2:35 commit this time to our Lord. Heavenly Father, thank you for this day Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you for this gathering Lord Jesus. Yes Lord we come here today Lord. Speak to our hearts Lord. Speak to us Lord Jesus. Thank you 2:47 Lord. Help us Lord to sing for you and for your glory. In Jesus name we pray and ask. Father. Amen. Amen. Let's all stand up and sing. And please occupy the empty chairs that are there in front of you. Check. Four, five, 3:07 six. Sing of a song. A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord. A 3:24 wonderful savior to me. He hideed my soul in the cliff of the rock where God's mighty power I see. Behind my soul in the cliff of the rock 3:49 that shadows the dry thirsty land. He hide my life in the depths of his love and covers me there with his hand. 4:08 and covers me there in his hand. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord. He taketh my burden away. He holdeth me up and I shall not 4:32 be moved. He gave me strength day by day. He hide my soul in the cloud of the 4:45 rock that shadows a dry thirsty land. He hide my life in the depths of his love and covers me there with his hand. And covers me there with his hand. 5:12 with marvelous blessings each [Music] morning and filled with his fullness divine. I sing in my 5:27 rapture glory to come for such a redeemer as mine. [Music] Behind my soul in the cl of the rock 5:44 that shadows the dry thirsty land. He hide my life in the depths of his love and cover me there with his hand. and covers me there with his 6:09 hand. When clothed in his brightness transfer, I rise to meet him in clouds of the sky. His perfect salvation, his 6:27 wonderful love. I shout with the millions of night. He hide in my soul in the cliffs of the rock that shadows a dry thirsty 6:46 land. He hide my life in the depths of wisdom and covers me there with his 7:01 hand and covers me with his hand. Please be seated brothers and sisters. [Music] Let's clap and 7:19 sing. My lips shall praise you. My great redeemer. My heart will [Music] worship. All mighty savior. Let's sing that again. My lips shall praise 7:38 you. My great redeemer. My heart will worship almighty savior. You take all my guilt away. Turn the darkest night to brightest day. You 7:57 are the restorer, oh my soul. My lips shall praise you, my great redeemer. My heart will worship Almighty 8:17 Savior. Love that conquers every fear. In the midst of trouble, you draw near. You are the restorer of my soul. My lips shall praise you. My great 8:37 redeemer. My heart will worship almighty savior. You're the source of happiness bringing peace when I am in 8:53 distress. You are the restorer of my soul. Your voices. My lips shall praise you. My great redeemer. My heart will 9:11 worship almighty savior. My lips shall praise you. My great redeemer. My heart will worship. Almighty 9:29 savior. Almighty savior. Almighty [Music] Savior. Great and mighty is the Lord our 10:00 God. Great and mighty is he. Great and mighty is the Lord our God. Great and mighty is he. Lift your battle at the anthems ring. Praises to our 10:19 king. Great and mighty is the Lord our God. Great and mighty is he. Great and mighty is the Lord our God. Great and mighty is he. Great and mighty is the Lord our 10:37 God. Great and mighty is he. Lift your battle and let the anthems ring. Praises to our King. Great and mighty is the Lord our God. Great and mighty is 10:55 he. Great and mighty is the Lord our God. Great and mighty is he. Hallelujah. 11:14 Salvation and glory. Honor and power belong to our God. Hallelujah. Salvation and 11:31 glory. Honor and power belong to our God. Praise the Lord. Be servants of the Lord. You fear his name. Lift him up. 11:51 Both the small and the great. Praise the Lord. Ye servants of the Lord. You fear his name. Lift him up. Both the small and the 12:10 great. Praise the [Music] Lord. Sing the next song. Behold a God seated on his throne. Let's adore 12:26 [Music] him. Who has held the oions in his 12:45 hand? Who has numbered every grain of sand? Kings and nations tremble at his voice. All 13:02 creation rises to rejoice. Behold our God seated on his throne. Come let us 13:19 adore him. Behold our king. Nothing can compare. Come let us adore him. 13:37 [Music] Who has given counel to the 13:56 Lord? Who can question any of his words? Who can teach the one who knows all things? Who can 14:14 f all his wondrous deeds before our God seated on his throne. Come let us adore 14:33 him. Behold our king. Nothing can compare. Come let us adore 14:49 [Music] him. Who 15:04 has the nails upon his hands? bearing all the guilt of sinful man. God, humble to the 15:23 grave. Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign. [Music] Behold our God seated on his 15:41 throne. Come let us adore him. Behold our king. Nothing can compare. Come let us adore him. 16:08 You will reign forever. You will rain forever. You will rain forever. You will reign 16:35 forever. Behold our God seated on his throne. Come, let us adore him. Behold 16:53 our king. Nothing can compare. Come let us adore him. [Music] [Music] 17:29 What gift of praise is Jesus my redeemer and by his power I all I need to live. He is my joy, my righteousness, my 17:48 freom, my steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace. To this I hold. My hope is only 18:02 Jesus. For my life is only found to end. Oh, how strange and divine. I can sing. All is kind yet not. But through 18:20 Christ in [Music] me. The night is dark, but I am not 18:38 forsen. For by my side, the Savior He will say I labor on in weakness and 18:53 rejoicing. For in my need, his power is display. To this I hope my sheer will defend me through the 19:10 deepest valley he will leave. Oh the night has been one and I shall overcome yet not I but through Christ in me. [Music] 19:38 No faith I dread. I know I am forgiven. The future sure the price it has been paid. For Jesus fled and suffered for my 19:57 pardon and he was raised to overthrow the grave. To this I hope my sin has been defeated. Jesus 20:14 now is my plea. Though the chains are released, I can say I am free and not but through Christ in me. [Music] 20:37 With every breath I long to follow Jesus for he has said that he will bring me home. And day by day I know he will renew 20:56 me until I stand with joy before the throne. To this I hope. My hope is only Jesus. All the 21:12 glory ever more to him. When the race is complete, still my lip shall remain yet not I but through Christ in me. When the race is complete. 