Don’t Condemn Others And God Will Give You His Best

Dear brothers and sisters, we have come to this final session and we want to conclude with all that we have talked about. Remember what I said at the beginning, we want to walk along that narrow way that leads to life. I believe most of you or all of you have entered through the gate.

Good, you received Christ as your savior. I want to say one thing about this way. I've tried to walk this way now for many years and what I've discovered is it's a way of, listen to this, repentance.

The way is a way of repentance. Why do I say it's a way of repentance? Because all the time I'm discovering something unlike Christ in my life, in my speech, in my thoughts, in my attitudes, in my motives. Remember the five areas of sin, sin in thoughts, sorry, sin in actions, deeds, sin in words, sin in thoughts, sin in attitudes and sin in motives.

Five areas of sin and I'm not perfect. I've not become like Christ and I'm sure all of you also say you're not becoming like Christ. Therefore, then we are acknowledging that there is something unlike Christ in me.

I must discover it and God will bring me into circumstances where I discover it and I've been discovering it more and more and I'm excited. To me it is like suddenly finding some gold in the compound in which I'm living. Wow, I didn't know there was gold here.

What is the gold? I'm discovering some area in my life which is corrupt which I can get rid of in exchange for the life of Christ. What a blessing it is. I want to keep on digging and finding this gold until I see Jesus.

That means areas in my life where I'm not behaving like Christ, I'm not speaking like Christ, I'm not thinking like Christ, I'm not having the same attitude to other people as Jesus had. I'm not having say it's the same motive to glorify God like Jesus had. Lord, show me.

I want to repent and I repent. I die to myself that is taking up the cross and wherever I die I experience a resurrection. If we die with him, we will live with him.

That's what the Bible says. You die to yourself in some area, God will give you a resurrection in that area. If you die to yourself only in one area, that's the only area you'll get resurrection.

Another brother dies to himself in 10 areas, he gets a resurrection life in 10 areas. That is why some Christians make more progress in a short time than others who've been Christians for many years. So this way of repentance is a way, the way of life is a way of repentance.

Lord, I'm discovering something unlike Christ in me, I want to get rid of it. You ask yourself one question, do you have a great passion to become like Christ? I don't mean just a desire, passion. See there are some people who go to college but somehow I must get my degree.

The others have a passion saying degree is not enough, I must get a doctorate and I must excel in my field of science or if I'm going to be a doctor, I must be the top doctor in Singapore. They have a passion to do well. They put us to shame if we don't have a passion to become like Christ.

God has given me a passion to become like Christ more and more and more and therefore every day I'm discovering something to cleanse myself from and if you walk this way, I tell you, your life will be an extremely happy, blessed life in different situations where other people provoke you or other people hurt you, you die to yourself and you humble yourself. The life of Christ will come forth in you. So that's what we've been trying to study in this the narrow way.

We also want to build our life on a rock obeying everything that we have heard in these six, five sessions so far and in this one also so that we build on the rock and then like we use the example of the tree if I'm like a branch in a tree, the light from the tree will flow through me and produce fruit. I've never produced fruit on by myself ever. I don't produce sermons by myself.

I don't bring people to Christ by myself. I don't build a church by myself. I cannot.

I produce zero fruit but if I remain in the tree which I seek to do, Jesus sends his Holy Spirit into me and does a work. That is how Jesus can do it. Every one of you because you also are members of the body of Christ.

So keep that in mind. Now we come to Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24. This is a very important verse because it relates to God and wealth.

God and money. The biggest power in the world is money and the biggest power in heaven is God and I have to make a choice. I can use money but I must not serve money.

He doesn't say you can't use money. Jesus used money. He earned money as a carpenter and when people gave him gifts, you read in Luke chapter 8, he was not working for the last 30 years.

He was at home and he worked as a carpenter, earned his living, supported because Joseph had died, supported his brothers and sisters and his mother. Then he left his job, resigned and came into full-time ministry. Then where was he to get his money from? He would never ask for money.

He would never send a prayer letter and he would never give any hint that he needed any money and he would never take a collection for money for himself. Never, never, never. That is those are the principles we have followed in CFC also.

