0:00 [Music] We all know that Jesus said that you are the salt of the earth. And I want to 0:18 interpret that as meaning that you are to bring a taste of heaven to this earth. Wherever you live, wherever your work, wherever you work, wherever your home is, 0:37 whoever you contact, think of that you are to bring a taste of heaven to this earth. Wherever your church is, people who come to your church must get a taste of heaven. That is the real meaning 0:54 of you are the salt of the earth. And you know in our food when salt is not there we get we are aware of it immediately. It doesn't take time. You don't have to wait for five minutes to discover whether there's salt in your food. You don't even have to 1:10 wait for one second. You know it immediately. And all you do is add such a small quantity of salt to make that whole food taste salty. So it's it's the same with God's people. God's people were never 1:29 meant to be large in number. All the people who pray for billions of people to be saved. I say I'd be delighted if all seven billion people in the world are saved. God doesn't want anybody to perish. He doesn't want anybody to be lost. He wants everyone to 1:48 be saved. It says 1 Timothy 2 1 2 Peter 3 very clear. But Jesus also said the way to life or to heaven which is real life is narrow and very few find it. 2:06 Many will understand it. Very few find it. It's possible that all of you sitting here got good intelligent minds and you can understand everything I say. You understood the way but you find it in daily life. That's another thing. 2:25 Very few find this heavenly way in their earthly life where and if you found it one mark of it will be that people who come in touch with you get a taste of heaven. Do they get that taste of heaven? 2:47 There was a great saint of God who lived in John Wesley's time. He was a pastor of one of the Methodist churches that John Wesley founded. In those days, the Methodist churches were really heavenly. This is we're talking about the 1700s. 3:04 His name was John Fletcher. John Wesley who knew him so well made this statement that he did not believe that there was a most saintly man on the face of the earth in 20 centuries after the apostle John like John Fletcher. 3:23 Now that was the opinion of a man like John Wesley. Now what I want to say is at John Fletcher's funeral, his wife said, "My husband was not an ordinary man. I did not live with a man. I lived with an 3:41 angel. I love lived with someone who was heavenly." There was another preacher in his town who totally disagreed with him in doctrine. and who was frequently they had 3:59 discussions and arguments about doctrine. That man at John Fletcher's funeral said, "I have argued and discussed doctrine with this man for many years. But in all those years, he never spoke one uncristlike word in all his arguments 4:19 and discussions." Brothers and sisters, that was a human being born of the race of Adam, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who had that testimony from his wife and from his strongest opponent 4:37 doctrinally, from a man of another denomination. How did he come to that life? Why is it so few Christians come to that life? How did he come to that heavenly life on earth? I'll tell you why. What 4:55 is the difference between him and us? He took the Bible seriously. He took Jesus Christ seriously. He took his earthly life seriously. He knew that he had only one earthly life and he didn't care for the opinions of 5:11 men. He lived only to please God. That is the difference between him and most of us. The choice is yours. You can if you are uh you are today, let me put it like 5:30 this. You are today as heavenly as you have chosen to be. You don't want to be any more heavenly because you say that means you can't have your own way. When Jesus said, 5:49 "I will build my church," he wasn't speaking about an earthly church. He was speaking about a heavenly church on earth. And I want to say to you, that's the church Jesus is building. And my greatest goal in life is to build that 6:08 type of church anywhere. How many people will really become part of that church? I don't know, but that's what I preached for more than 30 years. And hopefully that's what I'll preach till Jesus comes. 6:24 Let's turn to Hebrews in chapter 12. Compares here the old covenant with the new covenant and puts it like this. Hebrews is a great book and that's why there are some groups of Christians, born again Christians. I met 6:43 a brethren assembly elder who once told me that the book of Hebrews is not for us believers. You know there are Christians who believe that the book of Hebrews is not for us believers. It's for the Jewish people. They say the sermon on the mount 6:58 is for the Jewish people and most of the book of revelation is for the Jewish people. They have a thing called a Jewish waste paper basket. Anything that's inconvenient and difficult they cut it out and put in the Jewish waste paper 7:11 basket. That is the theology of some born again Christians. You'd think they're off their head. I think they are. But the book of Hebrews is the one book that really brings out the new covenant. And I'm not surprised that many 7:27 Christians don't read it. And I'm not surprised that many other Christians, the devil has told them it's not for you. I know this book has changed my life. If you listen through my 70 hour CD of through the Bible, I don't know whether 7:42 you noticed out of 70 hours for 66 books, which should be an average of one hour per book, I spent 4 hours on Hebrews alone because I believe it's a very important book. