The One Path That Actually Leads To God

Well, this evening we'll be talking regarding the book of Psalms, and we've chosen Psalm 1, and it is verse 1, and then after 10 hours we won't be talking about verse 1, we will be just talking about the psalm, but there will be a continuation for this topic, God willing, next Friday, by the grace of the Lord. So today's topic is the book of Psalms, Psalm 1 and verse 1. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. And all glory be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, forever and ever, Amen.

Okay, the book of Psalms, to give it a title, we call it Blessed is the Man, and these are the very first words that Psalm 1 and verse 1 begins with, and we're going to give it this title, Blessed is the Man. In the book of Sirach, which probably a lot of you maybe have not even heard of it or even read it, but in the book of Sirach, chapter 14 and verse 1, this book is of the deuterocanonical books. So in the book of Sirach, chapter 14 and verse 1, it says, Blessed is the man who does not blunder with his lips and need not suffer grief for sin.

Now we are tying Sirach 14.1 with Psalm number 1. They go hand in hand. When we look at Sirach 14.1, it says, Blessed is the man who does not blunder with his lips. What does that mean, does not blunder with his lips? It means does not make a mistake in his speech in the way he talks.

So blessed is the man who never makes a mistake when they talk and need not suffer grief for sin. It means he does not make a mistake in his actions. So in other words, blessed is the man who does not make a mistake neither the way he talks nor the way he walks.

Blessed is that man that does not make a mistake neither the way he talks nor the way he walks. This applies to none of us because all of us are sinners and all of us have sinned with the way we talk and with the way we walk. This is why both in the book of Sirach 14.1 and in Psalm 1.1, they refer to the man, not a man.

Blessed is the man, the man. So the man means there is only one man and no one else but him. Because every other man failed and sinned with the way they talked and with the way they behaved and walked.

But there is the man who never sinned neither with the way he spoke nor with the way he went about his obligation, his duties. And the only man which both verses apply to is none but Jesus Christ of Nazareth. All glory to his holy and mighty name.

Jesus is the perfect sinless man that never sinned neither with the way he spoke nor with the way he walked. And as the man, he is perfect sinless like God. But obviously he is also the perfect God.

And as the perfect God, he is perfection in itself, does not need to say anything further. However, our topic today is about the man, the perfect man. We connected Sirach 14.1 and Psalm 1 together as they both speak about the man, Jesus.

The first part of Sirach 14.1, so verse 1, we can divide it into two parts. The first part of verse 1, it says, blessed is the man who does not blunder with his lips. We find the meaning to this in Psalm 1 and the first half of Psalm 1, which is verses 1 to 3. And the second part of Sirach 14.1 that says, and need not suffer grief for sin.

We find the meaning of this in Psalm 1, the second part of it, which is verses 4 to 6. So Psalm 1 consists of six verses. This is why we connected Sirach 14.1 and Psalm number 1. Now, before we come into this Psalm, my beloved, I want to say something here before we comment on Psalm number 1. There is something called the divine project. There is something called the divine project.

Many people ask, why did God create me? Many people ask this question, why did God really create me? What is the purpose of it all? Since after being born, raised, started working, got married, raised a family, being successful, and after all this hard work and many, many years of suffering and sacrifices, I depart from this world and leave it all behind. And I say, I wish it never existed in the first place. What is the point of going through all this and at the end, just farewell everything and put it to rest? So we question this.

However, my beloved, there is an objective as to why God created us all. God has a goal and he wants to achieve this goal. And when I say God, I mean the triune God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, one in nature, one in essence, one God.

So, this God, who is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, is all love and he has infinite goodness. God has only one begotten Son. But God wishes to have many children to inherit his infinite goodness with his beloved Son.

Because he is love, he wants to share this love. Because he is good, he wants to share this goodness and the only one who shares it with is his beloved Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So he wanted to have, instead of just one begotten Son, he wanted to have many, many children to share his goodness with his children along with his beloved Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

This is God's objective. Now, his Son is Christ and whoever believes in Christ, they are the children who will inherit God's goodness, i.e. glory. His Son is Christ and whoever believes in Christ, they will be those children who will inherit God's goodness, which is his glory.

Now, a question. How would God bring these children? He wants to have many children. But how is he going to do it? Well, my beloved, there are two ways to have children.

No more, no less. There are two ways. One of them, I'm sure a lot of us here are aware of.

The first one is called the physical connection. When the man and the woman get together in a matrimonial bond, sanctified by the almighty God, and they bear fruits, they bear children. So there is the physical way of making children possible.

However, this physical, biological way, it cannot work with God. It is impossible to work with God because simply God is only one and there is no other God like him to be together. So he is only one and one God only.

So the biological, physical aspect is out of the question. Then we are left with the second option, how God went about to make children and plenty of them. The second option is called mortification or simply death.

Through death, God made children. Through death. Can death give birth? The answer is yes.

I'll give you an example. Let's say I have a grain of wheat. And I want this grain of wheat to have many children, many grains of wheat.

Can I bring another grain and unite them together in order to bear children? Can I? I'm asking you. Can I bring one grain of wheat and bring another one and say, okay, now you're united in a bond now and to bear children? Of course not. But how can I make this grain of wheat bear fruits, many children, when the grain is buried into the ground? When the grain is buried into the ground.

