Well, it is lovely to have fellowship, and
it's very hard, I know, to stop speaking
when you're with godly people.
You want to speak and speak and speak,
especially to things of the Lord.
It's one of the great disciplines of life,
to say no to that and to make
sure you go and speak to Jesus, so
that he knows you didn't enjoy someone else's
fellowship as much as his.
I've been going to bed without having spoken
to Christ.
I had time for Christ because he wanted
much more to fellowship with others.
But I agree with you, it's hard to
turn away fellowship.
Especially such lovely people, lovely godly people, it's
hard to turn away such people.
Well, if you're being used of God, if
you're sitting there speaking about the Lord, then
of course you have the right to be
speaking right through the night, God's there with
you.
And oftentimes I've been in company, I was
thinking of this now, I've been sitting with
a crowd of people in a room, more
conscious of Jesus, more communing with Jesus than
anyone else in the room, more speaking to
him about what's been spoken of.
And finally, when I do speak, sometimes I
say, this is what I think the Lord's
been telling me about what they're saying.
Anyway, commune with God, even when you're with
people, you can commune with God.
His brother, Lauren, Actress of the Presence of
God, you know that book?
Well, it's a good book.
And it was written way before we have
the clarity of our terms of evangelism today,
but he met with God, this man, and
he said that he found that fellowship with
God didn't cease when he left the time
with God.
He had to work in the kitchen, pots
and pans and scrubbing and people all over
the kitchen.
And brother Lauren said, for some reason it
got to the place in his life through
practicing the presence of God, that in the
kitchen with all the pots and pans, he
was as close to God and as in
tender fellowship with God as he was when
he was alone.
That's precious.
To walk with God, not only when you're
in the quiet time, but to leave the
quiet time, to walk with God through the
day.
Practicing the presence of God, even in company,
even in crowds.
To be in touch with Jesus, to be
speaking to him, even when you're speaking with
others.
You must practice that.
Andrew Murray, in South Africa, the most loved
Christian in the history of South Africa.
There's no man that was so loved as
Andrew Murray by all of God's people across
our land.
Though he'd been dead for so many years,
our land was so rich spiritually through him.
If only God gave us another Andrew Murray.
But you know, in his old age, Andrew
Murray, of course, had taken the world by
that time.
The only true revival, our country, when you
came through him.
And Andrew Murray, in his old age, was
known by everyone.
The drunk, the wicked.
When he walked down a street, everyone stopped.
All the visitors from England and Cape Town,
under the great Table Mountain.
Everyone knew, there's Andrew Murray.
And everyone would stop.
They say when he walked from the church
down the Adderley Street, the main street of
our city, a preacher in his church, had
that great privilege a number of times.
The great pulpit.
Oh, but when he walked down that street,
everyone stopped.
Even the drunks, the down-and-out people.
They had to.
They even came to a standstill as he
walked.
But he was oblivious to it.
He just walked.
One day as he was walking, everyone stopping
everywhere.
Traffic stopping.
Suddenly he fell.
He fell.
With a gasp.
A few began to run, but the first
person who was closest to him was a
policeman.
An English-speaking policeman.
And he lifted him up.
Upped him back in his seat.
The whole crowd came.
It was silent in the street.
Absolute silence.
The policeman said, what is wrong?
Why did you fall, doominie?
They called him doominies in his old age.
Minister, why did you fall?
What's wrong?
Andrew Murray said, no, just leave me.
Please.
Leave me be now.
This policeman said, I won't let you go.
You tell me what's wrong.
I won't let go of you, sir.
He held him.
Andrew Murray looked at him and realized he
had to give an answer.
Fear came down his face.
The whole crowd were listening.
And oh, just for a moment, just for
a moment, he lost the consciousness of the
presence of God.
So unaccustomed to that, he literally physically fell
down.
So many years walked.
Conscious, he was walking with God.
Enoch walked with God.
It was something very holy.
It wasn't a superficial testimony.
And I think if Enoch could walk so
with God and Andrew Murray could walk so
with God, you and I can.
Even in a crowd, communing with God.
Walking with God, conscious of God.
So in the nights when you have fellowship,
be in touch with God.
We know the fellowship is sweet with people.