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 18 he's talking about the 8:03 Israelites who came to Mount Si in the wilderness where the old covenant was established and he says you people it's obvious this is not referring to Jewish people you Christians you have not come to a mountain that can be touched 8:20 or to a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and whirlwind to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words etc. But verse 22, you have come to Mount Zion, and that's not the earthly Zion, it's a heavenly one, to the city of the 8:36 living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. There he's talking about the church is a heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God. It's nothing, it's got nothing to do with Israel or the earth or any such thing. That's was an earthly covenant 8:55 God made with Moses and he gave them that land and they he's pro fulfilled his promise and given it to them today also. But for us it's a heavenly Jerusalem and to myriads of angels. Have you come there? 9:13 I remember an old brother who his children had all got married and left home. godly brother and then his wife died as well and he lived all alone in that house and when he went to the fellowship meetings 9:32 people asked him do you feel lonely in that house he said oh no there are so many angels there I got to sort of push them around to move from one room to another he was so conscious of the presence of angels in his house they are 9:47 there brothers and sisters they are not visible but they are there. The Bible says in Hebrews 1, the last verse, that they have been sent to serve those who have received salvation. One of the tragic things I have found 10:03 among believers, even born again believers, and a lot of Pentecostal believers, is they speak more about demons than they speak about angels. They think more about demons than they think about angels. There's a demon here, there's a demon there, there's a 10:18 demon in the other place. They're always saying, "Get behind me, Satan. I resist you, Satan. Get behind me, Satan. Who are they occupied with? The devil's made fools of Christians. Do you find Jesus going around saying, "Get 10:31 behind me, Satan. I resist you, Satan. I resist." He said it twice in his whole life, as far as I know. But he was more aware of angels. The angels ministered to him and we must recognize their presence. They bring a lot of rest into our life. 10:51 Angels have kept all of us from many serious accidents on the road. They've certainly kept me. No doubt about it. So, I believe in them. I'm very thankful for them. I've come, like it says here, to myriads of angels. 11:09 It's part of my inheritance in Christ. The Old Testament people didn't have that. Once in a while, an angel would come and defend Israel from their enemies. But the other thing about having angels all around, always around us is, 11:25 you know, when you lock up your door and you sit by yourself to commit some sin, remember the room is full of angels. It'll help you to keep from sinning. The next time you want to commit a sin and 11:43 you're all by yourself, either alone or with somebody else who wants to sin with you, remember the room is filled with angels who got eyes and who are watching and demons too. They're watching it too. 12:04 If you are aware of this, I tell you, it'll keep you from a lot of sin. when you think you're all alone with your wife at home and therefore you can speak to her as you like. Unlike the way you would speak to her if a believer from the church 12:19 were there, now you're all alone. You can speak to her as you like. You can speak to your husband as you like. Remember, the room is full of angels who are listening to the way you speak to your husband and wife. The room is full of demons who are 12:35 laughing with delight when they hear the rude way you speak to your husband or wife. Please remember that next time and be more conscious of the angels. We have we are not like those Old Testament people. We have begun our heavenly life 12:49 already. The gospel is that we can have a spiritual heavenly life now and a physical heaven when Christ returns. It's two heavens. Now you can choose to have only one of them. That's up to you. To live a very earthly bound life like 13:09 all the other people on earth and then if you ever get there, heaven. But if you live a very earthly bound life, I wonder whether you'll get to heaven finally. I have serious doubts about it. I'll tell you honestly. See, heaven is prepared for those who 13:28 have not just sung with their mouth. Oh, what a day that'll be when he'll take me to heaven. No, you know that God looks at the heart and man looks at the outside. And heaven is open to everybody. Ever since the day Jesus when he was 13:47 baptized, it the heavens were open and the Holy Spirit came. From the day of Pentecost, I want to say that doors of heaven, the windows of heaven have always been open. But whether they're going to be open over your life is up to 13:59 you. But God is not going to drag people into heaven who don't want to be there. God is not going to drag people into heaven who have no interest in the things of heaven. There's no pornography in 14:18 heaven, by the way. I hope you know that those who find their delight in that are are expressing thereby I'm not Lord I'm not that interested in heaven right now I'm interested in enjoying myself God said okay go ahead I'm not going to force anybody to go to 14:36 heaven you have your choice you can choose whatever you like God's given man freedom of choice and Adam said I I don't care if I die when Adam and Eve, I'm going to eat the fruit. God said, "Okay, go ahead and you 14:55 die." Satan said, "No, no, no, no. You will not die." Do you know the first lie in the Bible? It's called the lie in 2 Thessalonians 2. The lie because it is the first lie in the Bible. 