This sermon emphasizes the need to live a heavenly life by surrendering completely to God, letting go of self-centeredness, and embracing God's love. It highlights the importance of sacrificing all aspects of our old self, including good qualities that are not surrendered to God, in order to experience true transformation and heavenly living. The speaker urges listeners to love others unconditionally, just as God loves us, and to focus on building a heavenly mindset and home, leading to a heavenly church before Christ's return.

Let's turn to Matthew's Gospel and Chapter 3. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, it was starting the process which would establish a new relationship between God and man, and there were three things that happened at the baptism of Jesus that were to characterize how man was to live from now on, on this earth. You know, when God made Adam, he wanted him to live in a certain way and he didn't live that way. And all those thousands of years from Adam to Christ, there was never one example, not even one example, of any man who walked the way God wanted him to walk. Not even John the Baptist, who was the greatest of all of them. And you remember Jesus said that even though John the Baptist was the greatest, the one who entered God's kingdom would be greater than him. Greater in what sense? Not in terms of just a title. People in the Old Testament couldn't be called children of God, they were called servants of God. But now we can be called children and you know that in any home, a child is more important than a servant. But it's useless glorying in a title if the reality is not in our life. Jesus was the Son of God, but he lived like the Son of God. Today a lot of people who call themselves sons and daughters of God, they don't live like sons and daughters of God, unfortunately. It's just a title. We have a Christendom today that glories in experiences, glories in formulas, glories in titles, and glories in a sort of once for all, asking Christ to come into our life. Things which you don't find in the New Testament. In the New Testament, the narrow gate always leads to a narrow way. It's not the narrow gate that leads to life, remember. The narrow gate leads to a narrow way that leads to life. And what has happened in Christendom through the years is false prophets, and a lot of those false prophets, their doctrine is all correct, but they eliminate the narrow way completely. You come through the gate, you're into life. I think many of you have believed that, but it's absolutely false. And that's the reason why your Christian life is so depressing, up and down, you're often discouraged, you're in bad moods, you condemn yourself, you gossip, you backbite, you're jealous of others. You know why? Because you believed a false gospel, that it was just a narrow gate that led to life. I want to say to you in Jesus' name, renounce that gospel, and believe what Jesus said. The narrow gate leads to a narrow way that leads to life. And if you want to know what that way is supposed to be like, here it is in Matthew chapter 3. It says when Jesus was baptized, verse 16, he came up immediately from the water. There are three things you see, the heavens were open, the spirit of God descended upon him and lighted on him, and a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son, whom I'm well pleased. I want you to see those three things as three things that we should experience in our life all along this narrow way. Number one, we're supposed to live with the heavens open over us all the time. In the Old Testament, one of the last things that God said in Malachi 3 was, favorite verse of many preachers today, bring your tithes into the storehouse and I will open the heavens and pour you out a blessing that you will not have room to receive. Tithe was very important in the Old Testament. You never find that command after Malachi chapter 3, never. Even when Jesus quoted it in Matthew 23, he quoted it to the Pharisees and I am not a Pharisee. If you're a Pharisee, you better listen to that, or if you're a Jew, but in the New Testament, the equivalent, and here is another reason why many preachers go back to the Old Testament, the equivalent of giving your tithe to God. There's a verse in Deuteronomy 14, I think it's verse 14 in the Living Bible, it says, God teaches you to tithe, to teach you to put him first in everything. That's the meaning of the tithe. You've got to go behind the external act to see what was God teaching. God was teaching man to put him first. As soon as you gather your crops, give 10% to God. Tithe was not money in the Old Testament, by the way. It was grain. It was because they were all farmers. They never got salaries from some office. It was always grain that they brought for the Levites who didn't have farms for food. So it was to teach people as soon as they got their crops, say, God blessed me, here it is, Lord, I want you to be first in my life. Now, unfortunately, a lot of people have got rid of the meaning behind it, you know, legalists who go by the letter of the law and have been taken up with paying in tithe. It's no use even if you pay 10% if God's not first in your life. And one way by which we prove that God is first in our life is like it says in Romans 12, 1, we present our bodies, a living sacrifice to God. So that's what Jesus was doing when he went into the waters of baptism. As an example for us, he was saying, John, I know you don't want to baptize me, but I need to be baptized because that's how you fulfill righteousness. He wasn't being baptized because he was repenting of anything. It was symbolic of something. Jesus' baptism was the only unique baptism that John the Baptist conducted. All the others, they were baptized because they were repenting of their sins, but not Jesus. Jesus was baptized because he was showing for us a way