The moment this grain of wheat is buried into the ground, the secret of life that is hidden in it becomes revealed. For as long as this grain of wheat was outside, above ground, there is no sign of life, there is no sign of multiplication. But the moment it is buried, the secret of this very life that was hidden in this seed became revealed the moment the grain was buried, i.e. when it died.

The moment the grain died, gave life. And the moment it's buried, it shoots out roots, stump, flower, and then in that head, 40 grains of wheat are produced. Exactly identical to the very one that was buried into the ground.

One died, produced 40. Fully identical. Through death, children were made possible.

And this is exactly the way God used to bring us into existence. This is exactly the same way God used to bring us all into existence. This is revealed to us by Christ himself.

We read in John 12, 24, the Lord Jesus is speaking here. He says, When we study the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we do not see the Lord Jesus referring to anyone prior to his crucifixion. We do not see the Lord Jesus referring to anyone as my brother.

I guarantee you, read them. And I encourage you to read, please. Please do.

Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You will never see the Lord Jesus prior to the cross, prior to his resurrection, referring to any human being as his own brother. Yes, people said to him, your mother and brothers are waiting outside.

People said it. But did Jesus say it himself? Never. Never.

When did the Lord Jesus say, my brothers? For the first time ever, after resurrection. When he met Mary Magdalene in that garden. And he said to her, go and tell my brothers.

I am ascending to my father and your father. To my God and your God. When did the Lord Jesus refer to us as his brothers? After he was risen from the dead.

So that grain of wheat is Christ himself. Because what do you make out of the grain of wheat? Bread. And in John 6, he says, I am the living bread that descended from heaven.

He who eats me shall live in me forever. So the grain of wheat is himself. Unless that grain of wheat is buried into the earth, it will remain alone.

But if it dies, it will bear many fruits. The grain of wheat Christ, he was buried into the grave. And when he rose from the grave, he bore many fruits.

And that was the only time he said to us and called us brothers. That was the only time. Prior to the cross, what did he refer to his disciples as? Friends and beloved.

That's all. After resurrection, he called them my brothers. Now Jesus Christ is the son of God.

And if Jesus Christ, who is the son of God, calls us brothers, so what are we now to God? Sons of God. If we are brothers to the son of God, then we are the sons of the almighty God at the same time. And who made this possible? Jesus, the grain of wheat, when he got buried and died and rose and brought forth, gave birth to many children.

God the father gave birth to many children through his beloved son when he was buried into the ground and rose from the dead. All glory to his holy and mighty name. This is the divine project.

My beloved, any project, any project requires three parties. First one is the project owner. Second one, the engineer who will design the project.

And the third one, the financier who will fund the project. So there are three parties to any project. The owner, the engineer, and the financier who is going to fund the project.

Now the project owner is God the father. The project owner is God the father. The father wants many children.

That is his project. He wants to achieve this. So what does he do? He brought the engineer into play to make it, to draw it all for him.

And who is the engineer? The Holy Spirit. And who is the financier? The son of God, Jesus Christ. He financed the project with his own precious blood.

He paid the price of the project in full on the cross. So now, since the engineer is the Holy Spirit and the financier, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. For this, the engineer takes from the financier and implements it.

And that is where the Lord Jesus said it in John 16.14 about the Holy Spirit. He says, he will, he meaning the Holy Spirit, he will glorify me. So the Holy Spirit, the engineer will glorify me, I the financier.

For he will take what is mine and declare it to you. The engineer will take from the financier and declare it to you. John 16.14 The Holy Spirit takes from Christ and gives us until Christ is reflected and revealed in us clearly and vividly.

The Holy Spirit's job or role is to make us Christ-like, imitating Christ. John the Beloved in his epistle, the first epistle, chapter 3 verse 2. He says, Beloved, we are God's children. We are God's children now.

It does not yet appear. Now if I ask you, you are a child of God. You're going to say, oh please Father, like I'm a mighty sinner.

I can't be the child of God. You know, I've got too many defects. There are too many wrong things in me.

It just cannot, I cannot be the son to the Almighty God. God is perfect, how can I be his son and yet I'm full of errors. And that's why John the Beloved is saying, we are God's children now.

It does not yet appear what shall be, what we shall be. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him. So on the second return of Christ, when he appears, we shall be like him in the next life.

We will be Christ-like in the next life. But here we're struggling. But the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacrificial lamb of God trying frantically in us to shape us and form us and mould us and make us Christ-like.

We're struggling, but getting there. But if you trust in the Lord, he will make sure at the end you will end up like him. He will make sure, you need to trust him.

Now my beloved, you will say to me, why did you say all this yet we haven't even entered into Psalm 1? Why all this introduction? And I will reply and say this to you my beloved. Because Psalm 1 is telling us the following. No one will enter heaven unless they are Christ-like.

Psalm 1 is telling us, no one can ever enter heaven unless we are Christ-like. If anyone comes to you and says that with your deeds and with your sacrifices and with your hard work you can make it. Well, the law will say this to you.

Yes, theoretically speaking, yes you can make it. However, if you can get a hundred out of a hundred in God's law. If you sit in an exam, God's exam, and you get a hundred out of a hundred, then you can enter heaven with your own hard work.

But can anyone fulfill God's law in its perfection? That is the question. You need to be like the man. Blessed is the man.

