Let's turn to Philippians chapter 3.
Philippians chapter 3.
We need to understand, you know, Paul uses
this word rubbish, which you probably heard me
use many times.
But Paul used it first.
He said he counted, Philippians 3 verse 8.
He counts everything as rubbish, so that he
may gain Christ and be found in Christ,
not having a righteousness of my own, which
came from the law.
But the righteousness which is through faith in
Christ.
The righteousness which comes from God on the
basis of faith.
And he goes on to say that I
might be conformed to his death.
Okay.
So, he counted everything as rubbish, everything which
man considers valuable You know, Paul was a
very clever man.
I think if he lived today, he would
have been a very brilliant computer engineer or
doctor or businessman or whatever it is.
He had a very brilliant mind.
But he counted it as rubbish.
There are very few people in the world
with brilliant minds who count it as rubbish.
And that's why they don't experience Christ in
the way that Paul experienced him.
Most of them have very superficial experience of
Christ.
Paul had a very deep experience of Christ
because he didn't place any value on all
those things that man valued.
Paul came from a very rich family.
His father was a rich businessman in Tarsus.
But even that wealth, he didn't consider that
as anything.
It was rubbish.
And then, something else he counted as rubbish
was the human goodness he had by keeping
the law from childhood.
You know, earlier on he says in verse
6 that according to the righteousness which is
in the law, he was absolutely blameless.
Do you remember the rich young ruler who
came to Jesus and said, I've kept all
the commandments from my youth.
Paul was like that.
He was another rich young man who had
kept all the commandments and he was absolutely
blameless.
Once he could stand before a high priest
and say, from my childhood I've lived with
a good conscience up till today in Acts
23.
How many people can say that?
I don't think any of us can say
that.
These people lived such a God-fearing life
brought up by God-fearing parents that from
childhood this man Paul kept a good conscience
according to the standards of the law.
In other words, external righteousness.
But that itself is a great thing.
And now he says, all of that is
rubbish too.
Now, just like I said, a lot of
very brilliant minds find it very difficult to
call their brilliant minds rubbish and that's why
they don't have a deep experience of Christ.
It's exactly the same way.
There are a lot of very upright people,
good people, upright, who kept a good conscience
from childhood and they have not considered that
as rubbish.
And that's why they don't have a deep
experience of Christ.
Paul says, all of this, verse 7, whatever
things were gained for me, it's all I
counted as loss, in fact I count everything
as rubbish because he had seen the standards
of God's righteousness and he had seen how
he could get that righteousness.
And when he understood and saw, and I
believe this is so important for all of
us to understand, many of us in the
church, I wonder whether we have a clear
understanding of the basis on which God accepts
us.
Because if we don't have a clear understanding
of that, we can hear so many things
in the church about denying ourselves and doing
good and blessing others, etc.
and do all that and you don't know
on what basis Christ has accepted you.
So, this is very important, what I'm sharing
here.
So, Paul says here, I don't want, verse
9, to be found one day standing before
God with a righteousness of my own.
How many good, upright, righteous people, Christians, non
-Christians, whatever religion, can honestly say, I don't
want to be found standing before God with
my goodness or my righteousness.
I think there are very few.
Most people, even Christians, are proud of their
goodness and their righteousness.
And among non-Christians too, they are proud
of the fact they are good people.
And that's why they don't have a deep
experience of Christ.
And I think that's why many of them
don't find real salvation or the joy of
the Lord.
Because they have not counted that as rubbish.
Paul did.
He says, I don't want to be found
in that day with this goodness of mine,
this righteousness of mine.
I want to be found in that day
only with the righteousness, verse 9, last part,
that comes from God on the basis of
faith.
You know, there's a verse in Isaiah 64
and verse 6 which says that compared to
God's righteousness, I'm paraphrasing it, compared to God's
righteousness, the best righteousness we can produce, the
best, is like a filthy rag.
Such a filthy rag that cannot be used
again.
That's the meaning of that phrase there.
In Isaiah 64, 6.
All our righteousness.
You take all of our good deeds and
when you compare it with the righteousness of
God, it's like such a filthy rag that
you wouldn't even want to touch.
You know, something like if you go to
these scooter repair shops, they have cloths that
are used for rubbing grease and all that
type of stuff.
It's so filthy.
