Set The Lord Always Before You

In the beginning when we come to the Lord and you are new believers in Christ, what we need most of all is the deep assurance that Christ has forgiven us. So in a church there are people of various levels of growth. We hope there could be a new convert here, someone who was converted last week.

We hope that this church will always have new converts among our children and among visitors, those who are recently converted and who decided to be a part of our church. So the church is not like a school classroom where everybody sitting in the 10th grade is at a certain level and everybody sitting in the kindergarten is at the same level. So it's easy to speak to a class where everybody's at the same level, but in a church, there are people who are in the kindergarten and there are people who are graduates, spiritually speaking, I mean, who've been known the Lord deeply.

I don't mean the number of years because number of years does not necessarily mean spiritual growth. I found in most churches that sometimes people have been believers for many, many years. They are still in the kindergarten spiritually, but there are people at all levels.

So God's word in the church must seek to reach all these people at all levels, not necessarily in the same message, but over a period of time or a period of four or five months, we seek to reach every one of these people who are coming to the church so that nobody's left out. And even the children are growing up, so at different stages, they need to hear the truth of God's word. And in the beginning, when we come to the Lord, the most important thing, as I said, is to be absolutely sure that Christ has accepted you.

There must be not any doubt in your mind about that. And the great verse I've always shared with people is the verse that helped me when I was unsure of my salvation. And for anybody here, any child or anyone who's not sure of your salvation, and you've asked Jesus to come into your heart, I want to give you this verse, which I always give to people.

John chapter 6 and verse 37. Please remember it all your life. Jesus said, Hey, the one who comes to me, I'll never cast out.

A simple word, the one, the last part of verse 37, John 6, 37, the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. And I want to say to all of you new believers, young children, if you came to Jesus in a very simple way, and you asked the Lord Jesus to come into your heart, you can be 100% sure that he did not say no. He has received you, and you must believe that.

And as you believe it, it'll become more and more real in your life. The presence of Christ did not become very real in my life the day I believed it. But I believed it.

I said, Lord, I don't feel anything, but I believe you did not cast me out. So if you hang on to that word, because it is God's word, you'll find over a period of time, the presence of Christ becomes more and more real to you. And I believe this is the mark of spiritual growth, that the presence of Christ becomes more and more real to us as time goes on.

In the beginning, it's not so clear. You have to just believe the Lord's word is true. We live more on the assurance of his word, and his word is true, and you won't be disappointed.

But as I've grown in my own Christian life, I've discovered that it's not just the word. Beyond the word, the purpose of the word is to bring us into God's presence. And to be assured of his presence all the time is the way to be kept from sinning, because the first step is to be forgiven of our sin, and the next step is to be freed from sin.

So all of you who are sure that your sins are forgiven, that Christ died for you and your sins are forgiven, you must not stop there. You shouldn't be spending 20 years just having your sins forgiven, sinning and being forgiven, and sinning and being forgiven. That's how a lot of Christians live.

And many churches, they just encourage that, because they never press on to allow the Holy Spirit to make them more and more like Christ, which is to overcome. So all of you who have received Christ, and you're sure Christ has come into your heart, you must seek to press on to overcome. And just like in the school, you study one subject, and you do learn a little more in mathematics the next grade, and the next grade you study more in mathematics.

And it's exciting. It must be exactly like that in your Christian life. You must not remain at the same level like always, I know addition and subtraction, I know addition and subtraction.

Ten years after being in school, if all you know is addition and subtraction, I say either it's a pretty poor school, or you're not taking your studies seriously. And so anyone who's like that, either he's in a pathetic church, useless church, I would say, or you're not taking God's Word seriously. So we must progress and not just live.

We need forgiveness of sins till the end of our life, because you may slip up anytime. It's like saying, even after you learn to walk, you learn to walk in about one year. Most people in one year or a year and two months, they learn how to walk.

They're pretty steady on their feet. But even if you're a grown-up man, you can trip outside today. Falling can happen anytime.

But then you pick yourself up, you have learned to walk. So even though you learn to walk, you may fall. So even a Christian who has learned to overcome sin may at some time slip and fall.

But then he gets up immediately. So that's another thing we must learn, that as soon as you fall, you must get up immediately. That's what you do in the world.

If you trip on the road, you don't wait. You pick up immediately. A baby, when he falls, sits and cries and waits for somebody else to pick it up.

But grown-up people don't lie down there and cry. They get up. And it must be that in the Christian life.

