This sermon emphasizes the importance of true reverence and sincerity in our relationship with God, highlighting the need to be pure in heart to truly see God. It addresses the danger of falling into rituals without genuine understanding and the significance of being gathered in the name of Jesus to be saved from all sins. The speaker urges humility, unity, and a deep desire to be transformed by God's presence, comparing the church to a burning bush that must be continually consumed by God's fire.

We have been thinking about the Lord dwelling, God's dwelling place. I want you to turn for a moment to Exodus chapter 3 and we read here in verse 2 to 4. The word angel means the messenger. The messenger of the Lord appeared in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush and he looked at it and said, the bush was burning with fire and the bush was not consumed. It's an amazing thing that God whose presence consumes everything says the bush was not consumed. The angels cover their face when they come before God but we can see him face to face but not everybody. Jesus said, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Most born again believers are not pure in heart. So they don't see God. They come to church, they see other believers. They hear the message but they don't see God. There is a lot of difference between hearing a message and seeing God. You don't have to be clever to see God. Matthew 5.8 says you got to be pure in heart. Pure in heart means two things. First of all it means I have nothing, zero in my conscience that is not settled. Why did the apostle Paul say in Acts 24.16? I always strive to do my best to maintain a blameless conscience before God and before man. Because he wanted to see God all the time. You don't need a good conscience to understand the doctrine. You don't need a good conscience to sit in a good church. So if you are only interested in the outward aspects of Christianity, you will not keep a good conscience. My dear brothers and sisters, I feel that some of you who started your life with being very careful to maintain a good conscience are not so careful today. I feel that some of you who started your life with being very careful to maintain a good conscience are not so careful today. This is thirty years after Paul was converted. He says I always strive to keep a blameless conscience before God and man. To keep a good conscience before God is fairly easy. Because when we confess our sin to God, there is no humiliation. I can commit the worst sin in the world and I can go and confess it to God. And I know there is no humiliation there because He knows it in any case. Our humility is tested when we try to keep a good conscience with our fellow human beings. You husbands all know it is easier to confess your sin to God than to confess it to your wife. It is ten thousand times easier. Your sisters know it is much easier to ask forgiveness from God than to ask forgiveness from your husband. And that shows that we are not really confessing to God. Actually it should be easier to confess to man than to confess to God. If your examination paper is being corrected by a very lenient teacher, he will give you good marks. But if the same examination paper is being corrected by a very strict teacher, you will get much less marks. So you would rather go to a lenient teacher than a strict teacher. God is million times more strict in holiness than any human being. Then how do you say it is easy to confess to God but difficult to ask forgiveness from my wife? How can you go to a God who is million times holier than your wife and find it easy to confess to Him? Because when you say you are confessing to God, you are not confessing to God, you are confessing to yourself. Many Christians when they pray, they think they are praying to God. Please listen to me. This is the main reason your prayers are not answered. Your prayer is not reaching God. Supposing you pick up a telephone and ask somebody who is your good friend to help you in some way. And supposing he is the Director General of Police. He can help you in so many ways. But you pick up the phone and you dial his number. He has not picked up the phone. Nobody is still ringing and you tell what you want and you put it down. And afterwards you say he didn't do what I asked him. You never spoke to him. He never picked up the phone. Many people's prayer is like that. Oh Lord, this is my request. In Jesus name. He has not even picked up the phone. Do you know why? Because you did not pray to God. You prayed to yourself. And you said Oh God. When Jesus spoke about somebody praying in Luke chapter 18. We read here about a Pharisee and a tax collector in verse 10. Jesus said two people went into the temple to pray. And it says in verse 11 the Pharisee stood and was praying to himself. Who was he praying to? In English it is very clear. He was praying to himself. It is like you speak to yourself. He was praying to himself. He was not praying to God. He was praying to himself saying God I thank you. Do you think God heard his prayer? That is how many people pray. You think you are praying to God. You are not praying to God. You are praying to yourself. Because your conscience is not clear. Because you think you are better than other people. You look down on one human being. God will not pick up your phone. Let me repeat that. If there is one human being whom you despise on this earth. God will not listen to your prayer. Do you despise your