God and Satan

When somebody asked Jesus in Matthew 22, verse 36, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus replied in Matthew 22, verse 37, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Now generally speaking, I think in our midst, a lot of us have valued loving God with all our hearts, but not necessarily with all our mind. There is a difference between loving God with our heart and loving God with all our mind.

Mind means I have to exercise my thinking. When you love somebody with your heart, you don't have to exercise your thinking too much to understand great details. Many people think that the mind is unimportant.

They say, well, that's all for theologians who spend their time in Bible schools. But I want to ask you whether you can stand before God in the final day and say that you have loved God with all your mind. And many of us have tremendous problems with dirty thoughts.

Where do those thoughts come? In our mind. And we struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle to overcome them. And we don't realize the problem is because we don't love God with all our mind.

We don't exercise our mind to understand Scripture. Most Christians, their study of Scripture is so casual, careless. I mean, imagine if you loved your wife in a casual, careless way.

You can't say you love her. If you study the Scriptures in a casual, careless way, you can't say that you love God with all your mind. You may be loving with all your heart, but you certainly don't love God with all your mind.

Will you be able to say when you stand before the Lord, Lord, I love you with all my mind as well. That's what we want to concentrate on this conference. Understanding the truth accurately.

So I want to show you a few verses in that connection. 2 Timothy chapter 2. You know, verses that we have probably glossed over, not taken seriously. But look at it now.

2 Timothy 2 verse 15. How can you present yourself to God, approved by God, not by men or by your church, as a workman of God? And that applies to every brother, every sister, every young person here, whoever you are. It's for you.

Timothy was a young person. And he was not what we call a full-time worker. They were all, Paul and his team, were all working in some way to support themselves, like all of us are.

How can you present yourself to, approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed? Here's what you must do. Accurately handle the word of truth. How can you accurately handle the word of truth if you're careless in reading it? Accurate is a word that's related to mathematics and science.

And in science and mathematics, you have to be very accurate. That's why we have on that poster there our theme, Understanding the Truth Accurately. And we have got two arithmetic problems there.

On one side, 2 plus 2 is 4. And the other side, 2 plus 2 is 4.01. Not very much different from 4. But it's wrong. Now, we all know that in mathematics. But in scripture, we say, Ah, it doesn't matter.

Not only 4.01, but some of us, when we study scripture in such a way that 2 plus 2 is 6. It doesn't matter. 2 plus 2 is 5. It doesn't matter. No wonder your life is so shaky.

You try to do an arithmetic problem and calculate 2 plus 2 is 5. Can you imagine what you're going to get at the end? That's why so many things go wrong. And the teacher has to mark wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Why? Because you treated God's truth as less important than arithmetic truth.

I really believe that. How many of you parents would be happy if your children came home and said that 2 plus 2 was 5? Or 2 plus 2 was 4.5? Would you say, Oh, well, son, it doesn't matter. It's okay.

It's close enough to the truth. But that is exactly how many of us study the scriptures. And that is the reason why so many deceivers have come into Christendom to deceive people.

And it's particularly important in the last days because Jesus said there will be many deceivers who will even try to deceive the elect. The Holy Spirit says 1 Timothy 4.1 there will be many deceiving spirits in the last days. Many will fall away from the faith.

Nobody can fall away from the faith if they understand the truth accurately. Let me show you another verse. 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 20.

This is one of the last passages of scripture. You know it's one of the last letters that John wrote. 1 John 5.20 We know that the Son of God has come.

Why did he come? He came to die for the sins of the world. He came to defeat the devil. He also came to give us understanding so that we may know Him who is true.

And we are in Him who is true. Truth is a great word in the New Testament. And 2 plus 2 equals 4.01 is not the truth.

It's pretty close to the truth but it is not the truth. And even a kindergarten teacher will not mark that sum, that problem as correct. And I feel that we need in our churches a generation of young brothers and sisters who will take seriously the study of God's word to understand the truth accurately.

Dividing God's word accurately. That's what we read in 2 Timothy chapter 2. Present yourself to God as a workman who doesn't need to be ashamed handling the word of truth accurately. In chemistry, 2 parts of hydrogen plus 1 part of oxygen make water.

If you put 2 parts of hydrogen and 2 parts of oxygen you don't get drinking water, you get something else. So, there's a difference. You've got to be exact.

