I'd like to turn to Romans and Chapter
9.
I don't know how many of us read
through Romans Chapter 9 to 11.
They are a section all by itself and
it's a little different from the stream that's
flowing in Chapters 1 to 8, that continues
in Chapter 12, which is an explanation of
the Gospel.
But Romans Chapter 9 to 11 is a
very important section, because it teaches us something
about the sovereign choice of God, of his
people.
Let me show you a verse, first of
all, in Romans Chapter 9.
It says that the purpose of God, it
says in verse, it's talking about Jacob and
Esau, verse 11, though the twins were not
yet born and had not done anything good
or bad, so that God's purpose, according to
his choice, would stand not because of works,
but because of him who calls.
It was said to the mother, before the
children were born, the older will serve the
younger.
And as it is written, Jacob I loved,
but Esau I hated.
What shall we say then?
There is no injustice with God.
Verse 15, but I will have mercy on
whom I have mercy.
I will have compassion on whom I have
compassion.
So then it doesn't depend on the man
who wills or the man who runs, but
on God who has mercy.
And verse 18, it says, so then he
has mercy on whom he desires and he
hardens whom he desires.
How would you like to believe in a
God like that, who has mercy on whom
he wants to have mercy and hardens whom
he wants to harden?
I think all sensible people will revolt against
a God like that, say that's unfair, it's
unjust.
But you've got to take it or leave
it.
That's the God of the Bible.
And you know why we question that?
Because of our arrogant pride which we all
received from our Adamic forefathers and which he
got from the devil.
We've got bits of it from the devil
too as we have grown up.
We question, Almighty God, how can that be?
And I want to say to you, my
brothers and sisters, all those who have that
attitude are the ones who never grow in
their Christian life.
One day when we see God face to
face, we will discover that he was the
absolutely fair, righteous judge of the universe.
But because of our warped, crooked, perverted mind,
perverted by sin, perverted by partiality, a mind
that knows about as much of God as
an ant knows about the universe, that's how
much we know about God.
And with that mind we dare to question
God.
And that's the reason we don't grow.
I've seen that through the years.
I've seen many believers, they don't grow spiritually
because they think they are cleverer than God.
They think they know more than the Bible.
Their knowledge of God has not come through
the study of the Scriptures, because they don't
study the Scriptures.
They spend more time watching Christian television and
reading other things and listening to music.
They don't know the Bible.
And how can you know God when you
don't know the Bible?
You can have your opinion, but your opinion
is all crazy.
It's like a man who's never studied science,
arguing with Albert Einstein about some scientific theory
of his.
It's crazy.
I mean, a humble person would say, I
don't know.
But there are very few people in the
world who will come to God like that.
I don't know.
I want to know.
The mark of a person who has that
attitude is that he devours the Bible.
He studies it day and night because he
wants to know what God is like.
Show me a man who is studying God's
Word passionately, who has a greater desire to
know His Word than to know what all
the preachers are saying or what appears on
Christian television.
There I'll show you a man who'll know
God soon.
But there are very few like that.
There are very few in our churches.
There are very few that I've seen across
the world whose great desire is to know
God only through the Bible.
Very few.
Let me give you a suggestion.
Don't ever read a book, even a Christian
book, that does not drive you to the
Bible.
Every book I've written has always sought to
drive people to scriptures.
You know, one test of that is if
you open any book of mine on any
page, you'll find a scripture reference either on
the left side or right side.
I think so.
Most books anyway.
But that's not true of a lot of
Christian books today.
You go to the Christian bookshop and you
open a book and see if there's a
scripture reference there.
You turn to the next page, and the
next page, and the next page.
There are no scripture references.
That's the proof that these books are not
based on scripture.
It's somebody's opinion.
They don't show you scripture.
They don't drive you to scripture.
They don't drive you to Jesus.
And that's the reason for the shallowness in
a lot of Christianity today.
And that's the reason for the ignorance of
God there is among Christians today and the
deception.
And do you know there are multitudes of
so-called believers who are living in a
tremendous self-deception that everything is all right
with them when they're not.
There are people who believe they are born
again, who are not born again.
There are people who imagine that they are
spiritual and they're not spiritual.
One day Jesus will come and they're going
to get a tremendous surprise when they discover
that they are not what they thought they
were.
So I want to help you this morning.
If you're really serious, and I want to
speak only to those who are serious this
morning about wanting to know God, wanting to
go on with Him, and wanting to be
useful in the short time we live on
this earth a wonderful truth that's become a
revelation to me.
It says here in Romans chapter 9 verse
19 You will say to me then, why
does he still find fault?
Who can resist his will?
And here's the answer to all proud people.
On the contrary, who are you, O man,
who answers back to God?
Who in the world do you think you
are to answer back to God?
The thing that's molded, a clay vessel, cannot
question the potter saying, why do you make
me like this?
So, I want to read verse 25 now.
As God says in Hosea, and I want
to read this in the Message Bible, it's
really excellent.
I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies.
