Yielding Our Will To Live In The Spirit

As the blind man reaches out for his white cane in the morning, did you reach out for the Lord this morning when you got out of bed? Or was it your phone? Or was it something else? I just mention that to say how quickly we forget what we hear. And how eager Satan is to make us forget something that can change the course of our life. The Bible begins with the words, In the beginning, God. That's how it must be. Every day of our life. And if we have understood that, we have understood one of the most important things. So many Christians are eager to speak in tongues. Be more eager to begin the day with God. What has God prepared? Those who love Him. The most wonderful life that anyone lived on this earth. Was the life that Jesus lived. The most restful. Calm. Completely free from anxiety. Afraid of nobody, even when Pilate threatened him. Saying, don't you know I have power to crucify you. And Pilate was nervous. Jesus stood calm before him. And said, You have no power over me. Except what my father gives you. That word was such a help to me. Once when religious people took me to court. And they wanted the magistrate to write something against me. I said softly, you have no power over me. Except what my father gives. Nobody can touch you brother. If you walk as Jesus walked. Turn to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. Verse 6. The one who says he abides in Christ. Ought to walk in the same manner. As he walked. That's not like a burden. You can read that verse and say. Oh boy. You mean to say I have to walk by the same way Jesus walked. And by the standard he lived by. That's like. You know. Somebody forcing you to eat something which you don't like. Or forcing you to do what you don't like to do. It's a wrong way to look at that verse. You can look at it. Wow. Nobody can walk as Jesus walked on this earth. Boy. What an exciting thing that is. You can look at it in two ways. You can look at scripture in two ways. As you know the commands were a burden. The Old Testament law was a burden. People tried to keep it. And it was a burden, a burden, a burden. And Jesus said to such people. Come to me. Those who are burdened and heavy laden. How did they get burdened and heavy laden reading the word of God? Because they took them all as commands and heavy weights. That are put upon them. The Pharisees presented it like that. Jesus said you Pharisees put heavy burdens on other people. And a lot of sermons are preached in such a way. Which are heavy burden on other people. You must pay your tithe. Otherwise God will curse you. Or this thing, that thing, the other thing. Everything is a burden, a burden, a burden. And people struggle under that burden. And some keep it. And some are not able to keep it. And they feel condemned. That's not the way in the New Covenant. In the New Covenant. It's a possibility that the Lord is showing us. You can walk as Jesus walked. It's a possibility. Lord is it really true? Yes. I mean you will not give a command to your child. Which he cannot obey. Which good father. Will tell his child to do something he knows the child cannot do. Climb that 20 foot wall. You think the child can do that? And sometimes in our mind. When we read scripture. We unconsciously accuse God. We don't actually say it. But unconsciously accuse God saying. No it's not possible. Do everything without murmuring and complaining. Philippians 2, 14, 15. Oh. How can I do that? I thank God. I look at it as a wonderful possibility. And I look at it like that. It becomes fulfilled. I can honestly say. It's become true in my life. I do everything without murmuring and complaining. To the best of my knowledge. Thoughts come. Temptation. I reject them. I'm not saying you won't be tempted. You'll be tempted to murmur and complain till the end of your life. I'm saying the possibility is you can overcome it 100%. But like we heard yesterday. You don't jump up to the top class. You got to go first standard, second standard, third standard. You go slowly, slowly, slowly. But you can come there. God never gives us a command in the New Testament. Which we cannot obey. That's why in the Old Testament. The standard was so low. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't. Not don't tell a lie. But when you go to court. And you're swearing. Then don't tell a lie. Because otherwise it's impossible to tell people don't tell lies. But in the New Testament the command is don't tell lies. Your yes must be yes. Your no must be no. So all those things listed in Matthew chapter 5. Why is it Jesus never gave that as a command in the Old Testament? Because they couldn't obey it. They didn't have the Holy Spirit. They didn't know that God was a loving father. Everything was a burden, a burden, a burden. And my dear brothers and sisters. If you think of God's commands as a burden. You are under the Old Covenant. Then you must come to Jesus. Because he says come to me all of you who are burdened and heavy laden. Come to me. I'll give you rest. But we need to get revelation. Please turn with me to Matthew chapter 13. What has God prepared for those who love Him? The possibility that we can walk every day of our life as Jesus walked. Isn't that the most wonderful thing? That God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Holy Spirit. That we can be there and live like that. Matthew chapter 13. Here is an amazing thing. There are some amazing things that Jesus said. The disciples came and asked Him in verse 10. Matthew 13 verse 10. Why do you speak to them in parables? Now today. You know when we make an illustration. Like I often use illustrations. To illustrate some truth. And people always say. Oh brother Zach I could understand that better. When you made that illustration. That became more clear that truth. When you illustrated with an example. But see the answer Jesus gives. Why do you speak to them in parables? And I'll tell you. In a nutshell His answer is. So that people don't understand what I am saying. You mean to say Jesus speaks in such a way that some people don't understand? That's right. Read here. To you He tells His disciples. It has been granted. To know the mysteries of the kingdom. But to them it is not granted. Why is it not granted? Is it because they were not clever? Those Pharisees were ten times cleverer than Peter and James and John. Who were fishermen. These fishermen didn't finish high school. Those fellows were college graduates. Those Pharisees. But they could not understand. But these simple people could understand. To you. Because it is a