This sermon emphasizes the importance of living in the light of eternity, focusing on the journey of faith, the simplicity of following Jesus, and the ultimate goal of being with Him in heaven. It shares personal stories of faith, sacrifice, and the impact of a mother's selfless dedication to spreading the gospel. The speaker encourages falling in love with Jesus, making decisions with eternity in mind, and prioritizing reaching the lost world for Christ.

Stand with me just for a second. We've been sitting for quite a while. Okay, shake somebody's hand and pinch their nose and hit them. Do whatever you want to do. Give them a hug. I don't like to do that here. Alright, you can sit down. Okay, you can sit down again. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the leaders of this great movement. And I'm grateful to the Lord for the privilege and the opportunity for me to spend these few hours with you brothers and sisters. Dale Carroll, my colleague, we both came here just a couple of days ago. And sometimes you have no clue what God is going to do, but you've got a sense that the Lord is leading us. And as a matter of fact, I wish Dale Carroll could be speaking here. And he travels almost, I don't know, hundreds of times during the year, speaking in meetings. He's one of the very few people I know in my life who is so godly and intimate in his journey with God. And he's one of those people like the rich young man who came to Jesus. Who gave up his dreams of the riches and glory of America and follow the Lord and be part of my life for 23 years. And he's one of our international leaders of the movement. As a matter of fact, he's actually a sponsor for Gospel for Asia Europe. I imagine you will see him in the future. But we do have a sense from the Lord that the Lord wants us to have a part in the lives of the body of Christ in the Netherlands. I don't know what all that means. But I'm so amazed and grateful for what God is doing here. And I met many of the leaders of the movement. And I don't have any doubt about their godliness and their seriousness in following the Lord. And right after tonight, we'll be going to the airport sometime to catch our flight to Frankfurt. And again, I thank you brothers and sisters for having us here. And I will not be very long tonight. Because you heard so much teaching this week. My question always is, how do we live this life? My question is always, how do we live this life? And you know, all the books in this world cannot answer that question. The only person who can answer that question, because he himself is the answer to that question, is Lord Jesus Christ. He invited me to come to your home for dinner. And he explained to me the way to get to your place. One thing, I have no clue about how to read the signage on the roads. And I just don't know which way to turn. The roads totally confuse me. And you can write a book about it. I mean, it's like this. Phones you buy, the description of how to use that is about the size of the Bible. And usually I don't read those things. Then I try to find out from someone else how to do that. But when he invited me to your home, and he said, oh, don't worry about all this. This map you don't need. He can help you. But here is what I will do, he tell me. I will be in my car. And this is the color of the car. This is the license plate number. And he just follow me. I will not be even looking at the signboard. I just be following you. And wherever you turn, I turn. Where you stop, I stop. And finally I get to your home. I just follow you. That's very simple. But the enemy will not like that. Satan will distract us from following Christ. And all the many, many teachings. You must know, I studied theology. I got my degree. And I wrote a lot of books. And I know against all that. But I've been following my Lord deliberately from the age 16. And all these years of my journey. Of everything I have learned. All the thousands of Christian leaders and pastors I talked to and heard. Finally again and again and again I realize. The answer is very simple. The Lord Jesus Christ. You can look into yourself. The more you look into yourself. The more you will feel ugly. But the more you look at Jesus. You will find grace and mercy and love. If you are a married person. How did you marry that person? With a pistol and said I'm going to kill you? Did he say to you, I'm the most handsome person in the world, you better marry me? No, it was love. That's what happened to me. I mean there are hundreds of girls. But when I saw her. I said, I'm a maniac. It was love. And fear and guilt and condemnation and hell is never going to help us to follow Christ. And legalism is not just doing good works, but also striving to believe a set of doctrines to justify us. When your journey comes to an end. And you have a lot of faith in God. And you have a lot of faith in God. When your journey comes to an end. What are you looking for? Golden streets. Mansions. What are you looking for? Crowns? No, we are looking for him. That's all we long for. It says when we see him, we shall be like him. And he is our beloved. He never threatens us. He is not scaring us. He invites us with love. He says, I gave my life for you. Would you be mine? All the other things are there. But what makes me follow him? It's him. What is heaven? It's a big city. It is Jesus. If he is not there, it is not heaven. In Revelation chapter 4 and 5 you see this incredible, beautiful seeing. All the saints in heaven. The angels and archangels. And all the church. They watch someone. There is a throne. Someone sits on the throne. It says, the lamb as though he was slain. The lamb that was slain. Why? Because he loved me. Why do I want to follow him? Because I love him. That's the only reason. You know, there is a funny story in the book