In this sermon, the speaker begins by acknowledging the importance of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They emphasize that salvation is not earned through good works, but rather through faith in Jesus. The speaker shares their personal testimony of how they experienced a transformation of heart and forgiveness of sins through Jesus. They also highlight the significance of obedience to God's commands as a response to salvation.

Well, good morning. I don't have a watch, so if I take three hours, it's not my fault. I preached this year at a church, and I prepared six months for a message. That's terrifying. The minister got hold of it, and he told them, oh, well, Roy Daniel has prepared six months for this message. He's only going to preach three hours, though. And luckily, I didn't do that. It was only 40 minutes. Before I start, before I pray, and actually before I bring my message this morning, I'd just like to bring a short, I don't know if you call it a synopsis, I don't know, but a shortened version of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because there might be someone sitting here today that doesn't know Jesus, that they think they know Jesus. They might be on a false foundation. And before I bring my main message, which is the start of three messages, which are going to be a little bit of a series, joined onto each other. They're not separate in any way. They flow into each other, and you'll come to see over the next few days why. Before I bring that, I would like to bring a little bit of the gospel. And just in seven minutes, it's going to be very short. It's not exactly a message. But basically, when a person gets saved, two things, as many things that happen, it's wonderful, the riches that we receive in Christ Jesus. But when we get saved, there are two basic wonderful things that happen. And the one is that we receive a new heart. A new heart also will I give you. And God changed our heart through Jesus Christ. We can't do that. We can work and work and work forever, and we can never change our heart. I remember five years back when my heart was changed to Jesus Christ. The other thing is our sins are forgiven. Each one of us needs our sins to be forgiven. Because every single one of us has broken God's law. We have lied, or we have stolen, or we've dishonored our parents. And to the world, that might be small. But in the holy eyes of God, that is worthy of the flames of hell for eternity as punishment upon our deeds. Every single one of us have sinned. And God calls us to repentance. Not one of us can, through our religion or our works or anything that we do, can we take away the sin that we have done. It's held against us. If we die, we go to prayer meeting. That we read our bibles. That we do everything on earth. That we hand out tracts. All of that in one moment will be washed aside on the judgment day. And all that will be left for God to judge is the times that we have broken God's law. And we'll be cast into hell. And of course, you know, we've been brought up to be told, and it's wonderful that Jesus Christ tasted death for every single man on earth. He tasted death for you. He tasted death for me. He loved us, even though we didn't love him. And he has done everything. When he said it is finished, he meant it is finished. He's done everything to make it possible that he as a gift can forgive us of our sins. But he calls us, and Luke has written that, that's above Christ to suffer and to die. And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached. And that's the message that should be preached. Not just remission of sin. Not just that you must receive Jesus Christ, but that you should repent. That you should come in humility of your sin to God. Now many people, many people come to God, as I did many times in my life, and they come for the wrong reason. They come because they are sorry about hell. They're scared of hell. They come because they like the minister. They come because their friends come. It's the right thing to do. They want to have a better life. And coming with these wrong reasons, and they pray to become Christians, and nothing happens in their life. They've sometimes become religious afterwards, but nothing happens. And God calls, and the condition of receiving Jesus Christ into your life is that you have to repent. That you have to have humility and godly sorrow over your sins, and over your life that does not love God. And if you don't have that, you can forget about the God who loves you and longs to give you eternal life. That he'll ever give unto you, unless you come in humility of your sins. Now me in my life, as I said, this is not a sermon. This is seven minutes just before I started my sermon. Five years back I met with Jesus, but before that many times I came to God for the wrong reasons. I remember as a seven-year-old boy, I prayed because I was scared of hell, and nothing happened in my heart. And then I became religious, and I started to give out checks, and I did so many things for God, but there was not life. And seven years back, and many people looked up to me as a Christian, but seven years back I remember being in my room, and God's Holy Spirit came down and showed me that I was a sinner. With all the good works I did, and with all the people who talked about me as a wonderful person, and as an influence upon other people. God's Holy Spirit came down and showed me, Roy, you are a sinner. You've never come in humility of your sin to God Almighty, and been saved. And you know the wonderful thing is, if you're in that state, if you've come to the point where you realize you're a sinner, and you're sorry about your sin, and you want to turn from your sin, then you don't have to run around the world to earn salvation. You don't have to run around the world to do good works, to pay for your forgiveness of sins. The wonderful thing is, as I said, Jesus Christ has done it all, and therefore in one moment, as I did seven years back, when you are truly humbled of your sin, you can look to Jesus. And in that one moment, because He has done it all, because it was finished, look over. He can change your heart, and He can forgive your sins, and He did that to me seven years back in my room. I can show you the spot in Cape Town, South Africa. And then there was fruit, and then there was life. The Bible became a new book to me. It became alive. Not that I understood all of it, but slowly as I read it, portions became alive to me. I had a love for God. I had a will that deep in my heart was a love that wanted to do God's will, that wanted His smile. And only God could have given me that heart. You cannot change your heart. God did in one moment what I couldn't have done in 20 years of getting out of tracks, and going