God our Father loves us as He loved Jesus

We're not fulfilling God's purpose. So it's not just that I live a holy life and I overcome sin That's good. That's the beginning but the purpose of a hand being healthy is so that it serves the body The purpose of every part of our body being healthy to be free from sin is to be healthy What is the purpose of being healthy serve the body? God bless you. Okay, Vinay go ahead now I attend the conference from the other side of the curtain and not to be a distraction sitting in front of all of you But I'm so thankful for this conference and God's word and I've been blessed Attending this conference and it's great to see you both churches Yeah, I want to say to all of you that What I said earlier in the question answer session The church is a three-story building the foundation is God loves us as he loved Jesus Christ John 17 23 Never forget that if you're a disciple John 17 23 is for you earlier on in John 17 8 or 9 Jesus said I'm not praying for the world I'm praying for the disciples. I want the world to know that father. You love them as you love me It's a very important verse for you to see John 17 was 23 you must never forget it all your life But if you stop being a disciple at any time that verse is not for you. I'll tell you why because Jesus said in verse 9. I'm praying on their behalf I'm not praying for people in the world, but those whom you have given me I'm praying for them So the moment a person goes out into the world this prayer does not apply to them very clear in verse 9 Jesus did not pray for the world. He was praying for his disciples here and What does he want his disciples? What is the what does he want the father? What's he praying to the father for for his disciples see verse 23 the last part? I want these disciples to be perfect in unity so that the world may know that you sent me That's one thing there are many people proclaiming that God sent his son. That's one truth But what about the second truth that you love these disciples of mine as much as you have loved me? There were some questions about fear and anxiety Here is the solution you know for nearly 16 17 years of my life after I was born again I was defeated defeated defeated just like many believers until I came to this verse I was so insecure. I was I was a very shy person and very insecure always wanting to prove that I'm someone whenever you want to prove To others that you're someone it means you're insecure, but once I found that my father in heaven loved me Exactly like he loved Jesus Christ after that listen to me. I had no more desire to prove anything to anybody I didn't have to prove to people that I'm spiritual or Any that I'm anointed or baptized in the Holy Spirit everything disappeared because it was only my father's Opinion about me that mattered after that that's a wonderful place to come to where you're not Concerned about what anybody in the world thinks about you only the father boy What a liberation it brought into my life even when I preached in the olden days I was listening once to a sermon of mine, which I preached about 45 years ago, and my own sermon and It was in a conference somewhere and when I heard it I said boy is that me It is so obvious when I listen to it that I was trying to impress all the people sitting there So clear to me. I said Lord. I'm ashamed of the way. I spoke 45 years ago The message hasn't changed. I was preaching about victory even then But I was so eager to impress the audience because I was only 33. I was young. I didn't have a mentor I didn't have anybody to correct me or guide me But I thank God that all of that disappeared when I discovered this truth my father in heaven Loves me Exactly like he loved Jesus Christ And like the birth of Jesus was planned in Bethlehem at a particular year Even the year was planned My birth was also planned by God at a particular year in 1939 in a particular place in God's mind and I want to say to you all of you if you really want to be a disciple of Jesus And you're not asking you're perfect when I began to understand this about 40 years ago. I was not perfect I'm not perfect even today. I'm pressing on the perfection But when I began to understand this I had a real desire to be a hundred percent disciple that was clear I didn't want to please any man. I didn't want to live for the world I wanted to earn my living support myself and live for Jesus Christ. That's all I had no worldly ambitions No ambition in the church also to be a great preacher or a great man. I had no ambition even to plant one single church I only said Lord. I want to please you. That's all I remember reading this verse once with Jesus The father said about Jesus at his baptism This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and I looked up to heaven and I said father Can you say that about me? This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. That's all I want If you give that one sentence Every day of my life. I promise you I'm not ask for money. I will not ask for comfort I will not ask for even help. I will only ask that Every day of my life you can say you're pleased with me. My life became secure It's like coming on to a rock foundation That is why I say this verse must be the foundation of your life Never go away from here and to have this verse as a foundation of your life. You must be a disciple That means you must love Jesus more than all your relatives secondly more than yourself and Thirdly more than all your wealth and earthly properties and your job and everything You don't have to give up your job or your wealth. You have to love Jesus more than your wealth You don't have to give up your love for your relatives, but you must love Jesus more than all of them You will not let them interfere in your following the Lord. I decided that I'm gonna love Jesus more than all my relatives And if they get offended with me, God bless them. I'm not gonna be bothered and as this is more difficult I'm gonna love Jesus more than myself, which means if somebody insults me I'm not gonna respond if somebody insults Jesus Christ like taking money from poor people in his name Then I'm gonna respond real hard and strong, but I will not respond if they insult me I see that my Savior when they spat on his face. He never responded when they called him the devil He said you're forgiven, but the moment he saw people making money in the name of religion boy He took a whip and chased them out when he saw the hypocrites the Pharisees trying to rule over others He said to them