Liberating Truth & a Life Abundant Unto Him — Stephen Kaung

I do thank the brothers and sisters who invited me to this Young People's Conference year after year because attending such a conference really made me feel younger. And I do thank you all for this grace.

I told the young people before that I did not come as a speaker. I come as a fellowshipper. In other words, I would like to fellowship with your dear brothers and sisters because every time I attend such a Young People's Conference, it reminds me of my younger days.

And I do thank the Lord that you are more privileged than I was in my younger days. So we really need to treasure such time. Now, in your handbook, I notice there's a question there. Do you know the truth?

Pilate’s Question and the Truth of Christ’s Kingdom

And that question waits to be answered by everyone who attends this conference. And I don't know, up to the present moment, what is your answer. You know, about 2 ,000 years ago, there was a man who asked a similar question.

When our Lord Jesus was delivered by the Jews to the Roman governor, Pilate. Now, Pilate asked our Lord Jesus, Are you the king of the Jews? And our Lord Jesus said, Is it something that you say yourself, or is it something that people told you?

And the Roman governor said, I'm not a Jew. Are you the king of the Jews? Our Lord Jesus said, You have said it. I come for that purpose. I'm born to be king. But my kingdom is not of this world. Now, if my kingdom is of this world, my people will fight for me and deliver me, and will not allow this to happen.

But my kingdom is not of this world. I'm come to bear witness to the truth. And all that are of the truth will hear me. Then Pilate asked this important question. What? But unfortunately, he did not wait for the answer from our Lord Jesus.

How very different it would be, if he should wait to hear the answer. But he didn't wait. He asked the question. But he went out, and made his own decision. And what a serious mistake he made. Because he delivered an innocent man.

And there was a story about Pilate. It's just a story. And the story said that, you remember, Pilate knew that our Lord Jesus was innocent. And as a matter of fact, he was trying to save Jesus. But the Jews insisted, and being a politician, he wanted to please the people.

So finally, you remember, before he gave the judgment, he washed his two hands in a basin, saying that, I am clear. I am clean of this crime. Because you insisted on it. The legend was, Pilate in hell, is always washing his hands.

But whenever his hands was coming out of the basin, blood flows from his hands. That was the legend. A serious mistake. So I wonder, brothers and sisters, you who are so privileged these days, now how are you going to answer this question?

Knowing About the Gospel Versus Knowing Christ

Do you know the truth? Or maybe you said, of course I do. Probably many of you were brought up in Christian families. Just like I do. You know, I was brought up in a Christian home. My father was a pastor.

And he loved the Lord. So from my childhood, I knew Bible stories, and the church meetings of Jesus Christ. Now if people will ask me, do you know the truth? I would say, of course I do. I know the true teaching of the Lord Jesus.

That He came to this world to save sinners. But even so, did I know the truth at that time? Truthfully, I did not. Because I knew all about the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I did not believe in Him. I thought I was too good that needs to be saved.

Other people need a Savior. But I don't. So I did not know the truth. But thank God by His grace, when I was 15 years old, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit of my sins, the Savior. He saved me. Now, did I know the truth then?

Abiding in Christ’s Word and Freedom from Sin

To a certain degree, yes. You notice, in the portion that Dana mentioned a number of times, that is, in John 8, verses 30 and 31. Maybe we'll look at it. Will you please turn to John 8, verses 30 and 31.

Verse 30 said, As he spoke these things, many believed on him. In other words, many believed on the Lord Jesus. And then, Jesus therefore said to the Jews who believed Him. Now remember, these are the Jews who believed the Lord Jesus.

If ye abide in my word, ye are truly my disciples. Verse 32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Here you find our Lord Jesus is telling those who believe in Him, saying that, if you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

So here you find the truth more than the basic truth, knowing the Lord Jesus as the Savior. Thank God for that, that we know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. And not only the Savior of the world, but my Savior.

Thank God for this truth, because this truth saves us. But what our Lord Jesus is saying here, He is saying to the believers, those who have already believed Him as the Savior, the Lord said, now if you abide in my word.

Now what is meant by abiding? The word simply means making home in. In other words, you make your home in the word of God. You stay in His word. You continue in His word. Not just you hear it, but you stay in it.

You keep it. You observe it. You follow it. Now if you abide in my word, the Lord Jesus said, then you are my disciple. It is more than just to be a believer. That is the beginning. But the Lord said, after you believe, you shall abide in my word.

