This sermon emphasizes the importance of abiding in God and not neglecting Him, highlighting the grief it causes God when His people prioritize other things over Him. It stresses the significance of the quiet time, the commitment to never neglect God again, and the impact of prioritizing God above all else in life.

Thank you for this joy of being back with you, thank you for your warm welcome, thank you for the joy of singing with you the lovely hymns of our faith, thank you for the lovely blessing of that story, dear brother, to all of our hearts, and that lovely scripture the Lord Jesus gave us, and that lovely hymn you sang so preciously to us. Thank you very much to your dear pastor and his wife, and well there's two pastors, to both of your dear pastors and both of their dear wives, for the joy of being able to be back here with you, and that you trust me with your pulpit, I'm very grateful. God bless you. And thank you also to dear John and Annette for all the arrangements they took upon themselves to get me to come up here, I was very moved and amazed at the way Annette was so determined this was going to work out, and I admired her courage, and she really did well, and I bless God I saw the hand of God in coming up here at this time, which I only intended to go down to New York, to this convention, and somehow she realized I was going to be here at the same time as this meal, but made this very, very special coming to America, not just to those meetings I'm going to, but to come up here. I'm very grateful and I sense God was in it very deeply. I was so tired the other nights I hardly could speak, you know, I think it was jet lag, I'm not too sure, but the Lord helped me through, and I was very grateful and very conscious when I had my quiet time in the night that this was what God wanted me to come here for, very specially, and I felt a deep joy in my heart and peace, as weak as I was in delivering the message there at the couples evening, couples evening, that's a beautiful phrase, beautiful, there's a inn, oh my, what is it called, the couples inn, have you ever heard of that? Just for young, for married couples to get away with and have a fresh honeymoon, and they sent Jenny and I there, the first time we ever came to America, the only time we came together really, and these dear folks sent us to this little cottage, I suppose they were hoping that if I needed to be starting over afresh, it would be there, and my word, it was romantic, everything in the whole place was romantic, you know, little phrases, everything was meant to really give a married couple, but I think it was lovely to be able to concentrate on married couples the other night, and it was a great joy, thank you for giving me that joy, now let's have a short prayer, and then we'll turn to God's word. Oh wonderful father, we do thank thee for thy holy word, we thank thee that we as thy people can open it together and say from our hearts the things that God revealed to us, and we do thank thee Lord that the Holy Spirit is given by God to make this book alive, to bring revelation and understanding and light and comfort and peace that passes all understanding, how it's possible Lord that in our darkest moment to open this book in just one verse or one phrase, by the Holy Spirit's revelation to our heart, it becomes God's voice comforting us and flooding us with such peace and such joy that no words could describe, it's all unspeakable, peace that passes all understanding, and so we praise thee for thy holy word and for the Holy Spirit, and we look to thee and thee only, oh God, to come and make thy word alive to our hearts in mercy, we look away from the weakest of men who would stand in the pulpit in their weakness, and only because of their weakness do we believe God would dare to come and reveal himself, come Lord in thy goodness to all of us, for unless thou dost come nothing will change in our lives, no man can change us, no man can persuade us, no man can bless us, only God, and so we look to thee and thee only, our expectation is thee and thee only, especially me Lord, come in mercy, wash me in the blood, fill me with the Holy Spirit, wash us all in the blood, come by thy Holy Spirit and give revelation, keep us under the blood of Jesus, save from our only enemy the devil, put into flight God by thy power, and come brood upon this whore, upon this people by thy Holy Spirit to make us thine own and to bless us and to comfort us and to renew us and to restore us to the joy of salvation, to give us understanding and peace even in our darkest moment, come visit us in thy mercy through thy Holy Word, make it so holy, so sacred it will burn, burn upon our hearts tonight, in Jesus Christ's name, in Jesus Christ's name, we all ask this of thee our Father in Heaven, Amen. I have learnt as I have gone through the Bible, one particular chapter from the very first time I read through this holy book, and I know that all of you that love God sincerely of all have come to love this chapter, somehow it remains in the heart where other chapters have not placed such an impression, and you all I would say know these words, John 15, where Jesus says, I am, I am, the true vine, the true vine, and my Father, my Father is the husbandman, the keeper of the vineyard, now the vine is where grapes come from, in our country there are mighty vineyards, and it brings enormous wealth into our land, just the vineyards of the Cape alone of our country, and he's speaking of a vineyard, he's speaking of a vine, he calls himself a vine, in that vineyard, and his Father is the keeper, the husbandman, the keeper of the vineyard, the one who tends the vineyard, every branch in me, suddenly he looks to you and me, suddenly he looks to you and I, and he calls us branches, branches, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, is that you, young man, who's God speaking about here, in this hall, is that you lady, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, is that you, with all your religion, with all your church attendance, is that you, answer God, if you're not here for God, what are you doing here, is that you, Christ is speaking to, and I believe when he says these words, you've never heard such grief from any man, you've never seen such grief, as for God to say these words of a man, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, you don't need to turn but listen just briefly to these words, Luke 6, 13 verse 6, he spake also this parable, a certain man had a fig tree planted in the vineyard, came and sought fruit thereon and found none, and said to the dresser of the vineyard, the keeper of the vineyard, I, these three years I came seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none, cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground, and the answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year and also till I dig around about it and dung it, and if it beareth fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down, you may see the judgment of God where I see the patience and the mercy and the longsuffering, God is not cruel, God is not cruel, oh, the patience, the longing, the longsuffering of God, I'm sorry, but tragically, there comes this moment, tragically, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, I don't know about you, brother, sister, friend, I don't think I can think of any more tragic words that could ever be written across my life or yours by God in all eternity than these words at some point to be written across me or you, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, with God's grief to say that in some terrifying moment of a man, he taketh away, I don't know what that means, sir, I wish I could honestly stand here and give you a theological understanding and doctrinal definition of that statement alone, he taketh away, I don't know what that means, I know I've heard some people talk of what it means, but I don't know, I grieve when I hear some people try to doctrinally explain it, what God means when there's no fruit, he taketh away, that terrifying moment, but I'm going to leave it between you and God, what he means there if there's no fruit in your religious life, religion isn't fruit, most religious people are going to hell, don't doubt it, they're the same as they walk out of that door as everyone else that doesn't come near the house of God every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, thy life and mine Lord, I've thus been comparing, shame covers me, filled with amazement that thou art still sparing this bad tree be careful, religious soul, where there's no fruit, he taketh away, every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, suddenly points to you and me, where there's vital reality, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, all things are passed away, behold, look, God says, he can say it to the devil, he can say it to your worst enemy, he can say it to your wife, to your father, your mother, look, behold, all things have become new if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, he looks to these people now who he terms as branches, there's reality, there's change, he can point to the whole world and say, look, behold, all things have become new, even the devil won't argue, let alone your worst enemy and suddenly he talks to these people, he refers to these people, every branch that beareth fruit, there's fruit, there's life, what does he do with that? oh, the next little phrase says, he purges it, there's fruit, he purges it, why? that it may bring forth more fruit, now that word purging, many theologians will say it means cleanses that's basically the meaning if you take it from the Greek to today's modern language, but it's far more than cleanses, there's something in this word here that speaks of cruelty, it's cruel, this word, there's something that cuts, it's not just like the blood cleanses in a moment of faith, you cleanse from sin here there's something that cuts, that hurts in this word, in the actual Greek if you take the full meaning, it's not just as some people say cleanses, no, there's something deeper here, why would God say he does something that hurts if there's fruit? something that looks cruel and seems cruel to the human mind, whose thoughts are not in line with God's thoughts, who cannot see, oh, if you go to a vineyard in our country, the vineyards, they're massive, and you watch them, what they do to that vine, you won't believe the treatment the vine receives, you won't believe what the man who understands what will bring forth fruit, he cuts, he doesn't spare anything in his eyes it shouldn't be there, the way he cuts and cuts, you stand there and think, will this thing ever survive, could anything survive this, it's like there's no mercy on anything, there's just a stump left there, you and I are in ignorance, we stand there in fear, what will ever happen to this, with such cruel treatment, with no sparing but he knows what you and I don't know in his wisdom, this will bring forth more fruit, more wonderful fruit than anything could ever have happened in this life, this treatment, this pruning, this purging, oh, purging is not easy, but oh, the fruit that God knows will come, fruit you and I don't know God wants, you and I when we get saved, you would never think this is what God is looking for you and I look for other changes and transformations and things in our life, fruit, God is looking for things you and I aren't looking for, God's ways are so beyond them, the purging, the trial of faith is more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, it bringeth forth the peaceable fruit of holiness, God knows it's the trial of your faith, not the comfort I don't know about you and me, I don't know about you sitting there, but I can say you might believe it's easy when you come to Christ, but I haven't found it easy, the moment you're saved, he purges it, there's no time for God to waste, life is a moment, it's a brief moment, in eternity it's gone, it's started, you think I'm exaggerating just give yourself a little moment and you'll be looking back on life, that's all it's going to take you, life is, God hasn't got long, do you know what he's got to accomplish in you, and the ease of life is not going to do that, the more you have fruit, God knows what he does, what he knows will bring forth more fruit, more, trust him, trust him it's not easy, I wish I could stand up here and tell you all sitting down there that I've shouted hallelujah every step of the way, you know, I'd be lying, I've wept most of the way, so does a preacher dare to say in the year 2001 when negative is not tolerated in any pulpit that he weeps, oh I've wept, God told me long ago, please be honest in the pulpit or get out of the pulpit you're useless unless you're honest, tell them what it really is brother, sister or don't tell them at all, don't lie, come to Jesus they say, it's like heaven and earth, they're lying, heaven's coming brother, not yet, in this world Jesus says you shall have tribulation brother, sister, if you've made a study of persecution, affliction and tribulation, tribulation is the only moment, Paul said he was driven to despair of life, he never said that about persecution or affliction, in this world you shall have tribulation it's heaven and earth, you will live Godly, Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, it's