Participants: Geoff Youlden
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000003
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00:28 Well, everybody wants to be happy.
00:32 I've hardly met anybody 00:34 who doesn't want to be happy, rightly so. 00:37 You know, when we were children, 00:38 all the stories that we had read to us 00:40 always ended one way. 00:42 Remember what it was said, 00:44 "And they lived happily ever after." 00:48 Yes, because we all want to be happy. 00:51 So parents want their children to be happy 00:53 and as the parents get older, 00:55 the children as they get older 00:57 want their parents in old age to be happy. 01:01 And it seems everybody wants to be happy, 01:03 but very, very few people ever find happiness. 01:06 And if our divorce rights are any indication today, 01:11 a lot of unhappy people, because anybody who has been 01:13 so divorced knows the unhappiness 01:15 that's associated with the break up of the home. 01:18 Recently I heard a millionaire who was interviewed. 01:21 He said, I thought money would bring me happiness, 01:24 but I have been miserably disillusioned. 01:29 I don't know whether you can see this newspaper 01:31 and the picture that I am holding in my hands here. 01:35 Can you see whose picture it is? 01:38 Some of you might, 01:39 perhaps your eye sight is not too good. 01:41 But can you see who it is? Hugh Grant, all right. 01:46 And can you read he headlines? 01:48 You probably be able to do that. 01:50 "My miserable life" and it goes on to say here, 01:55 he has wealth, good looks. 01:58 Well, I don't know about that, 01:59 but at least it says that, he has wealth, 02:02 good looks, a beautiful new girlfriend 02:05 and the adoration of a legion of fans, 02:08 but Huge Grant is less than gratefully, 02:11 he can't even manage graciousness. 02:13 In fact, he is bored, frustrated, and miserable. 02:20 Now many people would think that, 02:22 Huge Grant had it all together. 02:24 They aspire to the very things 02:27 that they think that he has got 02:29 and they would feel very certain, 02:31 and that's what would bring happiness. 02:34 A famous film star broke down 02:36 while she was being interviewed. 02:37 She said, I have beauty, popularity, and glamour, 02:41 I should be the happiest women in the world, 02:43 I am miserable, what has gone wrong? 02:47 Well, a man went to see a psychiatrist, 02:49 he said, doctor can you help me, 02:51 and the psychiatrist suggested 02:53 that he go along to see a certain comedian in town 02:57 who was reputed to be able to make anybody laugh. 03:01 Well, you can imagine the psychiatrist shocked 03:04 when the man said, well, I am that comedian, see. 03:08 So just making people laugh 03:11 is not the secret of happiness either, 03:13 nothing wrong with laughing, 03:14 that's good, but that's not the secret of happiness. 03:19 I'm reminded of King Ludwig of Germany. 03:22 You may remember, 03:24 Ludwig built or lived around about the 1800s 03:27 and he built beautiful castles, 03:29 in fact, his castle is the inspiration of Disneyland. 03:34 And one of his castles right down 03:36 there on the borders of Austria and Germany, and Bavaria, 03:42 some of the most beautiful country in the world. 03:46 And there is that beautiful castle, 03:48 it took him 12 years to build, he lived in it for 11 days, 03:53 and he said, those are the most 03:55 miserable days of my life. 03:57 And when you go through it, 03:59 you can see the beautiful carpets 04:01 that have been handwoven in Belgium, 04:03 the beautiful chandeliers, it's just a beautiful castle. 04:08 But he was so miserable, he wanted to live there 04:10 on his own and he had constructed a little lift 04:14 from the kitchen down below up until the next floor 04:17 which he used to pump with his foot to bring up his meal 04:20 and then when his meal was finished 04:22 it would be lower down. 04:23 He didn't want to interact with anybody. 04:26 And it is believed that he finally 04:28 committed suicide in the lake that is behind the castle. 04:33 Well, we too build our castles. 04:36 Many a person today 04:37 thinks having that beautiful motor car, 04:39 or that beautiful two storey home, 04:43 or whatever might be is the secret of happiness. 04:47 Other thinks it's the bright lights of Hollywood, 04:51 laughter and song, the tinsel, alcohol, drugs. 04:55 All of these things, 04:56 many people think are the secret of happiness. 05:00 A French leader once said, give people enough to eat, 05:03 money to spend and security from the cradle to the grave, 05:08 and he said, everybody will be happy. 05:12 Do you agree with that? I don't. 05:15 Because if that was true, then all rich people 05:20 would be happy, but most of us know 05:23 enough rich people to know that, that is not true. 05:29 We all know too many rich people. 05:30 Some of them are the most miserable 05:33 as we saw about Huge Grant. 05:36 It's interesting as we read the Bible, 05:38 because you see the Bible is just the history of life. 05:41 And there is a whole book given 05:43 written by one man by the name of Solomon, 05:47 who describes his search for happiness in life. 05:50 It's the Book of Ecclesiastes, 05:52 not a book that is read very often, 05:54 but it's a very interesting book 05:55 and I would like you to invite or invite you to open 05:58 your Bibles to Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 and verse 13, 06:04 because this is Solomon's search for happiness. 06:08 And he records it, he writes it all down. 06:11 He records everything that he tried 06:13 in order to get happiness. 06:15 We will have a look at just 06:16 one or two of those things that he tried. 06:20 This is Ecclesiastes 1 and verse 13, 06:22 the top left hand corner of the page. 06:25 "And I set my heart to seek 06:27 and search out by wisdom 06:29 concerning all that is done under heaven, 06:32 this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, 06:36 by which they may be exercised." 06:39 So that's the preface to the book. 06:41 He said these burdensome tasks are being given. 06:44 We'll try to search it out. 06:45 Verse 14, "I have seen all the works 06:48 that are done under the sun, 06:49 and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind." 06:54 So here we have the world wisest men saying, 06:57 this life is just futile, 06:59 it's like grasping for the wind an impossibility. 