You can't use it anymore.
It's only fit, you can't wash it.
It's only fit for throwing away.
And when you look at that filthy cloth
which can't be washed, fit for throwing away,
how many of us see that our righteousness
and our goodness is like that cloth in
God's eyes.
The problem with man is that we don't
know about the righteousness of God.
Our tendency is, even among Christians unfortunately, is
to compare ourselves with each other.
Just like the Pharisees.
We compare this stinking dirty cloth of our
righteousness with somebody else's stinking dirty cloth of
righteousness and maybe he's got two more dark
stains on it than I have and so
I feel I'm better than him.
It's absolutely crazy.
But that's the basis on which a lot
of people feel proud of their own righteousness
or goodness or how they are better than
somebody else or how they are better than
people in some other church.
It could be anything.
Until we get a clear understanding of this,
we will always have a problem with rejoicing
in our acceptance before God.
We have to see everything we have as
human which we think is valuable as rubbish
compared to Christ.
And I believe that that is what leads
to a very very satisfying Christian life and
experience.
Because then we have nothing of our own
to glory in or no goodness of our
own or anything wisdom of our own.
In another passage in 1 Corinthians 1 when
Paul is explaining the gospel he says 1
Corinthians 1 he
says in verse 30 he says God does
things in such a way in verse 29
that no man can boast before him.
If you want to know here is a
good test if you want to know whether
God has done a really thorough work in
you ask yourself one question is there anything
that you feel proud of your good looks
your intelligence your righteousness your bible knowledge your
so called spirituality whatever it is if there
is something that you feel proud of which
makes you sort of feel superior to somebody
else I have to say God has still
to do a work in you.
Because his ultimate goal is that no one
will boast before him about anything.
And you haven't come to that place yet
because there is something you are still boasting
about.
OK And if there are two or three
things you are boasting about or you feel
pretty proud of Oh you are a long
way from where God wants you to be.
God has to do a great work in
you I don't know how many years it
will take but you better hurry up because
it's only when he does that work that
he can really build something eternal and that's
why it's so important to understand this that
no man may boast before God he equalizes
us and that's very difficult for some people
to accept that God equalizes us and after
equalizing us taking the best and the worst
and putting them all on the same level
he says then verse 30 by his doing
he puts us in Christ Jesus and Christ
Jesus becomes my wisdom Christ Jesus becomes my
righteousness and Christ Jesus becomes my sanctification and
Christ Jesus becomes my redemption everything my wisdom
is Christ my righteousness is Christ my sanctification,
holiness is Christ my redemption is Christ why
so that verse 31 just as it is
written let him who boasts boast in the
Lord or as the message Bible says if
you are going to blow a trumpet blow
a trumpet for God don't blow your own
that's really a wonderful place to come to
that's why you heard me say many many
times that the greatest virtue in the Christian
life is humility the three secrets of the
Christian life are humility humility and humility that
means there is absolutely nothing I can boast
about I don't consider myself senior brother do
you consider yourself a senior brother in CFC
senior sister well you got a long way
to go then that's all I can say
I'll show you an example of some people
who consider themselves senior brothers in Matthew chapter
20 we read of some senior brothers who
were in the church for many years compared
to some junior brothers who came just last
month Jesus said in Matthew 20 about he
spoke a parable here about a land owner
who was hiring laborers for his vineyards a
picture of people being brought into the church
and there were some people whom he went
and hired early in the morning at 6
o'clock in the morning you know the
working day was 12 hours laborers day was
12 hours they started at 6 in the
morning worked till 6 in the evening he
went out at 6 o'clock and hired
certain people and said I will give you
one denarius a day's wages for your work
and then he went out at the third
hour sixth hour in the night that means
right after 3 p.m. he went and
then at 5 o'clock in the evening
when there was only one hour left for
work he found verse 6 some people standing
around doing nothing 11 hours they were looking
for a job they were doing nothing and
he said why have you been standing around
he said nobody hired us verse 7 ok
you also go into the vineyard and work
and when the evening came he said call
all the laborers and those when he said
first call those who came at 5 o
'clock in the evening who worked for one
hour and he gave them all one denarius
a full day's wages what a good master
he is and when the people who came
at 6 o'clock in the morning they
saw these guys getting one denarius for one
hour's work they did a quick calculation and
they said boy that's wonderful so we'll get
twelve denarii that's what they thought so when
that turn came they also got one denarius
you can imagine how angry they were but
they agreed for that at 6 o'clock
in the morning there's nothing to complain about
but because these other guys got one denarius
too who did less work see that's what
always bothers us when somebody who we think
