is a thing called geometry or algebra you'll understand it a little later when you grow up a little 20:04 and that's what Jesus was saying to these apostles a day will come when you will understand and remember it's me speaking only thing it'll be me Jesus saying it's me speaking through Paul or Peter or John so when I read 20:19 the epistles you know there are some people who say no I don't read the epistles I read only the gospels well you've left out a lot of things that Jesus said then if you don't read the epistles because John 16 12 says those are the things 20:34 he wanted to tell them for example he never told them about what explained to them what it means to be in Christ and Christ in you the hope of glory and many things about the defeat of Satan explaining how we can overcome 20:46 resist the devil and he'll flee from you all that Jesus didn't say it there but he said it through James and Peter and John and Paul so that's why I don't consider the epistles as not the words of Jesus according to John 16 21:03 12 they are the words of Jesus which he could not explain to them but you know how there are many things that Jesus said about the birds and the flowers and all people like to listen to that it's great and then they come 21:17 to things in the epistles and they say oh boy this is difficult to understand that's like saying geometry is more difficult to understand than ABC and 123 I agree but do you want to stop in kindergarten why do you just read the elementary 21:31 things about Christ and we're happy with that we must move on to understand the deeper things that the Bible says just like you want your children to go on you don't want your children to drop out of school after second 21:42 standard say oh well they've learned to read and write they can add that's enough none of you will say that you'd be disappointed if your child dropped out at second standard or fourth standard or sixth standard can you see 21:53 the disappointment God our father has when some of his children drop out after understanding some elementary things in the Bible I'm going to heaven now that's enough he feels as disappointed as you would feel if your child 22:07 said to you after second standard I know how to read and write I know how to add that's enough dad and you say okay fine son I don't want anything more for you none of you will say that you'd be disappointed if he said dad I'm not 22:19 going to school can you imagine how disappointed he would be I want to say to all of you who don't read the Bible carefully God is disappointed with you just like you would be disappointed if your child dropped out of school in 22:33 second standard I'm sorry to say many of you have dropped out of school in second standard spiritually otherwise you'd have had many mature men and women of God here after all these years that they've attended ZFC why is it 22:48 not so are you going to be spoon fed spoon fed spoon fed forever or are you going to learn to feed yourself from scripture I don't mind speaking strongly because I'm seeking your good I'm seeking to deliver you from this 23:05 half-hearted shallow Christianity there is in the world today which is affecting many of us because we mingle with such people not all churches are the same my brothers and sisters no there are churches that are accomplishing 23:24 God's purpose on earth and there are others who accomplish only part of it there are schools that close with second standard and there are other schools that go all the way to college and to PhD not all schools are the same 23:36 there are churches where all you can study is up to second standard and there are churches that go much beyond that to college level so don't forget that we have to be in Christ we must understand that every blessing of the 23:53 Holy Spirit can be mine if I take my place in heavenly places in Christ read that carefully again Ephesians 1 3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with not one or two but every single 24:10 blessing of the Holy Spirit do you want every single blessing of the Holy Spirit is that reserved only for some preachers like me or is it for every child of God is Jesus Christ your Savior is God your father in Jesus Christ 24:25 then God has blessed you already with every blessing of the Holy Spirit but where is it it's not on earth it's not a material blessing two things you need to see there first of all it's a spiritual blessing and secondly 24:45 it's not an earthly blessing it's in the heavenly places if you can understand these two things you'll be delivered from this Babylonian health wealth gospel which has only got to do with earthly things and material things 24:58 not with spiritual blessings in heavenly places what are the things people are interested in heaven right now you think they're interested in money you think they're interested even in healing no they're interested in a lot 25:10 of other things like love joy peace worship praise those are the things they're interested in and if I want the blessings of heaven which are a million times better than the blessings of earth I can have all of them in Christ 25:25 and you say well then how will you take care of our earthly needs and our children