You know you see in your church so many years there's never any collection. There's a box there. Those who want to put can put.

Those who don't put, don't put. And we're not interested. We're not checking up who's putting, who's not putting and that is not only in your church, dear brothers and sisters.

In all the 100 churches in 16 countries that there is a CFC, we follow the same rule and that is not just for one year, for 50 years. There is no church in the world which has 100 churches 50 years never taking a collection. You'll never hear of such a church anywhere in the world.

They'll always, if they don't give collection, they'll give it to the pastor. In Ceylon Pentecostal Church, they don't take collection. They give it to the pastor.

Here we don't take anything for anybody. Why is that? How are all our churches functioning? Don't we need money? Don't you need money to pay the rent for your place and many other places we are building meeting halls and there are hundreds and thousands of widows whom we are supporting and children who go to college whom we are educating, poor people's children. How does that come? So many people who are so happy in their heart that God has blessed them that they put money in the offering box and say help the poor because we don't have any paid workers so the money doesn't have to go to any paid worker.

It goes to the poor, particularly the poor in Tamil Nadu, the poorest villages. We've been doing that for years but we must not serve money. We must not love money.

We must not serve money. We can have money. We can use money like I said last time like the ant.

We can save up money but never love it. It's like I have something but I don't love it. It's a servant, not a master.

For example, in many homes in India, they have a servant. Sometimes a servant woman comes and cooks the food and cleans the house and all. Now that servant woman is the good master and mistress will care for that servant and pay her and do things but that servant cannot run the house.

It's a servant. The master or mistress will say do this, they do that. Don't do this, they won't do that.

That servant will obey the master or mistress everything and when the evening comes, you can go home and if the servant is not doing well, you say I don't want you anymore. Treat money like that. Think of a servant you have in your home.

You say you're going to listen to me. You're not going to tell me what to do. Money is not going to tell me what to do.

I'm going to tell what I will use it for, what I will not use it for and I will not waste it. I'll be careful with it. Don't serve God and money.

You must serve God alone. You can have money but don't let it be your master. Like you have a servant in the house, money is a very useful thing and to have a servant to do the work is a very useful thing for a wife in the home.

I'm not saying get rid of the servant. Keep the servant, keep the money there but make it your servant. Don't let it take over the house and become the lord to tell you to run your life.

There are people who their mind is always on money. They go to bed at night and they're thinking of money. They wake up in the morning, they're thinking of money.

They wake up in the middle of the night and they're thinking of money. What a terrible way to live. Yeah, in the beginning it's like that but we can work out our salvation from it and say I want to honor God.

I want to be wise. I want to be careful. I have also learned to save money.

The little bit of money I had, I received from my father, a small inheritance. That is how I lived and I saved it and lived very simply. I could never afford a car.

I rode a scooter for 42 years. I had to pay for my school children's fees and I took care of them but I never took money from people, from the church. I mean from all the 100 churches, I did not go there and say please help me.

God took care of me but that's because God called me to serve him full time but you all are working and you get a salary. Be faithful with it. Don't waste it.

Don't waste money unnecessarily. Take care of it and save it and use it for your children that they can get a good life when they grow up and don't love it. Then it goes on from there to talk about anxiety.

That's another big thing. You know the world is full of people who are worried. What is going to happen next? What is going to happen? I mean it's to be careful for you, to provide for your children is a good thing but to be anxious and worried, that's not good.

Jesus said do not be anxious. Now you see if you read verses 25 to 34, how long will it take you to read those 10 verses? Have you tried it sometime? You go home and try reading verses 25 to 34. It will not even take five minutes.

In about two minutes you can read verses 25 to 34, 10 verses but in those two minutes in 10 verses, three times God says something. Jesus says something. Have you noticed that? One phrase, one command is repeated three times in those 10 verses.

So in two minutes that you read it, the Lord is saying something three times. What is that? Verse 25, do not be worried. Verse 31, do not worry.

Verse 34, do not worry. One more. Verse 28, why are you worried? Look at the number of times.