doesn't deserve what we should get gets the
same thing that bothers us we may have
got what we expected but we don't want
somebody else to get more they grumbled and
listen to this expression this is the thing
we got to see here they said these
last men worked only one hour and here's
this expression you have made them equal to
us how dare you lord make these fellows
who joined the church last month equal to
us who've been here 30 years boy that's
pretty unrighteous of god isn't it to make
them equal to us we who deserve a
little respect and seniority what do you think
sisters senior sisters senior brothers are you bothered
that god makes you equal to someone who's
come newly if you understand this how god
makes this person equal to this then you've
understood the message of the gospel this parable
is not talking about rewards that is another
parable you read in Matthew 25 about someone
who produced more than Matthew 25, Luke 19
one person who produced 10 times he got
10 times the reward another person who produced
5 times he got 5 times the reward
this is not talking about reward this is
talking about acceptance before god in other words
you don't come to god expecting a reward
he gives it to you but if you
come to him expecting a reward then you're
going to get a big surprise because this
parable was in answer to a question that
question was asked by Peter in the previous
chapter you read about a young man just
like Paul who had kept all the commandments
this is the one I told you about
Matthew 19 the lord said to him you
know the commandments verse Matthew chapter 19 verse
18 Jesus said to this rich young ruler
you know the commandments don't commit murder don't
commit adultery don't steal don't bear false witness
honor your father and mother etc and he
said I have kept all these things verse
20 what a upright young man he was
and Jesus said you lack one thing you
haven't given up your wealth you're too much
attached to your money go and sell everything
you have give it to the poor and
come and follow me and you will have
treasure in heaven he was calling him to
be an apostle come and follow me and
the young man heard this statement verse 22
he went away grieving he was one who
owned a lot of property he did not
consider it rubbish like Paul Paul was the
other rich young man who considered it rubbish
this fellow didn't consider it rubbish he said
I better go back to that and that's
where he that's where he where he missed
out what God had for him I don't
know where he is I don't know whether
he got converted later on but if he
didn't get converted he is in hell today
and you can go and ask him in
hell what he thought about his decision and
even if he managed to repent towards the
end of his life and went to heaven
you can still go and ask him what
he thought about his decision what he missed
on earth instead of being an apostle he
was just a rich man living a comfortable
life would you rather be an apostle going
through struggles building the church used by God
maybe poor or would you rather be a
rich man living in a palace and accomplishing
little or nothing for God be honest what
would you rather prefer this man even if
he went to heaven he is going to
have regrets and then Jesus said oh it's
so difficult for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God now when Peter heard
this and he compared himself with this rich
young ruler you know Peter was also a
successful fisherman he was making money with his
fish and one day Jesus told him the
same thing which he told this rich young
ruler give up all this give it away
and come and follow me Peter dropped it
immediately and went so there was quite a
difference between Peter and this rich man and
Peter is aware of that and so he
says to Jesus in verse 27 Lord we
are not like this rich fellow we obeyed
you we left everything and followed you what
will there be for us what are we
going to get and Jesus said I tell
you if you followed me in the regeneration
when the son of man sits on his
throne you are going to sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel everyone who
left houses brothers, sisters, father, mother, children of
palms for my name sake will receive many
times as much and will inherit eternal life
but many who are first will be lost
and many who are lost will be first
and then he told this parable of the
people who came first who were lost and
the people who came last who were first
what was the difference the difference was the
people who came first agreed to work for
a payment you do this the master said
you do this work for me I give
you this they made an agreement but the
people who came last if you read carefully
in fact all the people who came at
nine o'clock, twelve o'clock, three o
'clock they all made an agreement the only
group that didn't make an agreement was the
fifth group one, two, three, four groups all
made an agreement but the fifth one he
just said go into the vineyard verse twenty,
verse seven no promise of any payment they
went in said well we might as well
get some exercise for one hour so that
we don't get stiff doesn't matter if we
don't get anything let's bless this man and
help him what a good attitude let's go
and help this man finish off some work
in the vineyard doesn't matter if we don't
get anything maybe he won't give us anything
who's going to pay for one hour and
Jesus said the people who come with that
attitude who come to God expecting nothing but
who joyfully serve him in his vineyard not
for pay not for reward not doing business
with God they will get the most now
in the old testament we can say that
people did business with God what is business?