all those other things will be added to you I'll tell you that he'll give you health he'll give enough for your material needs I proved that 25:41 for 55 years that God will give me enough health even if I'm a hundred years old to do his will I don't know what his will is but if his will is for me to travel around the world preaching the gospel at the age of a hundred 25:55 I believe with all my heart he'll give me that health but that's not what I seek for I seek for the blessing of the Holy Spirit in heavenly places and he'll give me enough money for my needs without my having to ask a single 26:11 soul on earth for one cent and without my having to beg or hint or borrow from anybody I cannot imagine Jesus going around borrowing money from people saying hey my father let me down can you please help me with some money 26:28 I'll give it back to you in five or ten years can you imagine Jesus saying that I said well if Jesus wouldn't say it I'm not going to say it either I'd rather starve than disgrace my heavenly father and a lot of Christians 26:39 don't think like that they're thinking exactly like the world okay my question is I'm not saying you're sinning I'm saying why do you want to live at that low standard you don't sin if you drop out of school in the second 26:51 standard that's not a sin you can't say if a child dropped out a second standard he sin no he didn't sin but don't you want him to go a little further you can live at a low level in your Christian life and maybe not sin 27:05 but don't you want to go a little further don't you want to get to know Jesus intimately personally like the bride knew the bride room in the song of Solomon I want to know Jesus like that every day of my life every single 27:21 blessing of the Holy Spirit every spiritual blessing can be is mine already it doesn't say he's going to bless you he's already blessed you he's put it to your account but I have to take it but instead of taking that if 27:35 I run after all the earthly blessings like Babylon and Christianity does you may get it look at all the worldly people who fall of other religions they have pursued money and think of how much they have got many of the millionaires 27:50 and billionaires in the world they would never have got all that money unless they pursued it and you can pursue it and you can make a lot of money too there are people who do all types of things in order to improve their 28:00 health go here there and do all types of things and okay fine and it's much better to get it that way than to pursue 28:20 after them and the reason is it says in verse 4 of Ephesians 1 because the father in heaven chose us in Christ again that phrase in Christ before the foundation of the world before Genesis 1 verse 1 that's 28:40 another thing you've got to believe I believe it you heard me make some daring statements because I believe scripture it's not pride when you quote scripture you're not proud that before Genesis 1 way back before the angels 28:55 were created way back in eternity there was the father son and holy spirit and Zach Poonin in the father's mind if you think that's arrogance it's not it's because I believe Ephesians 1 4 which you may not be believing it's 29:12 true for you as well according to your faith be it unto you I believe with all my heart way back in eternity before he created the angels he the father saw me in Christ way down in the 20th century and chose me I 29:32 am a special favorite of God so are you if you can believe scripture and pursue spiritual blessings in heavenly places your life will be so wonderful with earthly blessings just thrown in like a bonus that 29:53 you don't even go running after you pursue after the things of God my brothers and sisters this is the way every single person sitting here is supposed to live because you have heard these truths here not worried about those 30:09 other people who never heard these truths but you heard them don't miss out on this in 2015 a heart filled with love for Jesus Christ where there's no love for the things of the world a heart filled with love for all believers 30:28 even people in other denominations with whom I disagree but I can love them not only them a heart that's filled with love for those who hate me those who call me bad names those who accuse me of being a false teacher and 30:42 heretic I love them that I can bless them love those who are my enemies those who have taken me to the Holy Spirit can you love them can you say with all your heart you can love your mother-in-law no problem 31:03 can you mother-in-law say you love your daughters-in-law why do I say that because mother-in-law daughter-in-law problem is one of the biggest problems in the world in marriage it's impossible without the Holy Spirit but 31:22 it's possible with the Holy Spirit anything that Jesus commanded is possible in the power of the Holy Spirit because it says every single blessing of the Holy Spirit is mine but I want it in heavenly places in Christ and 31:36 I say Lord just give me whatever you think I need on earth enough health to do your will you know when it says give us this day our daily bread I connect it with the previous request do you know what is the previous request 