that we were to live all our life. It was symbolizing taking up the cross. That means I submit to somebody else who crucifies me, buries me, and I don't resist. Jesus, you know, when anybody is baptized in water, you submit to somebody who puts you down under the water. You're baptized into his death, it says in Romans chapter 6. And Jesus was submitting his body totally to be crucified and buried to his own choices and his own will. And as John the Baptist lifted him up out of the water, it was a symbol, a picture of God lifting up into a heavenly life everyone who would daily submit himself to death to self. That's why the message of death to self is so important. And it's unfortunate that that's being replaced by what they call praise and worship, being replaced by paying your tithes, being replaced by a gospel of prosperity, none of which bring people to a heavenly life. It makes people very earthly. And I'll tell you what a heavenly life is like. Well, let me finish this verse. First of all, the heavens were open. We're supposed to live every day of our life with our heavens open. The Spirit of God, secondly, came upon Jesus. We're supposed to live every day of our life filled with the Holy Spirit. I'm not supposed to live a single day of my life without being filled with the Holy Spirit, without being anointed by the Holy Spirit. And third, every day, verse 17, there's a voice from heaven. Every day I can hear the voice of God. And I should be able to hear him say, I'm well-pleased with you. That means the way he says that to us is by giving us an absolutely clear conscience. See, when God says, I'm well-pleased with you, to someone who was born again today, there's a lot of difference between him and God saying, I'm well-pleased with you, to somebody like the Apostle Paul at the end of his life. That's like saying there's a lot of difference between somebody getting 100% in the kindergarten and somebody getting 100% in his PhD class. Both 100%, but there's a world of difference. And we should progress gradually where I'm well-pleased with you comes at higher and higher and higher levels. But even the youngest believer can hear God saying, I'm well-pleased with you, because his conscience shows him very little of what is displeasing to God in his life. That's the only area he's got to cleanse. You don't have to live by my standard. I have light on certain things, and God will judge me by my light. But you have to live only according to the light you have. But if that light is not growing, if you're remaining static, you're not getting light on things that are unchrist-like in your life, I want to say to you in Jesus' name, something is seriously wrong with your thinking that you're spiritual. You're not. You're just downright carnal. A spiritual man is one who gets light on unchrist-like areas in his life constantly. I get light every day, I'll tell you honestly. And that's why I have to judge myself every day and repent every day. I don't want to live a single day without getting light, because life is so short. Psalm 90, verse 12 says, Teach us to number our days, that we might present to you one day a heart of wisdom. Do you want to present to God a heart of wisdom? That means a heart that is totally Christ-like. To present to God a heart that is totally Christ-like, I have to number my days, not my years. 2 Corinthians 4, 16 says, The inner man is renewed day by day, not year by year. I find some believers, they don't even make progress in 10 years. But the Apostle Paul, he said in 2 Corinthians 4, 16, My inner man is being renewed every single day. That means he was getting light on unchrist-like areas in his life every day. My dear brother, sister, I plead with you in Jesus' name, Dear brothers and sisters, Don't come short of this wonderful life that God wants you to have. Our earthly attitudes have to be changed to heavenly. And life is short. Life is so short that I don't have time to waste. I don't have time to waste wrestling with flesh and blood. No, I don't have time to waste looking at other people's faults and finding fault with them. I have time only to see what God wants me to do in my life. And as I do that in my life, my life will become more heavenly. And the end result of that cleansing is something like if you cleanse all the garbage out of your house. Do you see how it feels? The house stops stinking. And you suddenly discover some garbage that was stuck in some corner. You clean it up. The house smells better, even better. It's like having a shower or a bath. You feel fresh and you don't stink anymore. That's heavenly life. To cleanse ourselves is exactly the same as throwing out the garbage from our house. It's exactly the same as rubbing soap and washing away all the smell and the sweat from our life. I can't understand why Christians shouldn't be more serious about cleansing themselves. They should be so eager. We who are so eager to put deodorants and perfumes to smell better, why not be serious about the aroma of Christ that comes forth from our thoughts and the way we look at people and the way we speak to people. That stinks more than your body. Every time you put deodorant on your body, just ask yourself whether your soul is stinking to people. When you use perfume on yourself, there's nothing wrong in it. It's an act of consideration for other people. Why not show an act of consideration by being heavenly in our speech and in our soul? And especially at home. Especially we take advantage of one another at home. Our homes must be heavenly before we can have a heavenly church. And your home cannot be heavenly unless you become heavenly. So, I want to tell you your birthright. Your birthright is these three things. Heavens open over you all the time. This Holy Spirit of God filling your life all the time. And being able to hear the voice of God all the time, not