business is I give you money, you give
me this item or you give me money,
I give you this item it's a transaction
I give you something you give me something
of equal value but that's how those first
four groups did it I do some work
for you, you pay me the fifth group
said we don't want anything, we just come
and serve you those are the people the
people who come with that attitude and say
Lord I'm just so happy to do something
for you I don't want anything whereas in
the old testament under the law everything was
a transaction the Lord said if you pay
your tithes what does it say in Malachi
3.10 the favorite verse of pastors bring
your tithes into the storehouse and I will
open the windows of heaven and pour you
out a blessing that you cannot receive it
is that true?
in the old testament it was absolutely true
it was a transaction I gave my tithes
to God tithes means they were all farmers
those days they didn't earn money in cash
they bought 10% of their grains and
gave it to God and God blessed their
fields and they got fantastic crops the next
year it was good doing business with God
they always made a profit now there are
preachers saying that today you can listen to
them on television you can hear testimonies and
you can read in Christian magazines how somebody
says I gave 10% to this ministry
and I got a promotion or I got
an inheritance or something like that it's the
same old story people who come first you
know they encourage other people come on do
business with God I say rubbish I don't
do business with God because he is not
my master he is my father I don't
do business with my father I am in
my father's business and you know if my
father was a businessman on earth running a
shop and if I was partnering with him
in his business I wouldn't take a salary
I would just be delighted to work for
him you know you go to a shop
and there is a difference between a man
who is employed by the master and the
man who is the master's son sitting in
the shop the employee will be looking at
the clock is it time for me to
go home because he has worked only so
many hours but the son there is a
need for him to stay up till midnight
he will stay up till midnight and he
doesn't expect any overtime he doesn't because he
is a son and you see the difference
in your home for example if you have
a servant maid working in your home she
looks at the clock but if you have
a son or a daughter doing some work
in the home and there is a lot
of work still to be done the maid
will go off when her time is up
but the son and daughter will stay up
and complete the work there is a lot
of difference between a son and a servant
and that was the difference Jesus was highlighting
in the difference between these two, a servant
always works for some return and I want
to say to you dear brothers and sisters
if in any area of your life you
are doing something for the Lord thinking that
you will get something back you are in
the category of those first laborers and you
will end up lost I hope all of
us here will be in the category of
those lost laborers who have no business transactions
with God Lord I am just happy to
serve you whatever it is whether it is
one hour or fifty years I am happy
to serve you I don't want anything if
we think that God owes us something then
we haven't understood the sacrifice of Calvary at
all supposing, I will use a human illustration
to explain the value of the cross of
Calvary supposing there is a very generous good
friend of yours who in your times of
need has kept on giving you money, money,
money to meet your need not in hundreds
and thousands but in millions yes millions and
supposing over a period of ten years he
has given you say twenty five million rupees
one day he calls you and says hey
can you help me with a little work
in my house I need some work done
in my house, do you have two three
hours to come and work for me what
will you say?
