This sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking the kingdom of heaven first and living a heavenly life on earth. It highlights the need for a deep hunger for God, a compassionate heart, and a faith that recognizes God's authority. The speaker challenges listeners to prioritize the heavenly life over earthly pursuits, to seek God's ways, and to maintain a hunger for Jesus above all else.

We were seeing in the morning that God's ways are not our ways and he says that as the heavens are above the earth, so are his ways above our ways. And we also saw that in the book of Isaiah, it was like a prophetic reference to this new covenant age in which we are living. Because in the old covenant, God only revealed to them what he had for them on the earth. There's only a very faint reference to heaven in the old testament. It's a very lovely verse in the book of Deuteronomy. Of course they couldn't experience it, but the Lord told them in Deuteronomy chapter 11 and verse 21. He says, when you get into this wonderful land I'm giving you, I want your days to be multiplied. I want the days of your children to be multiplied. And I want you, as the margin says here, that your days in that land will be like the days of heaven upon the earth. It's an alternate translation to what you see there. He was telling the Israelites, I want you to live on earth and each day must be like a day of heaven on this earth. But they couldn't experience it. It was something that could be fulfilled only after the day of Pentecost. Like we sing in that chorus, heaven came down and glory filled my soul. That is the whole purpose of the gift of the Holy Spirit. So when the Lord says my ways are not your ways, but are as different as the heaven is above the earth, he was talking about a future day, which is our day, when we can experience days of heaven upon the earth. And I just want to tell you this, we're not salesmen trying to sell something. You know, like salesmen try to bluff about some product that doesn't really measure up to what they talk about. It is the will of God that every day of your earthly life will be a foretaste of heaven on earth. That in your family, in your home, your home will be a little foretaste of heaven. Of course, that depends on both husband and wife, both willing to understand God's ways and walk in God's ways. And that our church should also be a foretaste of heaven on earth. That's the type of atmosphere in which we want our children to grow up and the next generation to carry on that message and that type of atmosphere into their lives, into their homes, and into the churches that they may plant or start. And keeping this in mind, my ways are as different from yours as the heaven above the earth. So if I stick to my ways, I will not experience heaven upon the earth. I have to allow the Holy Spirit to change my entire way of thinking to God's way, which is a heavenly way. Then my life will be a heavenly life. Can you think of what heaven is like? Peaceful, calm, no complaint, you never see an angel in a bad mood, no discouragement, no depression, no condemnation. It's only joy and peace and love, no bitterness. Is it possible to live such a life on earth? I want to tell you in Jesus' name, it is. It is. I remember how for years as a born-again Christian I was defeated. But I saw in the scriptures, in the New Testament, a life that it was possible to live. The Bible says, if you say you're a Christian, you must live like Jesus lived, 1 John 2.6. Would God ever say something like that if it were not possible? Do you think He's taunting us? You know, I often use the example of little people, sometimes adults tease children like this. Here, come and take this pen. And as a child reaches up to take that pen, you lift it up and lift it up. These are evil people who don't know what God is like. God doesn't tease like that. I hope none of you will ever do that to children. Give it to them, even if they don't return it. God is like that. He's not teasing us, saying you can live like Jesus lived on the earth and every time you try, He pulls it away, pulls it away. God is not like these evil men and women you have seen. He's a good God. He wants us to reach out for something because that longing is what prepares our heart to receive what He has. You know, it speaks in the Old Testament about plowing up the ground so that when the rain comes, the soil is saturated and it produces a good crop. I've discovered that is the reason why God asks us to pray and to keep on praying. Why doesn't He give us something as soon as we ask it? Don't earthly fathers give their children bread as soon as they ask? Do they have to keep on asking, Dad, give me some bread, give me some bread next day, give me some bread, give me some bread next week, give me some bread, and finally the father gives bread? No. A child needs to ask his father only once. Why does God tell us to keep on asking? Because it's not something material like bread. Material things God can give you even without your asking. He makes the sun to rise on the good and the evil. They don't ask, but that farmer who's an atheist, he gets rain on his farm without even asking, without even believing that there's a God. God