of Genesis about Jacob. He was a clever man. And he cheated his brother and got the birthright. I can't explain how this works. But he runs away. Because his brother is going to kill him. So he meets Laban. And he meets his girl. And Laban happens to be the father of the girl. And she is so beautiful. Incredibly beautiful. He wants to marry her. So he talks to her father. Is there no problem? You want seven years. That's a dowry. Seven years old, I will give you Rachel. What man? What? Like a slave for seven years? And finally the wedding day. Oh, what a wonderful day. I remember that day. Wow. I was a movie star. But you know what happened? He gets up in the morning and find he got the wrong girl. You are saying... How can that happen? Don't worry, you don't need to understand. So he gets mad. So he goes to Laban. What have you done to me? I'm a crooked girl. She can't see you are right. You cheated me. Laban said... Son, calm down. Don't get so excited. No problem. I think Laban was an idiot. No problem. What do you mean no problem? You want Rachel? Okay, you can have her. Really? Oh, just one small condition. Seven more years you have to work. Poor Jacob. It's one thing to take care of dumb sheep. But taking care of Adam or sheep is worse. He wants nothing. Seven more years you have to work. But the Bible says... All those years look like just one day because he loved Rachel. That's a secret. My brothers and sisters. This world is very confusing. Church is confusing. Christian theologians are confusing. Did you know there are more than 1000 books written on the book of Acts alone in the Jewish language? We have a library for our main seminary in India. In that library... we have now nearly 200,000 volumes of books. People study there for their PhD and all that. But it's all based on one book. On one subject. The Lord Jesus Christ. That's all. How confusing this world can get. I don't think he will live a thousand years and find the answer how to live his life. So I pray with you to learn of Jesus. Sit at his feet. Be with him. The word is given to help us with that. But there is no shortcut except time with him. A million people can tell you a million things to do. They all mean well. But ultimately the answer to all what you are longing for is Jesus. So next few minutes my subject is living in the light of eternity. And you already saw this illustration from Francis Chan. And you heard from the Word of God from Luke. And you have read the Word of God in the book of Luke about Lazarus and the rich. And I just want to give you a few thoughts to encourage you to live the rest of your life for Jesus. Let's read together from Psalm 73. And that is a personal diary of someone's life journey. And that is a good man. A righteous man. But in the beginning of the Psalm he says God is a good God. And he is good for those who have a pure heart. Verse 2. But as for me, my feet are almost sealed. He said, I don't know how I will make it. My heart, I almost gave up my faith. I need a reason for it. He says, I do wrong. May I say this in contemporary, our problem? The Calvinistic theology. The Armenian theology. The American charismatic theology. And the Catholics. And the Baptists. I don't know what to do. Now the heart cry gathering. That's a nice logo. Two people are kissing there. Is that cool? That's it? Is that cool? That's a nice logo. I think I'm going to steal it. And so we are surrounded then by the social media, the internet. And then we get confused. And we get confused. What do you do? He says, I just don't know what to do. And then in verse 13. He says to himself. This is his diary he is writing. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure. And in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. And he's praying in turmoil. Last night after midday. Yesterday afternoon. A young man came to me. I was just walking to the place I'm living. So he called from behind. And he wanted to talk to me. And he said, can I ask you a question? There was not much light. I could see him clearly. But I could sense his sincerity. He said, I'm living with such guilt and condemnation and inner pain. And my memory calls back all the things of the past. Obviously he's not doing it in the wrong now. He laughs a lot. But he said, I feel like so small when I look at me. I feel so terrible. What do I do? Is there an answer for my internal crisis? I just don't believe. I suppose there is. The Bible says. We overcome him by the word of our testimony. I asked him. Is God your enemy? Does God condemn you? God makes you feel guilty? Does God accuse you? Obviously he knew all the answers. No. He said, no. I said, the devil is the accuser of the Buddha. I said, this is what you should do. The next time you feel like that. Open your mouth. And say these words. In the name of Jesus. Through the word. And through the blood. I reject these thoughts. And demons, I reject your satisfaction. I am forgiven. I am cleansed. My God remembers my sins no more. He said that a thousand times if you need. I did study psychology. I have studied counseling. I can tell you, tomorrow you come and talk to me five hours. And give you all the one, two, three, four systems. But in the end. It's Jesus and his promises. And so this man is in trouble. He says internal strife and conflict I just can't handle. Then if you go to the Bible, look at the next verse. Verse 16. When I tried to understand all of this. It was a pussy to me. That's a mental problem. You are trying to pray. You feel like you are boiling down with your own problems. All the things you are doing or should have done. You wish you are a better husband. A better wife. A better parents. Because there are so many books people are making about it. By the way, a bunch of those books are just words. The reality is it's a