21:31 When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat. Yet not I, but through Christ in me. Yet not I, but through Christ in me. Let's all stand and sing our last 21:56 song. Oh Lord, you're beautiful. Your face is all we [Music] see. 22:16 Oh, you're beautiful. Your face is all I see. And 22:34 make your eyes the wrong shine. Your grace above to me. Oh, he's like a 22:59 father that once burn bright and pure. Replace the lamb of my first 23:17 love that burns with holy fear. [Music] As we remain standing, shall we bow our 23:57 heads in prayer? We have 24:24 a great and mighty God in our midst. As we just sang this morning, he holds the oceans in his hands. 24:39 He has numbered every grain of sand. Kings and nations tremble at his voice. All creation arises to rejoice. Who has given counsel to the 25:01 Lord? Who can question any of his words? Who can teach the one who knows all things? Who can fathom all his wondrous deeds? who has felt the nails upon his 25:22 hands, bearing all the guilt of sinful man, God eternal, humbled to the grave, Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign. Behold our 25:42 God seated on his throne. Come, let us adore him. Behold our king. Nothing can compare. 26:00 Come, let us adore him. Psalm 4:47 says, "Oh, clap your hands 26:23 all peoples. Shout to God with a voice of joy, for the Lord most high is to be feared. A great king over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us and nations under our 26:42 feet. He chooses our inheritance for us. The glory of Jacob whom he loves. God has ascended with a shout. The Lord with a trump of a sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God. Sing 27:02 praises. Sing praises to our king. Sing praises for God is the king of all the earth. Sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations. He sits on his holy 27:19 throne. The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. The shields of the 27:38 earth belong to our God. He is highly exalted. Our father in heaven, we thank 27:58 you and praise you this morning that you have enabled us to come together in your presence around your word by your spirit. We want to thank you and praise you with all of our heart for great and mighty things that you have done for 28:16 us and thank you for choosing us Lord from this corrupt sin laden world Lord Jesus. Thank you for snatching us from the hands of Satan from the brink of 28:34 death and destruction. Father, we thank you for having had mercy upon us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We want to bow down before your throne in our spirit with all the angelic 28:51 hosts and bow down and worship your majesty. The one who sits on the throne, who is always there, who said, "I am that I 29:08 am." Lord, we come before you with fear and trembling, worshiping you in your holiness, in your splendor, in your glory, in your majesty. Lord Jesus, we pray this morning that you will take 29:26 your rightful place in our midst, that you'll be honored and glorified and exalted in our midst. Dear brothers and sisters, take this opportunity to express your heartfelt thanks, praise, and adoration to the 29:43 Lord. That's due to you, due to him. Bless you, heavenly father. Thank you that you are worthy of all praise. You're the great king of all the kings and lord of all the lords. You have subdued every nation under your 30:02 feet. And one day you will rule every nation with the rod of iron. You will subdue everyone, Lord Jesus. You will be exalted. Your throne will be lifted up and exalted over every other throne and you will be reigning as 30:22 king of kings and lord of lords. The whole world will know that you are the creator of the whole universe. We bow down before you. We worship you. We exalt you. We acknowledge your lordship and kingship. And Lord, we come with 30:41 expectancy this morning that you will meet our need. You will speak to us according to our need. That you will unfold your word. You will anoint your servants. That you will fill us with your Holy Spirit. That you will give us the word that each one of us 31:00 needs. And Lord, we also pray for the meetings in Hubli that you'll be with our brothers John and Ranjit as they have gone. We pray that you'll help them, fill them with the Holy Spirit, anoint and bless the meetings there and 31:15 encourage and strengthen the church there. And we pray that you'll be with all your children whoever wherever they have gathered. Lord, we pray that you will bless them with the blessing of the Lord that makes them spiritually rich 31:31 and adds no sorrow to it. that you will enable them to live this life as you want us to live for the glory and honor of your name. For we ask in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Amen. Please take your 31:51 seats. We will look at our memory verses. Last week we had a command from Matthew 4:10. Matthew 4:10, you shall worship the Lord your 32:08 God and serve him only. Matthew 4:10. And today we have a promise from Matthew 3:11. He will baptize 32:25 you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Holy. We'll say that again. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11. This morning we are happy to have 32:46 Danish with us. Bring God's word and let's be receptive to receive God's word as we listen. Danish b to you. Good morning dear brothers and 33:20 sisters. It's a great privilege that God gives us opportunity to come together and to listen to God's word and to have a fellowship with one another and uh it's a great joy when we come together and uh 33:38 but I was remembering what Jesus told our joy should not be depend on what we do for the Lord but primarily on what he has done that our names are recorded in heaven and I believe uh all of us seek for that assurance and we have that assurance I 33:57 believe many of us that my name is recorded in heaven no matter what happens on this earth may go through some difficulties or struggles but ultimately I don't belong to this this world and this is not my home we have a 34:11 eternal home there is a place Jesus prepared for each one of us and that's where ultimately we will all want to go and uh I'd like to share a few things in my But one of the uh maybe some of the greatest battles in my own life is u 34:28 about discouragement and condemnation. And uh as I try to overcome these things, I realize um many times and the impact of these temptation happens to us not because of the lack of 34:46 uh doctrine or not because of uh lack of uh understanding of God's word but often the lack of uh seeing God's heart, how God's heart is like and how to have that personal knowledge. This is my father. He loves me. He's not the one who calls 35:06 me for a while and leave me halfway like how Israelites thought. They thought they were taken out of Egypt and they're going to be buried in the midway. But they didn't trust God's plan. But we should not be like that. We must learn 35:22 to trust the Lord with all