As soon as you recognize you've slipped up, maybe in your thoughts, and there's so much opportunity to slip up nowadays in our thoughts, especially if you go to the Internet. The easiest way to slip up is go frequently to the Internet, and you'll slip up, slip up, slip up. You've got to be very careful in unnecessarily going to the Internet for things that don't concern you because you'll just open yourself to temptation.

Jesus told us to pray, lead us not into temptation. Don't go into Internet sites will lead you into temptation. You go to that site and say, Lord, lead me not into temptation, you're jumping into temptation.

Then if you fall, you've got yourself to blame. And I'll tell you, you keep falling like that in some of these Internet sites, after a while, it'll be almost impossible. Not impossible, but almost impossible for you to be free from sin, and you're bound for hell.

I've got to tell you that you're on your way to hell, because you can't play the fool with sin and expect God to just overlook it all when you come to the end of your life. Especially if you come to a church where you heard about sin. I've told people when I was in CFC Bangalore, I mean, if you're not serious about giving up sin, I said, don't come to this church.

Because you'll increase your judgment. You're hearing so much, so much, so much, so much, and you don't bother about it. It's serious.

So, if anybody's sitting here, and it's possible there are people sitting here like this, who are taking some sinful habit in your life lightly, please listen to my word today. It is serious. Just like you would avoid taking drugs, you know, these harmful drugs, which cocaine and fentanyl and all, you start taking that, you're going to ruin yourself.

Even if it gives you a little kick at that time, little pleasure. Sin is like that. Sin is like getting a kick out of some drug.

You got a little pleasure for a time. And then what happens? You see all these people who are drug addicts who are lying on the streets of San Francisco, and other people who take their lives and lose their jobs, and go through all types of things. Spiritually, that's what happens to a lot of people when they play the fool with sin.

You got to be very, very, very careful. I have to give you that warning, because it's possible for us to hear and hear, and then take some things lightly. The Bible says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Yeah, have you read that verse? Let me show you. There are some strong warnings in Scripture, and I want to show you some of them. Let me show you one of them.

In Hebrews 12, there's a warning given here saying, Hebrews 12, verse 25, don't refuse the one who's speaking from heaven, because those who refused when God spoke to them, that's the Old Testament people. If they were punished, how much less will you escape if you turn away from him who warns from heaven? This is written to believers. And it says, in that time, when Moses spoke to the Old Testament people, his voice shook the earth.

And now he says, I'm not only going to shake the earth, but heaven also. So we are getting a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Verse 28, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we offer God an acceptable service with reverence and fear.

All means a tremendous respect for God that we are hesitant to do or say anything that will hurt him, because our God is a consuming fire. Was that written to people who go to hell? No. Our God is a consuming fire is written in Hebrews to believers.

So I found in my life that one of the ways to overcome sin is to be aware of God's presence. You know, think of it physically. God wants us to be aware of the presence of Christ.

More and more. It's not there in the beginning. We should be.

When we receive Christ into our life, he's come to dwell in our hearts. But if you don't practice the presence of God, recognize that the Lord is here, if you don't develop that habit, it's very easy to go through life without even being aware of God's presence. If you are aware of Christ's presence, it'll keep you from sin like anything.

And one place to practice it is in church on Sunday. Because Jesus said, where two or three are gathered together, I'm in their midst. That's more than me alone.

I mean, we can work out our life such that we come to the place where even if you're alone, you're aware of God's presence all the time. But that takes a little while as a single Christian to be always aware that Christ is with me. But in the beginning, try to be aware of Christ's presence when you're in a gathering like this.

Many times I've said this, and I want to repeat it again. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I'm in the midst. You all know that verse.

I want to ask you an honest question. Give an honest answer to yourself. When you were singing today the praises, how many of you were aware that he was speaking to Jesus Christ here, who's in our midst? Be honest.

Were you talking to Christ who's in our midst? Or were you just liking the song and maybe shaking your head? You see how in a place where the Lord himself says I'm present, we can go through a whole church service singing a whole lot of songs and we just enjoy the song and we're not aware of Christ's presence. I want to encourage you to sing songs which are directed to Christ. That's what I do in my life, in my personal life, in my personal devotion, songs that are directed to Christ.

See, I'll tell you honestly, I've said this many times, I'm against a lot of these modern songs because they're not directing us to devotion to Christ. I don't want to be critical. I realize that babies need some help, but we're not to be babies all the time.

For example, that song we sang today, I Still Have Joy. It is a song filled with getting people to be pity for myself in spite of all the way people have treated me. I still have joy.