If you've got to be exact in arithmetic and in science, you mean God's truth is vague? Yeah, it doesn't really matter. Well, that attitude is what makes our life also very vague and lack of clarity and wishy-washy. It's like a house with not a good foundation.

You know, when they lay a foundation and they mix cement and sand, they say the cement and sand must be in this proportion. If it's not in that proportion, you're not going to have a good building. In every area, you find there's accuracy but when it comes to God's word, I find many Christians are very careless in the way they read, careless in the way they interpret because it takes time to study God's word.

Now, I want to show you the example of Jesus. One of the first things written about Jesus is in Luke chapter 2. We all say we want to follow Jesus. Is there anybody here who doesn't say that he wants to follow Jesus? We all say we want to follow Jesus.

Where are you going to follow him? When he's 30 years old? Good, but let's start following him when he was 12 because the first thing written in the Bible about Jesus is when he was 12. And when he was 12 years old, it says he was in the temple, Luke 2.46, listening to the teachers, asking them questions and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding. So we got those two words, understanding and accurately from scripture.

From the example of Jesus who by the age of 12 understood the truth of God so accurately by listening carefully. He didn't have a Bible, but he listened in the synagogues and in the schools where they taught the Old Testament. He didn't come to earth with the ready-made knowledge in his head.

He didn't know 2 plus 2 when he was born. Otherwise, he was not born like us. I didn't know 2 plus 2 when I was born.

Neither did you, neither did Jesus. He learned it. He learned carpentry.

He didn't come down to heaven with the ready-made knowledge of carpentry. And he didn't come down with the ready-made knowledge of the Bible. He grew, he listened so carefully that by the age of 12, he understood the truth so accurately that those 70-year-old people who were great Bible scholars were amazed when he pointed out, but look what this word in this verse says.

Have you thought of that word? You just read the verse in general way and try to get a meaning. But what about this word? And they were confused. He would ask them, what does this mean? He would ask them questions.

It says in verse 46. What about this? And they didn't know. He said, okay, I'll explain to you.

Compare it with this verse. Imagine a 12-year-old boy. I wish we had 12-year-old boys and girls like that in our midst.

I wish we had. In our God-fearing homes, what are we doing? Are we training our children to study God's word? If you train them to study God's word, by the time they are 12, they'll grow up to preach God's word when they are 30 years old. But if we are careless, oh, in a general way, just live a good life, keep away from bad friends, all that is good.

But what about following Jesus? Yeah, it also says he submitted to his parents. We all like to have our children follow verse 51 where it says he submitted to his parents. We all like that.

But what about before that? Getting him to follow, getting our children to follow verse 46 and 47 where he had such understanding. Okay, let me show you another verse. In Acts of the Apostles chapter 18.

Acts of the Apostles chapter 18 in verse 25 and 26. We read of a man called Apollos in verse 24. Acts 18, 24.

This man, verse 25, had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit. What did he do? He was speaking and teaching accurately. Same word we have in our poster there.

Accurately, the things concerning Jesus, but he only knew about the baptism of John. He did not know about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He did not know about the new covenant.

He preached, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That was right. Absolutely accurate.

But it was accurate up to John's baptism level. It's like accurate up to 12th standard, but not the full truth of God in going into college. Going to college is like going into the new covenant.

But he was accurate according to the old covenant. And there were two people there who listened to him called Priscilla and Aquila, verse 26. You know what they did? They took him home and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

You know what some of us need? Somebody to explain the way of God to us more accurately than you know it right now. Many of you know it accurately, but you're still missing something and if your heart is open, God can explain to you the truth more accurately and then what will happen? He, it says, when he understood and he was humble enough to receive more accurate instruction even from a sister called Priscilla who knew the word of God better than him. You sisters can be encouraged that it was Priscilla and Aquila.

It says in verse 26. Mrs. and Mr. Priscilla and Aquila. Five times their names come in the Bible and four out of those five times it is Priscilla and Aquila.

Priscilla and Aquila. Once it is Aquila and Priscilla. You sisters should lift up your heads.

I can study the word of God accurately and teach some brothers a few things they don't know. Why not? This is the new covenant. We're not in the old covenant.

The Holy Spirit is being poured out and we can all have understanding. And the result was, of course Priscilla didn't get up to preach in the pulpit, but she could teach the word of God to a man who could get up in the pulpit and preach God's word. If you read the history of some mighty men of God, you'll find that behind those mighty men of God there was some woman who taught that man more accurately God's way.

