Are You Really Born Again

Let's turn to 1 John chapter 1. The purpose of salvation is that we might come into fellowship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It's not to go to heaven. See, there are so many wrong motives with which we can come to Christ. And if I come with a wrong motive, I can't be sure of my salvation. And I think that is the problem with many people. They have come to the Lord looking for something else. You can come to the Lord for food, for healing, that's fine. He'll accept you, but then that must be something that moves on to finding deliverance from sin. And if our main desire, and I want to say this straight to all of you, if your main desire in your life is not to be free from sin in your life, I want to tell you that I would doubt whether you're really born again. And I have a feeling that many people in our CFC churches are not born again. I've said that even in Bangalore. Because so many people come to us because it's a nice church to belong to. First of all, there's no collection. All rich people are very happy to come to this church because there's no offering. Nobody forces you to pay 10%. Imagine if you go to some church and you're a very rich man and the pastor asks you to pay 10%. You won't like it. You'd rather come to this church. Such people are not saved. They're just covetous, greedy people who are only trying to take advantage of Christ. They'll be lost and their judgment will be very severe in hell. But if a person wants to be free from sin in his life, such a person can find salvation. So, you know, Jesus said he did not come to call righteous, holy people. He came to call sinners, not sinners. He came to call sinners to repentance. So the world is full of sinners, but he didn't come to call all of them. He said, I've come to call sinners to repentance, to give up their sins. So the only people Jesus came to call are those who want to be free from the sin they see in their life. So if they don't see sin in their life, then, of course, there's no possibility of their being saved. See in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 9, Matthew 9, and we read in verse 12. No, Pharisees, verse 11, said, Why is your teacher eating with the tax collectors and the sinners? And Jesus said, it's not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire compassion and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. So we know that throughout his life, the person who prepared the way for Jesus was John the Baptist. And it says he came to pave the way for Christ to come. And the main message of John the Baptist was repent. So without that, you cannot accept Christ. So the only person who can repent is one who seriously discovers there's so much sin in his life. So I feel that today, so many people, particularly those from nominal Christian backgrounds, they've come to Christ without first of all realizing that they're sinners. It's like somebody dragging you to a doctor and you don't believe you're sick. You don't realize you're sick, then you're not going to take seriously what the doctor says. See, if you don't believe that you've got cancer and the doctor prescribes a treatment, you're not going to take it. And that is the condition of many, many people who are sitting in Christian churches today. The Christian church has become like a club, a nice club to belong to. You don't have to pay any price. You just sit there. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to make it clear to all such people, you are not born again. And you will see in the day of judgment that my words are true. And it'll be too late. It's better to realize it now. That's why I want to really make it clear, because I don't want anybody's blood on my hands. Paul said in Acts chapter 20, he said, Acts 20, he said, Everywhere, verse 21, Acts 20, verse 21, I preach repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, I tell people to turn from their sin. That's the first thing Paul preached everywhere. And then believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So as I have said for years and years and years, that repentance is one of the missing messages in today's Christianity. And because people are not told to turn from their sin, they're not really born again. You cannot be born again if you don't come to Jesus, recognizing, not just recognizing, everybody in the world recognizes they are sinners, but wanting to be free from your sin. If you're not fed up with your sinful life, you really can't be born again. Like I've said to many people who want to join our church, I say, please don't come and join our church if you're not fed up with your own sinful life. Go and join some other church. There are so many churches in the world. Why do you want to come here and waste our time and defile all the others with your worldliness? You just want a comfortable place to sit and make friends with people or somebody who's something like that. We don't want such people. We want people who are fed up with their own sinful life and who are longing to be free from sin in their life, who are crying out to God, Lord, I'm fed up of this sin and that sin and the other sin. And if that type of cry is not in your heart, I don't want to tell you you're sitting in the wrong place. This is not the place for you. Please find another church. Because you are polluting this church. You're hindering the witness of the church with your worldliness. New people come in and you speak all your worldly stuff to them and pollute them. We don't want such people. We're going to gradually eliminate such people from this church. Because we want people who are fed up