sure you will go there and work for
two three hours and are you going to
ask him to pay you for it tell
me I hope not are you going to
expect a payment are you going to hang
around waiting for him to dish out some
more money no that is what Calvary is
he has already paid such a price it's
like twenty five million rupees or a hundred
million rupees he has given now what are
you expecting that you do something little for
God and you expect him to do something
for you shame on us when I understood
what Calvary meant I said Lord I will
never expect a reward from you if you
give me a crown I am going to
throw it down at your feet immediately and
then there will be such tremendous joy in
your service for the Lord everything you do
there will be a spring in your step
and a song in your heart and a
song in your mouth and a twinkle in
your eye and you will be jumping around
serving the Lord and you won't count it
as anything because you have seen what he
has done for you and it will not
be for reward we will not ask like
Peter what shall we get who have left
everything and followed you we won't ask that
question I remember some many years ago I
asked the Lord for something material some material
thing we can ask for material things you
know give us this day our daily bread
as a material request don't be so spiritual
as to think that God is not interested
in our material needs provided there are needs
not luxuries it's not give us this day
our daily ice cream it's give us this
day our daily so long as you are
asking for necessity and not luxury luxury he
may give you that's an extra bonus in
case he throws it in fine but we
ask for necessities and I was asking for
something which I thought was a necessity in
my I don't remember even now what it
was but some material thing for my family
or my children or something and it didn't
seem to come and I said Lord I
have served you so many years so faithfully
won't you do this for me and the
Lord said no no I mean if you
serve a earthly company faithfully for 25 years
they'll certainly do a small thing for you
you go and work in any of these
earthly corporate companies you work there for 10
years they'll do something for you the Lord
said no I said why and the Lord
said because you're coming on your own merit
I have done this for you won't you
do this for me and the Lord said
no that is the day I understood what
it means to pray in the name of
Jesus you know I was talking the other
day about what Amen means what does it
mean to pray in the name of Jesus
to many people again it's the sign that
the prayer is over ok now we can
say Amen no but in the name of
Jesus means a lot more than just the
prayer is over that's the day I understood
it, it means that all that I have
asked I'm not asking because I've served you
so faithfully for 40 years I'm not asking
because I've lived such a holy life for
40 years no I'm not asking because I've
done this or that or that no I'm
asking because Jesus loved me and died for
me and I come in his name that
day I understood it that is why I
realized that when I said Lord I've done
all this for you so many years won't
you do this for me he said no
right because I was coming in my name
what does it mean to come in my
name now some of you may not say
it exactly like that but in the back
of your mind sometimes when God does not
answer a request immediately you may have a
little gripe against God a little grumbling I've
been going to church so faithfully and done
so many things for the Lord I've even
put a few rupees in the box and
God won't do this for me he won't
no matter how much you gripe and grumble
the more you gripe and grumble less chance
of you getting anything from God because you're
coming in your own name but when you
come in the name of Jesus Lord his
merit and then you say you mean to
say that after 40 years of faithfully living
for God I have to come on the
same basis as this fellow was converted yesterday
that's right you mean God makes you equal
to him yes that's right does that bother
you that you are made equal to that
other fellow who was converted yesterday he has
to come in the name of Jesus you
have to come in the name of Jesus
does it bother you then you'll be lost
I'll tell you honestly it doesn't bother me
in fact I'm delighted that God has put
that new convert on the same footing as
me accepted in Christ that's all everything else
is rubbish 40 years of service is rubbish
I'm equal to that person don't ever ever
misunderstand this because if you I believe this
is the reason why some of you may
not have enough joy in your Christian life
when I understood this it brought joy into
my life I'll tell you honestly it's my
testimony my life is one continuous stream of
joy it's a river of joy for many
years it's been like that I don't think
anybody can take it away from me if
you find a happier man than me in
the world show him to me I'd like
to meet him it doesn't matter what happens
because the source of my joy is not
my goodness or my this or my that
it's Christ, Christ is my wisdom my sanctification,
my joy my redemption, my everything I have
finished living under the law you know what
the law was Lord I've done this give
this to me you read that in Deuteronomy
28 if you do do do all these
things I'll do all this for you it's
a transaction I've finished with all that exactly
like Paul said I don't want to be
found before God with this rubbish of human
righteousness the righteousness of the law I want
to be found before God with the righteousness
of Christ and that means I don't count
anything of my own as of any value
now you know there's another parable Jesus said
so many parables to highlight this and I
believe if you understand this it'll deliver you
from a lot of you know unhappiness in
your Christian life let me show you another
parable in Matthew chapter 22 Jesus was great
at pointing this out Matthew 22 he says
the kingdom of heaven see that this phrase
the kingdom of heaven is found as soon
as you open the pages of the New
Testament you'll never find it in the Old
Testament you read take a concordance and look
up for kingdom of heaven in the Old
Testament you'll never find it their kingdom was
a kingdom of earth when the Lord took
the Israelites out of Egypt did he say
I'll bless you with all spiritual blessings in
the heavenly places no he said I'll bless
you with earthly blessings in the earthly places
in Canaan I'll give you a land I'll
defeat all those giants and I'll give you
that all blessings in earthly places I'll give
you health is health a heavenly blessing or
an earthly blessing pray and think about that
I'll give you health I'll give you money
I'll give you good fields and lands and
everything I'll give you victory over your enemies
earthly enemies is that a heavenly blessing no
it's earthly everything God promised Israel was earthly
earthly enemies if you still have earthly enemies
I'll tell you you're under the law I
finished with having earthly enemies long ago I
decided long ago because years ago when the
Lord said to me from Ephesians 6.12
we wrestle not with flesh and blood but
with principalities and powers the Lord said if
you want to fight with the devil you
better stop completely fighting with human beings never
don't ever fight with your brothers don't ever
fight with your wife don't ever fight with
your children don't ever fight with your neighbors
don't ever fight with anybody they won't come
and fight with you that's fine but you
don't fight with them you're finished with fighting
because you want to concentrate all your energies
for the devil we wrestle not with flesh
and blood but with principalities and powers and
when I the more I started doing that
it took me some time to come to
the place where I refused to fight or
argue with any human being concerning anything for
myself then I could fight the battles of
God for his church against the devil and
the inroads the devil seeks to bring into
the church because I could concentrate on that
and fight those battles against Satan and that's
what delivered me completely from the fear of
Satan I wanted to be in the place
where he was afraid of me you want
to be in that place where the devil
was scared of you he was scared of
Jesus do you agree?