our heart. No matter what he feels or what he the devil uh speaks to in in our ears. So we'd like to turn to few verses from John 10. John 10 verse 10. The thief comes 35:48 only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that Jesus came to give us life, not just to have life, 36:07 abundant life. And verse 14, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own knows me. Know me even as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my 36:25 life for the sheep. He's a good shepherd. He lays his He laid his down life for his sheep. And verse 27, John 10 27, my sheep hear my voice 36:42 and I know them and they follow me and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is 37:00 able to snatch them out of father's hand. I and the father are one. I sometimes I heard this expression that God gives and forgives but man man gets and forgets. So we see a picture where the thief he 37:19 comes to steal and destroy to take away the joy the peace and all that which we receive from the Lord. But Jesus came to replace and he came to give that abundant life. The life which can overcome the life which has a potential 37:38 to grow and overcome all our human limitation. all the powers and all the darkness of hell can be overcome by the power of God's life. And uh I thought of like this and God points me some very 37:55 good picture and uh or some place where I can go but uh he won't give me the grace he won't give me the ability to go to that place so that I can look at this side and I can always think oh what a wonderful life wonderful place but I 38:12 it's uh it's pathetic if the devil we is succeeded to put that kind of thought into our heart that others can you know some others can follow the Lord but not you how much you failed you dishonored the name of the Lord no it is 38:28 unthinkable I always encouraged by the uh testimony of brother Zach being filled with the Holy Spirit uh the brother who led him to that told him like it is unthinkable that God can call you to serve you and serve the Lord and 38:45 do not give the power of the Holy Spirit so it is unthinkable brothers and sisters that God can call each one of us to a new covenant life and hear the words of uh hear about discipleship and then he won't give us the power to be a 39:01 disciples. So we believe that god gives the desire to do his will but he also give us the ability to do our will. Nothing is difficult with the Lord and uh he can do all things to work together for good for his glory. And uh we were 39:20 singing singing singing even this morning the song to this I hold my shepherd will defend me through the deepest valley he will lead me. I hope we have that assurance not only when singing the song but when we actually walk through the valley and uh that is 39:39 the time the testing the real testing comes. Think of Jesus experience. He was uh baptized with the Holy Spirit and uh he heard at the time of his water baptism, he could see the heavens being opened and a voice came from heaven. 39:57 This is my beloved son and then and the Holy Spirit came upon him and rested him. What a wonderful experience. But where did the Holy Spirit lead him after that to the wilderness for 40 days to be tested? There is no open heaven. There 40:13 is no voice coming out of heaven. All that he has to go through is testing and lie of the devil. You know the the word he heard from heaven is that this is my beloved son. And the devil tested him. Are you the son of God? If you are the 40:28 son of God. But did Jesus look back to his experience? He said no. I had an experience two days back. No. He had the courage. He trusted in God's word. It is also written his uh faith was not dependent on the past experience but it 40:42 was on the Lord. Yes, we should find our strength. When I look back the way the Lord led me, it should give us great courage. Uh but our faith should be present. It should rest upon God's word and his promises. So in John 17:3 it says this is eternal 41:01 life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God. Knowing is an expression. Most of us know, you know 41:21 from your Bible that knowing is a great uh expression which is used in the Bible to show an intimate relationship. When the angel came to Mary and gave the promise that you shall be with a child, she asked how can it be 41:39 because I never knew a man. That know knowing man is showing that intimate relationship and the eternal life is knowing God. It's not knowing about God. It's not about knowing truths about God. It's having that personal knowledge and 41:58 that personal experience and relationship with him and that is eternal life. And uh whom the God whom God wants to give the eternal life. We can turn to Jeremiah chapter 31. Turn to Jeremiah chapter 31. 42:16 Jeremiah prophesied 600 years before Christ about the new covenant and the the Lord's coming. And uh the same was quoted in Hebrews chapter 8. But we can turn to Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31 onwards. Behold the days are 42:41 coming declares the Lord when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not like the covenant which I made with their fathers. Coming to verse uh 33. But this is the covenant which I 42:58 will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law within them, and on their heart I will write it. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will not teach again each man his 43:14 neighbor and each man his brother, saying, "Know the Lord. For they will all know me. From the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin, I will remember no more." 43:33 It says the least of us, the least of us can know God because God wants to reveal himself to the least of us. He didn't mention from the great to the least. He mentioned the least to the great. Brothers and sisters, I hope you 43:52 will see that very clearly that when you come to the church, I don't know how you feel. Maybe you never open your mouth but come with doubt and insecurity and fear but remember the Lord cares for you. I I remember I coming to the church 44:11 in the initial years and um I went to brother Ian for some practical help and uh I wanted him to pray but what he did he asked me the details of everything and he came with me and it was some business which involves some money so he 44:29 made sure that uh I you know I was able to come through that peacefully without any trouble. So there is a principle it says someone asks you to go one mile walk with him two miles that is the teaching of Jesus in the new covenant and uh it's 44:47 not that to put a you know law for us but to be led by the spirit if someone helpless come to us we have a heart we the lord leads us to help that god cares each one of us brothers and sisters I've seen