ruthlessly you will never escape the damnation of hell What I learned from Jesus is he did not love himself He loved the Father's glory and I say that's how I want to live and I want to say to all of you Please live like that and you'll be a tremendous asset to your local church I remember when we started the Lord asked me if you're all alone and everybody leaves you will you still stand up for these truths? You're preaching. I said sure I don't care if I'm the only family in the whole of India me and my wife We will stand for you because we have seen the reality of it If it's only theory you won't be able to stand that is why I often tell people who listen to me Please remember that everything you're hearing from me is secondhand I have heard and received something from God which has blessed me and I'm passing it on to you It is correct You trust me so much that you know that I won't try to fool you or bluff you or deceive you But I don't want anything from anybody, but it is still secondhand Even if it is 100% true, it is still secondhand You have to take this truth before the Lord take your time and go before the Lord and say Lord I heard something today that challenged me, but it is secondhand I want to bring it before you and I want you to make it first and make this truth Which brother Zack understood from you make me understand it directly from you Also, see I've also everything that I've understood. I've also initially got it secondhand. I got it from Paul I got it from John this gospel, which I just read it was written by John John only wrote this chapter John 17 23 So I can say I got it secondhand from John the Apostle, but I said Lord I don't want to live on John the Apostle's word I want you to convert it to me and he converted it for me so that I now believe Even if the Bible is destroyed, I know in my heart God loves me as he loved Jesus That's what I mean by I know it firsthand So you heard something from me it is the truth because I showed it to you in Scripture Ask God to make it real to you What does it mean to be based on this foundation that God loves me as he loved Jesus, you know the practical? Results of that that means like I said God knew where you were going to be born When you were going to be born and you know I saw many things from there that when Jesus they tried to kill him when he was a baby God warned Joseph to take away Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt and The comfort I got from that was that if people are trying to harm you or hurt you, don't worry I will in advance I will make a fool of them I will take you away from the place of danger so that you're not there when they come to hurt you boy I've actually experienced that more than once so it's wonderful And then you think of many other things that happen in the life of Jesus As he struggled to earn his living as a carpenter and so many lessons He learned in the carpenter shop the Lord said I would all he would teach me also many lessons in daily life Not as a preacher the ordinary things of life as you try to earn your living in a difficult world. I'm sure Jesus found it Very not difficult, but he had to discipline himself in expenditure. He was not a millionaire He was not a very rich man in Nazareth There were rich people in Israel But he was a poor carpenter and he had he had four younger brothers Two sisters and a widowed mother to take care of and he had to earn his living and support them Family of eight and I'm sure he went through many struggles. He had to cut down expenditures Cut down some expenditure there in order to live within his income That was an education that Jesus had when he was Working in the carpenter shop in Nazareth and the Lord taught me the same thing when I was having very little in the early days 40 years ago my wife and I were very very poor and we learned like Jesus to cut our expenditure never to get into debt and Just like God blessed Jesus. He blessed me because I knew he loved me as he loved Jesus It makes a tremendous difference in your life. And when we had children and our needs increased our Supply from God also increased in amazing ways So I'm sure when there were greater needs or sudden needs in Nazareth I'm sure in some way that Maybe Jesus got more orders from people in his carpenter shop to make a few more chairs or tables And he made some money that way God takes care of that It's amazing what God can do in a business if a man is determined to honor him what God can do for a person in This in his family, you know, it's amazing what God can do So there are many things like that that I don't know whether you remember a number of places in the Gospels We read that they tried to capture Jesus, but they couldn't do it And what is the reason was it because they were not strong enough? They would come with soldiers and policemen and Jesus was all alone But they couldn't capture him because it says his hour had not yet come. That's all that means God's time for him to die Had not yet come that's all another place. We read after his first sermon in Nazareth That's a wonderful passage. I want you to see this Luke chapter 4 in Luke's Gospel chapter 4 these are the very precious passages of my of scripture where Really blessed my heart because when I discovered that God loved me as he loved Jesus I said, okay. Let me see how God cared for Jesus. He'll care for me also like that Luke chapter 4. It says that Jesus stood up in the uh Synagogue in Nazareth in verse 16 and they gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah and he opened it and turned to chapter 61 And Isaiah Luke chapter 4 verse 18 He read something and then he said the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing verse 21 and the people verse 22 Appreciated his message verse 22. They wondered it says here are the gracious words And they said isn't this joseph's son the carpenter, but what an anointed way he is speaking and then Jesus changed the subject he said, do you know in verse 25? There were many widows in israel in the days of elijah, but none of them got help in the famine time of famine But it was a widow in zarephath Which is non-israeli town a gentile that means a non-jew god sent elijah to those non-jewish people One example second verse 27 second example There were many lepers in israel in the time of elijah verse 27, but none of them got healed but one foreigner non-jew Syrian naman, he comes and gets healed as soon as they heard that see how the mood of the people changed They were so happy in verse 22, but by then