with their sin and who are crying out to God, not only in the meeting but at home. Say, Lord, I see sin in my life. I want to be free from it. I want to be free from it. That is the mark. Those are the only people Jesus came for. So he says, I preach repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, in the last part, I have proclaimed to you, verse 27, the whole purpose of God. Not part of it. Therefore, verse 26, I am innocent of the blood of all men. A preacher who preaches repentance and preaches against sin and the whole purpose of God, his hands will be free from guilt. But any preacher who does not preach against sin, when people in his church go to hell, he will be guilty also. I believe that. That's what Paul says. How can Paul become guilty, verse 26, of the blood of other people? He says, I am innocent of the blood of all men because, verse 27, I have declared the whole purpose of God. I can say that. Everywhere I've gone, I've declared the whole purpose of God. A lot of people got offended. It bothers me the least. Because I'm not here to please men. I'm here only to please God. And so, it doesn't disturb me if some people are offended with me. They were offended with Jesus. They were offended with Paul. They were offended with every servant of God in the history of Christianity, except the men-pleasers and the money-lover preachers. All the others, people are offended with Most people don't like to hear the truth about themselves. But it's only those who love the truth who can be saved. So, if you don't love the truth about yourself, it's very difficult to be saved. And the great danger is that when we don't love the truth and we hear the truth and it doesn't disturb us, we can sit comfortably and listen to the truth and be completely unchanged. The great danger is that God himself will deceive you. Turn with me to what I call the most scary verse in the New Testament. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 The most scary verse in the New Testament is not that you can go to hell. No. The most scary verse in the New Testament is that God himself will deceive you. It says in 2nd Thessalonians 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 that Satan comes with verse 10 Satan comes with the deception of wickedness for those who perish, for those who are going to hell because why are they deceived? He is talking about verse 10 activity of Satan who comes with false signs and wonders and with the deception all the deception of wickedness for those who perish for those who go to hell because why did they get deceived? Because they did not love the truth so as to be saved they did not love the truth that they heard to be saved from sin and when God sees that here is a person who is sitting in some church and coming to some meeting and does not receive the truth does not love the truth to be saved from sin you know what God does? see what God does God himself will send on them a deceiving influence so that they may believe what is false can you imagine God trying to deceive you? that's what it says here if God deceives you you will be thoroughly deceived and deceived means you think you are saved when you are not saved you think you are born again when you are not born again because not only the devil is deceiving you God is deceiving you there is no hope the devil is already a deceiver he is called a deceiver of the whole world my only hope is that God is on my side and prevents me from being deceived but here it says if I don't love the truth God also will deceive me and when God deceives me it says here that I will believe what is false can you imagine God who loves the truth wanting me to believe what is false that means I will believe I am born again when I am not born again that is believing what is false and who makes me believe that? God why? because I don't love the truth I don't love the truth about myself that's why I say this is the most scary verse in the New Testament I never want it and so what is the way to escape it? very simple just two things both are mentioned in verse 10 I must love the truth when God speaks to my heart I must face up to it and say Lord it is true I am guilty and secondly again verse 10 I must be desiring to be saved from my sin so if I love the truth about myself when God shows it to me and I am eager to be saved from my sin I will never be deceived and I decided that many years ago and that's how God has shown me so many things in my own life through the years you see my flesh is exactly the same as your flesh my flesh is the same as the flesh of Osama Bin Laden or the suicide bombers my flesh is the same if any of you think you are better than a suicide bomber you don't have any understanding about your flesh I am convinced my flesh is I came from Adam that suicide bomber came from Adam too he has got the same flesh as me maybe my background and my upbringing protected me from some of the evils he does but inwardly my flesh is the same once you recognize that you will see what corruption there is in your flesh Paul said in my flesh there doesn't dwell one single good thing see that verse in Romans chapter 7 see what I am trying to say is unless you see how terrible your condition is you will never want to be born again you will never want to be saved you will go with a superficial type of Christianity and you will deceive yourself in your whole life that you are saved when you are not saved and I say I don't want to be responsible for that so wherever I go I want to make absolutely sure that I have made the truth clear it's like a doctor giving a scan to a person saying you have got a terrible cancer and it will