You know, that's what God is always doing.
He's always calling nobodies and making them somebodies.
If you're willing to be a nobody in
your own eyes, in the eyes of others,
God will make you a somebody.
And when He makes you a somebody, in
His eyes, if you're still willing to remain
a nobody, He'll make you some more.
But if you suddenly begin to think, after
a little while, that you've become somebody now,
He'll make you a nobody again.
That's God's way.
Jesus said that in these words.
He says, many who are first will be
last, and the last will be first.
So, if the devil wants to destroy a
believer, and he does.
He wants to destroy all of us.
All he's got to do is, listen, he
doesn't have to make you commit adultery or
murder or steal a bank or any such
thing.
Listen carefully.
All he's got to do is to make
you imagine that you have now become a
somebody.
That's enough.
And God will do the rest.
The devil knows that.
You don't know it, perhaps, because you don't
read the Bible.
But the devil knows it.
He knows the Bible.
He knows what God does.
He knows that God makes nobodies into somebodies,
and somebodies into nobodies.
So if he wants to destroy you, all
he's got to do is make you think
you're a somebody.
That's all.
He's sharp.
And he's seen it work for 6,000
years.
And he knows it always works.
And he knows that man is so stupid
and so blind that he doesn't learn this
lesson.
So I want to expose the lie of
the devil.
I want to expose the truth of God,
my brothers and sisters, so that you will
not make that mistake.
If you want to receive grace from God
till the end of your life, always remain
a nobody.
I've seen before my own eyes in the
last 40 years.
People who started out so well.
Young people.
Who started out so well.
They were just nothing.
They were nobody.
And God blessed them.
God blessed them.
And it went to their heads.
Their heads began to swell.
They began to think they were somebody.
Spiritually.
God anointed them.
Gave them gifts.
Used them.
And then they're destroyed.
I've seen elders of churches.
In our churches.
Where we have preached humility for 30 years.
They haven't understood the ABC of humility.
And the devil has succeeded in destroying them.
And don't think that because you hear the
message today, your problem is going to be
solved.
You can understand it all in your mind.
And if your heart is not open and
hungry for God, I guarantee you'll forget it
in a few weeks.
It'll be gone.
So, this is the thing.
I've seen people who come to our churches
who were rock bottom poor.
And every single family that's ever been a
part of CSE has prospered materially.
We've never preached the prosperity gospel here.
Never.
We're against it.
But everybody's prospered.
Because that's the way where we teach people
to seek God's kingdom first.
And his righteousness.
And all their material problems are solved.
Not only solved, they prosper.
Their children prosper.
And then what happens?
I've seen it happen before my eyes again
and again.
They begin to think they are somebody's.
And God destroys them.
Not materially.
They continue to prosper materially.
Like the worldly people.
But destroyed spiritually.
I've seen it happen so many times.
I see it happening before my eyes.
The people sitting here right now.
I can only warn you.
I can't change you.
Even almighty God cannot change you.
You've got to decide whether you want to
change.
And that depends on whether you're willing to
be a nobody.
I've seen people who are clever.
Intellectual.
Who, because they're cleverer than a lot of
other people, imagine that they're somebody.
God destroys them spiritually.
I've seen people who will mingle only with
those who are on the same intellectual level.
Because they're somebody.
And they mingle only with those who are
intellectual somebodies.
God destroys them.
I know what a tremendous salvation it has
been for myself.
I think I'm perhaps not as clever as
some of you fellows, but somewhat equal to
some of you anyway.
But I know what a tremendous salvation it
has been for me to go and mingle
with poor, uneducated, illiterate people.
I never knew Tamil.
I learned Tamil to speak to them.
I never lived in Tamil Nadu one day
of my life.
Well, I did for a short while, but
I was traveling most of the time.
But I learned it because I wanted to
speak to these simple brothers.
Some of you who are from Tamil families
don't speak to these poor brothers when they
come for the conference.
You're somebodies.
No wonder, year after year after year after
year, I see you.
You don't see yourself, but I see you
in the same spiritual condition.
I want to encourage you.
Be a nobody.
It'll go exceptionally well with you in the
next one year.
And you'll have growth in your life such
as you've never experienced in all your life.
God calls nobodies somebodies.
I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.
In the place where they yelled out to
you, you're a nobody, they are now calling
you God's living children.
Verse 26.
So, I believe that is the secret.
And the reason is given us in 1
Corinthians in chapter 1.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 it says, verse
26 onwards.
Take a good look, friends, at who you
were when God called you to this eternal
life.
I'm reading from the message Bible.
Consider your calling, brethren.
Yeah, consider your calling.
I don't see many of the brightest and
the best among you.
Not many influential folk in your church.
Not many from high society families.
Isn't it obvious that God...
Remember, this is inspired scripture.
This is the word of God.
Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men
and women that the world's culture overlooks and
that the world's culture exploits and abuses.
He chooses these nobodies to expose the hollow
pretensions of the somebodies.