Please feel sorry for myself, but I still have joy. I never sing it. Now, if you want to sing it, if you're a baby, please continue singing it.

Babies have to feed on milk bottles, so I'm not telling you to get rid of the milk bottle. If you need that song and it helps you, please sing it all your life, but all I'm saying is try and grow up. So there may be some people who need it.

Oh, everybody's treating me so badly, but I still have joy. When I say I never want to sing a song where I feel sorry for myself because I don't feel sorry for myself. The more I feel sorry for myself, the more I will hinder my own growth.

I don't have to feel sorry for myself because I'm a child of God. I'm an heir of God's kingdom, and my sins are all forgiven. There's absolutely no need for anybody to feel sorry for me.

I'm triumphant in Christ. Even if you haven't got victory over all sin, you're in Christ. You're in Christ, the Son of God.

The Bible says you're seated in the heavenly places in Christ. Try and sing more of the songs that you'll sing in heaven. Will you sing in heaven, in spite of all the way people have treated me, I'll still have joy? You'll never sing that.

I'll tell you what they'll sing in heaven. Lord, you're worthy. You're worthy of all praise, and your attention will be concentrated on Christ.

And because we are in a sin-cursed earth, as we think of the awareness of Christ, we'll be aware of our own sin. And then, you know, for example, songs like we think of the purity and the holiness of Christ in the light of which I see my own sin. Like we sing, Ever when tempted, make me see your Lord beneath the olive's moon-pierced shade.

My God alone, outstretched and bruised and bleeding on the earth He made. That's thinking of Gethsemane. I would encourage you to frequently think of Gethsemane and Calvary.

My God alone, outstretched and bruised and bleeding on the earth He made. And make me feel it was my sin that made Him lie there like that, as though no other sins were there on Him except mine. And that my sin was to Him who bears the world a load that He could scarcely bear.

I sing songs like that many times. It increases my devotion to Christ. And songs of worship to Him.

Thou art worthy, O Lord. Because ultimately what we're going to enjoy in heaven for all eternity is the presence of the Lord. Get into the habit of developing the presence of living in the presence of God.

Because the greatest way to overcome sin is to be aware of God's presence, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And I believe the Holy Spirit makes us aware of Christ's presence. Think, for example, husbands and wives who are frequently having conflict.

You think singing a song which feels full of self-pity is going to help you overcome? No. If you can be aware that in your home, when you're talking to your husband or your wife, Jesus Christ is right there. It'll make a world of difference the way you speak to your wife or your home or to your husband.

24 hours of the day. That's the way to overcome sin in your home. That was my longing from the beginning, that I want to recognize the presence of Christ in my life, that I will never raise my voice at my wife, ever.

365 days of the year and 366 days in a leap year. Make that your goal. Because you're living in the presence of Christ and practice it in the church meeting.

When you sing, Lord, I want to sing to you. I want to worship you. You're here and I want to be aware you're here.

Even if some of the songs are exhorting one another, I want to be aware that you're here. Let me show you Hebrews 2. Who is the real song leader in our church meeting? There may be a human song leader. That is just an assistant.

But it says in Hebrews 2, the Lord says, Hebrews 2 and verse 11, He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one father. For which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren. He's talking about Jesus.

And listen to this. Jesus is saying, I will proclaim your name to my brothers and we are his brothers. And in the midst of this church congregation, I will sing your praise.

Do you know who is the song leader here really? Jesus Christ. Recognize him as the song leader who is leading the church in praise to the Father. That verse has been a tremendous help to me.

In the midst of the congregation of the church, Jesus is singing the praise of the Father and he's leading my praise. So there must be more praise in our life. More songs of praise to the Father and not inward looking.

There must be inward looking occasionally. But the more you look inward, you're going to be depressed. The best way to see our sin is by looking at Jesus.

When I look at Jesus, I'll see my sin. If I look inwardly, I'll get depressed. See Hebrews chapter 12.

In Hebrews chapter 12, we read that we have to run this race. How are we to run this race? Not looking inside ourselves. No.

Looking unto Jesus. How do we judge ourselves? Looking unto Jesus. When I look at Christ, I see my need.

That's how it is. We run this race, it says, fixing our eyes, verse 2. Looking away from everything else unto Jesus. That's the meaning of that word.

Looking away from everything else unto Jesus. Fixing our eyes on Jesus because there are so many things in the world that try to take our eyes away from him. Unto ourselves, when we get depressed, or self-pity, when we go to sing songs of self-pity, thinking about all the problems we are having.

