Freedom From All Condemnation (Video)

It's good to see so many of you here this morning. You know that in our church we have majored for many years on knowing the distinction between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant but sometimes that can be something we just say very lightly without understanding how serious it is or we don't understand all the implications of it. The important thing is not to speak about it or to use those words New Covenant, Old Covenant and not even to glory in it but to actually live in it. I want to show you a verse from 2nd Corinthians chapter 3. 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 speaks a lot about the difference between the two covenants. The Old Covenant was made with Israel on Mount Sinai and Moses was the mediator between God and Israel. The New Covenant was made on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the first church of 120 people and Jesus is the mediator between God the Father and us. There is a lot of difference if you want to know how much better is the New Covenant and the Old Covenant that is as much better as Jesus is than Moses. That's how much. So the possibility of a New Covenant life is as much higher as Jesus is than Moses. But in 2nd Corinthians 3.9 there are two expressions describing these two covenants. Verse 9, the Old Covenant is called the Ministry of Condemnation and it said even that had a glory because verse 7 when Moses came down from the mountain there was a glory on his face. But it says in verse 7 it was a glory that was fading away. In other words when he came down from God's presence there was a glory but as time went on that glory in his face began to dim and dim and dim and that's why he put a veil over his face it says here so that people would not see. Verse 13 so that people would not see that his glory is decreasing and that's one mark of people who live under the Old Covenant. They have to cover the fact that the glory in their life is decreasing from what it was once. That's what it says here. He put a veil on his face verse 13 so that people would not see that underneath that veil the face the glory was decreasing and decreasing and if you find in your life that some glory that you experienced in the Christian life once upon a time is decreasing and decreasing and you try to cover it up in some way or the other that is one mark that you're really living under the Old Covenant because you're living before the face of men. They live before the face of men in the Old Covenant but in the New Covenant we live before the face of God. God sees us through and through there's nothing to hide but the thing I want to emphasize is in verse 9 is called a Ministry of Condemnation whereas the New Covenant is called a Ministry of Righteousness and it abounds in glory. I feel that a lot of us who hear the Word of God in this church live under condemnation many times and condemnation self-condemnation is not the same as the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It's very important to understand that. Conviction of the Holy Spirit is when we do something wrong. We spoke a bad word or an angry word or you had a dirty thought or you hurt somebody in some way or you gossiped or spoke evil something that you did or spoke or thought and you're convicted immediately hey that was wrong. If you're sensitive to the Holy Spirit you'll feel it immediately. If you're not sensitive to the Holy Spirit you may feel it only when somebody preaches about it which means you're not sensitive but when somebody preaches about it then you sort of get alert which is second best. It's better than nothing. Some people don't even get convicted even after they hear a message that's worse but if you get convicted when you hear a message that's second best. The best is to be convicted as soon as you do something wrong. Conviction but conviction of the Holy Spirit is very different from condemnation. It is not God's will that we should ever live under self-condemnation not even for a moment and yet I know that born-again Christians can live under self condemnation because I lived like that for many years after I was born again till I knew that in the new covenant there is no condemnation. The opposite of condemnation is righteousness not my own righteousness because if I live with my own righteousness I'll condemn myself all the time but because I have truly turned from my old life and if this applies to you then it's true of you as well if you can say to the best of my knowledge I really want to give up that old way of life where I live for myself and sin. I'm not perfect but I've changed direction. Repentance means just change direction. Now I really want to follow the Lord and seek to please Him and if that is your goal there is no need for condemnation. If you are quick to confess a sin as soon as you are convicted of it there is no need for condemnation because the righteousness of Christ clothes us as soon as we confess and turn around from our sin and ask the Lord to cleanse us in the blood of Jesus. So think of that word condemnation and righteousness two very important words the righteousness of Christ or condemnation you can't have both. In Romans in chapter 5 the Word of God is given us to set us free from every type of bondage. In Romans 5 it says here that we are justified by his blood in verse 9 declared righteous and it goes on to speak about Adam's sin when we were in Adam and we are in Christ in verse 18 through one transgression. Let's begin at verse 17. By the transgression of one that is Adam death reigned over all men. If so then those who received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life. There it was death that was reigning now it is life that will reign and that one transgression resulted in condemnation again that word condemnation but through Jesus there results one act of righteousness there results justification. Now the great danger of condemning ourselves is first of all I mean you see yourself supposing you're condemning yourself because you think that you're being more holy by saying oh well I'm so good for nothing and there's nothing good in me