that in brother Zach and brother 45:04 Ian I I'm surely I is blessed by the ministry of the life ministry of the brothers here but more than that it is the life which challenges me when I see them close it is the life it is the life the way they love the church and the 45:19 care for each the least of these members so I want to have that same passionate because I see that is God's heart God's care for the least of us and then you know the same promise in Ezekiel if you turn to Ezekiel chapter 36 45:40 6 Ezekiel 36 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will remove heart of stone from 45:59 your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinance. And this is what happens when we know the Lord. When we are born 46:15 again, his kindness leads us to repentance. He gives us new life, new hope, new desires, new direction. And then but it's quite possible that we can walk through this way and slowly our heart can get 46:32 hardened sometimes. It happens to with us but do you think the Lord will give us up in the state of that hardness? I believe God want to come to us every day with expectation even when we meet together. It's not God's will 46:50 that we come with a lot of fear and self- condemnation. But to come with that faith, Lord, you will speak to me. Think of Samuel. How many times God called him in that single night? Four times he called. First time, second time, third time. Four times God 47:09 called him. I don't know how many times previous nights God called him. But I know he will call us till we respond. And uh I believe till our last breath we have hope. So he is not going to give up. There is one verse in Ephesians 47:25 chapter 1 verse 18. Ephesians chapter 1 18. Paul is encouraging them writing them. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be 47:44 enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe. I don't feel that there is a 48:04 great power over my life and God is protecting with his mighty hand. God is sitting in the throne, sitting on a throne and he's controlling everything. I don't feel that way but I believe it. It's true because God has given us in 48:20 its word that he cares for the church. He is like the mountain surround Jerusalem. God surround his people. So this is those who are sincere, those who come through the gate, who came with the repentance and faith, there is great 48:38 protection, there is great care. It is the for the sheep who hears God's voice and those who seek to obey him and those who seek to follow him and for them there is security there is protection and we're thinking about eternal life 48:53 and and I don't want you to uh my desire is not to define eternal life but to see that this life is available for us to the least for us least of us and uh this can transform us. I would like to turn to the story of Luke 15, the prodigal 49:10 son story. Most of us know the story. I'd like to little elaborate on the story. Luke 15:17. When he came to his 49:28 senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread? But I am dying here with hunger. I will get up and go to my father and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your 49:48 sight, I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired men." So he got up and came to his father. So he was at his lowest point or rock bottom and but there his eyes were opened. He got his first 50:08 revelation and then he went up to the father. Now there is something which you need to pay attention here brothers and sisters. There is he came to his senses and he was convicted. He's a sinner and he's convicted. His father is 50:26 a good father and he made a decision. I will get up and go to my father and I will say to him, father, I've sinned against heaven. He've taken a decision. He'll get up and confess. And verse 20, it says he he got up and came to his 50:42 father. So up to verse 19, I think the devil may agree with you. Sometimes he will allow you to be convicted. He will allow you to be feel that you are a sinner. He will allow you to think that your father is good. But the moment you 51:02 decide to get up and walk towards the father's house there you will experience the whole hell is against you and uh you will see a lot of reasoning coming into your heart and uh you know I there is this little expression in u incident in the 51:19 pilgrim's progress uh book the pilgrim met a evangelist and evangelist shows him the path and uh tells him that you need to repent in faith and he points uh the pilgrim to the wicked gate and he tells him you have to run and you have 51:38 to go there and as the pilgrim decide to run his wife and children coming out and crying to return return then he's closing his ears and running towards the gate crying life eternal 51:56 life life eternal life So as we decide to get up and walk to the father, as we decide to get up and go to God and a lot of condemnation and guilt as we heard from brother Suresh, the the pull pulling back 52:15 emotional attachments from the desire of our relatives can come but we must not take heed to these things. We must run for eternal life. And uh what was he expecting when the son 52:35 going back to his house? He was not expecting a place there. He was willing to do any job. He said, "Father, I am not worthy to call be called a son, but I'm willing to do any job. Give me little 52:53 food. Something like he's telling his father, "Cut my name from the ration god. I'll I'll do any work. I'll do the cleaning job, but give me a little food." It's wonderful when our need can grow above our 53:09 pride. Many times what hinders us from receiving the blessing from our Lord? It's not that we don't have a need but our pride is greater but the Lord can bring us to a place where need can grow above our 53:25 pride then we will not be like uh the story of Martha we know his her brother was in the tomb and he was ashamed and when Jesus said remove the tomb she was what people think about me I don't care what others think about me 53:44 Lord but I want to receive the help and I believe God can bring us brothers and sisters and that's our deliverance and and he came up to his father you know the story and and he had a first revelation of the father and second he comes to his home and 54:02 then he saw his father running to embrace him. He's not even the father is not even allowing him to completely confess his sin and asking his uh slaves to put the best robe and bring the ring and sandal for this son who has come 54:21 back home. Psalm 51:7 it says the sacrifice of God are a broken and contrite spirit. The sacrifice of the Lord are a broken and contrite spirit. Brothers and sisters, this should not depart from our heart. This picture, the prodigal son 54:38 coming back and father is running