Rubbish. Don't think of your problem. Think of a Christ who is triumphant and who's overcome and wants to lead you in his triumph.

That's how I seek to live. Fixing our eyes on Jesus because we look at him as one who endured a greater, more painful cross than any of you have ever had a cross in your life. Think of the cross Jesus bore.

I don't mean the final cross on Calvary. Jesus said, if you want to follow me, take your cross up every day and follow me. You know Luke 9.23. If any man will follow me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.

Now do you think he could have said that if he did not himself take up his cross daily? If Jesus did not take up his cross every day for 33 and a half years, he would be a hypocrite to tell me to take up my cross every day for 33 years. So think of Jesus. I must look at Jesus as one who took up his cross every day when he was a little child at home in dealing with his brothers and sisters who did not believe in him.

And all the people who teased him and irritated him at home and all the problems he faced throughout his life, he just took up his cross. That's the Jesus I follow. And that's what I'm encouraged.

I never feel sorry for myself. Self-pity must not be there in the life of a Christian. It may be there in your early days when you're a baby where you feel sorry for yourself, like little children sit down and cry, but you should be growing out of that.

If you've been a Christian for five or six years, brother, you should finish with self-pity. What are you feeling sorry for yourself? You're a child of God on your way to heaven. Christ is your savior, and you got an inheritance reserved for eternity.

And you're thinking of yourself, feeling sorry for yourself for what? God wants you to be a conqueror. Romans 8, 37 says, more than a conqueror. If we are not more than conquerors, just to say that we are preaching Christ coming in the flesh is just a lot of garbage.

Christ came in the flesh means he overcame. That's the great truth we preach in CFC churches, that Jesus was tempted like us and he did not sin. I remember all the years I was defeated by sin, the years when I thought I had to battle this, battle this.

And of course, Jesus was not like me. He was God, he could easily overcome. But a day came in my life, a little over 50 years ago, when I saw Jesus was tempted like me, and he did not sin.

That's the thing that changed my life. In fact, 1 Timothy 3, 16, says that is the secret of living a holy life. Did you know that? The secret of living a holy life.

Have you learned the secret? 1 Timothy 3 and verse 16. 1 Timothy 3, 16. Now, I really believe that many of you haven't seen it.

Some of you have been here for many years have not seen it. 1 Timothy 3, 16. By common confession, great is the mystery.

Mystery means a secret. You don't find mysteries in the Old Testament. The word mystery is a New Testament word.

It's a secret that you will not understand unless God reveals it to you. And he'll reveal it for those who are eager. For what? For godliness.

It's the secret of godliness. It's like these people who are in the business world, in the finance world, they'll say, here's a secret of making money in the stock market. And there are people who want to make money in the stock market, they go and study that.

Secret of making money in the stock market. Who goes there? Only those who are interested in that. So when it says secret of godliness, who will go there? Who will go to that? The person who is interested in godliness.

So when I read that, I said, Lord, I don't want to know the secret of how to make money in the stock market. I want to know how the secret of living a godly life. And it says here, the secret is Jesus came in the flesh.

Came just like me. But was proved pure in his spirit. Though he came in the flesh, he was pure in his spirit.

And even the angels could see that, it says. And this is the Christ we proclaim among the nations. And that we are inviting people in the world to believe.

So the way I saw it was, I would think in different situations, when I'm tempted, I say, Lord, you were tempted like that. When you were 18, 19 years old. What were you tempted with? What are 18, 19 year old people tempted with today? Young men.

You know. Jesus was tempted with that. And he didn't sin.

He turned his eyes away from temptation. Like he taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation. He would pray to this father and turn away from temptation.

He would run away from temptation. He would flee from temptation. And he would battle the power of the Holy Spirit and overcome.

That's how he overcame. Do you think Jesus went to sail through this world without any temptation? That's the lie I believed for many, many years after I was born again. That Jesus just sailed through this world because he was God.

I can't sail through this world. I've got to battle, battle, battle, battle. Until somebody once told me, and that's what began to open my eyes.

If Jesus sailed through this world and never overcame. And Zach, if you have fight and overcame and go to heaven, you'll stand in heaven as a greater conqueror than Jesus Christ. Because you'll be able to stand there and say, I conquered some temptation, Lord, but you never conquered anything.

Are you really going to be a greater conqueror than Christ when you stand in heaven? Think about it. Think about the logic of it. Let me show you Revelation 3, 21.

It's a very clear word here. Revelation 3 and verse 21. He who overcomes.

