This sermon emphasizes the deep intimacy Jesus had with His heavenly Father, as seen in John 17, revealing the burden of Jesus' heart for unity among believers. It challenges Christians to study John 17 to understand how they may have disappointed Jesus and fallen short of His desires. The sermon highlights the importance of being set apart from the world, seeking to live a life that reflects God's goodness and love, ultimately pointing to the responsibility believers have to show the world that the Father sent Jesus and that His love never ceases.

I was thinking this morning of a word in John 17 and verse 23 with which we are all familiar. This is the prayer of Jesus to his father and I believe we see something in this prayer of Jesus' heart more than anywhere else in all of the Gospels. The reason is this. Jesus' life, we see such a lot of goodness in him and so many things in him. But the person with whom Jesus was most intimate was his heavenly father. Nobody on earth could equal that. I mean, the closest, Peter, James and John were a million miles away compared to Jesus' closeness to his father. And you know that we open our hearts much more to those we are very close to. And the further away people are from us, we don't open our hearts so much. And this is the only place in the Gospels where we read of the actual words which Jesus prayed. There's no other place in the Gospels where we read of Jesus' prayer, his private prayer to his father. And it's really amazing because there we see the burden of his heart. And if you want to know the burden of Jesus' heart, and I believe if you're a Christian, you should know that, then you must read John 17. And then you will see how much we have disappointed him, how much we have let him down, how much we have come short of what he wants us to be. And I would encourage you, my brothers and sisters, those who have a year to hear, please study John 17. One of the things that you see frequently in John 17 is his burden that we should all be one. Not everybody in the world. In fact, he said here, I'm not praying for everybody in the world. He said that also here. He said, I'm only praying for 11 people, that they must be one. And then he said, I'm also praying for those who will listen to the words of these 11 coming generations, that they all may be one. Now, why didn't he include so many others who believed in him? There were not only 11 people in Israel who believed in him. But if you see here, I want you to just look at that verse if you're not familiar with John 17. He said in verse 6, I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world. And he says in verse 9, I'm asking on their behalf, I'm not asking for the world, but for those you've given me. And we know who they are, because he says in verse 12, while I was with them, I was keeping them in your name and guarding them and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition, so that the scripture would be fulfilled. So that means he's referring to Judas Iscariot, who fell away. So that verse teaches us he was praying only for 11 people. And he says in verse 14, these are people whom the world has hated, because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. See, he's not praying for a whole lot of Christians whom the world loves, because they are worldly. The lot of Christians whom worldly people love, because they are worldly. I mean, Jesus may do wonderful things for such people, but here he's not praying for them. He's praying for those whom the world has rejected, whom the world has hated, because they hated Jesus also. Even as Jesus, he says there, even as verse 14, as I am not of this world. That didn't mean he didn't live in this world. It meant that his whole way of life was against this world system. That's why the world hated him. He was like a foreigner who had come to take people out of this world into his country, heaven. That's why he was hated, because the devil wanted everybody. And those whom the devil can trap through sin, he traps through sin. And those whom the devil can't trap through sin, he traps through this world system with a lot of things that look very innocent, but which he knows may not lead a person into sin. Listen to this. The devil knows that some people he can get away with, draw them away with sin. But there are certain other people he can't draw away with sin, and so he tries a second method, and that is with a whole lot of things in the world which will not draw them into sin, but will lead them away from God. That's enough. The devil's not interested in getting everybody into sin. He'd like to lead a lot of people into sin, because they'll automatically be rejected by God. But he'd like to, if he can't lead them into sin, then he'll try some other way of just getting them away from God. That's all he's interested in. You know, like Adam and Eve. He just wanted to get them away from God. I mean, they didn't go to hell. In fact, for nearly over 900 years, they were not in hell. They were on earth, and the devil was quite happy. How was he happy when they were not in hell? He was happy that they were not with God anymore. He hated a man like Enoch, who walked with God. I tell you, he'll hate anybody today who walks with God, and who's going to lead other people to walk with God. But if you don't walk with God, and you're not close to God, or you're the other type of person who's just, maybe you walk with God, but you're not interested in leading a single other person in the world to walk with God. The devil says, okay, he's a harmless chap. He's walking with God. I've lost him. But he's not interested in bringing anybody else in his whole lifetime. He will not lead anybody else to walk with God, so leave him alone. But if you're the type of person who's not only going to walk with God, but determined to do everything in your power to lead other people to walk with God, I tell you, the devil will hate you like he hated Jesus. Jesus was just devoted to getting people out of the world. And the devil has so many methods of leading people, you know, into all types of entertainments, and