Seven Things We Must Always Do

So praise the Lord brothers and sisters, we're really happy this. That you all can join us from different parts of the world. It's a wonderful thing and Jesus said That not only we are to preach the gospel To all of all people all over the world.

But also to make disciples in every nation. It's easier for people to respond to the gospel that says you can go to heaven when you die if you believe this. And that's generally what is preached. But we preach more than that because Jesus also said we must make disciples and disciples are those who seek to follow Jesus.

Dethroning Self for True Discipleship

One difference is That those who want to go to heaven when they die. They could be responding to Christ with very selfish reasons. Oh I'd like to go to heaven when I die. And on top of that if the Lord also answers all my prayers that's wonderful and Self remains at the center.

Whereas the fundamental problem with man since Adam fell is that self sits on the throne and. And that's the first thing I want to say dear brothers and sisters. That is self is not dethroned and removed completely and Christ is made Lord.

We will never experience true discipleship. We never experienced closeness to the Lord and if you find in your life a lack of closeness to Christ. You can be assured it's because Self is ruling somewhere ask God to give you light and.

So as we come to this session Where we want to talk about seven things we must always do now. We can think of these things and memorize them and say yeah, I know them, but that's not the important thing.

It doesn't matter if you forget them if you can live in the reality of Some of them at least that's the main thing. It's not knowledge. Knowledge is a part of our soul that doesn't make us spiritual. The Pharisees had far more knowledge than Peter and James and John.

But they went to hell. Jesus said they will not escape the damnation of hell. And Peter and James and John lived a wonderful life. They couldn't compete with the Pharisees in Bible knowledge. But they were disciples so concentrate on that.

The New Covenant Standard and the Holy Spirit

It's very very important one difference between old covenant and the new covenant is that many things that we are Told not only we must do but can do in the New Testament. Were not possible under the old covenant for example in the old covenant about the only thing that they were told to do always was Proverbs 23 Verse 17 live in the fear of the Lord always Proverbs 23 17 and for them fear of the Lord did not mean as much as it means to us.

For us fear of the Lord means our thought life our private life. Where only God sees us and For them it did not mean that for them it meant that there are commandments given in the Books of Moses in the law and the prophets keep them and they were mostly all external commandments.

There's hardly anything to do with the internal life. One big difference in the new covenant that Jesus established on the day of Pentecost was That the inner life was That from which our life must flow in the Old Testament.

It wasn't. It's so long as you did it externally you are okay. It's one very very big difference and that what you see, you know The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5 6 7 we can say in one sense replaced the law which Moses gave.

Moses went up into the mountain and brought the law of God. We read in Matthew chapter 5 that Jesus went up into the mountain with his disciples and said you have heard under the law. They said this but I'm telling you this you read Matthew 5 to 7.

He was always Contrasting for example, the law said don't get angry, but I say the law said don't murder, but I say don't get angry. The law said don't commit adultery, but I say don't even lust with your eyes or in your thoughts after a woman.

The law said speak the truth when you've taken a vow. But I say speak the truth all the time that your yes always be yes, and you're no always. No the law said Love your brothers and hate your enemies or they implied that the law never said that but that's what they understood but I say love your enemies and Many other things like that the law talked about prayer and fasting.

But I say to you when you pray and fast don't let anybody know about it. So many things like that in the Old Testament you could love money that was not a sin at all. Provided you gave 10 of your profits from your fields and your sheep to the Lord.

You're okay. But in the New Testament, there's no such thing as typing. That's that was finished with the law and Jesus told the Pharisees about it in Matthew 23 because there was under the law when once the new covenant was established on the day of Pentecost, it's gone and the new covenant the command is Don't love money.

Matthew 6 24 and Luke 16 verse 11 to 13 so Everything changes. The standard is brought higher and if you ask how much higher. Well, here's the answer. Who gave the law? Moses. Who brought the new covenant Jesus?

So how much higher than? Moses is Jesus that much higher. The New Covenant standard is from the Old Covenant standard. But the difference is one very big difference if it were not for this we'd all be discouraged.