you come to verse 28. You're filled with anger Why the anger what did jesus say? He said don't think god is only interested in the jewish people He's also interested in the non-jewish people and that made them furious because they thought oh We are the only ones whom god cares for on the face of the earth That can be a conceited opinion that many people have we are the only ones whom god will bless It's a lot of rubbish. God loves everybody and he wants the gospel to go to everyone. So When you say that god loves Those non-jewish people also like the syrian leper naman and the zarephath widow They got very angry and they got so angry It says they took jesus verse 29 out of the city To the top of the hill to throw him down and kill him. Can you imagine a crowd of 200 people? Coming out of the synagogue capturing this one man and saying come on We're going to take you and what happens verse 30. He quietly passed through their midst and went away How in the world could that happen? That's really amazing. So i'll use my imagination a bit. How did that happen? I said maybe those 200 people got into an argument over which cliff shall we throw him over? The cliff on that side or this side or this side and there was a big argument As to which cliff to throw him over and while this argument was going on Jesus quietly walked away and when they finally decided which cliff to throw jesus over he wasn't there god has got a sense of humor the way he Delivered jesus there. It says he quietly passed by and went away amazing. Now. My question is What comes to me if 200 people catch me one day because they're not happy with my preaching And want to throw me over a cliff or throw me to the lions or into the fire or whatever it is Do I believe that in some way? That god who delivered jesus will also deliver me because my time has not come when the time has come We are ready to go paul was protected through so many beatings and imprisonments and sicknesses and Hammerings that he got but he never died But one time when he was 67 years old when nero finally captured him and wanted to behead him They took him up to that place and he was beheaded his time had come the same way with jesus When the time came for him to be crucified god allowed the roman soldiers Who had tried so many times to capture him they captured him that day and killed him. So this is a great Encouragement to me. I say lord that means If I walk in your will I will never die Till my life's work is accomplished and once my life's work is accomplished I don't want to stay a single day in this rotten old earth. Definitely not Why would I want to stay one day in this rotten old earth if my work for god is accomplished? But you know so many people are afraid Will I get cancer will somebody hurt me will this thing happen? Will that thing happen? You know what the solution to that is john 17 23 be a disciple and believe that god loves you just like He loved jesus If it is written about jesus, they could not capture him not because they were not strong enough because his time had not come It will be written about me that nobody can harm me because that's time has not come Oh, i've already experienced there are people who tried to put me in jail Because of my religious convictions what I stood for but my time has not come it can't happen Nothing can happen to me without my father's permission. I want all of you to have that conviction That is the foundation of our christian life Absolutely solid foundation and so many many things in jesus life. He never ran short, you know, for example First 30 years. He was a carpenter and he was earning his living working hard But then he went into what we would call full-time work for god and when you go into full-time work for god Nowadays every pastor gets a salary and if you're a traveling preacher You keep collecting offerings from whichever church you go to or you send regular prayer reports to all your prayer partners And they send your money to your bank account, but jesus never did anything of that How is he going to support himself and then on top of that? He selected club disciples some of whom like peter had a family And how in the world was jesus going to support these people? Not only himself but peter and peter's family back home Peter would have to send money for his family because he had given up his fishing There was no more income for the family and john and james were also fishermen. I Many of the disciples were married we read in 1 corinthians 9 that almost all the disciples were married And they had to support I don't know when they were married peter was definitely married when he became a disciple But the lord provided how did the father provide for jesus? That's another thing it may not apply to all of you because you're not full-time workers You are in a secular job, but it can apply to you also in another way What happens if one day you lose your secular job and other jobs are not available? You'll have to struggle. I know in australia. You have some social security that will take care of you But in india, we don't even have that We'll have to trust in the lord a lot of people in australia and europe and all trust in the government We are in a much more blessed position in india because we don't have any government to trust in we have to trust in god You may think your position is more blessed. I'm, sorry to say it is not It is more blessed to be in india and trust in god alone. The bible says in jeremiah 17 verse 5. Do you know that verse? great verse jeremiah chapter 17 and verse 5 jeremiah 17 and verse 5 Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind or who trusts in the government to take care of him And make some human being his source of strength. He will be like a bush Dry in the desert like the stony waste in the wilderness But verse 7 blessed is the man who trusts in the lord He will be like a tree planted by the water that always bears fruit 12 months of the year that never becomes dry always green and will never Cease to yield fruit even verse 8. It says when the there's a drought in the country. That's okay There can be a drought in the country. The tree says in verse 8 My roots are going into the river here. The drought is out there, but my roots are in the river And that's what we say there can be a lot of problems outside But my roots are in jesus christ and in the holy spirit and in the father in heaven So we don't trust in the lord we don't trust in government we don't trust in man And jesus as a full-time worker Who do you think