sometimes it may not be sinful entertainments, sometimes it may be just wasting time with good entertainments. A person can spend six hours watching a cricket match and have no time to read the Bible that day, and the next day there's another cricket match for another six hours, and the devil's quite happy. There's nothing sinful about watching a cricket match, is there? Absolutely nothing sinful, and that's what the devil reminds him. You're not watching some filthy movie. You're watching something good, healthy exercise. Or you can spend so many hours of your life, you know, playing games and reading novels, not dirty novels, good novels. So long as you're not close to God, it doesn't matter to the devil what you do. You can be busy with your work. You can be busy writing software programs. You can be busy, you know, doing your business. It doesn't matter what it is. So long as you don't have time for God, the devil is quite happy. That's what the world does, and Jesus recognized that. And he knew the world is such a busy place that it's so easy to get taken up, even in ministry. There are a lot of people in the ministry, Christian ministry, who have no time for God because they're so busy. Ministry, ministry, ministry, and Jesus knew that. He was so busy, but he always made time, usually early in the morning before people got up. He would be alone with God because he knew that was the only way he could overcome Satan. Have you all understood that? I don't know. If you haven't understood that, I want to say to you, the devil has succeeded with you. And you're living in that deception because you're not sinning. You're just so busy that you have no time for God. But the Lord is not really praying for such people. I mean, he wants such people to repent. Sure, God wants all people to repent and all people not to perish. He wants everybody to be saved. But here in John 17, his burden is praying for those who are not of this world. You want Jesus to pray for you? I want him to pray for me. The world is such an evil place. I want Jesus to pray for me. I want him to pray for me every day. And I see in the burden of his heart here, whom he prays for. He specifically says, I am not praying on behalf of the world or the people whose interests are in the world. He says, I'm not praying for them. Yeah, God bless them. Does God bless them? He certainly does. He blesses them with material things, not spiritual things. He blesses them with the sun rises and the good and the evil, the rain falls on the atheistic farmer's field, just like on the godly farmer's field. He sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. He certainly blesses people materially. So all those people who want only material blessings, brother, sister, you don't have to walk with God. You don't have to have any time for God in your life because God is such a good God that he'll bless you even if you ignore him. But that's his nature. He'll bless you with sun and rain and health and strength and material things. But here Jesus' burden is not for them. His burden is for those who have come out of this, those who have heard that call of God, recognize that I'm living in a strange country. This is not my home. This is a strange land I'm in and I have really no interest in the things this land offers me. My heart is always longing for the things of another land where my home is. It's amazing what a real new birth experience does for people. You know, a lot of people who say they are born again today, I don't know whether they are really full-term babies. You know, full-term babies will be nine months in the womb, will come out healthy and strong and cry as soon as they're born and healthy. They cry out for milk and eager. Then we have these babies that are born five months, six months. You don't know whether they'll survive or not. You've got to keep them in incubators. They hardly cry. You've got to force them. They don't cry for milk. There are lots and lots of, yeah, they're babies. Yeah, you can say such people have some life in them, but you don't know whether they'll survive. Lot of so-called born-again babies today are in that condition. They're not healthy and strong. When I say they're not full-term babies means they have not repented. Some evangelists pulled them out and told them, yeah, yeah, you're saved. Let's baptize you. Come on, you're a child of God. Because they gave all the right answers and they had said the magic mantra words, Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I'm sorry for my sins. A lot of people are excited. If you can get a whole lot of people to raise their hands and say, Lord Jesus, I believe you're the son of God. I'm a sinner. I want to turn from my sins. I believe you rose from the dead. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Praise God. Millions of souls are... Okay, I hope so. I'm sorry, I don't believe that. I don't know. And I don't think Jesus believes it either. And I don't think the angels in heaven are rejoicing over that because Jesus said the angels rejoice when one sinner repents. Turns from this world system. Turns around and says, I'm not going to live for money anymore. I'm not going to live for my parents anymore. I'm not going to live to please my parents or the world or I don't love my job or anything. That's not the type of repentance we're getting in today's conversions. So the angels are not rejoicing. Some guy was keeping statistics here on how many people raised their hands. He's rejoicing, but not the angels in heaven and not Jesus and not me. Certainly not. I'm not fooled by all this. Neither are the angels and neither is Jesus. We think just because somebody calls out in the name of Jesus, that's a great thing. Boy, one million people called out on Jesus. Really? With Jesus, the Jesus who has come to deliver them from the world or a Jesus who has come to bless them and heal them. We don't need to call out on him. He'll bless you and heal you because he's a good guy. Lots of people. Yeah, I want to be among this crowd here. He said, I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but