and all that and you stop there and the result of that is you ultimately people who condemn themselves usually tend to condemn other people as well. You tend to have a spirit of accusation where you see something in somebody and you immediately condemn him without even finding out the facts. Do you find that in your life that you hear something about somebody and immediately condemn that person oh he was like that. That's the result of people who live under condemnation themselves because if you live under the love of God rejoicing in how God is so merciful to us we will be merciful to others but if I always feel God is condemning me and he's always looking at me in a very angry way what happens is we become like that there's a verse in the Psalms that says those who worship idols become like them so if I worship a false God by false God I don't mean some other God I mean a wrong picture of Jesus a wrong picture of our Heavenly Father is a false God you can call it Jesus but it's not the real Jesus it's a Jesus who's very angry with you all the time and who is looking down upon you with a frown and condemning you that's a wrong Jesus another Jesus the Bible speaks of another Jesus you're worshiping a false God and what happens is you worship that God long enough you'll become like him you'll become condemning and accusing others without knowing all the facts etc very quick to condemn that's what the Pharisees were the Pharisees are very quick to condemn people and there was no mercy there at all see in John chapter 8 the classic example of the Pharisees bringing a woman caught in adultery and what it says in Romans sorry John 8 3 the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and having set her in the center see they delighted in something they were so proud of the fact that I didn't get caught in adultery I mean these guys must have been committing adultery in their mind nobody was there to catch them but they were quick to pounce on somebody else who they found is doing something wrong and they said we got it condemned this person and they brought her to condemn her and they brought her to Jesus because they knew Jesus is a very compassionate person Jesus had already got a reputation as a very compassionate person merciful forgiving and they're wondering what he's gonna do now when he this person has violated the law they thought they could catch Jesus and trip him up and prove to people this person is not Moses said person who's commits adultery must be stoned to death but this person is not obeying that law that was their aim the aim was to condemn Jesus himself but you can't catch Jesus he caught them in their their trick and he said okay okay if she has to be stoned if any of you is without sin throw the first stone go right ahead and he didn't say anything more one sentence that is the word the father gave him and it says here in verse 9 when they heard it they went away one by one because their heart told them you can't throw a stone look at the things you've done wrong do you hear that voice when you are tempted to throw a stone at somebody in words do you hear a voice saying are you qualified to throw a stone at that person think about it these Pharisees were at least honest they said no we are not qualified and they went away one by one but they did want to condemn her and Jesus used that same word condemn in verse 10 then Jesus when they'd all left he said woman where are they no one to condemn you he said no one Lord said I don't condemn you either now remember what Jesus said was if there's anyone here without sin obey the Word of God and throw the stone there was one person without sin that was Jesus he could have obeyed the Old Testament law which said stone that woman so that people take adultery seriously this is one of those examples where Jesus did not obey the letter of the law see those who are legalists are very careful about the letter of the law usually on other people you are they keeping the letter of the law they're very quick to condemn others maybe a sister who doesn't veil her head in the meeting or someone wears a little extra jewelry or something quick to condemn because you say I don't do that and you'll find such people I'm not saying they become evil but they're like people who get a hundred percent in kindergarten always they say I'm okay but you're still in the kindergarten up to 20 years once he was glorying that you get 100% if you're still in the kindergarten it's better to get 80% in first standard than to keep on getting 100% in kindergarten that means there's no growth they're quick to condemn others and not aware of sin within oneself so Jesus he we can say he violated the letter of the law but he kept the spirit because God loved the world God loved the world he didn't give the law to condemn people he gave the law to save people and we must remember when we look at the commandments in the New Testament also they are not commands with which you hit somebody on the head with why aren't you doing this it's so easy to do that and when you see if you have find that attitude in your heart I want to say my brothers and sisters it's possible that you're living under the old covenant where you're you're living under condemnation and that's why you are quick to condemn others it's a great example that story when Jesus said I don't condemn you he doesn't mean I tolerate your sin he said born don't sin again but I don't condemn you and that's a great story for us to remember always that sometimes what we think we are right in judging we may not be that's why Jesus said in Matthew 7 verse 1 and the real translation of that word is don't condemn others do not judge the word judge can also be translated as condemn he has a clear command do not condemn others otherwise you'll be condemned yourself because with the same standard with which you condemn somebody else in one area maybe you're an okay in that area so you can condemn that person say hey you're wrong there when God will use that same standard to judge you somewhere else in another in another area we are not so perfect so by the standard verse 2 with which you measure out to others