just once a day, many times. God speaking so clearly to our heart, there's not a shadow of doubt that it is God who is speaking. And very often, you know, you are willing to pay a tremendous price in terms of earthly loss and sacrifice to obey the voice of God. If you have only heard the voice of God saying to you, I'm happy with you. I love you so much. You are so nice. You haven't really heard the voice of God. If you have never heard God speaking a hard word to you, a strong word, He's probably not your father. The Bible says that fathers rebuke and discipline their children. Strangers will always say nice things to you. Right? Fathers, I know the hardest words I have ever spoken in my life are to my own children. I've never spoken hard words to anybody in the world as to my own children. The less I know people, the less I speak hard words to them. God is like that. God speaks strong words. When I was young, if somebody asked me, how do you know Jesus loves you? I'd say He died for me. Today if somebody asks me, how do you know Jesus loves you? I'd say, number one, He loves me. And number two, according to Revelation 3.19, He rebukes me and disciplines me. That's what it says in Revelation 3.19. As many as I love, I reprove and I discipline. When we become mature, we see that God's love is manifested not just in Christ dying on the cross, though we thank Him for that, but that He rebukes us and corrects us. I'll tell you one of the saddest things that weighs down and burdens my heart is when I see so many believers in our church here who seem to grow so little spiritually as the years go by. They're good people. They're getting 100% in the kindergarten. Ten years later, they're still in the kindergarten. They don't seem to have become more Christ-like. They don't seem to have more light on Christ-like areas. That's the saddest thing. If you ask me what's the number one saddest thing, that's the number one saddest thing in my heart. In many places, I find even with some elders in some churches, they don't seem to get light on what Christ-likeness is. Make that your passion, you young people. Don't waste your life. Your birthright is heaven should be open over you. The Spirit of God should be upon you, and you should be able to hear the voice of God, and the voice of God should be able to say, I'm well pleased. And as I said, the way you hear that is by a conscience that's completely free from offense. Paul said in Acts 24 and verse 16, he said, I do my best. He's talking about going to heaven. He's talking about being part of the resurrection in verse 15. See the context. I have a hope, he says in God, Acts 24, 15, which these other men also cherish. They cherish it, but they don't do what I do. What is it? Everybody believes. There will be a resurrection. There will be a resurrection of the righteous, and there will be a resurrection of the wicked. And what Paul is saying is, I don't want to be in the resurrection of the wicked. I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous. I hope all of us want to be in that. But if you want to be in that resurrection, let me tell you, do what Paul did. See what he says in verse 16. In view of this, because I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous, there's something I do. I do my very best. And whenever I hear that, I think of the businessmen who do their very best to make money. I do my very best, the businessmen would say, to make money. Here is Paul saying, I do my very best to keep my conscience absolutely blameless. Always. Always means 24-7. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I always do my best to keep my conscience clear. Not only before God, but before men. If I've hurt God by one bad thought I had, a dirty thought, or a selfish thought, or a rude word, I say, Lord, forgive me. If I hurt somebody else by a rude word, maybe my wife, maybe somebody at home, maybe a servant, I apologize. If you think it's beneath your dignity to go and apologize to a servant, brother, sister, you better resign yourself to an earthly, hellish life. That's it. If you want a heavenly life, you've got to pay a price. You've got to get rid of all these false ideas of dignity, and the caste system, which even some Christians have, where they feel that a servant is inferior to them, and some other caste. I will apologize to a senior officer, but not to a servant. You have got a caste system yourself. And you're no better than the others who have a caste system. Every human being is the same before God. I hope you realize that. If you haven't learned that, it's one of the first lessons you must learn in the Christian life. Your servant, who works for you in your home, is not inferior to you in God's eyes. If you hurt her, you've got to apologize. As much as you would have to apologize to some senior official if you hurt him. There's no difference in God's eyes. If you spoke rudely to a beggar who came to your gate, go run after him, and apologize. Are you serious about your Christian life? Do you want a heavenly life? Or do you want to listen to just messages on Sunday morning? I'm absolutely convinced the reason why so many people don't come into a godly life, a life where they are rejoicing all the time, a life where they never have a bad mood, a life where they are never discouraged, a life where they are free from anxiety, where they don't lose their temper, and they don't lust after women, and where their yes is yes, their mean yes, where they can love all their enemies, and forgive everyone who has hurt them. The reason they don't come into that life is because they don't want to come into that life. They're not willing to pay the price. They sit on their dignity and their reputation. Then you can never make it. But there is a life which is there for the, it's offered to you, it's there for the asking, if you ask for it, if you're