to Bible studies, and going to camps, and being a good boy. God did in one moment as a gift when I came in humility of my sin. And I'd like to challenge you, if there's anybody here who's like me for 18, 20 years of my life, well not 20, sure, 18, 24, math. But if there's anybody like that, and you know you haven't become alive in Jesus Christ, that you've got works, that you go to Bible studies, that you know the Bible, then I encourage you, this camp to make right with God, because tomorrow might never come. And that's a fact, it's not a thought. Well let us pray before I go to my sermon. Father, oh thank you for thy mercy and thy love. Thank you that you first loved us, that we are rebellious Lord, and that we so often with all the light we have, we don't humble ourselves. Father thank you for the cross of Jesus Christ, we're so much with God, we are bought with the Christ, therefore glorify God in your body and spirit which are God's. Father I ask you today, and I'd like to thank you for this meeting, that we can gather around that word, but that you would open up our eyes to behold the wonders in that word Lord. There are lies, and so many Christians lie, there are lies that are keeping them back from obedience, and going deeper in the knowledge of God. And Father I ask you to show that for the truth today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and every time my daddy and us preach, and through people in this camp Lord, that the truth would set free people from the lies of the devil, and hold them back from going through with God. Father shine upon us as only God Almighty can, for thou art light, for whatsoever maketh manifest is light. And I ask this all in the name of Jesus Christ, also that you abide in the devil and his demons, concerning this meeting, in Jesus name, Amen. Well I've already said good morning. You know one of the saddest things about history, one of the saddest things about history, is that people do not learn from history. People do not learn from the mistakes that other people made in the past and history, through ignorance and through pride. One of the basic and famous examples of this I suppose, and you guys know your history better than me, so forgive me if I get some of the dates wrong, but when Napoleon, I don't know if it was a few hundred years back, when he went up to Russia, and he went, I think it was over a million troops up into Russia, he decided, and he made a big fatal flaw, to go up in the winter time, to attack Russia, when it was approaching winter time, and winter as they say is for Russia. And they went, he went with this huge army into Russia, and he went up to Moscow, and all the Russians did was they were destroying the food supplies all along the way. Eventually at Moscow he had a semi-victory, where he had more people died of the enemies than of his army, but it was short-lived. After the food supply there died, or was used up, he went on, and the supplies were cut off, and cut off, and eventually began to starve, and they had to retreat in humility. And very few of those, that large army was left, because they attacked Russia in the winter time. A time later, I don't know if it was a few hundred years later, in World War II, Hitler did not learn from history. I don't know if he was too proud, or he didn't know, or if he took history lessons, but he went up to Russia, it was in the summertime I think, and he decided, while they were having operations in Russia, to have a major operation in the winter time, the Battle of Stalingrad, I don't know if that's pronounced right, and outside in the winter time, as those poor troops of his, were in a terrifying cold, they eventually, a hundred thousand of them, had to surrender outside Stalingrad, I think in 1943, and he made exactly the same mistake, as many years before in history, Napoleon had made, and in each case, he was a deadly bro, to their campaigns to take over the world. They did not learn from history. And with that thought in mind, that we have to learn from history, I'd like to ask a question, how do you, and this is perhaps one of the most important questions I can ever ask a question, a Christian on earth, is how do you measure your spirituality? How do you measure your spirituality? That's important, and I'd like to give a very bad example, I'm not very good at thinking up examples, but for instance, if you believe that it is a very spiritual thing, and that you are very spiritual, and very spiritual people, jump up and down a lot, and that makes them spiritual, and you want to become spiritual, then you will, probably every day, I don't know if you did in front of the mirror, jump up and down to become spiritual. What you believe will affect what you do to become spiritual. How do you measure your spirituality? It's important what you believe as a spiritual person, and how to become it. And to answer this, I'd like to ask another question, how did, and this is the first sermon, how did the Corinthian church measure their spirituality? How did the Corinthian church measure their spirituality? I'd like to pray for a short time again, before I carry on. Father, I'd just like to, in short, ask you that this sermon, Lord, that you would open people's eyes, Lord. Perhaps you're bound with the wrong belief as to how they should grow spiritually, and what is a spiritual person. Not only you can do this, Lord, and set people free from the lies of the devil that hold them back with chains, and growing as you intend them to. In Jesus Christ's name, my dear Father, Amen. How did the Corinthian church measure their spirituality? Well, to answer that, I'd like to ask another question. How did the public measure themselves in those days? How did the public, the Corinthians, the general public, the non-Christians measure themselves in those days? Well, Corinth had what is known as the Ishmian games. I don't know if you've ever heard of that. The Ishmian games, I'm probably pronouncing it incorrectly. It was second in popularity only to the Olympic games. They loved sport. And so, if you are powerful and you are talented, you were quite something special in Corinth. The second thing they had is the outdoor theater with 20,000 people. It was an arena for gladiators to fight against wild beasts. 