it'll be measured to you is a very important word for all of us to remember because we live in a world of imperfect Christians you know all of us sitting here are imperfect Christians not one is perfect if maybe some people look perfect because you see only 1% of their life but if you live with them every day you'll discover that everybody sitting here including me we are imperfect by that I mean we are not fully like Jesus Christ perfection is like Christ and we're not like Christ none of us and that's the main reason why we should be merciful because it says here why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye don't notice the log verse 3 in your own eye so don't condemn and don't condemn yourself if you're convicted about something be quick to acknowledge it and say Lord forgive me cleanse me and righteousness I come close to the righteousness of Christ that's the opposite of condemnation now the reason I say this is because I've seen with many many people many believers even in CFC they're honest they will say that in our pursuit of righteousness we condemn ourselves and they'll say that in the old days when we never pursued out to victory over sin we were not bothered about victory we knew we were defeated and we never sought for victory and we would just ask the Lord to cleanse us and get us to move on there was no condemnation then it's true many people who in other churches who don't even preach about victory over sin and have no desire to give up sin in their life they seem to live without condemnation they're not condemning us themselves they and their sin in their life they say we are sinners we slip up every day in numerous ways and the blood of Jesus cleanses us now that is a false peace and a false comfort we don't want that but at the same time we don't want to go to the other extreme see always in the narrow way there are two extremes one is this where we say I'm not under condemnation the blood of Jesus takes care of me I may sin 25 times a day but it's okay I'll keep on sinning till Christ comes and I'm cleansed in the blood of Christ I'm accepted I'm saved once I'm saved forever and he looks happy what a shock he will get when Christ comes again and he discovers that he was probably not even saved his attitude to sin indicated that he was not saved see one mark of a person who has repented is not that he stopped sinning no but his attitude to sin has changed by that you can make out whether you've really repented all of you please examine yourself it's not that you stop sinning that will not happen till Christ comes but your attitude to every sin has changed even the smallest little thing you get convicted it may take you many years to overcome something it doesn't matter but your attitude to it is I will never tolerate that in my life if you have that attitude you're really repentant but don't condemn yourself because we live in a flesh in which dwells nothing good and God in his great wisdom when we got converted did not remove the flesh I've sometimes thought about that when we were converted that desire for sinning which we had before is gone we still sin but the desire for it has gone it's one mark of being born again let's call the old man the old man is this desire to sin all the time that's gone the old man is killed there's a new man that's come inside us when we are born again that does not want to sin it may sin but that's because it's not strong enough like I often use the illustration of this the lusts in the flesh are like a gang of robbers who are coming to the door of your heart saying let me in let me in I want to steal your joy I want to steal your peace I want to steal your purity I want to steal everything that's good everything that's godly I want to steal it and the old man in the olden days when we were unconverted said yeah come right in and the old man was like a servant who just opened the door and say come in and all these lusts come in and make us commit all types of sins but then one day God killed the old man when we were born again and now we are a new man the old man is the one who wanted to sin now and now we don't want to sin see when people come to me for baptism the question I ask is do you want to sin again not will you sin that nobody can say I'll never sin do you want to want to that's the question do you want to sin again do you want to live a holy life that want to is the new man not I will not sin but I don't want to sin I hope you understand the difference you understand that there's no condemnation I don't want to sin that's a new man so even though the new man doesn't want to sin when these lusts come in how do they come in then they come in because the new man is not strong enough to keep the door shut he wants to keep it shut but he's weak why is he weak he doesn't eat he doesn't exercise he doesn't read the Bible he's not quick to acknowledge whenever the Holy Spirit convicts him so he's weak so if you don't read the scriptures and you're not quick to set right a sin that you committed by confessing it to God or asking forgiveness from someone you'll never become strong see that's the way we get muscles you need to think you need to eat food and you need to do exercise to be strong so the new man doesn't keep the door shut and so the lust will come in so that's how believers sin but there's a difference because believer doesn't want to sin but he still sins then he condemns himself so the thing we need to do is say Lord I want to strengthen this new man I want to read God's Word be strong that's how we will make progress and then there is no condemnation now turn with me where Paul always such a wonderful example you see the reason why God has given us two examples in the New Testament Jesus who said follow me many times and Paul also said follow me as I follow Christ in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1 Philippians 3 17 Paul said follow me and not only me he says all these others who have walking in the same way follow me it's a great example was he saying that because he was perfect no in the same Philippians 3 he says I'm not perfect how can a man who's not perfect say follow me yeah