The Bible says that part of faith is
to believe that God is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him.
We know that faith is one of the
most important things emphasized in the New Testament,
and all of us would say we have
faith, we believe.
But I want to ask you this morning
whether you really believe that God is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
If another brother or sister has progressed more
than you, are you willing to acknowledge that
it is because he has sought God more
diligently or she has sought God more diligently
than you have?
You know, we are, right from the days
of Adam who blamed his wife, we are
great makers of excuses.
Excuses that justify ourselves.
When, if another brother or sister is more
wholehearted, we tend to excuse that saying, well,
God's called him for that or God's gifted
him with that.
We'll never say that's because I've not sought
Him wholeheartedly, because that puts the blame on
me, you see.
We try to put the blame on God.
So, well, God's called him for that, so
therefore He's gifted him like that.
Of course, it's got nothing to do with
me.
I'm a wonderful person.
And that's why we never progress.
It's exactly the thing what the devil wants
you to say.
The devil wants you to say there's nothing
wrong with you.
Well, God's called her for that, so she's
like that or he's like that.
Or if somebody knows the scriptures better than
us, we say, well, that's because he's got
a good memory.
Of course, nothing wrong with me.
I'm a wholehearted brother, but he's got a
good memory.
You know, there are numerous reasons like that.
You see another brother whose children are following
the Lord, your children are not.
Well, you say children are different.
We are such experts at making excuses.
I just want to encourage you, my brothers
and sisters, if you want to go on
with God, get rid of this Adamic habit
of making excuses.
If we see some other church has got
something which we don't have, we say, yeah,
but then, of course, they have some other
problems.
We're okay.
And as long as we keep on saying,
I'm okay, my family's okay, my church is
okay, you're guaranteeing for yourself that you'll never
make progress.
That's a habit of Adam, to make excuses.
It's far better to say, God, I haven't
sought you diligently.
I have not sought you with all my
heart, and that's why I haven't got what
someone else has got.
And that could be mine, if I seek
God in the same way.
There are many people who seek the baptism
in the Holy Spirit, and if they don't
get it, they say, well, maybe it's not
God's time.
I'm okay, you see.
I'm perfectly okay, but God has some plan.
We don't realize that in all our subtlety
and cleverness with which we make excuses, we
are actually only damaging ourselves.
I decided years ago, I'd never make an
excuse.
If Paul said, follow me as I follow
Christ, and my life is not as radical
and wholehearted as Paul's, I wouldn't say, well,
that was because Paul was called for that.
I'd say, Lord, there's something missing in me.
I've been recently challenged, as I've been many
times reading the Acts of the Apostles, about
the tremendous power those apostles had.
And you know the excuses?
Those were for the early days.
The master of excuses, the devil, has got
plenty of excuses to fill our clever mind
with.
Those are the early days.
Those are only for certain people.
And it's the same old story.
As long as we make excuses, we'll never
experience what God wants us to have.
So I'm just wondering, I've wondered about myself.
See, I've been a believer for 45 years,
and I ask myself this question.
I don't know whether you ask it.
Lord, is there something you wanted me to
have, which I've missed out on so far?
If so, I want it.
Lord, I don't want to leave this earth
missing out on a single thing that Almighty
God wanted me to have or experience on
this earth.
Will you pray that prayer to God sincerely?
Those of you who are serious, Lord, before
I leave this earth, I want to experience
everything that you want me to experience and
have before I leave the earth.
I mean, if there's something I'm going to
have only in heaven, that's fine.
I don't want it now.
And if there's something you want only certain
people to have because it's their calling.
I mean, it's true that certain people have
certain gifts because they're called for that.
We don't all have to have those gifts.
That's fine.
I'm not interested in having gifts which God
doesn't want me to have because it's not
part of my calling.
And I don't think you should desire that
either.
But what God wants you to have, you
must have such a passionate yearning and longing
that at any cost, whatever price you have
to pay, however much inconvenience it may cause
you, God, I want it.
I want it at any cost.
I'm willing to pay the price.
Send me the bill.
I'll pay it.
You know, that's the earnestness that God honors.
Jesus always spoke about those who are sick
and tired of their own life.
That's the meaning of weary and heavy laden.
Come to me those who are weary and
heavy laden, those who are sick and tired
of your life, of the way you're living.
Or Jesus said, if any man thirsts, thirst,
what a word, desperate thirst, come to me,
He said.
God is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.
In Jeremiah 29, 11, He's imagined for a
moment, Jesus is standing before you right now
and saying to you personally, as if nobody
else is in the room, it's Jesus and
you and Jesus saying to you, I have
plans for you, plans for your welfare, to
give you a future and a hope, Jeremiah
29, 11, to make your future glorious, to
do something wonderful for you.
It doesn't matter how old you are, even
if you're 85 years old, 90 years old,
you haven't died yet, maybe you've got one
more week to live.