wife? God will not listen to your prayer. Do you despise your husband? God will not listen to your prayer. You look at somebody in your church and say God I thank you. I am not like that fellow. You look at somebody in your church and say God I thank you. I am not like that fellow. God will not listen to your prayer. You will pray. You will have all night prayer meeting. But you will be praying to yourself. You can pray all night and say why didn't God answer my prayer? Who was your God? You yourself. You are praying to yourself. But that poor sinner couldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven. He was not praying to himself. He was praying to God. He was not praying to himself. He was praying to God. We read in Luke 18.14 that this sinner went home as a righteous man. He went home as a holy man before God. Why? Because he felt I am the worst of the lot. Lord I cannot compare myself with anybody else. I am a sinner. When we are saved by grace we say Lord I am a sinner saved by grace. So when we say we find it easier to confess to God rather than to man. It is a deception. We are confessing to ourselves. Oh God I am sorry I did that. Not God in heaven I am telling myself. Because if you really reached God then it should be very easy to confess to other human beings. If you have confessed to God it is very easy. Why is it God doesn't listen? Jesus said in Matthew 5.23 When you come to pray and you remember that your brother has something against you. Now read that carefully. Not you have something against your brother. That is definitely God will not listen to your prayer. But here it is the other way around. Your brother or your wife or your husband has got something against you. Because of your conduct or your attitude that hurt them. You say I never did anything. You never did anything but your attitude. Sometimes we don't hurt others with words. See legalistic people will always say I never did anything wrong. In a court of law they can prove it. Many Christians are good lawyers. Particularly legalists. They say I never did anything wrong. I never said anything wrong. I never slapped my wife. You did something worse than slapping your wife. Your attitude made her feel small. I am sorry to say this. But many husbands, many Indian husbands make their wives feel so small. They don't say anything. But their whole attitude is you are nothing compared to me. I am such a spiritual man. What are you? You don't say it in so many words. But you ask your wife she will say that is the impression my husband gives me. And this husband stands up and shouts Oh God. He is praying to himself. He is exactly like that Pharisee who despised that other person. Exactly like that you despise your wife. You think she is a sinner and you are righteous. God does not listen to your prayer. One of the things that disturbed me through all these years. How is it so many good brothers and sisters who have been in our church for so many years who come to every conference who have come to so many meetings Why are they not becoming more spiritual? Why are they not becoming more humble? Why is there not a greater anointing upon their life? Why isn't their fellowship with other people getting more glorious? Why isn't their message more on fire for God? Why isn't their message more on fire for God? I have got this answer from the Lord. The longer they are in the church the more spiritual they think they have become. Because their knowledge of truth has increased. They have not become spiritual. Because they are not dwelling with the continual burnings. You know if you dwell with the continual burnings Even if you are 95 years old like John on the isle of Patmos Even if you are 95 years old like John on the isle of Patmos Even if you have walked with God for 65 years You won't be able to stand up. You will be flat on your face like John was. Your mouth will be in the dust. Say, God be merciful to me. If you don't feel like that If your attitude is, God be merciful to my wife God be merciful to that brother I am alright. I feel that many of us are becoming Pharisees. Please listen to what I am saying. Please listen to what I am saying. This may be referring to you. This may be referring to you. It's very easy for us to degenerate into ritual. It's very easy for us to degenerate into ritual. Where our prayer and everything becomes a ritual. Where our prayer and everything becomes a ritual. We are not contacting God. We are not contacting God. You know it's like when you plug in these lights into a socket You know it's like when you plug in these lights into a socket It's not burning brightly. And power is there. Electric power is there. Then you go and check the socket. There may be the plug or some broken wire somewhere. There may be the plug or some broken wire somewhere. The contact is not good. Somewhere in the wire it's broken. We do that. When we say we are contacting God When we say we are contacting God We are not shining like this light. We are not burning like a burning bush. We are not disturbed. How is that? How is that possible? Even if a single day in my life I am not on fire Even if a single day in my life I am not on fire If the bright light of God is not burning If the bright light of God is not burning Just like you would check the socket and the wire I go and check. Lord what did I do wrong? Show me. Just like you would check the socket and the wire Why is there not the burning fire of holiness in my life today? Why