15:13 And that is even if you disobey God, you'll still go to heaven. That's the first lie in the Bible. Genesis chapter 3. Uh Eve said, you know, God said we shouldn't touch this otherwise we'll die. And the devil said the first line 15:31 in the Bible, you shall surely not die even if you disobey God. And he's been saying that for 6,000 years. You can disobey God. You can watch internet pornography. You will go to heaven. You believe that? You really 15:49 believe that? You believe the lie of the devil? Ask yourself, do you think you can have a bitterness towards somebody and go to heaven? The devil says, "Of course you'll go. You won't die." I mean, Jesus' word is very 16:07 plain. If you don't forgive others, you won't be forgiven. I wrote that in an article recently in a magazine and somebody wrote a letter to the editor. What does brother Zach mean? Does he mean that if you don't forgive 16:21 others and you die like that, you will not go to heaven? I said, I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to ask you this. What did Jesus say in Matthew 6:15? If 16:38 you do not forgive others, your heavenly father will not forgive you. Turn to that verse. Matthew 6 and verse 15. It's very important to live a heavenly life. There was no such verse 16:55 in the Old Testament. This is sermon on the mount, not ten commandments. The ten command ten commandments were replaced by the sermon on the mount. We're not here to follow the ten commandments. We are here to follow a much higher 17:08 standard. The sermon on the mount the old testament you were allowed to hate your enemies. Not in the new to covenant. If you want to be heavenly minded, you can't hate your enemies. I'll tell you that. If you hate your 17:20 enemies and expect to go to heaven, you're just fooling yourself. Matthew 6 and verse 15. If you do not forgive others, we got to read the Bible slowly. Like I've been telling you so many times of late. Read the Bible slowly. 17:35 Let it go through you like you. The doctors say digest your food. Don't just swallow it. Digest. Chew it and digest it and you'll live longer. So I say chew the words and let it go through you and you'll live eternally. If you do not 17:50 forgive others then God will not forgive your transgressions. That would have meant unbelievers. No, no, no. Your father that means believers. You see the difference? You see the difference between Jesus saying if you don't 18:07 forgive others then God will not forgive your transgressions and Jesus saying if you don't forgive us your father will not forgive your transgressions. So who is he talking to? When he says God he'd be talking to unbelievers. When he says 18:19 your father who's born again Christians your father will not forgive your transgressions. If there's one human being anywhere on the face of the earth today whom you have not forgiven, no matter what crime he committed, whatever 18:36 crime he committed was not greater than the crime of crucifying Christ and he forgave them and you ask him to forgive you. Forgive me as it says here in verse uh 12, forgive us our sins as exactly the same way we have forgiven others. 18:55 It's very interesting. There are six requests in the Lord's prayer. Verse 9, hallowed be your name. Second, your kingdom come. Third, your will be done on earth is in heaven. Fourth, give us this day our daily bread. Fifth, forgive us our sins as we 19:09 forgive others. And sixth, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Having said that and said, "Amen." Jesus picked out one out of the six and said, "I want to emphasize one of these particularly." You got to forgive others, otherwise you 19:25 won't be forgiven. Now the point is this what I said in his reply to this person was okay this is the Lord speaking to believers your father will not forgive you that's subtle second is there a chance of being forgiven 19:43 after we die no it's appointed unto men once to die after that the judgment third question will there be anybody in heaven who has got even one sin not forgiven before he There won't even be one person like that. And that's why I say to you in 20:02 Jesus name, forgive people immediately. It's a habit that I have practiced for many years. Whenever I hear, for example, somebody tells me, "Brother Zach, do you know that so- and so spoke some evil about you?" I say, "Lord, I forgive him 20:15 immediately. I don't know who he is, where he is, but I release I will not catch him by the throat. I forgive him." or somebody cheated me or somebody duped me or doesn't matter. I want to be the salt of the earth. Now turn back to Hebrews in chapter 12. 20:34 You can live in heaven right now if you want. The choice is yours. You see now why many people don't live that heavenly life on earth. They don't want to. There are other things which are more important for them. They want to assert 20:46 their rights. They say, "How? What do you mean forgive some guy the way that guy treated me? I got to give him a piece of my mind. Go ahead, brother. Give him a piece of your mind. Well, you'll never get into God's kingdom. 20:57 That's for sure. Until you go to that person and apologize for giving him a piece of your mind and forgive him and ask his forgiveness, then there's some hope. But the best way is you don't give him a piece of your mind. 21:17 Whether it's your wife or your husband or anybody, let me tell you, my dear brothers and sisters in CFC, most of us or many of us anyway are not heavenly minded. And I'll tell you this, I speak to you as a father. I have 21:33 serious doubts whether some of you will get into God's kingdom at all because your your whole life and interest is on earth. And Jesus didn't come to just enable us to live as we like and live in sin and play the fool and come to church and go 21:51 to heaven when we die. That's that's a gospel I will not preach. It's not found in the New Testament. The gospel is for those who take sin seriously because sin is so terribly serious that it killed the son of God. How can you not take it seriously? How 22:05 can you not take seriously something that killed the son of God? Yeah, it's very very serious. We got to hate it like anything. Hebrews 12:22, "You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly 22:22 Jerusalem, to myriads of angels, and to the general assembly, and to the church of the firstborn." Firstborn is Jesus Christ. To the church of Christ who are enrolled in heaven. So here it speaks about a heavenly church. 