You read Watchmenese biography, you read there was a woman behind him called Margaret Barber. She was a very godly woman who taught him when he was a young 20 year old young student. You got many people there being godly men, godly women.

So, Madame Guyon, Jesse Penn-Lewis have been two women who have influenced some great men of God. Okay, so she explained, but they couldn't get up in the pulpit and build the church and be the leaders, but Apollos, he went forward and it says here, he greatly helped those who had believed because he got this clear understanding. Verse 28, he powerfully refuted the Jews proving that Jesus was the Christ.

And then later on, he became a co-worker of the Apostle Paul where Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 3, I plant and Apollos watered. It's a result of one woman having more accurately explained the word of God. So these are verses that teach us how important it is for us to understand God's word accurately.

Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4, we read how we can remain as children. The great tragedy, I believe in our churches, is that many of us who should be grown up sons are still children. And one mark of children is they don't understand clearly.

I mean, you go to a one year old and ask him what is 2 plus 2? You think it's 5? He may say, yeah, perhaps. They don't understand clearly. Or you go to a 20 year old, you can't fool him that 2 plus 2 is 5. So it says here in Ephesians 4, verse 14, we must no longer be children tossed about by waves and carried by every wind of doctrine.

Somebody says 2 plus 2 is 4.5. Somebody says 2 plus 2 is 3.9. Somebody says 2 plus 2 is 4.01. And the children are tossed about. Which is it? Which is it? Which is it? This side, that side, tossed about. And the truth is in the middle.

They go from here to there. Look at the number of people today confused concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. And so many things.

Children, children. And they are tossed about by the trickery of men. This is not just in the 21st century.

It happened in the 1st century. The trickery of men, the craftiness, the deceitful scheming. But we must stand against all this and learn to speak the truth.

The whole truth. In love. Then we can grow up in all aspects unto the head who is even Christ.

You will not grow, I'll tell you, as long as you're a child tossed about wondering whether 2 plus 2 is 3.9 or 4.1. You've got to get established. You've got to know the truth accurately. In these days when there's so much of the trickery of men, deceitful scheming, and craftiness to get money out of you, to get your loyalty, to get you to join that church.

There are 101 reasons why people want to trick you and scheme you. We're not interested in anybody joining our church. In 32 years I've never asked anybody to join our church.

None of you can say I asked you to join our church. In 32 years we've never asked anybody to put an offering in our box. It's up to you.

And that's how it's been. Because we're not interested in anybody's money or membership. We're interested that you know the truth of God accurately.

So, what does it mean when it says we shouldn't be children? The Bible is very clear. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 20. 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20.

Brethren, you know why this is written to the Corinthians? Why were the Corinthians babies? Why were the Corinthians always speaking in tongues in the meeting? Tongues, tongues, tongues, tongues. 25 people would speak in tongues in a meeting. Hardly anybody would interpret.

Have you been to meetings like that? I've been to meetings like that. There are plenty of Corinthian churches all around the world today. They think the great thing is tongues.

Exhibitionism. Exhibitionism. Babies and children are exhibitionists.

Showing something they did. Haven't you seen that? You go to a home and some 4 year old will say, have you seen this boat that I drew? Doesn't even look like a boat. But you say, yeah, good.

That's how people are speaking in tongues today. Exhibitionism. Do you ever find a 25 year old coming to you in the house and say, have you seen this boat that I drew? That's the difference between a child and an adult.

There's no exhibitionism in an adult. But babies want to exhibit. Have you seen this prayer that I prayed in the meeting? Or did you hear me speaking in tongues? Did you see this little boat that I drew? Are they babies or grown ups? Brethren, don't be children in your understanding.

Verse 20. Do not be children in your understanding. In evil, not only be children, be infants.

But in your thinking, be mature. Where should we be like infants? Infants means smaller than children. You know, you can go and pinch a 2 year old and he'll remember it for a long, long time.

But you try and pinch a baby who was born yesterday. He won't even remember it 5 minutes later who came and pinched him. Be infants like that where somebody hurts you and 5 minutes later you can love him.

Not children. Children remember. Infants.

There we must be like little babies. Trusting, helpless, depending on God. Absolutely no memory of who slapped them, who hit them, who poked them, who hurt them, who made fun of them, saying, oh, this is an ugly child.