is good when it comes to material things. He gives in abundance to everybody on earth. Christians are not the richest people on the earth or the healthiest people on earth. There are people of all types of religions who are extremely wealthy, wealthier than Christians, and they thank their God for it, whichever God they worship, and the atheist thanks himself for becoming rich. And Christians are not the healthiest people on earth either. There are a lot of healthy people among atheists and non-Christians. Why? Because God is a very good God when it comes to material things. He makes the sun and health and prosperity to come upon good people, evil people, righteous people, unrighteous people. But when it comes to the real lasting blessings of eternity, that's not given to everybody. That's given for those who thirst. If anyone thirsts, let him come to me. And that thirst, which makes me long and long and long for a life of overcoming, for this heavenly life on earth, it does something in my heart. It plows up the ground in my heart. That's why one prayer alone is not enough. I discovered through the years that that is why God makes me pray again and again and want something. I long for victory and it doesn't come overnight. Because you know, brother, the ground in your heart is not plowed up yet. Your ground is like rock. And you're saying, God, plant the seed, plant the seed. And you wonder why he doesn't plant the seed. Supposing he puts the seed upon your rock, you think anything will come out of it? What is it that's going to break that hard ground and soften it up to receive the reign of heaven? This eager crying out to God, Lord, this longing, this thirsting, this hungering and thirsting after God. And if you've got it, brother, sister, don't lose it. I never in my life want to lose the hunger and thirst I have for Jesus himself. Not for any gift or blessing, but for the person of Jesus Christ. I love those parts of the song of Solomon, one of my favorite books, where the bride says, my soul longed for my beloved. Where shall I find him? I go searching and searching. Do you have a longing like that for Jesus? Not for some blessing, but for the blesser. Not for what your husband can give you as a gift, but for your husband himself. What type of wife is that who is seeking her husband only because she wants a new sari or something like that? Do you go to Jesus like that because you want something from him? Or do you want him for himself? Those are the people who get God's best. I know God brought me to that place, and I always want to live there. Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord. Once his gifts I wanted, now the giver. So that is the reason why God wants us to long Lord, there is a heavenly life you promised me on earth. Show me your ways. Teach me your way, how to get there. It says about Moses, you know, it was quoted earlier in the afternoon in Psalm 103 by a brother. Psalm 103 and verse 7. He made known his ways to Moses, but to the children of Israel he could only show his actions. You see the difference? To Moses he showed his ways, but to the sons of Israel he only showed his actions. What were those actions? Splitting the Red Sea, food coming from heaven every day for 40 years. I mean if you got food dropped from heaven one day in your life, you think boy I'm gonna testify about that for the rest of my life. These guys had it for 40 years. Water coming out of a rock, their sandals not wearing out in 40 years in a desert. They couldn't get extra pairs of sandals, you know that in the desert. God supernaturally protected their sandals for 40 years. A pillar of fire to lead them. These were the actions they saw. Immediate healing from snake bites and when they wanted meat, hundreds of thousands of birds dropped dead so they couldn't get meat in the desert. But they did not know God's ways. What does that teach us? You can boast that God did this for me. He did that miracle for me. He gave me admission into some college. He got a good wife or a husband for me. He did this miracle, that miracle. He gave me a job. He gave me a house. He gave me this health. He healed my sicknesses. They're all God's actions and if you're satisfied with that you'll never know his ways. Moses also saw all these things. He also got bread from heaven. He also ate the meat from the birds. He had drank the water from the rock. But he left all that and went up into the mountain and said, Lord I'm not satisfied. I want to know you. Show me your glory, oh God. That's why God showed him his ways and I want to ask you after all the prayers you get answered and after all the fantastic miracles you have experienced and that you can testify about and boast about in many parts, at the end of it what? Is that all? Do you find a longing in your heart for Jesus himself or is it only for his blessing? That's why your Christian life remains so shallow. Eternal life is not experiencing miracles. Jesus defined eternal life as knowing God, knowing Jesus Christ and if you have a passion for that and you long and you long and you long, that longing will break up your fallow heart. You'll become very intimate with God. You'll become his friend. That's what he wants you