07:04 Just to give you some idea how brilliant was Solomon, 07:07 just come back to First Kings Chapter 4. 07:10 First Kings, the Fourth Chapter, 07:13 toward the beginning of the Bible, 07:14 First Kings Chapter 4, 07:17 page 323, and verse 33. 07:24 First Kings 4 and verse 33. 07:26 It says, "Also he spoke of trees, 07:29 from the cedar tree of Lebanon 07:31 even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall, 07:33 he spoke also of animals, of birds, 07:36 of creeping things, and of fish." 07:38 You know, when the Bible says he spoke of that means 07:41 he was an authority on. 07:44 He was an authority on all those disciplines, 07:47 ichthyology and herpetology, zoology, all those ologies. 07:52 He knew all that there was to know 07:54 in the ancient world about those things. 07:58 In fact, if you have a look at verse 32, 08:00 it goes on to say here, 08:02 "He spoke three thousand proverbs," 08:06 you know what a proverb is that's a wise saying. 08:09 When someone makes a quick wise saying, 08:12 you sort of remember, it's a pithy saying. 08:15 Well, Solomon spoke three thousand of them. 08:19 And as well as that it also says, 08:21 "And his songs were one thousand and five." 08:25 He wrote over a thousand original scores of music. 08:29 That guy was a genius. 08:32 No wonder, the Bible calls him 08:33 the wisest man that ever lived. 08:35 He indeed was that. 08:38 And yet when he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes, 08:42 just come back to Ecclesiastes now Chapter 12 and verse 12, 08:46 Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 12. 08:50 He made this statement 08:51 and many people think that getting degrees 08:54 is what's going to bring happiness 08:55 if only I can get that PhD. 08:58 Well, notice what Solomon said about learning and books. 09:02 Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 12, "And further, my son, 09:06 be admonished by these of making 09:08 many books there is no end, 09:11 and much study is weariness to the flesh." 09:16 I wonder how many of us found that to be truth. 09:19 Study is weariness to the flesh. 09:21 Just come back to the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, 09:23 back a few pages, 09:25 and you will notice a very similar statement 09:27 here in verse 18, Ecclesiastes 1 and verse 18, 09:33 "For in much wisdom is much grief, 09:36 and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." 09:43 He was a great builder and a successful one. 09:46 I mean, he tried everything 09:48 and he had the money to able to try everything. 09:50 He tried wine, women, and song. 09:53 In fact, he had so many women, 09:56 you know, the Bible said he had three hundred wives 09:58 and seven hundred girlfriends. 10:03 I tell you, it blows the mind just to think about it. 10:08 You think about it a thousand. 10:12 So he tried everything 10:15 and there are still many people 10:16 who think that, that's where happiness is, 10:18 if only I could have something on the side door, 10:21 that will bring me happiness. 10:24 Solomon had it to excess. 10:26 He found that, that was not the source of happiness. 10:31 In fact, if you come back to Proverbs 10:33 which is the back just a book back, 10:35 one book from Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 and verse 28. 10:41 Chapter 11 and verse 28. Solomon makes this statement. 10:48 Chapter 11 and verse 28, it says, 10:51 "He who trusts in his riches will fall, 10:57 but the righteous will flourish like foliage." 11:05 And then again over in Chapter 29 of Proverbs, 11:09 just a little bit further on. 11:11 You see Proverbs and Ecclesiastes 11:13 are his endeavors to try to find 11:17 meaning to life like every philosopher. 11:21 I guess like us all we try to find meaning to life 11:24 and that's what these two books are about. 11:27 Have a look at verse-- This is Chapter 29 and verse 18. 11:34 And finally he makes the statement, look, 11:37 "Where there is no revelation, 11:39 the people cast off restraint, but happy is he who," what? 11:44 "Keeps the law." 11:46 Now this the first time he talks about happiness 11:48 and it's rather interesting that happiness is associated 11:52 with something that probably most of us 11:54 would not have associated happiness with, 11:56 and that is keeping the law. 11:59 So Solomon is saying after all his journey through life 12:02 and trying to find meaning to life. 12:04 If you want to find happiness, 12:05 it's found in obedience to the law, 12:10 in fact he mentioned this again over in Ecclesiastes. 12:12 Come over to Ecclesiastes, the twelfth chapter this time, 12:16 647, Ecclesiastes 12 and verse 13 and 14. 12:23 This is the conclusion now 12:24 that he is coming to in the Book of Ecclesiastes, 12:28 and he says this in verse 13, 12:29 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, 12:33 fear God and keep His commandments, 12:36 for this is man's all." 12:41 Finally he sums that up. 12:44 If you want to find happiness Solomon says, 12:46 the wisest man that ever lived after journeying through life 12:49 and trying literally everything that everybody tries 12:52 and thinks is the source of happiness. 12:54 He said, look, let me tell you my conclusion, 12:58 it's found in serving God and keeping His commandments, 13:02 that's where true happiness is. 13:08 You see the reason why keeping the law 13:12 is the secret of happiness is simply this. 13:16 When I bright the law of life, 13:19 for example, if I don't look after my health, 13:23 inevitably my health will break, 13:27 isn't that right eventually? 13:28 I will pay for it, if I don't care for it. 13:31 The Bible says the same is true with the law of God 13:34 if you and I aren't obedient to God's Ten Commandments, 13:38 then we will pay with for that in the unhappiness, 13:42 because our life was supposed to be lived in harmony 13:45 with God's plan and purpose 13:47 and His will as summarized in the Ten Commandments. 13:53 Just come over to Romans, 13:54 the Third Chapter and verse 23 in the New Testament, 13:57 the Book of Romans Chapter 3 and verse 23. 14:02 Page 1097, here Paul makes a very interesting statement 14:07 when he says this, Chapter 3 and verse 23. 14:12 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 14:19 Now how many did the Bible say have sinned. 