Can we have the verse on the screen please? Blessed is the man. Can you be like this man, the man? Well, in James, the epistle of James chapter 2 verse 10, he says, For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. In other words, what St. James is saying, if you sit in an exam, in God's exam, and you get 99.9999 out of a hundred, God will give you zero.

It is either a hundred or it's nothing with God. Because God is perfect, He will never allow anything enter His presence unless it is perfect like Him. So 99.999 is not a perfect number.

The perfect number that will get you to heaven is a hundred out of a hundred. So unless you get a hundred out of a hundred, you can never make it. No human being can ever fulfill God's law in its totality.

We all failed. God gave us ten commandments through Moses. We miserably failed in all of them.

In all of them. Someone might come and say, well one of the commandments says do not kill. I never killed anyone.

Really? Maybe you didn't kill somebody physically, but you've killed somebody mentally, emotionally. What about your gossip? Talking behind people's back, stabbing them in the back. That is called murder.

That applies to the commandment. You are now a killer in the sight of God. Gossiping.

So I didn't kill him with a bullet, but I killed him with a word. So there is the physical murder and there is the spiritual murder. It all falls under do not kill.

All of us failed, my beloved. If ten commandments we were not able to fulfill, how can we fulfill the fullness of God's law? It's impossible, my beloved. It is impossible.

Therefore, no one can make it to heaven. This is why the grain of wheat came. Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Since God the Father wanted children, and God the Father realized, these children, even if He makes them, they won't be able to get back to Him, because they will not be the perfect ones He intended for them to be. That's why He sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to be that grain of wheat that was buried into the ground, died, and through death, God the Father gave birth, through His beloved Son, His death gave birth to many children who believed in Him. Are you with me? To fulfill the fullness of the law of God on our behalf.

That's why Jesus came. To fulfill the fullness of God's law on our behalf, where we failed. Now, to fulfill the fullness of the law, I'll give you several biblical references that talk about Jesus fulfilling the law on our behalf, and it's just a few, just a very few of them.

Read Matthew 5, 17-18. Read Romans 8, 3-4. Read Romans 10, verse 4. Read Galatians 3, verse 13.

And Colossians 2, verses 13-14. Just a few to name, where Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf, in order for us to get a hundred out of a hundred. Christ came to pay our debt in full, and fulfill the law of God in full.

So when we say, blessed is the man. The very beginning of Psalm 1 and verse 1. Blessed is THE man. The word THE means, this is the man, and there is no one else but him.

Period. No prophet, no holy man, whoever you want to bring. All humans are sinners, and the wages of sin is death.

Only one man was sinless, like God. This man is THE man mentioned in Psalm 1-1. Blessed is the man.

So when we say, blessed is the man. Then who will enter heaven? Jesus, the man. Since he is the only one perfect, the only one who fulfilled God's law, then he is the only man that will enter heaven.

Then the question is, what about me? Well, if Jesus is the only one who fulfilled the law, therefore he is able to enter heaven, then what about me? What will happen to me? Well, you want to enter heaven? You need to cancel yourself and enter through Christ. You need to cancel yourself and enter through Christ. Look at St. Paul, understood it.

Galatians 2-20, St. Paul is saying, It is no longer I who live, I cancelled myself. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. You want to enter heaven? It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

In our terminology, in our simple English, Stop being stubborn and doing things your way. Stop going downtown. Stop going here and there and so-called having fun.

Stop doing it your way because Christ purchased you with his own precious blood. You no longer belong to yourself, you belong to him. And the only way to enter heaven, you need to be perfect as God.

And the only man that is perfect as God is Christ the King. Therefore, you want to enter with Jesus to heaven? You better live for him, no more for yourself. As a Christian, we cannot be worldly.

My son, my daughter, don't ever fight for materialistic things. I see so sadly, even in marriages they became materialistic. Even in baptisms they became materialistic.

We've introduced materialism which is the world. We brought it into the church and we made the church worldly. And Christ established the church to change the world into heavenly.

When as Christians, fight over a diamond ring, fight over a house, fight over a block of land, fight over clothing, fight over a car, fight over money, we haven't lived Christ yet. We haven't. Christianity is not a story being told.

Christianity is not a song being sang. Christianity is not an eloquent preach given. Christianity is Christ being lived.

Christ needs to be lived, not talked about. It's so easy to talk about the Lord, yet so hard to live the Lord. That is why many talk about the Lord, but only few live him.

Only few. The Lord says, to enter God's kingdom, you need to be perfect like God. The only one who is perfect like God is Jesus the man.

So the only one who is going to enter heaven out of the entire human race is Jesus. But God the Father wants many children. So therefore you need to die for yourself and live for Jesus Christ of Nazareth in order to enter heaven through him, by him, with him and in him.

That's the only way. Otherwise we are all going to die eventually anyway. And whatever we worked hard for will go astray.

It will be just a vanity. What a loss. What a great loss.

If I don't have Jesus in my life, whatever I've gained on earth, even though I've worked hard for it, it is all a loss at the end. The grave will take everything away from you. But when you have Jesus as your portion, whatever you worked hard for, you will see a massive credit for you in heaven.

The Lord will say, come my child, this place is yours, because you made me your portion. You made me your savior. You made me your redeemer.

You made me your king over your life. Whatever you worked hard for, because you've done it in my name for my glory, I will glorify you in heaven the way you glorified me on earth. Amen.