That makes it quite clear that none of
you can get by with blowing your own
horn or your trumpet before God.
Everything that we have, right thinking and right
living, a clean slate and a fresh start
comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.
And that's why we have the saying, if
you're going to blow a trumpet, blow it
for God.
Not for yourself.
God does it, verse 29, so that no
one will be able to boast before God
in that day that I got here to
heaven because I was wholehearted, because I was
a little better than somebody else.
No.
It's because God sovereignly chose you.
It's because God in His tremendous mercy decided
to show mercy to you.
Well, we may say, well, what can I
do then if I'm not one of those
chosen?
Yeah.
Let's read another verse.
We must always compare Scripture with Scripture.
I told you Romans 9 to 11 is
one section.
And when you come to the end of
that section, Romans 11, we read here, Romans
chapter 11, he's talking about the Gentiles, the
non-Jews who've received favor from God, whereas
for 1500 years only the Jews got favor
and they thought they were the only people
who'll ever get it.
God showed that He's going to give it
to others.
And it says here in Romans chapter 11,
verse 30, it was the end of the
chapter, just as you once were disobedient to
God, now you have been shown mercy because
of their disobedience.
So these also who've been disobedient because of
the mercy shown to you may also be
shown mercy.
And listen to verse 32.
God has shut up everybody in disobedience so
that He can have mercy upon everybody.
So to whom does God want to show
His mercy?
Everyone.
But we've got to receive it in humility.
You know when the Bible speaks about believing,
one of the great words in the New
Testament is faith.
Believing.
And we can use simple illustrations like we
have used in the past of what believing
is.
You've heard me say for example that you'd
put money in a reliable bank like the
State Bank of India and you won't put
money in a bank which somebody started yesterday
around the corner.
Why?
You don't have faith in that bank.
But you have faith in this bank.
So faith is something outside of yourself.
It's not in you.
Don't look for faith inside you.
It's faith in that bank.
Or you've heard me use the illustration of
walking across a river on a concrete bridge
or on a rickety log put across the
river.
You have faith in one, the concrete bridge,
but no faith in the other.
It's in something outside of you.
It's not inside of you.
So, but faith is more than that.
That's the beginning.
You know you have faith in Jesus Christ
that He's reliable.
He's like that reliable bank.
You can put all your money there.
He's like that concrete bridge.
It'll never break.
But it's more than that.
Faith is, I mean that's the beginning.
But the Bible speaks about faith as receiving.
See for example, John 1, 12.
John 1 and verse 12.
It says, As many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in
His name.
Believe and receive are the same in the
New Testament.
You can't believe without receiving.
When you believe without receiving, you're like the
devils.
The Bible says in James chapter 2, the
demons also believe that way.
You believe there's one God, the demons also
believe and it says the demons do something
more than you do.
They tremble.
So the devil believes a lot of things
which many Christians believe.
About Jesus Christ, about the Trinity, about His
death, resurrection, ascension.
But they don't receive.
And because they don't receive, it's not what
the New Testament calls faith.
Does the devil believe that Jesus Christ is
almighty?
Sure he does.
He found that out on the cross.
But he doesn't receive.
You can believe that God is almighty too.
It won't make any difference to your life
any more than it does to the devil.
It's receiving that makes the difference.
And very often, many of us, when we
say we believe something, we're only believing it
in our head.
Do you know the Bible always speaks about
believing with the heart?
And there's a lot of difference between believing
in the head and believing with the heart.
Believing in the head is like the demons
believe.
The Bible says, in Romans 10 verse 8
to 10, if you believe in your heart,
and confess with your mouth.
Proverbs 3 verse 5 says, trust in the
Lord with all your heart, and don't lean
upon your head.
That's what it says in that verse.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and don't depend on your understanding.
You'll go astray.
Do you know the difference between head faith
and heart faith?
World of difference.
You know, nowadays we hear a lot about
trusting God for healing.
Yeah.
I believe we should pray for healing whenever
we are sick.
But something better than praying for healing is
to trust God for health.
Such you don't get sick.
That's even better.
If you follow the laws of health, and
trust God to protect you, and you want
your body to be used for God's glory,
you can receive even health.
It's true.
But it's receiving.
You know, and very often, why is it
so many people who are trying to believe
God for healing, I'm gonna trust God.
They see some testimony, usually on Christian television
or something like that.
They say, oh, I'm gonna do that, I'm
gonna do that.
It's all in the head.
See, that's coming from that fellow's head on
the TV screen to your head.
And it's so convincing.
You say, yeah, that's right.
I'm gonna believe that.
Nothing happens.
That's head faith.
The devils also believe and nothing happens to
them.
Heart faith is something when God puts something
there.
It's got nothing to do with you.
Faith is a gift of God.
You receive it.
And somebody who receives it, that person is
healed.
For the last 40 years, you know, I've
been traveling in ministry and one of my
prayers was that I would never miss a
train or a flight so that a meeting
has to be canceled and that I'll never
be sick so that a meeting has to
be canceled.