14:22 How many? All, everyone of us. 14:24 And I think all of us would recognized 14:28 that even perhaps today, 14:29 we have thought things, maybe we have said things, 14:34 we have done things 14:36 that if we had the day over again, 14:38 we wouldn't have said, or thought, or done. 14:43 Now those things the Bible says are sin. 14:47 And it is sin that causes the disorientation in our life, 14:51 you know, I've often thought if a man says 14:54 that he is perfect just go and ask his wife. 14:57 She will say and put you straight. 14:58 Isn't that right? Yes. 15:00 I think all of us would be honest enough to admit 15:03 that our lives aren't always perfect. 15:08 We don't always say the right thing. 15:11 We don't always think the right thing. 15:13 We don't always do the right thing. 15:16 And it's because we don't do things perfectly 15:21 that this is the source of our unhappiness 15:25 in our personal relationships and so forth. 15:28 We've all experienced that. 15:29 And the Bible says, all have sinned 15:32 and we continue to fall short of the glory of God. 15:36 You know, one day a young man came to Jesus 15:38 and he asked the most important question 15:40 that can ever be asked. 15:42 He said to Jesus, "How do you get eternal life?" 15:46 And I want you to notice what Jesus said. 15:48 Come over to Matthew 15:49 the 19th Chapter in the New Testament. 15:51 Matthew Chapter 19 and verse 16. 15:59 This young man was a very earnest young man, 16:01 because I read in the Book of Mark 16:04 where it says, he came running to Jesus, 16:06 he just didn't stroll up to Jesus, 16:08 he came running to Jesus. 16:10 And this is the question in verse 16, 16:12 "Now behold, one came and said to Him, 16:14 'Good Teacher,' what good thing shall I do that 16:18 I may have eternal life? 16:21 So He said to Him, 'Why do you call Me good? 16:25 No one is good but One, that is, God. 16:29 But if you want to enter into life" 16:33 What did Jesus say? "Keep the commandments." 16:37 You know, obviously this young man 16:40 hadn't been to Banbury, 16:44 because when I go up to speak to someone, 16:46 I'll say, well, how are you today? 16:50 Do you know what they say to me? I am good. 16:54 Well, I am the bit like the old Scotsmen, 16:55 I have many doubts about that, because Jesus said, 16:59 how many people are there that are good. 17:02 None! Only God is good. 17:05 But of course, I understand 17:06 what people mean when they say that. 17:08 But Jesus is saying here, 17:10 that if we want to enter into life, 17:12 we need to keep the commandments. 17:15 Now if I was the person 17:18 who reply when someone ask me that question, 17:20 I guess many people would say 17:21 that I was a legalist in saying that. 17:25 But I like to remind them 17:26 that the greatest authority on religious matters, 17:31 when ask the question 17:32 what shall I do to have eternal life, 17:35 Jesus said, keep the commandments. 17:39 And those are big discussion 17:40 among the Jews is to which ones, 17:43 whether it was the laws of the Jews or the Ten Commandments, 17:46 and Jesus made it very clearly in verse 18. 17:49 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, 17:51 "'You shall do no murder,' 17:52 'You shall not commit adultery', 17:54 'You shall not steal', 17:55 'You shall not bear false witness', 17:56 'Honor your father and mother', 17:57 and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" 18:00 Obviously Jesus was quoting from the Ten Commandments 18:03 and He is saying that if you and I want to enter into life, 18:06 the Ten Commandments are important for us to understand. 18:13 You may remember seeing that film the Titanic. 18:18 I saw it when I was flying over to London 18:20 from Sydney few years ago 18:21 before it was released in the theatre, 18:23 they had it on the plane. 18:24 And I've always been interested in the Titanic. 18:28 And when I saw the film was advertised, 18:30 I was very interested in watching it. 18:32 There was a man on board 18:34 that Titanic by name of John Astor. 18:38 Now John Astor, 18:39 he is mentioned in the film by the way. 18:41 He was a multimillionaire 18:43 when it was to be a millionaire, 18:46 he was really a millionaire 18:47 back in the days of the early 1900s. 18:51 He could sign his name 18:52 to a check worth over a million dollars 18:54 and it would have been on it. 18:56 And when he was gasping his last 18:57 in the icy depths of the Atlantic Ocean, 19:00 I believe John Astor would have given every cent 19:03 he owned to be back in his apartment in New York. 19:06 And I've often thought about that, 19:07 if you and I would be willing to do that 19:09 for life on this earth, 19:10 what all we to be willing to do for eternal life. 19:13 And Jesus said, if you want to enter into life, 19:16 keep the commandments, now why is it necessary? 19:19 Come over to Revelation Chapter 21 and verse 27. 19:22 Revelation Chapter 21, 19:24 it's the last page of scripture and verse 27, 19:28 "But there shall by no means enter it" 19:32 that's talking about heaven, "Anything that defiles, 19:36 or causes an abomination or a lie, 19:40 but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." 19:44 Now we've got a problem, because here the Bible says 19:46 anybody who tells the lie, anything that defiles, 19:49 anything that's less than perfect, 19:51 anyone has got any of those things in their life 19:54 is not entering into heaven. 19:57 Now we've got a problem, 19:58 because we all admit that our lives are not perfect 20:03 and yet God says, 20:06 nothing that's going into heaven 20:07 that will bring imperfection. 20:11 So we have a major, major problem in our lives. 20:17 No imperfection is going into heaven 20:18 and yet we are not perfect, this is a problem. 20:24 Well, God has a program to get rid of it. 20:26 Come over to John the Third Chapter 20:28 and let me read you something here that's very interesting. 20:31 John Chapter 3 regarding Jesus was meeting 20:34 one of the religious leaders of the day 20:36 by the name of Nicodemus. 