Paul had the boldness to say that I've not become like Christ but I say follow me because I'm following him it's like saying that Jesus has reached the top of the mountain he's perfect I haven't reached there I'm climbing but you can see my footsteps you can follow me we are going in the same direction and you know anyone who you are spiritually older than spiritually more mature than you should be able to say that person follow me as I'm following Christ follow me as I'm following Paul who's following Christ or follow me as I'm following this brother who's following Paul who's following Christ it's a stream of people climbing this mountain towards perfection and you see anybody in that line who's pursuing perfection follow that example so in Romans chapter 8 see what it says again that word condemnation there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus or as King James Version also says who walk not out of the flesh but of the spirit yeah that means who do not want to sin in other words there is no condemnation if you don't want to sin there is no condemnation and yet see we must see the previous verse always and sometimes the chapter division makes us forget that there is a verse before it listen to this the last part of 25 725 on the one hand with my mind I serve the law of God that means with my mind I don't want to sin even once for the rest of my life I think that's true of most of us here but I find on the other hand the law of sin is still in my members and I'm sitting occasionally I don't want to but I do it but there is no condemnation how is that it's amazing with my mind I'm serving the law God with my flesh the law of sin but still there's no condemnation because it depends on which direction your mind is set if you understand this you'll be free from condemnation for the rest of your life and it will liberate you it's liberated me I'll tell you what it's liberated me from for many many years now from condemnation and from discouragement condemnation always brings discouragement and I used to be one of the most discouraged people in the early years of my Christian life before I understood what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and what the new covenant was all about and I understood the distinguished distinction between walking in the Holy Spirit and obeying God's convictions and yet recognizing I have a flesh in which to us no good thing so I want to try and explain this in a little way to you so that it will deliver you from condemnation remember condemnation is a weapon of Satan with which he will try to prevent your progress in the Christian life year after year after year you'll find you're sitting in the same class defeated by the same sins because you're condemning yourself and the devil is called the accuser of the brethren he's there to accuse you day and night and he will try and put that spirit in you so that you begin to accuse others beware of the spirit of accusing others particularly in areas where you think you're okay you will never speak against another person in an area where you yourself are defeated you are defeated in some areas you'll never criticize people who are doing that but you think of the areas where you're not defeated those the areas where you tend to criticize others but the Lord says before you do that see if you've never sinned in any area without sin then open your mouth otherwise keep your mouth shut I'll tell you something it's much safer to keep your mouth shut much much safer you'll progress a lot in your Christian life if you stop making accusations against others stop condemning others and use your mouth to bless others to say something that will encourage them instead of always looking for some fault to find in somebody to tear them down and very often if you examine your heart you'll find that it's because you got something against that person that you say that not that you hate him but or her but you don't like that person and because you don't not very happy for some reason maybe that person said something against you or your family or something like that and you've never forgotten it it's terrible this memory can destroy your life you gotta say well I'm gonna forgive that person I'm not even gonna bother about what that person said okay treat them like little child who did something stupid we don't hold something against a child because they did something stupid I'll tell you your life will progress tremendously please listen if you learn one quality what's written at the back here be merciful to others just as God has been merciful to you I remember we had this in the old building as well and when brother Ian was asking me what words should be put up there at the back I said do you know the biggest temptation that people pursuing holiness have we preach holiness perhaps more than any other church in Bangalore or perhaps even India in India what is the biggest temptation for people who pursue holiness I said it is being unmerciful to others where do I learn that from the Pharisees I mean the sinful people in Israel did not want to condemn that woman caught in adultery so Pharisees those who pursue righteousness like us are the ones who are in greatest danger of being unmerciful condemning others and we we are the ones who need to hear Jesus saying he who is without sin cast the first stone have you heard it I've heard it clearly it doesn't mean I don't correct people I have children who grew up in my home of course I corrected them I didn't say I'm correcting you because I'm perfect no it's because God gave me a responsibility as a father to correct them but I never go around correcting other people's children because God has not given me that responsibility but the other areas when if I'm an elder in a church I have to correct people and that may include children as well sometimes because I have responsibility over them as an elder then I have a responsibility to correct them and as far as possible to correct them privately not to humiliate them publicly I mean even my own children I would never humiliate them before guests and punish them publicly no that would be bad so we must recognize