Come on. Amen. So my beloveds, stop seeking the world and its pleasures and temptations.

Glorify Christ in everything you do. Glorify Christ when you are with your friends. Don't let your friends take you away from the Lord.

And if they do, they are not your friends. Walk away from them. A true friend is the one who takes you up, not down.

Is the one who takes you to the church, not the club. Is the one who takes you to the light, not darkness. Is the one who takes you to Christ, not Satan.

That is the true friend. So you want to enter heaven? Cancel yourself and live for the Lord Jesus. And since you live in the man, you will enter heaven.

Enter heaven in a perfect way. Psalm 1 will apply to you completely. You enter heaven through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 1 will apply to you completely and perfectly. We will enter heaven perfect. There are two important verses that reveal this.

That we will enter heaven perfect. Two vital verses that reveal this to us. Verse 1 is Ephesians 5.27. Look at Saint Paul.

That he might present her. That he here means Jesus Christ. That he might present her, meaning the church.

That he might present her to himself a glorious church. Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But that she would be holy and without blemish.

That he might, Jesus, present his beloved church, the bride. In the end, to the father, perfect like him. That is telling us, he will bring us into heaven as perfect as he is.

The second verse is Matthew 25.21. This is when you enter heaven. What the Lord will say about you as you are entering heaven. This is true by the way.

Trust every word that is written in the Holy Bible. This is the only place that truth exists. Trust me, not me.

Trust this perfect God, perfect man. Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Look at Matthew 25.21. As you are entering heaven, the Lord will get up to welcome you.

Look what he will say to you. His Lord said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. So the Lord will say to that person who enters heaven.

He will say, well done, good and faithful servant. Now hang on. The Holy Bible teaches us, there is no one good but God.

There is no one good. But hang on, God himself is saying in Matthew 25.21. I will say to that person who enters heaven, well done, good. But hang on.

The word good only applies to God. Why are you calling me good? I'm a sinner. No.

The Lord says, the only reason why I called you good and faithful servant, because I did not see you, I saw my son in you. That's why I called you good and faithful. Because I know, I'm God, you don't need to tell me who is good and who is not.

My son is the good God. And my son, he is the good God in his divinity. And he is the faithful servant in his humanity.

So that's why I saw my son in you. And that is the only reason I refer to you as good and faithful servant. Because you entered through my son.

Otherwise, I do not know who you are. Away with you, oh evil doer. Go to hell, a place prepared for Satan and his foul spirits.

But if you enter through Jesus Christ, you will hear God's calling you, the good and faithful servant. And God is good, and since he called you good, then he made you like God. We will be Christ-like in the end.

This is why John the Beloved says in 1 John 3 verse 2, We shall be like him. In the end, we shall be like him. Now, Psalm 1 verse 1 says, Blessed is the man.

In this verse, this the man, blessed is the man, this man has three qualities. In verse 1, it tells us that this perfect man has three qualities. In the same verse, first quality.

Blessed is the man, the first quality is, who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. This perfect man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Second quality, nor stands in the path of sinners.

Third quality, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Those who ridicule and make fun of people. So the qualities of this perfect man, One, he never walked in the counsel of the ungodly.

He never associated himself with ungodly people. Are you associating yourself with ungodly people? You need to ask yourself this question. Number two, this perfect man, he never stood in the path of the sinners.

Are you walking with sinners? Doing what they do? Living the way they live? Because this perfect man never did. And number three quality, third quality is, he never sat in the seat of the scornful. Those who make fun of things.

If you're sitting in the midst of group of people, and you say something and they laugh at you and make fun of you, don't associate yourself in that kind of an environment. You need people that would appreciate, you need people that would respect, honor, honor Christ who is in you. So if they're gonna make fun and joke and laugh, and ridicule you, and what kind of a group you're with, you need to ask yourself this question my beloved.

We need to be very, very, very cautious of what we do, where we go, and how we live our life. Now, on the other hand, we are sinners, we are weak. Yes, we get drawn, we get tempted, we slip, we slide, we walk away, we fear of the road.

I know this, God knows this, more than all of us put together. But there is a difference. God came to call not the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.

That's what the Lord Jesus said. I did not come to call righteous, but sinners to repentance. The Lord Jesus said, I am the doctor, that's why I came, because you are sick.

If you were not sick, the doctor wouldn't have come. I know you are sinners, I know you make mistakes, I know you are weak, I know your fragility. You don't need to tell me this.

But I came, I chose to come for the sinners, because my dad wants many children. At the moment you are not ready to be my dad's children. I have to make you ready.

So I came seeking the sinner onto repentance. And the Lord gave us two examples of sinners. You see, when the Holy Bible talks about birds, plants, animals, He is referring to them in order to pass a message to what people are like.

So through the animals, He is saying, there are certain characteristics in these animals. You, my children, I don't want you to be like them. So through those animals, He has given us a very profound spiritual lesson.

What are the two animals the Lord Jesus spoke of? One, sheep, the other, pig. When it comes to sinners, He says, One kind of people is a sheep, and the other kind of people is a pig. You are either a sheep or a pig, one of these two.

But, if you choose to be like the pig, then I can't choose you. I cannot choose you. If you choose to be like a pig.

Let me tell you a few characteristics of the pig. Number one, the pig loves living in filth. Loves it.