keep them from evil. He's praying for those who want to be kept from all evil, kept from Satan, kept from any contact with Satan. If you're in that category, I want to say to you the good news. Jesus is praying for you. If you recognize the evil of this system, this world in which we live. He's not praying that we'd be taken out of the world, taken to heaven straight away. No, because he's got a purpose. He wants us to be a witness here. So he's not praying we'd be taken out of the world, but he says in this evil world, they are not of the world, verse 16, even as I am not of the world. As much as I am not of the world, they are not of the world. Boy, what a standard. What a standard. As much as I am not of this world, they are not of the world. That means as much as Jesus had no interest in the things of this world, these people have no interest in the things of this world. They live here. Jesus ate and drank and earned money and lived and when he was a full-time worker, he received gifts and all that because he had to live, but his interest was not here. His interest was not in money. This is all a temporary thing. You know, it's like traveling in a train and in the train you get some food, but it may not be the best food, but it's only to survive till you reach your destination. The seats may not be comfortable. Some of it may be torn. You find cockroaches and all types of things running around, but you say, that's okay. It's only for two days. When I reach Delhi, I'll get off this train. I'm not settling down in this train. How many Christians are living like that in the world? They are not of this world. This train is not my home. I've got a destination I'm going to. Jesus is praying for people like that. I want to tell you, my brothers and sisters, please listen to me. Please listen to someone who has tried to walk with the Lord for 45 years. I'll tell you something. If you live like this, it's the most blessed life you can ever live. That's why I rejoice at you young people in this church. I rejoice because you folks have got the opportunity to live this life from now. From now, if you say, Lord, I'm going to live for you. I'm not going to live like all these other people in the world. I'm not going to live this up and down, up and down life, sometimes loving you, sometimes loving the world. I'm going to be radical. I want to follow you. And he says here, can you, now you say, well, I haven't yet been filled with the Holy Spirit. Okay. Pray to God to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But I want to tell you the good news. These people whom he prayed for, they were not filled with the Holy Spirit either. But they were still not of the world because they'd made a decision. So even if you're waiting and praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, nevermind, but you can still be like these people. You say, Lord, these disciples could forsake everything and follow you before they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Why can't I? I don't want the devil to keep taunting me saying, oh, you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. You'll never amount to anything. What do you mean? Look how those disciples were. Look how Jesus prayed for those disciples before they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were not of the world even at that time. It's possible at that time. Of course, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, the whole thing became much more real. But he says for them, one prayer, he says, sanctify them. Sanctify them in the truth. That means, the word sanctify means separate them, separate them from everything of evil and everything of the world. Because the more you get separated, it's another way of saying you get closer to God. Sanctification is a word which means holiness. So the devil and the world are here and God is here. The more you get separated from the devil and the world, you're automatically getting closer to God. Sanctify them in the truth. Truth is one of those words which is very rarely found in the Old Testament. Because people could not have truth. David prayed in Psalm 51, thou desirest truth in the innermost being. If I were to expand his words, he was saying, but Lord, I can't make it. I want it, but I can't make it. I'm good on the outside, but truth, reality in the innermost being, I don't have. That's one of the wonderful things that happened on the day of Pentecost. That Jesus said, the spirit of truth will come. He made me love the truth. He made me love the truth about myself, first of all. God has shown me different things through the years and He continues to show me. I made a decision before God many years ago that changed my life. And that was that as soon as I discover something about myself, I immediately acknowledge it. I say, Lord, that's true. There's something in me which needs to change. And it's made all the difference in my life. Because I love the truth. I get letters, you know, when a person who serves the Lord like me, we get a lot of critical letters and emails from sometimes stinging, hurting, insulting. I always read them. Because I say, in the midst of all this mud, there may be a little bit of gold. I mean, this guy flings all this mud at me, but if I can get a little bit of gold out of it, I'll be rich. There may be a little truth in all this mud this fellow is flinging at me. And I picked that little gold bit of truth out of all that one ton of dirt. I got one gram of gold from it. And he's made me rich. He didn't know it. His aim was not to make me rich. His aim was to dirty my face and my clothes and everything else. But little did he know that I serve a God who makes all things work together for my good. And I can tell you testimony after testimony after testimony how that's happened to me through the years. I want to say to you, my brothers and sisters, love the truth. That's the only way you'll be sanctified. And if you have not grown more in grace, if you have not experienced the anointing of God more upon your life, it's because you have not wanted to be anointed