before you pass an opinion on someone or try to correct someone is that person under your authority do you have some responsibility for that person maybe you're a manager or a supervisor in a factory or an office then you have to correct people under you yes you have to rebuke them correct them even fire them from the job if they are inefficient that's okay the question you need to ask yourself is has God given you some authority over that person you're a father or a mother definitely over your children don't go judging other people's children that God has not given you any responsibility for them if you want pray for them that's fine don't judge them and condemn them so often we have opinions in our mind we can't help that we need to have opinions otherwise we don't have discernment we need to discern is this person for example people come to join our church as an elder I need to have discernment what type of person is this guy what is he coming for but I don't have to judge him I don't have to condemn him and you may have opinions of different people in the church but you don't have to express them the moment you express them you're condemning someone as if you're a perfect person and you have no authority over that person it's very very important dear brothers and if you follow this I'll tell you you yourself will be free from condemnation and you'll go from you'll get promoted from one standard to another standard in the Christian life and if you find that some of you are not making progress in your own Christian life ask yourself is it because the spirit of condemnation is there in you which is condemning you and you're condemning others so how is it with Paul he said in my flesh is the law of sin but in my mind is the law of God that's why there's no condemnation in my mind I never want to sin again but this flesh makes me sometimes when I don't even want to do it I lose my temper or I don't want to do it and I slip up that's what Paul says let me read to you from Romans 7 the previous chapter which leads to Romans 8 verse 1 it's very important to understand this is a very very difficult passage for many people who try to interpret it I'll tell you what most Christians say most Christians say when Paul says let me read this verse to you Romans 7 14 onwards we know the law is spiritual but I'm a flesh sold into bondage to sin not I'm sold into bondage to sin my flesh is sold into bondage to sin that's what he's saying I am a flesh which is sold into bondage to sin what I'm doing I don't understand I'm not practicing what I would like to do I'm doing the very thing I hate do you find yourself in agreement there that sometimes you do the thing you hate and you're doing what you don't want to do and verse 16 if I do the thing I don't want to do then I agree with the law that it is good and if that is the case it's not I doing it it's not me doing it it's sin which dwells in me doing it is not me and then he says I know that nothing good dwells in my flesh the willing is present that means I want to do it but the actual doing I can't do it you find yourself in agreement there the good that I want to do I don't do the very evil that I don't want to do I end up doing and if that's the case I'm doing what I don't want to do then it's not me it's sin that dwells in me still then he says I find a principle I want to do good I agree with the law of God verse 22 but I find another law in my members always warring against this law of my mind and making me a prisoner to that other law of sin oh wretched man that I am how will I be set free I'll tell you what most Christian Bible scholars and preachers and everybody else say they say that is Paul describing his unconverted life that's not true be honest don't some of those verses refer to you and me and that's because people have not been careful in studying the scriptures Paul writes the book of Romans very systematically he doesn't jump from sixth standard to fourth standard no from sixth standard he goes to seventh standard what I mean is from Romans 6 he goes to Romans 7 and Romans 6 here this wonderful verse it says sin will not have dominion over you Romans 6 14 you're not under law you're under grace you come there and then what's he doing in chapter 7 going back no he's going progressively I'll tell you how Romans is Romans chapter 1 the world full of sinners Romans chapter 2 religious people are sinners Romans chapter 3 all our sinners and Romans chapter 4 we are justified in Christ Romans chapter 5 we are accepted by God the blood of Christ has cleansed us good then you go further Romans chapter 6 now we go to another step sin does not rule over us we are going higher and higher and Romans 8 we come to a wonderful life in the Holy Spirit in between is Romans 7 he's not going backwards he's going forwards Romans 7 comes after sin shall not have dominion over you so then how do you understand Romans 7 one simple sentence let me show it to you in Romans 7 then you'll understand Romans 7 and you'll understand today more than what many Bible scholars have understood Romans 7 15 what I'm doing I do not understand that is the introduction to all that he says in those verses in other words he says I'm not agreeing with it I'm not agreeing with what I'm doing I hate it it is unconscious sin in me that's making me do it so in our life there are two types of sin one is conscious in that means when you do it you know it is wrong then there's unconscious sin which makes you sometimes do something without even realizing it then afterwards you realize it's wrong but it's almost something you don't have control over and in all of us there is unconscious sin which we discover more and more as we walk with the Lord so now let me read that passage he says I don't understand it because there's something in me that's making me do what I never want to do I hate it and if I hate it that means I agree with God's law so there's something in me says this flesh in which dwells nothing good and that when he thinks about that as I just read it he feels so bad about it he says I'm such a wretched man how will I ever be free if you constantly have a longing to be