You take the pig out of the filth, and you wash him clean, give him a nice bath, and you make him spotless, he will hate you for it. He will get so upset with it, he can't stand cleanliness. He will run straight away and jump into the filth.

And the moment he is in the middle of the filth, and he is on cloud nine. He is saying, Yo, what's up, bro? Get down, brother, lay me some skin, bro. Now you are talking, brother, get down, what's up? That's the pig, loves filth.

You can't clean him. He can't stand being clean. That's one.

Two, for as long as the pig's eyes are on the filthy world, on the filthy ground, the mouth never shuts. Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink. He is always oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, everywhere.

Old MacDonald had a pig. Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink. As long as the pig's eyes are on that filth, the mouth never shuts.

In the olden days, where there was not, there wasn't sort of those tranquilizers, you know, being sort of invented yet. They used to steal pigs, professional thieves. Do you know how they used to steal a pig? Obviously with experience.

They timed it in a way, where they had to run so fast at that pig, before he screams, because if the pig screams, he will wake up the entire neighborhood. Very noisy, and very annoying noise. So before the pig goes off, they run, they grab the pig, the first thing they do, they turn the pig on its back.

They turn the pig on its back. The moment the eyes of the pig see heaven, the mouth shuts. You want to kick the pig, you want to punch the pig, you want to open the pig with a knife, will never make a sound.

The moment the eyes see heaven. But the moment the eyes see the filthy ground, the mouth never shuts. But the moment it sees heaven, no matter what you say to the pig, it will never talk.

The Lord Jesus says, do not associate yourself with people, when the subject is about the world, and worldly things, the mouth never shuts. But the moment you invoke the name of Jesus Christ, everybody shuts up, and finds an excuse to get up and walk away. Do not associate yourself with people, that are not interested in God.

They just love worldly things. You talk about who got married, you got divorced, yes, I'm all for it. You talk about people, how many millions they have, yes, the mouth will never shut.

You talk about politics, about anything that is worldly, the mouth never shuts. But the moment you say, I just want to share with you, what Jesus has done in my life. Oh, sorry bro, I just realized, I have to go, I have a very important meeting.

Wow. Just like the pig sees heaven, and who is in heaven? God. And the world? What are you going to get out of the world at the end? The grave? You will not take anything with you.

Nothing. We came empty handed through our mother's womb, and we will go back to mother earth, also empty handed. But he who has Christ, as his portion, you will go full, and filled, and perfect.

Chase the world, you'll end up alone. Nothing with you. Choose your friends wisely.

The holy bible tells us about friends. It says, a friend is closer than a brother to you. A friend is closer than a brother to you.

Then my question to you, who is closer to you than your own brother? Who can tell me? Who can tell me? Who is closer than a brother to you? Your partner in marriage. No one beats that. God said about couple, married couple, He said they are one, no longer two.

Every other one is another person, a totally unique separate person to you. Your brother is separate from you. Your mother, your father is separate to you.

The only one who is one with you, is your partner in marriage. So, the friend, the holy bible says, the friend is closer than a brother to you. Meaning, the friend is as influential as your own partner in marriage.

That means, friendship is extremely dangerous, if we do not choose it wisely. You see, how much does your wife influence you? So as your friend can influence you. How much does your husband influence you? Maybe nowadays not much.

It's more so the wife. But, how much your partner can influence you? So as your friend. That's why the holy bible says, when you choose friends, make sure you do not exceed three.

Uh-oh. I think I'm talking to myself here. Bishop, you're making it very difficult now.

Brother, what am I going to do? I have about 200 of them. You know, you need to have, if you are going to choose a friend, choose a friend that you can trust blindfolded. You know why? Because a friend, in the friendship, all levels are equal.

All levels are equal in friendship. The moment the level is equal, you will open up and tell your secrets to that friend. The reason why you open up and tell your secrets to a person, is when you see that person in the same level as you are.

If that person is not in your level, you will never open up. Why? Because you know, if you talk, they will misunderstand you, or they will not understand you at all. That's why, so many times, the son doesn't speak to his dad, but he speaks to his friend.

The daughter doesn't speak to her mom, and she speaks to her friend. Why? Because if the mother treats that child as a mother, that child will never open up. Because the mother's level is here, and the daughter's level is here.

Two different levels cannot fathom, cannot comprehend. If the father's level is here, and the son's level is here, they will not understand. When will the levels become one? When the father befriends his son.

And when the mother befriends her daughter. The moment we are friends, we are equal level, then I'll tell you what's in my heart. That's why, friends must be chosen wisely, and closely, because the moment they know about you, and if they're not trustworthy, they will let the whole world know about you.

And the more friends you have, the more heads you have, meaning, the more different intellects you have. So, the more friends, the more different perspectives, the more different opinions, the more different visions. So, next time you want to do something, you'll have a hundred different ideas.

You want to ask for an advice, you'll get a hundred different advices. Which one do you take? You don't know, you're lost. That's why you need to come to someone like me.

One head, one idea, can't go wrong. And I'll say to you, you want to marry this guy? Let me scan him for you. I am that MRI scan.

I'll scan him, and then I'll send you a full report, and I'll say, yes, he's got a thick head, good head, no head at all. Forget it. You know, it's like this joke.

This husband and wife, they used to fight and argue a lot. So, one day the husband came, and he said, Honey, you know what? I've been thinking about it. Enough fighting.

