Matthew 20:24 — Joshua Daniel

God, Thou one true living and loving Savior, we are not worthy to come into Your presence. And I am not worthy to call You Father. I do not even understand the greatness and the depth of Your holiness.

How little I am then able to declare this great Savior. But in my helplessness I come to You. Oh, lift up Your holy Son. We ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Please be seated, my dear friends. I notice that we have now crossed 4 ,700 people in the camp.

That's excluding the day visitors. And many are expected in the morning. Now, if you do not possess a Bible, this is an opportune time for you to buy one. Now, dear friends, we are going to pay some attention to Matthew chapter 20.

The Disciples’ Ambition in Matthew 20

Matthew chapter 20 and verse 24. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers. Now, what is the context of this scripture? Just let's look at what precedes this.

Maybe we'll turn to Mark 10 and verse 41. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. What is the context? Thirty-seventh verse. They said unto Jesus, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on the right hand and the other on the left hand, in Your glory.

And Jesus said unto them, You know not what you ask. Can you drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. Forty, verse 40.

But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. Now, is it not in many ways a legitimate desire? It seems like a highly ambitious desire.

I want we brothers, want to sit on your right hand and on your left hand. In your glory in heaven. Well, it seems like a very legitimate longing. I want to be close to my master. Not simply on earth, but for eternity.

Today, if some of you are given a sudden message from heaven, you are going to be called tonight at 11 o 'clock. How many of you will say, Hallelujah? Or you will say, LSIO, what am I going to do? I don't know.

Earthly Desires and Heavenly Ambition

But our ambitions tend very much to this earth, and I am sad to say, very much to the gutter, to the lowest sewage. You know friends, I often feel I am not worthy of ever entering heaven. If I am given the lowest place in heaven, it is too good for me.

James and John, however, they followed the Lord in those days when he was despised. When he was not acknowledged. When they did not understand the cross and the resurrection. Now they, perhaps more than anybody else, deserve to be so close to Jesus in heaven.

But, who am I? What is a man like me? You ask any average person in this crowd. What did your mother and father teach you? They will tell you that even before they understood language, they heard the word money, money, money.

Not only the walls of the house resounded with money, money, money, that strange word was the most repeated word in the house. So, from childhood you were indoctrinated with money consciousness. Alright, money may buy a house, money may build a nice house, but can money ever buy love?

Never. Can money ever buy peace? No. Can money ever buy real enduring joy? Never. Only transient pleasures. And with a big hangover from your drink and your pleasure. Now, I am seeing a very tragic situation today.

Jealousy, Marriage, and the Unrighteous Heart

Now the cell phones are wreaking a great disaster in the lives of many. Boys calling girls. Strangers calling your wife. Your husband talking at midnight secretly. I can't understand how any woman feels secure these days.

After the marriage, the big argument between husband and wife. Why are you getting so many calls? You know the spirit of jealousy is of the devil. And idolatry begets this spirit of jealousy. Now, the cross of Jesus never brings into your heart thoughts of jealousy.

The cross of Jesus only makes you see your uncleanness and unworthiness. It does not make you scrutinize or investigate what your wife did 40 years before, 20 years before, when she was a girl of 13 and 14.

So, we are surrounded today by an evil spirit. Spirit of jealousy. Spirit of envy. Spirit of uncleanness. Spirit of adultery. Spirit of greed. Spirit of covetousness. Spirit of deceit. Spirit of hypocrisy.

What is this? We are being shaken like a little pebble in a box. By the devil. No, my friends. God gives you the spirit of love. Not the spirit of jealousy. Such thoughts, such words should never be heard in a family.

So, I see much unrest in families. On the one hand, there is repetitive talk about money. On the other hand, thoughts and words of jealousy. Is that a family? Can there be peace in such a family? Let me tell you.

Money, talk, breeds murder. Money, talk, breeds murder. Yes. Arguments of money. Arguments of money. Then the secret desire, oh, if this woman dies, I can marry some rich girl. Listen. Your money buys you all these cancers.

Does it buy you money? Peace? No. Does it buy you long suffering? You know, the Bible speaks of gentleness as a fruit of the spirit. What brutal talk there is in many families. Someone told me, my mother told me today, her husband used to say to her son, I'll cut you in half.

My dear people, what kind of words we trade with each other. Spirit of jealousy. Spirit of doubt. I see so much of it. And it pains me so much. Now we see here, the ten were displeased. They were moved by indignation.

See, Matthew says they were moved by indignation. And Mark says they were displeased. Now listen. All right. Now listen, friends. The first shall be last and the last first. Do you want me to tell you I am the first?

Never. Never as long as I have breath. I do feel very unworthy. And I have good reason to be so. What light, what revival around me from my boyhood. Had I been more humble, more obedient. What greater things God would have done.

Sure. When I think of the sins of omission. What do I know? I may be one of the last in this crowd. Some of you may be way ahead. So, in a way, this kindergarten competition, I am the first, I am the latest, I am the greatest.