22:39 That's the church I want to belong to. The church of Christ enrolled in heaven. Not that your name is on some earthly telephone list, but which the church maintains, but the church of Christ enrolled in heaven. 22:58 And you have come to God who is the judge of everyone and to the spirits of righteous people there who've been made perfect. And listen to this. And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. We're not in the old covenant. Now, by the 23:17 way, the only way to get to God today is through the new covenant. There is no way of the old covenant now. of Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood of Christ, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel. Just think of 23:36 that phrase, the sprinkled blood of we have come to this heavenly church, to the sprinkled blood of Christ, which we ask him to cleanse our sins with. Which blood speaks better things than the blood of Abel? This is the heavenly 23:52 church. This is what it means to be heavenly minded, to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel. So, let's turn to Genesis 4 and see what the blood of Abel said. The, you know, the shed blood on the 24:08 ground, we we can't hear any voice from it. There is no voice. When somebody kills somebody and his blood is shed on the ground, there's no voice. But God hears a voice. 24:24 You know that. See Genesis 4. It says, "When Cain killed Abel and God said to Cain in verse 9, Genesis 4, where is Abel your brother?" And here's another lie. 24:42 The followers of Satan get his characteristics pretty quickly. I don't know. I don't know. Imagine telling a lie to God. Am I my brother's keeper? Am I supposed to look after and see where all he is? And the Lord says, "You think you're 24:59 trying to fool me? What have you done?" Now listen to this. The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. Cain couldn't hear it. Cain thought he killed the fellow. His blood was shed. But the moment the blood hit the ground, 25:19 there was a fantastic trumpet sound going up from the earth to heaven that God heard immediately, take revenge on me. Dead man. Dead man's blood. It's not 25:37 only Abel's blood. All the people whose blood has been shed by others is crying out to God. One day they'll answer for it. Like Cain had to answer for it. And that is why I say be careful brothers and sisters that you 25:56 don't hurt others. You don't have to shed their blood. You can shed people's blood today by words which are worse than daggers. The book of Proverbs, it speaks about people 26:16 whose words are like daggers. The voice of your brother's blood is crying out. There are many voices that cry out to God that we don't hear. the voice of people we have injured 26:36 and hurt and cheated. You may not even know where they are, but their voices crying out. And what did Abel's blood cry out for? Take vengeance on me. For me. Take vengeance for me against 26:56 Cain. Thousands of years later, when Jesus died on the cross, his blood hit the ground, cried out, "Father, forgive them." They don't know what they're doing. And it says in Hebrews and chapter 12, 27:15 we have come not to the blood of Abel, but to the blood of Jesus. I want to ask all of you here, whose blood do you expect to cleanse your sin with? The blood of Abel or the blood of 27:33 Christ? And I want to say to you in Jesus name, those of you who haven't forgiven someone, those of you who got a bitterness against someone, you are expecting the blood of Abel to forgive your sin. It won't forgive your sin 27:51 because you're crying out for vengeance. You're crying out for revenge against the fellow who hurt you. You're hoping some calamity will hit him. You're hoping he'll get sick. You're hoping that his children will suffer because of 28:03 some little thing he did to you 20 years ago. You haven't come to the blood of Christ at all. You have come to the blood of Abel. No, you're not part of the heavenly church. I'm sorry to tell you these things, but it's better you know it now. It's better 28:22 you get a scan of your true inner condition now, my brother, sister. And there are not many churches where you'll get it straight because a lot of them are only interested in your money. And we're not. We're interested in your 28:34 soul. I remember a brother from another church whom I once visited some years ago and I said, "Brother, why do you think we are inviting you to our church? We don't want your money. Keep your membership in that church. Give your money in that 28:49 church. Just come here to hear the word of God. We're interested in your soul because we know that's more valuable than the whole world. Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? 29:06 I'd rather save one soul, bring him into God's kingdom, then get that man's entire money put into our offering box. I don't want to ascend from him. We're interested in saving souls. And we believe that if you come to the 29:22 blood of Abel, you will never get into God's kingdom. It's the blood of Christ. We have come to better things. We have come to the blood of Abel. This forgiveness is so important. Now, I want to say to whom more is given, more will be required. 