20,000 people could look at them. In other words, again, if you are powerful and you're talented, you were quite something. They also had an indoor theater with 3,000 people. It could sit, and it was used for plays and for music. In other words, if you're very good, talented at music, or you're a good public speaker, then you're also quite something in the public sphere of Corinth. They had a culture of Greek wisdom. There was a lot of, they believed in wisdom and knowledge and wise. In other words, you're a professor type person. You have a lot of knowledge and you can debate your point well, then you are quite something in the public in Corinth. And lastly, if we look at the heathen religion, it's not the church religion, but among the heathens religion, then there was a lot of prostitution going on. And also, if you had a lot of experiences in the heathen religion, if you could, in fact, if you look at history, if you could speak in a lot of tongues in the heathen religion, then you, if you had these amazing experiences, were spiritual and something wonderful. And to sum up quickly, if you had a lot of power and talents, if you could sing well, if you could talk well, if you could, or a good public speaker, if you're good at debating your point, you're a professor type person, if you had amazing experiences in the public place, then you are quite something special. And unfortunately, this measurement of what you were in society flowed over into the church. It flowed over into the church. And you had a church that just says, if you are powerful and talented, you are something. So, if you could do powerful miracles, you were something special in the church. Just as if those who are talented in the public were special. So, if you had a lot of talents in the church, you were special. Just as if you're a public speaker, you're good in the public side, very good preachers were considered very spiritual. Just as if you had a lot of knowledge, if you could debate your point in the same, even if you had a lot of knowledge of the Bible, you were wonderful. And just as they, in the heathen religion, spoke in tongues and considered you to be very spiritual and wonderful, if you had a lot of experiences. So, in the church, they had the same problem. That if you had amazing experiences and wonderful things happening to you, emotional and otherwise, then you were something special. If you had experiences, if you had talents, if you had amazing miracles happening to you, then you were something special in the church. And this incorrect, this incorrect measure of spirituality led to at least three problems in the church. It led to at least three problems in the church. And I like to look at at least, as I say, three of them. There were obviously many more. The first one, as people tried, as I say, what you believe affects what you do, they try to grow spiritually by having these experiences and growing on their talents and so on. That the unsaved people felt comfortable in the church. The unsaved people felt comfortable in the church. You can just imagine coming to a church in those days. You sit in the church, you're unsafe, you never repented of your sins, and you have an amazing experience happens to you, say you get healed or something, and then you sit there or you have amazing feeling, and you think that's what they're saying is to be spiritual, and therefore I am spiritual. And the unsaved people feel comfortable in the church. Paul warns them, rebukes them in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 34, awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 34. Now I was in England, and I was speaking to a young 25 year old, I think that's how old he was about, and he was telling me about how he goes to these clubs, and he's in the world, and he loves the world, and he does the things of the world. But then he said to me, Roy, I am definitely a Christian. I am definitely a Christian. You know why Roy? Because I feel, I have an amazing experience feeling God's presence. And in my heart I said, your feelings are lying to you. And then I quoted to him from one John. He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. You don't cherish, you don't love the commandments of God. Love not the world, neither the things of the world, for he that loved the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And you know he looked at me, he said, Roy, if those verses are in the Bible, then I'm not saved. I'm not saved. No matter what experiences you have which make you feel, you see an incorrect measure of his spirituality, because he thought if he feels the presence of God, therefore God is there. Led to him feeling that he was spiritual when he was not. There's 11 tests in one John. 11 tests as to whether a person is saved or not. We're not going to go through all of them tonight, morning. And after those 11 tests which God lays out, it says these words, these things have been written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that ye may know that you have eternal life. These things, these 11 tests that are written unto you that you may know. You know not one of those 11 tests is feelings. Not one of those 11 tests is feelings. They're seeking after God and holiness and to do God's will. And there's life through the Holy Spirit in which he opens up the Word of God, but there's no feelings. I once met a rebellious boy, a boy in South Africa, a biker. And I remember speaking to this boy, and this boy was definitely not saved. Not only was he very rebellious against his parents, but he lied to his parents. His parents told me, and the agony that they go through is this boy lies to his parents. Do you know what he said to me? He said, Roy, I know that I'm a child of God. You know why? Because I feel this amazing peace that God gives me, that goes through my body, that gives me knowledge that I'm of God. Why, Roy, would God give me peace? Why, Roy, would God give me peace if I was not saved? Though he lied and though he was rebellious. Incorrect measure of his spirituality. I met a person in another town in Natal, South Africa. I was preaching to some drunkards, and this one drunkard came to me. He smelled, he reeked of drink, and I know that God loves drunkards. He wants to save them, not leave them in their sin. But this man reeked of drink, and he came to me after I had preached, and he said, Roy, and he wanted to tell me, he said I'd cancer or something going right through my arm, this terrifying disease. My arm was literally falling out, and he said, I went to this minister. I was in this church, and he was preaching, and suddenly it was all healed from top to toe. Every last little bit was gone. I'm healed, Roy. And according to him, because of that, there was no way that he could be unsaved, though he reeked of drink. Because he had an incorrect measure of his spirituality, he thought if he had miracles happening to him, if he was healed, then he was saved. And God never said that in his word. He said, woe unto thee, charism, besider. You should repent it. Not, wow, you're spiritual because you had miracles happening in your midst. The Antichrist will deceive many through miracles, and the Antichrist is not spiritual. There's nothing wrong with miracles. But he was