not heaven and earth, it's not everybody's gonna befriend you and love you, you will live Godly and Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution brother, sister, you weren't right with God, things are gonna go wrong and God allows things, in his perfect wisdom because the devil thinks he'll destroy you, God knows this is gonna make you what he wants you to be, trust him though, you think the devil's in control and God's lost a bit of control in your life, don't you dare believe it God won't allow him to do a thing that ultimately won't make you what he's looking for, the fruit he's looking for, oh come to Jesus they say, it's gonna be heaven and earth you know, I can't believe what they're preaching today, come to Jesus and you'll prosper, can you believe that? prosperity is everywhere as a doctrine, it's rubbish, it's trash, stop preaching it, you're lying, you don't come to Jesus to prosper, no wonder they come, that's not true, it's just not true you provide your needs but believe me you're not gonna be promised to be prospering and rich and wealth and all that, oh my what a lie, when they don't prosper you get hundreds of thousands of people across America sir, who when they realize it isn't true what you say they become bitter against you and God and the church, and they're bitter in their hearts because of the lies people are telling theologians, stop it don't you preach prosperity sir, God does prosper certain and some, like the rich man and Lazarus, well the rich man didn't get to heaven, Lazarus did, he sat there begging in his wombs in poverty it's not always prosperity, oh no, sometimes these are the means by which God refines us, bringing us on knees, I wonder if God will ever make America seek him again unless he takes away your wealth and gets you into such a recession that you become desperate as a nation and start seeking oh God's ways are not our ways sir, come to Jesus and you'll prosper is not true, come to Jesus they say and you'll be healed of sickness, have you ever heard that being preached, I don't believe that and they'll pray for you if you're sick, and you will be healed, everyone that came to Jesus he prayed for everyone he was healed, same with us, that's not true though, I'll take you through half an hour of doctrine showing you the rest of the Bible and it tells you that not everybody is healed, the godly are suffer, the godly are badly afflicted from the Bible why don't you look at all the scriptures sir, because any verse you take, if it's not looked in the light of all scriptures, and if there's any scripture that disagrees with your interpretation, you've got half, you've got to compare your verse with the light of others, or you can't, or then you're like the Jehovah Witnesses, they're too scared to read the next verse, it'll all get through the Bible, it cancels out what you're saying oh no, not everyone is healed, we pray for you, you must be healed they say, if you're not healed it's unbelief, or sin in your life, now that's a tragic statement, why isn't it their sin to pray for you if you're not healed, well their unbelief, why do they have to blame the person they're praying for so you can't stand in the shadow of the godly people who suffer and who die in sickness, little one, tell them it's sin if you pray and they weren't healed, be careful, God will judge you, like he judged Job's friends, oh be careful, no, it's not come to Jesus and it's just joy on earth and peace and health and everybody's going to die in old age and nobody will die of sickness everything will prosper and everybody, it's not heaven and earth, no, that's a lie, you come to Jesus, there's purging, there's the trials of your faith from the man God sees, you're real, there's reality, don't doubt that, and out of this comes holiness, out of this comes Christ-likeness, comes fruit it doesn't just come from kneeling and asking God for a work of grace, the fire is refined sir, after the work of grace is there, and fruit comes, oh, I've wept, I haven't shouted hallelujah like they told you you will if you come to Jesus all the way, brother if you shouted hallelujah every step of the way you're a great man, you're greater than I'll ever be I have groaned, I have groaned, I have wept on my face in moments when all hell it seemed came against me to destroy me and God stood back and allowed it I shall never forget the worst trial that ever came in my life was about 11, 12 years ago, if you had told me that God would ever allow these things in my life when I was first saved I wouldn't have believed you, I wouldn't have believed that God would ever do that to a child who had given his whole being to God and desire for God with every breath in his body, with every faculty of his being, no matter what it cost I wouldn't have believed you, had you said God would bring these things in my life one day, well they came, they came, everything brother you can name it, it just came upon me with such, I was down in the dust weeping most of the days, it was like God had forsaken me, I don't know if there was anybody left on earth that didn't think why has God so forsaken this man who served and was preached all over, who poured out his soul for God why has God forsaken this man, I believe people were thinking that everywhere, I don't think there was a person left in the mission that I served God in Africa that wasn't wondering why has God forsaken this man, I was, it was like I was being destroyed and God was standing back and allowing it oh one thing came after the other, the next thing, I don't know if you know that hymn, my brother was speaking last night brother John about this hymn, when sorrows like sea billows roll you know, that man knew what it was about, he's in the school of God and wrote that hymn when sorrows they come like sea billows, you know what that means, one wave comes on, brother it knocks you down, but it's merciless to see you know, you just get up and there's another wave, and you're down again, and you say no, as you get up, oh another one it's just like sea billows, they just come, until you can hardly get up at all, does God allow that, oh yes, while I was on my knees weeping before God was grappling with the scriptures, holding on to any promises, suddenly the telephone rings and they tell me my wife, my children are all in hospital, the cars rolled and rolled and other cars and the terrible accident they've been in, they're far and wide away from me from the other side of our land, I just put the phone down, I didn't even speak and I got in my face and I said God let me die can a man pray that, can a man stand in the pulpit and say that's Christianity and get away