gift. Because it is not something like science. Or mathematics. Which if you are clever you understand. If you are not so clever you don't understand. See the subjects in the world. Understanding depends entirely on cleverness. That's why some people come first in every class in school. Their intelligence level is high. Maybe they inherited from their parents. And the others who are intelligence level is low. And it's got nothing to do with believer or unbeliever. There are many believers whose intelligence level is low. There are unbelievers, atheists whose intelligence level is very high. They do very well in the world. The cleverest people in the world are not believers. They are atheists and agnostics and unbelievers. But the mysteries of God's kingdom are not understood by the mind. It is to be granted. To them it has not been granted. They can be very clever. They can read and read and read and they will not understand. They hear the parable of Jesus and they won't understand. Why do you speak to them in parables? So that they don't understand. And then he says in verse 12. Whoever has to him more will be given. Now this is the opposite of communism. Communism says you take away from what you have and give it to the people who don't have. But Jesus said if you have and the meaning is if God has shown you some truth and you obey it, more will be given to you. If you have something and you obey it, it becomes your possession. That means you hear a word and you obey it, it becomes yours. People have asked me, Brother Zak, can I preach your sermons? I say yes, if you obey it first. If you obey what you hear me preach from the word in your life faithfully, it becomes yours. Then you can speak it as your truth. You may have heard it from me first but it has become your truth because you obeyed it. That's the meaning of him who has. So until you obey, it is not yours. You don't have it, you have heard it. So when it says to him who has, the meaning is what he has heard has become his possession. How did it become his possession? He obeyed it. And if you possess something like that, you heard it and you obeyed it, it becomes yours, then more will be given to you. And then you obey that, more will be given to you. So that is the way we grow in the understanding of the Lord and his word. And you will never understand scripture if you don't obey what is told you. To him who hears, does it, it becomes his, he has it. Then more will be given. Then he obeys it, it becomes his again. He has more, more will be given. He will have an abundance. But him who does not have, that doesn't mean he doesn't hear, he hears but he doesn't obey. So it doesn't become his, he doesn't have it. Then even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him. So I speak to them in parables, verse 13, so that while seeing, they don't see. Hearing, they don't hear. Lord, and they don't understand. And you say, Lord, don't you want everybody to hear, understand clearly this wonderful truth you brought from heaven? No! The Lord says, I don't want everybody to understand what I'm saying. I want those who are humble to understand it. I want those who are poor in spirit. You know the Amplified Bible translates Matthew 5, verse 3, poor in spirit as, blessed are those who consider themselves insignificant. You know the meaning of consider yourself as insignificant? That means you sit among people and say, I'm the zero here. That fellow is 10, 5, 6, 3, 2, but I'm zero. That's the one who considers himself insignificant. That is poor in spirit. It says, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit is the master key that will open every door in the kingdom of heaven and make you rich and possess everything. They will understand everything. It will become their possession. So I speak to them in parables because they are not poor in spirit. They don't rate themselves as insignificant. They don't think they are zeros. Some of them think they are 100 or 50 or at least 25. But zero? No. Zero, that's those unlearned fishermen like Peter, James and John. They are the zeros. And when Jesus asked his disciples, who do people say that I am? The disciples said, maybe Jeremiah, maybe one of the prophets. Peter said, no, you are the son of God. And Jesus said, you are blessed Peter because you did not understand that with your cleverness. You didn't finish high school. Those college graduates could not understand. How do you understand it? It was given to you by revelation from my father in heaven. I praise God for that word. Revelation is a New Testament word. Understanding is an Old Testament word. You can read the word of God and understand it. You may not have revelation. But when you get revelation, it will change your life. I'll tell you a simple example. Jesus said in Luke 16 and verse 13, no one can love God and money. Understood it? Yes. It won't be true in your life. People have heard it in CFC for 43 years. It has not changed their lives. They still love money. But when it becomes revelation to someone, he stops loving money. He has, he may have plenty of it, but he doesn't love any of it. He loves God. And when he loves God, he understands so many truths in scripture, which other people don't understand. That's just one example. You can understand and not get revelation. So what are the things God has prepared for those who love him? Everything is by revelation. You can sit through this whole conference and understand a lot of things. And none of it will be real in your life. And next year you'll be at the same level. Because you don't rate yourself as a zero. And you're trying to understand with your mind. And you can be like the Pharisees. Then it'll be written in verse 14, as it says, this verse is fulfilled, you'll keep on hearing, but you won't understand. You know the number of people I have met who have sat in CFC for 40 years and more, who keep on hearing and they don't understand. How do I know they don't understand? I look at their lives. Some of them minister the word and I see the result of their ministry. Shallow. Empty. Nothing is accomplished. There are elders in different churches who preach, nothing is accomplished. I don't mean numbers. I'm talking about making disciples. If you compare this church with Jesus' church, Jesus' church was only 11 people. And you say, what? Only 11 people in your church? And Jesus says, only 11, yeah. Oh, we've got 500, oh ha. Jesus had 11 with which he turned the world upside down for 2000 years. And with a lot of churches which have got 20,000, 30,000, they don't accomplish anything