is there not the burning fire of zeal for God today? We got to see God like that. God does not go through the ritual of praying Or go through the ritual of reading the Bible. See this Exodus chapter 3 I will show you a ritual. When Moses saw this burning bush See this phrase. In the midst of the bush where it is tree In the midst of it Moses turned and said what is this? I have got to see this. And the Lord saw that he turned. Verse 4 Again from the midst of the bush That bush is a picture of the church. And from the midst of the church God wants to speak to people. And people will stop and listen. If God is speaking in the church If God is not speaking in the church And the bush is not on fire Then people won't listen. You say why are people not listening? Well the bush is not on fire. Have you heard the story of a church building that caught physical fire one day? So all the neighbors came to throw water on it. So there was one atheist living there. He also came to help throw water on the fire. So one of the believers tried to make fun of the atheist. First time I am seeing you in the church. He said the first time I am seeing the church on fire. I never saw this church on fire before this. So don't blame people if they don't listen to you. If God is speaking from the midst of a burning bush Even a Moses will stop and listen. And God spoke. This must be our burning desire brothers and sisters. Our church must be like a burning bush. Every single meeting God speaks. For that you must have a pure heart. The leader must have a pure heart first of all. He must not despise anybody. He must not be like the Pharisee. He must not despise his wife. Many leaders despise their wives. God is not going to be in the midst of that church. Every brother and sister in the church must be on fire. You don't have to be a preacher. If you are like a burning bush you come and sit in the church You will spread your warmth to other people. Even if you don't open your mouth God will speak through you even if you speak one sentence. And now listen to the ritual. God said to Moses He said here I am. God said don't come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet For the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Have you seen how people Remove their sandals when they begin to pray? You think they are standing in front of a burning bush? It's only a ritual. God is not there. Nobody is there. But they take off their sandals. I mean to take off sandals here is ok Because we don't want to dirty the mats. That is another reason. It's not because this is a holy ground. It's the original time when God said it. Don't bring some man made sandals On top of the earth on which you come to stand before me. There must be nothing man made between you and me. Throw it away. Come with your bare feet. And stand on the earth I made. There must be a direct contact between you and me. This is holy ground. You can't come with your dirty sandals here. That is why Jesus also washed the disciples feet. Wash your feet. And stand on holy ground. It's all become a ritual today. The reality was This reverence for God. The reverence is gone now. But taking off the shoes ritual is still there. In some churches they wash the feet also. In some churches they wash the feet also. That is why Christians prefer to go through a ritual. Take this breaking of bread. Do you know one of the meanings of the breaking of bread? There are two meanings. If you didn't know it, you can know it now. First of all When Jesus broke the bread He said in 1 Corinthians 11.24 This is my body broken for you. And you take a little bit of that bread and break it and put it in your mouth. Now you know in some churches they give you little round wafers where you go and pick it out. Or some churches they just break it up into small bits of bread to make it easy for you. All these people don't have the slightest clue what breaking of bread is. It is 100% a ritual. What does it actually mean? Jesus didn't break it up into small pieces and give it to disciples. He broke it and said each of you take some. Because the meaning is when you break it and put it in your mouth you are saying Lord I also want to be broken just like you on the cross. Lord I also want to be broken just like you on the cross. I want to die to myself. This is my testimony. Now if you don't want to die to yourself you should not break that bread. See so many people they admire Jesus. Oh Lord how you died on the cross. What great love for me. But you know you are supposed to die like that for one another. When somebody treats you badly or speaks to you badly if you die to yourself you will not reply. Why is there so much conflict between husband and wife? Why is there so many conflict between brothers and sisters? It's because either one or both of them have not died. Why is it all churches there is fighting? You go to any cemetery you see anybody fighting there? Perfect peace. You know why? They are all dead. Dead people don't fight. You know that? Dead people don't fight. So if your husband and wife if you fight one of them is not dead. Two brothers can't get along with each other one of them is not dead. Or both are not dead. Usually both are not dead. Usually both are not dead. But once a month they will come and take the bread and say oh lord thank you for dying for me. All hypocrisy. They don't have any idea what this breaking of bread is. You are admiring what Jesus did for you but you don't want to