Do not worry. Why are you worried? Three, four times in a short passage of just 10 verses which you can read in two minutes. Supposing somebody is talking to you for just two minutes.

Supposing Jesus is here and he's talking to you for two minutes and in those two minutes three times he says don't worry, don't worry, don't worry. That must be very important and you know because that is a big thing in people's minds. We already considered that to save up for the future is a good thing but to worry about the future is wrong.

That means I'm anxious. What will happen? Supposing this happens, supposing father dies, mother dies or somebody dies and how will we take care of ourselves? That is worry, worry, worry, worry. Saving for the future is good but to worry.

You know example Jesus uses is this. Look at the birds in the air. Verse 26, they are not sowing and reaping in a farm.

You know who feeds all the birds in the in the world? You know who goes and gives them food? You don't give them. I don't give them. Verse 26, your heavenly father feeds them and in another place he said two sparrows.

Sparrows are the cheapest bird you can go and buy somewhere. They cost so little and but not even one of them is forgotten by God. No sparrow falls into the ground somewhere and dies without your heavenly father knowing it.

Now let me ask all of you a question. When was the last time you saw a dead sparrow on the ground? Please think. When was the last time you saw a dead sparrow on the ground? I can't even think.

Many, many years ago somewhere I must have seen but there are millions of sparrows in the world. How is it I don't see a dead sparrow on the ground? That's amazing. Nobody's giving them food.

Nobody's putting food in their mouth and nobody's throwing food for them to eat and somehow the birds go here and there. Every bird, there are millions of sparrows, millions of eagles, millions of creatures in this world and where do you find dead animals or creatures on the road? There are so many dogs and cats in India on the roads. I don't find them lying dead on the road.

Somehow they are there, get some food somewhere or the other and the birds, small little things, God cares even for them and the Lord says if the father feeds them, see this last verse of 26. One question he asks you. Don't you think you are more valuable than those sparrows? What do you say? All of you tell me.

Don't you think you are at least more valuable than those sparrows? Okay, then the next thing he talks about is being by anxious thought. You know sometimes we're very anxious about this thing. I keep on thinking, thinking, thinking day and night and thinking, wake up in the middle of night and thinking and he says in verse 27 with all this anxious thought can you add one hour to your life when the time comes for you to die? You cannot even add one hour to your life.

Did you know that? God has determined that you'll die at a certain time. All your anxiety and medical care and everything he will not be able to add one hour to your life and in another place he says you cannot add even a few inches to your height. Can you add a few inches to your height? God decides all that.

And then he says, okay, let me tell you about, okay, I told you about the birds. Now look at the flowers, the beautiful flowers in the fields. He says even Solomon, verse 29, King Solomon did not have such beautiful clothes as those flowers.

The other day somebody sent me a picture of pictures of various types of butterflies. Oh, I've never seen such color, never seen such color, such beautiful colors of and combinations of colors and butterflies. I've never seen any dress, any woman's dress which is as pretty as these butterflies God has created and these worthless butterflies, thousands of them flying around.

The Lord cares for them and he says even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like these flowers on the field with all the beautiful things that God has given to them. And so he says if God cares for these flowers and these birds, for their clothing, for their food, don't you think he will care for you? That's what he says in verse 30. So don't worry what will you eat, what will we drink, what will we wear for clothing.

This is the word the Lord spoke to me in 6th of May 1964, 60 years ago. The Lord told me very clearly from Isaiah 49, I have called you to be my servant. Quit your job.

I had a great ambition in the Navy to go right up to the top and be an admiral. The Lord said quit it and I put in my resignation. The Navy took some time to give it to me but when they gave me the resignation I saved.

I had worked in the Navy for over eight years by then and saved quite a bit of money and I took all that money and gave it to a servant of the Lord for the Lord's work and I came out to serve the Lord 60 years ago or 58 years ago nearly now with zero in my bank account. I said Father I'm going to trust you. I don't have a family so I don't need to save up such a lot.

Now I do save. That time I did not need because I was single. I said Heavenly Father now I'm going to see how you're going to provide for me.