free from all sin you're on the right path never condemn yourself if a day comes in your life when you don't have a longing to be free from all sin 100% backsliding has started that's the way to judge yourself not that you're actually free from sin but you have a longing to be free from every single un-Christ like thing in your life my definition of sin is from Romans 3 23 the clearest definition of sin in the whole Bible Romans 3 23 says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God that is sin. Sin is not just telling lies or having dirty thoughts it's anything less than the perfect glory of God is sin and John 1 14 says the glory of God was seen in Jesus Christ so you put these verses together it means anything less than the life of Jesus Christ is sin so that's why the Bible says we'll have sin in us until the day Christ comes when he comes we will be like him then I'll be completely free from sin but until that day there's going to be sin in me but not I'm not going to live in conscious in all the time unconscious so I always acknowledge I'm not yet like Christ but I'm not satisfied it's like a student saying I've not finished high school yet I've not graduated but I'm not sitting in the same standard I think you know school life is a perfect example of spiritual growth we all come into school or we are born again we come into the kindergarten we're just born again many things we don't know we're defeated by many things but we don't want to sin it's like a child who's come to school and he wants to study but there are a million things he does not know and so when you are born again there are many things we don't even know our sin it's okay you're just joined in the kindergarten just make sure that you don't sit in the kindergarten year after year that's all make progress you should just like you know you want your child to go from kindergarten to first standard next year you should also have a longing Lord I am at a certain level today I want to move on there must be some sins in my life that I conquer by next year and when I go through next year there must be some sins that I conquer even further ultimately a day will come and I'll be free from all sin but it's not sudden it's progression how does a student learn all that is taught in high school 12th standard or in a degree course it's not sudden it's through many years 12 15 years of study then they get a degree so it's like that in the Christian life so until then the student has to say yeah I can read now I know the spelling of different words good I can add but I don't know how to subtract I don't know division fine and then another year today now I know about division now I know about multiplication but he says no I still haven't learned square root okay fine wait another year you learn that as well she does a progression it's just the same way in our life we are defeated by certain sins that's like saying I don't know that subject but then a year goes by and say hey it's not in my life anymore it must be like this dear brothers and sisters in your life that each year finds you a little higher than the previous year but you'll never be completely free that's what Paul is saying here with my mind I'm serving the law of God but in my flesh the law of sin is still keeping me defeated in certain areas let me show you another verse in 1 Corinthians in chapter 3 my whole purpose this morning is to deliver you from a false sense of condemnation but not to deliver you from conviction of sin to distinguish between conviction of sin the condemnation which is from the devil we don't want that see what Paul says in 1 Corinthians in chapter 4 it's an amazing testimony this is the same man who said with my flesh I'm serving the law of sin in Romans 7 with my mind the law of God the same man says in verse 4 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 4 I am conscious of nothing against myself we should be able to say that always right now I can say that I'm conscious of nothing against myself what does it mean the word conscious that means in my unconscious area there may be so many things I don't even know which are on Christ like but in the conscious area I'm not aware of any sin that I've not confessed or any sin that I'm indulging in right now I'm not aware of anybody I heard whom I did not ask forgiveness from I'm not aware of any sin that I committed which I did not ask the Lord to cleanse me from I'm conscious of nothing zero is it possible to live such a life yes that's what we preach in the church that at all times I should be able to say I'm conscious of nothing because I confess in immediately it's like saying you know if a thorn gets into my foot I take it out immediately I don't wait even two minutes to take out a thorn that's got into my foot if a mosquito comes and bites my head I strike it off immediately I don't wait for two minutes I don't even wait one second you know we always do that when it's a mosquito or a thorn we get rid of it immediately we must treat sin like that immediately Lord I'm sorry I did that that thought came to my mind forgive me forgive me and if you're quick to do that you'll find you can say at all times I'm conscious of nothing against myself maybe you have to ask forgiveness from somebody else as well if you have to ask forgiveness from somebody whom you hurt and you haven't asked that forgiveness you cannot say I'm conscious of nothing against myself how can you say that you are conscious there's somebody you heard you have not asked forgiveness from or somebody you cheated and you haven't returned the money how can you say I'm conscious of nothing but those who are quick to immediately set matters right that's how Paul was I'm conscious of nothing but now listen to the second part of that sentence but 1 Corinthians 4 4 that does not mean that I'm free that does not mean God says okay there's nothing wrong in you I can't say there's nothing wrong in me I'm not acquitted because someone greater than music I'm examining myself but the one who examines me is the Lord verse 4 and he sees things in me which I don't see but he doesn't condemn me for that it's like you don't