You shall follow me. You should be my disciple. And if you are my disciple, what will happen? You shall know the truth. And the truth shall set you free. So the truth here is something more than knowing a fact.

The truth here is something that can set you free. Power will liberate you from all bondages. It is not just the teaching, however correct it may be. The right teaching. But behind the teaching there is a reality.

There is a power. There is a life. And this truth will set you free. So remember, do you know the truth? What we mean here is do you know the truth that sets you free? You are a believer. You are free from eternal death.

But are you free from committing sins in your daily life? Are you free from the temptations? Whether you yield to temptations or you overcome temptations. Are you free from the power of the world? The things of the eyes.

The lust of the flesh. And the pride. Are you free from the power of the world? Are you free from yourself? From your flesh? From your lust? From your passions? Are you free from all these things? Are you free from the temptations that come from Satan, the enemy?

Do you live a Christian life that is free? Do you live a life that overcomes? Are you able to do what you feel you know you should do? And you are able not to do what you should not do? Is your Christian life a free life?

A liberating life? Uplifting life? Glorious life? Happy life? Now, what is your Christian life today? Remember, I was saved in 1930. I was deeply touched by the love of Christ. I remember every morning I got up with all the other family members.

I spent an hour on my knees singing, reading the Bible, praying. I was zealous for the Lord. There were Christian meetings in our schools. We went to the villages to preach the Gospel to the people. Very zealous for the Lord.

And I was even determined to go to Mongolia to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I knew the truth, to be free. I tried to serve God according to what I thought He should be served. All my own zealousness, zeal for Him.

I read the Bible, yes. But I was not able to get behind the Word of God and get to the reality of it. You remember our Lord Jesus, after He was raised from the dead, how He gathered with the eleven disciples in a mountain in Galilee.

The Great Commission: Making Disciples, Not Merely Converts

And there He said, All authority has been given to me. Go ye to the nations. Go ye. Disciple all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them all things.

To observe all things that I have enjoined you. And I will be with you all the days until the completion of the age. Now we usually say this is the Great Commission. And the Great Commission to many minds means go to the nations to evangelize the nations.

Preach the gospel. Evangelize them. To bring them to the Lord Jesus. To make believers out of them. Thank God this is included. But our Lord has a higher call. His call is go, disciple all nations. Not just evangelize them, but disciple them.

Now you need to believe before you can be a disciple. To follow. But the Lord wants disciples. Disciple all nations. And the initiation to this discipleship is baptism. Now people ask now, I believe in the Lord Jesus and I am saved.

So why should I be baptized? Well you need to be baptized because baptism is the initiation into discipleship. Into the school of Christ. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And then teach them to observe all things which I have enjoined you.

Baptism as the Initiation into Discipleship

I can recall was sprinkled. Now I didn't know. I don't know whether I cry or not. I don't know. But after I was saved by this matter of baptism. One of my schoolmates he got baptized by immersion. After he believed in the Lord Jesus.

And he challenged me. And said you need to be baptized. Why? Because the Bible said believe and be baptized. When you were sprinkled as a baby you didn't know what was believing. You need to believe yourself.

And then be baptized because that is a testimony. Well I argued with him. I said I have already been baptized. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And I should not do it again. And then later on another friend of mine challenged me.

And I argued with him again. I said I have been baptized. So I shouldn't. But do you know deep within my heart as I have been reading the Bible. I knew that when I was a baby and baptized with a sprinkling of waters.

That really doesn't count. Because it's not according to the Word of God. I must believe myself. And then to express my faith to be baptized. But I refused to do that. Because I love my Father. My Father was the pastor of the Methodist Church.

And in the Methodist Church of course we use sprinkling. And I felt if I should be baptized by immersion. What will happen to my Father? So I refused. I knew in my heart I should be baptized. According to the Word of God.

Abide in my Word. But I couldn't do it. And I still remember one day a friend of mine talked to me about baptism. And again I argued with him. So he thought I was hopeless. He left me alone. And I was sitting there.

I said, Lord I know I should be baptized. Not convenient. After I graduated from college. After I'm independent. Then I will be. I tried to bargain with God. And then I heard almost audibly. But of course not with my outward ear.

But I could always hear it. A Word came to me. He who loves his Father and Mother, Brothers and Sisters Wives and Children and his own life cannot be my disciple. That Word was so powerful. You love your Father or you love the Lord more.