That in the Old Covenant There was no helper they were on their own you're given a law and Many of them found it even difficult to keep away from adultery now most Many many human beings who are unconverted keep away from adultery, even though they're not converted.

I Mean physical adultery, but a man like David Who started out as a man like man after God's own heart. He couldn't keep away from it. So under the Old Covenant, it was very difficult to keep these simple commandments.

But think that the standard has come up so much higher in the New Covenant. You shouldn't even lust with your eyes. What a high standard that is to love your enemies and to forgive everyone now the only reason this is possible is because the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit.

The third person of the Trinity can live within us and help us from within. Exactly. Listen to this exactly like he helped Jesus. The reason Jesus could overcome all sin and never sin in his thoughts his words his attitudes and his motives and everything was because.

As a man, he was filled with the Spirit now if he walked here as God then He's no example for us. Because we don't have that power. So it wouldn't be a great thing if Jesus came here with all the power of God Inherently as God and said well, I don't sin.

That's like a bird telling me I can fly. Well, I say sorry bird. I can't fly. I don't have wings. That's what I have to say to the Lord Jesus Lord. You were God you walked on the earth. I can never walk like you impossible but When the Bible says in one John and chapter 2 and verse 6 That if you say that you abide in Christ that you are in Christ.

You you must walk in the same manner as he walked. How in the world? Can the Bible tell us to do something to walk as Jesus walked? Most Christians don't even look at that verse. They don't take it seriously.

They don't think of how did Jesus walk and the Bible says I must walk like that. How in the world can the Bible give us such a command unless unless unless Jesus gave up His power as God not his deity in his person.

He was God even on earth. That's why we read people worshipped him and you know when people worshipped angels in Revelation They pull them up and said don't worship me. But seven times in the Gospels we read people worship Jesus and he never stopped any of them because he was God.

We would not allow anybody to worship us. He was God, but he never used The power he had as God it was like someone having a heaven's credit card, but never using it as God, he never used his power as God but He lived as a man.

Having the help of the Holy Spirit and That in that area He's an example for every one of us because before he went up to heaven He said the same Holy Spirit was in me and be in you. Now anything that we think of today of what we had to do always we can never do.

If you're not filled with the Holy Spirit, you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. We are back to old covenant times and then you got to live by the Ten Commandments. Even that the Tenth Commandment nobody could keep.

You got to just live by the external things that outwardly I don't kill anyone. I don't commit adultery. I don't steal. That's about the life that even many born-again believers live and I'll tell you that's because They are not filled with the Holy Spirit and even if they claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit some fake experience that they got in some emotionally stirred meeting and Somebody told them to babble something and they called it tongues fake.

The Holy Spirit makes us holy. That's why he's called H OLY Holy Spirit. We can't be holy ourselves. Our holiness will be a fake just put on to show others an outward impression. Real genuine holiness within.

I want to tell you my dear brothers and sisters can only come If the Holy Spirit is allowed to work inside and we say to the Lord Jesus Lord I don't want self to rule my life. I want you to come and fill me with the Holy Spirit.

So that I can live on earth as you live not to go to heaven. No. What is the main purpose of our living on the earth? I found that when I came to Christ 61 years ago, I was 19 years old and I asked Christ to come into my heart and I'd asked Christ to come to my heart many times before that but I never knew.

Till one day I read in John 6 37. John 6 37 the one who comes to me. I will never reject or cast out an Assurance came into my heart. I said Lord I've come to you. And the Lord said I haven't accepted you from that worse.

I've never heard God speak to me with these years. I've never seen a vision with these eyes. But I know more than any other as much as any wholehearted Christian in the world knows That Christ lives in me and I can hear his voice in my heart which is more safe and Certain than hearing his voice with these years.

So I say that because some people think all these people must have had some visions and heard audible voices. I haven't. But I know the Lord deeply in 61 years has become closer and closer to me. So don't think you need to have some external supernatural experience To be assured that you're filled with the Holy Spirit.

I've not had one. I've never had electric shocks going through my body. I've never seen an angel or any such thing I don't need to. I have the Holy Spirit within me and Christ lives in my heart and assures me that I'm his and the proof of it is as I'm filled with the Spirit that I found found my life becoming holier and holier.