with it, and so you may never let me back in your pulpit, but I tell you something it's the truth, it comes upon us, Job was not the only man that prayed let me die, Jeremiah was not the only man that came to a place and said God let me die I prayed that from my heart, let me die God, and I meant it, brother, sister, in case you're sitting there and thinking this man is going to bring out his negativity today there comes the positive ok, so grab it, there's always the end of a storm, brother, sister in Christ, don't ever ever doubt that, there is no such a thing as God allowing you to be destroyed through the fires trust Him, I don't care what you're going through, financially, physically, persecution, there is no such a thing as God just letting it destroy you, there's a marvelous God in His perfect understanding of the soul, in His love that made Him let His blood flow for you to win you there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He redeemed there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He bought with a great price, there's a marvelous God looking at you, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed, who He redeemed. In the moment of sacrifice God says, enough!, enough!, for now!, for now! And in that moment Satan, Demons, and evil people can not touch you for the moment God says enough, all Satan's powers stop that moment and God will never ever ever be too late, though you think it is, though the devil tells you it's too late, no, trust God about that, enough, and then God lifts you up and everyone knows God's lifted you up, that's precious you know, oh that moment when God lifted me up I'll never forget it, suddenly you can't get up anymore, have you ever been in that situation, does God want to do that to you, that you cannot get up in your own strength, you know I used to get up in my own strength before that, many times, whatever the devil did I would get up and I'd charge back into the battle with a vengeance, but yet God brought me up, I couldn't get up, why does God do that, that everyone in the whole world knows when you get up that God's grace alone lifted you up, oh it's something when you know you can't get up unless God lifted you up and everyone knows that nothing could ever happen again unless God stepped in, have you ever stood up simply because the only capability, the only ability you had to stand was God lifted you, he lifts you up, oh it's so different when a man gets up, lifted up by God when he can't lift himself up, it's so different, he can't touch the glory from then onwards you know, man can't touch the glory from then onwards, no one allows you to and God lifts you up broken, does God want that of you young man, oh yes and trust me it's coming if you want God boy, it's coming if you're going to let God have his way sir, lady, brokenness, brokenness of confidence, things I wouldn't think are sin, you might think is an attribute to Christianity or to serving God, things you and I don't realize God wants out the way that no flesh can glory because in weakness my strength is made perfect, it's only then God will come, when mercy suddenly lifts you up, suddenly lifted me up, suddenly everyone was conscious, God lifted me up, no one condemned me, when God lifts you up sir, when no matter how much you were down in the dust, grottling in shame as it were in weakness has shown that you're nothing, absolutely nothing but the grace of God now, could possibly ever restore this man to even stand again let alone take a step, oh suddenly God took within moments, I was in the pulpits, the greatest pulpits of my land and soon some of the greatest pulpits in the whole world, suddenly us this poor man from the jungle to suddenly, why? I'll tell you why because God never could trust me before, I would have touched the glory, he couldn't trust me with those pulpits but now God could because he knows that I know and everybody else knows this man is nothing but for grace, he would never have got up again, you're so different when you stand up by grace and grace alone and trust me young boy that's what God wants, that's what God wants you to be, that everyone knows and only God can be glorified if you do anything for him from then onwards, and there's so little of self left, God wants to take it all out, that's not a bad thing young man, if he's going to break you let him, it's beautiful, it's precious what God's looking for, let him have his way and if the only way is what he's doing right now in your life let him trust and he's not going to destroy you, it's the fruit he wants, I'll never forget you know looking at my wife, my darling wife, forgive me for calling her my darling, men don't use that word these days, the fear of not being looked upon as men, she's my darling in life, I don't know anyone alive that's more Christ-like than my wife that I personally know and I say that under the blood of Jesus and I say that with a grateful heart, I hope, I hope you can say that about your wife sir, but I have to say it, I think God would rebuke me if I didn't acknowledge that he gave me what I know to be the godliest person alive right now in my life and I've met godly people, but I'll never forget when God lifted me up and suddenly the whole world didn't condemn, they just stood knowing God's lifted me up and I looked at my wife one day and I said Jenny, why did God do this? I endeavored to serve God with every breath in my body, you know that, the children know that, the world knows that, why did God allow all this on me Jenny and I'll never forget what my wife said for all eternity, I shall never forget what my wife said, she looked at me and tears came down her face as she looked at me asking her this question, she said these words Keith, I wish I had all the answers but I don't have all the answers but this I do know Keith, God was right, God was perfect in what he's done to you and what he's allowed to come on you Keith, do you know why Keith? Because I see something in you now that I've never ever seen before in truth Keith, I see Jesus you know when I my wife said those words I stood there and I trembled, I began to weep and I said something to God from my heart as I looked at my wife again I said oh God I'd be willing to start right now and go through everything again, start now God, just that I could have heard Jenny say these words to me, no one knows you like your wife sir, has she ever seen Jesus in you, that the person who knows you better than anyone else on earth is your wife, to say those words to you is probably the most sacred moment you ever know apart from salvation and I treasure those words I treasure them, the greatest preacher that ever lived they