29:37 We read in the Old Testament of many people who died without forgiving others. David, for example, the man after God's own heart. Once there was a man called Shimi who cursed him. God, he forgave him. But he kept it in his mind. Kept it in his 29:51 mind. And on his deathbed, the last words that Sam that David spoke, we read in one Kings chapter 2 is he told Solomon, listen, that guy Shimi, he's been on my mind all these years. I know I forgave him and unfortunately I told him I will 30:07 never kill him. I got to keep my word. But Solomon, you didn't promise that. Kill him. He's got gray hair. Don't let that gray hair go to the grave without blood. David, man after God's own heart. You know the next verse after that in one 30:26 Kings 2. And he died. What a way to die. Is David in heaven? What do you think? I have no doubt. He was under the old covenant. 30:45 Have you read the Psalms? Most of David's Psalms, the Lord, smash those fellas. Don't let them escape. And have you read that? Most of them. Some people like to read the Psalms. I like I like to read the episodes. I'll tell 30:58 you. I like to read the sermon on the mount. There are some churches, some denominations, every Sunday morning, they get up and read a psalm. Lord, vindicate me. Smash those fellows and don't let them escape. What type of life do you think these 31:11 people live after reading that on Sunday morning and going to their homes? They think of their wife first of all. Lord, don't. Let me give you one example. Psalm 137. I'm trying to show you the difference between a earthly life and a heavenly 31:28 life. Psalm 137, he's talking about the time when the Babylonians came and captured Israel and took them captive to Babylon. And this is probably written after they came back. But they had such a bitterness against 31:47 these Babylonian people for coming and destroying that temple and taking them all to Babylon and making them slaves. And this guy has come back after 70 years. And this is what he writes. Alongside the rivers of Babylon, we sat 32:02 and wept. We remembered Zion and we hung our harps upon the willows. And the our capttors made fun of us, saying, "Sing one of the songs of Zion. How could we sing the long Lord song in a land?" Oh Jerusalem, if I forget you, may my right 32:17 hand forget the skills. What shall we do to Babylon then? Oh Lord, remember what they said. Verse seven, they said, "Destroy Jerusalem. Destroy it to its foundation. Now daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed is the man 32:32 who repays you with the reward with which you repaid us. Yes, blessed is the one who takes your little babies and smashes their heads on the rocks. This isn't the Bible, 32:49 brother. This is Old Testament, sister. Don't live there. You say then why should we read the Psalms? Provided it's very good to read it. If you understand the enemy now is those little baby sins 33:07 in your heart. Take them and smash their heads against the rock. That's the meaning of it. And if you didn't know how to read the Psalms till now, now you know. Lord, those little little babies 33:24 that come up into my heart to speak one rude word or one angry word or one little lustful, smash it against the rock. I don't want even those baby sins in my heart. Such a person will have no Babylonian child in his life. 33:44 If you don't read the Psalms like that, you are an old covenant person. You're thinking of some guy who cheated you and you read the Psalms and delight in the thought that God's going to smash that fellow. You've come to the blood of Abel. You 34:00 see, what I'm trying to say is that so many Christians are not heavenly minded at all. They don't have the slightest clue about the new covenant. All they know is, "Lord Jesus, come into my heart. My sins are all forgiven. I'm on 34:12 my way to heaven. Now I live the rest of my life for myself to make money to get honor and live just like anybody else in the world except that I go to church on Sunday while other people are watching television and then I come and watch 34:22 television 3 hours later in the afternoon. That's it. What's the difference between such people and anybody else in the world? It's just a religious white wash put on for three hours on Sunday. God's not fooled. The devil just laughs at the 34:38 whole thing. You may fool others. You probably fool yourself. But I believe that as we approach the end of time, the Lord is calling us to be heavenly minded to have, you know, as we approach uh heaven and we believe we are coming 34:54 nearer and nearer to the time when we shall spend all eternity with Jesus in heaven. I want to be more heavenly minded. And I'm not saying you can say, "Brother Zach, well that's okay for you. You're nearly 70 years old. It's good for you 35:10 to think of heaven a little more. I want to tell you that's exactly what I felt when I was 20. 20 years old. I sought to be heavenly minded. I decided to forgive everybody. When I was 20, I decided to give my money to 35:28 God and do with it what he told me to do. 50 years ago, I wrote in the front of my Bible, 50 years ago, whom have I in heaven but you, Lord Jesus. There's nothing on earth I desire beside you. So, I'm not telling you something as an 35:44 old man. This is exactly the position I took 50 years ago. And I would encourage you, live that life from your youth. You'll be a very happy man, a man full of joy. You'll be a woman full of joy when you come to your old 36:00 age. You won't be sour and complaining and bitter and temperamental and have tantrums and get upset and make demands on others. All that will disappear. You'll become heavenly. I've seen some old people, 36:19 even believers who so cranky and so demanding and upset when somebody doesn't respect them or upset when somebody doesn't serve them in some way or do something they expect others to do for them. upset with their children, 36:31 upset with their sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren. I say, "Lord, please save me from ever ending my life like this." Why are they like that? Because even though they were believers for so many years, they never cleansed themselves 36:48 from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit. They lived an earthly life for years. But when they were young, they had the self-control to keep all