with the spirit of truth. Will you pray that the spirit of truth will so grip you that you will immediately acknowledge the possibility that you could be wrong, that could be some evil in you, that could be some love of money left in you, that could be something of the world that's hindering you from following the Lord, that could be still a little bit of an unforgiving attitude, that could be some anger against someone which has not been cleansed away. Who are you destroying? You're not destroying the other person you're angry with. You're destroying yourself. Oh dear brother, sister, love the truth about yourself. You know what the difference it'll make to your life? If you love the truth about yourself, you can't be holy by sitting in a holy church. No, Judas Iscariot sat in the holiest church on earth with the holiest preacher of all and heard him preach for three and a half years and he became the most evil man of all. Teaching us forever one truth, that you don't become holy by sitting in a holy church. You don't become holy by listening to the greatest preacher in the world. You've got to have a heart that loves the truth. How many times Jesus tried to draw him to the truth once he said, one of you is a devil. One of you is a devil. There are twelve of you, but one of you is a devil. Didn't Judas recognize that he was speaking about him? Yeah, there were only twelve and if Jesus said twelve, one of you is a devil, even if the others didn't know it, he knew. He should have gone home and said, oh God, that was about me he was speaking. I see something wrong in my heart. Is the Lord saying something to you this morning? You got a wrong attitude to someone. Don't get offended with me. That won't help you. Judas got offended with Jesus, even though he didn't name him. I've said different things from the pulpit here. I don't name people. It's not my business. I see some of you are sitting on the fence. Fence sitters. People get offended with what? With me. Okay. Has it changed them? Won't change them any more than it changed Judas Iscariot. I mean, if it doesn't apply to you, forget it. But the fact that it disturbs you, probably shows you are a fence sitter. It disturbed Judas and he didn't do anything about it because he didn't love the truth. These are warnings. Sanctify them in the truth. We cannot be sanctified. We cannot be separated from evil if we don't love the truth. You know, if you don't love the truth, what will happen gradually is the devil will convince you that watching those type of movies is okay. Provided you fast forward some of those places. It's okay. He won't tell you that you are financing his kingdom by buying such movies. He won't tell you that you are financing his kingdom by a lot of things that you buy or see or money that could have been given for God's work. Do you think Jesus would spend money to finance the devil's kingdom? See, that's what happens when I don't love the truth. Gradually my sensitivity to the things of God go away and I become like Adam who says, I know what is good and evil. I don't need God. I know what is good and what's evil and I don't choose what's evil. I've eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I know what's good and I know what's evil and I know what is right. You know, that's how a lot of upright people in the world live who don't know God. A lot of the atheists who are very upright, who will not cheat in exams. We know of IAS officers in the country who stand up against the minister and say, I won't do that. It's wrong. And they are not Christians. They are not Christians. Have you read about in the paper? Somebody is transferred. Some upright police officer is transferred. He is not a Christian. Where did he get that sense of uprightness from? From Adam who ate the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It's come down to all of us. We know what's good and what's evil. But there is no contact with God. And that type of knowledge of good and evil kills us like it killed Adam. In the day you eat, you will die. You know, that's the great danger of knowing good and evil without God. I don't want to know good and evil without God. I want my knowledge of good and evil to come from my contact with God because then God shows me certain things I thought were good are not good. Certain things I thought were good for my children are not good. But if you apply the worldly standards, the world says, hey, what's wrong with that? Don't be so legalistic. As soon as I hear the word legalistic, I get scared. It's almost like... I'll tell you this, I'd rather be legalistic than worldly and like the devil any day. I know legalism has protected my own children from many worldly things when they were in my home because they were not under grace yet. Don't be afraid of the devil's hurling words he knows you're afraid of. And that's the word I fear some people are afraid of today in our church. Legalism, oh dear, no, I'm not legalist. I'm quite worldly, I'm okay. Don't let the devil make a fool of you. Jesus wasn't deceived. So they are not of this world. Sanctify them in the truth. So I want to say to you, love the truth. When you see something in God's word that you are not obeying, don't try to get around it by mental manipulation of words and say, well, that doesn't mean that. Rather, we can't be so strict about every little word. That's like being a Pharisee. You know who's telling you all that? It's the devil. I'll tell you when you're legalistic. When you impose those rules on other people, that's when you're legalistic. That I'll tell you, don't do that. My brethren, don't be many teachers. That means don't, in the Amplified Bible, it says, don't be a self-appointed censor of other people's actions. No, don't be a critic. Then you become legalistic. But if you're doing it for yourself, you're not legalist. I'll never be a legalist if I obey scripture down to the last jot and tittle. Jesus said that, not one jot or tittle will pass away till I fulfill everything. He was not bothered about people going, you're a legalist by worrying about all the jots and