In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of unity among Christians and the need for the Holy Spirit in their lives. He highlights the teaching of Jesus that the greatest among believers should be the servant of all. The speaker warns against pride and self-sufficiency, urging Christians to humble themselves and submit to one another. He also shares a personal experience of someone seeking guidance in dealing with a difficult person, emphasizing the importance of relying on the Holy Spirit rather than relying on our own wisdom. The sermon is based on the biblical passage from Psalm 81:11, where God laments that his people did not listen to him.

Our Heavenly Father, we are so conscious of our lack in our spiritual lives that we are dependent upon Thee and so easily we forget that. Wouldst Thou, God, Holy Spirit, speak to our hearts this morning that Thou mightest be able to attain Thy purpose with each and every one of us? For Thy honor and glory we ask this. Amen. Before I read the Word of God, just a thought. In a seminar, a professor told the students that they found a piece of paper in the desert on which stood one sentence. And on it stood these words. The one who wants to be the greatest among you, be everybody's slave. The professor looked at the students and after a pause said, If this would be the only word of Jesus in the New Testament, it would be enough for me to become a Christian or stay one. Our dear friends, if we take that to heart that we don't grow big and tall in our spiritual lives. When Samuel spoke to King Saul, when you were still small in your own eyes, God could speak to you and you obeyed. But when you became great, you didn't need God anymore in your life. You thought you know. You can do things on your own. And that is the problem with so many Christians. We know so much. We know what the Word of God says. We know God's commandments. We know how a Christian should behave. We know how a Christian should talk. We know so many things. And this knowledge has become a problem to us Christians. We become dear Christians. We become dear brothers in the Lord. But we don't know the Holy Spirit. Or better said, the Holy Spirit has no room in our lives. We've become independent. We're not dependent upon the leading and guiding of God the Holy Spirit anymore. We do things because we think we know. We know God's Word. We know what God says. And that is our direction sign. It is true. It is right. But it's dangerous if God the Holy Spirit isn't in it. Oh, I was in Australia these past few weeks. Dear Christians, Christians like you, dear Christians, dedicated to the Lord. They truly want to serve God with all their heart. And that's what we experience wherever we go. Whether it's in Europe. Whether it's America. Whether it's Australia. Whether it's Asia. Oh, we see so many Christians, dedicated Christians. But the question arises, has God the Holy Spirit still got full sway in our lives? Where people are led and guided by God's Spirit. Where he leads us into holiness. Where he draws his people closer into his image. That we Christians have an ear to hear. Where we enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, that the Lord is in full control of our lives. And we so often forget that. We do our thing. We know how it's to be done. And we don't even ask God the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us anymore. A beautiful car. Beautiful car. A Rolls Royce. Or even better than that. It's perfect. Perfectly made. According to plan. Everything is in the car. It's perfect. Perfectly made. But there's no gas in it. And that is the trouble with so many of us Christians. We put our own gas into that car instead of allowing God the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to lead and to guide us. And when I was before the Lord, he gave me two messages. I got up early this morning and I thought, this is what I'm going to talk about. And when I prepared the message, my eyes fell upon something which shook me. And this is what I read. In Psalm 81. Verse 11. But my people would not heed my voice. And Israel would have none of me. Psalm 81 verse 11. So I gave them over to their own stab and hawks. To walk in their own councils. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways. I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries. We read this verse. How true this word applies to your and to my life today. And Israel would have none of me. In other words, Israel had no time for God. Because they would not heed the voice of the Lord. And dear friends, that is the problem with Christianity today. The Holy Spirit is something that is just written on paper. The Holy Spirit isn't an experience which we have had and which we have daily. In 1966, when the revival started here at Mapumulu. We were exercised. And we realized that God the Holy Spirit was something. It was just something which we had in our head and on the paper. But He truly didn't have right of way in our lives. And we realized that we need God the Holy Spirit in our lives. That we could attain that which God has intended for us. And this made us seek God with all our heart. Because we heard that if we believe as the scripture says. Streams of living water will gush forth out of our innermost being. And this made us seek God and said God we need thy spirit. Not just any spirit, but we need your spirit. And it didn't take long the Lord revealed to us through His Spirit that His ways aren't our ways. Yes we were Christians. Yes we professed