And I struggled. I used to always travel in the lowest class of the train, the lowest fare in the bus, always the cheapest mode of travel and to go from one place to the other. I was young and I was strong.

I could do that and I said Lord I will never in my life tell my needs to anybody. There was a man of God in India called Brother Bakht Singh. He was a Sikh convert converted after Sadhu Sundar Singh died.

Bakht Singh was converted. Bakht Singh was about 36 years older than me but he had picked me up when I was a little baby and laid his hands on my head when I was two months old. My father knew him and he brought Bakht Singh to my house and when I was two months old baby Bakht Singh laid his hands on my head and prayed Lord let this baby grow up to be your servant.

That prayer was answered 24 years later, 26 years later. And so I had a lot of fellowship with him and he taught me many many things and 60 years ago he gave me three bits of advice. He loved me very much.

He said number one never in your life tell your earthly financial needs to anybody on earth. You've got a father in heaven he will take care of you and he was telling me that from his own experience. He himself lived for 70 years with that type of faith never telling anybody his needs.

So he was telling me from his own experience never tell your earthly needs to anybody you've got a father in heaven. He told me that 60 years ago. Secondly he said don't buy anything expensive for yourself luxuries and fancy clothes and all.

No live very simply. I said yes I will live I will not buy unnecessary clothes and I'll live simply my clothes must be simple and I trust the Lord for everything. And thirdly very important he said when people accuse you that will happen.

If you serve the Lord people will accuse you falsely. Keep your mouth shut. Don't reply to the accusation.

Let them call you the devil. Let them tell false stories about you. Let them tell say that you're stealing money or you're doing this or let them say what they like and I'll tell you this my brothers and sisters I have experienced many false accusations in these nearly 60 years that I've served the Lord many false accusations and I obeyed that advice I got.

Keep my mouth shut. God has taken care of me. I can tell you that God has taken care of my wife and our four sons.

We live very simply and we could gradually save something and pay the school fees for our children. We were not worried. Every month God gave us enough to school fees were very little in Bangalore to the Christian school and they didn't charge as much.