Is a terrible thing. You can see it everywhere. When I heard a great Bible teacher in America say, there is no competition and jealousy like there is among preachers. There is no competition and jealousy like there is among preachers.

Humility as a Secret of Revival

I was shocked. Now in revival, this is what I learnt. If anybody in the team desired the platform, if anybody in the team desired the platform, and had a hurt feeling, Oh, I am not given the preaching, I am not given the Bible class, I am not given this and given that.

Revival would be at a standstill. And my father used to say, Now, who is the one who is entering revival? Who is the one who is seeking to be the first or is harboring a hurt feeling? Generally, one or two people would come forward and say, Now, that's exactly how I was feeling.

And my father would ask them to repent. You are hindering the salvation of souls. So many people. And revival has stopped. All because of your pride and self-importance. Yes, my friends. Those were the secrets of revival that I was taught from my childhood.

Those were the secrets of revival that I was taught from my childhood. So, if I hear of preachers who are jealous, I can't understand that at all. What if God uses you much more? What if God makes you a preacher and a prophet What if God makes you a preacher and a prophet to rebuke the parliament?

I will rejoice. Oh, if someone would turn England around in this desperate hour in that nation. Oh, I will rejoice. But, revival is so far away and so far behind. Revival is so far away and so far behind.

I asked a big preacher in London. How is the situation, brother? He replied, The tide is far out. The tide is far out. How sad. My dear friends, with all your information technology and the big yield from it and money coming in into your family, the tide is far out.

Choosing the World or Spiritual Ambition

So, you are going to choose the world. So, you are going to choose the world. Look at these two young people. They were pretty rich because when Jesus called them, they left their father with the servants and followed Jesus.

Well, but their ambitions became very different from that point. What are your ambitions? My dear friends, I see a lot of people without spiritual ambition. I see a lot of people without spiritual ambition.

See, you know, I have from my youth conducted revival meetings. And I used to leave an overflowing crowd for my brothers to follow me. I used to leave an overflowing crowd for my brothers to follow me.

But, So, you know, friends, when you find yourself before a big crowd, somehow that engenders vanity and pride. So, some of our people were assistants in the government, clerks and others. So, some of our people were assistants in the government, clerks and others.

But, But, they did sacrifice. God lifted them. But, But, I don't see any spiritual ambition in them. What is this? Are we just a herd of animals? Doesn't something stir within us when people are still worshipping idols made by the workmen and by their own hands?

Doesn't something stir within us when people are still worshipping idols made by the workmen and by their own hands? My dear friends, you better examine whether you were ever touched at all by the Holy Spirit.

When He has come, He will glorify me. Now, I am seeing an amazing spectacle which grieves me and breaks my heart. Girls and boys brought up in the fellowship, as soon as they cross the Atlantic Ocean, I don't know what devils get hold of them.

Some of them will never come to our retreat. Now, go and ask the parents. What did you produce? A few parrots? And as long as you are there and give the cue, the parrots will speak. No spiritual ambition.

I want to sit with you on the right hand and the left hand, even when you are on the throne. Now, if you turn to Genesis 37, you see the brothers of Joseph. And the fourth verse, Genesis 37, and the fourth verse, and when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.

The eleventh verse, and his brothers envied him. Look at that. He had two prophetic dreams and in his innocence, he declared the dreams to his family. But the outcome was, he was hated and envied. Now, I do not know what kind of envy there is in your heart.

Envy, Reprobation, and the Call to Repentance

This is very strange. This is very strange. I do not know how it is possible. But it is just the grace of God. As I look back over my many years, there was never any case of someone whom I envied. I never went into competition with anybody.

I say, God be praised. If God is using you, God is building his work, may the Lord be praised. I have never gone and said, let me go and put a fellowship center next to a church. Some other church. Then we will call some of those people.

Never, never, my dear people. Never, never, my dear people. I know that is a competitive spirit that comes with the dollar. You can see it in Madras. So many people sitting next to each other, out shouting each other.

No, no, no, no, I like to go far away. I want to go where the gospel is not known. That is what we have done all these years. The tough places, the stagnant places. Unreached places where nobody wanted to go.

I don't know how God changed my wicked heart. I don't know how God changed my wicked heart. But I have never been in competition with anybody. So, anyway, here are these ten brothers. They envied this little boy.

And eventually they thought, we have disposed of this fellow. Threw him in that pit. Now, my friends, I don't know if you have also disposed of anybody. But in Romans, first chapter, there is a very serious warning.

There is a very serious warning. 29th verse. 28th verse says, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. God gave them over to a reprobate mind. What is the second mark or one of the early marks of this reprobate mind?

What is the early mark of this reprobate mind? First, filled with all unrighteousness. You know, to talk evil or slander anybody is unrighteousness flowing out of your heart. Filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy and murder.

Full of envy. What is this? Is there anybody here who has got some envy about somebody? Do you see that envy is mentioned as one of the outcomes of being reprobated? Turned away from salvation. Do you see this envy as one of the outcomes of being reprobated?