in terms of the kingdom of darkness. They don't overturn the kingdom of darkness. They can build big buildings. So, it's very important. You'll keep on hearing, but you won't understand. Verse 14, you'll keep on seeing, but you won't perceive. Because the heart of these people has become dull. There is something God has told them and they don't obey. Then they can keep on hearing what God has prepared for those who love him and their notebooks are full of it. No revelation. They have closed their eyes, their ears, because if they understand, I would heal them, but they don't understand. But Jesus said to these unlearned disciples, blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear. Because many prophets and righteous men in the olden days wanted to see what you see. Old covenant people, they longed to see what you see and did not see it and hear what you hear, did not hear it. Do you know that Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah longed to understand the things that you are hearing and do you think you have understood better than Zechariah and Jeremiah and Isaiah? No. If it has become life in you, John the Baptist was more free from the love of money than the vast majority of Christians. How can you say he didn't understand anything? A lot of things he didn't understand. We can glory in the new covenant, but compare yourself with some of these old covenant people. In what way are you better than them? Elijah was such a fearless man, he was not afraid of 850 false prophets standing against him. Fearless. Are you better than him? So it's good for us to humble ourselves and not imagine that because we have heard so much about the new covenant, we have understood we are in danger of missing what God has prepared for those who love him. We need revelation, brothers and sisters, we need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. And there is a verse in the Old Testament which says in Psalm 25, Psalm 25 and verse 14, mystery is a secret of God. The word mystery in the new covenant means a secret. And you don't tell your secrets to everybody. Secrets are whispered in the ear. There are other things but some things are secrets. Forgiveness of sins is not a secret. It's proclaimed openly. But to be a godly person, that's a secret. 1 Timothy 3.16 is called the mystery of godliness. And not everybody can understand it. Because the secret of the Lord, he whispers into the ears of those who fear him. And it is only to them that he will show his new covenant. So to whom does God show his new covenant? And to whom does God whisper his secrets? Those who reverentially fear him. Those who have a tremendous reverence for God. And who, not who are afraid that God will punish them, but who have such a respect for God that they honor him as God. That when God says something, whatever it is, whatever the price, whatever the cost, they will obey. And I'll give you a classic example of that from the Old Testament. See, fear of God is something which I feel that many Christians haven't got. Do you know why the early apostles could understand the grace of God clearly when they were filled with the Holy Spirit? Because for 30 years they had never heard it, but their parents had taught them the fear of God. That's all that the Jewish people knew. Fear God, fear God, fear God. And here's a person, 30 years he grew up in the fear of God. And you know, Paul said, all my life I have lived with a good conscience. How did he live all his life with a good conscience? Because he feared God. He kept the commandments. So here were people who kept whatever they knew, which was the Ten Commandments. And they feared God and they grew up. And then one day they heard about the grace of God. So the grace of God became something precious and they understood it properly. Today's Christians have come from non-Christian religions or unconverted so-called Christian families. Learned nothing of the fear of God. They've lived wayward, sinful lives. No fear of God. And then one day all of a sudden they hear about the grace of God. And they misunderstand it. Those disciples, early disciples didn't misunderstand it because they knew this grace of God is built on top of the fear of God. Whereas today's Christians the grace of God is built on nothing. And that's why they live in greater sin than those Old Testament people. The average Christian that I know, not only the average, 95% of Christians I've met, they live more sinful than the Old Testament godly people. And the reason is they've not grown up in the fear of God. It's like going to college because you have not gone to the educated subjects in science and physics and chemistry. And here's a fellow who cannot read ABC, trying to understand it. Can you imagine the confusion of somebody who's never been to school, going to college? That is the condition of many Christians. Whereas the early disciples, they went through school, fear of God, fear of God, fear of God, fear of God, fear of God. And one day they heard about the grace of God. So if you've not got a foundation of the fear of God in your life, you cannot understand the grace of God. You'll understand it in your head. But the reality of sin will not rule over you because you are under grace. That will not be true in your life. And if some of you are wondering, why is it I've understood this truth so clearly in my mind but sin is still ruling over me? Because the secrets of the mysteries of God are revealed to those who fear him, who reverence him. So here is the first place in the Bible, the very first place in the Bible, where God himself certifies, God certifies, I know you fear me. Genesis 22, God says to Abraham, he gives a certificate when God called him to offer up his son. The Lord said to him, now I know, verse 12, the middle of verse 12, now I know that you fear God. In the Bible, that's the first time that we read of God telling a man, now I know that you fear me. When you read that, do you have this longing that comes into my heart? Lord, I want you to say that about me. I want you to say about me, now I know that you fear God. Do you find such a longing in your heart when you read a verse like that? A burning longing, oh God, my father, I want you to say that about me, now I know that you fear God. So many people in my church think I'm such a godly man. What does it matter? Fit for the trash can. I want God to say, now I know that you fear me. That's the only opinion that matters. I wish all of you young people will realize it when you're young. The only opinion that matters is God's opinion. The