willing to pay the price. A life where heaven is always open. It's a heavenly life on earth. The Holy Spirit has come to bring the atmosphere of heaven to earth. And this verse that we looked at the other day, 1 Corinthians in chapter 2, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, it says, I was mentioning the other day how we don't like anybody to know our thoughts. We like to keep our thoughts private to ourselves. And no one no one knows the thoughts of a man, it says in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 11, except he himself. But God is so willing to let us know his thoughts. And he says he gives us his Holy Spirit, the thoughts of God, verse 11, no one knows except the Spirit of God. And when, and we have received the Spirit, it says in verse 12, so that we may know these thoughts. Isn't that wonderful? I receive the Holy Spirit so that I can know the way God thinks. And if my way of thinking can become like God's way of thinking, my life will be a heavenly life. And I will at least, even if other people in my home don't behave in a heavenly way, I will behave in a heavenly way in my home. And even if other people in the church don't behave in a heavenly way, I will behave in a heavenly way in the church. I can't change other people, but they must be willing to let the Holy Spirit change their way of thinking. Remember this again. A man's thoughts only that man knows. God's thoughts only the Holy Spirit knows. God's given us that Holy Spirit so that we may know the things freely given to us of God and the way God thinks. Like we read the other day in Psalm 103, verse 7, that God made known his external actions to the Israelites but his thoughts, his ways to Moses. I want to turn to Isaiah in chapter 55. We're thinking of this heavenly life that we can live on this earth. It says in Isaiah 55 and verse 8 My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Let's just stop for a moment. Like I say, let's read the Bible slowly, slowly, slowly. Let's not be in a rush. God says, my thoughts are not your thoughts. That means your way of thinking God says is not my way of thinking. I say, Lord, I want to believe that. My way of thinking is Adamic. The way Adam thinks. Where I put myself first and then I put my family next. I'm very protective of my family but the others, I don't care if I hurt them. That's Adam's way. If you're like that you're a true child of Adam behaving like Adam. Where you only think of yourself you don't think of others. You and your family, every heathen in the world thinks like that. I, my wife and my family I've got to be very protective of them. A Christian is not like that. A Christian is heavenly minded. He thinks like God. God says my ways are not your ways. Your ways are selfish and your ways are proud. God says my ways are not like that. God's thoughts are thoughts of constant unselfishness and humility. And he says my ways are not your ways. Your way of doing things is not my way. We do things in the Adamic way where we think of ourselves and do what's best for us and work in that way and all our ways are like that. And then he says in verse 9 if you want to know the difference between your way of thinking and my way of thinking it's the difference between heaven and earth. Your way of thinking is earthly my way of thinking is heavenly. Got it? And my thoughts are heavenly, verse 9 and your thoughts are earthly. Throughout the Old Testament period nobody could get out of that that thoughts were earthly that's why the Lord allowed them to have a land on this earth that's why the Lord blessed them with property and everything earthly. That was the only way he could make them happy because that's what they wanted every person and that was the mark of God's blessing that God blessed them with camels and donkeys and sheep and oxen and good crops and big houses and defeating all their earthly enemies and giving them a land which was like flowing with milk and honey that's what they wanted and that's what they got because their thoughts were earthly they could not get out of it even when Jesus was on earth and he preached to his own disciples for three and a half years some of the finest sermons any human being has ever preached imagine listening to Jesus for three and a half years and you know let me tell you two things at the end of it that they thought of at the last supper they were thinking who's going to be the leader this is after listening to Jesus for three and a half years the thought in their mind was who's going to be the leader after Jesus goes that's Adam's way of thinking who's going to have the prominence in the church who's going to be more respected than others if you think like that you are a pre Pentecost Christian you haven't been filled with the Holy Spirit that's why they thought like that who's the leader every Christian who is thinking of prominence in the church or who's going to be the leader he hasn't been filled with the Holy Spirit if you ask me I don't care whether he speaks in tongues it's a counterfeit tongue he's certainly not filled with the Holy Spirit so that's the way the disciples thought before the day of Pentecost, not after and then the other thing we see there is before the day of Pentecost at the end of all this and this is just a few moments before Jesus goes up to heaven you think that he's now thinking about something heavenly no, he's saying Lord will Israel now become the biggest kingdom on earth will we become prime ministers and cabinet ministers now at least Acts 1, 6-8 Jesus said it's not for you to know all that you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit you see how their mind was so earthly who's going to be the leader are we going to get positions now is Israel going to be the top nation in the world now are we going to become rulers of the world anyone who thinks like that I