say was Charles Spurgeon I don't like this handle people give preachers you know they call them the prince of all preachers, no one has ever called that but Spurgeon the prince of all preachers, the only man that ever lived from the time of Paul to this day was Spurgeon that they gave that title to but you know when I read his sermons I knew it's true this was the greatest preacher that ever lived don't doubt it but what shook me about Spurgeon was when I read his life and I began to go into documents about his life and all the suffering, all the pain, the storms it was like unbelievable what that man just had to endure and endure and it seemed to get worse and worse and worse, you know what Spurgeon said in his old age the greatest preacher that ever lived, listen carefully preachers in case you want to know where greatness comes from, from God and man's eyes Spurgeon only once stood up and in the pulpit only once he said these words and I think this present generation of preachers needs to hear it in case you think God's making a mistake in your life preacher of what's going on Spurgeon said if it wasn't for the fires if it wasn't for the trials, if it wasn't for the storms, if it wasn't for the sufferings I would be poverty stricken in the pulpit of God I would be poor in the hand of God and do you want to argue with God preacher if that's what the greatest preacher who ever lived said Joel the godliest man alive on earth even the devil couldn't argue everything came on him at some point he said these words he was the first in the entire bible to grasp what fires with God allows not to prove a point to the devil you think that's all that was at stake no the devil was going to face far more rebuke than seeing Job not curse God because God knew the principle of the fires this holy man would come out more holy Job grasped and said when he has tried me I shall come forth as gold from the fire Spurgeon saw that at the end of his life and knew why God allowed it and tolerated satan's attacks through the most evil people who tried to destroy Spurgeon as no other preacher on earth's history has ever been tried to destroy and kept out of the pulpits even of America trust me the purging is cruel but it will bring forth more the fruit God wants not what you and I look at not what you think is needed in your life what God knows trust him he wants it he's going to get it if you allow him to have his way that it may bring forth more fruit now verse three says ye are clean through the word I love that I wish I could preach the whole sermon to you in that verse but I dare not say another word about that verse which I have spoken unto you verse four the most vital verse in the whole Bible for Christians once you're saved there is no more important statement from God's heart to man once he's born again in this verse listen carefully there's nothing that means more to God or you than what you're about to hear Christ say once you're saved abide in me do you and I am you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself do you know what God's saying here while the fires come brother sister is one thing God requires of you abide in him and you will survive you won't come out bitter and twisted as people who don't abide in him if you don't abide Christ the fires no matter what fires come on you from the devil God can't turn it on the devil and make this for his glory you come out bitter twisted and angry with God I don't doubt that have you seen how many Christians are angry with God only one reason they didn't do the most vital thing there is trust God while you're abiding and in the one thing you can do and you must do for no matter what the devil brings on you a man brings upon you to bring more of Christ out of you always the one thing God wants is abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself it cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me I am the vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much trust him he can't lie just do this one thing boy abide in God no matter what comes abide in him he that abideth in me I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing if a man abide not in me if a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch is withered men gather them cast them into the fire they are burned I don't know what that verse means I have no argument with the Calvinist I have no argument with the Wesleyan Arminius in my limitations I don't know so I don't preach all I say this though Jesus said it I leave it between you and him sir you tell God what he means if but don't expect anything for for me if a man abide not in me and he is cast forth as a branch withered men gather them cast them the fire they are burned if ye abide in me my words abide in you you should ask but you will it shall be done unto you here is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit as he glorified in your life the fires brought what God wanted them to the only reason he tolerated Satan's attacks on you men's attacks on you tribulation persecution suffering but if you come out like the devil wanted because you didn't abide what does it mean about him oh John wrote this about what Jesus was saying word perfect he was courting Christ now listen to John expounding preaching in one John the first letter of John he tells you he speaks about this abiding but suddenly he's not just courting word perfect Christ he said abiding in him he says in chapter two one John two verse six he did say if he abideth in him art himself also so to walk even as he walked oh my you say you do the one thing that matters when you get right with God you say you do the one thing Jesus says you have to do for tragedy not to be written upon you no matter what your doctrinal preferences about explaining those verses if you do the one thing that matters that God says that Christ says matters no matter what comes on you but fruit will come if you say it you're doing the one thing the most important thing in life once you're saved he did say if he abideth in him art himself also so to walk even as he walked are you like Jesus sir because then you're not lying you abide in him no matter what the devil or man is doing to you you're like Jesus to them to them you're Christ like to your worst enemy fruit he did say if he abideth in him art himself also so to walk even as he walked the same the last two verses verse 28 now little children not speaking about small children in this old age of John's loving eyes upon all the children of God those who have been born of God little children abide in him abide in him why well he tells us that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed you don't want to be ashamed