those things inside. But as they grew older, you know, like the older people lose 37:07 their bladder control and other controls, they lose their tongue control as well and their feelings control as well. And it all comes out and there are no diapers to protect the words that come out of their mouth. and their feelings and attitudes like their 37:22 diapers to protect other things that they don't have control over and all these things come out wrong attitudes because that's how they lived all their life earthly earthly earthly. So I want to say to you young people now is the time to cleanse yourself from 37:39 earthly mindedness and be heavenly minded. It's the best life you can live in any case. What will you do with such a lot of money far more than what you need? Tell me, what do you do with it? All you do is just think about it. And 37:56 what do you do with all that extra money that's going to be left behind when Jesus comes again? If you have enough to take care of your needs and you have some a little bit of savings for the future, that's fine. But don't live for 38:07 that and forgive others. It's so very very important. Now in contrast to this, think of another example of a true story I heard of a sister, a godly sister who had spent her life cleansing herself from filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 38:26 from youth. And when she was old and senile, senile means I don't know the exact definition medically, but as you grow older, you know, you lose sort of, like I said earlier, you lose control over your feelings and thoughts and 38:44 everything inside comes out, which you can hold in when you're young. And here she was when somebody was came, you know, she was lying sick and in the bed in her living alone in her house. Somebody came to serve her and brought 38:58 her some food and she said, "Please give it to those people in the sitting room first. I eat what's left over." There was nobody in the sitting room. That was her way of life. Always thinking of others first. 39:17 Give it to them. I'll eat what's left over. How did that come out in the old age? because that's the way she lived all her life. Yeah. I'll tell you this one day when you and I get sile what's inside will come out and if you don't fear God at least have 39:37 a thought for your testimony at that time and live a clean life now it's not the best reason second best reason to live a godly life but it's so very important forgiving others is one of the fundamental requirements of being a heavenly life we 39:54 want to if you want to build a heavenly church we must have a heavenly inner And then we must have second a heavenly home. Now when I say a heavenly home, it does not mean that your partner must be heavenly. It does not mean your children 40:08 must be heavenly. It means you must be heavenly. That's all. Yeah. You bring the atmosphere of heaven into your home. If the other people want to be earthly or hellish, that's up to them. I'm not saying that your whole atmosphere of your home will be like 40:26 heaven. Maybe your wife will be yelling and screaming and your children are worldly and doing all types of things on the internet when you're asleep and seeing filthy things. That's up to them. But you can have a heavenly life there. 40:40 Sure. Don't blame your wife. Don't blame your husband. Don't blame anybody else. And if you live a heavenly life, one day you will influence others too in your home. But if you can take a decision, brothers and sisters, everything depends on a 40:56 decision. I've decided like we sing that song, I've decided to follow Jesus. The world behind me and the cross before me. Jesus encouraged people to take a decision. He didn't tell people, come on, stand up quick. Raise your hand. No, 41:11 no, no. Sign this card. No. You know what Jesus said? Today's evangelist say, come on, stand up. Raise your hand. Come forward. You know that I don't do that. You know what Jesus said? He said, "Go home. 41:28 Sit down. Don't stand up. Sit down. Count the cost." He actually said in Luke 14, "Sit down and count the cost. Take your time about it. Decide. But when you decide, stick to it. It's like getting married. Don't 41:47 decide in a hurry. Think about it. Think about all the factors involved and then decide. And once you decide, stick to it. That's how Jesus want called his disciples. Think about it. Don't just suddenly raise your hand because some evangelist moved you 42:03 emotionally to take a decision. Sit down, count the cost, and decide, I want to be a heavenly minded person. I want to encourage you to think about that. go home and think about it and say, "Lord, I want to take a serious decision 42:19 today to really be a heavenly person on earth. I want to speak to my fellow believers exactly like I will speak to them in heaven." Think if you take that decision from today onwards, my wife's a believer. She's going to be in heaven 42:38 with me and I'm going to talk to her just like I would speak to her when I'm in heaven. Or my husband's a believer. She's he's going to be in heaven with me and from now on I'm going to speak to him just like I would speak to him when I'm in 42:48 heaven because in one sense I'm in heaven already. Heaven has come down through the Holy Spirit coming into our heart. It's a wonderful life. It's really a wonderful life. I'm surprised that so few people want it. What a what fools the devil has made of 43:04 people that the most wonderful life God purchased for them on Calvar's cross they reject and they choose this cheap third rate counterfeit good for nothing superficial shiny type of life that the devil offers thinking that that'll make 43:21 them happy. They mess up their life. They're miserable and they still don't seem to learn. And even some people who do mess up their life and then turn around, they're not radical in their turning around. That's a sad thing. They're sort