20:39 And in John 3 and verse 3, it says here, 20:43 "Jesus answered and said to Him, 20:46 'Most assuredly, I say to you, 20:49 unless one is born again, 20:52 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 20:57 Verse 4, "Nicodemus said to Him, 20:59 'And how can a man be born when he is old? 21:02 Can he enter a second time into his 21:04 mother's womb and be born?' 21:06 Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, 21:09 unless one is born of water and the spirit, 21:12 he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" 21:15 Now look, if we have to be born again, 21:19 what is that imply about birth number one? 21:23 We were all born, otherwise we wouldn't be here. 21:26 But there is something wrong with birth number one, 21:30 because nobody is going into heaven 21:32 unless we are born again. 21:36 We've got be born the second time. 21:37 So that implies that there is a major problem 21:40 with birth number one, isn't that right? 21:43 And there is. 21:46 You see the Bible teaches that we are born 21:48 with the nature that grovels in the evil. 21:53 That's why you have never had to teach 21:55 your children to be naughty. 21:58 Is that right? Why? 22:00 Because they do that by nature, 22:04 and all of us gravitate to the wrong, 22:07 that's why the news, you look a television news, 22:11 it majors in bad things, why is that? 22:15 Because people like bad stories. 22:18 As long as it's not happening to them. 22:22 Because our natures have a biased, 22:26 a bend toward that which is evil. 22:28 And the Bible says, we have to be born again, 22:31 but there is something else that we have to experience. 22:33 Come over to First John 22:35 right at the back of the Bible, near the Book of Revelation. 22:38 First John Chapter 1 and verse 9, 22:44 where John writes "If we confess our sins, 22:48 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 22:53 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 22:59 You see, if I go down to the police station 23:01 and I will make a confession of my mistake, 23:04 they will either give me a fine or put me in jail 23:07 depending upon how serious it is. 23:09 But the wonderful good news is this, 23:12 that if I make a clean confession 23:14 of my mistake to Jesus, He gives me a new sheet 23:17 and I start again 23:19 as though I have never done it in the first place. 23:23 That's what the Bible means when it refers to grace. 23:26 We don't deserve it, 23:28 but we also desperately need it. 23:30 Trouble is people say to me, 23:31 well, Geoff, look I just don't feel as if God has forgiven. 23:35 I can understand what you are saying, 23:37 but my problem is I don't feel that God has forgiven me. 23:42 You know, it's interesting as you read through the Bible, 23:44 you will find that the Bible says 23:46 very, very little about feelings, 23:49 because feelings are a very fickle thing, you all know. 23:52 You know, our feelings sometimes are up 23:55 and sometimes they are down like the kids yoyos. 23:58 And it can depend upon how much sleep 24:00 we had or didn't have. 24:02 What we had for tea the night before. 24:04 News that can come through, 24:07 physically the time of the month, 24:08 all sorts of things can affect our feelings. 24:12 That's why the Bible does not associate 24:15 our feelings with our salvation. 24:17 Let me illustrate. 24:19 Let's say I have been working up 24:21 the North of Western Australia, 24:22 and I have been working in the mines. 24:26 And I come down to South 24:28 and I decide that I am going to set up 24:31 a bit of business down here. 24:32 And I have got a lot of money owing to me, 24:34 I've been earning big money out there in the mines. 24:36 And but, when I leave the mind tells me 24:40 that they will send me through my-- 24:43 that which they owe me will be put into my bank account 24:45 and that's fair enough, so I come down here. 24:47 When I get down here 24:49 and I go to the bank to check my banks statement, 24:51 lo and behold the money is still not there. 24:57 And I've got to leave, 24:58 I am highly embarrassed about this. 25:02 What am I going to do? 25:03 So I go to the supermarket manager and I said, 25:05 look, I explained my situation, 25:07 I say, could you give me a credit for a week or two 25:09 since till this money comes through. 25:10 Well, the man is quite impressed 25:12 with my story and he said, all right. 25:15 So I go and I get my supplies 25:19 and everything is happy for a week 25:20 but the money still hasn't come through 25:22 after two and three weeks. 25:24 And the manager of the supermarket 25:26 brings me up and says, Geoff, you either pay up, 25:30 or they're going to sell you up, 25:31 because we cannot carry your credit any longer. 25:34 You told me a week or so, it's gone beyond that. 25:38 Well, I just can't sleep now. 25:40 I am so disturbed about these, 25:42 I am highly embarrassed about the whole thing, 25:44 because I never intended to be like this 25:46 and what I am going to do. 25:49 Well, I can't sleep, I toss and I turn. 25:52 But the next day you hear about my predicament 25:55 and you go down to the supermarket manger 25:56 and you say, well, I hear that Geoff Youlden 25:58 has got an account here. 25:59 Oh, he says, an account, have a look at this. 26:02 And he takes you around and he shows you the book. 26:06 Uh, it's pretty big, 26:07 but being the type of person you are, 26:09 you go into your pocket 26:10 and you pull out your check book and you write out 26:14 the check for the exact amount that I owe. 26:16 Well, the supermarket manager is delighted. 26:19 And he writes out a receipt 26:21 and gives it to you and then you come 26:22 round to my place and say, 26:23 Geoff, look, I don't want you to stress any more about it. 26:26 I've paid it. 26:27 When you get your money, you fix me up. No more stress. 26:31 Well, last night I couldn't sleep, 26:33 because I was the most disturbed person 26:35 here in West Australia. 26:37 Tonight I can't sleep because I am the happiest. 26:40 Burden has rolled away, 26:42 but finally in the wee hours in the morning, 26:44 I dropped off to sleep, 26:46 but the kids get up bright and early, 26:49 thumping around the house and making a noise and oh, 26:52 they wake me up and when I get up, you know, 26:54 what it's like when you haven't had much sleep. 26:56 You got a thick head and oh, you just feel miserable. 26:59 And you get up and when you get up-- 27:00 it's one of those cold days like today blowing. 