tittles. No, he was not a legalist. He said he's going to keep all of them, he said in Matthew chapter 5. I want to follow Jesus and obey every jot and tittle in God's Word, in the New Covenant especially. And at the same time, give complete freedom to other people to be worldly if they want to. It's none of my business. Jesus gave people complete freedom to be worldly if they wanted to. That rich young ruler said, it's too much of a price to sell all my money and give to the poor. Jesus said, okay, go. He didn't go running after him and he doesn't go running after any of us. But these eleven, they were radical. And they got a privilege which that rich young ruler didn't get. Jesus prayed for them. Jesus revealed his heart to them. He said, sanctify them in the truth, separate them more and more and more and more from all that is worldly. Father, give them discernment about what is really of the world, which they won't have discernment if they don't contact you. If they just use their senses, they will be deceived. Thy word is truth. In verse 18, John 17, 18, as you sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. How did he send me into the world? I said, well, Lord, I was born into the world. Yeah, that's true, the Lord says, but a day in your life, you became a full term baby. I took a long time to come to assurance of my salvation. Perhaps about six years after I first accepted Christ. I don't know when I accepted Christ. Maybe when I was 13 or so, I don't know. But it was only at 19 and a half that I came to assurance of salvation. And I was born as a full term baby. I turned not only from sin, but from loving everything in this world, including my job, which was my ambition in life to get on in the world. And I said, I turned around, I said, Jesus, you're Lord of my life. And that day, the Lord took me out of the world. And then he sent me back into the world the same day and said, okay, I've taken you out, but I'm putting you back. But now you're not like you were before. I've sent you into the world, just like my father sent me. And what was one of the wonderful things, and this is before I go on there, verse 20. I'm not asking only for these people, these 11 here with me, who were there listening to him praying, but also those who believe in me through their word. And that applies to you and me sitting here. That's where your name comes in. My name is in verse 20. And I hope you see your name in verse 22. But this is not every person who just happens to say, I believe in Jesus. Millions of them. There are more than 1 billion people in the world today who say they believe in Jesus. Perhaps near 2 billion people in the world today say they believe in Jesus. But here, he's talking of the type of belief which these 11 had. Not like the type of belief that a lot of other people had. These 11 had a radical type of belief which separated them from the world. They were not of the world. And Jesus says, I'm not only praying for these 11, but other people like these 11 who will come in the next 2,000 years or 2,100 years. In history, other people like these 11. I'm praying for them too. And that brings a desire in my heart to be like those 11. Because then I know, he's going to include me also. But not every Christian can say, I'm included in verse 20. Are you like those 11? I'm not asking you whether you left your job like those people did. That's not the important thing. That was for a period. Paul continued to work afterwards. Paul worked all through his life in a secular job. And God may keep you in a secular job. That's not the point. But are you detached from it? You know, you can work in a secular job attached to it or detached from it. And I know when Jesus became Lord of my life, I still worked in the Navy for many years. But I was no longer attached to it like I was before I was converted. I was no longer attached to my bank account like I was. I still had a bank account. I still have one today. But I'm not attached to it. I still had my parents, but I was not attached to them like I was before I was attached to Jesus. I had my friends. I didn't give up my friends. But I was not attached to them anymore. Now I sought to influence them towards Christ. That's how it was with those people. And I say, Lord, I want to be like that. Because it says here that you include me also there. And then I want to come to verse 23. This is what I was telling you about. You know, we like verse 22 where it says the glory which you've given me, I've given them. I want that. He doesn't say I will give them. I've given it to them. And I believe that includes me if I fit into verse 20. That includes me that the tremendous glory which the Father gave Jesus, He's given to me. He's given it to me. That's what's changed my character. That's what's given me victory over sin in my life. That's what's changed many things in my life that are on Christ line. There's still more to come because I have to partake more of that glory in the coming days. But it's getting better and better. And it was slower in the early days but it's getting faster and faster as the time goes on. Getting better and better. I hope it's like that with you, the glory which the Father gave Jesus. He's given me. I praise God for that. I mean it's for you too. If you fit into, if you're like these 11, that's for you too. It's the most wonderful life you can ever live. You may not make as much money. I think if I didn't seek to go this way, I could have probably made a lot more money in the world. I don't have any doubt about it. Because I would have set my mind on making money. And I decided that's not worth it and I don't regret it. I never starved. But I say this, this is so much better to have enough to live on in this world and to have the glory of heaven. And then he says, here is my responsibility. This is what I wanted to show you. The responsibility that we have, my brothers and sisters, all that I said so far was an introduction to verse 23. What is our responsibility? Why did Jesus keep us in this world? Why didn't he take you to heaven as soon as you were born again? You