condemn a first standard student hey you don't know calculus and you don't know trigonometry and you don't know all the why should he feel condemned it's not taught that in first standard in first standard you only have to know the subjects taught in first standard and you don't have to condemn yourself that you don't know the other things which your elder brother in sixth standard knows no so he says in my conscious area I'm clear and this helps us very much in judging others as well see if you recognize this we realize in that growth all of us are at different levels I'm at one level you're another level your wife is at another level your husband is at another level so what does that mean spiritually speaking supposing a husband is in sixth standard and the wife is in third standard I mean she's keeping everything clear according to her conscious she's getting a hundred percent in third standard that's where she is and the husband is keeping everything clear but he's in sixth standard spiritually speaking now he can look at his wife and see something completely wrong in her which is doing or saying and he can judge her he should not do that because he's judging her by sixth standard level he doesn't recognize that she's not in my class that's where there's need for mercy towards everybody I hope I'm not too complicated but I'll tell you this has liberated me and if you understand it it will liberate you I'm not here to judge that person because I don't know which class he's in God is the only one who knows I have to make sure that I get a hundred percent in the class I'm in I hope I hope he's getting a hundred percent in the class he's in I presume he is if it is something obvious I mean there are things which are so obviously saying like the old covenant don't steal don't kill those are obvious things I'm not talking about those things I'm talking about areas of unconsciousness where people don't know whether this is wrong or not that's where we need to be merciful that's why I said the people who pursue righteousness are in greatest danger of being unmerciful towards others and you find that lack of mercy in married relationships where husbands can be very unmerciful to their wives and they slip up somewhere or wives can be very unmerciful to their husbands and they slip up somewhere and there's unhappiness in the home because they just don't understand this one thing there is no condemnation you are condemning your partner but God is not condemning that partner because God says you're in the sixth standard she's in the third standard you can condemn her but I don't condemn her imagine condemning a wife whom God does not condemn that's the tragedy so many people don't understand that that's what Romans 7 verse that first 14 down at the end of the chapter is all about and that's how it ends in Romans 8 1 there is no condemnation there's no condemnation for me and I don't go around condemning others I'm here called to what is the meaning of prophecy prophecy means to speak to you read that in 1 Corinthians 14 3 to encourage people to challenge people and to build them up that's all I'm supposed to speak all it says covet to prophesy long to prophesy that means long to speak words that will challenge others to a higher standard of life encourage them if they are discouraged or glooming and build them up what is condemnation condemnation is tearing them down accusing them and holding them to a higher standard than they can possibly live and judging them by the level God has led me to it's exactly like 10th standard student asking a first-hand student why don't you understand the things that I understand I'll tell you because he's in first standard so who's the stupid person there stupid person is a 10th standard student who's think expecting the first standard student to know all that and I really believe so many people who are pretty holy in their lives are pretty stupid because they judge others they condemn others even if they don't say to their lips inwardly they condemn them I know because I was like that once I thank God I'm free from it and you know I've discovered that when I stop condemning others God stops treating me like that as well he sets me free in many areas it's a tremendous liberation and if you don't believe it try and practice it from today and see if it what happens in your life your life will suddenly rise to a much higher level than you have ever experienced till now and you stop condemning yourself you'll understand that in the conscious area I must be 100% free from sin God expects you to get 100% in the kindergarten if that's where you are but God expects you after one year to go to first standard and then he expects you to get 100% in first standard it's progression but don't judge other people by your standard it's very simple I don't know how many times I have to repeat it but I tell you if you do this you stop condemning yourself you stop condemning others and you'll be able to prophesy that is whenever you speak to people whether on this on your phone or whether you write an email to them or speak to them in conversation you'll always seek to encourage challenge or build them up not tear them down so many people are tearing people down because they're judging others by their own standard if I can do this why can't you do it I'll tell you because that person is three standards lower than you that's why you can't do it but so often that's what we're doing and there are so many people coming to CFC who are discouraged because there are other people condemning them brothers don't be like that if someone comes here and they don't they are not up at your level do something to maybe you're in postgraduate you're doing master's degree okay fine praise the Lord but that poor boy or girl is in second standard please try and help them to come to third standard they will not come to your master's degree standard overnight just lift them up a little bit encourage them encourage them challenge them show them how wonderful Jesus is help them to see the glory of Jesus and lift them up it's a tremendous ministry that every one of you can do don't leave it just to the