Reflecting Christ's Light Through Faith and Transformation

"I mean this it's always a joy and a privilege to speak here at abundant life as you heard I've been through four postures here they've all been happy to have me despite some of the strong things I've said I'm personally very thankful that I came to know Jesus when I was nineteen and a half this month I celebrate 60 years as a born-again Christian and in these 60 years I'll tell you one thing I've studied this book the Bible and I found it has helped me in every single situation in my life in 60 years there's never been a situation for which there is no answer in Scripture there's always an answer." [00:00:06]

"God has given us today the Holy Spirit that's the other thing I discovered if you only have the Word of God and you don't have the Holy Spirit you can become a legalist you can become a Pharisee one who judges others according to your understanding of some Scripture but when the Holy Spirit comes in it brings the light of God into you and I want to read this verse to you in Matthew 5 verse 14 you are the light of the world now somebody were to ask you who is the light of the world you'd say Jesus I'd say no you who's the light of the world me is that arrogant I'm almost certain that most Christians haven't taken this word seriously this simple verse you are the light of the world think of that and saying that to yourself I am the light of this world in which I'm living I tell you it'll change your attitude to Christianity when you begin to think of that." [00:01:41]

"Now once you take these words seriously we see what an awesome responsibly it is for us to be the light of the world it's a tremendous responsibility and anyone who calls himself a Christian must take that seriously and I want to tell you the name of Jesus is dishonored in every country because of Christians not because of non-christians no when you got married your wife got your name my wife became mrs. Phoolan and your wife became mrs. whoever you are she could not ruin your name until she married you it's only only after she married you and took your name that she could dishonor you and bring a bad reputation to your name not before think of all the people in the world were non-christians were not married to Christ they cannot bring dishonor to the name of Christ they're not merited but we who are Christians say we are married to Christ and it's by our conduct and our behavior that we bring dishonor to the Lord's name." [00:03:49]

"The Bible says that Satan is the accuser of believers he's not called the accuser of the world I don't have time to show you those verses she read Revelation chapter 12 sometime he's called a deceiver of the whole world but the accuser of believers he has no interest in accusing the unbelievers because they're already in his lap why is he worried about them but wherever a person calls himself a Christian a follower of Jesus Christ and he does something wrong the devil it says he accuses them to God God do you see that person over there who he claims to be your child he's watching pornography what do you think of that nobody else may be watching you but the devil certainly is and he's watching you in order to accuse you God you see that person of the light of the world you see the way that woman yells at her husband that person supposed to be the light of the world and tell you God can't see anything that's what I often think of." [00:05:13]

"I remember years ago when I was a very young Christian I started reading the Bible I read about Joe you've read the book of Job once the Lord has hidden in that book in the first chapter where are you coming from and Satan said oh I'm just roaming around the world and what is he looking for roaming around the world he's looking he's not looking at those who are already his children the unbelievers he's looking at those who claim in those days saying I know God this is even before Abraham there was no revelation of Jehovah I know God and Satan could accuse them but then the Lord told Satan yeah that's all true but have you seen my servant Joe he pointed out to one man god almighty pointed out one man on the earth not because he was perfect and he read the book of Job you see he was not perfect but he said there's a man who fears God turns away from evil he he was a married man and he made a covenant with his ways that he would not lust after a woman this is way before Matthew chapter 5 was written way before Jesus came to earth how in the world did Joe before who lived before Abraham know that he should not lust with his eyes after a woman who is not his wife because he feared God the fear of God there was no Bible in his time but the fear of God can teach us everything written in the Bible if you fear God that means if you reverence him and the devil's mouth will be shut now when a Christian sins and goes into darkness it's God's mouth that is shut when the devil accuses that person but if I overcome sin by the grace of God by the power of the Holy Spirit that the devil can that God can say to the devil have you seen my servant so-and-so over there when I read that about job I said Lord I was only about 20 years old when I was working on a naval ship in India and then I said Lord can you say that about me I want you to be able to say that about me a lot of things wrong in my life but I want you to give me grace to overcome them so that I can be one through whom you can shut them out of the devil does that challenge you that your life must be such that God can be able to point you out and say there is a person Satan you can accuse all the others but what about him what about her you can go to all those other Christian homes and see their how they behave but have you gone to this home my wife and I have been married now for 51 years we I want her to just stand up so you can look at her pretty face." [00:06:26]

