Reacting as Jesus Did - Having Mercy on Others

So let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, as we bow before you, give us a word from heaven according to our need. We pray that our time will be spiritually edifying We will come one step closer to you at this time. Let your Holy Spirit have free course in our midst. Forgive us our sins. We commit ourselves to you and everyone who's listening in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, I want to read a very important verse in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5. It's not a verse that we often think about. We think about many sins like anger, sexual lust, and things like that. But here is a sin mentioned in Matthew 5, verse 7. It's actually a quality of Christ that we should have. And the opposite of that is sin. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Now, until the end of our lives, we need to receive mercy from God. Because the Bible says that we will become like Christ only when he comes. And none of us will even imagine that we have become fully like Christ. If we really understand the holiness of God, however holy we think we are, is actually only about 1% of God's holiness. However much we may progress, there's still a long way to go to become like Jesus Christ. However much we may progress, there's still a long way to go to become like Jesus Christ. Perhaps we have overcome the sin that is before us, that is clear to us. But there's a lot of unconscious sin in all of us that we are not aware of. Very clearly. And we need mercy for that. Let me turn to 1 John chapter 1. The purpose with which John wrote this letter is mentioned in verse 3. That we can have fellowship with God, our Father, and with one another. So keep that in mind whenever you read 1 John. If you want fellowship with God and fellowship with your fellow believers, there's a lot of things in 1 John that we have to obey. And believe also. So, here's something I want to show you. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 Now we can only confess what we know. 1 John 1:9 If there is some unconscious sin in me that I don't know, I cannot confess it. Sometimes we think we are doing right and we may not be doing right. Sometimes we think we are doing right and we may not be doing right. For example, when someone has done something wrong and we talk about it. What we may say about that person is true that he has done something wrong. He did that wrong thing and you're speaking about it. But the question is, are you supposed to speak about it? Because the devil also speaks about it. Because the devil also speaks about it. Revelation 12:10 He accuses the believers day and night. He accuses the believers day and night. Because he is also called the accuser, the brother. He does that 24 hours a day. So he doesn't waste his time with little things like internet connections. He is busy accusing believers day and night before God. When you speak, when you say so and so has done something wrong. There are times when there may be need to say it. Even in a church, we read that people complain to the Apostle Paul about problems in Corinth. And so he wrote a whole letter to the Corinthians to answer that. But we have to be careful about what we speak about others. Because we have to ask ourselves, am I joining hands with Satan in accusing believers? Or am I being prompted by the Holy Spirit to correct some error? Jesus spoke very strongly against the Pharisees. But that was not in the spirit of accusation. It is in the spirit of correction. And the proof of it was that he died for the sins of those Pharisees. But very often, when we speak evil about somebody else, we are not willing to die for that person's sins. So we have to be very careful here. Always we need to ask ourselves, is the Lord prompting me to make that correction of that person and to speak about that person? Always because I am personally angry and upset with that person for hurting me in some way. All of us in our life have experienced other people hurting us in some way or the other. There is not a human being in the world who has not been hurt by somebody else. And we have to follow the example of Jesus. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 2. In verse 21. You have been called for this purpose. Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example to follow in his steps. Now when we read Christ suffered for us, we immediately think of the cross where he was crucified. But this is not speaking about that suffering. One simple principle of Bible study is always read a verse in its context. Don't take a verse out of its context and think of it by itself. And read the verses before and after. It is true that Christ suffered for us on the cross. That is mentioned in verse 24. But there is another suffering mentioned in verse 23. Before he suffered on the cross. And that is when he was in Pilate's court and the high priest's court. That he was reviled. And people made all types of false accusations against him. That is also a form of suffering. When people speak evil about you and tell false stories about you. That type of suffering we all face. It is unlikely that any of us will die on a cross. But here is where we have to follow Jesus. It says here, verse 21, Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in his steps. In which suffering do we have to follow in his steps? Not his death on the cross, mentioned in verse 24, because none of us are ever going to do that. But there is another suffering