real battle. But then. He says, okay, okay. I think we won. I'm tired trying to figure this out. And the second part of verse 16. Till I, or verse 17. Till I came near the sanctuary of God. Then I understood. The presence of our Lord. And he is not dead. He still speaks. Holy Spirit is alive. Jesus is living in you. And he is with you. And he is going ahead of you. Today may be so confusing. You don't know five years from now. But he has gone ahead of you. He is preparing all the wars he must deal with. The good and the bad and the pain and the people who hate you. Loving everything. Finally. This man make a confession. Verse 25. Who have I in heaven but you? And on earth I deserve nothing and no one beside you. What made Jesus come to this earth? Love. What made Jesus to suffer? Love. What made Jesus go back to heaven? Because he loves us. Why did he say the Holy Spirit? Tell us about him. And he is waiting. For us to come home. Some years ago. Somebody gave me a birthday present. It's a copy of a baby. I imagine you may have seen it too. It's a beautiful picture. It is the picture when Christ comes back. And the background canvases the clouds. And the common look of Jesus you see him. With the beard. And his robe. And then you see in this picture. He is hugging someone. And the man he is hugging. Or the man hugging Jesus. Can I demonstrate with you? You need Jesus. You are not but you need Jesus now. You talk. That's where the picture is. But you see Jesus' arms around this man. Then you see the face of this man. He is a traveler. He is on a long journey. He is tired and weary. There is no more energy left in him. He may have fought all the demons. All the flesh on the world. All the enemies around him. Creatures weary. But he is wounded. And imagine. Jesus is waiting for him. And he just comes out from the floor. There is a Jesus. And from the face of Christ. It is like he is saying. I can't wait to see you. You are home. Don't cry anymore. You are home. That's what made him survive and live on earth. And that is why he kept on earth to live like that. The apostle Paul has always been my hero. I may have hundreds or thousands of hours of reading about his life. And I wrote books about it. And I read 2 Timothy, I don't know, a million times. That's an exaggeration. And I find myself sitting at his feet all the time. Because he said to me, follow me as I follow Christ. And second Corinthians I read every 6 months. And I read 2 Corinthians every 6 months. Because 1 Corinthians is about the structure and organization of the church. And 2 Corinthians is about the people who have to take care of the body of Christ. So it is like a personal diary of Paul's life. Shipwreck and hatred and nakedness and hunger. Abused, accused. Forsaken by co-workers. And you know his life. 30 years on journey. You ask what made him to live on earth like this. The secret you find maybe in 2 Timothy chapter 4. He was just going to be killed. So he writes his last letter to his son in faith Timothy. And he says, my son, my time has come to an end. I am ready to go. Now there is a crown on my back. Not only for me. But all those who love his appearing. So I ask Paul. How did you live on earth? He will say in the light of eternity. What was it Paul in eternity talking about? He said, I just was looking forward to seeing him. So he sent me there, I go. He sent me to prison, I go. And the prophet speaks and say, I am going to be beaten up. He even asked to me. He says, but when Jesus says, don't worry. What does he say? All the problems are going to happen. I am just following him. And all I want is, finally when the car stops. I can get out and here I am. I was born and raised in a tiny village. In a tiny state. In the extreme south. And I had the privilege to be born in a Christian home. And when I was eight years old. My mother explained to me what giving my heart to Jesus is. And I didn't know what it meant. And I didn't have a big sense to come from. And she said, Jesus gave his life for you. You ask him to come into your heart. And my mother was a very godly individual. She was about four feet, maybe two, three inches tall. Very small frame. But incredibly bright eyes. And she loved Jesus. And she has six children. And the youngest in the family. And when I was a small boy growing up in my home. I used to hear her say these words so many times. I didn't know where it comes from. It was like she was phased out. Like she was in some other world. That one was American straight words. Yeah, thank you. And she was talking to someone. But I used to watch her and say, who have I in heaven but you, O Lord. And there's nothing and no one I deserve beside you. And I didn't understand that. When I grew up, I heard this in the Bible. And every morning, sometimes, three, four, she's up. Every morning she's up. And she'd leave the bedroom. I go to the middle, where the family gathered for family prayer. And she would put a mat on the floor and sit there on the mat with a shawl on her head. And she'd be praying two, three hours every morning. And then, when it was 6.30 or so, she'd wake up all the kids for family prayer. I never saw her reading anything else other than the Bible. I never knew she ever left my tiny village. But she loved him so much. And my father was a very righteous man. But I don't think he ever understood my mother. He was a good man. But she was a strange individual living in a hole. She was lost in a different world. And I remember this. When I finished my high school, and I said to my parents, they would allow me, I'd like to go and serve Christ. She was sitting by the dining table on the bench. And before I could finish my sentence, she jumped up! Go! I thought she hates me. But I was in an accident. She was waiting to get from me. And the only operationalization