second best opinion is the opinion of a really godly man. You know, there are people who have heard me say, I'll tell you an example of how people misquote me. There are many examples, here is one of them. People have heard me say, the opinions of men are fit for the trash can. And so they say, oh, what does it matter who says it? It's fit for the trash can. And when I have said something to someone to correct them, they have said to others, oh, that's Brother Zach's opinion, throw it in the trash can. Fine. And they say, well, his opinion doesn't disturb me. I'm happy, I rejoice in the Lord, even though Brother Zach thinks I'm rebellious and I'm in sin. No, it doesn't disturb me. I'm rejoicing in the Lord. Like the Bible says, rejoice always. Think of the elder to whom John the Apostle sent a message saying, you have a name that you're alive but you're dead. And he says, no, no, no, John said, I threw it in the trash can. I'm rejoicing in the Lord. Let John think whatever he likes about me. I'm rejoicing in the Lord all the time. And people are fooled by that. That guy should repent in brokenness before God if John said that about him. But he foolishly thinks rejoice always and tries to show, oh, I've overcome all those corrections of my elders and all that. Stupidity. The height of stupidity. Or John tells another elder, you're wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. The elder in Laodicea. And the elder says, oh, I throw it in the trash can. I rejoice in the Lord always. I'm perfectly happy. And there are people who are fooled when that guy should be repenting in brokenness before the Lord and say, you don't throw John the Apostle's opinion in the trash can. Sorry. That's what I mean by misquoting Scripture. Or misquoting what I say. God's opinion is what matters the most. Next is the opinion of anyone whom God has approved of. I look at it like this. If the Apostle Paul told me, Zach, I think you're a bit worldly. Or, Zach, I think you love money. You think I'd throw that in the trash can? I'd tell you honestly before God. I'd get alone before God and weep. I'd say, Lord, please give me light. Here's a godly man who knows you, tells me something about myself. And I don't repent? Who do I think I am? So, it's good to say I only care for the opinion of God, but sometimes God speaks to us through his servants. In fact, most of the time, he speaks to us through his servants. You've got to be pretty close to God for you to hear God directly. Otherwise, you may hear it ten steps down the line through a tenth servant. You get closer and closer to God, then you hear him. Abraham heard him. Now I know that you fear God. And when did God give him that certificate? When God tested him. Verse 1. God tested Abraham. Abraham was about 125 years old now. Fifty years ago, he had been tested to leave his country and come out. Fifty years later, God tested him. Does God test people fifty years after they have started following him? Yes. Even 75 years later. He never stops testing his people. He's always... Why? It's like asking you children. Children, do you get examinations in tenth standard also? Or only in first standard? And say, Uncle, are you foolish? Of course we get examinations in tenth standard. Otherwise, how will we go to eleventh standard? Correct. So, does Abraham get tested when he's fifty years after following the Lord? Yes. Because God wants him to go higher. Every test is to lead us higher. So God tested him. And said, Now I'm going to ask you for something that's really tough. Take your son and he emphasizes in verse 2, this son whom you love so much. Some time ago, I told you to send away your elder son, Ishmael. You obeyed me. Okay, he's gone. Now you got only one son, Isaac. This time, I'm not asking you to send him away. I'm asking you to take him to this mountain and kill him. And I want you to take three days to think about it. So they walked, walked. That's why he didn't tell him to kill him around the corner. Walked three days. And it says in verse 4, On the third day, he reached that mountain. And when he reached there, he had three days to think about it. Is it worth serving a God who asked me to kill my son? It was not a sudden decision. You know that God never asked you to suddenly decide something. Take time. Take your time. Sit down and count the cost. Jesus never said stand up and come forward and give your life to Christ now itself. Don't think about it. Jesus said no. Don't stand up. Don't come forward. Sit down and count the cost. A lot of evangelists say stand up and come forward. I never say it. I tell people sit down. Don't stand up. Count the cost. Go home. Think about it. And then decide. Then their decisions will be more serious. These people who stand up and come forward, maybe 1% of them may be serious, but 99% of them are not serious. They just drift away. Sit down and count the cost. Is it worth taking your son and killing him? God is asking for the best in our life. That is the point of this story. When God asks you for something, he asks you for the best, not 10%, but 100%. And when you say, Lord, all that I have is yours, you can take anything. Whatever you ask me, I will obey, even if it is the most difficult thing you have asked me. I want to do something and you tell me don't do it. I won't do it, Lord. I have a great desire to go over there. And God says don't go. If you don't go, I won't go. Find me a man like that or a woman like that. I tell you there will be no limit to how much God will bless such a person, even if he is not very educated, not very clever. Because God, when he saw Abraham offer up his son, he tested him. As Abraham took up the knife with Isaac tied to that altar, God said, stop. Now I know, verse 12, that you fear me. The secret is with those who fear him. Now you understood what fear of God is. Whatever God asks, you obey immediately. If you want, you think about it for three days. But if you don't obey, he is not going to give you that certificate. And then God said a second time, verse 15, because you have feared me like this, let me paraphrase his words in verse 17. There is no limit to how much I will bless you. There will be no limit to how much I am going to bless you. Abraham, you may be an unknown person, but I will make you famous throughout the world. For centuries, people will know about you because I have blessed you. I will bless you and your enemies will be defeated and all the nations of the earth, verse 18, will be blessed through you because you feared me and obeyed my voice. Can God bless you? Can God bless us like that? Can God bless you and me like that? Turn with me to Galatians chapter 3. Galatians in chapter 3 and verse 14. 