31:52 in the Lord's prayer you remember it you don't repeat the Lord's prayer here like in the anglican churches if we did we know it by heart thy will be done on earth that is in my life as it is done in heaven and in order 32:12 to do your will please give me this day my daily food you see the connection listen I'm not asking God to give me daily food to make money no or to become a great man I'm saying Lord I want to do your will on earth exactly 32:28 as it is done in heaven I heard the 32:48 truth like I always say it's a very dangerous thing to come to this church and listen to the word of God because your responsibility will increase like tremendously if you have no interest in obeying God my advice is don't come to this church 33:00 because your responsibility will increase to whom more is given more is required but it's a good thing to go to a higher class aren't you happy when your children get promoted to higher class aren't you happy when your children say 33:16 I want to go to college dad I want to do a master's degree dad God's also happy when his children say Lord I want to go further think of the way you react to your children wanting to go further say that's how God is delighted 33:32 when you say Lord I want to go further in the Christian life I want to live this type of life the apostles lived this is the type of life that leads to a person to say I can rejoice always I can have a joy unspeakable and full of glory 33:51 I can have a peace that passes all human understanding and I can have a love like Jesus loved me it's wonderful to live this life I want to go further in John 16 see once we come to this solid position 34:13 in Christ it says in John 16 33 in the world you will have tribulation that is also equally true now if you try to think of that without coming to this position of being in Christ and having his peace then you'll be scared of the word tribulation 34:33 you'll be scared of it you'll be scared of the word suffering then okay don't go there that means you're not ready to study geometry yet go back to the kindergarten and learn ABC that means go back to the kindergarten and learn that you're in Christ 34:49 and you can have peace then only go to the next section of having tribulation you can't study geography and science and all before you've learned ABC properly so if you haven't learned that in me you have peace then words like tribulation and suffering 35:03 and all scare you we don't want to hear all that let's always talk about peace and joy and love it's like saying let's always talk about ABC and C.A.T. Cat and B.A.T. Bat you want to spend all your life just talking about that 35:15 let's move on brother as eager as you are for your children to go to college God is eager for you to go to the higher levels of the Christian life and it says in Romans chapter 5 here's a description of some of the higher levels of the Christian life 35:37 Romans chapter 5 there are he says here how he exalts first of all he says in verse 2 35:59 Romans 5 2 we exalt in hope of the glory of God that's great I'm going to heaven when I die but he says I want to move on to college we exalt in tribulation wow have you ever met a Christian who says 36:20 I rejoice I'm going to heaven and I rejoice in tribulations praise the Lord that's a serious Christian but it's in the very next sentence but you see how blind Christians are they don't see it they stop with verse 2 and say that's all 36:41 we don't want to go to verse 3 we have an introduction by faith verse 2 into the grace in which we stand and we exalt in hope of the glory of God full stop full stop full stop full stop full stop I'm sorry that's not how scripture is 36:55 not only this not only a kindergarten class we exalt in our tribulation because tribulation brings about perseverance or patience you know why some of us have never learned to be patient with others why you get so irritated 37:16 and upset because it's only tribulation that works patience and perseverance you want to get to the goal without going the way God has appointed but tribulation works patience and perseverance and perseverance brings a proven character 37:33 I want a proven character I don't want to be a type of character who's one day so spiritual and next week I behave just like the devil himself I don't want that and the reason why some Christians are like that is they've always 37:49 avoided tribulation any difficulty any suffering oh they go this way I rejoice in the hope of the glory of God go further this year my brother and sister go from verse 2 to verse 3 in 2015 and say I'm going to rejoice in tribulation 38:05 because I want a proven character and then I'll finally come through proven character to hope and hope will lead me to the Holy Spirit filling my heart with the love of God it's great that's how we end up I believe that's the mark 38:24 of a spirit filled man verse 5 that his heart is filled with love for Jesus love for his fellow believers love for enemies and everything else because he never hesitated to go through tribulation because Jesus said in the world 38:35 you'll have tribulation turn with me now to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 you know that I've often said