have one advice for him brother, be filled with the Holy Spirit everything will change you cannot be heavenly unless you're filled with the Holy Spirit it's not self-improvement many people when they come to the church now you can hear some things like this and say ok, I'm going to behave a little better from now on good, that's self-improvement there are management programs that people conduct for companies where they teach them to be a little considerate to others and be considerate towards your workers and etc it's 100% rooted in selfishness for the business people it is so that we can make more profits in the company if you're more considerate towards your workers and for us it may be that we can get a more reputation in the church if we are a little more considerate and a little more kind, people will give us a reputation, we'll get a reputation that we are kind, considerate people I'd like to be a little more humble so that people think, oh, Brithis Act is a very humble man, it's 100% like business people trying to get some profit for myself, they want money, I want honor so don't fool yourself that Christianity is a self-improvement program to get some benefit for ourselves that we get a reputation in the church, it's the voice from heaven which God says I am well pleased with you, I don't care what people think about you, in fact people thought Jesus was the devil Bill Zippo but his father was Bill Zippo right through his life, that's the only thing that matters and I want to say to you in Jesus name if you, please take me seriously if you really are serious about wanting a heavenly life, the thing we've been speaking about these last couple of weeks, make one decision in your life that you will not care for the honor and approval of men anymore that you don't want any honor or approval in the church you're not trying to impress people in the church, oh I'm a spiritual man or I'm born again, I'm a child of God, you care for that I tell you in a hundred years you will not be heavenly, if you can break with that and say Lord I want to hear the voice from heaven where God says I am well pleased with you and if he doesn't say it a thousand people saying that about you means nothing the elders thinking you're a wonderful spiritual person is garbage, throw it in the trash their opinion there's only one opinion that matters and I believe this is the reason why many people don't become more heavenly minded they're always trying to make a good impression on others, they're trying to make a good impression on other people in the church especially, break free from that, break free from that, break free from that in your life completely and so the Lord says here my thoughts are heavenly and your thoughts are earthly and as I said throughout the Old Testament nobody could have that but the moment we come to the New Testament and the day of Pentecost it was heaven come down to the earth that's what Jesus said, some of you who are standing here or alive will see the kingdom of God actually coming down that happened on the day of Pentecost that heaven came down to earth and that's the whole meaning of the fullness of the Holy Spirit and I wish all the people who talk about being filled with the Spirit would emphasize this it means heaven coming down to earth and heaven is the place where God lives and it's God's nature that spreads all over heaven and that's why there's no depression in heaven, there's no gloom in heaven, there are no bad moods in heaven there are no fears about the future in heaven because God's nature floods heaven and the Bible describes God's nature and all of the Bible there's only one word that says God is love and the Apostle John says that when he's 95 years old he was discovered through many many years I love reading 1 John because it's the writing of a mature apostle who had walked with God for 65 years and he knows one of the most important things in Christendom he's seen around him churches backslidden five out of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are in a pathetic condition he's seen elders who are in such a pathetic condition that the Lord says I'll spit you out of my mouth you've got a name that you're alive you elder brother but you're dead seeing all this John writes 1 John and what does he talk about? mainly he talks about love he says God is love he brings us back to that Old Testament commandment that the most important commandment is love God with all your heart soul strength and mind to put him first and to love your neighbor as yourself with Jesus expanded and changed to say among believers you've got to love one another as I have loved you so really we have love God with all your heart soul strength and mind love your fellow believers as Christ loved you and love everybody in the world as you love yourself it's all related to love and every thought that comes into our mind please listen every thought that comes into our mind which does not originate in love for people is an evil thought don't think it's just lusting after women that's the height of evil and would you like somebody to lust after your daughter? all you men who lust after women would you like somebody to lust after your sister? or your wife? no? why do you lust after somebody else's daughter? somebody else's wife? it shows that we haven't really allowed the Holy Spirit to make us think the way God thinks it ultimately boils down to love if I love a person I would never want to harm that person why is it so many Christians you read of Christian preachers who suddenly fall into adultery how in the world can that happen? I'll tell you how it happens the guys are just hypocrites first class hypocrites and they can live so long and all the dumb people sitting listening to this great preacher can't even discern the guys are hypocrites even after many years what surprises me is not that this