27:05 Oh, boy, the wind just goes right through you, 27:07 and I began to think, look, if that account down 27:10 there in the supermarket was paid, 27:12 I would feel good, I feel rotten, 27:16 therefore, the bill must not be paid. 27:18 Does the way I feel, in anyway affect 27:20 whether the bill is being paid or not, doesn't? 27:23 It does not. 27:24 Because you've already given me the receipt 27:26 and whether I feel up here or down 27:28 here makes no difference, 27:29 because the bill has been paid. 27:32 And the same is with our relationship with Jesus, 27:35 whether we feel up or down, and all of us are going 27:39 to feel up and down in our feelings. 27:41 Nobody lives on a plateau 27:43 that they never have emotions 27:45 that are bad sometimes or negative, nobody. 27:52 But our emotions are not that, 27:54 which are going to determine 27:56 whether we're accepted by God just as I have the receipt, 27:59 so God says if you confess your sins, 28:02 I will forgive your sins. 28:07 Regardless of the way you feel. 28:10 When people say to me, well, Geoff, 28:11 I've stared all right, but I've made a mistake. 28:15 Well, look, let me illustrate. 28:18 Let say that Johnny here, he is about 12 months old, 28:21 I am not an expert on babies 28:23 but it's the age when they begin to walk 28:26 and mother comes to Johnny one day 28:28 and she says, now listen, Johnny, 28:29 you've been crawling around the kitchen, 28:31 pulling my pots and pans out now 28:33 for the last few months, I am tired of it. 28:35 I want you to start to walk. 28:38 But if you can't do the thing properly, 28:40 don't bother starting at all. 28:42 Does the mother talk like that? Of course, not. 28:47 You parents remember the process, 28:49 you know, one day, mother is there, 28:51 she senses that he wants to stand up, 28:52 because he has been trying to grab the cupboard 28:55 and stand up but he is down, tries again, down. 28:59 And so the mother picks him up one day 29:00 and puts him against the cupboard 29:01 and takes that half step back with the hands out, 29:05 coaxing him to make that first step toward her. 29:09 And you know what it's like his little legs 29:11 wobble and wobble and down he goes. 29:14 And mother stand there with her hands on hips, 29:15 says, well, look, you can't do it properly, just sit there. 29:20 No, mother talks like that, 29:21 she lifts the little tot up again 29:23 and she struggles and he goes on 29:25 and this goes on for quite sometime until one day 29:29 those little muscles get to the stage 29:31 where he just feels game enough to let the cupboard go 29:34 and he takes that step towards mother's hands and what happens? 29:37 Down he goes again. 29:38 She lifts him up and this process goes on 29:40 until finally one day, he actually takes 29:43 that step wobbling and all, but finally takes that step 29:47 into her arms and she writes it upon the book. 29:50 Johnny made his first step today. 29:54 And gradually what happens is that those little muscles 29:57 start to get stronger and stronger, isn't that right? 30:00 And while he wobble and so forth for a little while, 30:03 but gradually as he is learning to stand, 30:07 those muscles are getting stronger and stronger 30:09 until he is able to walk one or two steps before he falls. 30:15 Then he walks a few more until finally he grows up 30:20 and he walks and falls less and less, isn't that right? 30:25 And I notice tonight, I was particularly interested 30:27 as you were coming in to the hall. 30:30 Tonight how many of you were falling over as you came in. 30:34 And I notice that none of you fell over, 30:37 because why we've all learned to walk now, haven't we? 30:40 And our muscles have become strong enough 30:42 to be able to hold us up. 30:45 Now that's the way it is in the Christian life. 30:48 When we first start to live the Christian life, 30:51 we are down more than we are up, 30:54 because our faith muscles aren't very strong. 30:58 They've never been exercised. 31:01 But gradually as we endeavor to study God's word 31:05 and as we associate in times like this 31:07 and meetings like this, 31:09 gradually that increases our faith muscles. 31:14 And so we are able to walk and fall 31:18 less and less as time goes by, get the thought? 31:24 And God doesn't want us to keep 31:26 making the same mistakes over and over again. 31:29 In fact, let me read it to you. 31:30 Come over to First John at the back of the Bible. 31:33 First John Chapter 2 and verse 1. 31:39 First John Chapter 2 and verse 1, 31:43 where John writes "My little children, 31:45 these things I write to you, so that you may not sin." 31:51 God doesn't want us to sin, 31:53 but I am very glad that the next part of the verse says, 31:56 "And or but if anyone does sin, 31:58 we have an advocate with the Father, 32:00 Jesus Christ the righteous." 32:02 We have someone an advocate that's our lawyer, a solicitor. 32:06 Someone on our side in heaven 32:08 who is there to take up our cause. 32:12 Just like when you get into the trouble with the law, 32:14 you employ someone a lawyer or someone to plead your case, 32:18 to take up your case. 32:20 That's what Jesus is doing in heaven. 32:24 He is on our side because when we become-- 32:29 and start to read the Bible, 32:31 we find that sin is lawlessness 32:34 or it's the breaking of the commandments 32:37 according to First John Chapter 3 and verse 4. 32:40 And God doesn't want us to continually 32:43 to do the wrong thing. 32:44 He wants us to learn, to walk through faith, 32:50 to walk in obedience to what God wants us to do. 32:55 That's why the Bible says in another place, 32:58 a righteous man falls seven times and he rises again. 33:07 So we don't aim at sinning. 33:09 Now why is it necessary for us to be born again 33:14 before we go to heaven? 33:15 Let me read it to you, come back to Ezekiel 33:18 in the middle of the Bible, the Book of Ezekiel 33:22 and it's Chapter 36 and verse 26. 33:28 Ezekiel 36 and verse 26. 33:32 Notice as we read this verse, 33:34 the reason why it is so necessary 33:36 for us to be born again. 33:37 See if you can pick this up. 33:39 Verse 26, "I will give you a new heart 33:42 and put a new spirit within you," 33:46 that's the new birth, 33:48 even in the Old Testament this was taught, 33:49 "I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh 33:54 and give you a heart of flesh." 33:57 And that is the reason. 