kill you after that my responsibility is over after that it's the other person's responsibility whether he wants to be delivered from it or not not mine but if I don't make that clear then I am responsible before God and that's what Paul says I am free from the blood of everybody because I have told people the truth so Romans 7 he says in verse 18 he says I know something and I believe all of us must know this I know that nothing good dwells in me in my flesh how many of you believe that honestly I am not talking about trying to be spiritual and quoting the right words and all that you know lot of people in prayer say I am such a wretch and all that they don't really mean it because if they ever heard somebody else call them a wretch they would be upset but they themselves call themselves a wretch in prayer so how many of you really you got to face up to this verse can you say I know not I have heard I know like as clear as do you know you are a man do you know you are a woman you don't have any doubt about it you are a boy, you are a girl you don't have any doubt about it in the same way you know that in your flesh there is not one single good thing I am just quoting scripture the apostle Paul said I know that is in my flesh there is nothing good in the flesh of that terrorist suicide bomber there is nothing good do you realize that you are just the same as that person in your flesh no difference maybe your background upbringing religion kept you from certain evil things so you look better than that person but you look inside it is just the same you take a scan of that terrorist heart and scan of your heart it is 100% the same I believe it I have seen clearly in my flesh dwells no good thing and because I have seen that I have longed for a complete salvation from sin in my life and that is why God has given it to me progressively but if you don't see it you will not desire it can you get a man on the operating table who doesn't believe he has got cancer no you have to drag him there and he won't come he won't sign the certificate that is required before surgery I don't believe I am that bad that guy has got cancer but not me that terrorist has got it but not me well then if I have experienced a salvation it is because I believe my flesh is the same as any terrorist or suicide bomber or anybody and if you don't believe that my brother, sister let me tell you the truth I don't care which church you sit in you will not experience a full salvation from sin and your experience with Jesus will always be shallow you will always wonder why can't I get to this wonderful life that some people have I will tell you why because you didn't start where they started they started with knowing that in their flesh there is nothing good they were absolutely convinced they have got fifth stage of cancer there is no hope for them and that is how they got saved but maybe you come along and you think you are a little good Christian I remember once at the end of one church service one couple came up to me they were not really saved, nominal Christians and I told them I said I can discern that you are not saved because you are coming to Jesus as Christians and let me tell you the truth that Jesus did not die for Christians he died for sinners you come to him as a rotten good for nothing sinner he will save you you come to him as a Christian you will be lost eternally you know that I speak straight I speak straight because I don't want anybody's blood on my head so understand this my brothers I want everyone here I can't save all of you I can't ensure that all of you are born again that I cannot do that you have to decide yourself but I can make the truth clear so that nobody is in doubt as to what it really means to be born again to become a child of God to come into fellowship with the Father and it begins with knowing that in my flesh dwells nothing good now what happens is you know when you discover that you don't look down on anybody how can I look down on someone if I realize that his flesh is the same as mine can one fellow who is living in a slum look down on another fellow who lives in a slum if you are living in a decent place you can look down on a person who lives in a slum but a person who is in the slum himself can't look down on another person who lives in a slum and if you look down on another person it proves that you don't think you are as bad as him and that would be an indication of whether you are really saved or not I'll tell you honestly so one of the first questions you need to ask yourself is do you look down on somebody do you feel I thank you I am not like them you don't have to say it but in your heart if you think like that it would be one clear indication that you don't really believe that your flesh there is nothing good see I am really trying to take you through a kindergarten lesson this is the kindergarten lesson to be born again and if you turn with me to Luke chapter 18 see everything I said is in scripture Jesus told a parable verse 9 listen to this to those he didn't say this to everybody he said this to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked at others with a certain degree of contempt are you like that do you feel you are holy and you look down on some others who are not as holy as you are this parable is for such people it is not for everybody it is for those who think I am ok that guy is not two men went up to the temple to pray verse 10 one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector tax collectors in those days were always classified with prostitutes tax collector men and women prostitutes were in the same category the worst sinners because