"Our home must be a testimony for Christ our home must be a light in a dark area you know the world is full of darkness every home is full of darkness there's hatred bitterness strife divorce and all types of other evils that's darkness in the midst of that the Lord says you are the light of the world see first of all we got to take that responsibility seriously and look back over our life and say lord I brought so much dishonor to your name by the way I've lived it's not a question of how we live before others we all behave properly when we are before others but because we are interested in our testimony before men I want to ask you a question that I asked myself which I decided to change something in my life I said more important than my testimony before men I wanted testimony before Satan that sounds strange but I'll tell you why I say that because Satan knows a lot more about my life than you do or anybody else does Satan knows about my thought life which even my wife doesn't know he knows the things I'm doing in secret which my wife doesn't know and I want to testimony before him that there's nothing he can point out in me that he can point to the devil and accuse me at any time in my life Satan knows how I handled my money your wife probably doesn't know how you handle your money or the unrighteous things you're doing the office but Satan knows it all and I want to be a one who stops the mouth of Satan now I want to challenge you my brothers and sisters to do that you are the light of the world Jesus was the light of the world when he was here on earth he went up to heaven and he sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost like a fire and those days fire was the way they got light so the Holy Spirit came into those 120 on the day of Pentecost to make them a flame as the light of the world and that's one of the things I discovered when I became a Christian at the age of 19 the first thing I knew is the blood of Jesus Christ had cleansed me and I was forgiven I had asked Christ because I was born in a god-fearing Christian family my father was born again before I was even born so I was sent to a good Sunday school and like those born in Christian families numerous times I had asked Christ to come into my heart I don't know probably a hundred times and I never knew was it right or no has he come no feeling nothing in no sensation and I would ask him again and I'll ask him again and I remember one day 60 years ago that's why I date July 1959 I was in a naval base in India and I was in my room and reading my Bible and I came to John 6:37 and I read there Jesus saying John 6:37 the one who comes to me I will never cast out and I said Lord I've come to you so many times he said I never cast you out I said wow I'm gonna believe that today and that day I dropped an anchor in my life to use a naval expression my ship has never drifted its it's not that it's not that I never made a mistake I made lots of mistakes lots of blunders but I knew that I could get up and ask God to forgive me I saw sin like a thorn that got into my foot through my carelessness I was not gonna wait to pull out a thorn how long do you wait to pull out a thorn that got into your foot not even one second as soon as you're aware of it you want to put it out because it's so inconvenient I want to encourage every one of you whenever you fall into sin and it can happen to any of us think of it like a thorn that got into your foot pull it out don't wait tell the Lord immediately Lord I slipped out he's merciful there's mercy with him but he can't help you if you don't confess it if you put the blame on somebody else it's gonna be a different story let me tell you the story of someone who put the blame on someone else God comes to Adam and that Garden of Eden it's awesome a very simple question they say yes or no question did you eat from that tree he doesn't say yes he doesn't say no he says the problem Lord is with my wife is that a familiar sort of refrain that man pointing the finger at his wife she is the cause of all the problem she's the one who gave me this fruit and God don't forget you're the one who gave her to me so part of the blame I'm not exaggerating you read Genesis 3 that's exactly what Adam did refused to take the blame put the blame on somebody else put it on God and God said get out of paradise now I'll tell you another story of a man who did much things much worse than Adam this was a thief who hung on the right side of Jesus on the cross in the beginning he was complaining and criticizing just like the other thief on the other side but somehow when he saw Jesus saying Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing he got convicted and he saw love coming out from this person who they were treating so badly and he felt guilty about his sin and he turned around and said to the Lord let me paraphrase his words I'm guilty Lord I