young man old man when he appears abide in him abide in him one thing not 10 things and you'll survive one thing miss this and you will be ashamed unless God's just saying this for nothing no matter what your doctrines are you're not arguing with me you argue with God if you say cut this verse out of the Bible little children abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him it is coming chapter 3 verse 6 whosoever abides in him sinneth not whosoever abideth in him sinneth not there's no victory in Jesus apart from abiding in Christ you can come out to the altar a million times and ask God for sanctification and heart cleansing holiness people you won't be holy until you abide in him i don't despise any work of grace in any heart and i say come but until you lay down everything in life and make sure nothing keeps you from abiding in God disabiding in Christ it's not speaking about an act of faith whereby we in the body of Christ were saved with in him no this has nothing to do with faith disabiding in Christ that Christ and John are speaking about as a discipline a discipline daily that will cost you more than anything else in life because satan will try more than anything else in his power to keep you from this because every failure that ever ever come in your life will be the result of keeping you from this there is nothing that is more to satan than every day to see he keeps you from the quiet time don't die now your thing is your work that's caused it it's satan to make you busy sir you're as real as your quiet time you're as safe as your quiet time disabiding in him we call the quiet time the time when we get into God's presence do you know what a quiet time is sir it's not getting on your knees when you shut the door and spending an hour or two with God's word and praying and then getting up and saying there i spent my time with God that's not a quiet time do you know what a quiet time is sir of any value to God is getting on your knees young man young lady of every day of your life and not getting up from your knees until God the Holy Spirit says to you now you may go child for now you will walk with me through this day a quiet time is not leaving God behind and saying I gave God my time a quiet time is getting up when God says now open the door for now you walk with me through the day that's a quiet time that's the idea that's the whole purpose of getting through to God with strength to get up and walk with God otherwise you didn't have a quiet time in God's eyes the quiet time is the only thing you are set for quiet time you're as real I said I don't know if I should hear a bit of my daddy oh my daddy came to God you know he never missed the quiet time he became holy he staggered my nation his life but he wasn't a preacher he won more souls to God than most preachers in our nation's history he walked with God he staggered the world don't doubt that my daddy he wouldn't miss God we became conscious of it you know when he was a saint no one would keep him from the time with God no one on earth would keep him from God can God say that of you we are visitors they sat a little late came to a certain time daddy stood up tears coming down his face he looked at them and he said I don't want to offend you I don't want you to go have fellowship with my wife and children but you've got to forgive me you've got to excuse me you see I have to go to be with God now I have to go now because I have to spend so much time with God who I won't be able to sleep my conscience won't let me and if I won't go to sleep at this time I won't be able to get up at this time and spend so much time with God if I don't spend that time with God every morning I cannot be what God wants of me you have to forgive me I must be excused no that was a shock to us as a family that he did that to our guests my mother has choking of embarrassment forget to get a water I never forget the next time and the next time didn't do it too many times in his life people heard of us and they didn't say nothing a minute later than that time but some didn't know we knew what was coming I never forget the next time he stood up mummy didn't die of embarrassment when he stood up in the tears he never found it easy to say these words but he knew nothing must keep him from God no one some of the greatest preachers in the world came into our home we were very privileged that even then he would get up and say those words and I saw my mother stand as those men stood and looked at my father and my mother didn't look ashamed or shocked anymore she looked at him with such respect because she knew this is why he's holy nothing keeps him from God no one men in our home have wept and said I've never met a man in my life that no one kept him from God no one no one was more important than God oh he walked with God and he won the world he staggered this world as he walked step by step the world was staggered I saw do you know a room full of men and I'm talking about a few hundred in one few moments of a few split seconds started weeping at the consciousness of my father's presence he looked at them in their sin could your life do that do you know why God did that he never missed God he never missed God he devoured the things of God my children knocked on the door while I was still on my knees I opened I said what is it no more they're big now they're taller than me but when they were small they said daddy look at the time you've got to come now it's getting late we've got to go I said no it's still time daddy's still busy with God no daddy now ladies and gentlemen I'll pray but then I said these words listen boys don't you ever ever again in your life knock on my door when I'm with God don't you ever again unless someone is dying don't you ever come to this door again and I wept as I said these words you see my boys I know many preachers whose children weep every day because their lives are so unholy because they're busy serving God but they haven't got time for God this is the only reason you will never weep because of daddy this time with God if you want to weep make me miss the quiet time just once just takes once and I'll start missing again and up to now the devils never kept daddy from God never you're not weeping but you will weep because I can take you to hundreds of preachers homes whose children weep because their daddies are so ungodly though they preach the gospel so unchristlike you're as real as your quiet time I said boys I can take you to homes of ministers across the world I can take you to homes boys where the mummies weep and weep and weep and weep there's few towns I've ever been in the last 20 years and within moments ministers wives have got me