went off the mountain there. Yeah, no movement. It was a youth movement of operational mobilization. And then you're North India. After two years, North India. And I got beaten up. Persecuted. Driven out from villages. No, I was not a great evangelist. Just learning what it means to follow the Lord. After two years, I came home. Traveling back 2,000 miles. And I remember she said, I will tell you a story that you do not know about. She was cooking in the kitchen. She said, come and sit down. She said, you remember the day you came and said you'd like to go and serve God? Yeah, mom, I remember that really well. You hate her? She said, son, you don't know that. Here's the story. She said, I prayed all the years of my life that one of my sons would go and serve God. One by one, they were the founders of money and business and all that. So I was losing my hope. And when you had grown up, skinny, timid, and shy, I lost all my hope. She said, that's when I decided to fast and pray. Three and a half years, every Friday she fasted for one subject. One day, Jesus called one of my sons to serve me. And then you said that. I knew God answered my prayer. Now you know how my life is and what impact I had on my life. In August 1990, I was flying from the United States to South Korea to speak at a conference. And I got to Bombay, I heard my mother was taken ill with a heart problem to a hospital. My father passed away earlier. So, I cancelled my trip and went down to South to be with my mother. She was 84. And in the morning at 6.15 and 6.00 she passed away. Possibly the saddest time of my life. I never forget looking at my mother's face as she was lowered into the ground. And so goodbye. The following day, my brothers and I gathered together to talk about our mother. And all of her sons would give her whatever she wanted. She lacked nothing. But the problem was we didn't see her spending the money. So during the discussions someone asked the question do you even know how much money our mother left in the bank? So one of my brothers pulled out a notebook and he said I found this under the pillow of our mother's bed. And I was terribly curious. What is in it? And he turned the pages. He said pages after pages of scribbling of our mother's hand. Names of dozens of people some in the Bible school some in the mission field and there's each name the amount of money she was sending them. And he said there's nothing in the bank. And I broke down and began to weep. Not because there was no money in the bank. It was two years prior to her death. I was visiting my village. I saw my mother wearing the cloth that was torn from ear to ear from the blouse. And it was hard stitched. In America you call it Mickey Mouse Jaw. And I was so angry. I said mother what's caught in your head what's wrong with you won't you care about your sex before the blood of these five mothers nobody called them on our head and shamed our face. You know preachers can get really angry. And after I finished my preaching she looked at me with an incredible smile and said these words my little boy you don't understand nothing someday you will understand. Nothing else she would say to me. Here I am sitting in the room this is how she walked out of the room and her arms around me it's the sound of your breath. I could have purchased a brand new dress every month. I could do anything like anyone else. But that is not the end of the story. Her last will she left with the sons. When I'm dead and gone the only thing I will leave behind is my earrings my wedding ring and the gold chain my husband gave me when he married me at the age of 18. Sell these items and give the money to preach the gospel and never heard my Jesus name I will raise them also in heaven. That was my mother. Her husband didn't understand her. None of her sons understood her. None of her friends knew her. You think she is now with Jesus and says I wish I lived for myself a little more. If she could talk to me she would say son, keep going. You are a stranger and a pilgrim on the side. Nothing is permanent there on earth. The only thing real is Jesus. Live for Jesus. I cannot give you one, two, three, four, five, six things you should do. But the Holy Spirit came to lead us again and I plead with you for two things. Fall in love with Him again. Love of Him. You are going to see Him someday. Make every decision you make in the light of a hundred years from now. Be silent more than you are talking. Don't worry much about what people think about you. It's only important that He knows you. That you know Him. Secondly, live your life to see others come to Christ. For this Jesus died and today you and I are called to reach the lost world. For my mother it was her personal journey. For you, you must hide that. And nothing in this world is important. The only thing you take with you are the souls that you prayed for and gave your money, gave your life and gave your time to see them come to know this Jesus that you love. And may the Lord give you grace. And I appreciate you praying for us. We just got one thing on our mind to know Him better and reach the lost world. There are still The first thing is to know Him better and reach the lost world. The second thing is that 2 billion people need to hear about Jesus. How can they believe unless they hear about Him? Pray for us and pray that the Lord will give us understanding about our future here in Europe. Let us pray. Dear Jesus, we want to thank you for this evening. Thank you for these precious, beautiful days of fellowship and learning. Lord, I pray you bless this great movement that you raised up. Lord, let revival start here in Netherlands. Use these, my precious, to that end. Help us to live for you. Thank you for your grace. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you again.