And when that Word came to me, I had to yield. I said, Lord You first. So immediately I went to the next door. When a dear brother watched him when he lived. I knocked his door. And I said I wanted to be baptized.

I was baptized the next day. But dear brothers and sisters why I say this? I didn't know that baptism initiates me into the school of Christ. I didn't know that. But I can testify. After I was baptized it seems that the spiritual world spiritual realm began to open up to me.

In other words, Christianity is not just an external thing. I find that in the Word of God there is a reality there. There is a spiritual realness there. And spiritual understanding began to come upon me.

I began to understand even though still limited, but began to understand that behind what you can see and hear there is something deeper more real there that opened up my inner eyes. So I realized that baptism is the initiation into discipleship.

Yielding to Christ Rather Than Living a Self-Centered Christian Life

Dear brothers and sisters why is it sometimes you feel you have heard so much but so little is real to you? Why is it that you know about all the teachings and yet very few teachings you experience in your own life?

Why is it? Why is it that what you know in your mind does not become life? Your Christian life is unreal. Superficial and outward walk of life. Not an inward walk of life. A living relationship with the Lord Jesus.

You you you go beyond as it were the word you read in the Bible and receive the power out of it. Brothers and sisters where is the secret? What makes the difference? Not only a believer because a believer receives grace from the Lord Jesus but he is still self-centered.

Christ for me. You are still in charge of your life. If it suits you you obey. You follow. If it doesn't suit you you disobey. You go your own way. In other words the Lord Jesus who wants to transform your life, to bless you to conform you to his own image to fulfill purpose in your life that your life may be full according to God's will but he cannot do it because you still hold yourself in your own hands.

You have not yet yielded to him to be his disciple. You know when our Lord Jesus was on earth, how he called disciples. One day he walked by the sea of Galilee and he saw Peter and his brother Angel they were casting the nets because they were fishermen and the Lord said come follow me.

I will make you fishermen and they left their boat their nets and followed the Lord. And the Lord went forward a little bit and he saw the two brothers, sons of Zebedees John and James they were mending the net and the Lord said come, follow me and they left.

Have you committed yourself totally to the Lord? Allow him to mold you and fashion you according to his will? Are you willing to put yourself in his hand, become life? That reminds me of Luke chapter 14.

The Cost and Conditions of Following Jesus

In Luke chapter 14 from verse 25 to verse 35 was walking and great multitudes went with him. Now you can imagine that great multitude that walked with our Lord Jesus many of them they went with the Lord Jesus because they saw the wonders and miracles that our Lord Jesus performed.

They were attracted by these miracles and wonders. And probably many of them were attracted by having be fed you know, you remember our Lord Jesus, your five loaves and two fishes to feed the five thousand and they wanted him to be king because food problem was solved they didn't need to work so many follow him because they were fed and some follow him probably because they like his teaching.

Well they say he taught differently than the Pharisees because he taught with authority and probably many more. They went with Jesus just out of curiosity when you see a crowd you just go and join the crowd a mixed multitude suddenly our Lord Jesus turned around and he challenged them.

Now listen to what our Lord said if anyone wants to be my disciple now these are your hate your father and mother brother and sister wife and children and yourself too you cannot be my disciple. Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple unless you forsake all and follow me you cannot be my disciple.

Did you hear it? How can we be the disciples of Jesus Christ? What are the tests? Entrance examination to the school of Christ. What are the conditions? Our Lord Jesus did not mince words cheat us in any way.

He will make it clear. Now what did he say? Did we hear rightly? Unless you hate your father and mother and so and so and yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Well doesn't the Bible teach we should honor our parents because that is the first commandment with promise isn't the Bible teaches husband love your wife?

Doesn't the Bible say your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should not corrupt that temple, take good care of that temple yes these are the teachings in the Bible but why is it our Lord Jesus said hate you know we always connect the word hate with something bad you know it's a bad connotation but actually the word hate is a neutral word, an emotional expression it is just like love is it love itself is neutral.

If you love what needs to be love that's right. If you love what should not be loved that's wrong. If you hate what should not be hated you're wrong but if you hate what should be hated that is right, do you see this love he hates, now how about we, do we know how to exercise our emotional life.