know a lot of people who say, well, I'm going to heaven when I die. Well, why doesn't God kill you straight away? What are the advantages of being killed as soon as we are born again? Can you think of something? First of all, we won't backslide, right? There won't be any backsliders if everybody is killed as soon as they are saved. No, everybody. This question of once saved, always saved, we won't even be there. Because if you are once saved, you are always saved. Because as soon as you are saved, God kills you, takes you to heaven. Of course, there won't be any believers on earth, right? Because everybody will go to heaven. I don't know how anybody else will get converted. But why did he keep us on earth? Is it only to tell other people that Christ died for their sins? Or is it more than that? That's what I want you to see in verse 23. It's much more than that. It's a tremendous responsibility we have. A tremendous challenge that comes to us. And if you can look at it like this, it's like God saying, listen, I'm going to double your salary. You go to the office tomorrow and you hear the boss say, hey, I'm going to double your salary. Are you going to be depressed or excited? I don't know about all you spiritual people. I'll be excited. See, so many of us try to act spiritual. There's nothing wrong in being excited if the boss says, I'm going to double your salary. Because the cost of living is going up and we can live a little more comfortably and perhaps have a little more to use for God. So, God says, listen, there's a lot more to living on earth than just telling other people that Christ died for their sins. It's like doubling your salary. Hey, that's great. Let me know about it. And that is, that the world may know. See the middle of this verse. This is the purpose with which God has placed you in this world and me in this world. That the world may know that the Father sent Jesus. Do you think everybody in the world believes that the Father sent Jesus? Do you think everybody in the world believes that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity? No. There are a lot of religions that believe Jesus is just one more among thousands of incarnations of God on earth. There are some religions that believe that Jesus was a prophet. There are some cults in Christianity that believe that Jesus was the younger brother of Lucifer. And there are cults in Christianity that believe that Jesus was just a prophet or a created being and all types of things. No. People who look at my life must see that the Father sent the Son. And they must see, the world must see, that this Father loves me just as much as He loved Jesus. It's not just that I know it. So often we have emphasized in the church, do you know that God loves you as He loved Jesus? That's great. You got to know that yourself first. But it doesn't stop there. Jesus' prayer was not, oh, that these believers may know that you love them as you love me. He says, no, the world must know it. That means the world must look at your life and say, boy, there's a man's life I can't explain. I can't explain how he takes such risks of faith and he seems to succeed. I can't explain that man's life. I can't explain that man's family life. I can't explain that man's business, how it prospers and whatever he does seems to go well with him. You know what it is? Because I'm highly favored by God. Highly favored. You know, that's what the angel Gabriel told Mary. Hail, highly favored one. You think it was only Mary? No. The same Jesus that came to Mary came into my heart too. And I'm also highly favored. It doesn't matter whether you know it or not or you believe it or not. I've experienced the results of it in my life over more than 40 years. And it's just made me happier and happier as time goes on. More and more free from the opinions of people. More and more free from the opinions of worldly people. And what is more difficult? More and more free from the opinions of people in CFC. That's a little more difficult. Because I'm highly favored. And you know that's not just for me, that's meant for you. God wants you to live on earth in such a way that people say that, boy, this person, he must be some favorite of God or something. Does that mean you're going to be very rich? Was Jesus very rich? Does it mean you won't have any trials? Did Jesus have no trials? Does it mean nobody will kill you? Did nobody kill Jesus? What about the apostles? Almost all of them were killed. All 11 of them. Except perhaps John. I don't know how he died. So I'm not saying the world's idea of blessing is only money and health. That's all. And I'm not talking about that. If you go by those standards, Jesus lived only a short life, 33 years. And even the apostle Paul, maybe 67. That's not very long by today's standards. And most of the apostles in their 60s. James, when he was 30, head got chopped off. I mean, are these people loved by the father? Fantastically. It's not by the world's standards. Loved by the father. Supremely happy. I can imagine James going with a cheerful face. Well, the fellow lifts up his sword and says, God bless you before you chop off my head. I can imagine James saying that. He was a man favored by God. I mean, who in the world can go like that to have his head chopped off and bless the man who's taking out the sword? Only a man who's highly favored by God. A man who's got no bitterness. A man who's ready to meet his creator. A man who demonstrates that God is a good God. You know, that's our calling. To show the world around us that the God we serve is a good God. Jesus went about doing good. He went about doing good to people who hated him. One of the last things he did was heal the year. The last act of healing. Heal the year of somebody who came to capture him. Imagine that. Helping him to capture him. Say, listen, if your year is cut off, you won't be able to capture me. Let me heal it. Then you can tie me up better. It's great. Imagine blessing somebody who's coming to hurt you. He went about doing good because he served such a good father. And his whole life he tried to teach