Smile at that one. I'm an ugly child, is it? Okay. He's so happy.

He's not bothered. Be infants in such things. But in understanding God's word, be men.

Be men. Mature. That's what the word of God says.

Have you obeyed that instruction? The trouble with the Corinthian Christians, they were men in evil, taking people to court and children in understanding. And I think that is the problem with a lot of Christians today. It's reverse.

We must be infants in evil and men mature in understanding. That's the thing that's going to protect us. I'll tell you, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

That's the thing that will protect us in the last days. And that's why we need to understand God's word very clearly because the truth is in God's word. Do you want Jesus to ever ask you this question? You know, Jesus used to ask people questions.

Let me show you one question that Jesus asked. And ask yourself whether, Matthew chapter 15, ask yourself whether Jesus will have to ask you this question. Matthew 15, verse 16.

Jesus said, Are you still lacking in understanding also? You're lacking in victory over sin. You're lacking in zeal for the Lord. Are you lacking in understanding also? You're just concentrating on singing better and attending the meetings and the conferences.

What about understanding? Are you still, are you still, after 25 years in the church, are you still lacking in understanding? That's the question the Lord is asking some of you. The time has come when many of you should have been teachers, Hebrews 5 says. But instead of being teachers, you still need someone to teach you the elementary principles of God's Word.

Let me show you that verse, Hebrews 5. I believe this is very true of many people in our churches, unfortunately. Hebrews 5, verse 12. By this time, you should have been teachers yourselves.

Yet, I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basic truths of God again and again, starting from square one, baby's milk, when you should have been eating solid food and teaching other people and feeding others by now. How many people have you instructed in God's Word in the last one year? You have received a lot. How many people have you sat down with and instructed? This is what God's Word says.

Do you know where to point them in Scripture? The time has come, He says, when you should have been teachers. So that is a tragedy in Christendom today that people have not appreciated God's Word. They have not carefully studied God's Word.

Now, let me show you what Jesus said in John 17, verse 17. In John 17, Jesus prayed for His disciples. And one of His prayers was this.

John 17, one of His prayers for His disciples was this. Sanctify them in the truth. Your Word is truth.

What is the truth? God's Word. And if you don't have God's Word, you will not be sanctified. Jesus said, sanctify them.

Some people think, if I get baptism in the Holy Spirit, that's everything. You know, the tragedy today is that there are so many people who are genuinely baptized in the Holy Spirit, but they did not have an understanding of God's Word. And the result is, they've gone astray.

It's like an engine, a steam engine with a lot of steam, but no rails. It gets derailed. Those rails have to be, have you seen railway lines? Absolutely parallel.

If you have a rail sort of going a little 2 inches this way somewhere, just 2 inches or 1 inch, the train will get derailed. You can't afford to have a one rail going off a little 2 inches to the side. And that's the tragedy today in Christendom.

A lot of pastors and preachers, even those who go to Bible schools and get doctorates, they don't know the Scriptures. They don't know how to teach the truth accurately. I have seen so many people like that.

My burden is that all of you will know more than Bible school PhDs, even within 3-4 days. If you listen, it will give you a hunger and a thirst to study God's Word so that you can be sanctified. It's not just for head knowledge.

I'm not interested in studying the Word for head knowledge or even for preaching. I want to study God's Word so that I'll be sanctified. Sanctify them through Thy truth.

Thy Word is truth. So that's the reason I'm encouraging you to study God's Word. And that's probably the reason you're not more sanctified today.

And that's the reason why you don't have light on one of the biggest problems in our churches. You know what is one of the biggest problems in our churches? It's not sin. It's legalism.

Legalism is the number one problem in most of our churches and with most of our elders and with a lot of our people. In many churches, and they don't have a clue about it because they don't study God's Word accurately. They've got certain ideas from the Pentecostal brethren background they came from and they think that is right.

They haven't studied the Scriptures carefully. How will they be sanctified? How will they become free? See another thing that Jesus said in John 8 and verse 32. John 8 and verse 32.

Jesus said, You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. It'll set you free from sin. It'll set you free from legalism.

They go together. The Pharisees lived in sin and they lived in legalism and they lived in bondage to the love of money. If you know the truth accurately, you'll be set free from sin.

You'll be set free from legalism. You'll be set free from the law. You'll be set free from seeking the honor of men.