die yourself. And when the bread comes to you just look at it what beautiful bread don't touch it. Pass it to the next person. That's what you should do. You say lord I admire you died for me. But I don't want to die. I won't break this bread. That is honest. But you don't do that. You are breaking it. Telling a lie. That you want to die in your relationship with your wife. You want to be like a dead person in your relationship with your husband. You want to be a dead person in relation to that brother or sister. You are not dead at all. You got a theory of the cross but you are not dead. You come to the tree of knowledge. Knowledge of the cross. And you have got so much knowledge of the cross. But you haven't come to the tree of life. Because in the front of the tree of life there is a sword that will fall on your head and chop you off. You know before sin came into the world God did not put a sword in front of the tree of life. But you read in the last verse of Genesis 3 As soon as sin came God put a sword in front of the tree of life. But no sword in front of the tree of knowledge. God says You want knowledge? You can get as much as you want. You want my life? You have to die. You want more of my life? You have to die. The same message is in the breaking of bread. But like taking off the sandals it has become a ritual. So many churches they never explain the breaking of bread because the pastor himself does not know what it means. It means I have died. I want to die this week. Till I break bread next month I am going to die everyday. And it says if you break that bread without recognizing that truth you are guilty of the body and blood of Jesus. Verse 27 As you read in verse 27 you are guilty of the blood of Jesus. Whatever it is Jesus crucified him in the cross. You are guilty of it. Breaking bread is a small thing. What is it? 1 Corinthians 10 Verse 17 There is one bread we who are many are one body we all partake of that one bread. Second meaning is Lord I have died I want to die to myself so that I can fellowship with all these other dear brothers and sisters with whom I am breaking bread. You don't want to be one with them? For months and months and months year after year you can't get along with some people? But first Sunday of the month you come like a holy person very reverently you break the bread and you eat it hypocrite Where is the oneness with the members of the body? There is no oneness It's a ritual See 1 Corinthians 11 Verse 29 He who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body of Christ rightly He who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body of Christ When you break the bread do you judge that I have fellowship with all of them? My heart is open If he does not come to me I will go to him Brother Why can't we have fellowship? Even if you have done nothing wrong When God and we had a break of fellowship because of Adam Who took the first step? You or God? When God and you had a break of fellowship Who took the first step? God took the first step and sent his son to die for you and me Shall I tell you why? Because God is humble and we are proud Always the humble person will take the first step A proud person will sit like a king on the throne and say, let them come to me the king So God humbled himself He said, okay king I will come to you I will come and wash your feet This is the nature of Jesus Christ How many of us have got it? How many of us are willing to go down like Jesus? If you don't come to me I will come to you I will come and wash your feet I am nobody Dear brothers and sisters If you want a happy Christian life If you want a Christian life Be a nobody Keep your head in the dust You will be a very happy person So much of joy goes out of our life Because we think we are somebody We want other people to respect us Nobody can take the joy from my life Because I don't expect anything from anyone Not only I don't expect any money I don't expect any respect from anyone I live before God's face His opinion alone matters to me See, if you go to the cemetery and some poor fellow's grave is there with not even a tombstone on it and you walk and trample on top of his grave He is not bothered He has gone out of this world What a wonderful thing it is to live in this world and inwardly go out of this world That's a true Christian life The Bible says God has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places Ephesians 2.6 It's a wonderful thing that while I am on earth my spirit is in heaven My spirit cannot be disturbed My body you can do what you like but my spirit cannot be disturbed because it is already in heaven If your spirit can be disturbed by what other people do or say then you have not understood the cross of being crucified with Christ The main message we have preached in our church more than 30 years is to be crucified with Christ Not just a ritual See, that is the most important thing for God to manifest Himself in our midst We saw this expression in Exodus 3 In the midst, in the midst, in the midst God was there Jesus used the same expression in Matthew chapter 18 Do you remember that? In the midst See, Matthew 18 verse 20 Where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst This is the definition of the church When it says gathered together I don't know how it is in Tamil In English it is clearer There is a difference between two three people gathering together and two three people being gathered together Being gathered means being