God says, I've got plans for you for
that one week.
Don't you want to do something in that
one week?
Even if you're 90 years old, before you
go, I would, if God said to me,
you're 90 years old, you've got one more
week to live, but I've got plans for
you for that one week.
I say, Lord, fulfill it before I go.
You don't have to be young, it doesn't
matter how old you are, even if you're
a young boy, think of it, all the
years, God says, I've got plans for you,
plans for your welfare, to give you a
future and a hope, but you've got to
call upon me for it.
You've got to call upon the Lord, verse
12, and it says in verse 13, you
will find me when you search for me
with all your heart.
It's the same old story, whether it's Old
Testament or New Testament.
God, there must be something, I haven't got
that, something I've missed.
I want to seek you with all my
heart.
I want to seek you with fasting and
prayer.
I've often wondered, why does God want me
to go hungry?
Fasting.
You know the answer?
I can answer it in three words.
I don't know.
A lot of questions I can answer in
three words.
I don't know.
Then why do I do it?
Because Jesus commanded it.
That's all.
I'm a son who lives by faith.
If my father tells me to do something,
I don't need to know the reason.
How would you like to have a son,
three-year-old son or five-year-old
son, you bring up your children like that,
you're going to have a headache.
Why should they do it?
Because daddy said it.
Because mommy said it.
One day they'll understand when they're 25 years
old.
We haven't got there yet spiritually.
So God, Jesus said it.
I tell you, I haven't understood the logic
of prayer.
I haven't understood the logic of prayer at
all.
You think God is not more burdened for
India than I am?
Of course He is.
The things we pray for.
Are we informing God about something He didn't
know?
Are we trying to have a burden?
Are we trying to twist God's arm and
say, God, you've got to do this.
I haven't understood it.
And the reason I don't understand it is
because my mind is like a cup.
God's wisdom is like an ocean.
So I'm not surprised.
There are lots of things in the Bible
I don't understand.
You know, that's why I've discovered the more
intellectual and more logical you are, the less
you pray.
It's true.
I've seen throughout my life that those who
are very clever, they pray very little.
Because unconsciously the logic works.
There's no need to inform God.
He knows everything.
And then I've seen simple poor people who
don't use all their logic.
They pray and they get something which these
intellectual people miss out on.
Consider that.
Consider that possibility.
God says, you'll find me when you search
for me with all your heart.
Here's a title of the Holy Spirit which
just struck me.
Romans chapter 8.
I don't know whether you've seen this.
I'm sure you've read it hundreds of times.
But sometimes we read and we don't notice
it.
Romans chapter 8 and verse 11.
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of
Him who raised Jesus from the dead.
The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead.
That's the Holy Spirit.
And I want to be baptized with it.
And I want to be filled with it.
The greatest problem of man is death.
Spiritual death.
It's not sickness.
It's not poverty.
Jesus was poor.
Paul was sick.
Timothy was sick.
Those are not man's biggest problems.
But spiritual death.
And Jesus came to earth to conquer that
spiritual death.
If He had not conquered that all the
good that He had done, healed the lepers,
did kind things, washed disciples feet and all
that would have been useless.
He did all those things.
But He primarily came to conquer spiritual death.
Because death was reigning over all men.
See Romans chapter 5.
Romans chapter 5 it says verse 12.
Through one man He conquered death also.
Through sin.
That's what the Lord told Adam.
The day you eat, you will die.
And we know he died because the contact
with God was gone.
It was like pulling out the plug.
It's like telling a child who doesn't know.
If you pull out the plug, the lights
will go off.
Or the panel will stop working.
God said to Adam, the lights went out
in his life and one of the clearest
proofs of it is he started accusing his
wife.
You know the lights have gone out in
your life when you are blaming other people
or blaming God.
The lights have gone out brother, sister.
You are in darkness.
You may not know it.
But you are in darkness when you are
blaming your wife for something or blaming your
husband or blaming the elders or blaming a
brother or if elders blame the brothers and
sisters.
The lights have gone out in my life.
That's one of the clearest proofs.
The lights have gone out when you blame
other people.
Adam did that.
The light went out in his life.
Life went off.
And since death spread to all men because
all have sinned.
Now listen to this.
Verse 13.
Until the law, the law came through Moses
maybe about 2500 years after Adam.
For 2500 years after Adam all that period
there was no law.
So when there is no law you can't
sin.
For example if there is no sign on
a road saying no entry people can go
in and out.
I mean even if the police have in
mind well nobody should go through this road.
If they haven't made a law there is
nothing wrong.
So where the point is that when God
has not given a law he doesn't ask
you to be responsible.
You are not guilty because I haven't told
you that's wrong.
For example our children they may do something
wrong but if you have not told them
that's wrong you know you can't blame them.
Sometimes your child may come back from school
and use a bad word.
You know he is not really guilty because
he doesn't know it's a bad word.