And it's never happened in 40 years.
It's not because of me.
I say, it's what God just put some
faith in my heart to believe that.
Now, I'm not saying that's a great thing.
I'm just saying that that was necessary for
me for my ministry.
May not be necessary for you.
But I wanted help to serve God.
And I'm very thankful that God's given it
to me for 40 years.
I tell you, God can do many things
for you if you trust Him.
You gotta trust Him.
It's gotta be from the heart.
Lord, I believe you're gonna do it for
me.
Now, you know, God's ways with us are
varying for a period.
I read that God gave Elisha life probably
till the age of 90.
And then finally, it says, Elisha got sick.
And he died of his sickness.
It's amazing to read that.
Now, a person who's got head faith, say,
hey, that can't be right.
A person who understands in his heart has
no problem with it.
He says, because it's a matter of God's
will.
And God's will changes for a person from
day to day.
But head faith, people who say, 2 plus
2 is 4, it's always gotta be 4.
Whether you're 10 years old or 90 years
old, it's 2 plus 2 is 4.
This is head faith.
There's a lot of difference between a living
contact with God, where God leads us in
one way at one time and another way
at another time.
But I want to say to you, try
to understand this difference.
Believing in the head is just knowing facts.
Do you believe that the earth goes round
the sun?
Yes, you do.
Okay.
It'll help you in your geography examination and
probably scientific calculations, but it doesn't help you
in your Christian life.
In the Christian life, it's a heart thing
where you receive.
Faith is to receive.
You know, there are probably 2 billion or
more, I don't know, maybe 2 billion Christians
in the world today.
One third of the world's population call themselves
Christians.
You go to any one of them and
ask them, do you believe that Jesus Christ
is God?
They say yes.
They believe that Christ died for our sins?
Yes.
But do you know that 90% of
them are going to hell?
Even though they believe that.
That's my opinion.
You don't have to take it.
But I think you'll discover in the day
of judgment it's true.
Because they never had heart faith.
Many of you know.
I know from childhood I believed that Christ
was God and died for my sins.
But I never received till I was about
19 and a half.
Then something happened.
I received.
And once I received, I've never shaken.
In 46 years I've never shaken.
So you know the difference.
It's the same thing in every area.
This is the reason why so many people
who imagine that they believe God for healing
are not healed.
It's in their head.
And they're told to confess that I'm healed.
And it's still in their head.
Nothing happens.
They keep on confessing till they decide to
be honest and say, I'm not healed.
See, a lot of deception going on in
the world today.
I'm just trying to protect you from that
deception.
You have a choice.
You can either believe what these TV evangelists
tell you or you can believe me or
believe God's word.
But if you want to walk in honesty
and in truthfulness, you better believe what God's
word says.
There is a difference between head faith and
heart faith.
The question of receiving.
And let me show you another verse.
John chapter 17 and verse 8.
You see here again the connection between believing
and receiving.
John 17 verse 8.
It says, They have come to know everything
you have given me is from you for
the words which you gave me I have
given to them that is to the disciples
and they received them.
And they truly understood I came forth from
you and they believed that you sent me.
See, they received and they believed.
That is New Testament faith.
Now we come to how can we receive.
Even the matter of, you know, a lot
of people, let me take another example before
I come to that.
Another thing a lot of people are praying
today and are frustrated about perhaps people sitting
here is for the baptism in the Holy
Spirit.
A lot of people are unsure.
I was like that for many years myself.
I know from my own experience.
I'm not unsure today.
I've not been unsure for the last 30
years.
But I was unsure a long time before
that.
I had it here in my head.
It wasn't in my heart.
Because even when it comes to the Holy
Spirit it says in John 7 and verse
37 onwards Jesus spoke in the last day
if anyone is thirsty let him come to
me and drink.
He who believes in me okay will have
rivers of living water flowing out of him
because this he spoke of the Holy Spirit
whom those who believe will receive.
It's just the same thing.
Believing is receiving.
Believing in the head.
Ya Lord, I prayed for it.
I believe I got it.
Because we quote some verse where Jesus said
when you pray believe that you have received.
And I believe in my head.
But let me ask you my brother, sister,
did it work?
Be honest.
Don't imagine.
You know this business of teaching people to
imagine something which is not true is one
of the greatest deceptions in modern Christendom today.
Particularly in the healing ministry.
I'm not against healing.
I believe in the gifts of the Spirit.
I spoke in tongues for 30 years and
I believe in healing.
I've experienced healing.
I've seen people healed through prayer.
So I'm not against it.
But I don't believe in dishonesty and deception.
When Jesus touched a blind man and his
eyes were only half open and he couldn't
make the difference between a tree and a
man.
Can you imagine how blind a fellow is
if he can't distinguish which is a tree
and which is a man?
He wasn't healed at all.
Even people with poor vision can distinguish between
them.
Imagine Jesus prayed for someone and the guy's
eyes were only so little open that he
thought men were like trees.
You know why God, Jesus did it?