I can't stand it anymore. It's not right. It's not healthy.

Neither for me, neither for you. Nor for you. So, you know what, honey? We need to stop fighting, but I've got a problem.

I want you to take me to the doctor. I need help. She said, Honey, with pleasure.

So, she took the husband to the doctor. They did some scans as x-rays for the head, for the brain, and then the result came out. They went back to the doctor.

The doctor has got the x-rays on that sort of projector, and then he looks at the x-rays, and he looks at the man. The man is looking at the face of the doctor. He got worried.

He said, Doctor, you don't look very good. Is everything okay? He said, I don't know. He looks again.

He said, Come on, doctor, I'm worried now. Tell me, what is it? He said, Well, I don't know what to say, but I'll have to say this. When I'm looking at your left side of the brain, there is nothing right.

And when I'm looking at your right side of the brain, there is nothing left. Did you get that one? Yeah? There is nothing left. It's not like left, but there is nothing left.

Left, right and left. When I looked at your left side of the brain, there is nothing right. And when I look at your right side of the brain, there is nothing left.

That's your problem. That's why your wife fights with you all the time. It was actually about the wife, but I swapped it, and I've done it about the man.

Because I don't want to die as yet tonight. Women, please take it easy. Don't kill me.

I'm a good boy. My son and daughter, choose wisely. Your friend is extremely influential.

But remember, choose a friend that loves Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Exactly the way you choose your partner in marriage. If you do not choose your partner in marriage that loves the Lord, you will have problems.

Because if the two do not agree on Christ, there will never be peace in that household. If the husband says, I want to go to church, and the wife says, No. Or the wife says, I want to go to church, and the husband says, No.

Then there will be issues. And especially when the children come, what are you going to do? Are you going to go on your own, leave the children behind and your partner? Or are you going to take the children and leave your husband or your wife behind? The whole family must worship the Lord like Joshua, son of Nun. As for me and my family, we worship the Lord.

Incredible. Amazing. Amazing.

Joshua. That's why he entered the Promised Land with the Israelite nations. He led them into the Promised Land.

Because he and his family worshiped the Lord Jesus. Make your home a church. This church that you come to on Sundays, this is called the Universal Church.

There are three kinds of churches. One is called the Individual Church. Second is called the Family Church.

And third is called the Universal Church. Each one of them is made out of three components. The Personal Church is made out of body, soul, and spirit.

Three. I am the church because I'm made out of three. Body, soul, and spirit.

The Family Church is made out of three. Father, mother, and children. Three.

And the Universal Church is made out of three. Priest, deacon, and faithful. And God is triune.

Three. That's where love is revealed. When the three come together in that unity of love for Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

So when will we die to ourselves in order to live for Christ? If giving up on a cigarette is too hard to do, when will I fulfill the law? If giving up on chocolate is too hard. If giving up on material things is too difficult. Like I can't, when I see a Lamborghini, I just can't, I have to have it.

I can't say I don't have a Ferrari. Or a private jet. Now, if someone in the world has a private jet, yes.

But someone in the church has a private jet, why? What do you need the private jet for? Your portion is Christ, not the private jet. Your portion is Christ, not the mansion. Your portion is Christ, not money.

And as Christians, we do not belong to this world. We live in it, but we are not of it. For Christ has chosen us and purchased us with His precious blood.

Took us out of the world to live for Him, no longer for me, for Him. So my son, my daughter, I beg you, every time you do something wrong, run to the Lord Jesus. Don't ever run away from Him.

Run to Him and say, Lord, I made a mistake, I sinned. I am ashamed of myself. And the Holy Spirit just reminded me.

The Lord Jesus came for the sinners and He says there are two kinds of sinners. One is the sheep and one is the pig. Both of them are equally sinners.

But there is a difference between this sinner and that. The pig loves filth. There is a kind of people, when they sin, they love it.

Like the pig. When they sin, they enjoy it. And if they don't sin, there is something wrong.

But there are kind of people like the sheep. When the sheep gets dirty, oh, it loses it. I can't stand being dirty.

The sheep hates filth. That's true. Ask people that know about animals.

They will tell you. The sheep can't stand filth, dirt. The moment they get dirty, they will come, they say, please clean me.

Immediately, I can't stand it. I'm suffocating. Pig gets dirty, starts breathing.

The sheep gets dirty, starts suffocating. The Lord says, I came for those who sin and suffocate. I came to save them.

I came for those, when they sin, they run to me, begging me for mercy, begging me for forgiveness, because they can't stand the sinful status. These are the people that I came to choose. And these sinners, if they hold on to me, I will make them saints in heaven.

I'll bring them perfect like me, without a stain, without a spot, without a scratch, without a blemish. We will be like Christ. Or Christ-like.

Perfect. From sinners to saints, from worldly to heavenly, from earthly to spiritually, from slaves to sons of God. That's what Christ is offering all of us, every single moment of our life.

And what are we doing? Too busy for Him? Too preoccupied with material things that are absolute vanity? And Christ has given us the heaven of all heavens. Christ has given us not only heaven, He's given us Himself. He is much greater than heaven.

You see, it is Christ who makes heaven heaven. If it wasn't for Christ, there wouldn't have been heaven. That's why my advice is always to you.

What I'm about to say, don't get me wrong. Yes, there is hell. Yes, there is heaven.