ignoring 1 Corinthians 6 verse 10, which says, nor drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God. Nor drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God. I know one person, he was at one of these places where they sing to God, and he was crying as those stupid music was on. He was crying, and tears were rolling down his face as he worshipped God. And if that was a measurement of spirituality, if you look to the person emotionally as he worshipped God, and tears rolling down his face, and surely this person was spiritual. But that night, that person slept with a woman. That is not a measurement of your spirituality. If you are crying all the time, it's wonderful to cry, but it doesn't mean anything at the end of the day, compared to so many more important things. Your experiences emotionally, physically, do not mean that you are saved, or that you're right with God. Not only were the people in this church, and this is not my second point yet, in sin, not obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ, not having repented of their sin, come in humility and turn and accept that Jesus Christ is not living a life that they'd want to live in obedience to Him. But there are Christians, there are Christians in this Corinthian church who are living in disobedience, living in disobedience and compromise, because they truly thought they were spiritual when they started to disobey. There are four books written by Paul, four letters. We have two of them in the Bible, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls out to the Christians. He calls out to them and asks them to repent. He calls out to them and asks them to repent of their disobedience. And in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, he thanks them for repenting. In 2 Corinthians chapter 7, he thanks them, the Christians, for repenting. You see, these people were not being led by the Word of God. They were being led by their experiences and their feelings. They were not being led by the Word of God, but by their experiences and by their feelings. I have a problem with that term. Not that it kind of happened, but I'm being led by the Holy Ghost. And I know it's very possible. I know it happens. I can tell you wonderful stories how God has led missionaries in the past, and it's just wonderful in different circumstances. But many people, when they say that I'm being led by the Holy Ghost, all that they are actually saying is, I'm being led by my feelings, and I'm being led by my experiences. That's all they say. I met the girl up in Nell's Plate, South Africa. I remember going up to this town, sitting with this girl in front of me. She had, I believe, wonderfully been saved earlier. I will not judge her. But she had this boyfriend, and this boyfriend was not saved. And I couldn't believe it. And I said to this girl, I warned her from the scripture. I warned her from examples in life where it does not work, where saved people have been married to unsaved people, and it is just not worked out, the hardship. And even if it did work out, who cares? The Bible says what fellowship with life is God. And she looked at me, and she said, God, Roy, God has told me that he is for me, and God, I believe, has brought him upon my path. God has told me. She has peace about this boy, and she's ignoring the Word of God. Whenever you have feelings or leadings, just go back to the Word of God, please, because God never contradicts His Word. How, I'd like to ask a Christian before I go into the second problem in this church, how does heaven measure your spirituality? How does heaven measure your spirituality? Matthew 5 verse 19, whosoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. He shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, no matter what experiences he has. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever shall do and teach the commandments of God, so simple, God makes it. Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20, after telling them to baptize people, he says, teaching them, these are the new converts. What are you going to teach them? Experiences? No, teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. That's the first thing you should teach a new convert, is just very simply obedience. Obey. So Christ said, I once, I was at a, Brother Don talked about eight times the next week, I was preaching 20 times in one week. Terrifying. And among all the other things you had to do as well. And I remember it became 21, because on Saturday when I had to preach something three times, they whisked me off on a car. It was a wonderful place where people pray through the nights. I love to go to places like that. And they were praying through the nights, and God was working in a wonderful way. And suddenly they got me in a car and went off to a place where they're having a conference. And these people that had come there at this conference were young people, young Christian leaders, a whole large group of them. And underneath them, Christians so-called. I haven't met them. And I came to this place, I've never met the people before in my life, they'd never met me. It was wonderful. They thought I was an American. I don't know where they got that from. So they were practicing their English. And I came there, and I preached, and I preached something similar to this. And then I asked them two questions. I said to you, you as Christian leaders, and I never met them before, I said, you as Christian leaders should be teaching the people underneath you obedience, obedience to God. And then I asked them a question. When last did you ever hear a minister, and they came from different church backgrounds, wherever, did you last year minister preach anything like, for instance, obey your parents, honor your parents. And every single one of those Christian leaders among the youth shook their heads, and they said they never remember ever that anybody ever preached that. What is the church preaching? And God said preach obedience. And then I said to them, some of you are probably thinking today, some of you are probably thinking as you sit here, that if I went back to my youth group or something like that, and I started to take away all the fun stuff that they're there for, and all the entertainment, and I started to actually sit them down and say, let's learn the commandments of God, let's teach them this. Then they would probably get bored, and you wouldn't want that, would you? They wouldn't want that. I said, but then you've got a problem on your hands, because then you've got a whole group of unsaved people in front of you. Because God Almighty said in 1 John 2 verse 3 or 4, and I believe this with all my heart. If we keep his commandments, he that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. No