You ask him where did you learn that?
One of the boys used it in school.
What does it mean?
I don't know what it means.
It's something you say when you are angry.
And then you have to tell him now
there is a law.
That's a bad word.
Don't use it anymore.
Then he is guilty after that.
But up until then it's a bad word.
He should never use it but he is
not guilty.
That's what God says.
When I have not given a law you
are not guilty.
But what I want you to notice is
even if you are not guilty because there
was no law death still reigned.
Verse 14 Death doesn't make a difference.
Death doesn't discover whether you know the law
or you don't know the law.
It just reigns.
You know nowadays they say they have discovered
that when you eat bread and butter and
cheese your cholesterol level goes up.
But supposing somebody hasn't studied that.
He says no I didn't study it but
I just keep on eating all that stuff.
Do you think the cholesterol will say oh
this guy hasn't studied it so we better
not raise the cholesterol in his body.
No.
It doesn't matter whether you know the rule
or not.
I mean if you know the rule it's
good but if you don't know the rule
still the laws of the body still work
whether you know the laws or not.
It's the same thing here.
It's not deliberate.
Fine you're not guilty but death still reigns.
Whether you're guilty or not death still reigns
all the way from Adam to Moses because
spiritual death has got nothing to do with
laws.
That's what I want you to notice.
No.
Spiritual death has got nothing to do with
laws.
It's like cholesterol.
Cholesterol doesn't bother whether you know the rules
or not.
It just operates.
Death is like that.
It just operates in our life whether you
know it or not.
And law may have come through Moses but
death was from Adam and it makes absolutely
no difference whether you know the law or
not.
And you know some areas you may say
but brother I don't have light on it.
It doesn't make a difference.
Death still reigns in your life even if
you didn't have light.
So what?
Some other area you say well I'm still
pressing on.
I'm still on hunger.
That's fine.
Take 20 years to get victory but death
will reign over you all those 20 years.
That's not going to make an effect.
You know it's like saying brother I'm trying
to give up butter and cheese and all
that in my life.
That's fine.
You can take 20 years to give it
up.
You probably may not live 20 years but
these things take over.
The laws of the body.
The laws of the body you've got nothing
to do whether you're struggling or you're not
struggling.
Guilt may be another thing but death reigns
universally because death is connected to sin.
And Jesus came not to bring more laws.
Laws don't help.
He came to bring something that will deliver
man from this death that's reigning.
That's why resurrection is so important.
That's why you know Jesus said the apostles
always talk about being witnesses of Jesus' resurrection.
The spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead is going to fill me.
That means all death of every sort is
going to gradually disappear from my life and
one day it'll even disappear from my body
when Christ comes again.
That means death won't even be able to
touch my body one day but it begins
in our spirit right now.
That's the meaning of being raised from the
dead.
Death won't be able to touch it anymore.
But this is the wonderful gospel.
The gospel is all connected with the resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
And such an emphasis on Jesus' risen life,
risen life, His resurrection is not just that
He rose but that I can experience that
power.
And it's not something which we can understand
you know I can explain this to you
but I ask God to open our eyes
of our heart to see it.
And when we see it it's tremendously different.
I want to show you here in Ephesians
in chapter 1 when Paul was writing to
the Ephesian Christians he says here in Ephesians
1 he says you guys are great believers
because I've heard of verse 15 I've heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus your
love for all the saints.
You know that's got to be a pretty
good church don't you think so?
They love all the saints not just the
folks in their own group.