And I don't blame you long for it.
I have an apology.
It seems a dear godly man spoke to
me about one of the appeals I made.
And said that there was one or two
of you, I hope not many more, who
perhaps found that difficult, the first appeal I
made.
Or the second, I'm not too sure.
But I prayed with you and asked you
to pray after me and to bow to
God.
And by thy grace, by thy grace, I
will never neglect God's time again.
The time I need to be received.
The day I die.
Well, it seems one or two of you
felt better to say I bow.
It's a very, very strong word.
So I want to ask all of you
to understand that from my heart, I know
that the most important thing in your life
is never to neglect the quiet time.
And I so longed to make it so
radical that you would find this something you
could never, ever lose yourself from.
But I didn't mean to make you fear.
I want you to know something.
I mean this.
You don't fear God when you're His child.
It might sound wrong.
Love Him.
Perfect love costs without all fear.
See, the fear is not made perfect in
love.
God's calling you to such a trust.
It's a love.
You could see Jesus Christ's face.
Just for one moment, I wish you could
stand in the pulpit and not say one
word.
Just look at you.
All of you would lose your fear.
We are Christ's children.
We saw the love.
All the fears would just vanish.
We'd know you're safe.
I know there's fear if you're playing the
fool.
But you really are not right.
I don't blame you, even grieving God.
But God doesn't stand over us with a
rod of iron, you know.
I think our brother said that the other
day.
Smash you if you make a vow and
say, Oh God, by thy grace, by thy
grace, I'm not going to miss it again
that time.
Oh, if circumstances come, you find it virtually
impossible through circumstances.
God doesn't stand there and say, Now, that
vow's broken.
No, no, no, I don't mean to bring
you into that bondage.
God doesn't stand over you with a rod
of iron.
Let me tell you that.
He stands over you with arms of love.
All the way through.
No matter what the devil tells you, He
loves you.
He loves you.
But I do.
I have prayed that prayer with many, many
people, and I don't know anyone that's ever
stumbled over it until that's a few of
you here that had fear.
But I respect your fear.
You don't want to make a vow that
you can't keep.
It was better not to make it at
all.
So, I was the one who led you
in that prayer.
And you take it from my heart.
God isn't going to hold you and whip
you.
It's somehow in circumstances that you never knew
could come upon your life.
You were not able to get down and
read your chapters.
Well, perhaps you could learn what Andrew Murray
and Brother Lawrence learned.
But even if you're not there behind closed
doors, you can still commune with God.
Mary Morrison, I think some of you know
her, Mary Peckham, she said she was so
hard on people about the quiet time until
she had her children.
And she found she had to be scrubbing
the floors with children calling over her while
she was praying.
That was her quiet time.
But she didn't miss it.
You see, don't be involved.
You're not missing it if you're held up
with things.
Take what moments you can with both hands.
Be amazed how many moments there are, even
if circumstances come down on you.
But I'll tell you something, if you're right
with God and you want God best, you'll
be stunned how much time there is.
All the time you need.
I don't care how busy life becomes.
One man actually said to me, Keith, you're
a priest, sir.
You should come into the hard world and
find out.
I have no time.
You say you're going to give all this
time.
You want to come and be me, get
in my shoes.
It's impossible.
I don't have time for the God-likeness.
I said, you're a liar.
You're a liar.
And very not lovingly saying it, I said
it from my heart, you're a liar.
Basically, you're lying to yourself, sir.
There's no such a thing as no time
for God.
You're lying, telling me there's no time for
God.
If God was first in your life, you'd
find all the time you need.
And if your work keeps you from God,
if you have no time for God, get
all of your work.
It's not the will of God.
It'll kill you.
But every single one of us, if God
is first, will find amazing time.
If God really is first and you're looking
for that time, you'll be stunned.
How others can sit there wanting to talk
in lunchtime, you can find time for God.
If you didn't make the time before, find
the time, you'll be stunned.
So, that's probably the first time I've apologized
in 27 years of preaching.
But I felt I should, if I don't
want anyone, who in their integrity and longing
not to grieve God through saying, I vow,
needed perhaps to have clarity there.
God isn't going to whip you.
He'll love you.