Remember, this is not spoken to unbelievers. It's not spoken to non-Christians. It's spoken to Christians, to the church in Laodicea.

The one who overcomes will sit with me on my throne as I also overcame. He says, I want you to overcome exactly as I overcame. And I'm set with my father on his throne.

If you overcome, you'll sit with me on my throne. So I see that very clearly. Jesus is inviting me to overcome just as he overcame.

He never had a wrong attitude towards anybody. And I want to be like that. Never have a wrong attitude towards anyone.

When we start out our Christian life, we're not like that. We're going to battle and battle and battle and battle until I just don't have a wrong attitude towards anyone. That's how it must be.

That if you look into my heart, I should have love towards everyone. I may disagree with, I disagree with thousands of people. I disagree with most Christians because they are compromisers.

I disagree with 90% of Christians. I disagree with 90% of churches. But I'm not in conflict with them.

I say, you go your way and I'll go my way. I see you don't believe scripture. You don't believe that Jesus was tempted like us.

You don't believe that sin will not have dominion over you. How can I believe that type of false teaching, which is only forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness? You know, most churches in the world, they just tell you, you can be forgiven. If you confess our sins, he'll forgive you.

So you live this endless cycle of sinning and being forgiven and sinning and being forgiven and sinning by being forgiven. I say, then Jesus is your forgiver, not your savior, because he hasn't saved you from any sin. He only keeps on forgiving you.

You must be honest and say, Jesus is not my savior. He's my forgiver. But I say, Jesus came to be our savior.

The first promise in the New Testament is Matthew 121. He will save his people from their sins. He will deliver them from their sins, which was not there in the Old Testament.

I want to say to you young people, from a young age, be gripped by this truth. Jesus can save you from all those wretched temptations that you are facing. He will save you.

You don't have to save yourself. Just like you did not die to get your sins forgiven. He did it for you.

He, through the Holy Spirit, will so strengthen you that you can overcome. We can't do it ourselves. I told you some time ago how we once had, I preached a message once in CFC Bangalore, where I got a whole lot of young chaps to stand with a zero in front of them.

It's on the Internet, being a zero before God. It's only about 10 minutes. But I told them, whatever ability you have, you may be this, this, and the other.

You're a zero before God. But when you put a one in front of it, Jesus is a one, you have value. I have to recognize I cannot do anything without Christ.

And I know the reason I did not have victory for many years in my life was because I was always struggling. I was thinking I could do it. And it took me many years for God to bring me down, down, down to the bottom and say, you're a zero.

You'll never make it. You tried so hard to make it, but you will not make it. And I know when God met with me when I realized I cannot make it.

So some of you are struggling, thinking you'll make it. I'll tell you, get quickly to the place where you realize you cannot make it. You are an absolute zero in God's eyes because God comes to help the zeros.

And I remember when God filled me with the Holy Spirit, it was a very real experience because it was after that that CFC was born. And I know from the results that came in the last 50 years, I know that it was a genuine filling of the Holy Spirit. It was not an emotional experience.

But I know when God met with me, it was when my life, when I was at a zero, at rock bottom, defeated in my thoughts, defeated, defeated, defeated. And I learned something there, that God does not give His Holy Spirit to those who deserve Him. God gives His Holy Spirit to those who are desperately needy and say, Lord, I cannot live without this.

So don't think you have to become spiritual to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You have to become a zero to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You have to come to the place where you say, Lord, I cannot make it.

I know with your words you say that, but I don't believe you're gripped in your heart with it. If you were gripped in your heart with it, God would have filled you with the Holy Spirit long ago. Even your children, young people, God wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit, but recognize I cannot live this Christian life on my own.

Lord, I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And as I said, once you're filled with the Holy Spirit, seek to develop a relationship with Jesus where you seek to be aware of His presence all the time. Begin your day like that.

This is how I begin my day. As soon as I wake up, before I get out of bed, I talk to my father. Before I get out of bed, I want to encourage you.

I wish somebody had taught me that habit as soon as I was born again 64 years ago, but nobody taught me. I had to learn some of these things myself. Most of the things in the Christian life I had to learn by myself, unfortunately.

But I can tell you, when you wake up in the morning, don't get out of bed. Can you stay five more minutes in bed after you wake up? Or longer if possible. Depends on how quickly you have to go to work or study or school or anything.

But at least spend five minutes and pray to your Father in Heaven. Call Him Dad if you're born again. If you're not born again, ask Christ to come into your heart.

When you're born again, you can call Him Dad. The Bible says in Romans 8.16, the Holy Spirit cries out from within us, Daddy. Is that in your Bible? Yes.