So all my children could study there without paying much fees. So very little they had to pay. We paid that little and they got a good education there and then when school finished my dad my father before he died and my children were all very small he said my son these children need to go to college what are you going to do then you know what I told my father my father was 81 when he died that was and my youngest son was about two years old then my oldest son was 12 and he looked at my four sons and said how are you going to educate these children so this is what I told my father just before he died he was on his deathbed lying in our house and I said dad I want to tell you something today I'm paying very little school fees for them some 50 rupees 60 rupees is school fees for each of them very little but if I don't seek God's kingdom first I won't even be able to pay the school fees but because I'm seeking God's kingdom first he gives me enough to pay the school fees every month never once did I fail to pay the school fees okay one day if God wants my children to study in a college I don't know how I believe if I seek God's kingdom first he will give them a very good education but my father never lived to see it my father died and my oldest son was 12 and the youngest one was two but then many years later when all my children one by one they finished school they all applied to colleges to colleges in India and to colleges in the United States or and they got all four of them got scholarships most of them got full scholarships in the United States and who arranged that the father who cares for the sparrows and the birds saw that I was sincerely serving the Lord and that I was mostly working among poor people and that I would not go out sending letters asking people for money and God said I will honor my servant and I will take care of his family and he did it I'm saying this for your encouragement you all are not called to full-time work like me but you can also have worries about anxieties about your children's education and where will they study and so many things when it comes to marriage to find God-fearing wives with children I said Lord I believe you take care of all of those things and he's done it I say this for your encouragement I've now been a believer 65 years and I want to testify for the glory of God that he has never I've never asked anybody in the world for anything for myself God is somehow or the other provided not from heaven some resource sometimes my father gives me something sometimes from here and there I get to do but I never tell anybody my needs God has provided more than enough for me we live comfortably and we lived we lived very carefully even now we live very carefully and God gave me a wife was also willing to live very carefully simply like me so we are thankful I say that because Jesus said don't worry about verse 31 what do you eat what do you drink what do you because all the heathen people in the world are eagerly seeking for all these things do I want to be like those heathen gentiles are always seeking for these things what will I eat what will I drink your heavenly father knows that you need all these things yeah I believe that and I have proved it in my life even scholarships I'll tell you I remember one of the colleges wrote to my son's son who was applying we have 90 top scholarships in this college but 89 of them are for North American Canada and North America only there's only one scholarship available for the rest of the world and my son got it who gave it to my son my father why did he give it out of all the thousands of people applying for it why did my son get it because my father saw that I was serving the Lord now I'm saying this for your encouragement I'm not boasting about myself I cannot boast about anything except that Jesus died for me but I say this for the encouragement of some of you who may find some situation in the future and you will say how will I take care of that your father who helped Zach Willen will help you also you're also his child so God takes care of his all his children and he takes care of the older children like me and he'll take care of the younger children like you do not worry what should you do then verse 33 Matthew 6 33 instead of seeking for money and all the earthly things seek for God's kingdom and his righteousness all these things will be added to you this is my desire Lord when I come to the end of my life I don't know when that will be and if people could examine all my account books let them examine all my accounts all my bank accounts all my details of my finances they should come to one conclusion we don't know how in the world this man lived and brought up his children there must be only one explanation he must be having a father in heaven who takes care of him yeah I believe that will be the testimony of people who examine my life every all the hidden details of my life and my accounts and you may not be a full-time Christian worker like me but you also have needs you also have anxieties you also have children you have who need college education things like that and it is much more difficult today than it was in my day but my father is your father too isn't he same father and do you think a father has got partiality towards one child will not will help one will not help the other I used to think of that I have four sons I never showed partiality to any one of them what I did for my first son I did for my second third and fourth and I am an earthly father not perfect but I never showed partiality to any of my children what I did for one I did for the other so I got clothes for one I got clothes for the other so I got shoes for one I got shoes for the other no partiality do you believe that God also there's no partiality do you believe my brothers and sisters tell me what God did for Zach and he'll do for you also quietly before God go to God today sometime and say to him privately Lord I believe that I believe that the way you took care of brother Zach you will take care of me the way you took care of brother Zach's children you'll take care of my children go to God and confess it we must not just believe in our head we must confess what we believe very important let me show you that verse in Romans 10 Romans chapter 10 and verse 9 and 10 very important verse about faith Romans 10 verse 9 and 10 if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart you'll be saved so two things are required believing