of weak 43:37 turning around. Okay, if you have messed up your life, turn around radically from that. Like the prodigal son say, "I'm determined. I'm going to get back to my father's house." I don't know how many miles he had to walk. It says he went to a far 43:55 country. I don't know how many days or weeks he walked starving but many a time he must have been exhausted and tired and say it's not worth it but he decided he didn't go to his neighbors I'm sure if he went to one of his neighbors his 44:10 neighbors would have had pity on him and given him at least one meal a day but he said no I'm going to go back to dad I'm going to go back to my dad and I don't care how long it takes and I want to say to you my brothers and sisters there's a 44:21 warm welcome awaiting you there if you turn to go back and say, "Lord, I'm sick and tired of living this earthly life. I want to go back to my heavenly home, that dad that I left 20 years ago to choose the things of earth. 44:39 I've given it up, Lord. I want to go back to that heavenly home that my dad's prepared for me." Take that decision and stick to it. You may lose a few things on earth, but you'll be a much happier person. 44:57 You remember that story of the man who came to Jesus in Luke 12 when Jesus was speaking something very important about witnessing for him on the earth. Jesus was saying, "When you stand before 45:15 rulers, verse 11, be my witness. be a heavenly minded person on earth. The Holy Spirit will tell you in that very hour how to witness for me. Luke 12:12. And while he's saying that, one man raises his hand. Lord, I've got a 45:32 question. Okay. Jesus stops his message. Will you please tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me? Dad has died and we're only two of us brothers. And he swiped the whole thing. He listened to you, Jesus. 45:52 What a mistake he made. He should have gone to Moses. He should have gone to the Pharisees. They would have sorted out his problem. They' have caught that fellow and bashed him up or something and told him to give the property. The big mistake was he went to 46:07 Jesus. Don't go to Jesus with such problems. Lord, help me to win this court case. Somebody wants some money from me. My brother cheated me. Tell him to give the family property my share. At least give it to me. Brother, go to the court. 46:22 Don't go to Jesus. If you want it, go to the court. Don't go to Jesus. He won't help you. I tell you, he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. If he didn't help this guy there, he's not going to help you today. He's talking about how to be a witness 46:36 for me in the courts and all. And this guy's wondering about his earthly property. And Jesus said, "Who asked me, who has appointed me as a judge or want to divide property with you?" He says, "Be on your guard against every form of 46:50 greed." You say, "Lord, is it greed to just ask for my share of the property? I mean, if I want 75%, that's greed. But we're only two brothers. If I ask for 50%, is that greed?" According to heaven's standards, it is greed. 47:09 How many of you believe that? According to the courts on earth, it's not greed. It's legal. It's right. It's righteous. But heaven's standards are different. Even asking for your legitimate share of your family property. Jesus called it 47:26 greed. I'm not preaching what I haven't practiced. I practiced it in my own case with my family members. I practiced it with my wife's case, with her family members. And therefore, I have the authority to 47:46 speak on it. I know what I'm talking about. To ask for your to even expect your share of your family property is greed. I want to be heavenly minded. 48:03 Let my brothers cheat me. Let my brothersin-law cheat me. Let anyone. It's not going to make me read Psalm 137 or anything against them. No, no, no. I come to the blood of Christ. Father, forgive them. 48:22 They don't know what a crime they're committing by cheating a man of God. Oh, if only they knew what they're going to face. boy, forgive them, father. Please forgive them. I don't hold anything against them. It's a terrible sin, but 48:37 they don't even know it. See, that's what this chap should have done, but he didn't do that. It's not only our attitude towards forgiveness. It's our attitude to money. It's another thing that the Lord delivers us from. Changes our attitude 48:55 when we become heavenly minded. And I believe that that's another area where you find many Christians do not want God to change their attitude. You let let me ask you all a straight question. Do you really want Almighty God, you 49:11 want the Lord Jesus to change your present attitude to money? Tell him yes or no. And I'm talking to young people. For me to say that at my age with my children all married, that's it doesn't mean much. And I tell 49:30 you, I would not have the authority to say this to you today if I did not say exactly the same thing when I was 21 years old. I wouldn't have the authority. I mean, there are people who live for the world, live for the world, 49:46 live for the world. When they get 70 years old, they say, "Okay, Lord Jesus, now I've got no one on earth but you." Well, that's a good thing to say when at least I hope you'll take care of me. That's not the way. Say it when you're 49:58 20. Lord, I've got nothing on earth but you. I'm going to live only for you. Some of you who are much older listening to me say, "Ah, brother Zach, I feel exactly like that. I have nothing but Jesus. My children have forsaken me. I'm living all by 50:17 myself. Old man, old woman, I have only but Jesus." It doesn't mean anything. What did you say when you were 20 years old? When you were a believer? That's the important question. What did you say when you were healthy and 50:31 strong? Did you go to Jesus and say, "Lord, I desire nothing on earth but you." Then you would have had a ministry today. But