was going to support him the full-time scribes and all in the synagogue were supported by the other jews? Who would support jesus? Jesus preaching was so radical and hitting out at people that even those who supported him would stop supporting him He didn't he didn't tone down his message to please people so that they would give him money never And i've never done that in all the years we've had csc or even before but i'll tell you God is sovereign and god can move people's hearts to provide think of a man like jesus Who's got 12 disciples to feed and clothe for three and a half years and feed some of their families It's a huge amount of money and he would never send a prayer letter Never announce in a meeting Uh, will you guys support me never take a collection after he preached? Even after he healed the sick he would not take a collection. What an example We follow that example in all our hundred cfc churches and we have followed it for 42 years We never take an offering with none of our elders More than 100 elders none of them Get a salary they are all Supporting themselves with me. Also i've been in cfc bangalore for 42 years never taken a cent from them so This way i'm not saying anything special paul was like that and jesus we follow jesus example of never making our needs known to anybody the bible does say that a Laborer who serves the lord is worthy to be supported. That's right So if people give him gifts, it's right for him to take it, but he should not ask for it Number one, he should not expect it and he should not depend on it. He must support himself But if somebody gives him a birthday gift or something like that, he can take it paul Also, sometimes people gave him a gift he took it, but he was not dependent on gifts and he never took a salary And jesus was like that I want to show you luke chapter 8 luke's gospel chapter 8 See, this is all to show you how when the father loves you like he loves jesus He will do the same thing for you which he did for him. Why not see luke chapter 8 It says here there were certain women who and others who followed jesus and it says in verse 3 Luke 8 verse 3 joanna the wife of kusa herod's steward That means herod's palace manager and susanna and many others were contributing To the support of jesus and his disciples from their private resources So they pulled out their savings and gave some money to jesus. He never asked for it But god moved their hearts and said you people Have been blessed by jesus ministry give him something and imagine Herod's palace manager. He was probably not a convert himself, but his wife was three His wife must have said can we give some money to jesus? He said sure and that must have been a huge amount of money because he must have been earning a massive salary as herod's palace manager So i'm just trying to tell you how God has his ways Of supporting those who trust him for all their needs and jesus is the first example of that He never asked anybody. He never depended on anyone, but i'm sure he lived very simply He never lived in expensive hotels. No, let me give you another example in john chapter 7 Here's a great example of how jesus lived in john chapter 7 because he's our example He's the first body of christ. We've got to follow we read of a time when jesus came to the temple And in the temple john 7 37 he was getting up and preaching And saying if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink And many people appreciated him saying in verse 40. This is certainly the prophet This is the messiah verse 41, but others had a doubt and there was a division was 43 and at that time Some of them wanted to capture him verse 44 But no one could capture him why because his time had not come And then the officers who wanted to capture him went back to the priests And said they asked him why didn't you bring him? He says boy never no man has ever spoken like this man And then we read further at the end of the day Listen to this verse at the end of the day late in the evening verse 53 Everybody went back to their own home next verse, but jesus you should combine. Those are actually one sentence Everybody went to their own home, but jesus chapter 8 verse 1 went to the mount of olives I meditate on that verse jesus was not living in jerusalem. This happened in jerusalem. Jesus was living 75 miles away in galilee. It takes him about two days to walk from there to jerusalem Whenever you read in the bible that jesus went from galilee to jerusalem. Remember that was 75 miles It was a two-day walk. And so what does he do in jerusalem where he doesn't have a home? I mean the decent thing to do when a preacher has come and blessed you at least at the end of the day to ask him Lord, where are you sleeping tonight? Have you got a home? If not, please come to my home at least 50 people should have gone and asked him that but nobody asked him Supposing you go to another place as a preacher It's never happened to me by the way But supposing you go to another place as a preacher and at the end of the day Nobody asks you where you're staying and uh, you blessed all those people and nobody asked you where you're staying tonight Nobody asked jesus And you know what he did. He says well praise god. It's not raining. I can go and sleep under the trees I say lord jesus is scary. It had so much money in the bag Why didn't you go and stay in a hotel? He says no that money is given by poor widows and all I won't take that and live in a hotel I can go and sleep under the trees. It's fresh air. I can spend some time alone with my father Okay, now listen next morning chapter 8 verse 2. It's a very interesting story The gospels are exciting book early next morning He came back into the temple and all the people began to come and he began to teach them now Listen again, he continues teaching And nobody has the thoughtfulness to ask him by the way lord. Where did you sleep last night? This is amazing. Even if you forgot the previous day How in the world you forget when he comes back the next morning the father Cared for jesus. He gave him a place to sleep under the trees Because he decided i'm going to live a simple life god took care of him and I want to say to you my brothers and sisters If you really love the father, you'll want to follow jesus example never Make a demand on anyone what you need the father will provide i'm telling you that after 50 years of experience I've never made a demand on anyone i've served people And they have served me but jesus didn't make a demand. Hey fellas do this or that for