this there are two people in the New Testament who said follow me one was Jesus the other was Paul in fact in the whole Bible 38:53 nobody said follow me except Jesus and Paul so I'm not afraid to say I'm a follower of Paul by the way some people are afraid to say that they don't want to say no no no I don't want to be ashamed I don't want to mention 39:08 any human being's name it's only Jesus but some of you who say that you're only following Jesus look at the condition of your life it doesn't look very much like Jesus humble yourself and maybe you should follow some human example 39:21 that you can see before you go to the high level of following only Jesus just humble yourself I'm not ashamed to say I seek to follow Paul and not only follow Paul but others like Paul who follow Jesus and I'll tell you 39:41 why before we go to 2nd Timothy let me show you Philippians 3 this is scripture the Holy Spirit says this is the words of the Holy Spirit Philippians 3 the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in Philippians 3 17 brothers 40:00 follow my example am I wrong in saying I follow Paul's example the Holy Spirit tells me to follow Paul's example I follow it so don't be super spiritual and say no no no I only follow Jesus not like you fellows 40:20 who follow some man okay I'd like to see the quality of your life who claim to be following only Jesus your life should be much better than those who are following Paul and he says not only me but also others like me who are 40:40 walking according to the same pattern so it's not only Paul the Holy Spirit commands me to follow any godly example I see on earth the human example that I see who's following Jesus like Paul and others like him I obey the 41:00 Holy Spirit's command in Philippians 3 17 and I'm not ashamed of it and I tell you as a result of it I will go further spiritually than all these people who say I only follow Jesus it says in scripture Jesus said follow me 41:17 it also says in scripture brethren follow Paul and others like him who are following Jesus Christ so there are things that Paul writes to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3 I want you to see this 2nd Timothy 3 he says in the last 41:36 days difficult times will come and the living Bible says it will be very difficult to be a Christian in the last days why primarily because of two reasons primarily because of compromise among Christians and secondly because of 41:54 persecution in the world two reasons so he deals with both the reason why it will be very difficult to be a Christian in the last days in India is because there will be compromise in Christendom and persecution from anti-Christian 42:11 forces two things so it will be very difficult to be a Christian we might as well face it we don't want to pretend we are in a picnic it's like you join the army and the general comes along and says well fellas we are going 42:25 for a picnic we are going to the borders of Kashmir to have a picnic there no they tell them listen fellas you may not come home you better say goodbye to your family before we go up to Kashmir there are many people who went 42:37 up to fight on the borders of India and Kashmir who never returned home so say goodbye and settle all your matters before you go that's how our soldiers go to battle they go to die and that's what Jesus said come and die 42:52 you follow me take up your cross die and follow me Jesus invitation was to come and die you know that song we sing come and die the master calleth I say come and die the master calleth that's what he's calling 43:12 us for so in the last days it's going to be difficult to be a Christian first of all now he's not talking about worldly people worldly people have always been like this he's talking in verse 5 about people to hold a form of 43:26 godliness but don't have its power in other words he's talking about Christians who speak the right words sing the right songs but don't have that inner power of godliness there is a form of godliness and a power of godliness 43:42 and there are lots of people with a form the right doctrine and words but they don't have the power to live a godly life so he says it's going to be difficult to be a Christian in the last days because you're going to be 43:53 surrounded by Christians who love themselves first of all I say I say Lord then I don't want to be a lover of myself you know there's a false teaching going around in the world today among Christians and some great Bible 44:11 teachers teach this listen to this this is the false teaching if you want to love your neighbor as yourself you must first learn to love yourself isn't that clever only if you love yourself you can love your neighbor absolute 44:32 rubbish the Bible says in Ephesians 5 which man is there who doesn't love himself you don't have to teach anybody to love himself you have to teach a little child to love himself it's already there Jesus says love others 44:49 like that do to others as you want others to do to you so men will be lovers of self that means they're concentrating only on themselves and be lovers of money I say Lord deliver me from being a lover of money this is how 45:05 it's going to be in the form of godliness is going