Do we know how to love. Do we know how to hate. Strictly speaking brothers and sisters we have been fallen, we have been fallen into sins. Our natural life is sinful, carnal selfish. That's the reason why whatever comes out of us the apostle Paul said in me, that is in my flesh there is no good we love what we should hate.

We hate what we should love even when we love rightly there is a selfishness in it, it is not pure. The parents love the children, holy is that kind of love, but sometimes the parents just love the children and indulge, do not discipline them as they should.

Is that real love. Later on when the children grow up they will blame their parents. Why, because their parents did not discipline them did not love them in a real way. So brothers and sisters remember our emotional life needs to be purified, so that we can love with the love of God and hate with the hate of God.

Now how can it be purified. It can be purified only when our love our hate with the love of God with hate. In other words, what God hates we hate what God loves we love. Now how can we do that. How can we arrive at that point.

It can be purified if we love the Lord Jesus above all our natural love all our natural relationship love the Lord with your God, with all your heart with all your soul with all your understanding with all your strength.

Now when we love God above everything then our emotional life is purified and we will be filled with the love of God. We can love our father and mother with a real love. Love our children with a real love with our wife and husband with real love and with even our own self with a real love and also hate the same manner it purifies us.

So it doesn't mean that now some youngsters they hate their parents and when they hear this, they say that's good. You know we can hate because the word says so no, you misunderstand that what the Lord is trying to say is your emotion needs to be purified.

And then you will have the love of God and the hate of God and you will live a life that will be pure and glorified. Take up your cross and follow me. What is a cross? A cross is where your mind and God's mind cross each other.

You want to go one way and God's will for you is go the other way. And when these two are crossed what will you do? Willing to allow your own thought allow your own opinion crucified on the cross and allow the will of God to get through in your life.

Now unless you are willing to do that you are not able to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. You know if you commit your life to the Lord Jesus the Holy Spirit will arrange daily crosses for you. You don't need to create crosses for other people nor create crosses for yourself.

He will arrange your life in such a way. There will be plenty of opportunities to find out how your mind will cross with God's mind your thought with God's thought your will with God's will your love with God's love and your hate with God's hate.

You will find enough opportunity. Are you willing to take up your cross daily and follow the Lord to put it in another way. Unless you forsake all that is your own you cannot be the disciple of Jesus Christ.

What does it mean? It means that unless you give up yourself your right to your own life you are willing to forsake all. The Lord says you cannot be my disciple. Why? It is because He is not able to train you.

He is not able to work in your life to complete you. Because when He wants to do something in your life you will not give Him permission to do it. You know our God respects our will. He will not force you into anything.

If you don't want it He can persuade you but He will not force you. So He is waiting for your willingness. And if you are willing if you put yourself in His hand He has the freedom to do all that He wants to do in your life.

And are you willing to put yourself in His hand. Now these are the conditions for discipleship. The entrance examination as it were. You know in the old days they do not have school like we have today.

Today you have school and you pay a tuition. And then you go to school. You know to learn what the teachers have to teach you. And if you are not happy you can change another school. You can still live your own home.

You don't need to live in the dormitory very free. But in the old days you don't have school. In the old days it's all apprenticeship. You know when you want to learn a trade you will be sent to a master.

And if the master is willing to take you in you know you don't choose the master. The master chooses you. You know and you will leave your home. You will stay with your master. Suppose your master is a carpenter and you want to learn the trade of a carpentry.

And then your parents will file a contract with the master maybe three years contract. And you will leave your home and stay with your master. Be a member in the family. And maybe during the first year he will not even teach you anything or allow you to touch any instrument.

Now what do you do during the first year. Well you serve the master when he is eating well you serve him. And maybe if he has a family with children you help with the children carry the children and sweep the floor.

Do all these mundane things. You have no freedom. You cannot say I want to go home. No, unless the master gives you permission you cannot go home. You stay there with him for thirty years. And gradually he allows you to touch the instrument.

And he begins to teach you some skills. And when you graduated you not only have learned his skill you learn his life. You will walk like him you will talk like him. You learn his life. Now that is discipleship.

The Lord Jesus said learn of me. You commit your life to me and I will transform you to be conformed to my own image to be like Christ. Brothers and sisters is there anything more glorious than that. Is there anything more blessed than that.

But he cannot do that unless you commit yourself totally to him and say Lord I deliver my right to you, you can do anything in your life with my life. I'm yours. And you know by right you are his. He bought you with a price but he wants you to voluntarily forsake your all and follow him.