me Never whatever the father provided he was happy with and if there was something he didn't get And okay, then the father wants me to learn to do without that this covetousness You know what covetousness is which the bible condemns so much Covetousness is always the desire to get something which your neighbor has To get something which that person has you go visiting a home and say I want that It's like little children They want that toy the other toy and we have money and whether we need it or not We go and buy there's a lot of wastage of money like this. Jesus never wasted money. I've discovered one thing Through the years and it's another for my 50 years experience many people Do not get revelation on the word of god because they are not faithful with money So I want to teach you something now about the difference between being righteous with money And being faithful with money. You may think it is the same thing It is not turn with me to luke's gospel chapter 16 luke's gospel chapter 16 We read in verse 11. This is a very important verse Luke 16 verse 11. It says if you Have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth that is some translations mammon Wealth means property bank account shares savings Everything that the world calls wealth which you have if you are not faithful in the use of that How will god give you the true riches? Okay. Now the question comes. What are the true riches? The true riches are not the riches of this world The riches of this world you can use for a maximum of 100 years and then it's over the true riches are what will last for eternity uh You all know the game called monopoly. I'm sure you have it in australia, too Monopoly is a children's game where you have squares And the children throw dice and go from one square to another and you buy property and you have some paper currency Called dollars or whatever it is and you come to a square and that becomes your house And if somebody else lands on your square, he has to pay rent He has to give some of that paper currency to you and if children can become very intense in this game Say hey pay up rent you come on my property and things like that And think if you were an adult I played monopoly with my children think if you are an adult playing with those children Will you become so intense with your little boy or girl? Come on pay up You know, it's only paper money It's nothing because in One hour you'll fold up the board and the game is over and all that paper money is worth nothing Now, let me tell you something what we call currency bank account and the angels are watching this world from heaven They see a big monopoly game going on in this world everywhere people are moving to different squares and buying property and this and that and the other and renting it out and demanding things pay up and all that and the angels are they watch all these people collecting cash and All that just like those little children on a monopoly board and why is it you as an adult don't fight with those children? Because you see there's only a game to be over in a little while and the angels say I wish these people would know god is going to fold up this board in a few years and that'll be the end of this Game, what have you got of eternal worth in this time? God has kept you on earth to gain something of eternal worth before you leave and you spend your time collecting money You're going to be very disappointed when you go to heaven use money. God has given money to be used Not loved. Did you hear that god has given us money and material things to be used and not loved God has given us people to be loved and not used what happens in the world is Since the day adam sinned it has reversed the people of the world Use people and don't love them and they love money and don't realize it's only for use So when I read here, what are the true riches that you can get if you're faithful with money number one The greatest rich of all riches of all becoming like jesus christ. There's absolutely nothing to equal that number two The anointing of the holy spirit number three Revelation on the truths of scripture which are hidden from the clever and the intelligent not just bible study But revelation, which is another word becoming like jesus number one anointing of the holy spirit And revelation on the word of god. Those are the three riches I have coveted for years I said lord. I want it. I want to be like jesus I want the anointing of the holy spirit every single day in my life You anointed me 42 years ago, but every day I want to be anointed and lord when I read your word I don't want to read it like a storybook when I was a child. I want to get revelation I want you to reveal to me the things that are hidden from the bible scholars and the things which So many other christian preachers don't even know about for example the truth of victory over sin For example the truth that you can get a hundred percent victory over anger hundred percent victory over anxiety Hundred percent victory over murmuring complaining grumbling and the lusts of the eyes and all that And I tell you god has given me revelation and not only to me when I get revelation I can share it with others. But how will this come these true riches be faithful with money? It says in verse 11 now i'll explain to you the difference between being righteous with money And being faithful with money. Okay to be righteous with money is the first step and that is Clear all your debts even if you can't clear it together all at one time little by little by little However, little you can pay it back. Don't ever think somebody's forgotten about your debt You don't have to pay it back second righteousness is if you have stolen from someone return it If you don't know where that person is put that money in the offering box Because you cannot use that that's not your righteously earned money If you have cheated some taxes if you paid back if you can't pay it back put it in the offering box That is being righteous And don't earn money illegally that is unrighteous Don't earn money in any cheating way not worth it. It's wrong for a christian. That is righteousness Okay, we have come to the level of righteousness above that is faithfulness. You can't be faithful before you're righteous It's like you can't go to university before you finish school. So school is being righteous then we go to university Which is faithfulness faithfulness is even if you have money, which is your own Righteously earned you don't owe anybody anything. You've cleared all your