to have people with the outward appearance of being wholehearted Christians but inside they love themselves I say boastful please deliver me from that that I never want 45:25 to boast about myself but anything what Jesus did I don't want to be arrogant you know how you look down on certain people and speak in a rude way to them never be found in me even to a little child like you know when I 45:43 was in Kerala I had to teach the people that don't ever say to anybody and all that type of stuff you know that in Kerala they even tell their wives Eddie I said never call your wife Eddie it's a Malayalam word 46:03 but one brother came to me and said brother that's an expression of love I said then why don't you allow your wife to call you her oh no no no no she must respect me uh-huh what about you respecting her these are the type 46:20 of things where heathen culture has got into so called believers and they explain it so we're saying it's expression of love so don't even talk to your children saying Eddie say mornay mornay that's the way to say it in 46:34 malayalam be gracious don't be arrogant as if somebody is a lower level of society than you we talk about the Hindus having a caste system I tell you I've seen caste system among Christians yes it's not called caste system 46:50 it's a disguised caste system where you look down on people of another community you can't they're not at your level maybe intellectually or somewhere else arrogance a lord deliver me from that revilers that means people 47:06 who speak evil of others speaks later on about malicious gossips disobedient to parents boy don't you see that in our children even in CFC children I know of Christian couple who 47:27 wrote about bringing up children and they said the way we brought up our children was we would tell them a command once son come here that's it if he doesn't come we discipline 47:47 him that we don't have to say it a second time imagine bringing up a child like that from childhood boy those children will learn to be godly because they've learned to obey their parents it's a very good testimony disobedient 48:09 to parents now a lot of people can criticize them saying oh you're going to an extreme okay say they're going to an extreme but just see how your children are going to grow up obedience to parents is the first commandment 48:23 with a promise and the only commandment given to children isn't that good that God didn't give ten commandments to children but only one be obedient to parents and in the last days people are going to be disobedient to parents 48:36 and if CFC is going to be a light in the midst of the world we got to have children who are obedient to their parents and that training is not going to start when they are five or six it's going to start before they become 48:52 one and if our children have grown up beyond the age of one you better hurry up because it's very difficult to correct wrong tendencies like a plant it's growing crooked you better straighten it up quickly with some ropes 49:11 and wires and otherwise it'll grow crooked straighten it up now so that it'll grow up straight this is former but these people who have children who are wildly disobedient oh they'll speak spiritual language oh new covenant 49:27 victory over sin and all that but are you teaching your children to be obedient ungrateful that's another mark of form of godliness but no sense of gratitude that's why I've often said in this church be thankful be thankful 49:47 for your parents be thankful for your elders be thankful for those who serve you it says Jesus said that if somebody gives a cup of cold water he won't lose a reward and I've learned to remember that if people have done 50:01 something for me I remember that as long as possible and I thank them the other day when I met some of the teachers in Clarence school who taught my children I went and thanked them they taught my children 20-30 years ago 50:16 I said thank you very much for teaching my children I won't forget it I've learned from Jesus to be thankful for even a cup of cold water even years later you know imagine somebody Jesus said you won't lose your reward imagine 50:30 2000 years later at the judgment seat Christ says to some person hey I remember 2000 years ago you gave a cup of water to my servant the apostle Peter I want to thank you for it 2000 years later thanking somebody for giving 50:45 a cup of cold water to apostle Peter I say Lord Jesus you're my example many people who say I only follow Jesus I won't follow any man don't you learn these things well learn to be thankful it's a very very important habit 51:02 learn to write little notes of thank you on a scrap of paper you don't have to buy expensive thank you cards no ordinary scrap of paper thank you very much for mommy daddy or somebody else it's a very very good habit at least 51:16 once a year on their birthdays all of you should learn to write a thank you note to your parents even if they are 90 years old it'll make their day and tell them you learned it in CFC they'll be drawn to the Lord yeah we don't 51:37 want people to glory CFC but if CFC is teaching people to follow the Lord let them come here that's all I say and malicious gossips