13 says, Christ became a curse for us. Why did he become a curse for us on the tree? Verse 14, so that, Galatians 3, 14, in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to us through the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. So, what is the blessing of Abraham? I will bless every family that you meet on this earth, will be blessed. That's for me. That means if God fills me with the Holy Spirit and really fills me, not some cheap counterfeit, a real fullness of the Holy Spirit, a real baptism, immersion in the Holy Spirit, rivers of blessing will flow from me, rivers of in many directions, to bless many families, and for you too. There is no partiality with God. Jesus said, if anyone believe in me, if you thirst and believe, out of this innermost being will flow rivers of living water. I remember the day in my life when I said, Lord, only some trickle is coming out of my life, and my life is such a struggle. It's like a hand pump, pump, pump, pump, and I get a little bit of water. I want rivers, Lord. I want rivers. I'll pay any price, do anything. I did not get satisfied to say, Lord, I want you to fill me with the Holy Spirit. I'll do whatever you say. I want to encourage you, my brothers and sisters, have a thirst and a hunger to fear and obey God. See, we heard yesterday from Santo Chau, the mark of humility is that you don't do your own will, but do the will of God. I really believe John 6, 38 is the greatest proof of Jesus' humility, that verse he quoted. I do not do my own will. His humility is not seen in washing people's feet. A lot of people, their understanding of Jesus' humility is he washed people's feet. What is that? Washing people's feet, pick up somebody's shackles and give it to him. This is all the external imitation of Jesus. There are many people who try to imitate Jesus externally. But real humility is not there. It's a hidden thing. The real humility is in the secret place. You don't do what you want to do. You do what God wants you to do. God told you to do something and you do that, and it means a cutting of your own will, not my will, but your will. So many times Jesus said that, if anyone wants to be my disciple, he must take up the cross, and that taking up the cross means saying no to your own will. It's not a question of understanding. It's very important. See, I'll tell you how I who was so frequently discouraged for years and years and years in my life, how I completely overcame it, 100%. It's, first of all, through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and then I realized that I must live in my will, not in my mind, not in my memory. My mind will bring all types of things to me, to discourage me, to make me anxious, but that's like temptation. But I say, Lord, I live in my will. I will not be discouraged. I will praise you. I exercise my will on your side. I will not live. The mind will be the servant of the Holy Spirit in my life. This is a very simple principle, but if you can understand it, I tell you it will change your life, because if you don't Because God does not dwell in our mind or in our body. He dwells in our spirit. It's very, very important to understand this simple principle. It changed my life. I hope it changes yours. So, what Abraham did was he yielded his will. That's why, that is a proof of his fear of God, and that's why God blessed him. And in some situation where God tells you to do something and you don't yield your will, and you just understand in the mind so many truths, you will never come into this life of God. Even those who claim to be filled with the spirit and speak in tongues, they don't yield their will, and they are never accomplished, because yielding of the will is the taking up of the cross. To take up the cross means to say no to my own will, and to say yes to the will of God. So, there are some slides which I want to show you, which once some time ago we did a study on this. You know this verse that was quoted in the Bible? Santhosh quoted this verse in Hebrews 4.12. Can you bring up that first slide, please? Hebrews 4.12. The word of God pierces to the dividing of soul and spirit. In the Old Testament, nobody had a clue of soul and spirit. They thought it was one. They thought man is body and soul. That's all. And today there are many, many Christians also who think man is body and soul. Then how can you divide soul and spirit? Well, the word of God comes to divide between soul and spirit, and it says here, that is how we come to rest in Hebrews 4.10. There's a rest, and that rest comes through the word of God dividing between soul This is how we come to a life of rest. So we need to understand this division of soul and spirit. I want to show you another verse in 1 Thessalonians 5.23. This is a New Testament revelation that God is, that man is a trinity like God. God is a trinity in three persons, and man is a trinity in three parts of one person. It says here, may God sanctify your spirit, soul, and body, three parts, and spirit comes first. So I want to explain a little bit of that to you. It's not theory. It helped me a lot. It may help you. So can we go to the next slide, please? See, in the Old Testament tabernacle, there were three parts corresponding to spirit, soul, and body. And the tabernacle is a word used for our body. John 1.14 says the word tabernacled in our midst, dwelt in our midst. Margin says tabernacled in our midst. The word became flesh and tabernacled in our midst. And the revelation of spirit, soul, and body makes us understand the tabernacle was most holy place, which was covered off the back part of that tent, and then the front part of the tent is the holy place, the outer part was the external part. Only one part could be seen. Outer part, just like in you, only your body can be seen. Soul and spirit are hidden. You think there's only one compartment inside the tent? No! It's not only soul. There are two compartments in that tent. That's what many people don't understand. That is symbolizing the outer part, which everybody can see is the body, and the hidden part inside is symbolized as the holy place, most holy place, the soul and spirit. And you know in the Old Testament there was a thick curtain between the holy place and the most holy place, showing that you cannot enter the most holy place. That means you cannot get into God's presence, also showing God cannot come into your spirit. God can bless you in your body, in the holy place, but God cannot