He'll miss the quiet time.
He'll be there waiting.
He didn't come.
He's not going to whip you, smash you
and hate you.
You trust now and look for the time.
You'll be stunned how much there is.
Lord, bless us now in these moments.
Thank you for all these young people.
For everyone here.
For the way they love me.
Oh, Lord, I've spoken to so many.
And I don't know if anything I've ever
said in this pupil could have been any
blessing compared with the blessing of everyone I
think that I've spoken to.
Almost everyone.
I don't know if I'm, if anyone could
have been so blessed through anything of this
week as I have been blessed.
Looking in their eyes, seeing their tears.
Hearing their words.
Integrity and transparency.
Longing to be the best they can be
for God.
I thank you from my heart for this
group of people who love God here in
America.
Come to them, Lord.
These young people with such nobleness.
To be here for God.
To be seeking God.
To be laying aside this whole week from
God so they can go back there and
walk with God.
Oh, bless them, Lord.
Thank you for the way they've been seeking
thee.
Meeting after meeting.
Some to be saved.
And others, be sure to never neglect that.
Oh, seeking God so earnestly.
May everything we have prayed and sought thee
for work out in our lives by thy
grace.
Oh, God, come.
Honor everyone.
Every prayer that's been uttered.
That we may go back out there and
find it worth.
God answered the prayer and did in my
heart what I asked him to do.
Come do it, Lord.
Now be with us in this meeting.
May we just know thy presence.
Stand beside me in the pulpit.
Dear Lord Jesus, and speak through me.
In Jesus Christ's name, the name we love,
the name we live for, we ask this.
Amen.
If ever I were asked to single out
one chapter in the entire Bible, if ever
I were asked to single out one chapter
in the entire Bible that I believe a
Christian should read every day of their lives,
then without hesitation, without hesitation, I would say
James, chapter 3, where James says, My brethren,
my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
My brethren, be not many masters.
Now you read in the margin, you will
find it says, teachers of the oracles of
God, those who would teach and preach the
word of God.
Can you believe this man says this?
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
When many things we offend all, in many
things we offend all.
My brethren, be not many masters.
John Calvin, John Calvin said this word means
self-appointed preachers, self-constituted preachers, men who
were never ordained by God, separated by God
to preach, to teach.
And that is what Calvin says James is
speaking of here.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that
we shall receive the greater condemnation.
When many things we offend all.
The amplified version says, so you know that
we teachers will be judged by a higher
standard with greater severity than other people.
Thus, we assume the greater accountability.
We take on ourselves greater accountability to God
when we handle the word of God and
dare to preach it.
The next verse is one of the most
staggering verses in the entire Bible.
God says, if any man, if any man
offends not in word, the same
is a perfect man.
God says, God says, if any man, in
this building, offends not in word, the same
is a perfect man and able also to
bridle the whole body, able to control every
part of your character and being.
You're in control.
That's a statement.
The amplified version says, if anyone does not
offend in speech, he never says the wrong
thing, he is a fully developed character spiritually.
He is a perfect man.
He's able to control his whole body, the
curve, his entire nation, his entire nature.
If any man, God speaking about you, offends
not in word, the same is a perfect
man, not ultimate perfection, in the life you've
been given, God says.
There's victory here.
He's able to control his whole body.
He's in control here of his entire nature.
More light, of course, comes all the way
to the end.
But in God's eyes, in the moment you're
in, you are what you ought to be.
And you know, by one thing, if a
man's in control, his entire nature, he's in
victory, he's living in a light, by one
thing God says, the foremost proof of holiness
is a man's ability to refrain from entering
into any conversation whereby he becomes defiled in
the sight of God.
The foremost proof that you're holy.
A vital reality with God is a man's
ability to refrain from entering into any conversation
whereby he becomes defiled in the sight of
God.
If any man offends not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and enable also
to bridle the whole body.
Behold, we put bits in the horse's mouth
that they may obey us, and we turn
about their whole body.
Behold also the ships, which though they be
so great and had driven a fierce wind,
yet are they turned about with a very
small helm.
We'll serve as governors, even so the tongue
is a little member.
And boast of great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire
kindleth.
And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity.