mentioned in verse 23, which we may face very often. And that is being reviled, spoken evil about. Or when you are falsely accused about something you never did. And that is a suffering when somebody tells stories about you which are totally untrue. And the world is full of evil people who are very eager to say something bad about others. We are surrounded by such people. Especially if we seek to live for Christ. I have been in full time Christian work for 56 years. I am sure I have been a target of Satan all these years. Because he hates all those who are serving the Lord. And he hates even more those who preach victory over sin. And he hates those who seek to be an example in money matters that they don't take any money for their service. He is quite happy with the preachers who beg for money. But he doesn't like those who stand up for the standards that Jesus and Paul stood for. I know I have been a target of Satan all these years. But he does not attack me directly. It is always through human beings. What should be my attitude towards them? In my early Christian life when I did not have light. I thought I must defend myself. But as God gave me light. I discovered that is not what I have to do. I say when people speak against me I have to follow 1 Peter 2 verse 23. Read that carefully. When Jesus was reviled he did not revile in return. And when suffering from all those people ill treating him just before he went to the cross. He did not threaten them it says. He did not say wait and see what my father will do to you one day in judgment. If he had said that that would have been correct because God is going to judge all those who killed Jesus and hurt him. But that is not what he said. He said father forgive them they don't even know what they are doing. I thought about that statement which he spoke on the cross. Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing. And I thought is it possible that a person does not know what they are doing when they are killing a person in such a cruel way on the cross. Of course they knew how bad it is to go and kill somebody like that and they knew all their accusations were false. But what Jesus was saying was they don't know who this person is whom they are crucifying. They don't know this is the son of God. Father forgive them they don't know what they are doing. And you are a child of God too. When people accuse you they don't know they are speaking against one of God's children. And that is a very serious thing. Let me show you a verse in the book of Zachariah. In Zachariah chapter 2. And verse 8. The Lord says thus says the Lord of hosts. Verse 8 this is what the Lord of hosts says. What is he saying? The last part of that verse. Do you know that the apple of our eye is the most sensitive part of our body? If you touch any other part of your body you don't feel pain. If you touch the center of your eye just touch it you feel a pain. Don't try it. But that is the most painful part of the body. And God says to his children. You are the apple of my eye. What a wonderful thing God says. Anybody who touches you God says is touching the apple of my eye. Now if somebody touches the apple of my eye. I don't even have to think. Immediately my hand goes up to push him away. I don't ask somebody else to do it. I do it myself. So when God touches the apple of his eye who is going to push away that person? God himself. So that is what Jesus did. Come back to 1 Peter chapter 2. Jesus was certainly the apple of the father's eye. And they kept on hurting him. All the Pharisees and the accusers and the Roman soldiers. And Jesus did not push them away. It says in 1 Peter 2:23. He kept quiet. He did not open his mouth. He did not revile in return. It says in 1 Peter 2:23. But what did he do? He says in 1 Peter 2:23. There is one person God who judges righteously. So he kept entrusting himself to his father. What does that phrase mean? The last part of verse 23. He kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. He didn't do it just once. He kept on doing it. That means each time somebody said something about him false. Jesus inwardly said. Father you deal with that. I will keep quiet. Not in an audible voice but quietly in his heart. And he didn't do it just once. He kept on doing it. They were keeping on accusing him. And it says in verse 21. You have to follow in his steps. Jesus never asks us to do anything he himself did not do. God sent him to earth. Not only to die for our sins. God sent his son to the earth. To be an example for us to follow. That is what most Christians do not preach. And that is where CFC churches stand distinct from almost all the other churches in the world. We preach that Christ died for our sins. But we also preach that before he died he lived for 33 and a half years to be an example for us. So that is more important for us. Because we have already come to faith that he died for our sins and our sins are forgiven. But if you don't see him as an example for 33 and a half years you will never live an overcoming life. Why is it that the testimony of Christians and even of preachers all over the world is so pathetic? There are preachers who commit adultery. There are preachers who keep on begging for money. Christians who fight with other Christians. Where did they learn all that from? And how are they so bold to do it? Because they say Christ died for our sins. All we have to do is confess our sins and we are forgiven. They have only one message. Christ died for our sins. I also believe that. It is written