aside weeping sobbing because of the unchristlikeness of the man oh your mummy will weep one day if I miss this time this is the only reason I can be to your mummy what she wants of me what she needs me to be there's no other reason apart from this time with God you want to see your mother weep boys let me miss this time just once it might pave the way for another time do you know my boys walked away from that door you might say I was too hard sir but to this day they don't miss God 12 o'clock in the night if they study for their exams they still open the bible and read their chapters even I turned one night and said Roy God doesn't expect this of you you're tired he'll understand go to sleep he said Danny if I miss just one more time I'm once it will mean I'll miss again I don't want to miss even one study no matter what time it is in the night through studies you're as real as your quiet time you're as safe as your quiet time if you get on your knees and you go to sleep you don't want to get on your knees again don't lie a quiet time is not sleeping on your knees you may as well stay in bed don't ever get on your knees again sir if you fall asleep if your mind just goes get up wash your face have a bit of tea something sure you people don't shave I forget where I am I don't think you'll ever let me back have you seen you with a beard I don't know well the whole thing is don't just go on your knees and fall asleep get up do anything do exercises with God is far better than two hours of sleep on your knees do what you can't pray sing the hymns sing the song like Luther when he said he couldn't pray like the Psalms he realized that God gave us the Psalms he only learned to pray properly when he had prayed the Psalms through many many times he said he learned to get into the presence of God so he even bypassed normal prayer and he just prayed the Psalms they're not just there for poetic beauty they're to teach us to pray sing hymns that way like others do anything but get through to God do what works do what works walk with God because you're as real as your quiet time you're as safe as your quiet time I'm going to tell you now that will shock most of you I don't know why I had to ask with God a lot about this but for some reason when preachers of all other nations in our country fail and fall into God fall into sin for some reason God gets this poor man now just get me to these preachers some men who've moved literally thousands to God be careful now don't judge some denomination there's very few left where preachers haven't fallen into sin and brought great shame on God and they always get this poor man for years now oh I used to argue so with God about it I say I can't come to him I sat at his feet when I was saved for years I said I don't want me to come here's 140 000 of God they say now the soul the scandal the front page headlines the disgrace on the church in the name of God no one to say what do you do they say you're coming you're getting on the plane you're coming you know what they do to me they just push me in the door and they all get away in the cars leave me and I look at these people these men some in the house names in our nation who fell into sin and I weep that's the first thing I do God seems to have got that right in me I just weep and I weep and I weep and I weep and I weep and then only after 15 minutes sometimes they start weeping sometimes the first tear that leaves their eyes after the shame and the disgrace upon their home in the church in the name of Jesus the only time they weep is when they watch somebody sobbing in front of them for 15 minutes then they start weeping do you know that exception I've never ever asked I've never ever asked what went wrong what went wrong I always told them you neglected God brother this would never have happened it wasn't that woman that was your sin that woman would never have happened if you didn't have a working preacher you neglected God when you were real when you moved the world to God everybody trembled under your ministry I have no doubt I don't have to ask you to answer me you were in tender touch with God nothing kept you from God the quiet time was the result of your ministry your ministry was the result of the quiet time and the devil couldn't touch you the devil cannot touch you if you don't neglect God he cannot touch you don't doubt that and I know the devil must have watched you sir and after the year all he could say is there's nothing I can do he can't miss the call and he's always there getting through to God I can do nothing so the devil sat back and by there is time until one day one day the devil saw you through God's work probably most probably too busy with God's work and God's work becomes sin if it keeps you from God sir that's sin even if it's God's work it's and I guarantee you the devil watched you one day when you suddenly through busyness neglected God and he sat up and he looked and he said ah now I'll get him now I'll get him and he got you sir without exception and I mean this and you would not believe how many preachers I've had to go and pray with about this without exception not word perfect but basically they say this Keith God sent you this is my sin not the sin the world is disgraced now by my life my sin is I began to neglect God and that's when these things started before they were never there God sent you to tell me well we get on our knees we weep we pray for cleansing in the blood most of those men I thank God were forgiven and allowed back in the pulpit some of them were never allowed back in the pulpit their sin was too great for them to ever even if they were made right with God they were never given the right to ever preach again they forfeited that right you're as safe as your quiet time you're as real as your quiet time you say to me give me 10 reasons here sir of what makes a Christian real I can't there's only one the quiet time the 10 things you're thinking of the result of the quiet time they could never be there serving God doesn't keep you pure reaching souls witnessing doesn't keep you pure the quiet time abiding in God is the only hope you have of victory being Christlike not being ashamed I'm going to shock everyone here today and oh oh it will cost you to what I'm going to say I'm going to ask those of you here today who are honest with God and God's brought you here today who neglect God not religion who neglect God if that's true of you you're a grief to God sir I don't care who you are you're backslidden you're as real as your quiet time if you neglect God your life no matter how busy you are for the things of God is a grief to God take away the quiet time and what you do is a grief to God