every tax collector was a crook who cheated and robbed people of money and every prostitute was an immoral woman so many times in the gospels you read about tax collectors and harlots tax collectors and prostitutes they were the worst sinners of all so these two people went to pray and I don't know whether you have noticed this many Christians have not noticed what it says here because we don't read the bible carefully to whom did the Pharisee pray that's the first question read it in verse 11 he prayed to himself he thought he was praying to God but he was praying to himself does anybody pray to himself lot of people pray to themselves they are not praying to God many people who even confess their sin oh Lord I am a sinner they don't really believe it like I told you oh Lord I am such a wretch on another day they hear somebody else saying so and so is a wretch and they get upset why do they get upset you said to God a little while ago that you are a wretch you don't believe it if you believed it and somebody else said you are a wretch you would say that's right what he said was right but we say these words that look very humble particularly in public prayer so that we get a reputation for humility the Pharisee was praying to himself and what was he thinking so we can say that he was really thinking like this in his heart that's what the meaning of praying to himself how do you pray to yourself you are thinking like that you are saying God but you are praying to yourself I think a lot of people who pray in public don't really pray to God I'll tell you honestly when I was a young Christian born again, I was going to a church and then I heard people praying in public and I also started praying and almost every time I was praying to myself because when I prayed I wasn't conscious of Jesus in that room I was conscious that all these people are listening to my prayer so I must pray in an impressive way they mustn't think I'm useless I must pray in a way that will impress them I must impress them with my humility so I must say, oh God, I'm such a wretch I'm a rotten sinner I must say all the right words the right words are, I'm such a wretch, I'm a rotten sinner and then I quote the right language from scripture oh thank you, your blood will cleanse me now I'm not asking you to judge other people's prayer if you judge other people's prayer you are the biggest Pharisee of all judge yourself I'm not saying this to judge other people I do not judge other people's prayer I say, Lord, maybe he's sincere, I don't know but I know in my case when I was praying in the early days in public I would pray and I was much more conscious of the people around me listening than Jesus I was not at all conscious of Jesus and so that didn't satisfy me I would go back to my room I was in the Navy those days and I would say, Lord, I'm sorry I'm really sorry I came into your midst of your people and instead of praying to you I prayed to myself I prayed to exalt myself in the eyes of others so they realize I'm a very humble brother forgive me I don't want to pray like that I want to pray to you so then the next week I would pray again again I would be praying to myself I was more conscious of the people I'd come back home, I would repent again believe it or not this went on for years but every single time I was determined that I would come home and cleanse myself it's like you go home and take a bath well, you say you had a bath yesterday but you want to take one another today because dirt has come onto you again and you take another bath or shower tomorrow and then you take another shower and it's like it's like going for treatment if you've got cancer you go for chemotherapy and the doctor tests you and says you've got to come again and some more chemotherapy and the doctor says no you've still got cancer and you keep going till the cancer is eliminated 100% only then you're satisfied nobody will be satisfied if the doctor says about 25% cancer is still there you won't say oh that's ok I had 80% now it's only 25% you will not when it comes to sickness we are very serious doctor I don't want to stop till it has become zero so that's how I prayed to God I said Lord I'm still maybe not 80% but still 25% I'm still praying to people not to you and over a period of time over a period of time because I kept on judging myself I came to the place where when I prayed in public it didn't matter if nobody was in the room I prayed to Jesus not only prayed but when I sang a song I would sing it to Jesus are you conscious of the words that you sing do you know that every song we sing is a prayer that's another area where I didn't take seriously I used to sing a song particularly if it's a very familiar song which I knew the tune I knew the words by heart and they would sing it and I would sing and I would sing and sing and realize maybe in the olden days we never had this projection we had song books so we would be singing song number something and we would sing and sing and then the song is over they go to the next hymn and suddenly I realize hey I wasn't even paying attention when I sang that last song so what I would do when all the others were singing the next song I would turn back on the hymn book to the old song and I'd say I'm sorry Lord I didn't mean these words I did not mean these words please forgive me and while the others were singing the other song I would read the words that I had already sung and I'd say Lord I want to mean it now and I would go through that whole song and say Lord this time I'm meaning it I'm not singing it but I'm saying it to you in my heart I need thee every hour every hour I need thee oh