gathered together means somebody else is gathering together It is not two three Christians saying Ok, let's meet The Lord is not there But when they are gathered together by the Holy Spirit That is the difference When they are gathered together like that That is the meaning of gathered together in my name Now this name of Jesus has also become a ritual To be gathered together in the name of Jesus Being gathered by the Holy Spirit To glorify the name of Jesus Not to glorify CFC name or any individual's name See, so many people try to go and start some church To get some honor I am also an apostle I started one church there In a hundred years God will not be in that church Because that is not gathered in the name of Jesus That is gathered in your name You want some honor for it And you glory that I am doing planting church You are planting church there No wonder there is so much confusion in those churches Because you are seeking your own name You know God will give us many things He will give us His wisdom He will give us His power He will give us His nature He will give us His holiness But one thing He will never give Isaiah 42 verse 8 I will never give my glory to another person That is one thing He will never do That is a very good verse My glory I will not give to another My glory I will not give to another You can ask God for anything But don't touch His glory Don't try to take the credit to yourself for something God is doing That is why I never send a report of my work to anybody I am scared of touching God's glory You know in the old testament There was a commandment saying You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain Today we use the name Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah In so many of our songs Do you know that the Jewish people They never once took that name on their lips In fact because they did not take the name on their lips Till today we don't know the correct pronunciation Is it Yahweh, Jehovah we don't know Why is it nobody knows Because in the whole old testament They were scared to take the name of Jehovah on their lips Because they said supposing I take it in vain You know very often when we say Hallelujah It is all in vain Do you know what Hallelujah means We have said it thousands of times Do you know what it means It is like once I heard a European man saying Stotram I said brother do you know what that means He heard some Tamil people saying Stotram He said Stotram We must not use words to God Which we don't even know the meaning It is like some Tamil people Who don't know English suddenly will say Glory Glory They heard some English fellow say Glory What are you saying to God Don't say something to God which doesn't come from your heart It is like going to your husband And saying something in some strange language And he wonders whether you have gone mad or something So we must say what we mean Hallelujah means Yah is the short for Jehovah It means Lord It says Hallelujah It is Hallelujah Praise the Lord Another word I have heard in many Tamil songs Hosanna What does it mean Supposing it means Oh Satan we praise you You just say Hosanna Do you know what it means I never want to say to God What I don't mean from my heart Supposing I go to my wife and say Hosanna She will wonder what is wrong with me I am just telling you How we have become such slaves to ritual We have got so used to singing We don't even think Whom am I talking to Do I have that reverence that Moses had When he took off his shoes Now I will tell you what Hosanna means Hosanna means Save me now I pray Save me now I pray Save me from all my sins Do you mean that Dear brothers and sisters I can give you so many examples Where we have degenerated into ritual Let's take another one In the name of Jesus What does that mean To many people When somebody says In the name of Jesus It means Now I can open my eyes The prayer is over Amen That is the meaning for many people It is like the green light in the traffic light Ok now you can go Open your eyes What is the meaning of In the name of Jesus Ok first of all let me ask you Do you know the meaning of Jesus If you don't know the meaning of Jesus How can you say In the name of Jesus You might as well say In the name of Zak Poonen It will not go to heaven Just say in the name of Jesus It will not go to heaven The Bible speaks of another Jesus In 2 Corinthians 11 There was one demon Cast out of somebody Somebody asked the name He said my name is infant Jesus There are so many demons like that One demon says my name is Anthony One demon says my name is Anthony Those demons themselves Which Jesus are you talking about When you say in the name of Jesus Be sure you are saying the right Jesus There are many Spanish people in the world Many of their names are Jesus Thousands of their names are Jesus Now I will tell you the real Jesus So in future When you pray in the name of Jesus Think of this Turn to the first page of the New Testament And you see where the name Jesus comes Matthew 1 Verse 21 The angel appeared to Joseph And said your wife is going to have a son Verse 21 And you must call his name Jesus Why? Because He will save his people from their sins You understood what Jesus means? One who saves me from my sins When I go to pray to God Father I am praying in the name of one Who has come to save me from all my sins Every time I pray in the name of Jesus It is not an empty ritual I am saying Father in the name of one who has come to save me from all my