he's not interested in your work he's interested in your walk and the only way you're going to matters in God's hands and man in the long run is the work that results from the walk otherwise it's nothing of God it's in the flesh I want every single person sitting here today who neglects God who neglects God and they're a grief to God no matter who you are preacher elder and deacon the biggest giver in the church financially the most active in Christian service and works and activities you're backslidden preacher you're backslidden elder you're backslidden youth leader you're a grief to God and the other sins that you confess are the result of the greater sin that you need to confess here this morning they would never be there if it wasn't for this great sin you need to confess and say God forgive me for this grief I've been to thee for the grief I am to thee I neglected thee God I neglect God even if it's for God's work it's my sin it's a grief oh God I need cleansing in the blood not from these things that I come to but the thing that causes that I come to thee for cleansing for not putting God first for people keeping me from God for church activities for work keeping me from God one man said to me in anger in Cape Town you're a preacher you can spend your day on your knees come in my shoes I've got businesses to run there's no time like this for God that you talk about don't preach such things at people you want to get in the real world man I said you're a liar oh he's very shocked you're lying and the grief of is that you're lying to yourself that's a terrible lie there's no such a thing there's no such a thing as not enough time for God if your work is that busy get out of your work it's not God's will for you to be there you put every priority in its true perspective you put every priority in place and you put away things that don't matter sir and I guarantee you find all the time you need for God well he did it was a good while later he came to me and he said Keith thank you for rebuking me I find all the time I need for God now there's no such thing as being too busy for God if God is first in your life you find all the time you need and even God's service won't keep you away from God sir the little you do when you walk away from God will be meaningful more meaningful than the hours you give with activity in a few minutes you give with God you won't neglect your wife you might not be with her for those hours you with God but when you come out your life will be treasured by your wife and your children look back in remembrance of respect but all spend hours with them in a few minutes with God and they'll curse the memory of you one day I guarantee you even if you were a preacher every one of you sitting here that neglects God you might confess your other sins but you need to confess the sin the great grief you are to God through neglecting him for anything else or anyone else I want those of you sitting here who grieve God who desperately not just some shallow superficial moving to God I want you who are desperately need to be cleansed in the blood for the sin and grief I want those of you who need to come and ask forgiveness and to say to God from this time forth by thy grace and thy grace alone I shall endeavor never to neglect thee again no matter who's in my host no matter what activities are on I shall put thee first thy place I will never neglect thee again by thy grace till the day I die God by thy grace I want those of you who need to ask God for cleansing and to make that commitment to God by his grace alone to be able to never neglect him again as you will endeavor to do that with all your heart those of you that are guilty those of you that desperately desperately need today say that to God from your heart I want you to stand right now and say God it's me and those that stand I'm going to pray for I'm only asking once those that are standing will you please pray these words with me and pray aloud oh God forgive me for the grief I am to thee that I have neglected thee for other things other things were more important to me than God and oh what a grief that must have been to thee forgive me wash me in the blood of Christ wash me through and through in the blood of Christ and created me now a clean heart oh God renew a right spirit within me a consistent steadfast spirit especially with my walk with God in the quiet time in abiding with thee in thee help me God from this time forth to the day I die by thy grace and thy grace alone that I will never neglect thee again I will never neglect the quiet time again no matter what else I have to neglect by thy grace I will never miss the meeting with God morning and night till the day I die and I shall endeavor to make that time the most sacred protected treasured guarded nurtured moments of every day of every day I live in Jesus Christ's name in Jesus the Christ's name please answer this prayer for his sake amen can we all stand please amen he'll be there the only one that can miss the meeting now is you but God will be waiting he'll be there you'll be there do what you've asked him now until the day you die and watch preacher watch how the little bit of time you give to God's work is so anointed that it does more than the hours you gave before because you God gave God the hours now watch sir how safe you are that no matter who the devil sends he knows he won't make you fail because you're not committing the great sin you won't commit the other sins watch now the devil's watching he's trembling because if you keep this vow this commitment not vow and by God's grace endeavor in every bit of strength you've got until the day you die you will be the instrument of revival you've been praying for in this country brother will you please commit us to Christ leave that to God and to the people who brought those unsaved people leave it to them to know what to do no further appeal please father we just acknowledge that you are true that every man is a liar father i give myself to you father to abide in you lord that there'd be nothing that would be more important lord i know that when discouragement comes when the tests come satan wants to use them to drive me away from you to doubt you i pray father that they would only be a means of driving me to you just like my little son when fear comes he runs to papa teach me father forgive me for where i failed where i failed your people father for the times that i've allowed the things of this life to crown out you the things of your church to crown out you i pray father wash wash me cleanse me make in me all that you want for your praise and for your glory through jesus christ we give ourselves amen god bless each one of you