to embrace him. I don't want to lose that picture even when I'm old. And uh as he gets home, this is the surprise he get. He get a second revelation of God's heart that the father loves me. He's not 54:55 going to give up on me like that. So it's wonderful. But what about his uh elder brother? What is the condition of his elder brother? Now I would like to read from verse 25. Now his older son was in the field and when he came and approached the 55:14 house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring him what these things could be. And he said to him, "Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he 55:30 received him back safe and sound." But he became angry and he was not willing to go. You know if I can little bit of elaborate on that the older son coming back from the field with the hard work sweating and 55:49 thinking in his heart oh father must have been very happy to have me. I'm always here to help him. It would have been very difficult for father without me. I do a great job. And then he come home 56:05 and he see the sound something happening in his house singing and a spirit of celebration and he calls the servants. Come here. I want to ask you something. I was wondering this is his own house. 56:23 Why he has to call a servant there? He don't have a relationship with the father. He don't have a freedom in that house. And he calls the servant, hey, what's going on there? And the servant tells, hey, there is a that brother, 56:37 your brother who went, he came and your father is cutting a a calf for him. What about you? He's not cutting anything for you. So you know the that uh the story of 56:54 uh this man who went to Elisha for healing he was very much offended that Elisha didn't did a mighty thing and healed him in a dramatic way but uh one of the servant with him the servants helped him he said sir please do what 57:12 the prophet says please do it cool So just so h brothers and sisters I think I believe uh sisters can do a great help to the brothers when brothers come home offended about something with a boiling 57:28 heart you can cool down don't put don't poke into the wound but put oil and heal like this good servant but this man this older son he came home and he was offended He used to think like Hammond. You know 57:47 the story of Hammon when when king asked I wanted to honor somebody. I want to honor a man who did many things for the kingdom. What did he thought? What did he think? Oh, it must be me. It's about me. Don't feel discouraged brothers if 58:06 you think like that. We can have all all of us can have a temptation to think that way. But we must die to that thought. So he came and he recognized it was not about me, it was about somebody else and he got offended. Now if you ask him about the 58:21 father's house, the every detail of his house about the work, he will have a clear account. But how much eternal life he has? Zero. The son who was in the pig's farm who came home yesterday, how much eternal life he 58:38 has? He has he know his father's heart. He has full of eternal life. His capacity may be small but he has full of eternal life. Eternal life is to know God, know God's heart, not knowing about 58:56 doctrine. You know I often I remember brother Zach once said the reason why many churches started by godly men they backslid. The main reason is that the founders knew God and those who follow they knew 59:14 the doctrine. That's the reason many churches backslide. I don't want to be in that place. My desire I want to know the Lord. I don't want to be satisfied when I come to church. Here everybody can be very polite and I can be protected and I 59:34 can get a sense of being welcoming. But we never get a light sometimes what we really are. I remember a brother and sister maybe in their 60s couple of times they came they came here to meet us and they spoke to us very polite and 59:51 pious respectable way but later we got to know that they were fighting with the brothers in the parking. So all these external things can deceive us. We may not get light but we get light outside. When we face the trial and temptation outside the 1:00:10 pressures of life there we get light. Who really am I? And then but if you're honest the Lord will give us life. All these our failures should lead us to Christ not away from him. It should drive us to the Lord. It should drive us to his 1:00:29 feet not away from the Lord. and and we saw that self life how we can hinder how it can hinder us from partaking that divine nature or eternal life and and I would like to point to apostle Paul we know his conversion he had a great 1:00:48 revelation of the Lord he met the Lord and he was persecuting the Christians but he had an encounter with the Lord and he realized he was running against God and he repented and came and what is his attitude what is the one desire he 1:01:03 has many things what he was doing he was building the churches God did a mighty job through his life and ministry and we are reaping the benefit of his labor what was his one attitude it's there in Philippians chapter 3 Philippians chapter 3 1:01:22 verse 7 to I'd like to just read from verse 10. Philippians chapter 3:10, maybe 9 and 10. Maybe I'll read from 8. I count all 1:01:42 things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. You ask apostle Paul, brother Paul, do you know God? Don't you know God? You he did mighty thing in your life and that's not enough. He said, I 1:02:02 want to know there is a surpassing value of knowing Christ and for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them all mere rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him not having a righteousness of my own 1:02:18 derived from the law. but which is through the faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God through the basis of faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being confirmed to his death. 