You'll be set free from the love of money. You'll be set free from every wretched thing that the devil put upon Adam. We will be set free.

But you've got to know the truth. You've got to take some pains. I'll tell you something.

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. You seek Him lazily, He will not reward you. Hebrews 11.6 Jeremiah 29.13 says, You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

And if you don't seek to study God's Word with all your heart, you're not going to find God. You'll be forever a baby. Always need to be propped up by meetings.

Always need to be stirred up by some sermon, preaching, some CD, some conference. Not able to steadfastly go on because your knowledge and your contact with God is limited. So I want to encourage you, especially younger people, please don't follow the example of your lazy older brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers who never studied the Word of God seriously.

Don't follow their example. And you dear parents, even if you were lazy to study the Word of God, please encourage your children at least not to follow your bad example. Teach them to study God's Word.

Don't be satisfied that my children are religious, their sins are forgiven, they're going to heaven. I'm sick and tired of people who just say, my sins are forgiven, I'm going to heaven. I don't want my children to just say, my sins are forgiven, they're going to heaven.

I want them to be useful to God on earth. Don't you want your children to be useful to God on earth? Are you satisfied they got good jobs and they're doing okay? What are they doing okay? They're not doing okay if they're not useful to God on this earth. We ought to pray for that.

They will not be useful to God. They will not be workmen approved by God if they don't handle the Word of God accurately. I've heard so many sermons, even in our churches.

And I listen. I say, there's a person who's not studied the Word of God accurately. Among many of our elder brothers.

And they've heard, these are things I've spoken about so many times. But their mind is not thinking carefully. They say, I'm not intellectual.

Do you have to be intellectual to know that 2 plus 2 is not 4.01? It's a way of life. We are accurate when it comes to our business. How many of you are careless with your accounts? Do you have to be intellectual to keep your accounts properly? Go to these little tea shops and they know how to keep their accounts properly.

You know, they're not intellectual. It's because money is important. It's because the Word of God is not important that you don't study it carefully.

With money, you make it down to the last paisa. It has got to be accurate. But with God's Word, generally, sort of general, you know, we're not the intellectual type.

Well, when it comes to money, you are very much the intellectual type. Don't make that excuse, my brother, sister. In worldly matters, the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

In the world, money is the greatest thing and God's kingdom, grace that comes through His Word is the greatest thing. But the children of this world are so careful when it comes to money. God's people are not so careful when it comes to truth.

That's a tragedy. It takes pains. Doesn't it take pains, all of you, to earn money? Think of all the people now working in the call centers in the middle of the night, night after night after night after night, losing their sleep.

What for? Money. You think they'll do it there if they're not given any money? If they can do it for money, why can't you spend hours at night studying God's Word to serve Him? Are the call centers going to put you to shame? That they will sit for four hours making money, eight hours to make money, and you won't even do that on a holiday. Particularly if you're young and unmarried, I say to you, now is the time to stop wasting your time with other young people who want to go shopping and gossiping, watching some TV serial and all that garbage when you don't know God's Word.

You know accurately how much some cricketers scored and what the scores are in the World Cup. What about knowing God's truth accurately? What's the use saying, I belong to a wonderful church if you don't know the truth accurately and all you know is cricket scores and what some film stars are doing? Oh, the news in the papers very accurately, but what about God's Word? You think all that news and all that information about cricket and the film stars will help you one bit in your Christian life? Zero. Why do we concentrate on that? How has the devil succeeded in taking us away from the study of God's Word? Television and videos and entertainment and even Christian music can take you away from the study of the Bible.

I like Christian music, but I'll tell you honestly, I hardly have any time to listen to it. I don't have the time because I know God's Word so little. I'm discovering new things in it all the time.

I don't know how you folks can carry on with such tremendous ignorance of God's Word and sit back comfortable and happy about it. Look at a generation growing up in our midst, young people who are supposed to be zealous for God and they're interested in all the wrong things. That's a tragedy of our time.

And so deception increases. You should not only be able to protect yourself, you should be able to protect others by showing them from Scripture. That is not the way.

Like Priscilla, think of that woman. I don't know how many children she had, but she studied the Word of God enough to tell a preacher that he was wrong. Not he was wrong, but he didn't know enough.

I'll tell you something more, brother, which you still don't know. But she didn't humble him publicly. She didn't get up in the pulpit after he spoke.

Oh, what a godly woman she was. And you never read about her alone. Always with her husband.