here in verse 24. He bore all my sins in his body on the cross and I thank God for that. But he not only forgave my sins. In verse 24 it says he died on the cross so that I might die to sin and live in righteousness for the rest of my life. So when it says here bear all my sins in his body and I thank God for that. By his wounds we have been healed. It is not talking about physical healing. It is talking about spiritual healing. Healing from my sinful way of life. That is an old testament quotation from Isaiah 53 that by his stripes we are healed. And many Pentecostals and others teach that that means you don't have to get sick. Jesus has died for your healing. But it doesn't work in everybody's life. I believe we should pray when we are sick. I always do that. I will tell you what I pray when I am sick. Or any type of sickness. I do what Paul did when he had a thorn in the flesh. When you get time read 2 Corinthians 12. He had a sickness. And God gave it to him. Not God. The devil gave it. But God allowed it. Sometimes God allows the devil to do something to us. That is written in the first book of the Bible. And by the way the first book of the Bible is not Genesis. It is Job. Genesis is written by Moses. 500 years after Job wrote the book of Job. So in the first book of the Bible we read God allowed Satan to attack Job. God allowed Satan to kill Job's children and to make Job sick. But Job was living even before the old covenant. So he did not know how to react. He reacted alright in chapter 1 and chapter 2. But after that he was complaining all the way up to chapter 40. Finally thank God he repented in verse chapter 42. And then he says in chapter 40 and chapter 42 I keep my hand on my mouth. But in the new covenant when God allowed Satan to attack Paul with a sickness he does not react like Job did. He turned to 2 Corinthians 12. Turn to 2 Corinthians 12. He says there how he was taken up to heaven and had great revelations. Verse 4. And because there was a great temptation for him to become proud because of all those revelations. And because there was a great temptation for him to become proud because of all those revelations. God had to do something to keep him humble. How did God humble Paul? He allowed Satan to give him a sickness. Exactly like Job. See verse 7. Because of all these revelations to keep me from exalting myself there was given me a thorn in the flesh. And that thorn in the flesh is called here a messenger of Satan to torment me. I don't know how it is in German. In English the word torment means a very strong word torment. It's the same word that Jesus said about the rich man who went to hell. He was tormented in hell. In English it is a little bit closer to what is written in Luke. God allowed Satan to torment Paul with a sickness. It's very clear. A messenger of Satan. God allowed Satan to make people hit Jesus and whip him and kill him. God does allow Satan to afflict his servants. But that will show the glory of God through his servants. They react in the right way. So it says here that he prayed three times verse 8 Lord heal me, heal me, heal me. And each time God said no, no, no. I will not heal you. But I will give you something better than healing. I'll give you my grace. Verse 9. Verse 9. Now dear brothers and sisters tell me which is better physical healing or the grace of God? I have no doubt. Definitely the grace of God is million times greater than physical healing. So once he heard that Paul stopped praying. See in the middle of verse 9. He says I'm so glad now. I happily accept this. Because now verse 9 the power of Christ is dwelling in me. That is the one verse in the Bible that teaches God's grace is his power. There is no verse that makes it so clear as this verse. See the first part of it. My grace is sufficient for you God says. The last part of that verse says his power is dwelling in me. And when we are under grace sin cannot rule over us. Paul was more interested in being free from sin than in being free from sickness. It's perfectly right to pray that we will be healed when we are sick. But we need to ask ourselves whether we are more eager to be free from sin. Because sin does more damage to us than sickness. So this is what I do from this passage what I've learned to do when I'm sick. I'm 82 now and I've almost never been seriously sick in my whole life. But small little things fevers and things like that come like other people. And what I do is this. I say Lord I want you to heal me. And if it is not your will to heal me then give me grace. One of the two. Healing or grace. And in this particular situation if grace is better for me than healing I take it. I don't want the healing I want the grace. Pray like that every time you're sick. I'm not saying don't pray for healing. Or pray for healing here. We should also pray. And he prayed three times. I'm willing to pray 300 times. But I will always say Lord you choose in this situation whether grace or healing is better for me. And I will 100 percent accept your decision. Maybe you want me to live with this sickness so that I am humble. What I'm trying to say is that the devil can never overcome us in any situation. It's impossible. But we must be willing like Jesus to submit to whatever God allows. When other people revive me I must keep my mouth shut. See this promise of God in Isaiah chapter 54. I don't know how many of you have the habit of reading the Old Testament. Many Christians read only the New Testament. Do you know that the Old Testament is three quarters