Setting the Lord Always Before Us

So Let's begin with what is the first thing that we should do always let me turn to Acts of the Apostles and chapter 2. This is the message Peter preached on the day of Pentecost acts chapter 2 and verse 25 is referring to Jesus.

You know, it says in verse 24 God raised up Jesus again. Because it was impossible for him to be held by the power of death and then referring to Jesus David had said I saw the Lord always in my presence.

That is our example to set the Lord always before us. Always we need to ask the Holy Spirit. To make the presence of the Lord real to you always and over a period of time. This will become you know, anything that we will become more and more real anything that we begin to do in the beginning we forget.

And we do it occasionally, but over a period of time, for example, you teach your children to brush their teeth every morning. But they may forget some days when you keep on reminding them reminding them one day when you grow up I mean nobody has to you older people.

Nobody has to tell you to brush your teeth in the morning. How's that? You don't need mummy to come and tell you hey brush your teeth. Maybe once upon a time you did like all of us so. Over a period of time it becomes a habit real.

But we in the beginning it's occasional we forget but over a period of time if you say Lord, I want this to become a 24-hour seven-day-a-week reality in my life that I'm always conscious not Consciousness only but aware let me say aware conscious means I'm thinking.

Like I'm thinking I see something in front of me. I See this in front of me or I see your pictures in front of me. No, that's conscious, but there are some things which we do unconscious all the time.

And that's how all these things that I'm speaking about should be like that and the classic example is breathing. I'm not consciously breathing each time. Oh, I got to breathe now. I got to breathe now.

None of us like that. It's it's unconscious. It's only those who have difficulty breathing who are told to do breathing exercises. Otherwise, it's become unconscious. We have 24 even when we are sleeping.

We're breathing. It's become a habit. So when all the things that we're thinking of today that we must do always. Don't think of it as something like a breathing exercise. I must do this. No. You must pray that it'll become so unconscious that it becomes a reality for you all the time without you're thinking about it.

That's the goal, but don't think you'll get there overnight. No, we all are like people who have tremendous breathing difficulty. So in the beginning we have to exercise it and after a while it just becomes unconscious.

You're breathing all the time day and night 24 7 so that is the that we can come to the place where the presence of the Lord is there not consciously, but He's there all the time and how do we know that?

There's a spontaneous reaction. For example, you run into a problem and immediately you pray. You don't think of Oh now which man can help me here. That's not my first question. But Lord help me here or I lost something was very important.

I need to find it and immediately the Lord is there in front of me Lord. Please help me. That's very important I need to find it. What a wonderful thing. It is to live in the presence of the Lord. Oh I feel sorry for Christians who don't Have this or when you speak to your wife or to your husband.

How would you speak of Jesus were physically standing there between you think of that? How would you speak? You say sometimes I lose control of myself and get irritated. I'll tell you you will never get irritated if Jesus were physically standing there.

How is that? That means you can't control yourself. Even if a believer from your church is standing there. You will not get angry and upset with your wife or your husband because he's listening. You have so much fear of what a believer in the church will think about you and that you can't control yourself when you say You can't control it.

It's an absolute lie. What a difference it'll make. Not if some believer from the church was there always with you between you and your husband or wife, but if Jesus is there What a difference it'll make in our conversation.

What a difference it'll make in Our attitude for example, you're filing your income tax. Jesus is watching what you're writing. You won't write one cent less than what you're wearing you'll be honest and You'll get a pay.

Oh, I have to pay so much more tax. Sure. Lord help me. I want to be upright in this or in financial dealings with other people. I would rather let another person cheat me Of any amount rather than me cheat him of one cent.

I do not want in my bank account one cent that does not belong to me. I Don't want to owe anybody anything. See when Jesus is there always I set the Lord always before me. Always and when he is always before me it says in Acts 2 25, this is also true.

He'll be there with me so that I don't shake. I set the Lord always before me and he's there to help me not not to be shaken but to stand firm and This is the purpose With which Jesus said he's gonna send the Holy Spirit.