but the Bible says in 1 John 4
17 as Jesus is so are we in
this world I've taken that verse literally yeah,
I believe the devil should be scared of
me but that is if I stop fighting
with flesh and blood, if you're still fighting
with flesh and blood arguing with human beings
devil's not going to be scared of you
I said I'm not going to fight with
vegetable vendors for 2 rupees there or fight
with some auto rickshaw driver for 50 paisa
somewhere I finished with all that because I've
got to fight the devil, that's the reason
it's not because I don't value the 2
rupees or 50 paisa but it's because I've
got to fight the devil and I can't
afford to let some of my energy go
fighting with human beings you ask yourself whether
the reason why you're scared of the devil
and why you can't fight with him and
why he seems to defeat you now and
then is because you're fighting with human beings
so much it was an earthly kingdom everything
was earthly right down to the last you
know this, as I told you the favorite
verse of pastors bring in your tights and
I will open the windows of heaven and
bless you with what victory over sin no
more crops I don't want more crops I
want victory over sin in my life so
right from Genesis to Exodus where the law
started right up to Malachi it was earthly,
earthly, earthly and then you come to John
the Baptist and he says fellas imagine he's
talking to hundreds of thousands of Jews who
have only heard of earthly blessings for 1500
years and he says fellas repent of your
sin God's going to give you more crops,
no he'll give you the kingdom of heaven
that was a new message kingdom of heaven
we're all interested in the kingdom of earth,
well you got to repent of that if
you want the kingdom of heaven it's coming,
it's coming, someone is coming with shoes I
cannot open his laces, he's going to introduce
the kingdom of heaven to you fellas, to
those who want it of course very few
wanted it how many waited for it on
the day of Pentecost?
120 and that was the coming of kingdom
of heaven with power the Holy Spirit like
we sing in that song, heaven came down
and glory filled my soul that's what the
Holy Spirit does he brings heaven down into
our hearts and so when Jesus said the
kingdom of heaven Matthew 22 verse 1, 2
is like a king who gave a wedding
feast for his son and that's a picture
of God, a wedding feast is a picture
of our invitation to heaven it's a kingdom
of heaven he sent out his servants inviting
everybody to the feast they were unwilling to
come these are the original people he invited
it was the nation of Israel they were
unwilling to come tell them I've prepared everything
you fellas can be saved all of you
Jewish people but they paid no attention they
went one to his farm, verse 5 another
to his business and some killed his slaves,
this is exactly how the Jewish people treated
the message of the gospel and killed the
apostles and the king was angry and he
sent his armies and destroyed those murderers set
their city on fire, 40 years after Christ
was crucified the Roman armies came and destroyed
Jerusalem and Jewish people were scattered all across
the face of the earth for nearly 2000
years 1900 years, king was enraged because they
killed his servants then he said to his
slaves, ok wedding is ready those the nation
of Israel that was invited was not worthy
they didn't value my invitation ok, go to
the highways and as many as you find
there, this is to all the other nations
of the world now go into all the
world and preach the gospel, that's what he's
saying here and bring them in and the
slaves went out and gathered evil and good,
that means all types of riffraff that's you
and me by the way all the riffraff
from the streets, the beggars and the hopeless
fellows and good for nothing chaps like you
and me, brought them all in and you
know, we come in our rags we're beggars
spiritually speaking, torn rags, some filthier than the
other but all beggars these beggars sometimes compare
their rags with each other and think I'm
a little better than you, but we're all
filthy and the king, you can't come and
sit in a king's palace with these rags
that's shameful but where can these beggars go,
they don't have money to go and buy
new clothes to come for the king's feast,