So is the tongue among our members that
it defiles the whole body, and sets on
fire the course of nature, and it is
set on fire of hell, where every kind
of beasts and of birds and of serpents
and of things in the sea is tamed,
and hath been tamed of mankind.
But the tongue can no man tame.
It is an unruly evil full of deadly
poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father, and
therewith curse we men, which were made up
in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and
cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to
be.
Doth a fountain send forth at the same
place sweet water and bitter?
Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive
berries?
So doth no fountain send forth both sweet
water and...
Oh, can the fig tree, my brethren, bear
olive berries?
Are there divine figs?
So can no fountain both yield salt water
and fresh.
Who is a wise man and endued with
knowledge Let him sow out of a good
conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
But if ye have bitter envying and strife
in your hearts, glory not, and lie not
against the truth.
This wisdom doth send us not from above,
but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is
confusion in every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits,
without falseality and without hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is shown in
peace of them that make peace.
The fruit of righteousness is shown in peace
of them that make peace.
Of all the verses in this staggering chapter,
of what you can be sure the tongue
will sit, the whole carnal nature will set
you aflame.
If you're not in control of the tongue,
it will set you and fire for everything
of evil.
Of all the verses in this chapter, one
chapter is the foundation.
For without this verse, we've got nothing but
condemnation on the tongue.
But then God says these staggering words, If
any man offend not in word, the same
is a perfect man.
And able also to bridle the whole body.
One of the greatest revelations God ever gave
to me of the Christian faith, one of
the greatest revelations God ever gave to me
of the Christian faith, was when I suddenly
was plunged into one of the deepest trials
God had entrusted me to endure.
Suddenly I was in one of the deepest
trials I ever had to endure in my
life.
But what a revelation God gave to me
in that trial.
I was sitting in a meeting, like you,
listening to a preacher.
And this man in the pulpit, suddenly knowing
I was in the meeting, turned on me.
And from the pulpit, began to lash out
at me publicly.
Began to undermine my integrity.
The work I do for God, even the
fruit, all over, its viability.
He seemed intent on destroying me.
Suddenly something came over that man.
It was unbelievable as he stood up there,
intent on destroying me in that meeting, forever
destroying me.
Now I don't know whether being filled with
the Spirit of God means you cannot feel
hurt.
Some people say that.
But I was hurt.
Oh, I was hurt.
My heart sank.
I was crushed.
I held back the tears.
And I looked at this man and thought
to myself, oh, how could anyone believe this
of me?
How could this man believe these things of
me?
Oh, I was crushed.
I was crushed.
By the end of that service, I was
so crushed I could hardly breathe.
And as everyone stood up, I wanted to
get out of the door.
I didn't want to speak to anyone.
I wanted to speak to God.
And I tried to get out before anyone
else, but I couldn't.
As I looked at the faces all around
the piers, they looked at me.
I realized a cloud of sorrow had fallen
on the whole convention through what this man
had done.
There was grief.
A whole cloud of grief fell upon the
whole convention.
Everyone was grieving.
As I walked the piers, hands just pulled
out to me, touching me clean.
Don't you worry, King.
He's destroyed himself, not you.
Don't worry, King.
No one believed a word he said.
He's finished.
You aren't.
He destroyed himself, not you.
But I still didn't want to speak.
I was so grieved.
I just wanted to get out of that
building.
And I pushed past everyone.
I didn't want to speak.
I got out of the building and tried
to get in the dark of the gardens
outside of the center.
But there were three preachers who stopped me.
They wouldn't let me pass.
And in their anger, they began to...
in indignation, anger against what this man had
done, his cowardice, the unethicalness of taking the
pulpit to express his grief that he had
against me, the cowardice of it.
Oh, they were angry as they were crying
out against and anger what he had done
to me.
And all the people were gathering all around,
listening to these men in anger at what
the man had done in the meeting.
I couldn't get past them.
Just as I was about to speak the
first words, I was about to, after what
was going on in my heart, I was
just about to speak.
And my father-in-law, Jenny's father, one
of the godly men of our country, loved
across the land for his preaching.
Though he's a farmer, never been to a
theological seminar, he's used in the great conventions
of South Africa more than most people have
ever been used.