And they don't see he says I don't
cease giving thanks to you verse 16 but
I also pray for you you fellows are
wonderful believers you don't have any wrong doctrines
there in the church in Ephesus but I'm
praying for something else I'm praying verse 17
that God the Father will give you a
spirit of wisdom you know revelation is a
New Testament word not just understanding but revelation
in the knowledge of him I pray that
the eyes of your heart not your mind
it's very important to distinguish between the mind
and the heart when you study physics, chemistry,
geography you've got to use your mind it
doesn't matter if you don't use your heart
but when you study the scriptures it's your
heart it's the only book in the world
where you've got to use your heart but
other than that it's the Bible it's where
you've got to use your heart to hear
what God is trying to say I pray
that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened that means Paul is praying that I
pray the light will be switched on in
your heart that you'll see something you know
how you go into a dark room and
you can hardly see anything there may be
some wonderful things there you can't even see
it I pray that God will turn on
the light and you'll see something now if
this was something we could understand with the
mind you know what Paul would have said
Paul said please read what I'm writing 10
times read it 10 times read it again,
read it again, read it again, read it
again you know that's what they said in
the Old Testament meditate, meditate, meditate it's good
to meditate but I'll tell you something sometimes
God just turned on the light and I
haven't been meditating hey, that's amazing a lot
of the light I have got has not
come through I mean I've also studied the
Bible carefully in order to fill my mind
with the knowledge of Scripture that's important particularly
if you're in a teaching ministry like me
but more important than that see most of
you are I mean most of you are
not in a teaching ministry so you don't
have to know the Bible so well like
I need I need to know it in
the mind but all of you need to
know it in the heart and it doesn't
matter if you can't teach like me or
explain the Scriptures like me or illustrate and
make things simple like me that's a calling
for teaching but to understand in the heart
you have to say Lord just switch on
the light and I have no different times
in my life when, and I'll tell you
something which may surprise you 90% of
some of the things which have really opened
my eyes about things in the Scripture I
have discovered by revelation by fellowshipping with other
believers not listening to a message sometimes in
a message but very often when just sitting
and talking to other believers hey, I got
light on that and that person sitting there
may not even know that I got light
something got turned on in my heart and
I sought the Lord about this and I
said Lord why is it that I seem
to get more light when I'm in fellowshipping
with other believers than when I'm just sitting
and it was because He wanted me to
recognize my dependence on the body of Christ
you know we are such independent people one
of the sins we never confess to God
perhaps is our independent spirit we're independent, children
are independent and we grow up independent if
that independent spirit is not destroyed and we
don't learn our dependence not only on Jesus
but on the body of Christ we're not
going to grow I think, I'm not exaggerating
but I had a denomination on scripture that
I would not have got if I had
not valued other brothers in the body of
Christ and it doesn't matter what their denomination
is it doesn't matter I got light from
reading Mother Teresa she's a Catholic not on
Catholic doctrines but on some other things about
love for Jesus so what I'm trying to
say is be dependent on the body of
Christ you're not going to get it all
on your own you lonely individualistic type of
people you're not going to get to heaven
learn to value the brothers and sisters and
learn to fellowship with them and say God
switch on the light in my heart so
Paul says I'll just show you a verse
on that in Ephesians chapter 3 he says
in verse 18 of Ephesians 3 that you
may be able to understand or comprehend along
with all the saints what is the breadth
and length and height and depth and to
know the love of Christ which passes human
knowledge see there's a love of Christ you
can understand with human knowledge you know you
study about it you read about it people
explain it with stories you say oh that's
another love of Christ you see a movie
on Christ and you see the love of
Christ fine but there's something that goes beyond
knowledge it surpasses knowledge do you know that
there's something of the love of Christ which
goes beyond no matter how much you read
no matter how much you hear a message
you can't understand it it's not like history
and social studies and all that this is
something which goes beyond knowledge but you can
see it in your heart if you seek
fellowship it says in verse 18 with all
the saints one of the things I have
said to myself is listen carefully every person
in the body of Christ every person he
may be much younger than me maybe a
new member in the body of Christ every
person in the body of Christ has something
to teach me and I want to learn
that I mean there may be 10,000
things I can teach him but there may
be one thing which he can teach me
I want to learn that something of Christ
something of to reach people to Christ to
witness people and I meet a brother who
sits in a train and he's immediately witnessing
to somebody before the end of the journey
he's led him to Christ don't you think
I can learn something from him instead of
sitting back and making an excuse that's not
my calling I believe that if we are
open like that you know what will happen
in 5 or 10 years you'll become spiritually
a fantastically rich person because you're learning something
and you meet another denomination who doesn't have
the light that you have on maybe 10
,000 things but you see something in him
and you got the humility to say there's
something there I want to learn there's something
I want to learn there there's something I
want to learn from that person and here
you're going around the world meeting different believers
and just picking up things can you imagine
what a fantastically rich person you'll be I
become tremendously rich this way even people whom
I don't know I learn something from them
there's something I can learn there I may
reject 99 things and pick up that one
thing I'm not saying we should pick up
everything you see the trouble with a lot
of believers is they appreciate something in a
brother and they go wholesale for that it's
a bit risky because there may be things
there you got to be careful there may
be some brothers where you can pick up
90% of the things but maybe not
10% a lot of things which we
can't pick up you know I've thought of
some of these folks who got a tremendous
healing ministry some of them have such a
compassion for people and I say God I
want to learn that I don't want to