to be and you know they say that if you sit in a room where people are smoking cigarettes, your clothes smell of cigarette smoke. I mean you don't even know it but it's penetrated into your clothes. Can you imagine living with Jesus Christ constantly? Something penetrates into your spirit which overcomes the world. It becomes easy not to feel that the graciousness of Christ is manifested in your life. You will never be in a bad mood. You will always be cheerful and you won't be so critical of everybody you see, always trying to find fault with somebody or the other because you spend time with Jesus. Do you have that life? Do you know that such a life is there for you? Do you long for it? Do you want it that your days may be like days of heaven upon earth? This is our birthright. This is what Jesus died for. Moses hungered for it and so God said, okay I'll show you my ways. The rest of the people will be satisfied with just my miracles. I say to the Lord, Lord I don't care if I never see a miracle in my whole life. I don't care if I don't get any answers to prayer. If I can know you, that's fine. You know this is the hunger that David had. He says in one Psalm 27, when God asked Solomon, David's son, many years later, what do you want? Solomon said give me wisdom to rule these people. God said good. You didn't ask for riches or money. You asked for wisdom. I'll give it to you. But even that is not the greatest thing. If you're an elder brother and you say Lord I don't want money. Can you give me wisdom to build this church? It's a pretty good desire. Better than those preachers who want money. But it's still not the highest. Look what David his father prayed for. Psalm 27 verse 4. There's only one thing I have asked from the Lord and I'm going to seek for that. And that's not wisdom. I want to dwell in God's presence. To live with him my whole life long. Just to contemplate his beauty and to meditate there before him. Just to look at his beauty like we sing in that song. Father of Jesus, love's reward. What rapture will it be? Prostrate before your throne to lie and gaze and gaze on thee. Do you have a longing for that? There was a time when David was like that. But when he became rich. And God had blessed him. That longing to gaze upon the Lord went away and he started gazing at Bathsheba and other women. He married 8 wives finally. If only he had kept gazing at the Lord. How wonderfully he would have ended his life. He was a wonderful whole hearted man. A man after God's own heart. When he was 20, 25. But unfortunately not when he was 50. That's the tragedy we see in the Christian world. Wonderful, zealous young brothers. Whole hearted for God when they are 20, 25 years old. You see them 25 years later. It's gone. They got married. They back slid. Their passion for Jesus is gone. Or maybe they became great preachers and you can't get anywhere near them now. They are famous people. Making a lot of money at the expense of poor people. Collecting their tithes, etc. I feel sorry for them. Those are warnings God has given to people. Do you want to be like that? Say no. Who will be an example to today's young people? Many of you are older brothers and sisters here. Can you say that you are an example? The things you live for. That you have such a passionate desire after Jesus himself. Not for things or miracles or any such thing. But for Jesus himself. That you can say to the young people around you. Follow me as I follow Christ. As I am passionately hungering and thirsting for Jesus. I want you to follow me. I want you to be like that. From that will flow a ministry which is richer than what comes by just studying the Bible. And listening to a lot of messages and preparing sermons. It's that passionate desire for Jesus. That is heaven. In heaven it says when we get there in Revelation. See this wonderful verse in Revelation chapter 22. Revelation 22 is speaking about the river of life that flows from the throne of God. It's the last chapter in the Bible. And there won't be any curse. See the last part of verse 3. You say that's all? It's going to be boring. Not for me. I can spend all eternity just looking at Jesus face. All eternity. That will be my service. I shall serve him. Because I shall see his face. And the wonderful thing is if you have that longing. You can serve him now. And your service will be. There will be something heavenly about your service. When you spend your lifetime looking at Jesus. You can read the Bible and see Jesus. Or you can read the Bible and see letters, words. The word of God can be printing ink for you. Or the word of God can be flesh in Jesus. The word was made flesh in Jesus. But for many Christians the word has become printing ink. That's all there is in the book. Printing ink. If you don't see Jesus all you see is ink. Do you see more than that? His servant shall see his face. That is a heavenly life. I hope I can create in you a hunger. I can't give it to you. No. People came to John the Baptist and he said listen. I'll tell you honestly. I can baptize you in water. If you want baptism in the Holy Spirit go to him. Jesus. Today's preachers will say come to me. Come I'll lay hands on you. You'll be baptized in the Spirit. I say no. I'll baptize you in water. He is the baptizer. Go to him. There's no partiality with him. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit. And heaven will come down into your heart too. Came into mine. Changed my life. Go to him brother, sister. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. He will fill you with the Spirit of heaven. And you will serve him and you will see his face. And there will be an aroma about you. It's like it will be more powerful than the most powerful perfume any lady sprays on her clothes. People will sense something in you. They'll say you're different. They'll say I knew this person 10 years ago and he was so different. But he's so different today. What happened? No. He lived before Jesus' face. That's what happened. It says in Matthew chapter 3. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus. Came preaching saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent. Now you need to see this. You've often heard me speak about it. If you haven't, let me repeat it for the benefit of those. It's no harm hearing it again even for the hundredth time. Here was the whole nation of Israel facing the things of earth for 1500 years. Blessed with every earthly blessing in Moses. Physical healing. There were promises there saying I am the Lord your healer. Land flowing with milk and honey. And if they obeyed God all their enemies would be defeated. There were promises like in Deuteronomy 28. You'll never borrow. You will lend. You will always be on top of all the nations. Even though you're a small little country. God fulfilled it. But it was all earthly. There was no promise that you will be more Christ-like. You'll be more like God. No. You'll have prosperity. How do you describe the prosperity of Job? He had so many thousands of camels. And so many thousands of donkeys. Well I'll tell you honestly I don't want camels and donkeys. What will I do with them? Today's equivalent may be cars. You've got a Mercedes Benz. And you've got something else. And you've got this type of house. Is that all there is that God gives? That's all they got in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament John the Baptist says all of you Israel will you turn around now? Turn your back to that earthly kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is near. It hasn't come yet. It will come only on the day of Pentecost. But I've been sent to prepare you for that. And the way to be prepared for that is by turning your back to the things of earth. Have today's Christians heard that message? No. He was the forerunner who prepared the way for Jesus Christ. How did he prepare the way for Jesus Christ? By telling people 1500 years you sought after healing and prosperity. And camels and donkeys and gold and silver. And suppressing your enemies and making a lot of money. Now when will you turn your back to that? Because there's something far more glorious than camels and donkeys and houses and lands and prosperity and healing. How many people today Christians believe there's something more wonderful than earthly prosperity and healing? Something more wonderful than cars and houses and lands and everything that the world considers wealth. How many people say Lord that's not what I'm going to seek. I'm going to seek after you. A lot of Christians will think I'd like to have both. It's like that Sunday school child. The teacher had told the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Poor beggar Lazarus died and went to heaven. And the rich man went to hell. And at the end he asked, now children who do you want to be like? Lazarus and rich man and nowadays children are pretty smart. One child said, I'd like to be like the rich man on earth and like Lazarus after I die. Great. But somehow it doesn't work that way. It's not a question of being rich. It's not a question of your salary or your wealth. It's a question of what you live for. What do you live for? John the Baptist message was you will never get this kingdom. If you don't turn your back for what you have been pursuing for 1500 years. Repent means turn around. Let your mind. The Tamil translation is so beautiful. Mananthirambal. Mananthirambal means turn your mind around. That's repentance. It's the most beautiful translation of repentance I've ever heard in any language. Turn your mind around from being occupied like you have been for 1500 years. In your case it may not be 1500 years. It may be 15 years or 30 years where your mind has been occupied with earthly things. Turn it around and the kingdom of heaven. It's not near now. It has already come. It came on the day of Pentecost. But even though it has come on the day of Pentecost, we have millions of born again Christians who got their back to that because they are facing the things of earth just like the people of Israel. Do you know how many preachers of the gospel today on television and on public platforms go back to Deuteronomy 28 to get their gospel? The blessings of the gospel are in Ephesians 1 verse 3. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. They don't go there. The blessings of the gospel are in Romans 6 verse 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you. They are in Galatians 5 verse 23 and 24. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. People are not interested in all that. It's all Deuteronomy 28. Plenty of money. The only thing they don't want from Deuteronomy 28 is plenty of children. Leave out that part. But plenty of money and plenty of prosperity in business and healing and all that. No wonder we have a generation of Christians and the devil has done a fantastic work in twisting the gospel and leading Christians back full circle to the old covenant which was abolished on the day of Pentecost and get them occupied with it. And I'll tell you, I'm not surprised by these preachers who are blind in any case. I'm surprised by the millions of Christians who support such preachers and sit with their mouths open saying, Boy, what a man of God. I'm surprised at some of our CFC believers who think these preachers are preaching wonderful messages. It's all psychology. Tell me honestly, how many of them have led you to victory over your anger and over your love of money? They haven't. They've just made you feel nice at the end of listening to their one hour. And you live the same old defeated life and the same old defeated life in your home. Don't let the devil fool you. There is another kingdom that Jesus came to give. We read in Matthew chapter 4 when John the Baptist was imprisoned Jesus began to preach the same message. Chapter 4 verse 17 From that time, Jesus began to preach the same thing. Hey you fellas in Israel, turn around. Turn your mind around because the kingdom of God is near. It's coming. The kingdom of heaven is near. Further down in chapter 4 verse 23 Jesus went through all Galilee teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. That's what he was preaching. How many people are preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven today? Do you know the number of people who are preaching the gospel of the kingdom of earth? How many people are leading you into a life of heavenly blessing? Let me turn you to another verse. Chapter 9 Matthew chapter 9 and verse 35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. The same old message. He tirelessly went from city to city from village to village teaching about the kingdom of heaven. That's what every preacher should be doing. Go from city to city from village to village. I'm sure it involved a lot of sacrifice. He did it. He probably spent many sleepless nights but he was determined to go from city to city from village to village proclaiming the kingdom of heaven because nobody else was preaching it in his time. How many people do you think are preaching that in our time? Do you have a burden in your spare time to go from city to city from village to village to tell them, hey fellas there is another gospel that Jesus died for? Or do you want to live your own comfortable life? You don't have to give up your job. But all of us have a lot of spare time and we can make time if we want to if we have a passion that other people should have this wonderful life of experience. I'll tell you why we don't do it. Because we haven't experienced it ourselves. Then we have nothing to give. That's why we need to experience it first. And then there will be a passion that other people should have it. What I have. When Jesus was in heaven what was it that brought him down to earth? A tremendous passion. Those poor people on earth who are defeated must enjoy this heaven that I have. And he came to earth. And when you experience a heavenly life you will have that same passion that other people may also experience this wonderful life that God has given you. In a world where the devils fool so many people and so many Christians you'll have a longing to share with them that life of overcoming the life that the apostles spoke about rejoice always in the Lord. All the time. 24-7. Be anxious for nothing means zero. Bridle your tongue 24-7. What a life! Thanks be to God. 2 Corinthians 2-14. Who always leads us in triumph in Christ. Not I'm walking in triumph in Christ. Thanks be to God who leads us in triumph in Christ. I remember some time ago the Lord said to me don't say you got victory over sin. Say Jesus has kept me from falling. Same thing but tastes a little different when you say Jesus kept me from falling than saying I got victory over sin. Jesus kept me from falling. He can keep you. He went around preaching teaching the kingdom about the kingdom and the healing was a confirmation of the message of the kingdom. And then it says He looked at the people. Verse 36 And he felt compassion for them because they were not experiencing this heavenly life. They were distressed dispirited discouraged like sheep wandering here and there without a shepherd not knowing where to go what is the right direction. Most Christians are like this. I know from the number of emails I get this is how most believers are defeated, defeated, defeated. And then he looked at his disciples. Remember we're talking about the kingdom of heaven and Jesus looked around and saw people were not in this not interested in this kingdom. They were discouraged, defeated and they didn't even realize that there was something more coming and they didn't seem to have a hunger for it and Jesus was so sad. He