deserve being crucified I it's not 20 years in prison that I deserve I deserve something worse than that I'm the worst of the Lord I deserve to be crucified because I'm wrong and I've done so much evil and I don't blame my parents for bring me up badly it's me I don't blame the bad company I got as teenagers that brought made me bad it's me it's 100% me it's not the police who caught me or the judge who condemned me it's me Lord and the Lord says really you really mean to say you're the one to blame completely for all your sin yes Lord well you deserve to be in paradise come with me to paradise you see the contrast there Adams he refused to take the blame for his sin being kicked out of paradise and this man was much worse than Adam who just took the blame completely without blaming anybody else the Lord said you're gonna walk with me today the Lord he said Lord remember me when you come in your kingdom other words that's gonna be 2000 years I'm not gonna wait that long you're gonna walk with me today in paradise what did he have that many of us don't have the willingness to take the blame 100% for our fault in our sin many people say I want to go and sit at the foot of the cross of Jesus I said hang on go and sit at the foot of the cross of this thief first and learn something from him before you go to the foot of the cross of Jesus learn that if you take the blame you can walk with paradise spiritually right now on this earth that's the first thing immediately pull out that thorn immediately confess your sin and if you hurt somebody else confess to that person too certainly Jesus once said in Matthew chapter 5 that if when you bring your offering to the altar and there you remember that you've hurt your brother by something you said to him he was talking about anger in the previous verses and you hurt them with your angry words you hurt your husband or your wife or somebody else and then you come and pray and maybe you pray in other tongues oh wow God says I'm gonna listen to you that's just nonsense I'm not gonna listen to you go and settle that with that other person Jesus said then come and bring your offering there's darkness in your life and that darkness has to be removed." [00:09:52]

"You know the Bible begins with these words in Genesis chapter 1 it's interesting that God put that right at the beginning of Scripture and let me paraphrase those words in relation to our own lives the first four verses of Scripture have got a tremendous message in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth okay apply that to our life in the beginning God created man but something happened between verse 1 and 2 it's not mentioned here it's mentioned later the highest of the angels Lucifer rebelled against God and became the devil and just like the earth got corrupted and Adam sent when that angel sinned the whole earth got corrupted and it became dark the heavens and the earth were not created in six days they were created in a moment Genesis 1 verse 1 it's a different word used in the rest of the chapter the Lord remade that corrupted the earth but what happened to that perfect heaven and earth that God created in a moment with a single world as we read in Hebrews 11 when sin came it became dark let me describe what it says here in the next verse it's a picture of what happened to us when sin came into our life formless empty dark the image of God was gone in he became empty he became dark and that's how we were all born into the world that's Genesis 1 verse 2 but God loved man so much it says in verse through the Holy Spirit began to move over the surface of that earth just like the Holy Spirit began to move over us to bring us to repentance and salvation it's all there in the second verse of the Bible and the Holy Spirit begins to move and the first thing God says is verse 3 let there be light that is Jesus the light of the world God sends that light into us so that we can become the light of the world that is the gift of the Holy Spirit and then the next thing is not only that the gift of the Holy Spirit the Word of God God said when God said let there be light immediately the light can and what we read in the remaining part of that chapter is every day God said something and because the earth cooperated something happened when God said let there the trees come up from the ground the trees came up but the fish come in the water so the fish came in the waters see whenever any created object responds to the Word of God something supernatural happens that's the message you get from the first chapter of the Bible 1 God speaks every day you may not hear him but he's speaking seven days of the week he spoke on the first day something happened he spoke on the second day something happened and this is all after the first time when the Holy Spirit came upon the earth and changed that dark earth filled it with light this is a picture of being born again in Genesis 1 verse 3 Christ comes in and light comes in and what is God's purpose for us from that day onwards that every day little by little he changes us changes those changes if God could have done everything in one day he could have made the whales and the fish and the animals and Adam and the trees and everything come in a moment but he didn't do it he did it little by little in six days he remade that to earth to teach us a lesson that God doesn't change us overnight he's