learn how to raise money through those people
because that's not the way Jesus raised money
I leave out all that but ignoring all
that I disagree with them completely in their
methods of ministry but look at their compassion
for sick people look at their compassion for
people who are suffering I say God I
don't have 10% of that that's something
of Christ because Jesus had such compassion but
we rule out the whole person completely just
because his attitude to money is not right
I agree I mean when you go to
get your scooter I've been getting along with
his wife and things like that before I
only want to find out can he fix
his scooter I don't want to find out
his attitude to money and whether he loves
money and whether he lives properly with his
wife it doesn't bother me if he can
fix my scooter I get something out of
him if I want to fix my teeth
I don't go to him because he can't
help me there I go to somebody else
don't we do that in life you know
we go to different people because that fellow
can help me here and this fellow can
help me here which I don't know let
me learn that let me get it from
him he may be so prejudiced against me
that he says oh I can't learn anything
from brother he's a heretic fine he's enriching
me but he doesn't want me to enrich
him who's the loser who's the loser if
you're this exclusive type who says no we
are the only holy ones in CFC I'll
tell you something I've seen people who have
that attitude who feel the only real wholehearted
believers in the world are the ones connected
to CFC you'll be some of the poorest
believers in the world I'll give it to
you in writing I never want to be
like that we got to have our heart
open we may not agree with other believers
and because of that I cannot work with
them do you know that if John Wesley
were in Bangalore and John Wesley by the
way lived in 1700s in England was one
of the godliest men in the history of
the church do you know that if he
were in Bangalore he and I would not
be in the same church how do you
like that because he'd sprinkle infants sorry John
Wesley I really respect you as a godly
man but I can't sprinkle infants and call
it baptism what do you do then every
time a child is born John Wesley says
we got to sprinkle him and I say
no we're not going to sprinkle him ok
brother I'll meet you regularly but we'll have
to work in separate churches and somebody asked
me what do you think of John Wesley
I think he's the godliest man in Bangalore
why don't you work with him he sprinkles
infants I don't believe that's the right way
to baptize people so what I'm trying to
say is the other person in that church
may be ten times more godly than I
am but I'm not working with him because
there's an area where I'm absolutely convinced and
I'm sure there John Wesley is wrong there's
one area where I'm right and he's wrong
and that's the matter of baptism but that
doesn't mean I'm more spiritual than him can
you acknowledge that another much more godly man
could be wrong but yet he may be
a hundred times more spiritual than you if
you can acknowledge that you're on the way
to becoming a spiritually rich person Lord there's
something of the life of Christ along with
all the saints it says here with all
the saints you can comprehend the breadth and
the length and the height and the depth
of the love of Christ Paul wrote in
four dimensions have you heard of four dimensions
that itself surpasses knowledge that's exactly it it
goes beyond all geometry and all that type
of stuff it's beyond mathematics you know four
dimensions height, depth, length, breadth surpasses knowledge okay
chapter one let's come to chapter one it
says I pray that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened that means something should
be switched on in your heart and that
you may know three things we've got to
have the light switched on in our heart
to know number one is the hope of
his calling that Jesus called you perhaps all
of you know why did Jesus call you
can you give me an answer in one
comprehensive sentence there may be many many things
but all comprehend in one sentence why did
Jesus call you and that the answer to
me for that is in Romans 8 29
that whom he foreknew he also predestined to
become conformed to the image of his son
that Jesus might be the first or the
eldest among many brothers and these whom he
predestined he called okay so when I go
to that verse I understand why did God
call me he called me for one reason
not to go to heaven nowhere in the
Bible does it say God called me to
go to heaven I want to surprise you
with some of these things nowhere in the
Bible does it say God called you to
go to heaven you know what the Bible
says he called you to become like Jesus
and that starts right here on earth it
ends when we get to heaven but it
starts right here he called me to be
more compassionate he called me to be more
holy he called me to look at women
the way Jesus looked at money with complete
detachment using it but not attached to it
he called me to look at circumstances the
way Jesus looks at circumstances you know God
is in control that faith he wants me
to be like Jesus and at the same
time he wants me to be like Jesus
in my ministry Jesus had such a tremendous
passion to serve God and to do something
for his father his whole life once when
he didn't even eat food he went to
God and woman and he told his disciples
I've already eaten my food my food's over
you fellas have brought lunch for me now
but I got a soul saved and I'm
so excited about that I lost my hunger
have you ever lost your hunger because a
soul got saved or God did something and
you say I don't feel hungry now because
I've eaten something if you've not known that
I believe we should know that I'm so
excited that I'm not really bothered whether I
eat or not think of the number of
believers who complain about food and all types
of things what a million miles they are
away from being conformed to the image of
Jesus so I'm just telling you these things
you know how God's will is that I
might be exactly like Jesus one of the
things that's exercised my mind over the last
few weeks is the subject of partiality I'm
not thinking much about it partiality I've been
asking myself Lord is there any partiality in
my life Jesus was totally impartial he looked
at his mother and his brothers and said
these are not my mother and brothers of
these around me who do the will of
God he valued the brothers and sisters around
him more than he valued his own family
members can you say that it has to
be like Jesus you say well my family
members were believers the wealthiest woman on earth
at that time it's to her he said
my mother and brothers are these who do
the will of God if you're in that
category fine but you're not going to be
in that category because you're my physical mother
or my physical brother or my physical son
or anybody like that no we know nobody
after the flesh you see that's the resurrection
life of Jesus because all the rest is
part of that death that came through Adam
sometimes you know when we talk about death
or we talk about sin we don't we've