matter what experiences, feelings, religion, or anything on earth you have, you do not have a heart that desires and longs to do God's will as revealed in his word, then you are not saved, you do not know God. That word keepeth means to guard, to preserve, to cherish, to guard, to preserve, to cherish. If you do not guard, you don't preserve, you do not cherish and love the commandments of God, then God says you do not know Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that you're sinlessly perfected, that you can't fail, but if you don't have that heart that God only can give, then you do not know Jesus Christ. So the first problem that came from this incorrect measurement of their spirituality was sinners felt uncomfortable, felt comfortable sorry in the church, and people were disobedient in the church. The second problem is much of Corinth was filled with babes in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1, and I brethren could not speak unto you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. You see as they sought to grow, they believed that the way to become spiritual was to have experiences, was to have talents, was to have knowledge, was to be able to speak well, was to whatever, they were seeking these things because they believed that was spiritual. As young spiritual babes they sought these things, and of course you can't grow without seeking these things. And they were kept back from the way that God intended us to grow in leaps and bounds, from the way God intended us to throw our lives into growing. And so they were held back by chains because of what they believed was spirituality from growing. They were called babes in Christ. I once had met many of people like this, but I once sat with a girl, I made sure her mother was sitting with her, for two hours dissecting, trying to, all the lies that the devil had put in this person's life, holding her back from faith and believing that she was saved, for two hours. And at the end she said to me, Roy I cannot be saved, it is impossible that I can be saved. I said, why? She said, Roy, I take this Bible, and I said, God please lead me concerning something, I can't remember what it was. He said, Lord please lead me concerning that thing. He said, Roy, I open up the Bible randomly at any certain point in the Bible, and I just open up the Bible, and there's nothing. And she said, I cannot be saved. She was looking for an experience, some wonderful miracle as a proof of her salvation. Of course I told her that's rubbish. You know how dangerous that is? The old wesgans used to do it, very godly people, in the 1800s in England. There was once a lady, she had a friend who phoned her and said, I'm going to commit suicide, I'm at the point of suicide. And she didn't know what to do with this poor lady, so she went to her Bible and she said, God what must I do? And she opened up her Bible at any random point and she read, Go and thou do likewise. It's a very dangerous thing to do. I think she didn't obey that. Old people get held back from growing, they're seeking and feeding on experiences, and not doing what God intended them to do, to grow in leaps and bounds. I met the boy, in fact he was a co-worker with me as a missionary, I've worked with quite a few missionaries, this person was working with me for a few months. I remember driving across Africa, from town to town to town to town, and this boy was struggling at one stage, and he came and met some people, he prayed with them, and he mightily met with God, it seemed. Wonderful. He had a peace, he just talked about this peace, it was too wonderful, this feeling going through his body. He said, Roy it's so wonderful, every morning I wake up, just right through the day I've got this flowing, oozing, wonderful peace. So I waited. I knew it was coming, at least I thought, but it did take a bit longer than I thought it would. One morning, I was driving in the car with him, actually no wait, he woke up, and suddenly he told me, Roy, something terrifying has happened. He says it's gone. I said, I was waiting for that. He said, it's gone, what have I done? Have I sinned? He had no idea, he couldn't understand, why is this peace gone? It was so wonderful for so long. I said to him, I was waiting for that, and I told him, basically as I remember, two things, two things. If you continuously had amazing feelings oozing out of your ear, forever and ever, then the devil would start to complain, number one. And number two, God knows that you cannot, it is impossible to grow spiritually as a Christian, as you should, until you come to the point where you can believe God based solely upon his word, not upon feelings and peace. You have to learn that. Wilderness. You know, if you were spiritual, if you had amazing experiences and miracles and feelings or whatever, if that was the measurement of spirituality, then the Israelites in the wilderness were very spiritual. I mean, they had miracles daily. They had a cloudy pillow of fire by day. They had a cloudy pillow of fire by night. They had manna every single morning and evening or so. God remember, that manna felled and they ate that manna. Deuteronomy 29 verse 6, their clothes and their shoes did not wax old. Daily they had miracles. And if that was the measure of spirituality, then they were very spiritual. But they were so unspiritual. With all the miracles and all the experiences they had in their midst, they were so unspiritual that God says in his word, Exodus 13 verse 17, that they were not ready for war. They were not ready for war. They were disobedient. God wanted to destroy them. They were so unspiritual. And they were so unspiritual that God eventually left them in the wilderness to die and they never entered that land. These people are fed on experiences. But then you have the people who enter Canaan, the next generation. You know what's wonderful? If you read Joshua 5 verse 12, the day after they entered Canaan, what happened? Joshua 5 verse 12, and the manna ceased on the morrow after they'd eaten of the old corn of the land. The manna ceased. And the fiery pillow was gone. And the cloudy pillow was gone. And the miracles were gone the day after they entered the land. But these people who didn't have all the experiences and miracles maybe of the people in the wilderness, they were spiritual. They were ready for war. They were ready for war. And they took that entire land in by two things. They took that entire land of Canaan by two things. And this is the way God intended us to grow. They took that land in through faith and through obedience. Those two things. Through faith and through obedience. Not through amazing experiences every day. The Corinthians were babes in Christ. The Corinthians were babes in