there you live for the world. Dear young people, don't be like that. 50:49 Don't be like that. I want you folks to grow up and have a ministry for God every single year of your life. Even if you live up to the age of 90. I want that. But you won't have that authority if you don't start now. Say, "Lord, I want you 51:04 to completely change my attitude to money because I see that money is the one thing that the devil uses to control so many people." They're thinking. Their mind is thinking, thinking, thinking. Although I'm not saying we shouldn't be 51:20 wise. I've always taught people, give back whatever you have stolen. Pay all your debts as early as possible. Don't wait for the price of gold to go up. Sell it now and clear your debts because the price of gold will keep on 51:37 going up. You'll never clear your debts that way. Sell it now. Clear your debts. Best is never get into debt except you know if you're taking a loan for your house your house is there or you're taking a loan for your car or something 51:50 the car is there that's okay there's something in the equivalent of that but other type of debts avoid it I know people in one of our churches who got took a borrowed money to have a grand wedding and they were in debt for years 52:01 I don't know whe they have still cleared it just to get honor from their unconverted relatives that we had a fantastic wedding you know what I call such people spiritual idiots I said, "Why didn't you spend that money to buy something, make life comfortable 52:16 for your wife at home, like a refrigerator or something instead of seeking honor from these unconverted worldly people?" Be sensible. So, clear your debts, pay back everything that's taken wrongfully and live simply according to your income. 52:35 That's that's not that's being heavenly minded. And save something for the future. I've heard people in CFC who say, "No, I trust God." Like George Müller and 10 years later when they have a huge hospital bill, brother, the 52:52 doctors are saying so much for the hospital bill. Then we have to take a collection for them in the church because they wanted to live like George Müller. When you don't have the faith of George Müller, live like yourself. Save for the 53:05 future. Go to the ant, the Bible says, and learn that it knows that in winter it won't get grain. So, it saves up in the summer and stores it so that one day when there's a need, there's enough. Do you live like that? Have you got at 53:23 least the brain of an ant? That's what the Bible is saying. So, those are the things I teach. Be wise, be careful in the expenditure of money and don't live for it. Don't let your mind always be thinking of getting more and more and more and more and 53:38 more. Let your mind be at rest in God. You honor you follow these principles and I tell you he'll take care of you. There again I'm speaking from 50 years of experience. I have the authority to say I have to the best of my knowledge 53:54 sought God's kingdom first and his righteousness. From the time I was converted till this day I can say that I've never gone anywhere to make money. Not even as a preacher. I can stand before God as I stand before him now and I can say that 54:11 I haven't starved. My children haven't starved. Why do I say this? I'm saying Jesus has helped me to be a testimony to you. And you can be a testimony to other people if you say, "Lord, I want to live a heavenly life on this earth." It says 54:27 in Revelation 21:21, "The streets of heaven are lined with gold." And I like that a heavenly-minded person has put gold under his feet. There is gold in heaven, but it's under the feet. Under the feet. And that's where I 54:45 wanted to be on earth. So we can read about heaven and say, Lord, I want that type of life in in me right now. Where in heaven they don't have any bitterness or jealousy against anyone. I don't have any either. 55:03 And there's no hard feelings, no grudges. And gold is under our feet. It is there, but it's under our feet. Money is a wonderful servant. And if you have plenty of it, great. It's like having many servants in the house. It's good to 55:19 have many servants in the house. If you can afford it, it makes life easier for you. But don't let any of them become your master. That's what I say. Don't let any of them sit on top of your head and rule you. And I want to say this finally. 55:37 When you stand before the Lord, when he comes again, and that'll be pretty soon, you won't have any regret if you lived like this. And not only that, in your earthly days, you would have been the salt of the small part of the earth that you 55:53 lived in. You would have given a taste to heaven of heaven to the few people you came in touch with. And for this there is only one way. Jesus said everybody has to be salted with fire. Have you read that verse? Everybody's got to be salted with fire. 56:11 It's the fire of the Holy Spirit that makes us the salt of the earth. There is only one way that I can be the salt of the earth. I have to be salted with fire. The fire of the Holy Spirit must fill me and burn up, you know, the attachment to 56:28 earthly things so that I use earthly things. I make them my servants. I still use them, but none of them will be my master. Live like that. Let's pray. [Music] And while our heads about in prayer, 56:47 I said, I'm not asking you to raise your hands or any such thing. I'm asking you to go home, sit down, and count the cost. Is it worth it to live the rest of your life the way you lived till now? Or is it better that you live 57:04 the way Jesus lived on this earth? Sit down, count the cost, and take a decision. and may you have no regrets in eternity. Heavenly Father, help us each one we pray to live according the light of your word. We know that you always 57:18 plan the best for us. You seek the very best for us. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen.