felt compassion. I believe as he looks at Christendom today from heaven he has compassion that so many people for whom I died that they might have a heavenly life look at the way they're living look at their homes. And he says to his disciples that's to you and me the harvest is plentiful the laborers who will preach the kingdom of heaven are few. Will you be one of them? Or at least will you pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth such workers into his harvest. Brothers and sisters half of India is women and you know in our Indian culture it is very difficult for a man to go and sit with a woman and counsel her. Who's going to reach them? All your sisters. Who else? If you will be gripped with a passion to see Jesus and to experience this heavenly life and share it with other people. And after saying this with this tremendous burden you know everything comes out of a burden. I'll tell you this my brothers and sisters if you don't have a burden for something all your work is going to be a dead work. I'm sick and tired of these prayer meetings I've been to umpteen hundreds of prayer meetings where people prayed it was a formality. There was no burden. I got sick and tired of those prayer meetings. I said Lord I never want to go to such prayer meetings. Because a prayer meeting without a burden is a waste of time. It's a dead work. It's a formality. Wednesday night we'll have prayer meeting. Everybody comes. Where's the burden? Jesus prayed with a burden and then he see the next verse pray that the Lord will send forth workers into his harvest. You've got to read it all in context. Then immediately Jesus called his twelve disciples and said I want you to go out and preach. And what shall you preach? When you go wherever you go verse 7 Preach! The kingdom of heaven is near! You see that? John the Baptist preached it. When John the Baptist finished his ministry Jesus started preaching it. And he looked at all these people the crowd was so great he could not go everywhere in Israel himself. He called his twelve and said you fellas go and you know what you should preach? Preach that the kingdom of God is near. Kingdom of heaven. A heavenly kingdom. You fellas in Israel have been just living for earthly things. Now there's another heavenly life coming if you want it. Do you think many people responded? Very few. So in verse 14 if somebody does not receive you and doesn't give heed to your message of a heavenly life don't get discouraged. As you go out of that house or city just shake the dust off your feet and just go away from there. Don't if they are not interested go and find somebody else. There will be somebody else who is interested. Don't waste your time with people who are not interested in this heavenly life. They are only interested in no matter what you preach to them they still want to go back to earthly things. Let them go. Don't waste your time with them. This was Jesus' burden all the time. You remember when he taught us to pray in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 6. Matthew 6 he said in the past all of you Israelites you remember the disciples were all Israelites. You have been praying for all the things listed in Deuteronomy 28. Lord give us more sheep more camels more donkeys better crop and more barley and more wheat and make us millionaires and etc. etc. And if Peter like Peter were a fisherman Lord give us plenty of fish and give us healing because you said the Lord is our healer. Claim it brother. Claim it. The Lord is your healer. That is what you have been seeking. Now I will tell you what to pray for. Pray like this. Matthew 6 verse 9. Our father who is in heaven. Where is he? He is in heaven. That is my dad. I want to be with him. Let your name be respected hallowed. Your kingdom come. Lord I want the kingdom of heaven in my life. Start praying like that. Many of us have thought that prayer is Oh Lord some day in the future come and establish your kingdom on the earth. He will do that. He will do that even without your praying. I will tell you that. You think Jesus will come only if you pray that he should come? Whether you pray or not he will come. But there is something else you need to pray for. Lord your kingdom come into my life now. Because he is talking about the kingdom of heaven all the time. Lord Father I want your kingdom to come in me. I want your will to be done in my life. It's me on earth as it is in heaven. You understood now? Your days will be like the days of heaven upon earth. There is a prophecy almost in Deuteronomy. We saw that in chapter 11. And here is the answer. Pray for it. Pray Lord that my life will be like the days of heaven upon earth. That's what he is asking us to pray. That your kingdom of heaven will come into my life. He is talking about earth only. Yes I need my daily bread verse 11. Give me daily bread and help me to forgive others. All that is good. But Lord first of all let your kingdom come. Before we pray for earthly things. I am not saying we shouldn't pray for earthly things. We need food. We need clothing. We need shelter. We need to give our children education so that they get their food clothing and shelter and don't become beggars one day. You think God is