I wanted you to turn for a moment to. By the way, this acts 225 is a quotation from Psalm 16 verse 8. Maybe I should turn there first and show you that verse before we proceed in Psalm 16 verse 8 Which is where Peter quoted it from it reads like this.

I Have set the Lord always before me he's at my right hand, and I will not be shaken and Look what happens When the Lord is always before me in his presence verse 11 is fullness of joy. At your right hand our pleasures forevermore Psalm 16 verse 11.

That's the full passage. So when you set the Lord before me continually always Psalm 16 verse 8 What becomes true is fullness of joy. There is only one place in the universe Where there's fullness of joy and we'll come to that in a moment.

And that is Psalm 16 11 in God's presence. You cannot experience it anywhere else. All the joys of earth are temporal the pleasures that people seek to get joy. Whether it's pleasure eating ice cream or pleasure in sex or the pleasure of suddenly Earning a fortune.

It's temporary in the presence of the Lord. There are pleasures which are eternal eternal pleasure Psalm 16 11 and fullness of joy. So it's a wonderful thing. You have the Lord Before us now in John chapter 14.

You know when Jesus was at the Last Supper and he was telling them that he's gonna go away and they were feeling sad. Our Lord is going away. These things are so different if he was in the boat. It didn't matter if there was a storm.

When we faced a problem if Jesus was there we had no worry. If the wine ran out at a wedding Jesus is there problem solved or there are thousands of people here to be fed. Everybody's hungry and the stores are all closed.

Jesus is there problem solved. So they saw this all the time. What a wonderful life you're having. Jesus is here all the time with us. And now he says going away. And there was sadness in their heart not just that he's going away the most wonderful person they ever knew was going away, but What are we going to do with all the problems we face in life now and then.

Jesus said here's the answer. Verse John 14 and verse 16. I will ask the father and He will give you not a helper, but another helper. Notice that another helper and the meaning is someone who's called alongside you to help you.

Someone who's gonna come. We are like handicapped people running a race and here's someone who's coming to help us run that race. And why does he say another helper meaning Jesus saying I'm the first helper.

I've been with you all the time helping you in every situation. He could ask this question to those disciples. Was there a single situation you face that I didn't help you. But it's a storm on the lake or some other problem.

You faced when people were there. I was there now. I'm going away, but I'm gonna send you another helper just like me. That's the third person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit, and he will be with you forever.

The Holy Spirit and he says that is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive. Anyone who's loving the world cannot have the Holy Spirit ruling his life impossible. So the more we are detached from the spirit of this world, we live in the world, but we're not of this world we don't Allow the world to influence us.

The world cannot receive him, but you know him and he abides with you now at the moment. He's with you Verse 17, but on the day of Pentecost, he'll be in you. See he's now with you and one day. Which is just a few days from now.

He will be in you on the day of Pentecost. Then he says I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. What do you mean? I'll come to you. Is he talking about a second coming? No, he's talking about his coming in the Holy Spirit.

When you ask Jesus to come into your heart sincerely when you turn from your sin. It's the Holy Spirit who comes in. Yeah, that's very clear in Romans chapter 8. It says that if you don't have the Spirit of Christ Romans and chapter 8 in verse 9.

Romans 8 9 is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is not in you. You're not even born again. The moment you ask Jesus to come into your heart Jesus is in heaven. He's been there. He'll come back at his second coming.

But when you ask Jesus to come into your heart is the Spirit of Christ that comes in and in you. Now you may not be filled with the Holy Spirit. That's another thing, but he comes in to dwell and Whether he fills you or not depends on whether you yield yourself completely to him, but he comes in.

Comes in primarily to bring the presence of the Lord with you always. So make that your prayer Lord. I want to experience this. I've set the Lord before me always the second thing. That We not must do but can do.

You know The Old Testament had laws like thou shalt thou shalt not thou shalt not commit murder thou shalt not commit adultery. You shall love your neighbors. They were all commands commands commands.

But when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount notice the difference. It's a very important difference in Matthew 5. He said the Old Testament commandment said you shall not commit murder. But I'm not saying you shall not get angry.

It was not the same spirit. I want you to notice this. He says if you get angry, you'll be guilty. So see the difference. It's not you shall not get angry in the same way Verse 27 you were told in the Old Testament.