See Romans 8.16, the Holy Spirit cries out from within us, Abba. Unfortunately, they did not translate that word. Abba is a Hebrew word which means Daddy.

Abba, Father. Romans 8.16. That's why the Holy Spirit comes within us and cries out. And it took a long time for me to realize to be able to call God Dad.

Learn to call God your Dad or whatever is the most intimate name by which you call your earthly father. The Hebrews called them Abba. That's why that word is used in Hebrews, Romans 8.16. And I don't know why in the world the translators never translated it into English.

So whatever is the most intimate name you call your father by as a little boy, Abba, Abba, Dad, Daddy, whatever it is. That's what God wants you to call him if you're born again. Develop that habit from now.

I developed it very late because nobody taught me. You can have a jumpstart by hearing these things now. That's how you get intimate to God.

And I'll tell you one of the results of having the Lord's presence. You know that is one of the things that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, after telling people that Jesus died and rose again, what's the next thing he said? All these people came around on the day of Pentecost after they heard him speak in tongues and they were all amazed.

And you read in Acts chapter 2, Peter said, Men of Israel, let me tell you about Jesus. He did miracles and wonders, but according to the plan of God, Acts 2.23, Acts 2.23, he was nailed to a cross. He's preaching the gospel, but God raised him up because he could not be held in his power.

And then he says, let me tell you how Jesus lived on earth. This is what David says about Jesus. This is how Jesus lived on earth.

David says about Jesus, I saw the Lord, that means the Father, always in my presence. How did Jesus live? Always seeing my Father is here. Wherever he went, my Father is here, my Father is here.

And because he's at my right hand, to strengthen me, my Father is at my right hand, I will never be shaken. I will not sin. That was the secret of Jesus overcoming sin.

He always had the Father in front of him. I saw the Father always in my presence. This is what David is saying about Jesus.

Read verse 25 carefully. He's not only in front of me, but he's there to support me. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue is excited.

It's one thing to be just excited here with emotional stirring. A lot of singing in Christendom today is an emotional stirring. And some of these so-called great song leaders, I don't have much respect for them, who get up in there and stir everybody up emotionally.

It all wears out. A fellow goes out and they live in sin after that. This is not such emotional stirring.

My heart is glad and excited. And they overcome sin. It's quite a different thing when you're aware of God's presence.

I've set the Lord always before me. The Lord is always in my presence. Therefore, my heart is glad.

Seek to develop that. That's how Jesus lived. That's what Peter is saying to all the people.

This is how Jesus lived all his life. Then he was crucified. And one of the advantages of that we read in Psalm 16, which you've often heard me quote.

Psalm 16 and verse 11, middle of that verse. In your presence is fullness of joy. So that is how I test myself.

If there's any time in my life I find a lack of joy, I'm grumbling about something. Something around me and I'm complaining. I'm complaining about somebody.

Look at that guy. He's like that. Another person is like that.

I am not in God's presence. When you have a complaint against some brother or sister, I tell you I don't care who you are, my brother, however old you are spiritually, you are not in the presence of God. Because in his presence is fullness of joy.

Anyway, I found that. I have complaints against people if I'm not in God's presence. You ask yourself, do you have a complaint against your wife? Something she did or she didn't do? Something she was supposed to tell you and forgot to tell you? Do you believe God is sovereign that he can overrule that? Or do you have such a weak, helpless God who cannot even overrule some mistake like your wife forgot to tell you something, which is very important.

And you have a God who's so helpless that he can't even overrule some mistake like that. I have a God who can overrule any mistake that anybody does. Everything is going to work together for my good.

I live in that faith. And therefore, if I believe that everything is going to work for my good, supposing my wife forgets to tell me some very important message, one which I have to take action in the next half an hour, and she forgets to tell me, it will not disturb me. Because I believe God will make it work for my good that for some reason God did not want me to do it in the next half an hour.

Live by that faith, brother. You'll be an overcomer every day of your life, I guarantee. I'm telling you what I've proved.

And don't ever keep a grudge in your heart against any human being. No matter what they do, forgive them. Forgive them.

You heard me quote that verse in Matthew 12, where Jesus forgave people in the future. Matthew 12, 32. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man is forgiven right now.

When did he say that? Today there are people speaking against Jesus. In many parts of the world. Criticizing Jesus.

He's a false preacher and false teacher and all that. Do you know that they were forgiven 2,000 years ago? It's there. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man in the future is forgiven right now.