of your Bible? We are not under the Old Covenant but the Old Testament is the Bible. So I read the Old Testament because there are some wonderful promises there for me. Here is one of those wonderful promises. Isaiah 54 verse 17. Can you get a better promise than this? When people try to hurt you? With words or physically? Or if they cheat you financially? No weapon formed against you will prosper. Isaiah 54 verse 17. Okay, let's go slowly. No weapon formed against you will prosper. I don't believe that a man can even shoot me with a gun if it's not God's will. If somebody tries it it will miss hitting me because if it is not God's will. Because I believe God's promise no weapon formed against you will ever prosper. But when it is God's time then it is different. Nobody could kill Jesus before his 33 and a half years was over. Nobody could kill Paul until his 67 years were over. Nobody could kill the Apostle John until his 95 years were over. But John's brother the Apostle James had killed him when he was 30 years old. So God has a different time for everyone. But until that time comes nothing will happen to you. You can be sure of that. But no weapon formed against you will prosper. And every tongue that accuses you in judgment will be condemned. This is the inheritance of all the servants of the Lord. So serve the Lord and that will be your inheritance. And the last part God says I will vindicate them. They don't have to justify themselves or fight for themselves. Jesus read the Old Testament and he believed that was true for him. And it can be true for you if you say Lord I want to live for you. I want to serve you. You don't have to be in full time Christian work like me. Every part of this body is a servant of the head. Every child of God is a servant of Christ the head. If you are a believer you are a servant of God. And it says here this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. So Jesus said I'm not going to say anything when these people accuse me. Father that is your job. When Satan accuses me God will defend me. Because Jesus is praying for me 24 hours. The devil is accusing me 24 hours a day. You read that 24 hours Revelation 12 10 day and night. But there is something else going on in the heavenlies day and night. In Hebrews 7 verse 25 Hebrews 7 verse 25 Jesus is praying for us always and always means 24 hours day and night. So there are two ministries going on in the heaven. Somebody accusing me 24 hours and Jesus praying for me 24 hours. So I don't have to fight back against those who accuse me. Jesus is called the advocate the lawyer. You know when in a court your lawyer fights for you. You don't have to fight for yourself. I have a lawyer in heaven fighting for me. Let the whole world accuse me. And the devil and all his demons. I will keep quiet. Who are the ones who open their mouth and defend themselves? I'll tell you those who don't have a lawyer. When you defend yourself you are saying no no no I don't want Jesus to defend me. I'll defend myself. Supposing in an earthly court somebody is taking a very serious case against you. And the best lawyer in your city comes and says to you I'll defend you free of charge. You'd be quite a fool to say no I'll defend myself. That is what many believers are doing when they fight back against those who accuse them. Let me give you a bit of advice. When people accuse you keep your mouth shut. Let your lawyer defend you. Jesus. 47 years ago when God met with me and filled me with the Holy Spirit that is when he started the first CFC church in Bangalore. One of the words the Lord told me very clearly was I want you to have power over Satan. Because when you build a church it is Satan who is attacking the church. You know that Jesus the first time he said in Matthew 16 18 that's the first time Jesus used the word church. Matthew 16 18 I will build my church he said. But Satan will attack it. Say again. Satan will attack the church. But he will not be able to overpower the church. You see the rest of that verse. The gates of hell will not be able to overpower it. So Jesus said I will build my church. Satan will attack it but he will not be able to overcome. And the Lord said to me I'm going to build my church through you. Satan will try to overcome it. He will not be able to overcome it. But you must keep your mouth shut. Don't fight with people. Fight with Satan not with people. He showed me that from Ephesians 6 and verse 12. Ephesians 6 12 Our struggle is not against human beings against flesh and blood. We are in the new covenant. Our struggle is against all the evil rulers and powers and the forces of the devil the spiritual forces of wickedness. In the old testament they fought against flesh and blood against human beings. Throughout the old testament even Abraham went and fought against some kings to deliver his nephew Lot. And David and all the others they fought the Midianites and the Philistines and the Ammonites and the Moabites, all of them. They kept on fighting. The whole old testament is full of people of Israel fighting with human beings. And then you come to the new testament you find Jesus never fighting with a human being. He tells us his disciples never fight with flesh and blood. Now look around at all the Christians in the world you have seen. Who are they fighting with? They fight with their mother-in-law their brothers their sisters they fight with their husbands, wives Christians all the time fighting with human beings. What is the result? They have no power to fight