Loved, loved across the land.
My father-in-law, Jenny's father, looking at
what was happening.
He was in that meeting.
He pushed through the crowd.
He pushed his way in front of these
three men that were so angry, crying out
about what a wrong the man had done.
And he stood in front of them and
he looked at me.
A tear came down his face.
It had not been easy for my father
-in-law to hear what had been said
about me that night.
He put his hand here on my shoulder.
And he said, Keith, boy, we're all
in the school of God.
The moment you're born of God, you're in
the school of God.
Some of us are in grade one, some
standard one, some standard six, some in matric,
some are in university level in the school
of God, Keith.
Only God knows what level we are.
But you're in the school of God, boy.
And Keith, I'd learned something through the years.
It's exactly the same as secular school.
Think, Keith, when you were a boy, when
you were still at school as a boy,
you had to face tests that were given
to you as you learned.
You had to face each level with an
exam.
And if you failed the exam, Keith, of
the standard you were in, you would have
to go through it again and you'd have
to face the same exam again.
There's no way of passing it, bypassing it.
You fail the exam, you have to face
it again until you pass it.
Keith, it's exactly the same in the school
of God, my boy.
Trust me about this, I've seen it, I've
learned it, over and over, I've learned it.
You're facing an extremely difficult exam here that
most of us have never faced.
And may never have to.
But Keith, if you don't pass it now,
in God's eyes and in men's eyes and
men are watching you, Keith.
Men are watching you, Keith.
If you don't pass this exam right now,
in God's eyes and men's eyes, I guarantee
you you're going to go through it again.
I guarantee you you're going to face this
again, Keith.
Now pass.
Pass the exam, boy.
Or face it again.
And he turned and walked away.
You know, every single person these three preachers,
everyone else, not a word, utter silence, disappeared.
And what my father-in-law said, God,
at last I was alone.
Oh, suddenly, as I stood there, no one
else now but me and God, no one
to talk to me, no voice to listen
to now.
Everything, the whole perspective of what had happened
that I had gone through was stained, completely
in perspective.
The next day, it was arranged at this
convention that we would meet at a certain
time in the day.
All the accommodation where we were in this
particular center, we'd all meet in a certain
moment.
It was all announced.
All the cars and combis available must be
at disposal to take everyone across to another
convention center the other side of the city
to join with other people like-minded and
combining.
And so, the time was given all the
combis were to be ready, and we weren't
going to get lost going through the city.
We'd all travel together and get there on
time for the meeting that we were to
attend.
Well, as I was dressing up, realizing it
was time, I suddenly became aware everyone's gone
from the building.
So I ran out there, all the cars
going, all the cars idling, all the combis
all over the parking area, everyone sitting in
the car.
I was the only one.
So I ran down knowing I'm keeping everybody
now.
They're lingering to see if there's anybody.
Here I was, the only one.
So I rushed around looking for a seat,
not one car.
Everybody, with all the cars available, squashed in
to get everybody there.
No.
I ran around everywhere, nobody knew it.
Suddenly, they pointed back, said, there's a combi
back there, it seems, there's a seat.
So I ran down keeping everybody.
They all want to go.
And as I ran and ran, I got
close to the combi, there was a seat,
but I slowed down and all my heart
sank.
And I saw the only seat available was
next to this man that tried to destroy
me the night before.
Everybody in that combi, when they saw what
was their heart sank also, they realized, he's
got to sit next to me.
Now that was God.
That was no coincidence.
That's how God works with us.
Well, I got in the combi and we
all went off.
There was deathly silence.
No one spoke.
I saw the man in the rear view
mirror who was driving.
I saw his eyes like this.
What am I going to do to him?
Well, I looked out the window and I
prayed.
I prayed from my heart, Oh God, give
me the grace I don't have.
Give me the grace I don't have, Lord,
to pass this exam.
To pass this exam in God's eyes and
men's eyes.
And men are watching me, Lord.
I want to so pass this exam that
I will never ever have to face it
again.
It's behind me.
Please, God, I don't want to face this
again.
Give me the grace, God, to pass now.
I turned and I looked at this man.
He looked at me with such fear.