33:58 Verse 27, "I will put My Spirit within you 34:02 and cause you to walk in My Statutes, 34:06 and you will keep My judgments and do them." 34:11 Why is it necessary for God 34:12 to take out the stony heart out of my life 34:15 and give me the new birth, a heart of flesh? 34:18 Why is it necessary? 34:21 According to this verse, I will put My Spirit within you 34:25 and cause you to walk in My Statutes. 34:28 What does that mean? 34:32 You see, when God puts the new birth into my heart 34:36 and takes away this rebellious heart 34:39 and puts His heart of flesh into my life, 34:43 that's the desire to want to do what God wants me to do. 34:46 Immediately I want to do what God wants me to do. 34:49 Get the thought? Because by nature, 34:53 I do not want to do 34:54 what God wants me to do and neither do you. 34:58 That's why we don't have to teach our children 35:00 to be disobedient, because they have that by nature. 35:04 All of us are born with that bias. 35:07 But when God puts the new birth within us, 35:11 we get a new desire, a capacity to want to do the right thing. 35:17 It's not natural, it's supernatural. 35:21 And you see if God didn't change our hearts, 35:24 can you imagine what would happen 35:25 when we go home to heaven? 35:28 And we find when we get up into heaven. 35:31 God takes us all up into heaven 35:32 and He hasn't changed our nature 35:34 and the first thing we see 35:35 as we get into heaven is the golden streets. 35:40 What do you think people would do 35:42 when they saw the gold on the streets? 35:45 They would want to get down to the hardware shop 35:47 and buy a hammer and a chisel, 35:50 and start to pull, isn't that right? 35:53 That's what would happen, 35:56 because by nature that's what we all want to do. 36:02 And can you imagine when they heard 36:03 the Angelique choir singing. 36:07 They would just shut their ears, 36:09 I can't stand this music. 36:11 Where is this heavy metal music? 36:13 Can't stand this music. 36:15 Can you see that unless God changed our hearts, 36:19 we would never be happy there, 36:21 because the environment of heaven is so different 36:25 to the environment that by nature we all want? 36:31 That's why, before we go there, 36:33 God has to change our natures, 36:35 and He has to give us the new birth. 36:38 And when He puts the new birth in our hearts, 36:41 we now have a capacity to want 36:44 to do what God wants us to do. 36:46 It's no longer a struggle to want to do 36:48 what God wants us to do, 36:50 when God puts a new spirit within us. 36:54 The struggle is because often we want to live in two worlds. 36:59 We know what's right 37:00 and yet we don't want to surrender 37:02 and leave off what we know is wrong 37:04 and so we try to live in two worlds. 37:07 That's why people aren't happy. 37:09 But when God gives us they new birth, 37:12 He gives us not only a desire to do what is right, 37:15 but also the strength and the capacity to be able to do it. 37:20 Let me read it to you. 37:22 Come over to John in the New Testament, 37:24 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Chapter 1. 37:28 John Chapter 1 and verse 11. 37:34 Notice this, it says here, 37:36 "He came to His own, 37:39 and His own did not receive Him" Who is that? 37:42 The Jews. Verse 12, "But as many as received Him, 37:47 to them He gave the right to become the children of God, 37:51 to those who believe in His name, 37:54 who were born, not of blood, 37:57 nor of the will of the flesh, 37:59 not of the will of man, but of God." 38:03 So these people are born not by any human design or desire. 38:09 They are born as-- from God. 38:13 He give us the new birth. 38:14 It's a gift from God, in fact. 38:18 That's what so exciting about the Christian life, 38:20 is not something that I have to earn 38:22 or I say I have to do myself. 38:24 God gives it to me as a gift. 38:27 And the amazing thing is this, 38:29 and I don't know how it works, 38:30 all I know is that it works. 38:32 When a man or a woman gives their life to Jesus, 38:36 a miracle takes place and a change 38:39 in that life begins immediately. 38:42 And a person can be living for themselves, 38:44 going in this direction, only caring about themselves 38:47 and pleasing themselves, when they come face to face 38:50 with God and the Bible, and suddenly their life 38:54 is completely change and turn around. 38:57 And now instead of living for themselves, 39:00 they have a tremendous interest in doing 39:02 what God wants them to do, 39:04 and serving God, and reading 39:07 and understanding the Bible, because by nature friend, 39:10 let me tell you that people don't want 39:12 to study the Bible themselves. 39:14 That's why some of your friends would think 39:16 that you've just gone around the bent. 39:18 He wanted to come out to study the Bible, 39:20 I can't understand that. 39:22 Because by nature, nobody who is not born again 39:26 can never have an interest 39:28 or capacity to really study this book. 39:33 But when a man or woman 39:34 gives their life unreservedly to God, 39:36 a miracle takes place, and that life is changed. 39:39 As I said, I can't explain it, 39:41 all I know is that it works, 39:43 because I have seen it in the lives of thousands of people 39:46 who have given their life to Jesus, 39:48 and the change takes place, 39:50 and they have a new capacity, 39:52 not only a new desire, but a power in themselves 39:55 to do what God wants them to do. 39:58 Let me read it to you. 39:59 Come over to Second Corinthians, just a bit further on. 40:02 Second Corinthians Chapter 5 and verse 17. 40:06 Second Corinthians Chapter 5 and verse 17. 40:12 And Paul writes here in verse 17, 40:15 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 40:20 he is a new creation, old things have passed away 40:27 behold, all things have become new." 40:31 You see just as back in the beginning 40:33 when God created us, the power that God had to make, 40:37 Adam and Eve, in the first place, 40:39 that same power God uses 40:41 to change your heart and to change mind. 40:44 We become a new creation. 40:48 And the old things have passed away, 40:49 the things that we once lived for, 40:51 no longer do we have desire for, 40:54 and the things that we thought were useless 40:56 and we have no interest in the past 40:58 suddenly become very interesting, 41:01 and very vital, and very important in our life, 41:05 because we become a new creation. 