gonna change us day by day if you permit him because the earth had to submit the only difference is the earth and Isis we got a free will and God says I want to do something in you you can turn around and say no I'm not gonna cooperate then nothing will happen if the Lord said let the earth yield vegetation and the fruit trees come up from the earth Nell said no there have been no trees but the earth didn't have a will of its own to defy God we have that and when God wants to bring fruit in our life we can defy it and no fruit will come and we remain barren that's quite a lesson we can learn from the first chapter of the Bible and then God works and works in works and what is the final end you know God made man in his own image the final end God has for us is to make us totally like Jesus Christ and then the seventh day God rested and that's the picture of eternity so you've got the whole message of salvation all the way to eternity in Genesis chapter 1 where does it begin with light so very important and that's why in our life - in the Old Testament there was only one light they had and that is psalm 119 and verse 105 where it says your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path those who wanted light in the Old Testament would read God's Word and get light for that feet that is their daily walk and for their paths for their whole life but then Jesus came and there it says notice this difference in the Old Testament it was the Word of God the written word of God was the light but when Jesus came it says in John 1 verse 4 in him was life and that life was the light see something changed now the light is switched the written Bible to a person because that written world verse 1 and 2 and 14 became flesh the word in the Old Testament the Word of God became flesh in Jesus Christ and he was the word of God everything that God wanted was there in him everything God commanded was there in him the word became flesh and he was the light it's very important to understand this today it is not just a written word that is the light that's Old Covenant in the New Covenant it is the life of Jesus that is the light if you have a plenty of knowledge of Scripture in your head that's good enough for an Old Testament person but not for a New Testament Christian you'll end up as a Pharisee or legalist judging everybody else if you only know the word you need the life of Jesus in him was life and that life was the light of men so how am I going to be the light of the world just by studying the scripture no the scripture must lead me to Christ and to the Holy Spirit why is it that the devil has brought so much confusion in the world today concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit I don't think there's any doctrine in Scripture not even water baptism or anything which is as controversial as the doctrine of being filled with the Holy Spirit and in 60 years of being a Christian I've seen all the different denominations I've been to all of them and I've seen some of these extreme positions on one hand you have a whole lot of people who may they say the Holy Spirit makes them do all types of funny things roll on the ground and bark like a dog and kick and laugh and all types of things I say that can't be wrong and I say that can't be right that has to be wrong because God has given us an example of the perfect spirit-filled person in Jesus Christ and I look at the life of Jesus I see what it means to be filled of the Holy Spirit I never see him lying on the ground and kicking his legs or barking or doing any stupid thing like that no there are people who say I'm Philly the Holy Spirit I touch you you fall on the ground I say no when Jesus does people he lifted them up that is the fullness of the Spirit and if you touch people and push them down that's the opposite of what Jesus did and there's a word in the Bible for it Anti Christ it is a spirit of the Antichrist others may be afraid to mention that I say it openly because I know what my Savior did he never pushed a single person down either spiritually or physically he always came to lift people up remember this there all these extreme teachings on the Holy Spirit everybody's got his speaking tongues and all they babbled a few syllables and call it tongues that's not true deception let me say I'm not against the gift of tongues I've spoken in tongues for forty five years it's a private love language between me and Jesus Christ but it is a language it's a language exactly like Russian or Chinese or Malayalam or Tamil or any other language that I speak it's a language not babbling a few words but it's for private prayer to God but this extreme teaching which is going on today is one extreme then you have the other extreme of people who are reacted against this and so we don't want all that no no no no it's just we receive Christ and that's it well look at the powerlessness in their life I remember when I I started preaching 56 years ago and I said Lord the Bible says earnestly desired to prophesy which is to preach God's Word and I began to seek God 56 years ago to be filled with the Holy Spirit I said Lord I study the word that's not enough I cannot be the light if I don't have the oil to light the flame and the olden days light was through a lamp which was lit with oil burning as I need that oil I need that oil in the vessel like the wise virgins I need an extra oil