Why couldn't...
Jesus every time he healed instantaneously is the
only case where he redid it in two
stages.
You know why he did it?
So that there'll be a permanent record for
people in the 20th, 21st century who'll be
deceived by these healing evangelists.
That's why he did it.
And when the man said, I can't see.
If it was one of today's healing evangelists,
he'd have said, no, just confess you can
see.
Confess you can see.
And he'd have gone around blind man saying,
I can see, I can see.
I can see.
I've seen people take off their glasses and
say, I can see.
Deception.
Jesus never asked him to tell a lie.
He said, I can't see, Lord.
He said, okay, fine.
We'll pray for you again.
And he got healed.
Do you know that Jesus never wants us
to tell a lie?
He never wants us to say we're healed
when we're not healed.
Don't you believe all these, all this brainwashing
going on in Christendom today.
It's receiving.
It's trying to believe in the head that
causes a lot of problems.
And I tell you, if you understand this
message, it'll deliver you from a lot of
confusion and set you free.
Look for that faith which comes in your
heart.
Okay, how can we receive in the heart?
How can we receive the Holy Spirit?
Here it says about receiving the Holy Spirit.
See John chapter 3.
I want to make it so clear today
by the grace of God that by the
end of this meeting, if you are open
and you're hungry, a great confusion will be
cleared out from your mind in this whole
area that can change your life in relation
to the future.
John chapter 3.
John the Baptist said, verse 27, A man
can receive nothing.
Get this clear.
A man can receive nothing unless it is
given him from heaven.
Do you understand that?
You can receive nothing of eternal value, of
spiritual value, unless it's given from heaven.
He's talking about things of eternal spiritual value.
He's not talking about your salary which your
boss gives you or gifts which some man
gives you, which are all temporal.
A man can receive nothing of eternal spiritual
value unless it's given from heaven.
So we got to look for it from
there.
And say, Lord, I don't have anything of
value in me eternally, unless you give it
to me.
See also 1 Corinthians in chapter 4.
1 Corinthians chapter 4.
The middle of that verse, it says, What
do you have that you did not receive?
What do you have that you did not
receive?
Just think for a moment.
Even physical help or healing or spiritual gifts
or knowledge of the Bible, preaching ability.
For many years I used to think that
my understanding of Scripture was because I studied
the word so much.
You know, even I could be foolish and
proud till God showed me my pride and
I repented.
I said, Lord, forgive me.
It's not because I studied the Bible so
much.
It's because you gave it to me.
If I can preach, it's got nothing to
do with me.
He gives it to me.
When I need a word to speak, He
gives it to me.
If He doesn't give it to you, it's
not because you're inferior to me.
Listen to this.
It's not because you're inferior to me.
You can be as wholehearted as me.
It may not be your calling.
It may not be your gift.
That's all.
Your gift may be something else.
There's some other area where I won't be
able to do it as good as you
can.
Because that's your gift.
See, God gives the tongue an ability to
speak, but He gives the hand no ability
to speak.
Maybe you're like that.
No ability to speak.
But look at the wonderful things the hand
can do.
Amazing things the tongue cannot do.
It's all receiving.
A man can receive nothing unless it's given
him from Heaven.
What have you got that you did not
receive?
If our children are born again, they're all
born again.
I've seen believers whose children are all born
again, who are so proud.
They write books on how to bring up
children.
I brought up my children right.
I tell you honestly, I'm scared to write
a book on how to bring up children,
even though all my children are born again.
It was received.
I tell you, it was received.
It's got nothing to do with me, and
I think my wife will also admit it's
got nothing to do with her.
It's got to do with receiving.
Once you recognize that, you will never look
down on another person whose children are not
born again.
Never!
If you do that, you haven't understood this
message.
What have you got that you did not
receive, and if you received it, how can
you boast?
See, all boasting is eliminated the moment you
understand that you received.
Why is there so much of a pride
in some believers?
You know that.
It's not that a fellow gets up and
boasts, hey, I'm so and so, or sticks
out his chest.
No.
Pride is like body odor, or like bad
breath.
Most people who have bad breath don't know
it.
Somebody's got to be kind enough to tell
them, hey, better go and wash your mouth.
It's true.
And a lot of people who got body
odor just don't know it.
Other people pick it up immediately, but poor
chap, he doesn't know it himself.
But you know how it's so much in
a hot climate, it's coming out all the
time, body odor.
You can't suppress it.
That's why deodorants have a big market, and
perfumes have a big market, because they know
this is something you just can't overcome.
I want to say pride is like that
from your spirit.
It's there.
You can't even help it.
It just comes out.
Haven't you seen that sometimes when you do
something well, and somebody appreciates you for it?
Suddenly something came in there when the fellow
said something good to you.
Now that was it.
That was the body odor I'm talking about.
Spirit odor, rather.
Pride.
And you got to chill it, because it's
evil.
Because at that moment, for a few seconds,
you thought you did it.
When you didn't, you received it.