preacher could conceal his adultery for 10 years what surprises me is 5000 people listening to him couldn't even discern him for 10 years what type of undiscerning Christians do we have today? that a man's living in sin and you can't even discern it when he speaks because you're impressed by his sermon when you listen to a person you should sense is this a man who's judging himself or is this a man who's just delivering a sermon we must develop in that discernment if we want to escape deception in our last days and I would rule out 95% of today's preachers because they love money you cannot love money and love Christ at the same time it is impossible you don't become a second class Christian you can't be a servant of God at all completely out of the question but I'm surprised how so many people still listen to all these preachers on television who are always asking you for your money I'll tell you non-Christian psychologists who teach a lot of nice things why don't you listen to them read their books instead of the Bible it's amazing how Christians have lost discernment in our day dear brothers and sisters there are a lot of earthly things that are good to human eyes which God will not accept do you know why we read in the Old Testament that King Saul lost the kingdom I want to show that to you because there's a lesson there for today in 1 Samuel chapter 15 before this let me go back I've got to go back in history a bit go back to Exodus and chapter 16 sorry 17 Exodus 17 and I'll show you something here because the Old Testament is history that develops you've got to start here to understand it later on Exodus 17 we read here the people were thirsty and they cried out for water verse 1 and the Lord said to Moses stand verse 6 on the rock at Horeb and strike the rock and water will come out very quickly that's a picture of Jesus Christ smitten on the cross of Calvary the rock and when he was smitten from his innermost being rivers of living water came out this wasn't a trickle remember there were 2 million people there Israelites from the rock came out many rivers in many directions and that's a picture of John 7 38 and 39 rivers of living water coming out because Jesus was smitten now immediately after the spirit is poured out symbolically it says verse 8 then Amalek came and fought against Israel Amalek is a picture of the flesh that fights against the spirit the flesh and the spirit are in conflict and you see there the rivers are flowing out and Amalek comes to fight immediately and Amalek is overcome when Moses lifts up his hands and prays Lord help me I cannot overcome the flesh it says here every time Moses put his hand down the flesh prevailed verse 11 every time Moses lifted up his hand Israel prevailed it's like that when you're tempted by the flesh every time you say Lord give me grace you overcome every time you become self confident and put your hand down you think you can overcome by yourself Amalek prevails the flesh prevails very clear it's wonderful reading the Old Testament but the Lord told Israel you must wipe out these Amalekites but they didn't just like most Christians don't wipe out the flesh what happened years later we read God telling Saul in 1 Samuel 15 1 Samuel 15 Samuel said to Saul the Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people 1 Samuel 15 verse 1 and thus says the Lord I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel now listen very clear instructions remember this is a picture of the flesh verse 3 go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has don't spare him man, woman, child infant, ox, sheep, camel and donkey now I don't have time to explain why God did it be another time but it's something like you know you cut off a gangrenous foot because if you don't cut it off the rest of the body gets gangrenous and sometimes God cuts off a section of humanity because otherwise the whole of humanity would be corrupt it's an act of love when you cut off a gangrenous foot it's something like that God saw the evil was so bad that like in Noah's time he wiped out almost all of humanity in Sodom and Gomorrah's time they wiped out just one couple of cities here a particular group of people that were so corrupt it was like a gangrenous foot that had to be cut off and when the instruction was very clear gotta wipe it out completely so Samuel went I mean Saul went and it says here in verse 9 verse 8 he captured Agag he utterly destroyed all the people but he spared the king and he spared the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fatlings and all that was good and was not willing to destroy them utterly there were good sheep and bad sheep listen carefully in Amalek there are good things in your flesh and bad things in your flesh in your eyes God said destroy everything what did Saul do he kept the good and destroyed the bad just like many Christians say there are certain bad things in my life I want to get rid of that but there are certain good things which I got from Adam I want to keep it those are the good sheep the good sheep of the flesh and word of the Lord came to Samuel verse 10 I regret that I have made Saul I regret that I gave salvation to this guy I told him to destroy all of the flesh and he doesn't he uses his own imagination and thinks there are good and bad things he doesn't want all of the nature of Christ he wants quite a bit of the nature of Christ to be patched on to certain good qualities he has he believes that the old garment has got some good things in it but we take a little bit of the new garment and patch it on this is the Christianity of many people and that's why there is a tear in their Christian life that's why they suddenly flare up and lose their temper they who thought they were good Christians that's why they suddenly do something wrong that's why they sign a false statement to make a little more money