in the flask otherwise my light will burn out I want to be filled with the holy spirit and I discovered that the fullness of Spirit is not a once for all experience you can have an experience what we need to be continuously filled it's know you're saying you filled your gas tank 20 years ago so what your car is stuck today because it's not filled today and that's how it is with a lot of people who say twenty years ago I got filled with the spirit it doesn't mean a thing brother I have had experiences like that true also but I believe in being filled with the spirit every day even before I got up to speak today I say Lord I am this what I always say when I get up to speak I say Lord I'm like a helpless branch in a tree I cannot produce a single fruit with all my years of experience in preaching or all my knowledge of God's Word zero if I won't produce fruit if I'm not in the tree and if the sap from the tree does not flow into me right now I'm gonna be dry as a bone that's how I serve the Lord every single day and I find God never lets me down me always lets the SAP flow but you got to recognize that helpless dependence God will fill every one of you with the Holy Spirit if you're honest first of all if you're honest about your sin let me read to you in 1 John 1 and verse 7 how the blood of Jesus can cleanses us we all know the well-known verse the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin but it's only half a verse that's the tragedy that people remember half of us read the full verse let us walk in the light as he is in the light when we do that we have fellowship with one another and then the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin there's a condition to the blood of Jesus cleansing you from sin walking in the light and that walking in the light means just being honest don't try to cover something in the darkness come out into the open and say Laura I did that like the thief on the cross it's me Lord it's not my parents it's not my wife it's not my husband it's me I am the cause of the problem I did that I provoked that person to say that thing or to do that to do that thing Lord my sin I don't have to confess somebody else's sin no I have to confess my own sin that's the meaning of walking in the life the easiest thing in the world is to come into the light do you know a prostitute can come into the light say Lord I'm a prostitute forgive me she's forgiven you don't have to reach some great height of spirituality before you come into the light the lowest level sinner can be honest and say I'm a sinner or in particular situation where you sinned Lord that's me there's a saying that we have to keep short accounts with God that means as soon as I confess something I settle it immediately Lord and it's so easy Lord I did that I'm sorry I remember I had a great problem with anger and discouragement and all when I was born again I was born again really Christ had come into my heart but I'd get angry upset we all do because we love ourselves and frequently discouraged condemning myself but I knew that the Bible said that I have to get rid of all anger it says in Ephesians 4:31 32 put away all anger and I worked on it and I said Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit til the day can come in my life when I have a put away all anger or I can live at home with my wife 365 days of the year without ever ever losing my temper all three six to six days in a leap year and I tell you the Lord brought me there do you believe I say that for your encouragement I could never have produced that fruit if I was apart from the tree I stuck to the vine and he's produced the fruit which branch can take credit I produce those lovely apples no it's the tree that produced it but the apples come on the branch and so it's the Holy Spirit that'll produce that life in you and I want to say to every one of you who's defeated by some sin is it anger is it pornography is it adultery perhaps much worse than anything is it the temptation to divorce your husband or wife which god forbids there is no sin that Jesus cannot help you to overcome it's all darkness let the Holy Spirit come in he can make you the light of the world you must have faith for it must open your heart to it God can do nothing for you if you're not honest and if you don't open up every area of your life Lord takes purpose asks permission can I come into that area of your life can I come and sit with you when you watch television and tell you to turn off that channel because that's not something that Jesus would look at are you willing for it or you say no no no Lord there's some areas of my life please don't come and disturb me there well that area will remain dark I think of a Christians life like a house whit's about ten rooms one room is called the guilt room and we all want the light of God to come into that room Oh Lord come in and cleanse away my guilt one room is lit up but there are other rooms in the house you want to be filled with the holy spirit right and the Lord knocks at the other door can I come in to your television room and tell you to turn off everything that I will not watch she say no Lord please some programs I really enjoy watching he will not come in he's a gentleman he's okay you stay there that room will remain dark you can sit in the darkness and watch as much television as you like but don't ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and he comes to another room can I see all the books you're reading can I check up on that and tell you to give up some of those magazines that you get in some of those articles that you read that are not fit for a Christian to read well it's your choice he won't force you she said no Lord I need to read something you need look some some few things exciting now and then okay read what you like he won't come in that room means dark the Lord says can I come into your finances room I want to see how you're earning your money is it all 100% righteous and you say Lord well in this evil world you cannot be hundred percent righteous okay remain in the darkness how are you spending your money are you selfish or generous God says please you say Lord don't let him come in there there are many rooms like that we lock up and you say Oh Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit not in a hundred years really familiar with the Holy Spirit you locked up every door except one the guilt room this is the reason why many Christians are not the light of the world 9 rooms out of 10 in their houses dark not because the Lord wants it to be dark but you want something else which you think will give you more happiness that little extra money that filthy picture on the computer screen that you keep watching I tell people who watch pornography would you like your wife or your sister to strip herself like that for money and show herself her naked body on that screen oh no this is somebody else's sister somebody else's daughter I don't care for that you mean you care for your own daughter that you don't want your daughter to strip like that but you're willing to pay money to let somebody else's daughter stripping are you a Christian really are you a Christian you can go to church every day of your life if you like you're not a Christian you're one who is being accused by the devil to God and a dishonor to the name of Jesus Christ I want to invite you today to repent of your sin not only is it dishonoring the Lord I want to say to you in Jesus name it is destroying your life you don't realize these habits are polluting you destroying you it's like you tell a man who keeps on drinking alcohol one day it will kill you this little liver will get ruined people who keep on smoking cigarettes their doctor tells him your lungs will get ruined they listen to that they listen to a doctor but they don't listen to the Word of God which says this is destroying your life for eternity my dear brothers and sisters we have only one life to live we're not going to get a second chance when you stand at the judgment seat of Christ and he shows you a video of your whole life are you going to have regrets of our areas of your life or you wouldn't listen you allowed the darkness to remain darkness will remain Lord I wish I could go back and live my life again I believe there are many Christians who will say that at the judgement seat of Christ I wish I could go back to my marriage and live my life with my husband and wife once again there is no second chance think of that as a poem I read when I was a young Christian when I stand at the judgment seat of Christ and he shows me his plan for my life the plan as it would have been if he had had his way and I see how I checked him here and I blocked him there and I would not yield my will will there be grief in my saviors eyes grief though he loves me still and I look back or my life for a life that I cannot live again and then I realize I've not yet to reach the judgment seat of Christ thank God I can't do anything about the years gone by but Lord of the years that are left to me I give them to your hand take me break me more me according to the pattern you have planned and that's what I'm and that's what I want to invite you today you can do nothing about the days gone by is not even up to yesterday be honest and ask the Lord Jesus to cleanse you in his blood from all sin to blot out the memory of the past yes he says I would not remember your sins anymore to blot out every stain of sin that you've committed til today and say Lord of the years that are left to me I want them to be different I don't have the strength to do it but I want you to fill me with the Holy Spirit I don't want excitement I want the life of Jesus in me I believe God will hear you if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children they asked for an egg you won't give them a scorpion they ask for bread you won't give them a stone how much more your heavenly father will give the Holy Spirit Luke 11:13 to those who simply ask him daddy my heavenly daddy filled me with the Holy Spirit I want my life to change today I wanted to be different from today I mean it Lord I messed up so many things in my life I want to be honest I don't want to blame anybody else anymore cleanse me in the blood of Christ give me a new beginning it could be almost as if you're born again for the first time god bless you let's just bow our heads for a moment of Prayer think about what you've heard today I believe God loves you I believe the Holy Spirit is reaching out to some of you very earnestly right now respond to him say Lord I opened my heart to you please come answer my prayer cleanse me from my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit help me to be a new person in Jesus name Amen thank you very much." [00:16:40]