against Satan. That's what the Lord told me 47 years ago. Don't ever fight with human beings otherwise you will have no power against Satan. You make a choice. You use all your weapons to fight against human beings you will have nothing to fight with Satan. I decided 47 years ago I am not going to fight the Philistines or the Moabites or any of these people. It's no use talking about the new covenant and behaving like an old covenant person. A new covenant person does not fight with human beings. He will not fight with his wife or with her husband or with father-in-law, mother-in-law any in-law or with neighbors or with people who oppose his church or who people pick in the court I know when some religious people took me to court the Lord said love them So I loved them and I shook hands with them after the court was over. And I said may God forgive you. I am not preaching what I have not practiced. I am preaching what I have practiced. I will not fight with flesh and blood. Why? Because I am in the new covenant. Everybody who fights with another human being is back under the old covenant. So, in conclusion Now we come back to the verse I read in the beginning Matthew 5 and verse 7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy So what should be my attitude to people who fight with me or speak evil of me? Father, forgive them they don't know what they are doing. I remember once one brother came and told me Brother Zach, some people are doing so much speaking so much against me and doing so much harm to me I said have they crucified you yet? put you on a cross? He said no. I said then don't worry you have not gone as far as Jesus they did more to Jesus, they killed him. And when they killed him he said forgive them And you, they just do something very little to you and you can't forgive them? Forgive them. Be merciful. Because then, only then will God be merciful to you. We all need God's mercy till the last day of our life on earth. But let me tell you clearly according to Matthew 5,7 that mercy is not given to everybody. You think everybody who says Lord be merciful to me is going to get mercy? If that is true, then Jesus told a lie in Matthew 5,7 If that is true, then Jesus told a lie in Matthew 5,7 I am convinced that many believers are not merciful to others. There is one reason. They are not merciful to others. They don't forgive others. They are bitter against people. They wish evil to people. Look at the number of believers who hate their mother-in-law. Who hate other believers. They are fighting and arguing with believers all the time. And with their neighbors and others. They are not fighting the devil. They are fighting flesh and blood. What do they know about being merciful? Zero. It's not enough just to hear a good message. You have to practice it. I will pray something from today onwards. Lord, remind me of what I heard today. Don't let me be an empty hearer and not a doer of your word. Help me to be merciful to others just like you have been merciful to me. As a beautiful song in English which goes like that. Lord, help me be merciful to others just as you have been merciful to me. Hear me when I call. Help me lest I fall into the pit from which you set me free. Lord, I know it was your great mercy. Help me to see your salvation. So Lord, help me to be merciful to others just as you have been merciful to me. I will tell you my brothers and sisters. Even your physical health will improve when you start being merciful to others. So even if you don't love them at least do it for the sake of your own health. It's a wonderful life where you don't have a bitterness against a single human being in the world. There are many people who have done me harm in my life, spoken evil about me. I can say before God I don't wish any evil to any of them. I have forgiven all of them. You ask me, Brother Zach, do you remember what they did in your mind? You have no control over my memory. My memory, all those things are there. There's nothing wrong in having it in your memory but you forgive them. If you ask Jesus today, Lord, do you remember that they spat on your face and they whipped you and killed you? He doesn't say, no, no, no, I've forgotten all that. He remembers it very clearly. But you have forgiven them. Just because you remember something, don't be disturbed by that. Even 2,000 years after being killed, Jesus remembers that they killed him. Memory, there's nothing wrong in that. He forgave them and we can forgive people even though we remember what they did. I hope the message you heard today will bring a tremendous liberation in your life. I wanted to speak for one hour but it's gone on to nearly one and a half. I don't mind that if you have learned something. This is a very, very important message. The Lord has been stressing it in my heart. Tell others, tell others. It's very important for them to hear it. I'm praying very much, Lord, what shall I share with these brothers from Switzerland and Germany today? This is what the Lord laid on my heart. I never tell people, thus said the Lord. Today I will say, thus said the Lord. Be merciful to others as God has been merciful to you. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word that is always for our good. Your commands are always for the very best for us. For so many years we've been foolish in not obeying them. You always have our good in your mind. Help every one of us to be merciful to others. Remembering your great mercy to us. Thank you, Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.