By this time, the Holy Spirit had smitten
him.
He knew his whole assessment was wrong.
He was feeling terrible.
Oh, he was in a state to be
looking.
I took him by the arm.
I looked him in the eyes and I
said, Sir, I want you to know that
I love you.
I want you to know from this time
on would I be praying earnestly for you
and God will bless you.
He knew as he looked in my eyes
that I was not being obnoxious.
He knew I said it integrally from my
heart and I meant it.
And I saw something in that man's eyes
that I shall treasure for all eternity.
One of the most precious moments of life
was what I saw right then.
I saw in the eyes of a man
who so hated me, whatever the reasons the
devil had given him, I don't know to
this day, that he tried literally to end
me off in the ministry.
I saw in the same man who tried
to destroy.
I saw respect in those eyes one day
later.
I saw respect so deep that it stunned
me as I looked in his eyes.
I might never have ever had that treasure
to hold on to of what I saw
in that man's eyes if I had defended
myself, if I had given him what he
needed in the eyes of the world, given
him back what he needed, tell him what
he is, this coward, the wrong, the unethical,
this is all I, I would have lost
having seen in man that was an enemy
maiden, made me then to see that man
now looking at me with respect in one
moment.
Why?
Because I looked to God for grace I
knew I didn't have to pass this exam
in God's eyes and man's eyes and I've
learned something.
I've learned that no matter what difficulties you're
going through, no matter what trials you're going
through, no matter what tests or exams you're
facing, no matter how hard they are, God
will always give you the grace if you
look to him to pass.
I don't care what the devil's doing against
you or men.
I don't care how trying.
I guarantee you you look to this God
for grace to pass the exam in God's
eyes and man, he will give you all
the grace you need, all the grace you
need if you just look up from your
heart, cry for it before you react.
I often, from that time, had occasion to
think of the words my father-in-law
said.
I remember thinking of it after that incident
shortly after sitting and thinking about what he
said about the school of God is the
same as secular school.
You're in standards and you have to face
exams and unless you pass until you pass
you can't go and if you fail you're
going to have to go to them again
so pass!
It's exactly the same as secular school and
I thought back after that incident to when
I was at school a boy at school
I remember that I failed one standard.
That's terrible to admit isn't it?
I thought being at school was for sport.
I had no idea I was there for
academics.
My mother and father didn't know what to
do with me I was very unsaved it
would be terrible but I really loved sport.
I lived for sport most South Africans do
it it's a tragedy of our land.
Sport and fun that's what I was at
school for.
My mummy and daddy didn't quite know what
to do to get the message it was
all caught up to me you know it
all catches up and I failed and I
failed terribly one year oh my I remember
as I sat there thinking back suddenly after
all those years I'm not even thinking of
it suddenly like a vengeance it came back
it struck on me the horror that had
gripped me as a boy the horror that
just whizzled through me when I realised I
failed do you know what it was that
caused the horror it all came back though
I'd forgotten the horror that gripped me as
a boy was when I was conscious the
consciousness that I had been left behind when
we started school we all walked out of
the same neighbourhood the same school even the
same preschool here we were all enrolled in
sub A sub B 101 we all learned
the same things we all faced the same
exams we all went to the next standard
we were all there ninety something percent ninety
nine percent it's the same boys and girls
right up here up here next standard and
suddenly all these that started with me I
was suddenly for the first time oh it
was a horrific feeling I was conscious I
was left behind they were going ahead they
were conscious they were leaving me behind but
I failed so they who had passed were
going on they were conscious I was literally
left behind you can't not know everyone knows
it was grief in their hearts too I'm
sure but all my grief my grief suddenly
I saw all those who started going ahead
and I'm left behind I was a failure
that's all there was to it I failed
do you know in the bible Paul rebukes
people who fail like that isn't it what
Paul says he speaks with rebuke to those
who he says by now you should be
able to be fed with strong meat but
here I am having to take you through
the first principles of the faith all over
things you should have left behind before here
I'm having to go over them all again
with you feed you as babes still with
milk when you should have been strong meats
to men by now and they were failures
who he is writing to in the school
of God the children that went ahead they
were gaining new knowledge learning new things applying
sitting through new tests new exams going higher
here I was going over the same things
all over again that I've been through before
because I didn't pass stuck with the same
things unable to learn further unable to grasp