It carries a heavy penalty. Of course. When you hinder revival, when you become a stumbling block saying, I am the big man, listen my dear people, I go to places where I am not known. If I have a heart attack in some of those places, nobody will even identify me.

So, in a way, that does not matter in the least. But, what is this spirit which comes out of a reprobated state? It is very disruptive. It destroys revival. My friends, do you realize you can see the crowd here maybe, but do you see that there are crores and crores, tens of millions of people?

Missions, Religious Rivalry, and the Victory of Love

I went to Indonesia for one meeting. These last two years, just for one meeting. No, this last time, one meeting. A long journey and a very, somewhat inconvenient journey. But a country with the greatest Islamic population.

Surely, there must be deep in the heart of many a Muslim, a hunger for the assurance about which this young man spoke tonight. He, are my sins forgiven? Now, my dear friends, if you and I are mandated to go on pilgrimage, if you and I are mandated to go on pilgrimage, what would you expect from that pilgrimage?

Holiness of life? Or going to Cochin, going to some other place and getting hold of some girls there and marrying a fourth wife? Is that the inspiration that you receive? My dear people, religion has become so meaningless.

The devil is making religion religious people into competitors. So, this religion against the other. No, this is not a new thing. You have to describe the secret instructions given by some of these fanatic groups.

What is it? Throw them into the Bay of Bengal. We do not want any Christianity or Christ here. What is that? In which century are you living? Is there freedom of expression? Is there a constitutional freedom of faith?

Yes, in the constitution it is there. But in the unrighteous hearts of this country, there is an unmeaningful hatred for Jesus Christ. My dear people, I am not in any competition with anybody. I don't have to prove the obvious.

Is there any man on the face of the earth who needs to be told in the morning the sun is going to rise in the east? No. Do I need to say Jesus is the son of righteousness? No. Jesus being the son of God and the son of righteousness is so plain to me.

It is so plain for everybody to see. So I don't have to fight with anybody. We conquer by love. We overcome by faith. Our very banner is Jesus. His resurrection. Everybody knows there is no man who is resurrected in history.

Now friends, are we going to be preoccupied with trifles? Are we going to allow our carnal nature to take over? Are we going to allow our carnal nature to take over? Are we going to say, yes, my importance, my greatness?

Are we going to plainly declare by that that we don't care for the souls of men? My dear people, what are we doing? Eternal things have receded into the background. Academic questions and senseless disputations are our preoccupation.

Envying Moses Instead of Emulating Faith

No. If you turn to Psalm 106 and the 16th verse, the Bible says these men envied Moses. My, if I could ever have the faith of Moses, what a marvelous thing that would be. Oh, would you pray for me? I need that faith.

The faith that sees the sea dividing. The faith that sees the mountain quaking. The faith that sees millions walking dry shod while the waters stand in a heap. Everything else seems to be totally insignificant to me.

I have no desire to run after this and run after that, to buy this and buy that. I have no desire to run after this and run after that. But look at these foolish people. They envied Moses. They should have emulated Moses.

They should have said, Oh, give to us such faith, O God. How sad. Look at the heart of man. A wretched, ungrateful, miserable rag of unrighteousness. But, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from the upsurge of this old nature and the fount within.

That is the love of Jesus. That is the propitiatory death of Jesus. You find that that fount spills over, spills over. But when you see that fount of evil dried, replaced with a fount of love, My, what a power!

You will be. Your family will be. And this fellowship will be. Shall we humble ourselves and pray to this end? Let us pray. Let us pray. And anybody who has to leave, please leave quietly. Oh, Great Father.

Prayer for Cleansing, Revival, and Holy Ambition

Oh, Loving Father. This fountain of wickedness that springs from within Won't you cleanse us from this fountain of evil? How can I envy my brother? How can I push him down? Oh, Loving Father. You will replace this with the love of Calvary.

Come, Lord Jesus. Revival is taught. The revival has stopped. Now save us from our pride. Save us from all unrighteousness. Give us these heavenly ambitions while others are full of murder. Help us to be full of love.

Cleanse us, Lord. Wash us in your blood. We want your blessing upon all these dear people including the visitors this evening. Oh, save us from our old nature. Give us, Lord, the risen life. Oh, Lord, are we going to win millions for Jesus?

Oh, Lord, are we going to win millions for Jesus? Oh, Lord, are we going to be little midgets fighting over little marbles? Give to us holy ambition. I shall be like Jesus. I shall walk with Jesus. The trifling things of this world are nothing to me.

Oh, teach us to pray, Lord. Open the eyes of all the people around us. Millions of people without Jesus without the Son of God without the Son of Righteousness whether it is Europe or America or Africa or Asia Oh, Lord, we have the potential to go forward in Jesus' name.

We are not called to produce dollar hunters. Have compassion upon us, Lord. Give us this risen nature. Let this fellowship, let our families move forward. Wash us, wash us, Lord Jesus. The power of your blood has yet to be shown to this country.

Teach us, Lord Jesus. Make us clean vessels. Make us clean vessels. You can stand and pray.