And the Lord told me, you do that. It's called future forgiveness. And so I decided to do that.

I say, Lord, right now I forgive everybody who ever does anything in the future to say against me or harm me. It's forgiven right now. So you can't surprise me tomorrow or next week saying somebody did something against me.

I say, I forgave them long ago. It is impossible for me to have an unforgiving attitude towards someone because I've already forgiven them before they ever did something. My brothers and sisters, you know that phrase in Romans 8 which says, more than a conqueror? That's how we are supposed to live this Christian life.

So I want to warn you seriously about the danger of backsliding. Think of a church like Ephesus. Ephesus was one of the finest churches.

How do I know that? You read all the letters which Paul writes. Corinthians. So many things wrong in that church.

Galatians. So many things wrong. The Philippians were pretty good.

But even there, there were two sisters who were quarreling. But Ephesians is a fantastic letter. Paul tells the Corinthians, there are many wonderful things I have to say about Christ, but I can't say them to you.

I can only say it to those who are mature. He said that to the Ephesians. In which letter does he speak about overcoming the devil? Take the whole armor of God.

Not to the Corinthians or Galatians or the Thessalonians. To Ephesians. Not only overcoming sin, but overcoming the devil.

They were one of the finest churches. And you know why? I'll tell you why. Please turn with me to Acts chapter.

I mean, these are lessons we must learn. Acts chapter 20. When Paul was leaving Ephesus, it says here, he went to Miletus in Acts 20 verse 17.

And from Miletus, he called for the elders of the church in Ephesus. And this is what he said to them. You know, you watched my life from the first day I set foot in Asia.

How I served the Lord with humility and all. And what did I preach to you? Verse 21. Seriously preaching repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Two things. What God has joined, let no man separate. Repentance and faith.

Repentance and faith. Very, very important. We have to repent till the end of our life.

Because till we become like Christ, there's something unchrist-like in us. The only person who says I don't need to repent is the one who says I've already become fully like Christ. That will only happen when Christ comes again.

In heaven, I will not be repenting. But as long as I live on this earth, every day I have to repent. If I'm walking in the light with God.

Because God will show me something which is unchrist-like in my life today. And as I battle it, and I fight it, and I repent of it, I'll overcome it. And then God will show me something else.

Little by little by little. It's like going from 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade. We go all the way to college and PhD and postdoctoral.

That's how we are supposed to grow. Getting more and more light on ourselves. So there's a constant need for repentance and a constant need that our faith will grow in Christ.

And how did this happen? Paul says, I did not hesitate to declare to you. Verse 27. The whole purpose of God.

So he must have told them how Jesus overcame sin. That is the whole purpose of God. He said, I did not shrink.

I not only preached repentance and faith. Verse 21. Verse 27.

I declared to you the whole purpose of God. The full circle. All seven colors of white.

The whole circle. I didn't leave out any part. I told you the whole thing.

And then he says, you know how I taught this to you? Listen to this. Verse 31. Be on the alert.

Remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not cease to admonish each one of you with tears. Paul sat. He was an apostle.

But he sat in that church in Ephesus for three years. And he preached every morning. And every evening.

The elders also got up once in a while and shared the word, I'm sure. But Paul the apostle preached every day for three years. And not just once.

He'd go there in the morning and preach to those who would come in the morning. And then he'd have a meeting in the evening. Every day.

Listen to this. Night and day for a period of three years. John Wesley used to do this.

He was a remarkable man. Very close to the apostle Paul. Planted churches, preached day and night.

I've heard that he used to get up early in the morning at 5 o'clock and ride on his horse and gather together before people went to work. People went to work at about 6 or 6.30. Before that, he'd get some people who would come and listen to him. Every day.

And then in the evening, he'd be meeting with another people who had finished work and come. That's how those early Methodist churches were built. Very different from today's Methodist churches.

So Paul was like that. Night and day, he sat and preached to these people. Think of that.

365 into 2 is 730 messages in one year. And he was there for three years. That means 2,000 sermons they heard from the apostle Paul.

No wonder the Ephesian church was so strong. But he warned them. He said, I'll tell you what will happen after I go.

Verse 29. After I go, wolves will come in. And they won't spare you.

They'll tear up this church. They'll destroy it. Because they won't be preaching holiness.

They won't be preaching fervent love. They will not be preaching humility. They will not be preaching taking up the cross.

And this church will be gone into all types of songs of self-pity. Like I still have joy even though people treat me badly and all that. No.

It will happen. And he says to the elders, if you elders don't watch out, I don't know how many elders are there. Maybe five or six.