in the office that's why they deny Christ sometimes in the office to get a promotion and pretend that they are not wholehearted disciples that's why they get depressed that's why they fight at home they are trying to put a patch of Christ on to the good things in Adam that's not heavenly it's a mixture of the heavenly and the earthly like oil and water they just don't mix and the Lord says I regret Samuel was so distressed boy what a man Samuel was he loved Saul so much he cried all night oh Lord this man who started out so well such a humble man are you going to get rid of him now and Samuel rose in the morning to meet Saul Saul came out and said verse 13 blessed are you I have carried out the command of the Lord and Samuel said if you have carried out the command of the Lord what is all this bleating of the sheep I hear and the lowing of the oxen Yahweh to spare the best of the sheep now what are the good things in our flesh which we think we can offer to God you know in your own life there are certain things which you think you can offer to God but you can't maybe you have a natural ability to be nice and kind to people if you don't sacrifice that you'll never be a prophet of God you'll never speak the truth I like to be nice and kind to people I always like to say nice and kind things but the Lord says you're going to die to that if you want to be my servant this is one example have you got musical ability isn't that a good thing to give to God if that musical ability is not sacrificed on the cross it'll never glorify God a lot of Christian musicians I'd say more than 90% of them have never sacrificed their musical ability on the cross it's good music undiscerning people sit and think oh that's wonderful I like to listen to that but it doesn't make them spiritual how spiritual have all these many music CDs that you've heard made you I want to ask you many of you listen to music CDs constantly have you overcome discouragement depression music is supposed to deliver you from that has it delivered you I have hardly any time to listen to any music CD at all you don't overcome depression by listening to that it's because these people have not sacrificed their musical ability on the cross that's why they make money out of their music all those CDs they sell make those singers millionaires I don't believe that they're inspired by God they say a lot of nice things that move you temporarily a lot of poetic statements that some of these singers I'm talking about Christian singers it's a deception there are many good things which you have not if you're not put on the cross it doesn't come out in resurrection in a heavenly life we have to kill all the sheep of Amalek you understand what I mean Lord I'm corrupt from top to bottom because I'm a child of Adam I want to die completely I know times when we used to baptize people here and especially they were a little tall their head wouldn't go in completely and I'd say dip him again the most important part that's got to go down is this the top part of the head that cleverness if that doesn't go underwater the guy's doomed dip him again put him completely in it's like that there could be areas of our life that we have not crucified Jesus went down completely into the water and came up and the heavens were open that's the secret it's real take everything you have brother sister children all the good things all the bad things all the things you think are so nice about you laid on the cross laid on the altar and said Lord I want to die completely I want to be buried I want to finish with this Adamic life from A to Z totally 100% and I want you to raise me up to a new life where the heavens are open over me all the time and then our life at home will be heavenly the spirit of God will teach us how to love the way God loves many people I get emails sometimes from people saying how it's difficult to forgive somebody I know it's very difficult to forgive somebody I want to ask you brother sister do you remember something that somebody said against you or did against you why is it it keeps coming back into your mind something has not died or if you buried it you keep digging you are a grave digger many Christians are grave diggers they say I buried it six months later or one week later they are going digging at the grave again brother sister bear in your thoughts forget the things that are behind forget all the good things you did in your life forget all the bad things other people did to you remember some things remember the good things that other people did to you and remember the bad things you've done in your life but the good things you've done in your life bury them the bad things that are people did or said the buried them that's what it means to be crucified with Christ. I seek to live like that and I'll tell you honestly my life is very happy. I sleep peacefully at night. I'm ready to go anytime the Lord calls me. I can honestly say that as far as I know, as far as I have liked till today, I love everybody. I love all of you. I've done nothing against anybody. I don't even remember if any of you did anything against me or said anything against me. If you did, you're forgiven already. I'll tell you that. Jesus said whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man is forgiven. Forgiven. Live like that. Your life will be supremely happy. You won't have those migraines that worry you, bother you and you won't have headaches and arthritis and all types of allergies. I'm not saying these are the only cause of allergies but sometimes they are. These wrong attitudes and your life will be much much healthier because heaven comes down into your heart. Determine with all your heart my brother sister that you are going to live a heavenly life. That any little thing your conscience bothers you about, you're going to set it right immediately. Something that violated