to be Christians. And with all our heart and with all our mind and power we had. We tried to be those Christians. Only to be disappointed. That many of us came to that point where we said, let's give it up, what's the good of it. The more we try, the more we fail. We wanted to be good Christians. We attended Bible studies. And wherever there was a preacher, a well known preacher, whether he was from America or from Europe. Or wherever he came from, we'd go and attend with one desire, one hope. That we might attain that, what our heart was yearning for. There was something missing in our lives. That beautiful car, nothing was missing. Except there was no spirit in that car. And that was something which brought us onto our knees. Because we had no power to overcome sin. We had no power to overcome the lusts of the flesh. And through that we started making laws for ourselves and said, the word of God isn't enough, we need more than that. And then we just added a bit here, took away there something and added something. In the hope that we might attain that. When we read in the Old Testament. We always see that God told the people to obey his word. Obedience was the prime aim of God for his people. But the more we tried to obey, we failed. And we realized we need God's spirit. And it's still exactly the same today. You know if we haven't God's spirit in our lives, we'll start fighting amongst each other. We'll start pointing the finger at others. We'll start fault finding. We say this is how the Lord led me, this is what God's word says. And then if the next person doesn't do it the same way as I think, I start pointing fingers at that person. And I start finding fault with my brothers. And that is so often the problem if we deviate from the leading and guiding of God's Holy Spirit. If we can differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. That's why we fall into the trap of finding fault with my brother, with my sister. And we take the place of God the Holy Spirit. We're not dependent upon the Holy Spirit anymore because we know we don't need the Holy Spirit. We can do it the way we think is right. And we forget that God's ways aren't our ways. And we push God the Holy Spirit aside. And we start doing our own things. And then something happens in our heart. Grudges come into our heart. Hatred comes into our heart. Because we don't understand what that brother or that sister is doing. Instead of leaving it over to God the Holy Spirit to convict. In John we read that the Holy Spirit, when the Comforter will come, He will convict the world of their sin. Instead of leaving that person over to the Lord and saying, Lord Jesus, you can deal with that in my brother, in my sister, far better than what I can do. That I leave that over to God the Holy Spirit. God's word says He's going to lead us into all the truth. He will convict me, He will convict you of things which aren't pleasing to Him. And we say, no God, Holy Spirit, you can't do it on your own, I've got to help you. And God's word says, then I'll withdraw and leave you over to your counsel. In verse 12 we read, so I gave them over to their own stubborn hearts. I gave them over to their stubborn hearts that they can do what they like and feel what they like and I have no room in their lives anymore. And that is the danger of us Christians. God the Holy Spirit is, I'll term it in our language which we understand, He is very, very sensitive and touchy. He doesn't, He'll never argue with you. He'll never press the point. If He can't have free sway in our lives, He withdraws. And He leads us over to our mind, to our thinking, to our way of worship, to our way of doing things. They are not dependent upon God the Holy Spirit anymore, that He can lead and guide us into all the truth. No, no, no, no. God Holy Spirit, you can't do that. I'll have to help you there. Because, you know, I'm more than the Holy Spirit. How often do we try to convert a person to Christianity? And God says, you carry on. I'll leave it over to you, to your stubborn hearts. Instead of us, if we see and if we want to save a person from his sin, that we pray in our hearts and say, God Holy Spirit, you can do it far better than what I do. So you speak to the heart of that brother, of that sister. The whole situation I bring to thee. You work and over and over we experience that God in His grace and mercy, through His Holy Spirit, He convicts, He changes and He draws a person to Himself. I had a wonderful experience this morning. I had a phone call from a certain person in Europe. This person, a few days ago, phoned me and said, I've been invited to a particular person, but I'm afraid. I know this person. I know how angry that person gets. I know how vicious he gets. And I am scared. Pray with me that I may utter the right words and that I may be able to help that person. Because I've written a whole page full and I'm going to confront him. I'm going to try and help him. I'm going to show him a whole page full of that what he thought. And I said, just be careful that you don't take the place of the Holy Spirit. You don't even know what that person wants. And you are preparing a whole page full of answers and questions. I said, throw them into the rubbish bin. Take that piece of paper and burn it. And I said, let us depend upon God, the Holy Spirit, who is going to lead us into all the truth. And he can prepare the way that by the time you get there, he'll be as soft as butter in the sun. May God grant you an ear to hear. And this