bless me now my savior whatever it was and then I really meant it so that was the time I really sang that song the rest was like a concert everybody singing you join in and as I did that a number of times it didn't just happen once it happened many times I discovered that most of the time when I was singing I wasn't really singing to God at all I wasn't conscious of Jesus being there everybody's singing it's like a rock concert everybody's singing I'm also singing most of the song leaders also they don't have a clue what they're singing I tell you in many many churches the song leaders they themselves are not serious about what they're singing they don't think of the words it's just a tune some shake their hips it's the spirit of reverence that Jesus is here I'm saying something to him is not there and you know what the root cause of this is either some people are not even born again or they've taken their relationship with God so casually that for example if the ruler of this country was sitting right here I think all of us would be very conscious oh ho the ruler of this country is here but Jesus can be here and we're not even conscious of it but we say we are born again well those people in the other churches dead churches they also are not conscious of Jesus and if we are in the same category how do we say we are born again how do we say how do we say we are different how do we say we have life we're in the same condition as those people these are very very serious issues brothers and sisters I'm only trying to help you to be delivered from deception love the truth then God will not deceive you I love the truth and the truth was I was praying to people not to God and so God saved me from deception I love the truth I said Lord I didn't sing this to you I just sang it like a nice tune I love the truth and I said it Lord I'm sorry and the Lord saved me from that deception for example we sang a song today my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord he's trampling out where the grapes of wrath are stored do you remember it do you remember what you sang what does it mean I've seen the light which camps this is all nice tune I'm amazed at the amount of self deception that goes on in singing in many churches they try to improve the quality of the singing saying let's sing in tune I'm saying let's mean what we sing even if we don't sing in tune if you mean what you sing even if you don't sing in tune God will hear you we're not training choirs here we're training godly people I don't care it never bothers me if people don't sing in tune I'll tell you honestly I'm not so particular if the tune is right or not it's good to sing in tune of course so that all can sing together very very important to mean what we say Jesus once said your yes must be yes your no must be no you know there are songs like all to Jesus I surrender I wonder how many people can really sing it but everybody will sing it or take my life and let it be consecrated lord to thee that's one of the toughest songs to sing because one line in it says take my silver and my gold not one mite will I withhold I almost feel like smiling when I hear everybody singing that song I know that none of them mean it then I saw I can't change the words I'll tell you I can't change the words I just keep quiet if I can't mean something I keep quiet sometimes when I come across a line in a song and I can't sing it I don't change the words I just keep quiet or saying it softly guide me O thou great Jehovah I never sing it because I have never in my life called God Jehovah you say why isn't that his name my four sons have never called me Mr. Poonen why isn't that my name why don't they come up to me and say Mr. Poonen can I talk to you you know what they call me dad you know what I call my father in heaven not Jehovah I have never called him Jehovah he is my dad I call him dad Jesus taught me to call him heavenly father but in the old testament even in the old testament they were scared to use the word Jehovah they would call him O Lord mighty but there are songs like that there is a very popular song nowadays there is no God like Jehovah there is no God like Jehovah I don't know how many times I say it there is no God like Jehovah what are you talking about they have no idea what the new testament says are these people born again do they listen to the holy spirit my brothers and sisters wake up many are sleeping in the church spiritually asleep they don't take what they say to God seriously if you go to a court and they ask you to sign a document there in front of the judge tell me will you read it or not oh you will not only read it you will get a lawyer to read it ten times say please tell me is there one word here which will commit me to something then only you will sign it why are we so particular about a sale deed and a document and we talk to God so lightly as if he is just some person up there whom we couldn't care less for no wonder we don't progress spiritually no wonder year after year after year we are in the same rut I am not scolding you please listen to me I am challenging you to get out of that rut and climb up higher because God has got fantastic plans for you it's like if I see that my son is very intelligent and he can accomplish great things in life with his intelligence but he is lazy and careless and getting 40% and 45% and happy with it I say son you must not be happy with 45% I may raise my voice and tell him not because I am angry but because I say listen you are capable of 95% why are you happy with 45% that's exactly how I am speaking to you today I look at all of God's people in CFC churches as my children