You shall not commit adultery. Now, I'm not saying you shall not look at a woman. But I say if you look at a woman with lust you commit adultery. The command is the same, but it's a different spirit. I hope you recognize that.

The Old Testament command said you shall not make false vows Matthew 5 33, but I say to you don't make a oath at all and so on. It's not. You shall not. That's not the spirit of the New Covenant, but you will.

You will not which is different from you shall not. It's not telling a lame man. You must walk. But telling a lame man, you will walk. It's a lot of difference between that and so Keep that in mind. So keep that in mind in all these when we say seven things We must always do it is seven things.

We can always do. And the Lord says we can do it so the second thing is the first is keep the Lord always before us and the second is in Acts 24 and verse 16 Paul says I Keep my conscience blameless always always keeping a good conscience 24 7.

Why do I do that because it says in verse 15 one day there'll be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked and I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous and In view of this we're 16. In other words because I don't want to be in the resurrection of the wicked.

Which is another resurrection. I Want to be in the resurrection of the righteous, you know what I do to qualify for that. He doesn't say well 20 years ago. I accepted Jesus into my heart. I met him on the Damascus Road.

And so I'm definitely going to be in the resurrection of the righteous. That's the way a lot of carnal Christians speak today. We're probably not even converted. Paul didn't say that. He said I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous.

And so what do I do? In view of this verse 16 in order to be in that resurrection of the righteous. I do my best. I don't just sit back and say Lord do it in me. I cooperate with the Lord. I do my best to keep my conscience always clear.

That means If I've done something wrong I immediately said it, right? See to keep your conscience always clear is different from having victory over sin always. That's a higher level. But keeping your conscience always clear is something Every one of us can do if we want to.

It's like saying if a thorn gets into your foot pull it out. If a mosquito is sitting on your hand biting you Brush it off. Don't pray Lord remove that mosquito. Don't pray Lord remove that thorn. You got to do it.

Yeah, God gives you the willingness and desire but you got to work out. See Philippians 2 verse. Philippians and chapter 2. And verse 12 and 13 where it says you work out your salvation. And verse 13 which God is working in you.

It's a cooperation. Take my yoke upon you Jesus said. To a yoke between two bullets. You're one and I'm one. Jesus says you work out what I work in. God works in. And we work it out. If you say no Lord, you do everything then you're asking God to make you a robot.

You know robots these programmed computer objects. That look like human beings. But they're programmed to do something. They don't have a will of their own they can never become children of God. We can say the Planets and the stars are like robots.

They just obey God for thousands of years, but they can't become children of God. And if God made you like that a robot you could never be a child of God. You'd never be a child of the devil. You'd just be like the stars and the planets.

They're not children of God. They're not children of the devil the robots but God gave Adam a free will. And even after we are born again, we have a free will and we have to make a choice. I determine by the grace of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To keep my conscience always clear if a thorn comes in my foot. I'm going to pull it out. That's the meaning of it as soon as you're convicted in your conscience about something. Confess it to God. First of all, Lord I'm, sorry, that was a dirty thought that was a rude word.

I spoke there. Please forgive me and then Go to that person and say I'm, sorry for the way I spoke. I'm, sorry for the way I hurt you or if you cheated somebody return that money or Another point if somebody has hurt you Forgive him that's also keeping a good conscience.

If you don't forgive someone you've got a bad conscience. But Jesus said when we pray when we say father forgive us our sins exactly. Like we forgive others. That's what the Lord taught us in the Lord's prayer.

What is known as the Lord's prayer our father who art in heaven. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass or sin against us. So we are asking the Lord, Lord forgive me in exactly the same way As I have forgiven that person and if you have not forgiven that person you're telling the Lord not to forgive you.

Because that's the prayer. Forgive us our sins as we forgive others in exactly the same way as we forgive others. Or if you forgive others but retain a terrific grudge against that person you're saying Lord forgive me.

But always keep a grudge against me. Do you know the meaning of that prayer forgive us as we forgive others. Keep your conscience clear always forgive people from your heart. Don't worry about your memory.