Excellent example of a godly, submissive woman who knew more Scripture than her husband, but didn't do it on her own. She would tell her husband, do you think we can call Apollos to our house? He'd say, sure. And they would sit there and Priscilla would do all the talking with her husband sitting next.

And Apollos said, boy, I never saw all this, Priscilla. That's it, Apollos. Now you go and preach that.

And he went out and preached that. Became an apostle. Priscilla never became an apostle, but she was the one who made him an apostle.

Just like Timothy's mother, Eunice, made him an apostle. So my dear brothers and sisters, there's equal opportunity for all of you, even sisters. You may not get into the pulpit, but you can share things with people who come to your home.

So there are wonderful examples in Scripture that we can follow. So having said that much as an introduction, which I hope will challenge us to study God's word more accurately, I want to share in the coming sessions, I'm going to take seven sessions altogether in these mornings, today until the last day, on understanding some basic truths. And this is also because we have a lot of new people coming into our churches, thank God for them, who need to be established in the truth.

And we have a lot of children who have grown up in the last 25-30 years who have not been established in the truths that we spoke right at the beginning when we started the church. So I want to start at zero. And I want to first of all share with you from Genesis chapter 1. The Bible does not begin with an explanation of the Trinity.

Now we would think, you know, like in an arithmetic book, you start with addition, 1 plus 1 equals 2. You don't start with multiplication straight away. You don't start in an English class with reading or books. You start with reading words or ABC.

But the Bible, God's ways are different. He is not trying to prove, hey listen fellas, let me prove that I exist. If you don't believe that I can exist, you can go and do what you like.

The Bible just begins with assuming that all sensible people know that God exists. Who is the one who says there is no God? Do you know what the Bible says? Have you read that verse in Psalm 14.1? It's a very interesting verse. Psalm 14.1 says, the fool... Now you must read that carefully.

We are studying scripture accurately now, remember? This is a classic example of how to read scripture accurately. Psalm 14.1 The fool has said there is no God. Wrong.

Where is it wrong? The fool has said in his heart. The bigger fool says it with his mouth. Don't forget that.

Example of how to read the scriptures accurately. You see how you miss it. Please learn to read scripture accurately.

So, the Bible is not written for fools. So, if there is some guy who says in his heart that there is no God, and a bigger fool who opens with his mouth saying there is no God, well, forget about them. They can go and hang themselves or do what they like.

This is written for people who want to know the truth. In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth. There is no explanation of how God originated because it is impossible for us human beings to understand it.

Can you explain to a dog that 2 plus 2 is 4? Try it. If you succeed, come and let me know. I'll test out that dog.

If any of you can succeed in teaching a dog a simple thing like 2 plus 2 is 4. A 10-year-old dog. I'll get you a 5-year-old child who can understand it. Because it is another level of creation.

And if a dog cannot understand a man, do you think a man can understand God? You got to be off your head. Do you know that the difference between dog and man is only about quarter inch. But the difference between man and God is millions of miles.

Compared to the distance between God and man, the distance between man and dog is only about a quarter of an inch. And if a dog cannot understand a man, don't think you can understand God fully. I don't think anybody can explain the Trinity fully, I believe it.

Because it's true, because God said here, let us make man in our image. It's good for you to know these verses. How do we know there's a Trinity in the very first chapter of the Bible? Because God said, in Genesis 1-26, not let me, but let us.

One person doesn't say let me. God said let us make man in our image. According to our likeness.

And in the Old Testament, that was not clear. But as to the number of persons, it could have been, it's definitely more than one. It could have been two, three, four, five, we don't know.

But when Jesus comes, the light becomes clear that it is three. At the baptism, the Son of God being baptized, the Holy Spirit coming, and the voice from heaven. And you know how Jesus spoke of baptize everybody in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Trinity becomes clear in the New Testament. That's because the light is focused more clearly in the New Testament. And the other thing we find nowadays, you know, I'm telling you things not only for your own understanding, but so that you can explain to other people why you believe what you believe.

Peter says that if anybody asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and humility, you should be able to give him an answer. There are people who say that God did not create, that the world came with suddenly a big bang millions of years or billions of years ago and then some slimy creatures came out of the water and those slimy creatures became like little tadpoles and grew up one after many years to become monkeys and then grew up finally to become man. Well, I'll tell you, you can believe that, that your ancestor was some tadpole and I don't believe that at all.