1:02:34 So he found the secret. He found the secret to the partake to that life. The way is through death. The way is through suffering. What a privilege, brothers and sisters, when God calls us to walk this way. Get to know him. Not only know him, but to 1:02:54 knowing in that knowledge, increasing knowledge, I get to know his thoughts and heart more deeper. And no wonder why Apostle Paul, God filled him with the Holy Spirit again. And that promise in Isaiah 44:3. Maybe it's good to look at that 1:03:13 promise. Isaiah 44:3 Why God used Apostle Paul, I will pour out water on thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. I'll pour out water on the thirsty land and 1:03:30 stream on the dry ground. You know in summer it's you go out around 12:00 and you pour out little water on this dry land. It will get evaporate in few seconds. I see if I can see my heart like Lord I want to I want to know you Lord my heart 1:03:49 is dry. I want to receive the knowledge not knowledge of scripture but about you. I want to know you. I want to know your heart. I want to know how you want to treat the people. I want you treat the sinners who repent. I want to 1:04:06 treat others the way you led you know others those who are Pharisees how you treated them. I want to have that same attitude and and that's I believe one of the reason we must know that that great assurance that we are filled with the 1:04:25 Holy Spirit. Our circumstances may not change but the way we look at our circumstances will change when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. So God gives eternal life. It is through the Holy Spirit. But as we yield and we can 1:04:41 increasing in the knowledge of that and I want to turn to Acts chapter 5 where how the difference we can see the difference in their life the disciples life. So they they we know that they had 1:05:00 to face persecution. And then Acts 5:41. So they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name. This is the way they went back. 1:05:19 They were threatened by the officials or the Jews there. But it says they went rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus' name. I believe brothers and sisters, we need this strength and courage in the 1:05:38 days to come that if God allows anyone of us to suffer or being persecuted, we don't have to worry, we don't have to think, we will not be led to that place until the Lord see that we are ready. And I believe that's why the Lord is 1:05:56 training us little little things, little mosquito bites here and there from our families or friends. But I believe as we endure and take courage in these little things, God will prepare us for the future days. And that's what happened 1:06:14 to that's what helped Stephen. I don't know uh how old Stephen was. I believe he was a young Christian. It was a new church. There is a greater blessing of the brothers who are matured with 1:06:32 us. There is a spiritual maturity and wisdom and discernment. But I want to challenge the young brothers, young sisters. Look at the example of Stephen. He was a young man and the the church was new and he was a new brother there. Maybe he was 1:06:51 converted recently but says it says about him he was the full of the Holy Spirit. He was full of Holy Spirit and wisdom and it's good to look at his end in Acts 7:54. Maybe we can look at 59. They went 1:07:16 on stoning Stephen and he called the Lord and said, "Lord, receive my spirit." Then failing on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice,"Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Having said this, he fell asleep. His eyes was 1:07:31 not fixed on the stone. His eyes was not fixed on the angry mob, but his eyes was fixed on the Lord. I believe we must learn to look at our Lord, his ways. We were singing singing this morning Lord you're beautiful. I don't know how many of us 1:07:50 felt during this week at least once Lord your face is so beautiful or you keep on looking inside thinking it will make us spiritual. No in his light we see light. We don't become spiritual by looking inside. Brothers and sisters we change when we 1:08:07 see him. when we see his face, when he see his shining loving face, our life will change. And then that will give us the motivation, that will give us the courage, that will give us the strength to transform. I'd like to end if you 1:08:22 turn to the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 19. We heard last week about from brother John was mentioning not just remain as a believer but disciple. There's a difference between a 1:08:41 a nominal believer and a disciple. So chapter 9 verse 7 we read in the beginning of the chapter about the judgment of Babylon and there you read about this beautiful picture of the marriage of the lamb. Chapter 9:7. Let 1:08:57 us rejoice and be glad and give glory to him. For the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. There's a picture of bride of Christ. And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and 1:09:13 clean. For the fine linen is a righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Blessed are those who are invited for the marriage of the supper of the lamb." There were there was Babylon, the false religion which was judged and there was this bride, 1:09:32 beautiful bride adorned with beauty and glory and then there was those who were invited. There is there are different categories brothers and sisters. I don't know how many of us really believe it'll be like that in heaven. 1:09:47 You can be part of bride even if you never stand on a pulpit. Even if you never stand and sing or do anything for the Lord. But if you are faithful in your heart, but the Lord is giving you light in your heart. If you obey that, I 1:10:02 believe you can be part of that bride. And it's not that we look down or it's blessed are those who invited. Being freed from hell itself is a great great bonus. What a joy that we can be part in that crowd. I you know read this 1:10:22 about William Booth the the man who found Salvation Army. He had a dream one. He was once he had a dream. He was a a nominal Christian. I mean he was a believer. He was saved and he accepted the Lord and as a savior. But he once 1:10:38 had a dream. In the dream he's he died. he's dead and his spirit goes to heaven and there uh he's happy that he's there he could meet the lord and but over a period of time he could see some others walking in 1:10:56 heaven and uh as he looked at them he was started getting a little disappointed he looked at them there is a more joy more tenderness and love in their relationship with the lord and and they seems to enjoy a more satisfying 1:11:15 fulfilling place in heaven and he was disappointed and he saw the Lord is coming to him and saying see you can't now you cannot have this life because on earth you are not like them they are those there are those who counted their life 1:11:33 as nothing and they they surrendered their life to me without any reservation they were fully committed themselves to follow me. And he was disappointed and praise Lord it was a dream. He woke up from the dream and you know the rest the way he 1:11:52 changed. Brothers and sisters we should I believe we should really really have a vision of heaven. It should wake us up from all the all the you know silly thinking the way of this world. And I believe the Lord can do us do do that in 1:12:09 our life. Long if we long for it. If you're thirsty like a thirsty land, Lord, I want to know you, Lord, in a deeper way. The Lord will fulfill his promises in in our life. And remember, the least of us can experience the Lord. 