deeper knowledge the terrible thing you know to
fail in secular school it's a terrible thing
to fail in the school of God it's
a terrible thing I wonder how many there
are those who name the name of Jesus
who failed as any test anything anything that
is imperfect in circumstances they failed all to
fail and fail and fail and fail and
fail I remember as a boy my uncle
my mother when my my granny and grandfather
died my mother was the one that the
whole family rallied around my mother had eight
nine brothers and one died nine brothers and
sisters and they were all married Sunday night
we went to a religious family we weren't
saved Sunday night all the family would come
to mommy when granny died oh it was
wonderful to have all my cousins all my
uncles and aunts both sides of the family
here was the home ground we all meet
as families once right through the years oh
that was the night for the family Sunday
night they all rallied around my darling mother
well one of my uncles his name was
moon you might think that's a terrible name
to call a person he was a very
big man and he had no hair this
is round shining face so they called him
moon everyone called him moon it was late
in life when i found out what his
real name was my uncle moon was what
we call the black sheep of the family
i hope you are not calling him black
sheep of the family the rest of the
brothers and sisters were achievers they achieved in
everything in their businesses in their sports there
were a few of them who were South
African champions in sports my brothers and sisters
they were achievers but uncle moon was the
black sheep of the family he was quite
content to be by the by all uncle
moon wanted it seemed all he lived for
and i don't think there was anything else
he lived for was to make people laugh
and that's terrible but that's all he did
and he certainly where we just had to
look at uncle moon and we laughed we
didn't have to listen to anything he really
was hilarious and he was so loved you
couldn't believe him walking through a city you
can't believe everybody knew moon and the moment
they see him they just start laughing and
that's true you know when i say everybody
i mean not too many well on sunday
nights there the grown up the children were
never allowed with the grown up that's something
about south african society when you small anyway
all the grown ups would go in the
lounge and the children were never allowed in
the lounge all the cousins we just played
outside until darkness then we went to the
bedroom we so enjoyed it but there always
came a point we'd go to the lounge
and there in the lounge of course the
grown up they would never speak of two
things politics and sports nothing else was ever
discussed most south african homes it's a terrible
thing politics south africa where we were heading
what was going to happen sports they dared
not speak of anything else but there they
were all the grown up politics fighting about
sports we always at some point every sunday
night would go all the children saying uncle
moon come it didn't take much temptation to
make him leave the grown up there he
comes wants to be with the children we'd
get in the room and all sit around
the floor and all over the bed around
him our arms around him tell us stories
tell us jokes tell us about the war
he was a prisoner of war you know
with the germans we felt sorry for the
germans to be honest with you when he
told us things that he did well most
of those things i couldn't do wouldn't believe
what he did in the prison of war
camps even there uncle moon oh we used
to laugh and laugh one night we were
talking about this thing of failing school you
know failing at school i think one or
two of us had done it by then
and uncle moon looked and said oh don't
worry about failing uncle moon used to fail
all the time at school terrible you know
when i went to school look at the
size of me when i went to school
i was bigger than all the other boys
and girls i just had to look down
on them you know same age but then
i failed then the next year i started
bigger than all the small little boys and
i failed again you know what they did
they pushed me up they were so embarrassed
i didn't have to pass fancy that getting
through school like that even i failed and
failed and failed and i failed and failed
oh i failed so much at school you
know it came a problem to the government
to the education department they had to think
of how to work out a pension scheme
for someone still at school that was terrible
at least i hope he was joking there
when i tell you something it's a terrible
thing in the school of god if someone's
like that all you do is fail every
single exam you fail with the lips if
things aren't perfect you fail in your church
to others who just aren't perfect to you
anything goes wrong you fail with the lips
you fail terrible thing you know the saddest
and most tragic moments the saddest and most
tragic moments in your and my life in
the school of god when i realize and
everyone else realizes i just failed the exam
god and trust the test i was i
just failed god and that moment is realized
more than anything else when out of these
lips come words that should never have come
from the child of god the saddest and
most tragic moment in the school of god
is that moment when i suddenly realize that