debts. You're perfectly righteous Yet you treat that money which you earn as not your own It is the lord's and you use it. I'm not saying you should put it all in the offering box No, keep it in your savings account save up money to build a house. Everything is fine But remember it is the lord you have a house it is the lord's and say lord I have I think of the house I live in and i've lived in before as this is a house which belongs to the lord He's allowed me to stay in it free of rent. That's the best way to look at your house Even if it's registered in your name say lord, this is a house. It belongs to you You allowed me to live in it free of rent. I'm very grateful and Everything I own I have to hold in an open palm You know, we have a tendency to Grab things. I want to grab this I'm not We get something in our hand and we possess it just like little children You put your finger into the hand of a little baby. It'll grab you. Have you noticed that into any baby's? Hand if you put your finger you catch it This grabbing spirit comes from babyhood and we grow up and we grab so many other things and we possess it and the lord says Give up that possessive spirit You can still have it but it's not grabbed i'm not grabbing it i'm holding it up It's it's god's. I won't hold it as mine. It is god's. I won't hold it I will keep it in an open palm. So everything you have you must keep in an open palm your house I'm, not saying put in the offering box. I'm not saying give it away to others But don't possess it as if it's yours that is faithfulness Lord, I want to be faithful and also you ask the lord. How shall I use it? Can you go on a vacation? Yeah, if you need this you and your family need a vacation say lord. I'd like to go on a vacation It's we've had a strenuous many months of work. God's not against it Even in the bible you read in one place and I think mark six or something the lord told his disciples We're all exhausted. Let's go somewhere and rest a while. It's like having a little vacation. There's nothing wrong in it So what what I mean is you don't feel that because you have money you can waste it That is faithfulness and that is the meaning here if you're faithful with wealth God will give you these three riches you become more like christ You'll be anointed with the holy spirit and you'll get revelation on the word of god Now the question is do you want those riches? If you're desperately eager to get it because the principle is you got a hunger and thirst So this is how jesus lived and god provided all his needs He never lacked anything. Nobody could touch him till his hour had come and god gave him His disciples see what he says here in John 17 the verse we read we read that just now if you remember he said I don't pray for the world john 17 and verse 9 Um But I pray for these disciples Listen to this. They were yours john 17 9. He's talking about the 11 disciples They were yours, but you gave them to me so he didn't go grabbing them The father Gave him some disciples 11 of them. That was the first church and There were 12 and one was a crook that can happen also in our churches today But the important thing is to see that if we are faithful in our life Anybody he lives in a town and nobody knows him He's not a great famous preacher or any such thing But he's seeking to honor god and he's seeking to be faithful and he says lord. I'm not such a gifted person I'm, not a famous person, but I have a great desire lord to that There'll be a testimony in this town or this city for your glory So, please if you can use me use me or use somebody else, but I want your name to be glorified here God will give you disciples Just like he gave jesus You won't even have to go looking for them. They'll come across your path You'll think it is accidental and it's not accidental god brought them to you And I can say that has been true of my life in the last 42 years God's given me brothers and sisters In so many countries in the world. I didn't go looking for them I didn't start a campaign to start cfc churches in the world. Never god opened doors And god gave me wholehearted people and also some like judas is carriot have fallen away that also I agree Paul had number of disciples that he had a co-worker called demas Very good co-worker you read about in colossians 4. Demas my co-worker But by the time you come to the end of paul's life in second timothy 4 Paul says demas has forsaken me because he loved this world. That means he loved money He realized that hanging around with paul. You can't make much money So he decided to pull out and launch out on his own and made a lot of money Okay, but he missed out on the experience that paul had but what i'm saying is even spiritual things God gives us not only money money is a small thing, but god will give you fellowship with people of like mind so that you can Build a fellowship because that's god's ultimate desire That's what god wants to do in different parts of the world. He wants a testimony for his name He doesn't say it should be a big one, but it must be a pure one. He wants to build homes Not just individual lives but homes that glorify god It's good to have a church fellowship where we love one another but god wants to build homes Do you know in the old testament? There was no emphasis on the on a godly home There's not a single verse in the back in the old testament about how a husband and wife should relate to each other No, the only thing it says is don't divorce your wife. That's all it says in the old testament But when you come to the new testament you read in ephesians 5 There are so many verses about love your wife like christ love the church Love your wife like you love your own body like you care for your body. You love your wife and Wives submit your husbands like christ is to the church in other words a home and then it says if you're a father Bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the lord and children obey your parents And in those days they had servants in their home and they said masters treat your servants Well such an emphasis on the home. Let me show you ephesians chapter 5 turn with me to ephesians in chapter 5 and verse 18 ephesians 5 and verse 18 Here we read don't get drunk with wine, but be filled with the holy spirit Okay, it's the only verse in the new testament where there's a command to be filled with the holy spirit in all of paul's letters This is the only place where he says be filled with the holy spirit and the meaning is continuously Be continuously filled with