41:09 And as I say, I can't explain it, 41:11 but all I know is that it works. 41:15 And any person who will take the Bible, 41:17 because the Bible says itself 41:19 that we're born again as we study the Bible, 41:21 that's why we've given you the Bibles, 41:22 why I want you to study the Bible, 41:25 because by the word of God, 41:27 we are changed, there is a power in that book. 41:32 Because it's written by God. It's God's book. 41:38 And that the power of God is in the book. 41:42 It's not just ordinary words, 41:43 but as we read God's word, 41:45 His power comes into our life. 41:47 You see, if God only forgave me for my sins 41:49 it wouldn't help too much. 41:51 Let me illustrate it. 41:52 A friend of mine used to go into the prison, 41:55 and he would preach each weekend for the prisoners 41:58 and the chaplain explained to him one day. 42:01 He said, you know those three fellows 42:02 that sit down on the front sit each week when you come. 42:05 He said, they won't be here next week. 42:07 And my friend was glad that they were going to be released, 42:10 but the chaplain said, they will be back. 42:14 My friend was horrified, he said, 42:15 what do you mean they will be back. 42:17 Well, he said these fellows were trained 42:19 from little children to steal. 42:22 Their father used to give them a thrashing 42:24 if they didn't come home with the sack full of goods. 42:28 And he said, as soon as something 42:30 goes missing in the community, 42:32 the police will be knocking on their door first. 42:38 You see if God only forgave me for my sins, 42:42 it wouldn't help me because those three inmates 42:46 had paid their debt to society as far as being forgiven 42:50 by the law was concerned. Get the thought? 42:52 They paid their dues, their time. 42:57 But what did they lack? 43:00 They lacked a power to stop them 43:02 from doing it again in future. Get the thought? 43:07 And if God only forgave me for my sins, 43:11 wonderful that is that wouldn't help me too much, 43:14 because what would I do tomorrow 43:16 and the next day and the next day and the next. 43:20 I would continue to do the same things. 43:22 That's why the grace of God 43:24 is much more than forgiveness, much more. 43:29 It includes forgiveness, but it's also enabling grace 43:33 and power to stop me doing the same thing 43:37 again and again and again. 43:42 God's grace is power and it enables me 43:46 to live in harmony with what God wants me to do, 43:51 otherwise the whole thing is a mockery. 43:55 And I meet some Christians who think that, 43:57 that grace only includes forgiveness. 43:58 I want to tell you it includes vastly more than that, 44:01 and thank God it does. 44:05 And when I come to Jesus, 44:06 He not only forgives me for my sins, 44:08 wonderful and glorious, and I thank God everyday 44:11 for His forgiveness but He goes further 44:14 and He says I will change your life, 44:16 so that you don't have a capacity 44:18 or a desire to want to do the things 44:20 that you've wanted to do in the past. 44:24 And you will have now a capacity 44:25 to want to do the things that are in harmony 44:29 with the commandments and the will of God. 44:34 Let me read you a verse over here in First John 44:36 toward the back of the Bible. 44:38 First John Chapter 2 and verse 29. 44:42 First John Chapter 2 and verse 29. 44:47 And here is a good verse, 44:49 and it gives us an insight 44:53 into the commandments and the new birth. 44:55 It says, verse 29, "If you know that He is righteous, 44:59 you know that everyone who practices 45:02 righteousness is" What? "Born of Him." 45:06 So the person who does what God wants them to do 45:09 that is the evidence of the new birth, 45:11 not some happy feeling in your heart. 45:15 That's not the evidence of the new birth. 45:17 The evidence is that our life will be changed 45:21 and that I will want to do 45:23 what God wants me to do, that's the evidence. 45:29 That's why the Bible says, 45:30 that the commandments are so important. 45:32 We are not saved by keeping the Commandments, 45:34 the Bible never teaches that. 45:36 But the Commandments tell us what God wants us to do, 45:40 and the new birth gives me the capacity 45:42 to be able to do what God wants me to do, 45:45 because by nature I can't do what God says 45:47 I have got to do. 45:49 My heart is in rebellion against that, 45:52 but when I have the new birth experience 45:54 now I have a desire and furthermore a power 45:57 to be able to do what God wants me to do. 46:01 Let me read you again. 46:02 You've got First John open there. 46:04 Have a look at Chapter 3 now, 46:05 just the next chapter and verse 4. 46:08 It says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, 46:13 and sin is lawlessness." 46:15 You see if I breached the law of the country, that's a crime. 46:19 The Bible says, if I breached the law of God 46:23 that is sin, it's simple as that. 46:29 Have a look at Chapter 2 of First John, and verse 3, 46:35 "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we" What? 46:42 "Keep His commandments" That's how I know 46:46 that I know God, If I am willing to do 46:49 what He wants me to do, verse 4, 46:51 "He who says, 'I know Him,' 46:53 and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, 46:58 and the truth is not in him." 47:01 You know, that's pretty strong talk, 47:02 isn't it to call someone a liar. 47:05 I tell you, you call someone a liar 47:06 and see their reaction you get. 47:10 Won't used, they be very positive, will it? 47:12 Because that's a loaded word to say someone a liar. 47:16 And yet God calls the person 47:18 who makes a profession of following Christ 47:22 and it's not willing to keep His commandments, 47:24 God says that person is a liar. 47:27 And how many liars are going into heaven 47:29 that we read in Revelation 21:27. 47:32 None, not a single one. 47:38 The Bible here makes it very, very clear 47:42 that keeping the commandments 47:44 is an evidence of our love for Jesus. 47:49 In fact, let me read you Revelation Chapter 22. 47:53 Here is a wonderful, wonderful statement. 47:55 Almost the last verse in the Bible, 47:57 not quite but nearly. 