sins From all my pride From all my selfishness From all my jealousy From all my jealousy From all my lack of fellowship with people From all my dirty thoughts From my angry words Jesus who came to save me from all that In that name I humbly ask you Answer my prayer And the father will ask you Do you really want to be saved from all those things you mentioned? Do you really want to use the name of Jesus? Do you really want to be saved from all your sins? Let me hear your prayer In Jesus name I will answer it Jesus said if you ask the father anything in my name He will grant it Why is it we have prayed hundreds of prayers And they are not answered Because we have prayed in the name of another Jesus Not this Jesus of Matthew 1.21 I will tell you You start praying in the name of just Jesus Matthew 1.21 And say In the name of Jesus who came to save me from all my sins Father I ask you for this Father I ask you for this He will be there He will answer your prayer Matthew 9.18 Two or three are gathered How? In my name What does it mean in my name Every church in the world says this Oh God we are gathered in the name of Jesus But they don't preach about being saved from all sins They love money There is bitterness They are not gathered in the name of Jesus They are gathered in the name of some other Jesus Who allows them to live in their sins Husband and wife don't fellowship with each other What Jesus is that? That is some other Jesus Two brothers can't get along with each other What Jesus is that? Some other Jesus But those brothers are blind They were not like that when they were first converted When they were first converted there was a reverence They took off their shoes in a proper way When they were first converted They took off their shoes in a proper way Now they have increased in knowledge Their head has become so big It is very dangerous Once I saw a child A poor beggar woman brought her child to our gate She had a big head Body was the same size as the head Because there is a disease like that Where water is in the brain I knew this child will not live long Few days, few weeks Whenever I see a brother with a big head He will not live long Physically he may live for 100 years But spiritually death has already come When he was first converted His head was so small But now Senior brother Senior sister Head has become big I am not an ordinary person now Expect everybody to respect you Bow down to you Just like this child with a big head We don't get angry with them I didn't get angry with this poor woman who had this child I feel sorry Poor child When I see a brother or sister with a big head I feel sorry Poor brother Poor sister They won't live long They will go the way of death Spiritual death Not the death of Jesus Because they were not willing to go into the death of Jesus Their head became so big Dear brothers and sisters If you want Jesus in the midst Like God was in the midst of that bush We must be gathered together in his name In the name of one who came to save us from all our sins 2 or 3 people come together You don't need 20, 30, 300, 400 You don't need 20, 30, 300, 400 Just 2 or 3 It's not easy I have labored for 43 years In Christian work I will tell you from my experience It is difficult to find 2 or 3 people in one place Who want to be saved from all their sins It is difficult to find 2 or 3 people Who want to be saved from all their sins Those who want to live in the burning fire Those who want to be saved from all their sins Those who don't even want the smell of Adam Those who want to flush out the toilet completely Every single thing that came out of Adam Must be washed out Many people are keeping it safe Why don't you want to wash it out? Those who went to the toilet Don't pour water Let it be there Don't be stupid like that. All that filthy stuff that comes out of you, flush it out. We must not even have the smell. You know how they put fresheners in the toilet? Is there a smell of Adam in your life? A smell of pride? A smell of selfishness? What name of Jesus are you coming in? It's difficult to find two or three who will come in the name of Jesus. But where you get two or three people who want to be saved from all their sins, Lord says, I will be in their midst. And Matthew 18, 19 says, such people will be agreed and united completely. They will be like one burning bush, not one branch lying here, one branch lying over there. Joined together like a bush. Even that creation of God knows how to be joined together. Very sad when brothers and sisters in the church can't be like that. And you see husbands and wives like broken twigs lying here and there and saying we want God in our midst. So let's learn to come in the name of Jesus. And let's learn to be united at any cost. And if the fault is with the other person, let the humble brother and the humble sister take the first step like God. Let the proud people remain. God will resist them. Let's reverence God and have a testimony for His name on this earth. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we want to be on this earth what you want us to be. We want to hate ritual. We want to say meaningful words to you. We want to say meaningful words when we speak. We don't want to do anything as a ritual. You are God in heaven, we are on the earth. We want to come with reverence before you. Build your church in our midst. Manifest to this nation the name of Jesus Christ. And be like a burning bush again in our midst. In Jesus name. Amen.