the holy spirit and then he goes on to say what the results will be Now many people today say if you're filled with the holy spirit, you'll speak in tongues I'm not against that gift, but that's not the mark Here is what the bible says when you're filled with the holy spirit a spirit of praise Will come into your life number one You will speak in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and singing making melody to the lord and you'll always be giving thanks verse 20 In everything to the lord. Jesus a spirit of thankfulness to god will come in your life When you're filled with the spirit, that is the number one mark of being filled with the spirit of the day of pentecost They were filled with the spirit a spirit of thankfulness came and that spirit of thankfulness came they spoke in tongues I tell people if you're not in not thanking god in the english language Why in the world should god give you another language to praise him? He's given you one language and you're not thanking him enough You're most of the time grumbling or complaining about this that and the other why should he give you the gift of tongues? English is more than enough and you don't even use that to thank him and praise him So what do we read in ephesians 5? They begin to praise god and another thing next thing is verse 21 is all the result of verse 18 They'll be subject to one another in the fear of christ That means we will you know, I told you earlier about the elbow the joint This is what it means to be subject to one another when this muscle pulls this top muscle heels When the top muscle pulls the bottom muscle yields if both are pulling the arm will be stiff So be subject to one another that's how our fingers also move one muscle is pulling the other muscle is yielding every joint is like that Even your knees one muscle is pulling the other muscle is yielding then the one straightens out the other muscle yields so be subject to one another means Yield to one another learn to respect one another There's a time when you have to yield to that person in a husband and wife relationship. It's not always one way It's not the husband sitting on top saying i'm the dictator. You better listen to me It's yielding to one another and that is the next thing which is a mark of a spiritual person and then Listen to this ephesians 5 22 onwards all the way up to chapter 6 and verse 9 is about the home the home So many verses about the home husband wife parents children servants masters that the spirit-filled life Is first of all to be manifested in your home It's not in big demonstrations in the church In your home in the way you live with each other in the way you bring up your children That's why the bible says if a man is not brought up his children properly He should never be an elder in the church And the way you live with your wife and the way you treat people who are junior to you We have to be firm with those who work under us in the office But we must be gracious. They're not to call them all types of bad names And then another mark of being filled with the holy spirit chapter 6 ephesians 6 verse 10 You will stand against satan in the strength of his might and having resisted the devil verse 11 You'll be able to stand and it says here in the last part of verse 13. I like that Having done everything you will stand firm You've overcome satan you resisted him and you're not falling down to the ground. You're standing erect This is the result of being filled with the holy spirit So if you want to know what is the result of being filled with the holy spirit when you go home Read ephesians 5 18 where the command to be filled with the spirit is and then read all the way down The chapter 6 verse 18 and you'll see the results of being filled with the holy spirit So this is what it means. This is how jesus lived. He resisted the devil the devil fled from him Jesus was always gracious. Don't you see how he treated the woman caught in adultery? We all wanted to stone her to death and jesus said I don't condemn you daughter. I don't condemn you Don't sin again what you did is serious. So i'm not saying you It's taken lightly. I forgive you, but don't sin again. There was a graciousness think of the samaritan woman We read in john chapter 4. She had five husbands. She was divorced five times How would you treat a woman who comes to your election who's being divorced five times? She was divorced five times I'm not saying I don't support divorce. I'm 100 against divorce in 42 years We have never had one single divorce in any of our churches still today because we preach against it I say if you want to divorce go somewhere else We don't permit it in this church But if a person is already divorced in his unconverted days and has now repented it's like a murderer who has repented Will we welcome him? Of course an adulterer who has repented will you welcome him? Of course, we won't allow a person to live in the church and commit adultery or murder or divorce But if they did it in their past, of course if they are forgiven and they accepted christ We receive them like god receives them. Jesus was gracious to people and that's the balance We need to have we stand for the truth, but we are gracious We will not compromise on the truth, but we are gracious to people who have made a mess of their life What we say to them is what jesus said to the woman caught in adultery. That's a great verse by the way I want to show it to you in john 8. It's a great verse. You must always remember john's gospel in chapter 8 Sometimes people ask me what do you preach in cfc? I say this is what we preach I'll tell you in two sentences john chapter 8 and verse 11 This is what jesus told the woman caught in adultery. He asked her has nobody condemned you verse 10 john 8 10 She said no one lord now listen to these two sentences never forget them number one I don't condemn you number two. Don't sin again people ask me. What is the message you preach in cfc? Here it is number one. I don't condemn you number two Don't sin again. You slip up get up your aim should be don't sin again That's the top of the mountain you want to get to don't get discouraged if you don't reach there overnight I want to get to the top a two-fold message in two sentences It must begin with I don't condemn you some people think that in cfc we only preach don't sin again. No, sir That's not our first message Because the world is full of people with condemnation they come to our church feeling condemned because they have made a mess of their life So the