morning he phoned me. And he said, it went very well. I didn't have to say anything. He spoke so much that in the end he got up and he took my hand and he shook my hand and he said, thank you brother, pray with me. And I once again thank God that he has taught us to leave things over to God, the Holy Spirit. He can do it much better than what we can do it. We start organizing. We start arranging meetings. We have certain conditions that have to be met. And if it doesn't go exactly as we think, we create division. Instead of bringing together, we are pulling apart. All dear Christians, all want to follow the Lord. But somehow they disagree. There is no unity because the Spirit is lacking. What did this professor say? He said, and if there is only one sentence in the New Testament and this sentence is that we should be the slaves of all, something would happen. If you want to be the greatest among you, be everybody's slave. And that is the most difficult thing for a Christian to do. To bow and to submit one to another. And respect the view of our brother. Because I am the least, I am the slave. And I honor that person and I think higher of him than what I think of myself. And if we do that, there would be peace amongst us. There would never be fighting or division amongst us. There would never be bitterness in our hearts. There would never be hatred in our lives. If we allow God the Holy Spirit to have his way. And at the beginning of the revival, we experienced that God literally went into the homes of people and convicted them and brought them to the cross of Jesus. And that we feared that we might sin against God the Holy Spirit. And it was our prayer, Lord may we have an ear to hear what thou hast to say. And it was wonderful to see how God was working in the midst of his people. Now I'll become personal now. Do you know that brother? Do you know that sister? Do you know that you young students at school and at college? Do you know to be the slave of everybody? Does God the Holy Spirit lead and guide you? The day by day you experience God's leading and guiding. The way you talk to people. The way you behave towards the next person. Is God the Holy Spirit evident in our lives? Or is there stubbornness in your heart? That you can't bow. That you can't submit. That you can't honor the next person. That the Holy Spirit has complete sway in your life. That the holiness of God will be seen in us. That we've got perfect peace. Perfect rest. Perfect love one to another. That we can forgive freely. That we hold no grudges against a brother or a sister. But that everybody becomes a dear brother and a dear sister to us. That we love them the way Jesus loves. That we completely forget ourselves and have only one desire. That I might be a blessing, a help, an encouragement to my brother or my sister. That I don't live for my own gain anymore. That I will experience the advantage of this or that. I will gain by this. Know that my brother will gain. That my brother or my sister will have an advantage. That I will be a help to them. That I will be able to lift them. That I will be able to give. That I'm prepared to give my life for the next person as long as he gains and profits of it. That the Holy Spirit might have perfect liberty and free sway in our lives. And wherever I go I always ask that question. Has God the Holy Spirit absolute dominion, His kingship in my brother, in my sister? And that is my desire and my prayer that God the Holy Spirit might attain His rightful purpose in every Christian. And then the natural thing will be that the fruits of the Holy Spirit will be there in your life. Oh that my people would listen to me. That Israel would walk in my ways. Verse 14, I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries. Has the enemy been subdued in your life? Have the things of this world been subdued in your life? Has sin been subdued in your life? That anger that rides you, subdued already? That jealousy in your life? That bitterness in your life? Subdued already? Talking behind the back of other people? Pointing a finger at your brother? Subdued already? The spirit of division, has it been subdued already? Oh that my people would listen to me. And that they would walk in my ways. I would soon subdue their enemies. You know your sin? You know what has come between you and the Lord? Subdued already? The Lord says if we listen, if we obey, He will subdue our enemies. And turn my hand against their adversaries. Those that fight against you. Those that talk evil of you. Has God's hand subdued those already? But my people would not heed my voice. And my people and Israel would have none of me. May they not be found in my life and in your life. But that we'll have an ear to listen to that small voice. Here in our hearts, where God the Holy Spirit will lead us into all the truth. But if they don't do that. I will give them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own ways in counsel. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, may that never happen to us. Grant us an obedient heart. Grant us a heart that will be a slave of all. That the one that is only concerned about the welfare of my brother, my sister. That there might be no division amongst us. That there might be no hatred amongst us. That there might be no jealousy amongst us. But that we'll be a people that will obey thy voice. Teach us not to do things the way we want. But the way that thou, God, Holy Spirit are leading and guiding us. That thy name may be glorified. Amen.