I don't have the time to go to the whole thing but malicious gossips those are people who 51:51 you know keep on speaking evil of others get some delight in saying something bad about other people instead of something good and with some malice if I can tear that person down I'm a bit jealous of him so let me just tear 52:10 him down a bit get rid of that my brothers there'll be people with a form of godliness who talk about spiritual language and new covenant and all and they'll be speaking all this thing that's why it's going to be difficult 52:20 to be a Christian it's going to be difficult to be a Christian because in the last days they'll be talking about the new covenant but they're also gossiping at the same time and you're in the midst of such people you'll 52:29 find it very difficult to be a Christian because that will infect you you get the chicken pox from somebody else because you get too close to them stay clear remain in Christ and say okay let them go that way I can't I decided 52:45 long ago I can't change everybody in CFC I can preach the word but I'm not going to let their way of life influence me you can all backslide I will not backslide I have seen my savior I know what he did for me on the cross 53:03 he was willing to be forsaken by the father for my sin and I'll never forget that that's why I love him he paid the ultimate price to save me from hell so I want to follow him I can only show you the 53:23 way lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God I never want to see one dirty picture on my computer never I never want to go to a link which may be suspicious no I don want to go there if I 53:46 looking at a magazine it's a dirty picture I want to turn the page I don't want to see any movie which has got scenes that are dirty nakedness improperly dressed women yeah yeah yeah 54:06 there's a pleasure in it for worldly people I don't want to be a lover of pleasure because it says there's a contrast lover of pleasure or lover of God you're choosing and in that moment like Eve stood there tree of knowledge 54:21 of good and evil or tree of life okay tree of knowledge of good and evil and in that moment when you're tempted pleasure or God you say pleasure do you know that's what some of you are choosing are you going to keep choosing 54:35 that in 2015 remember that next time you see something questionable in a magazine or a book or a television or on the computer remember think of Eve standing between two trees which shall I choose and you're standing there 54:51 between pleasure and God and you're choosing something and you keep choosing it you will end up there one day but you can talk about new covenant and you can come here every Sunday and sing wonderful songs it's very going 55:03 to be very difficult to be a Christian because of this and he says there'll be people like Janus and Jambres verse that that means these magicians verse 8 who opposed Moses Moses was the man who did genuine miracles Janus 55:21 and Jambres also produced frogs and turned their rods into snakes no they turned their rods into snakes and produced blood as well from water made magic and there are a lot of Christian so-called healers who are like magicians 55:37 to me they're just like Janus and Jambres there are people like Moses they are rare genuine men of God who do miracles like Paul but most of them are like Janus and Jambres today the so-called healers fooling millions of 55:53 Christians most of these so-called healers on television and there'll be men like Janus and Jambres in the last days who oppose the truth fool people with their magic shows can only warn you but they will not make any further 56:08 progress one day their folly will be evident to everybody but he tells Timothy but you who did you follow my teaching I say hey Paul isn't that arrogant for you to say you followed my can't you tell Timothy to follow Jesus 56:26 the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to say to Timothy you followed my teaching you followed my manner of life the message Bible says my way of life you watched my way of life yeah 56:48 the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to say that you followed you saw my faith you saw my patience you saw my love my perseverance my persecutions my sufferings yeah we should be like that you should be able to tell 57:08 your children follow me follow the way I lived I taught you something look at the way I live look at my manner of life see how I spoke to you see how I was patient with you when you did something wrong when you messed up 57:25 something see how I didn't get so upset with you and get flare up I was patient with you and I told you don't worry my brother the only thing serious is sin everything else is unimportant you heard me say that many times 57:41 follow my example Paul said and he says I went through many persecutions out of them all the Lord rescued me the Lord stood with me like Jesus told their disciples in John 16 32 the verse before the one we read all of you 58:01 will leave me today but my father will be with me I believe that's the thing that we need to remember in a time of persecution people may leave me but Jesus will be with me and that's the only thing that