first thing we tell them is not don't sin again The first thing we preach to them is there is no condemnation in jesus christ. He has died for all your sins And you can be absolutely sure if you turn to him and repent it. He has blotted it all out And not only blotted it all out. He's justified you meaning he has made you Righteous That's where you start. No condemnation. You are made righteous then second message is Don't sin very important because sometimes in some cfc churches. They don't understand it properly They keep on preaching don't sin. Don't sin. Don't sin some newcomer comes and it's always don't sin Don't sin, don't sin, but the poor guy is living under condemnation I say there's a two-fold message in cfc a person must be 100 free from condemnation Never condemn yourself never get discouraged god is on your side. Jesus has died for all your sins. The devil's being defeated No condemnation at all. Have you been divorced five times? Have you repented and you've come now to the church? No condemnation god forgives you but don't sin again. Don't go and divorce again. That's the message in the church Have you murdered people fine? Have you repented god forgives you but don't sin again It's very important to remember this two-fold message that people who are newly come to the lord must Absolutely begin with don't condemn don't be condemned and then don't sin again So I see this is a wonderful way to live the way jesus lived. Okay. Now I read to you in conclusion 1 timothy chapter 3 And we close with this verse 1 timothy chapter 3 And verse 16 1 timothy 3 16. It says great is the mystery of godliness by common confession the word mystery means Please listen a secret that you can understand only if god gives you a revelation. It's not by academic study It's not like studying mathematics or science It's a mystery means a secret a divine secret which god can reveal to you only by divine revelation By the holy spirit the mystery of godliness is great. What is this great secret? Okay, it is Christ was revealed in the flesh and god was revealed in the flesh Now I want to read that in the living bible the living bible sometimes Highlights some verses in that paraphrase makes the meaning clear here It says he was revealed in the flesh was vindicated in the spirit seen by angels proclaimed in one nation So on now you'll understand it better when I read it in the living bible So let me read it to you in the living bible 1 timothy 3 16. Please listen carefully. It is quite true That the way to live a godly life is not easy. It's a mystery It's a secret the way to live a godly life is not easy But the answer lies in christ who came to earth as a man Where does the answer to live a godly life lie in christ who came to earth as a man and he was proved? Spotless and pure in his spirit and he's preached among the nations and accepted by men everywhere and received up to heaven So if you want to live a godly life, where is the secret? The answer lies in christ who came to earth as a man That means the way jesus lived on earth is the way god wants you and me to live That's why he gives us the same. Holy spirit that jesus had that what I learned from the idea is Jesus did not live on earth as god. He lived on earth as a man if he lived on earth as god I cannot follow him It's like an angel coming with wings and telling me to swim across the swimming go across the swimming pool I'll say hey listen, I don't have wings. I can't go across the swimming pool You get rid of your wings and be subject to gravity like I am Then jump into the pool and teach me how to swim. So jesus came as god and lived without sin I'll say lord. I can't follow you. I'm not god, but because he came as a man And hebrews 4 15 says he was tempted just like us That's another great verse Hebrews 4 15 he was tempted just like us and he did not sin. So when you're tempted next time Remember the answer lies in christ Who came to earth as a man If you don't know hebrews 4 15 You can remember it today He was tempted Exactly like you in every point and he did not sin That is a verse that liberated me. I told you john 17 23 liberated me. The other verse was hebrews 4 15 Jesus was tempted in all points not one or two points in all points Exactly as I am and did not sin and I said lord if you came to earth as a man And you're tempted like me and you didn't send that as possible for me, too So, you know when I was a young man and I understood these in my 30s And you know young men in their 30s can be tempted in so many ways particularly in their thoughts With their eyes and whenever I was tempted in those days, I would say like this lord jesus When you were in nazareth as a young man, you were also tempted just like i'm being tempted right now Please help me to react to this temptation exactly like you reacted in nazareth when you were on earth I want to go that way so many times it helped me different temptations when temptation to fear or anxiety or lust or anger lord jesus You were tempted exactly like i'm being tempted now When you were on earth in nazareth as a young man and you resisted I want to resist in the power of the holy spirit and the next verse 16 says we can go hebrews 4 16 It says you can come to the throne of grace and get the same grace to help you that jesus had Ask god to make this real in your life And I believe as it becomes real in your life your fellowship with one another the fellowship with your wife and husband And with one another in the church will become glorious And you'll become like a bright shining light for the lord in your little corner of australia God bless you all. Thank you for listening. Let's have a word of prayer flower heads in prayer Our father in heaven. Thank you for these two wonderful days of conference Pray that the lessons we have learned will remain with us forever It will result in better fellowship among us and a better building of the body and we pray once again lord In perth and sydney and brisbane and melbourne, we will bring into the church Not those who want to go to heaven But those who want to follow jesus on earth before going to heaven We want to take up the cross and follow you and we want to be a part of a testimony That shines as a bright light shining light in each of these towns There may be other places lord where you want to raise up a testimony for you in australia. Please do it This is your work that your name be glorified through every church in jesus name. We pray amen so Thank you for two lovely days. God bless you. God bless you all