so you know what the king did at
the gate he had this beautiful white robe
that he'd give freely to everybody who came
so when I come with my filthy, stinking
torn, dirty greasy dress I put on this
white robe your dress may be a little
better than mine, but when you put the
white robe on, we are equal that's the
point and the other fellow whose dress may
be better than yours and mine, well, maybe
but when he puts on the white robe,
he's equal to us God is in the
business of making people equal when they come
into his kingdom and then there was one
guy I mean he was a little his
dress was not as filthy as the others,
maybe he was a little cleaner than the
others and he had spent all his life
comparing himself with the other beggars and felt
that, I'm not so bad you know, I've
still got a shirt and a pant, I
mean there are a few stains here and
there, that's okay, but not as bad as
these fellows so when he came along to
the gate and they gave him this robe
he said, but don't put me in the
same category as these fellows, my dress is
okay maybe he had a tie so he
walks in he doesn't feel the need for
this robe and here's this huge hall with
1000 people sitting there and it's easy to
spot anybody who doesn't have a white robe
so easy the king comes out and looks
over the dinner guests, verse 11 and he
sees there a man who was not dressed
in the wedding clothes that's how I know
the rest of the story which I told
you just now it's not written there, but
that's how I know that's how they got
those wedding clothes, it's just in that one
little sentence and he said to him, friend
how did you come here without the wedding
clothes now if they had to pay for
the wedding clothes, the man could have said,
I didn't have the money that's how I
know it was free you can read you
can find a lot in scripture when you
read between the lines and the man was
speechless he couldn't say I didn't have money
because it was free he couldn't say it
was not offered to me, it was offered
to him at the gate why didn't he
wear it because he thought he was better
than the others and the king said, bind
this fellow hand and foot who thinks he
is better than the others throw him out
many are called but few are chosen Jesus
was teaching this parable to show that you
can't get into God's kingdom without that wedding
robe which is the righteousness of Christ that's
why, now you understand what Paul said in
Philippians 3 I don't want to be found
at that wedding feast with my clothes which
look a little better than somebody else's I
count it as rubbish I want to be
found there with the righteousness of God which
he has given me freely by faith in
Christ which has made me equal to all
other brothers and sisters it's a wonderful salvation
for those who don't want to glory in
anything, but it's a very difficult message for
people who want to glory that they are
better than somebody else who always want to
show that they are better than somebody else
beware of that attitude my brothers, sisters, not
just when we are first converted if you
want to remain rejoicing in the Lord, overcoming,
victorious, right through to the end of your
life, you must determine I will never, never
boast over another brother or sister in anything
no, I will not I will not boast
about my Bible knowledge, my spirituality, my humility,
my holiness nothing I have nothing to glory
in, I'm clothed in the righteousness of Christ
if I had done something, it is for
the Lord it's not to show that I'm
better than you and I certainly didn't do
it to earn my salvation or even to
get a reward no I'm not waiting for
one denarius at the end of the day
I'm waiting for nothing I've already got millions
of rupees of the Calvary's cross He did
it all for me what a wonderful life
this is it's amazing how God has made
it in such a way like it's written
1 Corinthians 1 that no man should boast
in His presence you see because like I
said the other day we have two problems
if Christ forgives all my sins I still
can't stand before God now many people can't
understand that supposing all your sins are forgiven
can't you stand before God?
sorry, you can't if every single sin, conscious
and unconscious, that you have done in your
entire life is all blotted out in the
blood of Christ can't you stand before God?