not everybody not all believers they are not my responsibility but God has given me a responsibility in CFC churches and I treat them all as my children and God is my witness and I speak to them just like I speak to my children I want the highest for them I had four sons I wanted them to do really well spiritually and really well in their academic studies as well and I would push them spiritually and academically because I knew that way they wouldn't become beggars in the world spiritually first so that's exactly what I am trying to do so this pharisee he prayed to himself and he said God I thank you I am not like this guy over here this sinner over there who is praying and it is very easy to have that attitude towards somebody in the church thank you I am not like others God may have done a work in me that has delivered me from sin but I can't look down upon another person who is unconverted and despise him no I definitely say I am different because God has lifted me up he loves sin, I hate sin so I can't say that God has not done any work in me that's not humility God has done a work in me for example if I had cancer and some very good doctor did surgery on me and healed me completely there is no humility in saying oh I have still got cancer no this doctor did a first class job and healed me of cancer completely but this guy has got cancer I am not despising him I am just telling the truth I had the same cancer as him but a doctor treated me and freed me from it completely but this chap still has it I want him to be free so that's the only way in which I am saying it if God has done a work in us the more the work God has done the more humble we should be and give the glory to God we should not deny the work God has done in us I will not deny what God has done in me he has forgiven all my sins and for 78 years everything I did he looks at me today as if I have never sinned in 78 years that's what God did in me through the blood of Jesus Christ that I will boldly testify I was a slave to anger it's gone from my life I can boldly testify I never raised my voice at my wife even one single day of the year not one single moment God has done it I am not taking any credit for it I am just saying God has done something in me he has delivered me from some cancer I still discover some selfishness in my life here and there I will tell you the truth and as I get light on it oh that was selfish I want to cleanse myself so there is a progression I haven't become like Christ completely I have got a long way to go but I find God has done a work in delivering me from certain things he has really brought me to the place where I can rejoice in the Lord 24 hours a day, 7 days a week I can really testify that I never get discouraged never, never, never it's what God has done but there was a time in my life when I was frequently discouraged sitting with my head in my hands for years so that's something God has done and I will never hesitate to give glory to God just like I say this doctor cured me of my cancer what's wrong in saying that my brothers and sisters I say it only to tell you that there is a doctor who can cure you of your spiritual cancer of course but you got to admit that you got it first if you keep on pretending that you don't have it you won't be cured so that's the difference the other sinner in verse 13 Luke 18 verse 13 he was standing so far away he was not even willing to look up to heaven he felt I am such a rotten sinner I can't even look at the face of God and he was beating his breast and saying oh God please be merciful to me the New American Standard Bible which I use is very accurate in the way it is translated have you noticed this one important word there sometimes we don't read carefully have you noticed it in verse 13 not the way you people usually understand it God be merciful to me a sinner that's not what he said did you notice the mistake I made God be merciful to me the sinner meaning I am the only sinner in the world I feel like I am the only sinner in the world everybody is better than me that's the difference between saying God be merciful to me a sinner and God be merciful to me the sinner and when you really come before God you feel like that Lord I am the sinner here and he says this man went to his house declared righteous verse 14 and I have gone to my house declared righteous by God because I came to him like that what I want to ask you is have you come to him like that if you have never in your life come to him like that it's not too late to come today and say Lord I really want to be born again I want to know the joy of being declared righteous by God I want to be delivered from these sinful traits in my character which have enslaved me for so long I want to be delivered see one mark of a child really being born let me tell you a few marks of being born first of all a child will begin to cry you know what doctors do if a baby is born and he doesn't cry they spank it that looks cruel but it's to make that child take a breath if it doesn't take a breath it will die I know at least a couple of young ladies in CFC Bangalore today who are alive today because my wife happened to be in the delivery room when they were born as babies and they were not breathing they were blue and my wife pumped and pumped I don't know what oxygen or whatever it is till they began to breathe they are grown up young ladies today it's very important to breathe as soon as you are born it's one mark of a healthy baby and one mark of a born again person is you want to pray to God that's breathing is prayer you immediately discover you are a father and you want to talk to him the person who