Christ. Now I'd like to ask the question, who was Paul speaking to? Who was Paul speaking to when he said the Corinthians are babes in Christ? He was speaking to people with experiences. They had spoken tongues and had miracles. He was speaking to people with knowledge. Paul warned them, 1 Corinthians 8 verse 1b, knowledge puffeth up but charity edify. He was speaking to people who were good speakers. He wouldn't have used these examples in 1 Corinthians 13 if it wasn't, if they didn't have people like this who were good speakers. Who had faith to do miracles. Who were sacrificial givers. In other words, people who had experiences, miracles, knowledge, good speakers, faith to do miracles, sacrificial givers, all these things. And yet they were so unspiritual, this church, with all the miracles and all the experiences and all the speakers and all the knowledge that they had. That God says in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 3, there's among you envy and strife and divisions. Sinners felt comfortable in the church and Christians were living in disobedience with all their experiences and all their knowledge. They were babes in Christ. They were babes in Christ, not knowing and being filled with the love of God which suffereth long in his kind. I know a lady in South Africa, her name is Marie Baker. Marie Baker, before I mention her, I'd just like to mention Donnie Murray, an amazing fellow. He's talking about these things. This came to mind. He was a missionary for a long time. He's now at a Bible college, a very godly man, loves to pray and pray and pray and pray. And Donnie came to me one day and said, you know, one day I was praying in the night time. I was praying. I was praying and praying and praying. I was seeking the face of God. I was seeking Jesus Christ. And he said, suddenly, it seemed as if God came down. Feelings started to ooze from my body. God, peace flooded through my entire body, flowing through me. It was as if waves of divine love came over my body. And he said, it was so wonderful. For such a long time, God seemed to be so present in my life, just flowing through my body. He said, Roy, the next night or morning, I was so excited to go to my knees. Who wouldn't be? He said, I went to my knees and I started to seek God and I longed for God and I prayed to God. And I was just looking for these feelings and they didn't come. And he said, it was just nothing came. It was nothing, nothing, no feelings. And as if as I was sitting there and I was calling out to God, I wondered what have I done? And have I sinned? And is there something wrong with me? And what have I done in the last day to lose this wonderful experience? And he said, suddenly, it was as if God spoke to him. He said, Donny, you're not seeking me anymore. You're seeking the experience. You're not seeking me anymore. You're seeking the experience. You have to learn that. Oh, with all this, the Corinthians that they had were babes in Christ. I know a lady, Marie Baker, Marie Baker, she was involved. She was truly saved, but she was involved in one of these churches that focus on these type of things, experiences. And she was seeking experiences. And one day she heard of my grandfather going to preach in that time, I love my grandfather. He gave me so many spankings. I still love him. Some book, you'll find out what that is. My granny gave me the wooden spoon. She gave me, oh, it's wonderful. Best memories. But this lady, this lady, Marie Baker, she was at this church where they fed on experiences. And she heard of this Yanni Olorio's coming to preach. And he's considered by many as one of the godliest people in our land. And I believe that. There's so little of self in that man. He doesn't fight. He's got nothing of a fight in him. He loves souls. He'll go far. He's losing everything to win one soul, my dear grandfather. Anyway, he was preaching in this town of years back. And she thought she'd go and listen. And she came and sat under this person. She honestly said, Roy, I thought what on earth has this person got to teach me? He's so unspiritual. He doesn't even speak in tongues. It's terrifying. And anyway, she was sitting there. And eventually afterwards, after a while, at some point in her life, God took her out of this experience-based religion. Took her life. And she started to grow in the way God intended her to grow through faith and through obedience. And she grew in leaps and bounds until today she is known across our country and among many circles as one of the godliest ladies in our land. She grew in the way God intended her to. You know, I spoke to her the other day. And she said, Roy, I remember back when your grandpa came to preach. You know, I thought, I thought in those days as I listened to him preach, I'm the giant. And he's the babe. Do you know what, Roy? I found out. I was the babe. And he was the giant. He was the giant. Not through experiences. So the first problem with the incorrect measurement of spirituality is sinners and disobedience, being uncomfortable in the church. The second is people hold back from growing because they seek the wrong way to grow as Christians through experiences and feelings and through talents and knowledge. And the third thing is there was a misunderstanding of the body of Jesus Christ. There was a misunderstanding in the Corinthian church of the body of Jesus Christ. You see, those who were spiritual, in their eyes who had knowledge, who had talents, who had experiences, who could preach well, look down upon those who did not have knowledge and did not have experiences and did not have talents and could not speak well. They look down upon them. And I've met many people who feel so unspiritual because they do not have amazing experiences, talents and miracles. 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7, Paul rebukes them. For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? If you're a great speaker, well God could have let you be born without a tongue. If you've got a lot of money that you give to people, praise God. God loveth a cheerful giver. But you can't be proud of that because you could have been born on a desert island with a few little bushes and a few little fig trees and a little bit of water, but no possible way of making money or giving it away. God could have made sure of that. If you're brainy, if you can debate your points and you've got a lot of knowledge, well God could have made you be born with one brain, so on. If you can make a child of Abraham from a stone, then you can make that body work. God gave you what you have. For who maketh thee to differ from another? For what hast thou that thou hast not received? None of us, not one of us, no matter how much God uses us, no matter how many talents we have, no matter how many experiences we have, no matter how much knowledge we have even of the Bible, we have no reason on earth to glory in the sight of God or in the sight of man. Because what have we that we have not received? I've seen a little baby so molested by its parents, so abused, that at the age of three, its feet are hanging out of its legs. It's just one piece of cabbage. What have we that we have not received? What makes us any better? 