people God is a good God. And I tell you that's so difficult for people to believe. It's so difficult for a lot of people sitting here to believe that God is a good God. That everything is good. God is good all the time. And our life must be a testimony to the fact that in my whole life I have no complaints. Jesus is not a disappointment. I just want you to see the song. Can you just put that up on the screen? He is not a disappointment. You know, we've sung this many times. I just want you to listen to the words of this. Jesus, he's not a disappointment. I want to ask you today. Is Jesus a disappointment to you? Are you disappointed that something you wanted him to do he didn't do? Or are you perfectly satisfied? Whatever your testimony is after 45 years of knowing him, I'm perfectly satisfied. More than satisfied. This is my song. He is not a disappointment. Jesus is far more to me than in all my glowing daydreams I had fancied he could be. I never knew it would be so good. I never knew that I could live a life without being depressed or discouraged or being in a bad mood or any such thing. I never knew that God could give me victory over shouting at people who don't obey traffic rules on the road. Can you imagine living a life where you never get angry with somebody who goes in front of you and doesn't obey the traffic rules? Isn't that great? With shopkeepers who shout at you and people who let you down and disappoint you. The world is full of people who cheat you and disappoint you and that you are just happy. Because you see, my God is in control of everything. Sure. Everything. Then in all my glowing daydreams I had fancied he could be. And the more I get to know him, the more I find him to be true and this fact also to be true. And the more I long that others should be led to know him too. Because he's been so good to me, I say, oh, I wish that other people would know Jesus in this way. They don't know him. That's why so many Christians are so miserable. That's why they always have grudges against somebody else. You know you have a grudge against somebody because you're insecure. Jesus is a disappointment to you. That's why you have a grudge against somebody else. That's why you got a bitterness against someone else. That's why you can't forgive somebody because Jesus is a disappointment to you. Well, I want to tell you there's not a soul on earth that I have not forgiven. And I think a lot of people have done me a lot of harm than they have done you. Partly because I've lived longer and partly because I serve the Lord. But Jesus is not a disappointment. He's made everything work for good. He's not a disappointment. He has saved my soul from sin. That's one of the best parts of salvation. It is the best part because sin is worse than AIDS, worse than any disease. Think if you had AIDS and leprosy and tuberculosis and cancer. We won't go into more horrible names than that. But think if you had all four. And one day Jesus healed you from all four. What would you think of Jesus? He healed me from leprosy. He healed me from AIDS. He healed me from cancer. He healed me from all the mess I made in my life. He's not a disappointment. Sin is worse than that. He saved me from losing my temper. He saved me from lusting with my eyes. He saved me from fighting with people over money. He saved me from arguing with vegetable vendors over whether I should pay one rupee more or less for that thing. And He saved me from arguments with landlords. And He saved me from arguments with my boss. He saved me from getting upset when my boss yells at me. He saved me from 101 things. He saved me from a frustrated, disappointed home life. He saved me from always complaining. He gave me a life where I'm satisfied with whatever God gave. He saved my soul from sin, all the guilt and all the anguish which oppressed my heart within. I tell you, guilt has gone from my life completely. And I want to tell you in Jesus' name, don't think that all of you are free from guilt. I find some of you are so prone to guilt that God doesn't want you to be. There's a right type of guilt which comes when the Holy Spirit convicts me. But sometimes, you know, human beings and preachers have a way of making people guilty. I know I was foolish in my earlier days when I used to preach. I thought the way is to get people to feel guilty and we'll save them. I was mistaken. I've been through that route of Phariseeism and finding the way of eternal life. I didn't reach the New Covenant straight from No Covenant. I went through the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. And I think most people go that way. But I've discovered that you don't save people by making them feel guilty. Leave that to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to me. And I've finished with this business of trying to make people feel guilty. I'm not interested. I want to say to you in Jesus' name, don't let any human being make you feel guilty or make you feel condemned. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. Don't you accept that when somebody tells you something in conversation or you listen to something in a message or you watch something on television and you feel all condemned and guilty. That's not of God. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, He'll tell you what is wrong. This particular thing. You know, it's like I've often used that example. Supposing your son got his arithmetic wrong for the 50th time. What the average father or mother or teacher say, you're good for nothing. You'll never learn anything. Nothing will come out of you. You know what the Holy Spirit will say when you have done something wrong for the 1000th time. Not 50th, 1000th time. He'll say, now my son, my daughter, there's a better way. Let me show it to you. Oh, that's the type of conviction I want. Not somebody who tells me I'm good for nothing and useless and nothing good will come out of me. You believe that and that's how you become like that. Don't you believe those voices which say nothing good will come out of you. I want to say to all of you sitting here in Jesus' name. I don't care how much you've made a mess of your life. In all your life, I want to say to you today in Jesus' name, listen to the word of liberation. Something good will come out of you. Something good will happen to you. Don't you believe the lie of the devil anymore. But you say, oh brother, you don't know. I know. It doesn't matter. I remember when I was telling somebody, you know we can really love our wives and never be bitter with them ever. He said, oh brother Zach, that's easy for you because you've got a good wife. I said, it doesn't matter. It's got nothing to do with the type of wife you've got. The Bible doesn't say, husbands, don't be bitter with your wives if they are good. No. I mean if you've got a good wife, praise the Lord, then you don't need so much grace. But if somebody's got a really bad wife, he needs more grace. You think God won't give it? Of course He will. You know, I sent my son to the shop to buy something worth 10 rupees. I give him 10 rupees. If I send him to buy something worth 100 rupees, I give him 100 rupees. So if you need more grace in a particular situation, He'll give you more grace. My grace is sufficient for whatever situation. He's not a disappointment. All the guilt which oppressed my heart, He has banished by His presence and His blessed kiss of peace has assured my heart forever that His love will never cease. There is a verse which is not even in, you know, the same song is in the Golden Bell, slightly differently worded. But there's a verse here which we don't have here in this, where it says, He is not a disappointment, He's healed my body too. And one line in that says, it always comes back to my mind when I seek God for physical healing for myself whenever I'm sick. Has He lost His heart of pity when on earth He healed diseases as they pressed Him in the throng? When on earth He healed diseases as they pressed Him in the throng? Has He lost His heart of pity? Is the risen Christ less strong? Has He lost His heart of pity? Is the risen Christ less strong? It always comes to me when on earth He healed diseases as they pressed Him in the throng. Has He lost His heart of pity? Is the risen Christ less strong? I don't know the answer to everything. I'm not saying, I don't go around preaching healing. But I believe that there are some sicknesses we have not been healed from because we have not trusted in the Lord enough. We should seek Him. It's not the answer to everything. I publicly say I don't have the answer to this whole issue. But I certainly believe that there are some things we could trust the Lord a little more for. Anything. Any storm in life. And there was a storm in the boat once. There was a storm in the lake. They were in a panic. Oh, are we going to drown? And Jesus said, O ye of little faith, why did you doubt? Is the Lord going to let you drown or sink with some problem you're facing right now or some sickness you're facing? Will you trust Him? Will you take that rebuke? O ye of little faith, why don't you trust Me? One of my favorite pictures is years ago I got a calendar. This picture from the Living Bible, Children's Bible Story book of Jesus holding a little child. And the Living Bible paraphrase of John 14 verse 1. Don't be afraid. Just trust Me. Jesus looking at this little child saying, Don't be afraid. Just trust Me. And I always think of myself, that picture of me like that little child. And Jesus looking at me in the different situations of life and saying, Don't be afraid. Trust Me. You can trust Him. He's not a disappointment. He's coming by and by. Verse 3. In my heart I have the witness that His coming draweth nigh. All the scoffers may despise me. Doesn't make a difference. No change around may see. But He tells me He's coming and that's quite enough for me. He's not a disappointment. That's my testimony. He's all in all to me, Savior, Sanctifier, Helper, Healer, Baptizer, Coming King. The unchanging Christ is He. He has won my heart's affections. It's really true. I've never loved anyone like I love Jesus. I never will. I believe I love Him more today than I loved Him first 45 years ago. And He meets my every need. He's not a disappointment for He satisfies indeed. There was an old man who lived in the 2nd century called Polycarp. He was an elder of the church in Smyrna, the same church that you read of in Revelation Chapter 2. And he was an old 90-year-old man, a godly man, and they came to capture him. He told the soldiers, can you just wait, let me pray. And he prayed and he told people to set some food before these soldiers would come to capture him. Let them eat before they take me. And they took him and the magistrate there felt sorry for this old white bearded man, 90 years old. And he said, just deny Jesus, just say Caesar is Lord and I'll let you go. You know what he said? He was converted at the age of 4. Can 4-year-olds be converted? Polycarp was. And he served God for 86 years after that. And he said, 86 years I have served my Savior and He has done only good to me. He has done nothing but good to me. How can I deny Him? I will not. And they burnt him. And I heard, I'm not sure how it was, and they tried and tried to burn him. And some say a fragrant aroma came on his flesh that was being burnt. Some say it couldn't be burnt and they had to kill him in other means. It's amazing, a man who loves Jesus, even from his burning body an aroma comes out, or they couldn't burn it or something. But I love that. I say, Lord, I want to be like that. I want the world to know that you love me like you love Jesus. Brothers and sisters, let's take that challenge. Let's pray. While our heads are bowed in prayer, I want to invite you to respond to this loving Heavenly Father who says to you, my son, my daughter, come up higher. Give up that bitterness. Give up that grudge. Give up that anxiety. Give up that fear. He loves us far, far more than we realize. Be good to people around you because God has been good to you. Heavenly Father, help us as a church and as individuals to be what you want us to be. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.