got a habit of not seeing the sins
that we really have we think of sins
like adultery, murder I mean you go to
a worldly person who's unconverted he's also got
the same list as you have and I
want to say to you if you make
a list of sins and your list of
sins is the same as that worldly person's
list of sins and the same priority that
is one of the clearest proofs that you
really haven't come to know God yet if
I make a list of sins it's going
to be totally different from what the worldly
person he puts murder, adultery, theft and all
at the bottom I put selfishness and pride
and hypocrisy and partiality and thinking evil of
others and speaking evil of others these are
the things in my list it's completely different
from the world's list I hope because these
are the things Jesus spoke about for example
every idle word that man shall speak he's
going to give an account in the day
of judgment which worldly person puts that in
his list for that matter which believer puts
it in his list a lot of believers
don't that shows that they don't have a
passionate desire to become like Jesus they don't
have a passionate desire they haven't seen the
hope of his calling the average believer I
tell you this I met lots of them
the average believer his only calling is I'll
go to heaven when I die I'm going
to be finished with this miserable old world
I'll tell you people who have that hope
are going to be tremendously disappointed when they
go to heaven they may make it to
heaven but they'll be disappointed when they get
there because God will tell them you know
the reason I kept you on earth for
25 years was that you'd used those 25
years to become a little more like my
son but you let me down pretty badly
okay God you gave me a place in
heaven but ah you can shout as much
as you like here that you love Jesus
but you know it mattered on earth whether
you did that I believe we need to
ask God for light on some of these
things the hope of his calling the hope
of his calling and the second thing it
says here is in Ephesians 1 is I
would like to be switched on your heart
to see the riches of the glory of
his inheritance in the saints Ephesians 1 18
not my inheritance in heaven that's great to
think about that but the living bible says
I want you to realize that God became
rich when he got you you look around
and say is it me?
you're talking about me?
God became rich when he got you can
you believe that?
almighty God who wants nothing needs nothing says
I became rich when I got you God
owns all the planets and stars and the
universe and the milky way and all the
other things in the universe but he says
that didn't make me rich you know it's
like some of these multi millionaires who got
houses and lands and gold and everything they
don't have a son and then they get
a son and they say boy this is
my wealth all the other was just rubbish
that's how God feels about you and me
and if you don't believe it you'll be
a miserable person one reason I'm a very
happy person is because I believe it it's
a daring thought that God became rich when
he got me you're almost scared to say
it I wouldn't say it if it were
not in the bible but you know even
though it's written in the bible some of
you are scared to say it I would
not say this blasphemy to say God became
rich when he got me that's having high
thoughts about myself no it isn't it's just
speaking the truth God became rich when he
got me why?
because he paid the blood of his son
to get me have you understood what a
tremendous price God paid to get you my
brother, sister that wasn't easy how many of
you would go through mountains and rivers and
deserts and suffer everything possible loss of all
your money and health and everything to get
the girl you love boy, I say you
really love that girl that's how God that's
how Jesus got his bride God sent his
son to suffer everything to get you it's
unbelievable but it's true and it's because it's
unbelievable Paul says I pray that the Holy
Spirit will give you revelation it's not just
that gifted brother there even you are not
so gifted you know when you realize this
it changes your whole attitude to the Christian
life many of us we hear exhortations be
whole hearted, be whole hearted, be whole hearted
you're trying and trying and you're not whole
hearted brother Bible is boring and I'm not
this you know you pray this you say
Lord just show me how rich you became
when you got me and see if it
doesn't change your whole attitude to the Christian
life you pray that the light will be
switched on in your heart to see such
a miserable backslider like you God still loves
you and he became rich when he got
you and he's disappointed that you don't appreciate
that you know God is disappointed that you
don't appreciate sufficiently that you're still hankering after
something in the world when God says hey
you're mine I became rich when I got
you why are you always after those things
why are you not a little more interested
in me that's the thing pray that God
will open our eyes to see how rich
you became when he got me it says
in verses like Zephaniah that God rejoices over
us in love it's really exciting to think
that almighty God who means nothing in this
universe loves me so intensely cares about me
so much have you read this amazing verse
in Zechariah chapter 2 Zechariah 2 verse 8
the last part he who touches you touches
the apple of his eye of God's eye
you know the most sensitive part of your
body in case you didn't know is the
apple of your eye it's very painful if
something touches that any other part of your
body is not so painful but the apple
of your eye you know somebody touches with
a finger which part of your body pains
if somebody just touches with a finger the
apple of your eye it's so dangerous that
if you allow somebody to do it two
or three times it can even damage your
eye it's that sensitive and God picks that
and says do you know when somebody tries
to harm you he's touching the apple of
my eye I'll tell you this that's what
scares me of ever doing harm to another
believer or speaking evil about another believer I'm
sorry I won't do it because that's the
apple of God's eye there may be a
hundred things wrong with him there are a
hundred things wrong with me also in different
areas perhaps I will not touch the apple
of God's eye make that rule in your
life I will not touch the apple of
God's eye let God deal with him it's
not my business I'll tell you in my
younger days I was foolish nobody taught me
these things you guys are so lucky you're
here and there and I suffered because of
it I'm just telling you folks don't do
it don't do the stupid things I did
in my younger days and suffered I really
reaped and I said Lord I'm going to
be very careful I will not touch your
anointed I mean even if the anointing was
once upon him and it's lost David said
ok Saul may have lost the anointing but
once he was God's anointed I'm not going
to touch it you really have a sense
for these things but look at the ways
today believers hit out, criticize, take people to
court fight this and the other do you
think these people have the slightest fear of
God?