We have no control over our memory. You'll always remember the things that people did against you 20 30 40 all your life. You cannot forget what people did against you. No I can't forget That the many things people have done against me.

I'm a servant of the Lord and servants of the Lord are targets of satan and many and they Satan uses people to hurt us. So many people have troubled me in numerous ways in the 61 years I've been a believer but I can honestly say before God.

I don't have anything against Any one of them. I've forgiven every one of them totally. My conscience is absolutely clear. I can say to the Lord without any hesitation Lord forgive me. Exactly like I have forgiven others.

I can't forget what they did. God also cannot forgive. God's got a memory better than mine. He remembers everything but he's forgiven me. You think God doesn't know what all we have done against him? I mean, I remember how can God's memory be poorer than mine?

I know the foolish things I did and I was unconverted and even after I was converted but God's blotted it all out in the blood of Christ. It doesn't condemn me anymore so I Say Lord, I want to forgive people.

I can't remove it from my memory. But in my will the will is the important thing I forgive that person and I go to ask forgiveness from anyone very very important. You cannot keep your conscience clear.

Always if you don't forgive people as soon as they've done something wrong against you. If you don't ask forgiveness because he says here I keep my conscience blameless before God and before men. It's not enough to confess to God you got to confess to men.

I'm sorry if you hurt your wife. Wasn't you spoke a rude word to your wife or your husband this morning? When should you ask forgiveness for it tomorrow? No in the evening. No immediately. Oh Soon as you're aware of it Darling, I'm sorry.

I spoke that word to you. Please forgive me. It's so difficult for people to say that that was my mistake. Please forgive me. You know, why because we are so proud. That's the reason and that's the reason why many people are not filled with the spirit always you're so proud.

So keep your conscience clear always not because I want to get into the resurrection of the righteous. That would be very selfish. That's true in view of the fact that I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous.

I keep my conscience clear and those who don't keep their conscience clear according to this word I believe they will not be in the resurrection of the righteous. But that's not the reason I keep my conscience clear.

I keep my conscience clear because God has been so good to me. Because he's forgiven me so much. That's why I want to forgive others everything. Not because of some selfish reason I want to go to heaven.

I want to get a reward. No, but because God's been so good to me. He's been so good to me that it makes me want to be good to others. He's let rivers flow into my life. I just want to let it flow through me to others.

Those are not my rivers that God sends it to me and it flows out through me other through me to others. Like you know, God shovels his riches into me and I shovel it out to others that's how it is. So it's a wonderful life when you recognize.

How much? God has done for us. So we don't do it with any selfish reason. I'll forgive others if I get this reward. No. Rewards are God's business. Let him give it. I know he'll give it but that's not why we do it.

It's good to believe God gives rewards, but if you do something for the sake of reward It has no value like you don't want your children to obey you because You're going to give them some reward. That would be second best.

It's not the best. So keep your conscience clear always now number three. Jesus said in Luke chapter 18 verse 1 men ought to pray always and Not men ought at all times to pray at all times to pray and That's repeated in a couple of other passages.

Let me just read it to you Ephesians 6 talking about Running against Satan it says in verse 18 praying at all times in the spirit in the Holy Spirit. Not necessarily with words you can't keep on speaking 24 hours in prayer.

No. It's praying at all times in the spirit in your spirit in the Holy Spirit at all times. And I'll explain to you what that means in a moment or when Thessalonians 5 and verse 17 It says here pray without seizing pray at all times and pray without seizing.

And pray at all times in the spirit. So when I read this, you know, I read so many testimonies as a young Christian. I was reading biographies of Christian People. I have read of people who used to pray two hours every day and someone who used to pray four hours every day or Some people who would never meet anyone till 12 o 'clock in the afternoon always spend the time before known with God.

And you know, I was a working man. I was working in the Navy and I said, well, that's impossible for me. I have to go to work and Sometimes I go to work at 6 30 in the morning and on a ship and how can I do this?

How can I pray all the time and Where in the world am I going to manage two hours four hours a day and I used to get reading all those testimonies did Not challenge me to tell you honestly, they discouraged me.