Now, if you believe that, why don't you put a picture of your tadpole in your wall and say that was our ancestor. Or put a gorilla's picture there and say that was one of our old ancestors. A lot of people who say they believe in evolution would never do that.

Why not? Don't you put your father's picture on the wall? Why not put your grandfather's? If you had a picture of your great-grandfather, you'd put it. What if you had one of your ancient ancestor's pictures? I'll give you one if you don't have it, tadpoles and gorillas. It's crazy what people believe nowadays.

It's God. It's Jesus. Who came to Earth is Jesus.

This is a God who, I don't have a picture of him but one day I'll see him. But he's more beautiful than any painting that you've ever seen of Christ. He is my creator and I'm not ashamed of it.

It's amazing how people can be atheists and believe all this rubbish nowadays. And do you know the amazing thing? Shall I tell you something absolutely shocking? There are Christians who call themselves born-again Christians who to please the scientists say, maybe God created but he created through a form of evolution where he made the tadpole and then made the tadpole develop into a monkey and then made the monkey develop into a man. That's called theistic evolution.

Not atheistic evolution but theistic evolution. And you'd be surprised at the number of people who believe it. It's a lot of garbage.

So we believe that God created us with a spoken word. He created the universe from nothing. It says that in Hebrews 11.

The things that are seen was from the word of God they were created. And that's how he created the heavens and the earth. Then I want to tell you something else in Genesis 1. It's very important for you to know that God did not create the world in 6 days.

A lot of people say that. You'll hear that written in many books. I've challenged people to show me, where does it say in the word of God? One verse show me that God created the world in 6 days.

You always find it says God made the world in 6 days. There's a difference between made and created. And you find that in Genesis 1. It's important for you to know that.

In verse 1 it is created. And in many other places you find there God made, God made, God made the animals, etc. Now the difference is creation is from nothing.

But making, like for example verse 7, God made the expanse and separated. That's not created. It was created in verse 1 and then made.

Why did he have to remake it? Because whenever God creates something, it is perfect. God never creates anything imperfect, I'll tell you that. James 1.17 Every good and perfect thing comes from above, from the father of lights.

Everything God creates is absolutely perfect. When there is no sin, and God creates it, it's perfect. So when God created the heaven and earth in verse 1, it was perfect.

But something happened. And the earth became, verse 2, shapeless, empty, dark. How did the earth become shapeless, empty, and dark? Does God create anything shapeless, empty, ugly, dark? No! How can he who is light create something dark? How can he who is perfect create something shapeless and empty? Something happened between verse 1 and 2. Which is not written here.

Why is it not written here? Because this is about that his book is for man. And so he begins with the creation of man in chapter 1. But if you want to know what happened there, it is the time when an angel became a devil. Because you don't read about that in Genesis.

In Genesis chapter 3, you read about the devil suddenly coming on the scene. You read in the 7th day, Adam rested with God. And almost the 8th day, suddenly you see the devil in Genesis 3. I think he came on the 8th day.

Immediately after God and Adam had finished their one day of fellowship, the beginning of the 8th day, the devil comes and leads them astray. I don't think they spent even 24 hours after the 7th day in that wonderful Garden of Eden. They were thrown out.

So, the history of the devil, this may be basic instruction for some of you, but it is good for you to know it, and for everyone to know it, that is described in Isaiah 14. And we can learn something from that. Isaiah chapter 14.

As I said, I'm sharing this with you, not only for you to know, but so that you can be a teacher of others. We are going through a Bible school these 3-4 days, so that you can instruct others in how evil came into the world. A lot of people ask you that question.

How can a perfect God allow evil to be in the world? Did He create evil? You know, there are some religions, where they also have a trinity, where one person of the trinity destroys a lot of things. So, here Isaiah 14, we read about this person who is called in verse 12, the star of the morning. Actually, we don't know his name, but in the Latin language, in which the Bible was first translated, star of the morning is called Lucifer.

It's not really his name, by the way, but because that is the first translation of star of the morning, everybody calls him Lucifer, so we call him, for convenience sake, Lucifer, but that was not his name. It just means star of the morning, morning star. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is called the morning star.

But He is called here, the star of the morning, Isaiah 14, verse 12. You have fallen down, son of the dawn. Why did he fall? Because he said, again, in his heart.