in the heart confessing with the mouth you know when you you know what is inside an electric switcher you see all switches in your room also in our house in our rooms and you have a switch you put on the switch the light comes on have you ever opened that switch to see i'm not telling you to open it but i'll tell you i did a lot of electrical work in my house because we had to do it myself i i opened the switch and i saw what was inside there are two electrical wires which are kept close to each other but not touching when you put out the switch the two wires touch and the light comes on that's all there is to electricity the electricity is blowing in one and when it touches it flows through into the other and it goes through the bulb and the light comes on that is how in the same way here faith in your heart confession with your mouth if you're not only one something is missing with one wire alone at that switch no electricity will come to your bulb or fan or anything there has to be another wire which touches it you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that's one thing i've sought to do lord i believe i confess with my mouth you are my father you will take care of me tell god that be bold lord i'm sick now will you please touch me help me i'm in need now my children are having a need lord i don't know what to do i'm lord i'm losing my job please open up something else for me i believe in you i believe in my heart i confess with my mouth my father in heaven will care for me there's so much insecurity in employment nowadays you never know when you lose your job so many people but i'll tell you that god cares for them i told you my father told me at his dying breath please make sure your children will get a college education because he saw that i had so little money and i was just living in a very simple way and how will this so much it cost thousands of rupees to educate the children i said don't worry dad i did not know how god would provide for me today my dad is in heaven and if he could look down and see how god has not only given an education to my children but provided all four of them with good jobs and good wives and good children my father will say to me son you were right because those who seek god's kingdom have everything provided for them so i want to tell you this my dear brothers and sisters you also must have a testimony one day after many years like i'm giving you a testimony you should be able to give a testimony not as a full-time worker even all even if you're not a full-time worker don't you have many problems in your house sickness financial needs insecurity in the job there are all types of problems it's wonderful to have a father who's in complete control i used to think if the prime minister of india who has got so much power was a personal friend of mine any problem in india what will i do i'll call up the prime minister and say hey friend i mean i'm a bit of a problem here can you please help me and he'll say tell me what is it and say this is it don't worry zach i'll take care of it i put the phone down my anxiety is gone because the prime minister of india has said to me he's my personal friend and he says i'll take care of it i'm using using an example but not prime minister supposing almighty god who runs this universe is my personal friend and i make a phone call phone call means a prayer dad in heaven my heavenly father i have a small problem here what is it this this this this don't worry i'll take care of it my prayer is over i'm in i put the phone down what a way to live do not worry seek god's kingdom first don't worry about tomorrow tomorrow will take care of itself i read a saying once can you understand this today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday today is the tomorrow that yesterday we were worrying about but it has come and we are ill and hurting it'll be like that for every tomorrow because we have a father in heaven we must he must be wise he must save for the future he must plan for the future all that necessary but beyond all that we have a father who oversees and takes care of everything there are so many examples in my life i could give you of how god has provided i say that to encourage you okay let's go to chapter 7 now when you read chapter 5 and 6 you come to a very high standard of the christian life you don't lust after women you don't get angry you're not anxious about anything you're praying only good to god and not seeking to impress people you're giving only to impress god and you're fasting and you're finished with worry and you're trusting god the end of this we can become quite proud oh i have obeyed chapter 5 chapter 6 i'm a very humble godly man or woman and then what happens we begin to judge other people ah that fellow sitting there he's not as spiritual as me and look at the way that is behaving that's not the way i would behave so the next sentence is chapter 7 verse 1 don't judge don't condemn anyone the word here is condemned don't condemn anyone god is the judge what are we called to be witnesses you know in a human court there are courts in singapore there are courts in india there are courts those are the courts that administer justice so if you ever go to a court you'll see a judge sitting in the front right in the back of the hall and there is a advocate who's fighting the case for somebody who's standing there and on the other side is an accuser who's accusing this man of something and then there are witnesses who the accuser and the advocate will call to be witnesses so who are the people in a court judge advocate accuser witnesses judge advocate accuser witnesses okay so now come to heaven god is the judge he's the only judge don't sit on his seat that's what he's saying here don't be the judge do you go to the court and sit in the judge's seat never don't sit on the judge's seat now judging other people god is a judge accuser that is the devil the bible calls the devil the accuser of the brothers he's always accusing accusing accusing accusing accusing this side there's an advocate jesus is our advocate in the court of heaven praying for us if you want you can join with the advocate and pray for that person that is good to be a witness supporting the advocate don't join with the accuser many believers join with the accuser who are the believers who join with the accuser those who go around gossiping see what that person is doing see what that person is like see what that sister