zero now we may not go to such
extremes but I just want to say to
you just leave other believers alone the whole
Bible is full of stories the whole Bible
is full of stories of how God dealt
with people who touched his beloved children do
you know what God dealt with Cain?
starting with Cain Cain did something to Abel
God punished him in some way I don't
know how Cain himself oh God please this
is terrible what you have done to me
that tough hard man got humbled and began
to weep before God because the punishment was
so bad that's how the Bible begins you
touch one of God's children God says this
is what I'll do to you I want
to be scared you know what happened to
Pharaoh when he began to trouble the Israelites
in Egypt God said you're going to trouble
my children I'll teach you a lesson for
centuries the whole world will know what I'm
like it's true right through the Bible anybody
who troubled God's children it is like that
think of Saul who harassed David harassed David,
harassed David tried to kill him okay God
tolerated it for many many years and God
may tolerate for many many years people who
are harassing you and troubling you but boy
when the day God begins to deal with
them I would not like to be around
it'll be terrible for that person and I
don't want to be in that number I
don't want to be that number who goes
around criticizing this person that person, the other
person no it's not my business God is
their judge and that is a tremendous comfort
you became, God became rich when he got
you and if somebody touches you he's touching
the apple of God's eye leave it to
God I know times when you know particularly
me I serve the Lord and anyone who
serves the Lord is a target of Satan's
attack and Satan attacks through people and through
the years many many people have attacked me
some of it you know about a lot
of it you don't know about it's
not my business it's God's business you know
that when you touch the apple of your
eye your eye does nothing it's some other
part of your body that says you better
watch out that's it, it's something like that
I'm the apple of God's eye somebody touches
me the eye does nothing God deals with
that himself that's a comfort to know that
somebody harassing you in your office just love
him you know I hear so many complaints
about people and say brother this church they're
not treating me right and that office they're
not treating me right and my husband your
husband's not treating me right your husband's not
treating you right and you're a child of
God boy I tell you I feel sorry
for your husband the day God deals with
him I wouldn't like to be a million
miles near him when God begins to punish
him for the way he treated you a
sincere child of God God is very long
suffering he waits a long long time but
boy when he begins to judge look at
the time he waited in Egypt 400 years
but when he began to judge oh it's
terrible they got frogs and lice and all
types of things happened to them they just
couldn't escape if they went to drink water
that would become blood it's terrible and then
finally the eldest son died in every home
don't you harass your wife or your husband
they are God's children don't do it steer
clear of it don't take advantage of your
position of superiority over another person maybe somebody's
dependent on you don't ever take advantage of
it don't take advantage of people who are
lower than you in society don't look down
on people who are poorer than you or
lower than you in some way it's dangerous
because they are God's special property so that's
the second thing we need to have a
light switched on in our heart and the
third one he says in Ephesians 1 is
I want you to have the light switched
on in your heart by the Holy Spirit
concerning the tremendous greatness of God's power available
to us not to everybody God's power is
not available to everybody sorry for giving you
this bad news but God's power is not
available to everybody but it is available to
everyone who believes that God will do it
everyone who says Lord I believe you're going
to do that for me I can't think
of a single person in the Old Testament
or the New Testament who laid hold of
God like that and was disappointed particularly something
concerning God's will for example there are hundreds
and thousands of areas where we don't know
God's will you're in love with some girl
and you want to marry her you're absolutely
convinced that that is God's will I've met
lots of people like that but the girl
is not convinced what do you do?