enter your spirit. So we go to the next slide. So here it is. Most holy place, holy place, outer part, corresponds to spirit, soul and body. It's exact. It's exactly what God is trying to teach them in the Old Testament. They didn't understand. But once the Holy Spirit came, we could understand this. Now you see what this dividing of soul and spirit means. There is a veil there between soul and spirit, where they could not go in and God could not enter man's spirit. And this dividing of soul and spirit, through which we come to a life of rest, we'll understand in a moment. Let's go to the next slide. Jesus, this is a great verse, Hebrews 10.20, also which many people don't understand. Jesus inaugurated a new and living way for us through the veil. You know the veil is between the soul, between the holy place and the most holy place. Jesus opened up a way. That means that's the way he lived. How did he live? He lived through the veil in the spirit, in the most holy place. He always lived there. And he has opened a way for us through the veil. So Jesus is not only our savior, not only the baptizer and the holy spirit, he's our forerunner. He not only forgives our sins, he not only anoints us with the holy spirit, after that he leads us into the most holy place and that was through the veil, that is his flesh. Hebrews 10.20 What does it mean by he made a way through his flesh? Flesh basically means his self-will. It's and through his flesh, that is his self-will. He made a way through his self-will means he put to death his self-will. That's how he made through the way and that way is inaugurated for us. It's like a road that was never opened and one day some minister comes and cuts a ribbon and says the road is open for everybody. That's called inauguration. Jesus inaugurated a way and it's a way. It's not a veil is a curtain, you think you just enter in. No, no, no. It's a way that we have to walk every single day. That's the way of the cross. Which helps us to live in the spirit, to worship in the spirit, to preach in the spirit, to pray in the spirit. Everything is only if you go through the veil, through walking this way of self-denial. Okay, we go to the next slide please. So, the thing that leads us into the spirit is the will. The soul consists of mind, emotions and will. I want you to look at this picture carefully for a few moments. A lot of us, our understanding of scripture is only in our mind and our emotions and we never become spiritual. This is the meaning of a soulish Christian. A soulish Christian is one who understands everything clearly in his mind. Not only he understands, he's excited about it. He shouts and praises the Lord, lifts his hand and you think this guy is really spiritual. He's not. You think the other guy, he doesn't lift his hands, he doesn't shout, he doesn't pray, he's just a dead intellectual. Both are soulish. But one looks better than the other because he's so excited. And those who don't have discernment, that's why some people leave the brethren assembly and go to the Pentecostal thinking oh these guys are just sitting, studying scripture all day, these people are shouting and praising God, these are spiritual. That's not spirituality. This is one form of soulishness and that is another form of soulishness. This is developing the mind, that's developing the emotions. But you still don't enter the spirit. Turn back to that once again. What is it that will lead you into the spirit? The will. That is the will. What did it say? Through the will, that is his self-will. You read that in Hebrews 2 and 20. I want you to make it so clear to you that you'll never forget it. That when that self-will was torn, he could enter the spirit. And when Jesus died and the veil was rent from the top, God helped him throughout his life and God needs to help us to deny his will, deny his will, deny his will. And when he died on the cross, the last stitch on that veil was torn and the veil was open. For whom? For us to walk in everyday. This is called the new and living way, which means an ever fresh. New means always fresh. That means I get a new opportunity today to deny my will which I didn't have yesterday. Then I can enter into the spirit. This is truly spiritual life. So I hope you'll understand this very clearly. And this is how we can be saved from discouragement. I live in my will. Let all types of thoughts come into my mind. I say no. My will is yielded to do the will of God in my life. The devil tempts me about the past. Sorry, Satan, you can't fool me anymore. I live in my will and I praise God. I will refuse to be discouraged. I choose. For example, the devil says, you haven't forgiven that person. You haven't forgiven that person. You still remember. Of course I will remember. Till the end of my life I will remember evil people did to me. But in my will I choose to forgive him. Satan can't fool me. Once you've understood this, Satan will not be able to fool you. By the thoughts that come into your mind, I reject them. By my will. My will is the important thing. Jesus' humility, as I said, as you heard yesterday, was in saying, I will not do my will but the will of my father. That is how he made the new and living way into life in the spirit. Okay, we'll go to the next slide. So listen to this. Another picture. Now we are talking about one was the picture of the tabernacle. Now here is another picture of the yielding of the will again. Everyone who hears these words of mine, that is the mind, he's excited about it. Emotion. Oh, great word. Oh, did you hear that today? I was really challenged by what I heard. And does them. He's the man who builds on the rock. Not the one who hears and is excited. A lot of people hear God's word in a conference and are excited. They are not on the rock. When they yield their will to do it, I've spoken about this before, I'm willing to speak about it a thousand times so that we understand true spirituality is when your will is yielded to do the will of God. Okay, the next slide. Luke 6, 48. The other was from Matthew 7. Where did this wise man build on rock? It is not 10 miles away from the man who built on sand. No. They both built their house next door to each other. The wise man and the foolish man. The only difference was, Luke 6, 48 makes it clear, the wise man dug deep through the sand and laid his foundation on the rock underneath. And so his house did not fall. The foolish man did not dig deep enough. He just, sand was everywhere. Both are building next door to each other. This man says, who's going to dig all the way down to the rock? It's a lot of money. Dynamite and all is very expensive. Let me just build a house. And with the money he had, he built a big structure, beautiful structure. The other man said, I'm going to dig deep. And while that man is still digging his foundation, this fellow has completed his house. He looks wise. But wait till the storm comes. Who's going to stand? The one who dug deep and built on the rock. The one who yielded his will to God. Next slide please. Now listen to this. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them, that means he did not yield his will. He understood it, excited about it. Mind and emotion was okay. Soulishly he was alright. But he did not go through the veil. He did not do. He did not yield his will. He's a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the next slide, see again here, Matthew 7, 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. Listen carefully. When he says, Lord, that means his mind is right. When he says, Lord, Lord, his emotions are also excited. There's a difference between a person who says, Lord, and a person who says, Lord, Lord. Lord is mind, Lord, Lord is emotion. He will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You see, everywhere you read in scripture, once you understand this, it's the same thing Jesus is saying. You understand it? You're excited about it? No, you won't enter the kingdom of heaven, but your will must be yielded. You've got to do the will of your father, say no to your will, then you enter heaven. Okay, the next slide please. Now you see it. The sand is mind and emotions. The rock is when you blast your will and say, I'm going to lay my, build my house on a yielded will. Not that I understood everything in the conference, I got excited about everything, I'm going to go and obey it. And why do I need, how can I obey it? That's why I need the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I don't need the baptism in the Holy Spirit to understand, I don't need the baptism in the Holy Spirit to stir up my emotions, you just need to get drunk. Drunk people have got a lot of emotion, they think they're very excited. No, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to blast your will. Romans 8.13 says, if through the Holy Spirit, great verse, Romans 8.13, if through the Holy Spirit you put to death your will, the deeds of the body, you will live. You can't do it on your own. They couldn't do it in the Old Testament. They were soulish in the Old Testament. Nobody in the Old Testament could become really spiritual till the Holy Spirit came. Till Jesus opened up this way through the will into life and the spirit. The next one please. There you see the foolish man's house. He didn't build on the rock. Mind and emotions and the storm and the wind came and the house collapsed. I hope this picture will remain in your mind forever. That when you live in your mind and emotions and you think you've understood everything and you can not only understand everything, some of you who are very clever can even teach everything to others. You know the number of teachers of God's word whose home life is a mess? The number of teachers of God's word who've not brought up their children properly? What type of teachers are they? They're trying to get an honor from people because they're so clever. You've got to be very careful if you're very clever. If you're intelligent. God has hidden these things from the clever and intelligent, revealed them to babes. Okay, the next picture. Here is the wise man. His house is not as colorful as the other man's house. But he dug deep and went through the mind, through the emotions. He doesn't ignore mind and emotions. It's not that the spiritual man says, I don't care for my mind, I don't care for my emotions. Rubbish. I use my mind. I use my emotions. I am an emotional person. I am an intellectual person but I don't live in that. I live in my will. And allow the Holy Spirit from there to control my mind, to control my emotions. That's why in my mind I can be free from anxiety. That's why in my mind I can overcome temptation. Because I allow the Holy Spirit to go through this. And that's why emotions don't, I don't fool myself when I'm emotional, that I'm spiritual. I remember the days when I was a young kid and I used to see movies of Jesus and whenever he was crucified in that movie, I would weep and next day live the same sinful life. Haven't you had that experience? Or you come to a meeting and you get all stirred up and say, at last I got it. Some of you thought you got it in the last conference. How has your life been in the last one year? Ask your husband, ask your wife. It's only if you decide that every single day of my life I'm going to walk this new and living way. Every day. I'm going to deny my will. Jesus said, you've got to take up your cross every day. This is not a once for all thing. It's a way, not a door. The veil is a way, not a door. A new and living way through the veil, Hebrews 10.20, through his self will into the most holy place. And there you come into fellowship with God. There you live in God's presence. And there you can say, I set the Lord always before me. He's my right hand. I will not be shaken. Fear will not shake me. Discouragement will not shake me. Where can I set the Lord always before me? Only in the most holy place. If I've gone through the veil, through the new and living way, through the flesh. So this is the sum and substance of it. If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. That means say no to himself. Walk this new and living way. Then we can follow him. That is the meaning of the word of God dividing between soul and spirit and bringing us to rest. Which you heard of last night. Dividing between the soul and spirit is putting my will to death so that I can do the will of God and thus I live in the spirit. Then I can worship in the spirit. You remember what Jesus told the Samaritan woman? John chapter 4. John's gospel chapter 4. Jesus told the Samaritan woman the time has now come. John 4 and verse 23. An hour is coming and now is. He said two things. It's coming but it's also here now. What is that? The true worshippers will worship the father in spirit. Not in soul. Not in body. In spirit. And in truth means reality. And the father is seeking for those who will worship in the spirit. 