No because you still have a sinful nature,
something the Bible calls the flesh and you
cannot stand before God with that even if
all your sins are forgiven let's assume that
you confessed all your sins right now like
I have I stand before God today right
now with all my sins forgiven I'm not
conscious of a single sin at this moment
that I've not confessed I stand as if
I've never sinned, my whole life is cleansed
in the blood of Christ but I can't
stand before God still because of this flesh
that I have and therefore what God does
is on top of forgiving my sins He
clothes me with His wedding garment to cover
this flesh called the righteousness of Christ and
that is the meaning of being justified declared
righteous, have you understood the meaning of this
wonderful word justified now justification it's more than
forgiveness it's more than forgiveness, forgiveness is just
dealing with the past, with justification I'm clothed
now I can sit at the wedding feast
clothed in the righteousness of Christ and perfectly
accepted before God and there is no condemnation
within me I don't have to listen to
the voice of the devil saying that wasn't
good enough what you did, you're still not
good enough you know a lot of Christians
labor under this they always feel no I've
got to produce more then only God will
be happy with me you know there's an
old testament example of this in Exodus chapter
5 you read how how the task masters
of Pharaoh whipped the Israelites saying come on
produce more bricks give us more Pharaoh said
to them in verse 9 crack down on
them that will cure them of their whining
and later on he told them make bricks
the laborers told them in verse 16 there's
no straw given you keep on saying make
bricks, make bricks go now you got to
produce the same number verse 19 last part
you must not reduce your daily amount of
bricks I used to give you straw earlier
to make bricks now no straw go and
find the straw and make the bricks and
the number of bricks must be the same
as it was last week whip, whip you
know a lot of Christians are living like
this oh I haven't produced enough I've got
to do some more then only God will
be happy with me I haven't produced enough
bricks I've got to collect straw whatever they
do the devil whips them and says not
good enough, not good enough God's not happy
with you and foolish Christians listen to this
voice saying yes Lord thinking it's the Holy
Spirit Holy Spirit can you imagine the Holy
Spirit saying like this come on make more
bricks I won't give you any straw these
are Pharaoh's task masters these are demons not
good enough not good enough whatever you do
not good enough, not good enough when will
it be good enough never I've finished with
that I'm no longer a slave to Pharaoh
or his task masters I put the Red
Sea, the baptism between me and the devil
and I've finished with him and I've gone
past all that I'm now entering Canaan's land
where the reign of heaven falls and God's
not asking me to make any bricks it's
wonderful are you living in that freedom I'll
tell you if you live in that freedom
you will never make demands on other people
you husbands do you make demands on your
wife she must do this, she must do
that remember this Pharaoh's task master, you must
do this you must do that I hope
you recognize that voice from tomorrow onwards it's
the voice of the task master and you
are saying that to your wife Pharaoh's task
master saying it to your husband not good
enough, not good enough saying it to your
children not good enough, not good enough you
covet that they should get good marks not
good enough, not good enough in school, for
your own honor when will it all end
it's because you yourself have not tasted the
grace of God God forgives us freely he's
accepted us in Christ now some people say
if we preach all this don't you think
people will take advantage of course there will
always be stupid people who will take advantage
of God's goodness there have always been millions
of people like that such people will exist
for eternity let them take advantage of God
and go to hell I'm not bothered about
them why should we bother about them I
don't take advantage of this message it's made
me so happy and so free that I
want to serve God much more wholeheartedly than
I ever did before I want to be
more pure in my life than I've ever
been before after I've been clothed with the
righteousness of Christ so don't think that it
will make people it will make people of
course there will always be people who will
take advantage no matter what message you preach
even in Paul's day, there were people who
took advantage of the grace of God that
will always be there but that doesn't mean
that we should stop preaching the grace of
God by which we are saved because that
is the grace, the true grace which enables
us to be devoted to the Lord it
says about Jacob he served Laban for seven
years to get a woman I mean he
already had a wife another one and it
says there in Genesis 29.20 it seemed
to him like a few days I remember
reading that verse as a young 21 year
old Christian more than 44 years ago and
I said Lord if Jacob can serve like
that for a woman and think seven years
is a few days, I'm sure I can
serve you all my life and it will
be like a few days today 45 years
have gone from that day and I tell
you it's been like a few days serving
the Lord because I have found the grace
of God I have finished with this righteousness
of the Lord I want to encourage you
brothers and sisters and enter into the joy
of this life accepted before God finding everything
in Christ and everything outside of Christ is
rubbish God bless you