preachers and the leaders and the elders no how can elders deal with a congregation like this it's impossible if every one of us would knows the Lord to some extent I'm not saying you got to encourage everybody but in this church aren't there a few people whom you know maybe a small circle maybe five people out of 600 people you know five fine when you meet those five people you're very close to what do you do you encourage them challenge them share with them something that'll build them up or do you gossip and speak evil about this person that person and that doesn't help anybody he doesn't change those people what are you accomplishing with all this gossip except tearing down somebody's character that's all I say if you can't help somebody keep your mouth shut somebody's children are going astray okay can you help them please help them or pray for them otherwise just to criticize them and say look at these parents how bad they are how does it help that poor boy and how does it help the parents that's not challenging or encouraging or building up it's tearing down and discouraging and doing everything opposite of what the Bible says that's against the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit challenges encourages and builds up we are discouraging and tearing them down do you know that many believers are fighting against the Holy Spirit in their life and they wonder why is my life not more victorious I'll tell you because you're fighting against the Holy Spirit in other areas those who pursue righteousness the most are the ones very often who are most unmerciful if you went to Israel in the days of Jesus the people who were who thought they were the most holy were the Pharisees and they were very upright in many areas they're very exact in paying the tithe and keeping the law and all that but they were the ones who condemned others the most let's not be like that let's have that balance of truth plus grace of severity plus goodness and you've often heard me quote this verse the balance there is in God that we need to have in Isaiah 61 let me repeat it for those who have forgotten or those who have never heard it Isaiah 61 and speaking about Jesus because Jesus quoted this verse in Luke 4 the Spirit of the Lord is upon me he's anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted the Word of God the gospel is always good news the word gospel means good news we should never go with bad news from the Bible the Bible is full of good news to those are afflicted to bind up the brokenhearted what a tremendous passage this is if you really want to be anointed with the Holy Spirit follow this Lord anoint me not to speak in tongues but to bring good news to the afflicted people around me to bind up those who are brokenhearted around me to proclaim liberty to somebody here who's in bondage to something and to proclaim freedom to those who are in a prison here there are invisible prisons in which people are sitting set them free and then verse 2 to proclaim the favorable year of our Lord and the day of vengeance of our God there is a day of judgment but notice this verse 2 365 years of 365 days of favor and one day of judgment that's the proportion with God verse 2 that is 365 days of favor and one day of judgment I say Lord I want to have that proportion I don't want zero day of judgment there has to be judgment against sin sure I must be strict even with my children but it must be 365 to one not 50-50 no some people think 50-50 50% grace and 50% judgment no 365 to one that's what it says here and that's the proportion we must have and I believe if we go this way we'll find ourselves making tremendous spiritual progress in our own life being free from condemnation and being merciful to others and delivering other people from the prisons they are in lifting up the depressed and there are many people sitting here who are probably need a word of encouragement I love that beautiful passage in Luke where it says Peter was in the courtyard and Jesus was in the court being judged judged by the high priest and all the others and Peter denied the Lord three times and the cock crew and it says there Luke Jesus turned and looked at Peter it's a beautiful word the Lord turned and looked at Peter now the question is what was he saying with that look you know sometimes you can say something with a look you know that the way you look and be a stern look or an encouraging look what was Jesus saying to Peter with that look was he saying I told you you would do this no I think that look was saying it's all right Peter let's confess it I forgive you let's move on let's move on I got a plan for your life that's why he went out and wept bitterly and became the great apostle that he became because the Lord encouraged him now I want to say my brothers and sisters there may be somebody waiting for a look like that from you maybe your husband or a wife and they do something wrong when they slip up how do you look ah there you went and messed up that again I hope that look will never be in our face because God never looks at us like that you never think God is looking at you saying oh there you went and messed up there again never let's have a look which says it's okay let's fix it something got broken it's all right so the world is not collapsed because of that it's not serious the only thing serious is sin and then also you can confess and forsake it dear brother sister be a person like that from today onwards and people will want to come and talk to you people want to come and meet you because they realize that every time they meet you they're encouraged imagine if all of us become like that what a church this will become we're not lowering the standard of sin but we are balancing that strictness against sin with 365 days of favor let's pray Heavenly Father please help us to understand your mercy more to understand your kindness your goodness your long-suffering how your mercies are new every morning help us to also have mercies that are new every morning to people who have failed as you have been merciful to us help us to be free from condemnation 100% and not to condemn others but to lift them up