And some people believe there is something in between. But regardless what you believe, and the Bible tells us that there is hell and there is heaven, yes. But I'll say this to you.

Don't focus on hell or heaven. Focus on Christ. Because the place matters not.

What matters is the owner of the place. As long as I am with the Lord, who cares where I am? I don't care about the place, Lord. I care about you.

You know, I don't want to talk too much. Between Abraham and Lut, Abraham was Lut's uncle. So he is much older, much wiser, and much more respected than Lut.

But when Abraham heard that the shepherds of Lut and Abraham started arguing and fighting because the flock started mixing, and someone said, some said, this is my land, don't bring your sheep here. And the other one said, no, it's my land, don't bring your sheep here. They started arguing as shepherds.

Abraham, being the wise father and leader, he called his nephew to him. And he said, we are family. Don't let strangers get between us and separate us.

So I'll give you the first preference. You choose a land for you, for your family, and for your flock. And you go, and God be with you.

The older, the more respected, gave the preference to the younger one. Because Abraham was humble. So Lut looked around, seeking a land.

And his eyes fell on a very fertile land with rivers flowing through it. And he said, that's it, I found this perfect place for me, for my family, and for the flock. And he went away, and he ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah, where God burned it to the ground.

Same sex, LGBT. So it's not something new. It's very old, this LGBT.

And then Abraham chose a land for himself. He looked around, and he chose the most desolate, the most dry, dead land you could ever think of. And he said, this land will be perfect for me, my family, and my flock.

And he went to that land, and that land ended up being the promised land, Jerusalem. Because Lut seeked a land with his physical eye, but Abraham seeked a land with his spiritual eye. And Abraham said, I do not care about the land, I care about the honor of the land.

For as long as the honor of the land is with me, he will turn that desolate, dry, dead land into an oasis. So when you focus on Christ, the land, the place matters not. So therefore I'll say this, Lord, by your grace and mercy, I say, Lord, I don't care about heaven.

I don't care about hell. All I care about is you. All I want is to be with you, Lord.

If I am with you, and you take me to hell, matters not. Because as long as I'm with you, even if I'm in hell, I am in heaven. Because my heaven is not a place, it's a person called Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

But if I go to heaven, and you're not there, then it is hell for me. Because you are heaven, Lord. I want to be where you are.

I don't care about the place, I care about you, Dad. I want to be with you, Lord. Wherever you go, I want to be with you.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Amazing. King David so beautifully said it in Psalm 23, 4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Yea, though I walk through hell. The valley of the shadow of death is hell. Yea, though I walk through hell, I will fear no Satan, because Jesus is with me.

And when Jesus is with me, then wherever he goes, it's heaven. Amen. I pray, and we ask the Lord Jesus from the bottom of our heart, that he grants us this precious gift.

Lord, teach me how to live for you. I just want to live for you, Lord. My daughter, if you're getting married, don't focus on the man that you're marrying.

If he's got money, if he's got wisdom, if he's got this and that. Focus on Christ that is in his heart. And I'll leave you with this.

This is for marriage. And Christ is the heavenly groom. He came to betroth his bride to himself, the church.

Every Christian baptized soul, in the name of the Father, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit, is the bride of Christ. He is the heavenly groom, and we are the bride. King Solomon, in the book of Proverbs 31.10, which is the last chapter of the book of Proverbs.

Book of Proverbs teaches you wisdom, how to be wise on earth. How to be wise on earth. In Proverbs 31.10, he says, A virtuous woman, who can find, a question mark, for her price exceeds the precious pearls.

It's one verse, divided into two parts. A virtuous woman, who can find, question mark, for her price exceeds the precious pearls. Very quickly.

A virtuous woman, who can find, this is for the man, to seek and find. For her price exceeds the precious pearls, this is for the girl, to seek and find, a partner for her marital life. He comes to the man.

He says, Son, are you looking for a girl to marry? Yes. Well, let me advise you, since I am the wisest man on earth, and I received wisdom from God himself. King Solomon is saying.

So let me advise you, through my wisdom received by God, and through God. My son, if you are seeking a woman to marry, find a girl that is virtuous. Now, what is the word virtuous? Literally it means, loving the Lord, fearing the Lord Jesus.

My son, find a girl that loves Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You know why? Because the moment you find the girl that loves the Lord, fear her not. Since Christ is embedded in her heart, she will be nothing but good to you.

Because the good God is in her, she won't do anything but good toward you. And my daughter, you are seeking a man in marriage. Seek the man that sees you as exceeding the precious stones.

Now the question is, what exceeds the precious pearls? Saint Paul answers King Solomon. He says, He, meaning Jesus Christ, He who has purchased us, not with silver, not with gold, not with precious stones or pearls, but with His own blood. So what exceeds the pearls? Blood.

And what is blood? Life. And isn't life more precious than pearls? What are you going to do with pearls if you are dead? So he is saying to the son, to the man, find a woman that loves Jesus Christ. And my daughter, when you are seeking a man, find a man that sees you in his eyes more precious than pearls.

In other words, find the man who is willing to put his life on the line for you, my daughter. Love the Lord in order to find yourself and to find the right person in your life. But you better find that person through Christ.

And the only way this is going to happen is when you let Jesus take over your will. It is no longer me who lives, but Christ who lives in me. It is no longer my way, it is Christ's way.