1 Corinthians 2 verse 7, I'd like to read that now, but God has chosen, praise the Lord, the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and paste things of the world and things which are despised. Has God chosen ye and things which are not to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his sight. That's God's will, not one of us. We often forget under judgment we deserve hell, no matter how much we used of God, no matter how many talents we have. You know what I love about this verse? It gives so much hope to weak people. Did you know that if you're weak, you're chosen? If you're weak, you are chosen. Isn't that wonderful? I'm weak. I'm thin too. It's wonderful. And boy, am I weak in so many, you know Mr. Finneymore, I love Mr. Finneymore. You'll love him too. If you meet that old thin, that's not the only reason I love him. Thin man, 90 years old, he has the most amazing voice. It's squeaky. He goes like this, hello. And then he goes, ha ha ha. I mean, if anybody had a disability and weakness in their voice, it's him. You know, he told me, Roy, I struggle to learn verses. He said, I don't know how your daddy does it. He said, I really struggle to learn verses. I just can't do it like other people. And he said, when I was a young guy, now 90 years old, he's so honest about himself. It's lovely when people are honest about themselves. He said, I used to look at the people going to the pubs to witness to people. And I used to feel so scared. I didn't know what was wrong with me spiritually, because I don't have that boldness. I'm weak. When he said, I did remember afterwards that they did, they did, were saved out of the pubs. So they were quite used to it. The poor man, he went through so many complex in life. You know what's wonderful about Mr. Finneymore? Many years back, he didn't become like someone else and then lay his life on the altar. He brought his little squeaky voice and his brain that struggles to learn verses and his weakness in witnessing to people and he laid himself upon the altar. And God took this man, he's still at 90 years old, got his squeaky voice, by the way. And he used them in a mighty way. He stood back at Durban Central Prison, down the corridors, people were weeping, prisoners. For two weeks, they were bringing each other to the Lord as he was the chaplain over there. He started trying to start 13 churches at the same time in his weakness. Went a bit overboard. God used that man in a wonderful way, even bringing my great-granny to the Lord. But many people make that mistake. They look at everybody with their talents and experiences, and first Lord, I have to have that experience before I can be used of God. Or first Lord, I have to have those talents. Or Lord, I have to get my squeaky voice going or I don't know what it is. But people try to be like other people. They think that's why I can't be used of God. Instead of just bringing themselves and laying themselves upon the altar of God. I'd like to read to you 1 Corinthians 12. It's 14 to 21. I know another man, Mr. Merea. There's many of them. He can't preach to save his life. He preaches from the pulpit and nothing happens, it seems. But this Merea, oh the people testify when he comes in between his meetings to visit the people in the congregation, why he touches their lives. And he didn't have to become a great preacher to do that. He just laid his life on the altar and God used him as he was. I'd like to read 1 Corinthians 12 verse 14 to 21. For the body is not one member but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not the body, is it therefore not the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they not many members but one body. And these wonderful, wonderful words. And I cannot say unto the hand, I have not no need of thee, nor the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Verse 22, oh it's lovely. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. God, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacketh. I love that. God chooses the parts that lack. God chooses the weak, as long as they lay down their lives to obey him, to seek his face. I think I'm going to end off with David and Ziklag. David and Ziklag, I'm probably pronouncing it wrong, but to me it's a, excuse me, excuse me, it's a wonderful example of God's reward system. It's in the heart of David. David came back from following the Philistines, they told him to go back, he came to Ziklag, he found that entire city burned to the ground. The Malachites had come and invaded Judah and the land of Philistine, and they'd taken many towns spoiled, and they'd taken also this town of Ziklag, and all the women, all the children were gone, and all the spoil, and they'd gone off. And David and his men came back there, and they found this place burned to the ground, and the people, David's following, wanted to stone David, but he sought the face of the Lord God, and he asked from him wisdom, and leading, and God told him to follow after these people. So 600 of them, 600 of David's men went after these people with David, and they came to the brook of Bozer, and at that place 200 of them were too weak to carry on, and so they lay down. And 400 went on, and they found an Egyptian slave, and the Egyptian slave told them away, and they found the camp of the Malachites sitting, eating, drinking, sleeping, and they destroyed that camp except for 400 of them. And then David came back with his huge spoil, and his wife and children, and they came to the brook of Bozer, and there the Bible says children of Belial, I'm never pronouncing that right, stood up. Now that's mentioned 16 times in the Bible, that name Belial, and it's mentioned to people involved in witchcraft, to people who were rebellious against authority, to people who were accused of being drunk. And these children of Belial stood up, and they said to David, and I'm going to use my own words, these people who stayed behind, they didn't take part in the battle, they should not have any part in the rewards, in the spoils, they shouldn't. You know David was a man of the God's own heart, and he stood up, he did a wonderful thing, again I use my own words, he said basically, no, these people who stayed behind, who could not go because of their weakness, shall receive part of the reward. And then he went on to do something