I tell the boy that's not God's will
it's simple to me if it is God's
will you convince both sides not just you
but you say I'm going to claim it
I'm going to claim it you can claim
it till all eternity but
you won't be happy it's not God's will
see there are a lot of things like
that we try to claim by faith oh
I want to get a car a more
expensive car or a bigger house these are
not the type of things start with things
which we know are God's will for example
are you in debt?
let's start with something let's start with ABC
stuff don't go to this PhD stuff start
with ABC stuff the Bible says owe no
man anything you say Lord I'm absolutely convinced
Romans 13 says I should owe no man
anything that is your will but I owe
people money then it must definitely be your
will that I should be free from it
that's one area where you can definitely ask
God to answer you because you have no
doubt about God's will so I say start
with the areas where you have absolutely no
doubt start with those other areas other areas
also over a period of time as you
get to know God you can know God's
will better but before we get into that
there are things clearly revealed and start with
that say Lord I want to become free
from debt whether it takes one year or
ten years I want to be free from
debt at the earliest possible time and I
want you to help me I want to
trust you that your mighty power is available
to me or if you're battling with anger
say Lord I'm absolutely sure Ephesians 4.31
says put away all anger it's clear in
God's word all anger must be put away
from my life not 99.9% 100
% Lord I haven't put it all away
I'm absolutely convinced this is your will I
want to believe that you'll do it in
my life there are various areas like that
Lord I'm still lusting with my eyes after
women I'm absolutely convinced that I should be
pure that I should never watch one thing
on internet pornography even once not even soft
porn leave alone hard porn if you don't
know what that means don't try to find
out just leave it there are some people
who know so I'm speaking to them it's
really true and I've been on the internet
for years I've never seen one single thing
because I'm immediately if you're radical
if you're radical but you're not radical you'll
slip up and say oh God please forgive
me I did that and you'll do it
again and say God please forgive me where
are you going to go from there brother,
sister you're destroying yourself you're taking poison and
say no please give me a stomach wash
and you take another day poison give me
a stomach wash you know what's going to
happen to your stomach linings after some time
you won't have the power please help me
help me to overcome this the exceeding greatness
of His power to us who believe now
I'll show you this power, listen to this
there are many manifestations of God's power and
creation and so many other things but the
greatest manifestation of God's power it says here
is when He raised Christ Jesus from the
dead back again we're to the same old
subject the power that raised Jesus from the
dead I told you how death has spread
everywhere lust for women is death anger is
death love of money is death selfishness is
death pride is death spiritual pride is death
hypocrisy is death and this mighty power that
raised Jesus from the dead is available to
me if I believe Lord you mean to
say that I can experience a power that
lifts me out of all this death I
want to know that it's not rules when
people were under the law they were living
under this death God gave them so many
hundreds of rules they never got out of
death and God said this is just to
teach you to teach you that you will
never become holy with rules have we learnt
it in 2004 AD do you know the
number of people who still think that you're
going to be holy with rules you can't
I mean you can appear to be a
pig if you keep holding a pig with
chains you can keep it clean but it
doesn't change the nature of the pig even
if you hold that pig for 10 years
with chains once you release the chains it's
still a pig but God's doing something better
he's going to change the inside nature so
that we don't love that filth like a
cat doesn't love filth and God who can
give a cat a nature like that can
give me a nature that loves purity does
he want to say Lord I want that
resurrection life I want that resurrection life in
me that lifts me up above spiritual death
will you seek it will you say Lord
this resurrection life this power of the Holy
Spirit I want it in my life at
any cost I want it in my life
I'm going to seek you for it one
last verse Romans chapter 8 and verse 2
he speaks here about the law of the
Holy Spirit compared to the law of Moses
the law of Moses had 10 commandments the
law of the Holy Spirit is not commandments
it says the law of the Holy Spirit
please remember this you've heard of the law
of Moses here's the law of the Spirit
the law of the Spirit is life in
Christ Jesus it's written there the law of
the Spirit which is or of life in
Christ Jesus it's not a law it's life
has set me free from all this death
there's a law of sin and death operating
here haven't you struggled for years to be
free from the love of money haven't you
struggled for years to be free from pornography
and anger yeah okay now shall we seek
for something which is not according to laws
and rules but the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus life in Christ that resurrection life
I believe that's our calling and that's what
we need to go around the world proclaiming
that Jesus is risen Jesus is risen and
I'll tell you how do I know because
he's done something in my life I could
never have overcome this with any number of
rules or determination but Jesus set me free
let's bow our heads for a moment as
we think about what we heard this morning
will you pray with all of your heart
my brother sister that God will switch on
the light switch on the light in your
heart and show you something in these areas
of your life Lord what I need is
not understanding I need revelation give me something
that turns on the light in my heart
that changes my life completely changes my values
changes my attitudes and help me to experience
that mighty supernatural power of the Holy Spirit
that lifts me up and I'll tell you
something it'll even affect your body as well
and if you have sickness you'll find suddenly
you're getting healthier you get healed from sickness
too when you let resurrection life enter your
spirit you know how when bitterness enters your
spirit you get sickness if sin can produce
sickness can't resurrection life produce a little bit
of help to overcome that sickness I believe
there are lots of things that Jesus from
the dead will give life even to your
mortal body it says Heavenly Father help us
to enjoy the privileges we have in Christ
we, the devil's robbed us of so many
things but he's not going to rob us
anymore we're going to get it all back
from him we're getting it all back in
our life everyone here we're not just claiming
it for one or two but everyone here
Lord and our children must have it too