the law of love. Live by the law of love, not by rules and regulations. I remember in my younger days, I lived by rules and regulations and I was miserable. I got out of that. Break free from law and come into love where you evaluate everything by not is it right or wrong, is it right to watch this movie or not watch this movie. That's another question. I'm not worried what other people may be doing. That may be right for them because they're in the kindergarten but I'm in the 10th standard. I can't do what they do. You know that may be all right for some brother to watch a movie but not for you. That's like saying it's all right for a two-year-old child to dirty his pants but not for you when you're 20 years old. You understand that? It's something like that. I mean a two-year-old dirtying his pants is not serious but a 20-year-old dirtying his pants is pretty serious. So that believer who was two years old watching that movie is okay but for you born again 20 years ago, you shouldn't be watching all that. You've got more important things to do in life. Are you going to live at that level? That's what I mean. We got to grow up. Heaven becomes more and more, possesses our mind and our thinking and our speech and gradually our home becomes heavenly and imagine if your life becomes heavenly and your home becomes heavenly, that's the way to have a heavenly change and it all starts underneath the foundation that God loves me just as I am. I like that. God doesn't love me after I change. It's not conditional love based on if you behave yourself, I love you. You know we have when we were little children perhaps our mommy and daddy said you be a good boy and daddy will love you or be a good girl and mommy will love you and we think God is also like that. No, God loves us as we are and helps us to change. He doesn't love what we are doing but he loves us because we are precious to him. He gave his son's blood to purchase us. How can we not be precious? I mean if you paid a hundred thousand rupees to buy some little diamond or these stupid things that some women buy and keep it, that'll be pretty precious to you. God gave the blood of his son to purchase you. How in the world can you imagine that you're not precious to God? You are brother and sister. Don't let the devil ever tell you a lie. You are precious, you're loved, you're being eternally loved. Let that be the foundation of your life and the Lord says love other people as they are because I loved you as you were. Don't wait for them to change before you love them. That's Adam. Adam's love waits for people to change. Ah, when they change I love them. No, love them as they are because that's God's love. You know that you have graduated from Adam's love to God's love when you can love people who do not change. When you can love your husband and he doesn't change and love your wife and he doesn't change because you have changed. That's heaven. It's real. It's down-to-earth practical. So we walk this way and we pray that heaven will in future always be open over us. That this old self-centered selfish way of thinking will go. I think of Jesus in heaven, sitting there in heaven, enjoying all the wonderful things in heaven and looking down at people on earth, defeated, miserable, depressed, gloomy, going to hell and saying I've got to do something. I've got to do something to get those people to enjoy this wonderful life. I'm happy. That's heaven. That's what Jesus sat and thought in heaven. The thoughts of Jesus in heaven before he came to earth. Look at those miserable people. Don't let me just sit here in heaven and criticize and criticize. Oh, you good-for-nothing fellows. He did something. If you can't do something to help other miserable sinners, at least keep your mouth shut. If you can do something, if you're concerned, Lord, that wretched way that believer is living, depressed, gloomy, lusting, angry. And you brought me to such a wonderful life where I'm free from these things. I long. I can share this with them. Maybe they'll reject me. They'll call me a heretic and call me a false prophet and call me all types of things. And they do that. It doesn't matter. They do what they call Jesus. It's the price you have to pay in order to proclaim the truth. And very few of you are here who were in the beginning, but if you know the early days of CFC, Boeing, we were called all those names that Jesus was called. False prophet, heretic, devil. And somebody wrote a tract saying the head of the Antichrist is in 16 Picanto Square. It's a tract distributed all over. Poison being distributed, etc. They were teaching all that. But it didn't disturb us because we didn't disturb Jesus because we have come to such a wonderful life and we wanted others to have it. And that's the reason why God has worked and brought a number of you to hear that. Now you have a responsibility to pass that on to others. Don't let it stop with you. If you first come to this life, say Lord I want to bring heaven down wherever I go. Let's put it. Just consider whether you've missed something in your Christian life. Missed something all these years, the most precious thing of all. You've been satisfied with attending meetings, singing songs, listening to CDs, increasing in knowledge, when the most important thing of all the devil's made you miss. Brother, sister, don't let the devil cheat you anymore. Determine that you're going to get a hold of that which Jesus died and rose again for you to have. A heavenly life, a heavenly way of thinking in your mind, a heavenly home so that we can build a heavenly church for Christ before he returns. Father, we pray that you will let the love of God be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit so that it can flow out from us to others. Help us to be rooted and grounded in your tremendous love for us. Thank you, Father. In Jesus name, Amen.