It is no longer my will, but it is Thy will, O Heavenly Father. You sent Your beloved Son as a sacrifice, as that grain of wheat to die for me, to be buried for me. But He rose from the dead also for me so that through His death, burial, resurrection, the Heavenly Father brings many children.

Through death, God gave birth to many sons and daughters. Isn't God amazing? God works in the impossible, not the possible. What is possible, He leaves it to you.

But what is impossible, He never asks you of it. And I'll give you this and definitely I'll leave you with it. I'm so sorry.

I get tempted. What can I say? Now I'm talking about the love of my life. How can you stop talking when you are in the presence of your love? How can you stop breathing when you are in the presence of the one you love the most? How can you say, I can't, I need to go, I need to leave, I'm huffing and puffing, I'm not comfortable and I'm in the presence of my sweetheart Jesus.

How can I? So I'm sorry not for taking so long of your time because tough luck. When you come to this bishop, this bishop is crazy. When it comes to Jesus, He will never shut up.

When it comes to the world, you will not hear a whisper from me because that's what my Jesus has done to this piece of wreck called Bishop Murray. And He's waiting for all of you to teach you how to live for Him. God works in the impossible, not the possible.

The possible He leaves to you but the impossible He will never ask you to do it. John chapter 11, the Lord Jesus calls to raise Lazarus from the dead. Look at this.

The Lord Jesus stands before the tomb. He says to the apostles, to the disciples, the 12 disciples, He says, remove the stone. Remove the stone from that grave, from the tomb.

So the disciples go and remove the stone and then Jesus stands by Himself in front of that tomb. He says, Lazarus, come forth. Removing the stone.

Now I go to the Lord Jesus, I say, Lord, sorry, pardon my ignorance. I ask you this question, my Heavenly Father. Which one is harder? To say with a word, stone move or to say with a word, a rotted body get up and rise? He will say, well, definitely what is the harder is to raise the dead.

If I'm able to raise the dead with a word, I'm definitely able to move the stone with a little word. But why didn't you remove the stone yourself? He says, no, removing the stone is what you are capable of doing. Therefore, I will expect you to do what you are capable of doing.

I will never interfere with what you're capable of doing. But I will never allow you to interfere with what God is capable of doing. So, removing the stone is you.

You are capable of doing that. I won't interfere, so I'm expecting you to remove it. If you don't, I won't raise Lazarus.

So you better move the stone. They move the stone. The Lord Jesus never said, raise Lazarus.

Because only God can raise the dead. And we are all human beings, except Jesus. He is the perfect God revealed in this perfect man.

That's why He stood alone and He said, Lazarus, come forth. What God can do, only God will do. And what man can do, God will expect the man to do in order to see God's glory.

Jesus will say, come to church. You're capable of coming because He gave you the brain, He gave you the body, He gave you the intellect, He gave you everything to make you this human being. You're capable of getting up and coming to church.

That's why He will not force you. He will ask you to come. But the moment you come, faithfully, you will leave with God's glory.

Trust in this. When you come and you mean it, God will reveal His glory. One hundred percent.

I've tried it a million zillion times. God never fails you. There was never anyone like Jesus.

There is never anyone like Jesus. And there will never ever be anyone like Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only way, is the only truth, and is the only life.

And He is the only true living God who was revealed in the flesh. And He was crucified in the days of Pontius Pilate. He was buried.

He died in the flesh on that cross. He was buried and rose with His own authority from the dead and ascended to heaven and sat in glory at the right hand of His Father. He will come again one hundred percent to judge everyone, the dead and the living.

For there is no one in Him salvation and redemption were made possible except in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Period. Period.

Period. Love Him. Breathe Him.

And digest Him. Let Christ be in every fiber of your being and you be in every fiber of His being. Dissolve in Him so that you are no longer what it is Him who is seen in you.

This is the perfection that Christ is calling us to enter heaven with. Christ-like. Blessed is the man, the only man who is the only man that can enter heaven because He is the only one who fulfilled all of God's law.

Never sinned, neither through speech nor through action. Perfect like God but as a man. You want to enter heaven? He is the only way to get you to heaven.

There is no one else. Look, the Lord took me to heaven and took me to hell. You're not going to find anyone but Jesus Christ in heaven.

Hell is very ugly. Satan is very ugly. Satan, you can't last with him a split second.

You cannot. He hates the Lord and hates whoever carries the Lord. And you don't want to be there.

Trust me, hell is real as heaven is. Trust me. Satan is real.

And what is happening in the world? Satan is behind it. Have a look at the world. What a joke.

Fighting, killing, destroying. What is this? Everybody is trying to get a nuclear bomb. Now, why are you getting a nuclear bomb? Oh, because I want to destroy humanity.

What a genius you are. Why don't you want to be a reason for something constructive rather than destructive? That's the fallen human nature that lives in darkness. Christ is the light.

Come to Him to see what life is all about. And I pray every human being finds Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And I mean it with love and humility.

I love everyone. I don't care if you're a Muslim, you're a Buddhist, you're a Hindu, you're an atheist. I love you all.

Even if you're an LGBT. I love you. But I can't approve what you do.

But I love you. I pray for you. I pray for you.

Because that's my Lord. That's my Lord. I pray for everyone's salvation and redemption.

But you will never find anyone except Jesus. Love the Lord, my beloved. Blessed is the man.