I've seen people who brought somebody to the
Lord, who want me to know that they
are the ones who brought that person to
the Lord.
What for?
It's so many things.
Can you imagine if by some chance, you
prayed for somebody and the guy got healed?
Can you imagine what will happen to you
for the next week or two?
And how you'll be itching to bring out
that testimony somewhere or the other in all
your conversations.
This is what I mean by spirit odor.
It comes out so quickly, like perspiration.
You can't help it.
Can you say, I'm not going to perspire
from now on.
You can't do that.
It just comes out.
Pride is like that.
So what have you got to do?
You got to be watchful.
When your body stinks, what do you do?
Go and have a shower or a bath.
We got to be sensitive.
The wonderful thing about spirit odor is we
can cleanse it immediately.
Unlike body odor, we can't cleanse immediately.
We got to, it takes time to go
have a shower.
But spirit odor can be cleansed immediately.
I can immediately get rid of it and
say, no, that's God.
I've received it.
I can't boast about it.
Let me turn you to another verse in
Matthew chapter 5.
It says here in verse 3.
Now you understand this verse.
That's why I came to this verse finally,
not at the beginning.
Matthew chapter 5 verse 3 says, Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
The message Bible says, you're blessed when you're
at the end of your rope.
At the end of your rope is an
English expression, means you got nothing more that
you can do now.
There's no way out.
Nobody to help you.
You're at the end of your rope.
It's all run out of your hand.
It's come to the end now.
And you let go and you sink to
the bottom.
It's like a fellow climbing mountains hanging on
to his rope and it's all slipping out
of his hand.
He's come to the end of his rope
now.
It's finished.
And when you come to that point, the
Bible says you're blessed because now you've got
no human earthly resource to fall back on.
It's like your bank account when it's come
to zero and nobody will give you a
credit card.
Boy, imagine telling somebody like that he's blessed
because now you've got only God to lean
on.
That's what Jesus said.
Blessed are you who in your spirit, when
you recognize your fantastic poverty in your spirit,
that you're really nothing.
No matter how much God may have prospered
you or given you intelligence or ability or
a good job or anything.
If you recognize those things don't have any
eternal value.
The only thing that's got eternal value is
how much of humility God has been able
to work in me through Christ.
So as I said, this pride is an
order that comes forth from people.
You can sense it.
I've seen brothers here in CFC through the
years who had a very humble spirit order
when they first came.
And after a few years and God's blessed
them either very often, not spiritually but just
materially, the order changes.
And they haven't taken a shower.
They haven't got rid of it.
And it gets worse and worse and worse.
Pride.
They can't smell it.
A carnal Christian is like a person who's
got a bad smelling system.
He can't smell it either.
But if you're a spiritual man you can
smell it.
You look at his eyes and you can
see it.
The Bible speaks about haughty eyes in Proverbs
6.
Are you able to recognize pride in a
person's eyes?
I can recognize it almost 100% of
the time.
But it took me a long while to
discover it.
But when you walk with God it happens.
You discover over a period of years you
sense his eyes, his spirit.
And he can't fool you with humble talk
or putting his head down like this.
No, no, no.
He can't.
God's not fooled.
It's an order that comes forth from our
spirit where a man is not cleansing himself
of his thoughts about himself.
He's got an opinion on almost everything.
Proud people are like that.
They've got an opinion about everybody and everything.
I told a brother once, I think you
should fast for one week from giving an
opinion on any subject, on any person.
He said it was difficult.
He was honest.
I think there's hope for him.
There's great hope for him because he was
honest.
He said it was difficult.
Some of you say, oh, I'll do that.
Do you really think so?
Try it from today for one week.
Throughout the week of this conference, don't pass
an opinion to anybody and don't about anything
or anyone and you'll see you'll be struggling.
Somehow you'll come through at the end of
the week, oh boy, I made it.
It's not easy.
We're so full of pride and that's why
we think we've got an opinion on everybody
and everything under the sun.
Even when Jesus said, I don't judge anyone.
He had such discernment.
I'm just telling you, my brothers and sisters,
the way to a godly life.
You can live such a wonderful life if
you understand the simple principle to be poor
in spirit.
I have to receive from God.
That's all.
I'm not teaching you as someone who learned
all this right from day one.
I made more blunders than all of you
and I took much longer than all of
you will take to learn this, but I
learned it.
And it's changed my life.
And it can change yours.
When you come to the scriptures, when you
read it, come with poverty of spirit and
say, Lord, teach me.
I don't know.
You know how a man in touch with
God, like Balaam, could not even see an
angel standing in front of him and his
dumb donkey.
Have you ever heard of anyone dumber than
a donkey?
That donkey could see the angel.
Is it possible that a donkey can see
certain spiritual things which you may not be
able to see despite all your cleverness and
Bible knowledge?
It's got to do with humility.
I presume donkeys are humble because they hear
everybody saying, Oh, you're as dumb as a
donkey.
Oh, the donkey says, I suppose we are
the worst of the lot.