48:01 Revelation 22 and verse 14 where it says here 48:07 "Blessed are those who do His commandments 48:16 that they may have the right to the tree of life, 48:19 and may enter through the gates into the city." 48:24 You see when God invites us into His kingdom, 48:28 what He is looking for in my heart is obedience, 48:34 because obedience shows that I have been born again, 48:41 that's why the Bible emphasizes here, 48:44 blessed are those that do his commandments. 48:48 That's not the bases by which we get to heaven 48:50 it's by grace and grace alone that we go to heaven. 48:54 But that grace and that new birth 48:57 will lead me to be obedient, 48:59 and so the outward evidence that I have been born again 49:03 is the desire to want to be obedient 49:07 and to do what God wants me to do. 49:09 That's the evidence. It's the footage. 49:13 You know, I could tell my wife that I love her, 49:18 but if I never did anything that pleased her, 49:21 do you think that she would have questions 49:24 after a while in her mind as to whether 49:27 I really loved her or not. 49:29 You know, sometimes she has said to me, 49:31 Geoff, talk is cheap. 49:35 We, all understand that, don't we? 49:37 Talk is cheap, yes, because our actions reveal 49:44 what's in here, isn't that right? 49:47 Because love in itself must be demonstrated. 49:51 You cannot love somebody without doing 49:53 something for them, isn't that right? 49:56 Impossible to love without action. 50:00 The same is in the Christian life. 50:01 You cannot love God without action. 50:06 And the action is being willing to be obedient. 50:10 I remember some years ago, I was invited to meet 50:13 the Queen and the Duke, up in Darwin. 50:19 And I remember the invitation 50:20 that we received gold edge and so forth, 50:23 it even said the clothes that we were to wear. 50:27 And they said, you've got to bring this invitation along. 50:29 You won't be allowed in without this invitation. 50:33 Well, I could have rocked up there 50:35 and claimed that I was the president of this 50:38 or the prime minister of this. 50:40 It wouldn't have made any difference, 50:41 because I had to have that invitation, 50:44 and when we're planning, 50:46 those are also are planning to go to heaven 50:48 and be part of God's kingdom. 50:49 God is looking for the evidence. 50:53 That's why He says, 50:54 "Blessed are those that do His commandments" 50:58 because the only people that can do God's commandments 51:00 are those who have been born again. 51:02 Nobody can ever do God's commandments, 51:04 if they are not born again, is that right? 51:07 Absolutely. And that's what God is looking for. 51:10 And in these days, friends, God is calling for us 51:13 to be obedient and to follow what God has asked us to do. 51:18 Not as a means of our salvation 51:19 but because we love Jesus. 51:21 We cannot help but want to do what God wants us to do. 51:24 That's why Jesus said, "If you love me, 51:26 you will keep My commandments." 51:32 And I believe that we all demonstrate to God tonight. 51:37 You know there are times in our relationships with God 51:40 when it is a wonderful thing to tell God 51:43 that we want to serve Him and that we love Him. 51:46 I'll tell you what I've got tonight, 51:47 I've got a little card that I'm going to ask 51:50 the ushers to give everybody. 51:52 If you wouldn't mind just handing 51:53 that card out now please ushers. 51:55 And we will give it to everybody, 51:57 because we've got enough for everybody 52:00 and we want young people, old people, those in between. 52:06 And we would like you to accept this decision card. 52:13 The first point of the card says this, 52:17 "I need a closer relationship with Jesus. 52:20 Please pray for me." 52:23 Now I would hope that everybody would tick number one. 52:25 I am ticking number one right now, 52:27 because I need a closer relationship with Jesus. 52:29 I hope you'll tick number one, because we all need that. 52:35 Number two, "I want to accept Jesus 52:38 as my personal Savior." 52:41 I hope all of us would want to tick number two, 52:43 because that's very important 52:45 that we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. 52:47 We may not understand all about it yet, 52:51 but that's the purpose of the meetings to help us 52:53 to understand what it means to accept Jesus, 52:55 but we are making a decision just like when you start 52:59 to go out with a girl or a guy. 53:01 You don't know all of there is about that person, 53:03 that's what you are going to learn about. 53:06 The same with Jesus. 53:08 We accept Him first and we will learn as we along, 53:12 and God will reveal Himself to us. 53:14 So tick number two, I want to accept Jesus 53:17 as my personal Savior. 53:19 Please do not let this moment go, 53:21 because this is important. 53:23 Every person that Jesus call, He call publicly, 53:26 and there is something about our decision 53:28 when we fill in the card. 53:30 When we make a decision publicly, 53:31 that's settles that question. 53:32 That's why I am encouraging you 53:34 who are watching too also fill in these cards 53:37 as we are here tonight. 53:39 So if you wouldn't mind just filling those cards in 53:42 and then folding them over and then we will collect them. 53:47 There is still some more cards, 53:48 yes, just collecting those one by one. Thank you. 53:51 Because God will wonderfully blesses, 53:54 and He will be with us. 53:58 All right, is there any card that we've missed? 54:02 Any pencils? Well, God bless you. 54:04 Let's just bow our heads for a moment in prayer. 54:07 Our wonderful Father in Heaven, 54:08 I want to thank you tonight for Jesus 54:10 and I want to thank you that Your Spirit 54:13 wants to place in our hearts a new birth. 54:15 Not only forgive us of our sins, 54:17 Lord, but provide us power to change our dispositions 54:21 from selfishness to a life that is in harmony 54:24 with Your will and Your purpose. 54:26 I pray Lord that You will bless every person, 54:28 everyone has made the decision 54:29 that You will encourage them and strengthen them, 54:31 bless any that who are still struggling in their heart, 54:33 so perhaps haven't made a decision yet. 54:36 I ask Lord that You will give them no rest 54:37 until they make their decision to follow You all the way. 54:40 Blesses now, as we go home and bring us back 54:42 in our future meetings, I pray for Christ's say, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17