is like those are the people who hold hands with satan and say satan i'll join you you want to accuse somebody i'll also join you and accuse that person give me some material to speak evil about that sister or that brother and i will say do you know the number of believers who are doing that they don't realize they're holding hands with the devil and then when there's some problem comes into their life some sickness comes into their life you see how did that come i'll tell you how it came because you were holding hands with the devil for so long the devil gave you some problem and some sickness give up that hand with the devil say i'll never hold hands with you again hold hands with jesus and say lord i want to stand up for your children i don't want to accuse them okay you have accused people in the past finish with it don't be the accuser don't be the judge don't say i know why that person did it he's like this leave his judgment to god leave his judgment to god don't be the judge that's what he's saying here because if you judge people god will judge you also severely and the other thing he says is in the way you judge others you will be judged if you're very hard on others i'll tell you this my brothers if you're very hard and strict on people around you one day in the day of judgment god will be very hard and strict on you if you want to god to be lenient to you in the day of judgment please be lenient to people now i'll say forgive them forgive them forgive them be merciful god will be merciful to you in the day of judgment okay uh i want to show you a verse in that connection it's a beautiful verse many times it comes to my mind james chapter 2 so verse you must always remember james chapter 2 and verse 13 it's in connection with judgment judging others james 2 13 says judgment will be merciless without mercy to those who have not shown mercy to other people i want to ask all of you sitting here today a question are you merciful to people who hurt you who spoil your name who do things against you are you merciful means do you forgive them if you are not merciful it says here god will not show you any mercy in the final day of judgment but if you want mercy to triumph over judgment in the final day for you yeah i want mercy to triumph over judgment that means god wants to judge but he wants to be merciful i say lord mercy let judgment disappear mercy alone then the lord said you'll be merciful to other people now then the final day you won't get judgment you'll get mercy so that's what he says in matthew 7 1 don't judge other people because one day you'll be judged like that and why are you keeping on looking at some fault in your brother or sister when there's a bigger fault in yourself you're seeing a small speck in his eye and there's a big beam in your eye what is a big beam in your eye i'll tell you what it is it is an unloving attitude towards that person what is the beam in the eyes of many believers an unloving attitude towards other believers now just stop and think there are only very few people in this church here how many 40 50 do you have an unloving attitude towards anybody sitting here towards anybody's children or to anybody's wife or anyone an unloving attitude where you are hard and criticize them and find fault with them judge them now if you're an elder brother then you have a responsibility to correct them like a father corrects his children but if you're not an elder brother you have nothing you're not called to correct or judge anybody just leave them alone if god makes you an elder definitely you have a responsibility i correct many people as an elder brother but before i became an elder brother i did not bother about correcting other people or judging other people not my business you can't go in the court and sit on the judge's seat an elder brother has to judge in a church but not others if you have a problem you go to the elder brother and say brother here is my problem with this person what should i do about it follow his advice so don't look at other people's speck well you the bible the bible says jesus says i'm worthwhile you hypocrite imagine jesus calling you a hypocrite you're telling other fellow to do something and you you're doing it something worse than that in your own life let's finish with it finally i want to conclude with verses 7 to 12 ask seek knock beautiful words can you remember ask seek knock the first letters are a s k ask ask seek knock ask god he'll give you seek and you'll find knock and it'll be open to you beautiful words when i have a need i go to god father i need this i ask him when i want to find the truth in the bible i seek him don't expect god to show you the truth if you don't read the bible i seek the truth in the bible to find an answer seek and you'll find i'll tell you i have found so many treasures in the bible everything i share with you is the true treasures god reveals to me seek you will also find knock god will open the doors for you you can open doors which are closed for you he has opened many closed doors for me and if you keep on asking god will give you the best he says here if your son verse 9 asks for bread will you give him a stone no if he asks for a fish will you give him a snake no if you know how to give good gifts to your children verse 11 how much more will your heavenly father give good things to those who ask him so go and ask him for good things what are the good things i should ask for lord i have heard many things in these last six sessions from matthew 5 6 and 7 please give them all to me all the good things i've heard in the last six sessions give them to me do you think he'll give it to you give me the power of the holy spirit to live according to this standard so that my house is built on the rock so that i walk that narrow way and i my life becomes a blessing to other people in this church to my relatives and to people at work and my life is a rivers of living water begin to flow from my life to bless other people lord that's the way i want to live i want to live for the glory of god i want to please you in everything i do please help me finally one word it's a beautiful it's a law wonderful law matthew 7 12 in everything the way you want other people to treat you you treat them in the same way you want other people to love you you love them treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you what a wonderful simple law he says the whole law and the prophets of god is summed up in