In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of living according to God's laws. He uses the analogy of driving on the road to illustrate this point, stating that if we don't follow the rules of the road, we won't reach our destination. The preacher also shares a story about a woman who appeared to be devoted to God but was involved in occultism at home, highlighting the need for true commitment to God. He then addresses the issue of young people engaging in inappropriate behavior at a young age and emphasizes the need for repentance. The sermon concludes with a story about a congregation that experienced a decline in attendance, prompting the minister to call for prayer and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance.

In our word we get from 2nd Corinthians chapter 11, from the 2nd verse I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. We will end reading there. The text, God's word that we have read says for I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband. Being a Christian means going for one thing, not mixing things together, different things. Now we have got an engagement service today, where a boy and a girl get engaged. We have just mentioned how they do things in the world at engagements. But Paul says I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, because you have been engaged to one man, to Christ. Now it would be a very sad state of affairs when you find a woman who has two husbands in her life. You are married to one, but you have got another one just by the way. I know there was such a woman, she was married, but when the husband left for work, she let another man into her house. That is something terrible. When her husband found out, he got terribly angry, he said I am going to go back and I am going to kill that man. Now we live in a time where everyone has their rights, children have their rights, prisoners have their rights, everyone has their rights. It is a time of freedom they say, but it is very often a freedom from hell. We have God's way, God's law and that is the way that we should live. We should not be afraid of HIV, we should not be afraid of cancer, we should be afraid of freedom, we should be afraid of hell. Our leader was sharing with us earlier on about HIV and AIDS, what a terrible disease it is and the havoc it is wreaking all over. Why? Because we have got our liberties and our freedoms where you have got men going around with men in relationships and women with women and unmarried people and this is the result of it. In fact this disease should not even exist if everyone would only live the way they should. We should not be afraid of HIV, we should not be afraid of cancer, we should not be afraid of HIV, we should not be afraid of hell. We have heard about motor car accidents, how many people are injured and killed as a result. Why? Because people are drinking and then they drive, you find people driving on the wrong side of the road, you can drive the best and most expensive car there is, if you don't stick to the rules of the road you won't even get to Stanga. And so it is in our own lives as well. We have got to live according to God's laws, otherwise we will go off the road, we will go off the track. I even noticed when I mentioned that a woman has two husbands, two men in her life, even the young people had to laugh about it, there was a reaction, even young people realise that that is not right to do such a thing. So if we call ourselves Christians and we are baptised, we partake of communion, we have our church membership ticket and we go to church, we do everything as one thinks one should in church but at the same time you are living in the world, you are living for the devil, you are exactly the same as a woman with two husbands in her life. And Paul says, but I fear for you lest you be deceived just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. The Bible speaks a lot about purity, being a virgin and living a pure life, holy life. When a bride gets married, she wears a snow white dress and that white dress is symbolic of her life, that she has never been touched by any man. And she wears a veil which is symbolic of virginity, of purity, just like Baba Species said, it is like that glass that has not been broken. So she is still pure, a virgin. And as it is done, when the father brings in the bride, he removes that veil. And by that saying to the young man, to the bridegroom, now I remove from between you, now I hand over to you my virgin daughter. That girl has lived a life like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who when the angel said to her, a son will be born of you, she said, but how is that possible, I know no man. I have never heard anything like that. A Christian, a child of God, lives a pure life. Before marriage, she has nothing to do with another man, so that she can wear that white dress in truth, that it signifies something that is true, that there are no spots on her. And she says, I also want to wear a veil, showing that I am holy and pure before God and before men. And she says, I also want to wear a veil, showing that I am holy and pure before God and before men. But you, if you as a young person have to do with the opposite sex, you are unmarried, but you meet with a boy or with a girl, then you are a child of the devil. And Paul says, I fear lest you be deceived, because the devil does deceive people, especially young people. Who then say, well we are engaged now, we are going to get married anyway, so now we can go ahead. But you can even sin in your thoughts, because to God a thought is like a deed. So you need to live a holy life, pure, spotless before God. A thought is like a deed. And don't let the devil lead you astray and say, we are engaged already, it doesn't really matter. It matters to God, but you child of the devil, it doesn't matter, because you are on your way to hell. But if you are on the holy road, the highway of God, it matters. It's a matter of life and death. And many people, before they get married, they say, well, I don't want to get married, I don't want to get married, I don't want to get married, I don't want to get married. And many people, before they get married, and even before they get engaged, they are sending each other SMSs and messages from one to the other. But Paul says, I want you to be holy and pure before God. And God doesn't only expect you to live that holy and pure life in church. When you are in front of the minister, he expects it from you wherever you are, at home, at work, in Durban, on the beach, or anywhere. It's like when you're at a function and people start ululating and you don't really know what's going on and you think well is a war breaking out or what is it and all the time they're just very happy we are Christians let's be genuine Christians let's not be Pharisees hypocrites but let's be genuine about it and Paul says I want to present you to Christ as a pure young virgin. There's a place not far from here a young man wants to get married to a young girl and he paid his lobola he paid it in full and the next day after the wedding day there was a the husband was up in arms he said when I paid the price for my bride I paid it in full everything was paid but now I've spent the