not interested in it? He is interested in all of that in that one prayer. Give us this day our daily bread but let me seek God's kingdom first. Thy kingdom come into my life. And that's why he said at the end of it in chapter 6 in verse 33 seek first that kingdom. Seek first the kingdom of heaven in your life that you'll have a heavenly life. Many people have thought seek first his kingdom means go and do some Christian work go and give out tracts. Go and preach. Seek first his kingdom. That's not the meaning. They didn't have any tracts to give out in those days. Seek first his kingdom meant exactly what he taught them to pray. Our father your kingdom come your will be done. Where? In my heart first. Give me daily bread. Give us Lord in our midst. Let your kingdom come. This is what he taught us to pray for. We have missed something. So many references to the kingdom of heaven and we missed it. But we don't have to miss it anymore. Now what happens when we miss it? Here and there you'll find the most unlikely people who have not heard so much as you and I have heard in CFC churches longing. That's one of the great delights of my heart. When I see so many people in our churches who have heard these messages 25-30 years and are still pursuing the things of earth still losing their temper and living in sin no testimony that we've experienced the days of heaven and earth. Here and there I find people unexpectedly from the most unlikely places and they hear the message once maybe on the internet or somebody gives them a DVD and they are gripped by it. I remember a brother in another country telling me Brother Zach I have been through the Bible in 70 hours twice already. I say praise the Lord there are people in CFC who haven't even been through it once because they think they know everything. Well I hope you have a heavenly life. I'm not saying that you have to listen to that to have a heavenly life but I hope you have a heavenly life but I doubt very much. If you had it there would be a different aroma about your life brothers and sisters. Do you have a hunger and a thirst and a longing? See chapter 8 for one example of that there was this Roman centurion verse 5 he he had never read a Bible he didn't worship Jehovah I don't know what all gods the Romans worshipped maybe idols I don't know he didn't know head or tail about it he had never been in a synagogue they wouldn't let him inside he was a military man who has probably killed many people he was a military man a soldier but sometimes in the most unlikely places you find a man with a hunger for God you wouldn't think that a military man who is an idol worshipper would have a hunger to know the true God but there was I thank God in the midst of different religions sometimes I find somebody who has got a hunger for God the most unlikely person and such a hunger for God that beats all these people who have been listening to messages for 20-30 years he heard about Jesus and he believed and he had a burden for his servant now it's very unusual for a military man to even bother about his servant servant means a slave ok if you are sick I hope you get better I'm not going to waste my time over you I've got a lot more important things to do if it was my son or something I'd do something for my servant there was something about him a man who longs after God has compassion even for his servants I believe the way you treat your maid servant at home is a pretty good indication of your spirituality let me tell you that you are delighted when your boss gives you a bonus have you ever given a bonus to your maid servant we are all such greedy tight-fisted people because our whole mind can be on the things of earth how can I have more and more and more for myself if I give a bonus to my maid servant I lose .1% of my income but this man had a compassion for his servant because he hungered after God and he walked all the way and met Jesus and it says he implored him what a word Lord please it's almost as though if it's his own son my servant is lying paralyzed he's fearfully tormented boy there's something about this man which shows me that that man had a hunger for God because he cared so much for his sick servant pray and say Lord make me like that give me a compassion for people who serve me they may be much lower in the social scale they earn 1% of what you earn you're a millionaire perhaps but you don't know God because you don't care for that poor person who works for you but this man he didn't know the Bible like you know he came to Jesus and said and the Lord said I'll come and heal him you know faith is a gift of God we can't produce faith ourselves but God gives it to the humble I've discovered that I've discovered through many years faith is a gift of God but he gives it to those who are humble and if you don't have it brother just say to yourself you're not humble enough that's all here is this humility oh Lord I'm not worthy that you should come to my house I'm a sinner how can a holy man like you come to my house what a respect he had for Jesus do you have that respect for Jesus do you see yourself as saturated with sin when you compare yourself with Jesus I'm not worthy that you should come to my house just speak