1:12:23 The least of us can experience the Lord. May God help us to trust him. Amen. We will sing a song and then we'll hear from brother Shankar and brother Charles [Music] 1:13:15 We'll sing this song knowing you Jesus. [Music] 1:13:36 All I held here, built my life upon all this world and voice to all I once thought again I have 1:13:55 counted long spent and less now compared to this knowing you 1:14:10 Jesus knowing you there is no greater You're my all. You're the best. You're my joy, my 1:14:25 righteousness. And I love you, Lord. Now my heart's desire is to know you more to be found 1:14:43 in you and know as to possess by faith. Lord, I could honor all surpassing gifts of rightuousness. Knowing 1:15:05 you, Jesus knowing you, there is no greater day. You're my all. You're the best. You're my joy, my 1:15:23 righteousness, and I love you, Lord. Oh, to know the power of your 1:15:37 risen life and to know you in your sufferings to become like you in your 1:15:50 death my Lord. Oh, with you to live and never die. Knowing you, 1:16:05 Jesus. Knowing you, there is no greater thing. You're my all, you're the best. You're my joy, my 1:16:20 righteousness, and I love you. Lord, I want to be thankful to the Lord uh for 1:16:59 the word that we heard about the eternal life and uh the Lord is ready to give us. Um and I I want to respond uh you know but how I how do I respond to this 1:17:16 call of you know God when God offered this eternal life how do I respond? Uh there is something that I was uh reading from uh one Timothy uh chapter 6 verse 12. Brother Danish mentioned about 1:17:33 Apostle Paul. Um he mentioned in Philippians uh Apostle Paul what he had laid everything aside to know the Lord Jesus Christ. He had known but he still want to know. He lay hold of that and uh now he is encouraging 1:17:52 uh antimote to do the same thing. You know it says here fight the good fight of faith. take hold of the eternal life to which you are called and you made the good confession in the presence of many 1:18:10 witnesses. He's staying uh he's talking to the sanctimi saying you take hold of this eternal life don't deviate from it. Um we know this uh this conversation between um another ang uh gospel of 1:18:30 Mark chapter 10 verse 6 uh not verse 6 uh chapter 10 uh verse 17 onwards. Uh this conversation is also mentioned in other gospels like Matthew and Luke but here it is little detailed. 1:18:50 Uh verse 17 it says as he was setting out on a journey a man ran up to him and knelt before him and asked him good teacher what shall I do to inherit the eternal life? Uh I can imagine that you 1:19:08 know Jesus is ready to go to somewhere and then this young man he felt some lack in his life. He thought I have to do something for it and I heard okay there is uh this man Jesus would help maybe let me go. On the way he come 1:19:27 across a person and then he asked uh where are you coming from? Yeah I'm coming from Jesus. Hey is he there? Yes. Yes, he is there. But you know he's ready to leave. Oh really? Then let me run. So when I see this he ran up to him 1:19:43 that means he is coming with a sincere heart and then he is rich he's young. You know when we are young we are full of ourself and so much okay I know it all kind of an attitude. But this young man is not like that. He knelt before 1:20:02 him. He didn't think of what others will think because I'm a ruler. I'm a rich person. But he didn't bother all that uh at that moment in his time of need. He knelt before him and asked the question. And then Jesus said that he told the 1:20:19 answer but this young man also replied that I'm keeping all these commandments from my childhood. probably perhaps this young man grew up in a god-fearing home and uh now Jesus replies in verse 20 he said 1:20:38 to him teach um um yeah 21 verse 21 looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him one thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor 1:20:55 and you will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. So Jesus looked at him and in love he pointed out only one thing you know when I go to the lord 1:21:12 he's not ready to give n number of list you know we use this n number thinking it's a you know so many things but Jesus want to point out only one thing that which I possess you know when I if you see this young man his hand is full He's 1:21:30 already holding on to something. That is why when Jesus pointed out, hey, you leave that and then you hold on to this. But he didn't choose that. Many times when we we all came to you knowh Jesus with a sincere heart and uh want 1:21:50 to follow him but when the Lord Jesus Christ points out only one thing which is the root cause of many other things. So to fix this alone but uh how do I respond? So the Lord Jesus want to respond you know to hold on to the 1:22:06 eternal life the one thing that you leave it that one thing that you uh you know free up your hands so that you can hold on to this uh uh eternal life. I remember in the olden days in my childhood we used to go to ration shop 1:22:22 and uh the ration shop uh you know it was run by government. So they used to take only one rupee but they used to give kg of rice you know based on the family members. So it is like that when I come to the lord the lord is only 1:22:38 asking you give that small penny I'll give you this abundant but here I am thinking oh will I you know that's what because uh this relationship is you know run by the government right so here the Jesus is wants he's promising us the 1:22:58 eternal life which is run by the heaven government of heaven so let is uh come to the lord and may the lord help us to leave that the one thing and take hold of this life. Amen. We heard of eternal 1:23:31 life. And when we think of eternal life, the first verse that comes to our mind is John 3:16. Most of us know that by heart. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not 1:23:47 perish but have everlasting eternal life. And we read it so casually and we don't think about that sufficiently. It says that God loved the 1:24:06 world so much so like Verse 14 and 15. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever 1:24:23 believes in him may have eternal life. And then it says, "For so in that way God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that 1:24:41 whosoever believes, not whosoever believed once upon a time in the past that they have eternal life, but whosoever believes, you know the difference believed and between believed and Believe. Believed 1:25:00 is sometime in the past you and I, we all believed. But it is not speaking about that. It says about whosoever believes that is the present simple present tense that I believed yesterday, I believe today, I'll continue to 1:25:20 believe tomorrow also and till the end of my life. That's the meaning of that. so that he should not perish but have eternal life. And we take this word believe as something you know trust or faith or 1:25:40 some mental ascent. But we need to see the true scriptural meaning of what faith or belief or believing is. So here we read whosoever believes in him then continues to believe in him 1:25:59 yesterday, today and in the future he has eternal life. And what is the meaning of belief? The other meaning of belief is in the same chapter the last verse you come to verse 36. He who believes in the son has 1:26:18 eternal life. But he who does not obey the son. See here it doesn't say he who does not believe. That means believe means in other words obey. Jesus said that very clearly in 1:26:36 Matthew 28 19 and 20 when he was giving that great commission to the disciples. He said, "Go and preach the gospel to all creature, all creation, and make them my 1:26:52 disciples, teaching them to observe or obey all that I have commanded." That is what he meant here. He who believes in the son has eternal life and he who does not obey the son has not does not see 1:27:11 life. But the wroth of God abides on him. So brothers and sisters, it is not just that I believe like many people in the world they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and they say according to that verse I have eternal life. Is that 1:27:27 really true? Turn with me to that verse that brother Danish read in John 10 verse 20 verses 27 and 28. Here Jesus is saying verse 26 also I'll read Jesus 1:27:48 said but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and and I give eternal life to them 1:28:05 and they shall never perish. Okay, many people take that verse and say see here is the eternal security. No doubt it is but it is for whom we believe in eternal security but 1:28:25 there is a condition for that. Every promise in scripture has a condition. Whosoever believes or obeys has eternal life. is a condition for every promise in scripture. And Jesus said here, "My 1:28:45 sheep hear my voice, not outsiders." Because I know them and they follow me. I know my 1:29:00 sheep and my sheep know their shepherd. If I only say I know so and so and you go and ask that person whether he knows me and he says no I don't know who he is. So knowing is something it is 1:29:20 two-way it's not just one way that I know somebody and he also should know me only then our connection is established. I can't say that I know so and so when he doesn't know me like for instance the president or the prime 1:29:36 minister of the country we all know who they are the whole of India know knows who is the prime minister and who is the president but do they know you each one of us 1:29:52 individually no but the lord knows we saying that he has numbered Remember the sand on the seashore and even the stars in the skies and the hair on your 1:30:09 head. He not just doesn't he he doesn't just know them the number of them but he has numbered them. Means number one number 999 number 10,0002 all those hair follicles on your head. It's not just he knows that there 1:30:28 are about 100,000 or 120,000 hair follicles, but he knows which one fell today morning on your pillow. So the Lord says here, I know them. They hear my voice. I know them and they know me 1:30:46 and they follow me. And you see that word there and that conjunction that connects verse 27 and 28. I was checking about that verse whether it is there in every translation. In every true translation that word is there even in the original 1:31:05 and it is connected to verse 27. And I give eternal life to whom? to those who hear my voice, who know me, who follow me, and they shall never perish. And if 1:31:24 my faith does not lead me to obey, then my faith is a fake faith or a dead faith. Like James says, faith without works is like body without 1:31:44 spirit. When the spirit leaves the body, you know how it is. It's only a matter of time before it starts integ disintegrating. And turn with me to Romans chapter 1. I close with this. 1:32:03 Romans chapter 1 verse 5. Here Paul is writing to the church at Rome. He is telling through whom we have received grace and apostilhip to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles for his name's sake. Obedience of 1:32:22 faith. And the same thing you read again in the same book in chapter um in chapter 15 verse 18. For I will not presume to speak of 1:32:41 anything except what Christ has accomplished through me resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed. And again in the last chapter second last verse 16:26 he 1:33:00 says now it's manifested by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the eternal God has been made known to all the nations leading to obedience of faith. Many people just think that faith is 1:33:18 enough. But faith without works is dead. And if it doesn't lead to obedience of faith in word and in deed, then indeed our faith is 1:33:36 dead. May that never happen. Shall we close in prayer? Our father, we thank you for this day and for your word. Thank you for making it clear to us that faith without works is 1:33:55 dead and eternal life has condition. It's not something that is freely given to everybody. But to those who believe, who continue 1:34:11 to believe and who obey and who love you and who know you and who are known by you, Lord Jesus, may we be in that category that we will not deceive ourselves that we will fear you every 1:34:30 day of our life and live in the fear of God all the days of our life which is for for our good and for your glory. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We will now have the book of 1:34:48 the month and then afterwards the announcements. [Music] Presenting the book of this month, the 1:35:07 full gospel by brother Zack [Music] Pune. Many Christians claim to be proclaiming the full gospel today. But how can we be sure that we have indeed 1:35:26 heard the full gospel? Jesus said the truth would set us free from sin. John 8:32. The proof that we have really heard the truth is that we are freed from sin's power in our lives. The Apostle Paul proclaimed the 1:35:45 full purpose of God. Acts 20:27. This is what all believers desperately need to hear today also if they are to become truly spiritual and not just religious. If you want to have a firm 1:36:03 grip on the Christian life, if you want meat for your spirit to grow strong in the Lord, if you want to know how to have a daily spiritual checkup, if you want to know how to prove God's perfect will, read this book with an open heart 1:36:19 and mind and ask the Lord to speak to you through it. You can read this book free online at cfcindia.com/books/the gospel. 1:37:05 announcements for today.