further, something amazing, something I love about David's heart, he sent of that money to every single person, in every place that he, when he had been fleeing from Saul, had given him accommodation. Isn't that amazing? Oh the heart of God through David. I think some ministers honestly think that at the front of the battle they're going to get all the crowns. Yeah that's sad. And some people who don't have amazing talents, and aren't on the forefront, and then you don't see them as much. There's a wife who prays on the ground for hours. You don't see her so much. She's not as strong perhaps to go forth. They think perhaps on their side, that they're not going to receive part of the reward in heaven. And they feel so small. But I believe the people who pray, 2 Corinthians 1 verse 9, you're also helping together by prayer for us. The people who provide, the people who give accommodation, the people who have food, the people in lesser positions in the body of Christ. You don't see so much, but who give themselves in the out, in the position God's put them, to obey God, to seek God, to be used of God, in that position which God has given them in the body of Christ. They are going to receive an equal reward. They are going to receive an equal reward. I believe that with all my heart. I believe some ladies in little houses, who brought up their children with all their lives, they just gave it to their children, are going to receive equal reward to Dio Muri. I believe that with all my heart. I don't know about you. It says your children of Belial believe otherwise. But don't you believe otherwise? I'd just like to end off now. Tomorrow I'm going to bring it from a totally different angle. I'm going to bring where the Galatian church went wrong, and then I'm going to go on to how God intended us to grow over the next two sermons, tomorrow and the next day. As I said, it's a series. I'd just like to repeat this, the points. The Corinthian church believed that a spiritual person is someone who has experiences, talents, miracles, knowledge, and this incorrect measurement of their spirituality led them to try to grow in this way. And this held them back by chains. It caused, first of all, that sinners felt comfortable, the disobedient compromising Christians felt comfortable in the church. Secondly, that Christians were held back from growing in the way that God intended them to grow, because they tried to grow in the wrong way, and they didn't focus on the way God intended, through faith and obedience. And thirdly, there was an incorrect understanding of the body of Christ, and people felt unspiritual, and other people felt a bit too spiritual. Excuse me, or let us bow our heads to pray. With all your heads bowed, I'm not going to make this, it's not a sermon that you have amazing appeals from, but I've seen lives change through the truth, which sets people free. And I'd just like to ask you, it's not an appeal actually, I'm just going to ask you, for those of you who want to ask God today, God, I want to grow spiritually, I don't want to grow in the way the devil tells people to grow. But Lord, in the next few days, if there's any area of my life which I'm believing a lie of the devil, which is holding me back from obedience to Christ, from God, from knowing God as I should, then Lord, even if it takes humility to forsake that lie, and to own up myself as a deceived one, then Lord, I want to be set free from the lies of the devil, and I want to change this time, and I want to immediately, when I hear of a lie, I want to forsake that lie in my life, and I want to start to see God as I should. Those of you who just want to say to God now, God, I want to grow with all my heart, and all my soul, and all my mind as I should, through faith and through obedience, not fanatical obedience, but radical obedience to the Word of God. And I just ask you to raise up your hand right now, just to tell God that, in your mercy. Thank you, I'm going to pray for you. It wasn't an appeal, it's just we are agreeing together concerning this. And then I'd like to ask, with all your heads bowed, I felt strongly that I don't know if there's someone sitting here, a young person perhaps, an old person, who does not know Christ. You've had experiences perhaps, you've had feelings, you've had so many things, but you've never been changed to God. The Bible has never become a new book to you. You don't have a longing after holiness to obey God. The world is in your heart perhaps, and you just want today to come to God. I don't know if there's someone like that sitting here, and you want to come to God today, and look in faith to God for Him to change your heart. Only He can change your heart. I'd like you to raise up your hand right now, if there's anybody like that. Anybody who would like to seek God today. Okay, I'm going to pray. Thank you for those hands. Lord, I thank you for the sermon last night, and how wonderful. Every time, I remember many times I've cried as I listened to my father's sermons, Lord. I just love and respect my father, and that you use him, Lord, in thy mercy. Thank you for the truth of thy word, Lord, which is like a line, which is like a fire, which is like a hammer. Father, I ask today in thy mercy, thou King of kings and Lord of lords, that you will give us wisdom, Lord, like I pray for so many people, Lord. Oh Father, the lies of the devil, show us the truth in our life, that you'll set us free. I believe the main greatness, apart from pride, the thing that keeps us back from going through with God, and experiencing so much of Jesus Christ, and a life in God, is just the lies of the devil. Deception in our minds, which we act upon. And Father, I ask that every single one of us in this camp, you would shine upon us, that you'll show us the truth in every single area of our life, Lord, and that you would help us, Lord, to start to focus, Lord, to see the importance, to put on the top shelf, faith and obedience, so that we can grow in leaps and bounds, as you intended us to. Father, I ask this in Jesus, the Christ name. Oh, so Lord, if there's anybody here who does not know God, well, I know how many meetings I've sat through, where I did not know God, and I should have gone out. And I just ask, Lord, that you will not, that you'll make their bed hard, that you'll make, bring conviction of sin in their lives, as you did in my life, for you're not a respectful person. And you'll not let them go until they find thee in this camp, Lord. Oh, Father, work in their lives, let them see the flames of hell, let them realize it's because of their sin, and they need to humble themselves from their sin, and accept Jesus Christ into their lives. And I ask this all in Jesus Christ's name, keep us further this day. Amen.