everyone else suddenly realized i failed god and
that moment is realized more than anything else
when out of these lips come words that
should never have come from the child of
god oh it's a tragic moment it's a
tragic moment when you realize that everyone else
realizes you've just failed you've just failed the
test god allowed you to face the test
god put you in loud in your circumstances
you just failed and if it isn't tragic
to you if it isn't tragic to you
when you realize and everyone then that is
a greater tragedy if it isn't tragic when
you know you fail with a lip then
that is a great tragedy written out of
your life by god alone i was once
sitting in a convention like you hundreds of
people lunchtime in the dining hall all around
the tables i was sitting with a number
of preachers and missionaries in this great convention
and there opposite me sat a lady a
missionary who i had revered from when i
was first saved above most christians her godliness
her integrity her example she had said these
words to me when i was a young
believer she looked at me in the eyes
and said keith what you cannot say to
a person's faith in love and for the
glory of god you cannot say at all
because if you do you're a coward and
a grief to god what you cannot say
to a person's faith in love and for
the glory of god you cannot say at
all because if you do you're a coward
and a grief to god there this woman
was sitting at this table with all these
preachers and i was sitting we were eating
two preachers sitting beside me began to speak
about someone who wasn't there to defend themselves
these two men suddenly decided they were gonna
destroy this person's testimony his honor they were
talking things that i knew weren't true because
i knew this person better than they did
and i knew this isn't true they're destroying
destroying the trust that could be ever shown
toward him again from everyone at this table
by something that's a lie they were scandaling
and destroying with the tongue of deadly poison
oh the damage the tongue has done i
know of nothing that has done more damage
to the work of god and cause more
hurt among the people of god than the
tongue of christians i know of nothing that
has done more damage to god's work and
god's people than the tongue of christians the
deadly poison an unruly evil full of deadly
god doesn't say that if it isn't it
destroys it murders men you don't have to
take a knife and stab a man in
the back to destroy him to kill him
no you might lose your testimony doing that
oh many a man has been murdered more
cruelly by the tongue of christians many a
man's honor many a man's integrity many a
man's usefulness destroying forever in one moment by
the tongue of christians here they were doing
it i could hardly swallow my food i
was in such a state praying oh god
i don't want to offend them i've got
to stop them what can i say to
stop them doing destroying this man before i
could say anything this godly woman who had
been the example to many men what words
she had uttered to me i had striven
to attain in life this woman not realizing
that sitting with such men was an exam
this being in the company of scandal mongers
is a test a difficult test and she
failed caught up in the atmosphere she suddenly
started talking also saying things she could never
have said to the person's face in love
and for the glory of god never would
she be able to do you know these
men had been a terrible grief to me
but this woman the shock i put my
knife and fork down i sat back so
shocked she looked at me silence came on
the table tears swelled up in his eyes
her eyes she looked at me going down
her face i didn't mean to make her
feel bad i didn't mean to condemn her
but one look at me and she was
weeping i knew why she was weeping the
others trying to say what's wrong what is
it as he began to weep louder and
louder at the table so i knew i
knew why she wept you see it's a
tragic thing it's a tragic moment it's a
tragic moment when we realize and others realize
that we failed god and if it isn't
tragic to you then that's a greater tragedy
if it isn't tragic if you don't weep
when you know you failed god it was
unruly evil when deadly poison came out and
destroyed someone undermined someone oh it's a tragic
thing she wept so loud she got up
and as she walked the tables stood up
because of the reverence of her life in
our country looking at her no one knowing
why she just sobbed broke and walked out
the dining hall she failed in the
school of god i have had many teachers
i have learned many lessons from many teachers
oh such godly people that god gave me
to see men and women who themselves were
students in the school of god but because
they so excelled in passing every exam they
faced no matter how much difficulties came on
them they became examples of the believers they
became examples of the believers because they excelled
in passing no matter what test they faced
do you know god doesn't turn to the
old in the bible and say be an
example of the believers paul wrote to timothy
and said that no man despised thy youth
be thou an example of the believers in
words from
today no man despised thy youth be thou
an example of the believers in words stand
please come no appeal no
appeal i want our brother to come and
close in prayer