99% of Christians worship in the soul and body like in the Old Testament and those are not the ones the father is seeking. The father is seeking for those who worship in the spirit. Because God is a spirit. And he dwells in the most holy place and those who worship him must worship him in spirit. In the Old Testament they worship with the body and soul. What do I mean? The body. Clap. Raise your hands. The soul. Wonderful words coming out of our lips. Oh Lord we praise you, exalt you and so many things. Very very clever words. Mind and body. Emotions are all there. So today how is it? Today, yeah, I use my mind. I use my emotions. I use my body. But it comes from my spirit. The way has been opened. If you are walking the new and living way, the Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit and flows through your mind and your emotions and your body. Then your mind and your emotions and your body become servants of the spirit that dwells within. This is not just theory. It's real. And many people who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I want to tell you, never come to this reality. They live defeated lives. They speak in tongues in the meeting and in their unknown tongues and then go home and shout at their wife with their mother tongue. What is this? When I sought the Lord for the power of the Holy Spirit, I said, Lord, I want power to control my mother tongue first. I don't want unknown tongues. I can't even control my mother tongue. I get angry. What's you speaking in unknown tongues? First let me control my mother tongue. Let me control my English language first or your Tamil language or whatever your language is. Then go into other languages. And then, of course, God gave me the gift of unknown tongues, which is also a very wonderful gift to be able to commune with God. Like Paul said, I thank God I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. But the main thing is that we live in the Spirit. So, can you go to the next slide? This is a book, which is there in the bookstore, Living as Jesus Lived. If you want to know more about life and the spirit and soul and spirit, you can read this book. So, dear brothers and sisters, I hope you have understood one thing today. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Then we can understand the mysteries. Otherwise, like Jesus spoke the parables, the purpose was so that people don't understand. I don't want to be in that category. I want to understand. And if I want to understand, I must open up my spirit to God. And the only way I can do that is, as I said, if I deny my will. So, what does that mean in practical terms? The Lord says, when you come to the altar with your offering, there you remember that you hurt somebody. Go and ask forgiveness first. There you deny your will, leave your offering, stop praying, and go and ask forgiveness from that person. Then come. And if you have to do that ten times a day, do it ten times a day. That is denying your will, doing the Father's will. The Lord says, that money you took wrongfully, give it back. That money you borrowed, give it back. Don't say He's forgotten about it. God hasn't forgotten about it. You're not supposed to be in debt. Can you imagine Jesus being in debt to anybody? You want to walk as Jesus walked? And you know what miracles God will do for you? You'll never be in debt in your whole life. I can say that. I've never been in debt for a single day, not even for one rupee in my whole life. If I had little, I bought little. I never believed in buy now, pay later. Jesus wouldn't do that, and I wouldn't do it either. I can live without it. Till I earn enough, then I can buy it. Little things like this. You deny your will. Don't follow all the other worldly believers around you. Don't go to a house and say, I want that, and I want that. You ask, how did you get that? There's a scheme called buy now, pay later. Okay, you keep it. I don't want that. These are the ways in which disciples become worldly. Because they're competing with others. They want that. And then maybe it's your wife who says, Honey, please get that for our house also. Sorry, we don't have the money. What to do? We'll wait. We'll deny ourselves for a few years, and then we can buy that. If you're serious about the Christian life, it's amazing. I tell you this. Believe me. God will make you a blessing to people around the world. But you've got to obey God in secret, in the little things. And the more you deny yourself, the more rivers will flow from you. Not one trickle, not one river, but many rivers. Do you feel that you've limited God in your life? You're satisfied with what God has accomplished through you, and in the day of when God judges your life, He shows you, I wanted to do 10 times more than that in your life. But you were satisfied with a trickle coming out of your life. You were satisfied with one river, when I wanted 50 rivers to flow from your life in many directions. I never want to hear that from God in the final day. That God wanted to do so much more inside me to make me like Christ, and through me to others. And the Lord says, I couldn't do it. Because when I told you to do something, you didn't take it seriously. You'd say, wait. Or, it was not convenient. When I asked you to forgive someone, or when I asked you to go and ask forgiveness, you didn't do it immediately. Husbands and wives, the great advice I give to them is, be quick to ask forgiveness, and be quick to forgive. Don't be satisfied that you ask forgiveness the next day. Don't be satisfied that you go to bed angry with each other. What type of Christian are you? Husband and wife, you go to bed, the Bible says, don't let the sun set on your anger. And you disobey it. Read Ephesians 4, 26. That's how the devil gets an advantage in many homes. We want to drive the devil out of every person's life, every family life, and every church. And this is why we want to seek God for the power of the Holy Spirit, to put to death our self-will, so that we don't fool ourselves by intellectual understanding and emotional excitement that we are spiritual. And I hope, we believe in intellectual understanding, we believe in emotional excitement, but they are servants of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we bow before you, we pray that what we have heard will become such a reality in our life. The proof of it will be that we'll never get discouraged, we'll never be anxious, we'll never be afraid. These things will gradually disappear from our life. We'll go from first standard to second standard, to tenth standard, and graduate and post-graduate in the Christian life, on and on, as you help us to walk this new and living way, to walk as Jesus walked. Help each one of us here, Lord, not to deceive ourselves. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.