doesn't talk to God is like a baby that doesn't breathe and you know babies can be born and they can be breathing and they are healthy and sometimes one month later the baby dies or one year later the baby dies that can also happen they stop breathing I have seen people like that born again, really born again they really turn to the Lord and they started praying and then you see these same people 2-3 years later they stop praying they don't pray anymore they stop breathing what happened? I thought you were a healthy baby yeah you were a healthy baby but you know there are babies who are born healthy 3 years later they are dead so this person was really born again but died spiritually so that's one mark of being born again you breathe another mark of being born again is of a birth is what we read in 1 Peter chapter 2 is it says in verse 2 like newborn babes 1 Peter 2 verse 2 long for the pure milk of the word of God if a baby does not cry for milk again something is wrong not just breathing but a baby will you know when a little baby cries in a house even a dumb man like me can know it's crying for milk mother knows immediately what does a baby cry for? it's not crying for anything else a newborn baby if it cries, it's crying for milk and it will keep on crying till it gets it you try to pat it down and say stop crying it will not stop crying that's the way you know a baby is healthy it's crying for milk I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty, give me something I know it happened to me when I was born again 58 years ago I suddenly began to have a love for the Bible which I never had before I was born in a Christian family go to church, Sunday school I never loved to read the Bible I'd read it namesake ok I've got to read something close it and get on with other things which are more important but I didn't have a cry in my heart for the milk or the word of God like newborn babes long for the milk so if you find a baby it was breathing ok when it was born but you find after one or two days it's not crying for milk it's just lying quietly happy in the cradle whole 24 hours never crying for any milk I tell you even if you're a dumb father you'll be concerned why is this baby not crying for milk? two days gone by it never cried for milk the milk of the word of God that's another mark that you're really born again you want to read the Bible you want to hear God speak to you in the same way that a baby cries for milk why does a baby cry for milk? just to ease it's conscience ah babies are supposed to cry for milk ah give me some milk to read the word of God like that I was told in church that I must read the Bible everyday ok I've got to read the Bible that's not crying it is just a ritual now why am I saying that? because that's how many Christians read the Bible they've taught you must cry for milk ok you're born again you must cry for milk ok here how much should I cry? little bit of milk at least that's not a real new birth I want to tell you the truth I believe a lot of people who think they're born again are not born again they don't breathe they don't cry for milk how do you know they're born again? the other thing is a baby if it's really healthy will grow it says in 1 Peter 2 that you may grow that's another thing if you find a baby is not growing it's the same size after one year same four and a half pounds one and a half kilos born one and a half kilos now also one and a half kilos something is wrong if there's no growth evaluate yourself many of you have babies children many of you are fathers and mothers would you have been concerned if you saw your children never growing even after one year would you be concerned? you'd be terribly concerned are you just as concerned when you don't see yourself growing spiritually you feel there's something wrong there's a death a spiritual death that has come in definitely you know sometimes in the womb a baby can die in the womb and the doctor says it's not growing, something's wrong it's dead all living things grow only dead things don't grow a rock will be the same size for 5000 years a plant in one month it'll be big growth is always the mark of life if you're born again you will grow I don't want to make a big list I told you a healthy baby will cry it'll want milk and it'll grow just think of those three areas why am I saying this? because the Bible uses such examples of I showed you here it longs for milk one peter two two and it grows let me show you the verse where it says the baby cries Romans chapter 8 in verse 15 Romans 8 verse 15 you have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons which would cry out father that's what happens when you're born again a cry comes from your heart daddy as soon as you're born again boy, I got a daddy in heaven it's a wonderful thing I was a very insecure person when I was young and when the Holy Spirit came into my heart and I discovered I've got a dad in heaven it really made me strong and bold I find so many Christians, men who are effeminate they behave like women they act like women now woman acting like woman is good in fact if a woman acts like a man something is wrong but a man acting like a woman he gets married and he's still like a woman, he's not the head of his house he's scared of his wife do you know the Bible speaks about such people have you heard about such people I'm not talking about homosexuals homosexuals are men who are interested in men and women who are interested in women I'm not talking about that, that is another thing I'm talking about effeminate effeminate means a man who doesn't behave like a man see there's a verse here in 