So that attitude helps them to see angels
which we can't see because we don't think
like that.
If somebody called you as dumb as a
donkey, you say, what do you mean?
That's why you don't see angels.
That's why.
And the donkeys do.
That's just my theory, by the way.
But anyway, as far as humility goes, it's
not a theory.
God makes nobodies into somebodies.
And if we keep that attitude, Lord, I
just want to be a nobody all my
life.
I want to remain in poverty of spirit,
recognizing that even today...
Now, let me ask you this question honestly.
How many of you really believe that even
today you're really not in yourself?
You're no different from what you were the
day you entered CFC?
The day you came to the church?
Absolutely no.
If there is a change, it's what God
did.
That's all.
Otherwise, in yourself, do you recognize that you're
still the rotten, crooked, selfish, scheming Jacob that
you were when you came here?
But the grace of God has done something.
Recognize it.
And say, Lord, once that grace is removed,
I'm back to square one.
Absolutely.
How many of you believe that?
If the grace of God were removed from
you today, you'd be back probably lower than
square one, to minus something.
I have been so gripped by this that
I've really understood after nearly 40 years the
meaning of without me you can do nothing.
You say, oh, I know that.
Perhaps you know it in your head.
I knew it in my head 45 years
ago.
It took me a long time to understand
it in my heart.
That's what's made the difference in my life.
It's made a difference in my ministry.
It's brought me to experience the fulfillment of
Scripture which says, rejoice in the Lord always.
I'll tell you honestly, I live a life
where I'm never discouraged.
Never.
Not a single day.
I can't even remember how many years ago
last time I was discouraged.
It's the honest truth.
I'm only telling you that to say what
God can do for you if you come
into this life of receiving, living as a
nobody.
Get rid of all these airs that you
have and thinking that you're somebody.
No, that's why you don't get grace.
Remain poor in spirit and the more God
blesses you, the more go and cast your
crowns before God and say, Lord, that's not
me.
That's you.
I'm nothing.
I'm not better than anybody else.
I sometimes use my imagination to picture the
judgment seat of Christ.
That Christ sets up His throne and I
imagine all the people from CFC going to
get their reward and me coming last.
It's good for me to believe that.
Think of that.
Think of yourself like that sometime.
Consider other people as more important than yourself.
You'll experience such a tremendous salvation in your
life.
You'll get revelation on Scripture.
You'll learn things in Scripture which nobody could
ever teach you.
God has taught me some amazing things in
the Word, which I've never read in a
book.
I've never heard it on a tape.
God spoke to me.
Changed my life.
He can do that for you.
But you've got to be a nobody all
your life.
See what Paul says in Galatians in chapter
6.
Galatians in chapter 6 verse 3.
If anyone thinks he's a somebody when he's
a nobody, he deceives himself.
Or as the Message Bible says, don't be
impressed with yourself.
How many of you are impressed with yourself?
Are you impressed with yourself and your accomplishments?
Do you sometimes sit back and meditate on
isn't this great Babylon that I have built
by the might of my power?
Look at the walls.
That's what Nebuchadnezzar said.
You know what happened?
God took away his senses.
He began to eat grass like an animal.
Till his sense returned to him and he
said, Lord, it's got nothing to do with
me.
It's you.
Don't be impressed with yourself.
Just say, Lord, I want to be a
nobody all my life.
This was God's great purpose in dealing with
Job.
I want to say that in conclusion.
In the Job was a unique man because
God himself certified that there was nobody in
the whole earth like him.
In the whole earth.
God's certificate.
God told the devil there's nobody like Job
in the whole earth.
He was the best man in the whole
world.
None of us are like that.
But in Job's time, he was the best
man in the whole world.
And God took that best man and crushed
him.
Made him lose his children, lose his money,
business, everything.
Because with all of Job's goodness, there was
one thing he lacked.
Turn to Job 29.
You know what type of man he was?
It says in verse 90, I was known
for helping people in trouble, standing up for
those who were down on their luck.
Verse 12.
And he helped the orphans.
And he made the widow's heart sing for
joy.
Verse 13.
He was a father to the needy.
He was eyes to the blind, feet to
the lame.
Verse 15, 16.
A champion of abused strangers.
And it says in the next verse, I
grabbed street thieves by the scruff of the
neck and made them give back what they
had stolen.
Boy, he was a great guy.
Helping the poor.
You know, if he saw a blind man,
he'd hold him and lead him to his
house.
And he would carry the lame man to
his house.
This rich man, Job.
Boy, he wasn't just wealthy, he was kind.
He cared for the widows.
He cared for the orphans.
And on top of that, he says in
chapter 31, I never lusted with my eyes
after a woman.
Boy, what a man.
I helped the poor, verse 16.
I never allowed the widow's morsel to fail.
If I saw an orphan, I never ate
my food alone, verse 17.
I shared it with the orphan.
If there was anyone lacking clothing, verse 19,
I gave them clothes.
The poor blessed me when they saw me
coming.