this one sentence in our behavior with one another how should you treat that person how do you want other people to treat you think treat that person like that do you want other people to backbite against you behind your back no you don't like them then you don't backbite against others do you like other people to criticize you criticize you no then you don't criticize others do you want other people to mind their own business then you mind your own business also treat other people exactly the way you want them to treat you i'll tell you my dear brothers and sisters if you take seriously all the things that you've been hearing in these last six sessions it will change the direction of your life and you year by year you will become more like jesus christ imagine what a wonderful thing to become more like jesus christ in the world people are wondering how can i be more healthy how can i be more fit there's something better than being healthy and fit to become more like jesus christ that is the greatest thing if the lord were to tell me i'll give you a million dollars or i'll make you like christ i say no doubt in my mind i don't want a million dollars make me like jesus christ just help me to survive on earth what you give me is up to you but i don't want money i want to become like christ in my life if you give me money and you i use it whether you give me a million or a billion that's up to you or you give me a hundred or thousand or i'm not here you can give me whatever you like let me be faithful let me never love it there are many rich people who are godly like you know the first man mentioned in the bible who is rich is joe the book of joe was the first book written in the bible job lived 500 years before moses who wrote genesis for the first book that god wrote was not genesis through moses 500 years before moses lived there was a man called joe who lived and went through all the experiences in the book of joe and he wrote that all the conversations that he said nobody else could have written it he only wrote it and you know it says here that he was the richest man on the earth and he was the most spiritual do you believe that the richest man on earth can also be the most spiritual sure he was the most spiritual god could even point him out to satan and say satan have you seen that man joe there's such a godly man who does not do evil who's brought up his 10 children properly who fears me who helps the poor cares for the widows he's also the richest man on earth but what an upright man he is imagine pointing him out to satan i remember as a young christian when i read it i said lord jesus can you point me out to satan can you say to satan have you seen zack murray i said lord i want that i want you to say that about me do you have a longing like that you have a longing that jesus should point you to satan and says have you seen that man have you seen that woman have you seen that young boy have you seen that young girl how upright they are they are my children i'm proud of them don't you want jesus to say that about you okay the richest man on earth joe was the most godly man the poorest man who walked on the earth was jesus christ he also was the most godly so what do you learn the richest man is godly the poorest man is godly so godliness has nothing to do with your income or your savings or your money it's not by becoming poor that you become spiritual it's not by becoming rich you become spiritual that is another factor that's like saying if you're white or brown or black you can be spiritual the color of your skin's got nothing to do with it your monthly income has got nothing to do with spirituality how much money you have in the bank much less your middle class upper class lower class makes no difference you can be spiritual your spirituality depends entirely on your love for jesus christ and your willingness to deny yourself take up the cross die to yourself and follow jesus every day choose that way my brothers and sisters i've chosen it for more than 60 years and it has changed my life i can give you my testimony i hope one day you will be able to give that testimony to a younger generation and i hope the church in singapore will be a tremendous testimony for the lord i want to say one last thing i didn't have time to talk about it it is not an individual life you must live you must cfc singapore must become a fellowship of people who work together like the hand works with this hand no jealousy for example i sign all my checks with my right hand if i try to sign with the left hand the bank will not accept it so i sign only with the right hand do you think the left hand is jealous that the right hand is doing all the important work no left hand is very happy supposing one day i injure my right hand it is in a plaster does the left hand say ah now is my chance to show i can sign a check i can do these things where will it sign a check if he signs a check the bank will reject it see that's not your signature what does the left hand do soon as the right hand is injured it cleans it out puts the medicine puts a bandage and does the best to get the right hand healed quickly so it can do the job again that is how this body works can you be like that to the other brothers and sisters in the singapore cfc that if somebody is in need you say i'm going to pray for that person i'm going to support that person i'm going to help that person if somebody's got a difficult child instead of criticizing saying ah look at that fellow's child how he is pray for that child like you pray for your own children why not do that why not think of yourself as one body one body means like the head and this every part of this body is helping the other part i want cfc singapore to be like that all of you now if you're only a visitor to the church you can do what you like but if you're committed to this church you must be a body god bless you all i've spoken very strongly but sometimes we need strong medicine to cure the sickness sometimes surgery is needed to remove the cancer the intention of a doctor is always good so god bless you all let us bow in prayer heavenly father thank you for this time and i pray that all that we have heard in these days will bring rich fruit for all eternity and also in the coming days that this church in singapore will become a very strong church together working together loving one another there'll be a little light for you in that city i pray in the name of our lord jesus amen