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians it says in chapter 6 the type of people who will not enter the kingdom of God these are the people who will not enter God's kingdom 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 9 don't be deceived here are the people who will not enter heaven fornicators those who are single people who commit sexual sin are called fornicators idolaters those who worship any type of idol can be money you worship money, you're an idolater adulterers, those are married people who commit sexual sin and then effeminate and then homosexuals homosexuals is another category effeminate people who are don't are not bold even though they are men and the bible says in 1 Corinthians 15, act like men so there is a need for us to be bold as Christians the apostles were not bold they were effeminate before Jesus rose from the dead, they were locked in the room, scared and then one day they got filled with the Holy Spirit they threw open the doors and the same Peter who was scared to tell a servant girl I don't know Jesus don't trouble me the same Peter got up and said to the chief priest you are the ones who crucified Christ how did that happen? it was just a few days earlier that he was so scared even before a servant girl he was filled with the Holy Spirit and that's the other thing my brothers and sisters it's not enough to be born again you must be filled with the Holy Spirit I remember that's what I began to seek because I found that even though I had received Christ, I was not bold to be a witness for Christ I was bold in the church meetings with the others but outside I was not bold I was scared to let other people know that I'm a Christian now I'm not talking about going out into the streets and witnessing in a place like this if it's against the law, we don't do it I'm not talking about that but if I'm ashamed to let people know that I'm a Christian I know I remember some families in the early days in CFC Bangalore they'd be very zealous in witnessing and all that then school holidays would come and they would go to visit their unconverted relatives and they would backslide one month of backsliding because they are with unconverted relatives always useless conversation and useless TV programs and then come back and they have to repent oh they are backsliding it was to happen every year you know what such people needed? to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that even if you are in the midst of unconverted relatives you make it clear to them I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ I'm not interested in the things you are interested in sorry I'm not interested in that useless conversation I'm not interested in making fun of my neighbors and all the other people in the church and I'm not interested in the useless gossip and I'm not interested in watching this filthy TV program you are watching or that movie you have to be filled with the Holy Spirit otherwise you will be a compromiser you will be a compromiser just like them and you will go where they go even if you come to CFC dear brothers and sisters take it seriously determine I mean if you had if the doctor said to you one day I think there is 1% chance that you got cancer 1% you got cancer will you sleep peacefully? I don't think you will he didn't say 40% he said 1% he said doctor please do a thorough scan do every possible test I'll spend any amount of money please tell me that it is zero do you believe that being free from cancer is more important than being free from hell I mean are we so stupid I would never want to be in doubt that I am saved I would never want to be in doubt that any of my children are saved I don't want to tell the people in the church that my children are saved and baptized what is their opinion worth? Nothing I want to be absolutely sure that every member of my family is really a child of God because I don't want to be in heaven and spend eternity and see one of my children burning in hell forever and ever and ever however good I may have been to them on earth if I finally see them in hell I have been a useless father maybe I educated them did everything else but I am not even concerned some parents say brother what to do I'll tell you what to do pray miss some meals and fast and pray you would do that if the doctor diagnosed your son or daughter with cancer why don't we pray just as much when your son or daughter is wayward and not converted and on his way to hell and you don't even fast and pray I don't believe that such people are born again I don't believe that parents are born again they can see their child going to hell it's like seeing your child about to fall over a cliff and you don't stop him you see your child about to fall over a cliff and you don't stop him dear brothers and sisters we have to take this much much more seriously than we have done and if I have woken you up to a little bit of seriousness in this area I've done my job I'm a servant of the Lord God's given me a commission and I'm going to be faithful to that particularly to my flock let's pray Heavenly Father I pray with all my heart that every single person sitting here will take what they have heard from you seriously I don't know their condition you know because you know the secret thoughts and attitudes of persons and I pray Lord and I know that my prayer will not solve the problem if they don't take action themselves but I really want everybody here to be saved I don't want to see any of these people whom I meet here to be burning in hell one day and so even if they are offended I have to speak the truth please help everyone to take this matter seriously I pray in Jesus name