the word here my servant will be healed so many miles away because I'll tell you why Lord I sense that you're a military man you know military people can recognize other military people quite easily there's something about a military man which you detect and Jesus this man said I don't know about this he doesn't look like a military man but there's something about him which is military he's a man who's under authority and I know he's got authority his words will have authority I'm a man under authority when my general tells me to go I go when he tells me to come I come and so therefore I have authority over soldiers I tell them to go they go I tell them to come they come and I know Lord you're like that speak to that sickness it'll go and Jesus said he looked around at all the Jewish people there and said I'll tell you something fellas I've never found such faith in all of Israel not even in Peter James or John none of you people you who read the Bible every day this man who hasn't read the Bible has got more faith than all of you I've seen that I've seen Hindus who have a hunger for God that beats outright so many Christians I'm not saying they have found the way I'm just saying they've got a hunger for God that's what made Sadhu Sundar Singh find God he had such a desperate hunger for God when he was 15 years old he said I can't live on earth without you God you have to reveal yourself to me and he got a revelation at the age of 15 can you beat it boy I would like to see a few 15 year olds who have a hunger for God they will see visions which other people don't see and then Jesus said you know what will happen a day is coming when you fellas who heard the message for so long he says you won't be there but these people will come from east and from west verse 11 and they will sit with your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob these great men of God whom you respect whom you have been very close to they'll be at the table and you won't be there it's these other people who had a hunger who will be there and the sons in the kingdom of heaven he's talking again about the kingdom of heaven it's the kingdom of heaven he's talking about here's a man who's going to be in the kingdom of heaven and the guy doesn't even know the bible he's a military man and you people who are sons of the kingdom you won't be there that challenges me I say Lord I want the kingdom of heaven I want to know your ways the ways to live that heavenly life on earth that life of rest as Hebrews 4 says without panic and tension and getting upset and without being having to snap back you snap back at people who upset you your co-workers perhaps your wife or your husband snap back Lord deliver me from that what do we snap back about somebody rubbed me the wrong way somebody irritated me somebody didn't do the thing which caused a lot of inconvenience for me he promised to do that and like Joseph's 41st butler forgot for 2 years Lord I'm not going to be disturbed by these things I'm going to live a heavenly life on earth a life of forgiveness I picture this sometimes in my mind the earth is full of people who are praying to God Lord I did this wrong forgive me somebody else do you know the millions of people who are praying to God in 24 hours and what is God saying forgiven forgiven forgiven I picture heaven like this all the time okay forgiven forgiven forgiven I say Lord make me like that make me like that I'm surrounded by people who may do me wrong take me to court hurt me and I'm not going to go around trying to get sympathy from people for myself like Jesus said to the women who were weeping when he was carrying the cross he said don't pray for me I'm okay weep for yourselves and your children they're not seeking the kingdom of heaven I'm in the kingdom of heaven why do you weep for me you guys are seeking the kingdom of earth your life is so miserable you completely missed out on what God has for you weep for them John the Baptist preached to you fellas and you didn't listen to him then I preached to you for three and a half years you still didn't listen are you weeping for me I'm okay you're you missed the kingdom of heaven weep for yourselves dear brothers and sisters let's pursue this life it's the most wonderful life you can live on this earth may God help us let's bow before God what we need is not answers what we need is a hunger and if you got a hunger today you got all that you need you don't need any doctrine or answers my brother sister you need a hunger for a life that you don't have and you must have the honesty to acknowledge that you don't have it but if you got a hunger and say Lord you give me a hunger pray one more thing Lord I pray I'll never lose it I pray I'll never lose it till I get this wonderful life that you promised us that you died on the cross to purchase for me I want it let's bow our heads heavenly father the devil is a thief who has stolen our birthright from us but it's not going to be true anymore for many of us who are bowed before you today we're determined to seek the kingdom of heaven first and we know that all the other things will be just added to us but we'll get the kingdom of heaven first thank you for hearing us in Jesus name Amen