From your own midst, some of you will arise to draw away disciples after them. I've seen that happen in different churches. Some elder begins to speak and become especially friendly with some people in the church to get a following for himself.

Beware of such an elder. Steer well clear of him. We're called to build the church, not to get disciples after ourselves.

Some people, see this, this is in the first century, with the Apostle Paul having preached there for three years, there were still people sitting there who were elders. He tells the elders, he's talking to the elders, remember, in verse 17. Some of you will draw disciples after you.

You're not drawing people to Christ. I've seen that happen. And I've also seen what happens to such elders in some churches I've seen in India like that, who tried to get a following for themselves.

Finally, the elders themselves fell away. That's what happened. And that's what happened to the Ephesian elder too.

Turn to the second letter to the Ephesians. Do you know where the second letter to the Ephesians is? You thought there was only one. One Corinthians, two Corinthians, one Thessalonians, two Thessalonians, one Ephesians, two Ephesians.

That is in Revelation chapter 2. In Revelation chapter 2, you find the second letter to the Ephesians. To the angel, to the leader of the church in Ephesus, write this. This is what the Lord is saying.

He's telling the elder. And this is probably one of the elders who was there when Paul spoke to him 30 years earlier. Imagine if there was some 35-year-old elder appointed by Paul.

30 years later, he's only 65. It's quite likely he was there. And the Lord is telling this man, this man who heard the apostle Paul, Paul warned him, one of you people will draw people after yourself.

So this man, the Lord says, I know your deeds. You're all very active. You're following the same doctrine, many things that are right.

But you have left your first love. Verse 4. You don't love me fervently as you did when you started out. That's gone.

Dear brothers and sisters, you know what that teaches me? That the most important thing in the Christian life is your fervent love for Christ. It's not how well you sing. It's not how regularly you come to the meeting, but a fervent love for Jesus Christ.

And that can only come if you understand how much Jesus loved you. We love him because he first loved us. You know that verse? We love him because he first loved us.

In other words, if you think his love was little, you love him little. If you think his love was very great, you love him more. That's why I've spent my life trying to meditate on the love of Jesus for me.

Right from the time I was converted and filled with the Spirit, I said, Lord, I want to know about your love for me because that will increase my love for you and it'll help me to forgive others who do wrong things. It'll help me to love others in spite of what they do to me or say against me, etc. So I want to encourage you, dear brothers, if you're serious about your Christian life and if you'll take to heart what I told you today and if you don't want to end up being backsliders like these Ephesians became, even though they listened to 2,000 sermons from Paul and they became backsliders, think of the love of Jesus for you and never lose your fervent love for Christ.

It doesn't matter if you don't know the Bible and you can't preach. Remain in a fervent love for Christ and however other brothers and sisters in this church may treat you, you remain in love for them. Don't let their bitterness or their wrong attitude towards you pour water on your fire.

Why should somebody quench your fire? One of the words that the Lord keeps challenging me with is Song of Solomon, chapter 8. Song of Solomon in chapter 8, it says, verse 7. Many waters cannot quench the love of God. Can you think of a fire which even a river cannot quench? Rivers cannot overflow it. Have you read this Song of Solomon 8, verse 7? Even a river cannot quench this fire.

Think of a fire burning. Many times people pour buckets of water and quench it. But here is such a fire, a river is coming through and the river gets dried up.

I've never heard of such a fire. A river coming through and the fire just dries up the whole river. The love of God is like that.

Don't let the waters of the world quench that love. God can put a fire in your heart that you can remain in fervent love for Christ, devotion to Him. Like I said in the morning, when you get up, speak words of devotion to Jesus Christ.

Say, Lord, I love you. I want to live for you today. I want to live in your presence.

This is how I begin every day of my life. If I have a longer time, I can spend one hour in my bed before I get up. But if I have a lesser time some days, even five minutes is enough.

But begin the day before you get out of bed, talking to your father and telling Jesus you want to love Him. You want to live in His presence throughout the day. You want to be free from sin and pray afresh to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is the way you must begin every day. Stop singing songs that you feel sorry for yourself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You're a king. You're a conqueror. You're to live as one who is more than triumphant.

Sing songs of triumph. Sing songs of worship to the Lord of how wonderful He is. And I believe it will change your life.

Because I've got too many depressed Christians in the world. Too many people are inward looking, inward looking, inward looking. Finish with that.

Look at Jesus. The Bible says, let us run the race looking unto Jesus. May God help us.

Amen.