What a man.
And many other wonderful things he goes on
to say.
I never made gold, verse 24.
I never set my heart on making money
or worshipping money in the bank.
No, he wasn't like that.
What a man.
With all those good qualities, he had one
sin, which many of us have.
He was proud of his goodness.
He was proud that he was a good
man.
He was a holy man.
He was not like these other wayward godless
people.
And that's the worst sin of the lot.
You can help all the poor and the
orphans and the widows, and if you are
proud of it, you have destroyed everything.
It's like making a first-class chicken curry
and putting a lizard inside it.
This is exactly what happened.
Job made the best curry in the whole
world and then he put this lizard inside.
Spiritual pride.
God said, take it away.
I don't want it.
Like you would say.
Take it away.
I don't want it.
Exactly what God said.
God said, I've got to teach this fellow
how to make a chicken curry without putting
a lizard inside.
You know that's difficult?
Very difficult.
Because usually when we make something good, we
put a lizard inside.
The lizard of spiritual pride.
Tell me if it's not true in your
life.
Even if you make a good meal and
somebody praises you, boy, the lizard drops in
immediately.
Not a physical one.
But that's what happened to Job and the
only way God could do it was demolish
his business and kill his children.
What a hard way to do it.
Finally, Job says in chapter 40, Lord, verse
4, Job answered the Lord and said, I
am a nobody.
And heaven said, Hallelujah!
At last God was able to accomplish in
this man what he wanted to do for
so many years.
And when he came to that place where
he said, I am a nobody.
The Bible says, God blessed him double.
Chapter 42, verse 10.
He got double of everything.
Do you want a double portion of the
anointing like Elisha got?
This is the way.
Recognize that everything you have, materially, spiritually, intellectually,
physically, health-wise, children-wise, anything you have
received.
Don't glory over somebody else.
Don't admire your pretty face in the mirror
and think that you shaped it in your
mother's womb.
Ha ha.
You've got to be off your head to
think that.
It's Jesus who arranged the molecules of your
face.
You know what a pretty face is?
It's just a good arrangement of molecules, that's
all.
If you speak of it from a chemical
point of view, it's just that.
It's a certain arrangement of molecules.
And somebody else's molecules are arranged a little
differently.
The same old molecules.
No, don't glory in anything.
Don't glory in intelligence.
Don't glory in anything.
Don't glory in Bible knowledge, spirituality.
And the more God blesses you, the more
you go down and say, Lord, I received
it.
I received it.
And when you can't get something because you
think you don't have faith for it, don't
look for faith in the head.
Say, Lord, if you'll give me faith, you
can get almost anything.
If you have faith in your heart, you'll
get it.
You'll get healing.
You'll get power.
You'll get the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
So what should our attitude be?
Not struggling to believe, but waiting on God.
They that wait upon the Lord shall suddenly
find that they sprout wings and fly up
like eagles.
These folks who didn't have wings, suddenly the
wings came.
Isaiah 40 verse 31.
The secret is to wait upon the Lord.
Say, Lord, I want to receive.
And when we receive, Jesus said, freely you
have received.
Freely give.
That's why we don't make money on our
books or CDs.
I don't get any royalty for anything.
That's why we don't charge for our service
in the church.
All of your elders have served you here,
including me, right from the beginning, not for
a single cent.
Because why?
Because we receive freely.
How can we charge for it?
We give freely.
Why is it so many Christians are such
misers, tight-fisted with money, tight-fisted with
everything?
Because they are so proud.
And that's why they don't get any more.
Think how different your life would have been
if you had learned to give freely what
God gave you freely.
God has blessed me and enriched me beyond
my wildest imagination.
Because I decided from the beginning what God
gave me freely, I would give freely.
My brothers and sisters, follow me as I
follow Christ.
Amen.
Let's pray.
Let's bow our heads before God.
Let's humble ourselves before Him.
And from this day say, Lord, I want
to have an attitude of receiving.
All my life, everything, I want to receive.
Maybe you need to receive health.
Maybe you need to receive power.
The power of the Holy Spirit.
Maybe you need to receive some spiritual gift
so that you will serve God more efficiently
and effectively than you've done so far.
It's not struggling.
You won't get it by fasting.
You'll get it by humbling yourself.
God's greatest gifts are on the lowest shelf.
Go down.
And say, Lord, I want to be poor
in spirit all my days.
I want to receive, receive.
And you can experience miracles in your life
if you keep that attitude.
And those of you whom God has blessed
spiritually, materially, examine yourself.
Whether the devil has deceived you, puffed up
your head so that you don't get anything
more from God, puffed up your head so
that you're destroyed spiritually even though you're blessed
materially.
Humble yourself today and say, Lord, don't let
me ever make that mistake again.
Don't let the devil make a fool of
me.
Thank you, Father.
It's your good pleasure to bless us, to
give us the kingdom.
I pray that many will be gripped by
the message of being poor in spirit.
For the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
In Jesus' name, Amen.