The fool has said in his heart. The Pharisee prayed in his heart. Lord, I thank you that I'm not like other men.

Sin begins in the heart. Don't ever forget it. This is long before Adam sinned.

Sin began in a created being's heart. That's why the Bible says, be careful about your heart. Here is the origin of sin, in the heart.

Somebody said in his heart, I will go up. That's why salvation had to come with Jesus saying, I will go down. There are only two spirits operating in the world today.

One says, I will go up. The other says, I will go down. And all of us sitting here are being influenced by one of these two spirits.

I will go up and I'll push other believers beneath me. There are elders like that. There are other elders who will say, I will go down and sit at the disciples feet and wash their feet.

Two spirits. This is the origin of sin. I will ascend.

I will go above God. I will make myself, verse 14, like God. Are there people who make themselves like God today? Sure.

When some pastor tells you, this is God's will for you. What right has he got to tell God's will for you? God himself can tell you that. Why do you have to go to him? You know how many people have come to me to find out God's will and I say, sorry, I won't find out God's will for you.

I'll give you advice. I'll tell you the advantages, disadvantages. You go and seek God yourself.

How many of you sitting here can tell me that I found out God's will for you in the last 30 years? Even on one matter. I've advised many of you, prayed for many of you but never found out God's will for you. I will not.

Because I will not make myself like God. Those are the people who make themselves like God. Prophets who say, you shall do this, you shall do that, you shall marry the other person.

Only God has got the right to say such a thing. In the Old Testament when people didn't have the Holy Spirit, yes, God spoke through prophets. Thus said the Lord.

But today when you have the Holy Spirit, you don't need a prophet to tell you what God's will is for you. This is all the spirit of Lucifer making himself like God. When a man sits in the church, even many elder brothers behave like God.

They never acknowledge any mistake. When I meet a brother who never acknowledges that he's made a mistake, then he must be God. When husbands and wives have a fight with each other and they come to me, I ask them a question, does your wife ever apologize? And some husbands say, never.

Oh, then she must be God. God is the only one who never makes a mistake, by the way. These are the ways in which today people make themselves out like God, the spirit of Lucifer.

Do you confess your mistakes? Do you ever recognize that you make mistakes? Otherwise you're like Lucifer. And the other passage is Ezekiel 28. Ezekiel chapter 28 where again we read about Lucifer.

Lucifer, it says here in verse 14, you were the anointed cherub. You were in Eden verse 13. Do you know that Satan, there was Eden before Adam's Eden? In Genesis 1 there was an Eden.

That got destroyed. We know what happened when Lucifer sinned. Just like when Adam sinned, the earth became full of thorns and snakes and lions and all types of sicknesses.

Long before that, when Lucifer sinned also the earth became shapeless and empty and dark. That's what you read in Genesis 1-2. It's because of Lucifer's sin.

But before that, there was an Eden that got destroyed with a flood, with waters way back in Genesis 1-2. And Lucifer was there. Genesis, Ezekiel 28-13.

That's why he got so jealous when God remade that Eden and put Adam there. Oh, he said, this guy has come to replace me. I'm gonna get him out of there.

He's got no business to be where I was. And he got him out of there. Jealousy that made Satan drive Adam out.

You were in Eden and all these precious stones were your coverings and you were the anointed cherub and you were blameless, verse 15, until pride came into you. Your heart, again verse 17 notice, sin comes in the heart. Your heart was proud because of your beauty.

Any of you proud of your beauty? You're in fellowship with Lucifer. You're proud of your wisdom. Any of you proud that you're very clever people? You're in fellowship with Lucifer.

Not because you're beautiful, but because you're proud you're beautiful. Because you look into your mirror and say, Aha! Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest of them all? Me. That's Lucifer.

Who is the cleverest of the lot? I came first in the class. Nothing wrong in coming first in the class. Come every year first in the class.

The moment you become proud of it, you're in fellowship with Lucifer and the Lord says, I will cast you down. He was proud because of his beauty, his intelligence, his wisdom, his position, I'm the head of all the angels. People who are proud that they are elders.

Lucifer! Dear brothers and sisters, let's learn how corruption and sin came into this beautiful world that God created. Understand the truth accurately. It will sanctify you.

It will set you free. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, help us that the truth that we hear will not be just information, but knowledge of truth that sets us free, that delivers us from the deception that is rampant in Christendom today.

Help us, Lord, we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.