night with my with my bride and I find she is not a virgin anymore she was not complete as I paid the price she must take her things go back home I don't want her they called the minister they said please come try and get some reconciliation going here the husband said I'm not interested and nowadays even abortion is allowed so nowadays that will even complicate matters more because you should actually be honest about it and also say how many you've aborted. Now Jesus wants us to be his perfect bride without spot or wrinkle spotless let me just use an example of another woman she was an important lady in the church when there was a service she would be sitting right in front that wasn't here in this place it was somewhere else and when the congregation sang she would get very involved and even start dancing to the music moving with it and singing but then one day suddenly it came to light and they found out that this lady was breeding a snake snakes at home had to do with occultism. So she'd be in the service very much involved there but when the service was out she was off home to go and attend to this snake of hers. So there she was in the church but involved in occultism at the same time she'd go home she'd speak to the snake she'd communicate with it. Is that being betrothed to one man like this lady being in the church with Jesus there but at home with the devil. Now it's only 12 to 11 now so we can still keep it short even if we bring in another story. I was worried that my watch had stopped already I couldn't believe I still had so much time I thought it had stopped like some Christians they go for a while and then they stop. In northern Africa there was a congregation and God was at work in this congregation and the congregation grew but then suddenly one day they noticed that the growth had stopped and the numbers started decreasing again the benches were getting empty and the minister was worried and he got the elders together and he said I'm concerned because I noticed the people aren't coming to the services anymore it's as if the Holy Spirit has stopped working. When God is at work things go forward there's progress. He said but this worries me let us get together and pray. Let us meet at least once a week at five o'clock in the morning and pray cry to God and ask him to be merciful. But in spite of all that the numbers kept decreasing and then one of the elders came to the minister and said you know to meet once a week at five in the morning it's really getting too much can't we make it only once a month. There's so much work and we're exhausted. But this minister was on fire he wanted the best and he said no we can't decrease the number of days we're meeting we should actually increase them I think from now we should meet every single morning. So then Monday Tuesday Wednesday every morning they were meeting at five. Before that week was over this same elder that had come and requested that they meet only once a month stood up in the meeting and said reverend pastor and all the other members here the tears were streaming down his face he said that God has stopped working in this congregation it's my fault and I want to confess my sin. He said I remember when one of the congregation was desperately ill on his deathbed. He called me to his deathbed and he said brother I realize that my illness is leading to death. He said now please do me a favor I've got many cattle and my wife and my children are going to suffer when I die and I'm concerned if no one looks after the cattle they'll they can go lost or they can die of some sicknesses or they've stolen. He said to me brother do me a favor please sell all the cattle I've got and then go with my wife because she's uneducated go with her to the bank with all the money that you've got from the sale of the cattle and put it into a savings account and give her the signing rights that she can at least sign with her thumbprint and then at least she'll have something to live off after I've died. And he said I'd like you to do this for me because you're a Christian I trust you and that's why I'd like you to do this for me. And he said I'll gladly do that for you. Now when that person had passed away this man went with that widow to the bank. Now this Christian man this elder when he went to the bank and he saw how much money had been realized from the sale of the cattle he said wow these are thousands upon thousands. Then he took some of the money and he pocketed it. So when he went with a widow to the bank he only deposited a portion the rest was in his pocket. So they went to the bank they deposited the money but it wasn't all in the bank some of it was left in his pocket. He thought no one had seen it. God had seen it. And the elder stood there in that meeting weeping and saying I've sinned I've sinned and I'm confessing the sin I've stolen I'm a thief I'm going to I'm confessing it I'm gonna go to that widow and I'm going to apologize to her as well and I'm going to repay that money and not just the money I'm going to pay back more than I stole. He repented. He repented like Zacchaeus and he made that right the next Sunday the church was brimful. There were more people than ever because he had repented. You see what sin does is anybody in our midst that has sin in his life you need to repent from it but of course if you don't repent from it you'll end up in hell. And you'll spend there for all eternity but that word doesn't mean anything but revolutionists they bring to our remembrance what eternity is. Millions and billions of years you'll burn in hell. Therefore repent if there's sin in your life don't let the sun go down today without you confessing it. God is holy. His way is a highway of holiness. So walk this way highway of holiness and Jennifer you too walk this highway of holiness. What's wonderful is that God is gracious and merciful. But remember also that God is just and he says if you have something outstanding a debt or guilt you'll be thrown into a prison which you won't get out of until you've paid back the last half cent and you need to be faithful even in money matters. If we are not faithful in financial matters God won't entrust us with his spiritual blessing. We are children of the devil and we don't go to heaven we go to hell. Things need to be right and in the light. One cannot have any guilt or debt. But the wonderful part is that if one has sinned if you come and you confess that sin you forsake it he cleanses that he forgives you and he even forgets that sin. Even if you should be a prostitute when you repent turn to God confess your sin he promises that he'll forgive you and he'll remember it no more. But if you don't repent he'll remember it forever you can forget it but when you get to the gates of heaven that sin will stand before your eyes and you won't enter eternal life. So one needs to live that holy pure life until that day of marriage for this couple and if God should spare them they get married even thereafter right unto death. Let us close in prayer. Thank you Lord for your word. We think again of those getting engaged. Help them Lord in your grace to live a holy life. And help all of us that are here to live a holy life. Old and young. That we will be perfect before you. Amen.