matters the Lord 58:14 will be with me I want to move on to chapter four where Paul says when he was taken to court Paul was taken to court and he says in verse 16 that my first defense no one supported me just like everybody deserted Jesus in 58:34 the garden of Gethsemane all deserted me but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished and that all the Gentiles might hear and I was rescued out of the lion's 58:53 mouth what does that mean Christians were being thrown to the lions in those days when they said Jesus Christ is Lord I want to show you a picture of that can you put that on the screen please let me know when it's up this 59:11 is what the Christians faced in the days of the Roman Empire is it up there can you see it all of you so what do you see there you see a godly man who's leading a group of believers kneeling down 59:32 and praying the other Christians and if you look around that amphitheater you see a number of Christians crucified on crosses as well and the lions and tigers you can see them being let out of their cages to eat up these Christians 59:51 and the Christians also just deny Jesus and you can come out of there and they say no Jesus Christ is our Lord look at those young children women men these are the brothers and sisters you will see when you go to heaven 1:00:10 one day and they will tell you of their experience Paul said he delivered me out of the lion's mouth but later on he was beheaded and we may also face maybe not lions in India but other 1:00:30 forms of persecution be ready for it be bold to stand for Jesus I remember some time ago in UP one of the towns of UP many years ago I think it was about 20 25 years ago there were 1:00:52 a number of non Christian people standing on the roads and asking you to proclaim the name of their heathen God and to say Jai or victory for that heathen God's name and if you didn't do it they deflate your tires car scooter 1:01:04 whatever it is now deflating a tire of his car scooter is not as bad as being thrown to the lions but what would you do if somebody said that on the roads unless you say Jai to the name of our God we'll deflate your tires 1:01:16 then you had to push the scooter or car after that a lot of inconvenience what would you do we got to prepare ourselves for days coming when it's not going to be easy to be a Christian the early Christians lived like that 1:01:33 Paul said I went through many persecutions one last verse okay you can turn that off in Matthew's gospel in chapter 24 when Jesus said when they asked him what's going to be true 1:01:53 in the last days there will be rumors of wars everything else he said and then he said in verse 9 what is the sign of your coming Matthew 24 verse 9 they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you and you will be 1:02:11 hated in India because of my name it's there all nations includes India let's apply to ourselves you'll be hated in this country because you take my name the name of Jesus and at that time many will fall away 1:02:32 oh this is too much I can't afford to pay this price and they'll betray one another it's not me that guy that's the guy who is following Jesus not me betray one another and that's the preacher who taught people to follow 1:02:46 Jesus and hate one another and many false prophets will arise mislead many and then many people's love will grow cold they'll hate one another and they won't love Jesus either but if you endure in love to Jesus and to one 1:03:06 another till the end you will be saved gospel of the kingdom and we saw last at the last meeting what the kingdom is righteousness peace and joy in the holy spirit romans 14 17 there are not many churches preaching that 1:03:23 the kingdom of god is righteousness peace and joy in the holy spirit this gospel where you can come to a life of righteousness and peace and joy in the power of the holy spirit will be preached in the whole world praise 1:03:40 the lord there are a few preaching it today despite the persecution brothers and sisters what shall we say oh how sad praise the lord what an honor what a privilege to be able to suffer for the name of jesus christ let's 1:04:01 pray heavenly father while our heads about in prayer we want to honor you and we ask you to give us that grace we know that you will never allow us to be tempted beyond 1:04:21 our strength not a hair of our heads can be touched without your permission because you're sovereign god and you have placed us in christ and even jesus could never suffer until his hour had come and it'll be the same for us 1:04:35 only when the hour comes you will permit even the hair on our head to be touched we know that lord because we have more value to you than many sparrows we are your children who were chosen before the foundation of the earth 1:04:47 help us to live in the heavenly places in christ and to claim every spiritual blessing that's ours everyone here lord we don't want just the majority here to experience this we want every single person here man woman child to 1:05:03 experience this and to be witnesses for you in the coming generation whatever the price we have to pay give us grace for it when the time comes we pray in jesus name amen it shall be so