Counting the Cost of a Life Surrendered to Christ

But you know he will not trick you into it. So the Lord Jesus used two parables in Luke 14. One parable is if you want to build a tower you first sit down and count the cost. Whether you are willing you are able to pay the full price.

Otherwise when you lay the foundation and you are not able to finish it then everybody will mock at you and say here is a person who begin well but never finish. Or if a king is going to fight a battle with an enemy the enemy is coming with 10 ,000 soldiers and you are only willing to use 10 ,000 soldiers.

In other words you are not willing to use all your strength but only 10 ,000 soldiers. Now if that is the case you know you will be defeated. So better send an emissary and ask for peace. Now what does it mean.

You know Christian life is like building a tower, a tower is a testimony. Christian life is a testimony. We are testifying to our Lord Jesus. That is Christian life. But how can you testify of the Lord Jesus if your life is contrary to the life of our Lord Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus loves us with such love. He gave all he who is equal with God he who is God he emptied himself of all his glory and honor. And he came into this world to take up the form of a born slave being in the fashion of a man.

He was obedient to God even to death and death, the death of the cross. Brothers and sisters our Lord Jesus the Son of God he gave all that is his testimony. And to bear that testimony we have to surrender.

In other words, you count the cost. Are you willing to give your all even though your all is just a little. How can we compare with what our Lord Jesus has poured out for us. All we can give to him is our sin our weaknesses our faults our selfishness.

What can we give to him. But our Lord Jesus gave his all. It is the love of Christ that constrains us. So we can no longer live for ourselves. We have to live for him who lived and died died and lived for us brothers and sisters who can fulfill these conditions.

Nobody can. The Lord demands the impossible with men it is impossible with God. All things are possible. In other words, he will do it. We cannot do it. But when his love touches our heart when his love captures us it can be done.

So the Lord said count your cost. So your testimony will be firm and spiritual life is a war is a warfare. You know, we are fighting a spiritual war. Not only you will have the visible world there is an invisible world and the invisible world is just as real or even more real than the visible world.

And there is a warfare going on God and Satan. God wants to have you, Satan also wants to have you, where will you stand? Are you willing to give your all to the Lord and allow him to use you to defeat Satan and his kingdom, but to do that you have to give your all.

You cannot reserve keep back anything from him. He demands your all brothers and sisters, count your cost. I knew a young man many years ago at one time in his spiritual life he was at a crossroad, he loved the Lord but there were many things he was unable to lay down.

He was like a man who put his two legs on two boats and the two boats were sailing gradually further and further apart. That was his feeling at that time, he wanted to go on all the way with the Lord but he couldn't because there were so many things that he couldn't give up, he struggled.

And then one day he went to a meeting and in that meeting the brother preached on Luke chapter 14 and the point was if you want to follow the Lord, count your cost. If you do not count the cost, you will never succeed.

Sooner or later you will drop out. It was a challenge. So after the meeting was over people stayed there for lunch for the afternoon meeting and after lunch everybody sat there and just rested. And this young man he sat there he asked the Lord why is it that my Christian life is not satisfied.

Why is it that there seems to be a block to my advance in spiritual life. Why is it he has believed the Lord for a few years already. But he felt there was a check somewhere, he wanted to go all the way with the Lord, but he couldn't do it.

So he asked the question, is it because I have never. So he sat there and began now as he counted the cost the cost raised higher and higher. You know the enemy would try to crowd into his mind all kinds of thoughts.

He came to the conclusion if he followed the Lord all the way he would be cast out of the university where he was a student. He would be cast out of his own home, no future nothing finished. So he told the Lord he couldn't do it.

It's impossible, at that moment he saw the Lord it is as if the Lord came to him and showed him his bleeding hand his bleeding hand and the Lord said to him I give all to you. What do you do for me. That love of Christ melted, and he said Lord and everything, blood life, everything the cost, it didn't end that way.

He still finished his university. He was not cast out of home but Lord opened a way for him and brothers and sisters after so many years the Lord is worthy. He gave you so much more than you gave up. Because he is love.

Abandoning Ourselves to Know the Truth

He wants to complete you to bring you into all the truth, experience him as all and in all. So dear young brothers and sisters my heart goes out to you all don't try to follow him half-heartedly. He deserves you all, abandon yourself to him allow him to work out his glorious purpose and you shall know the truth.

And the truth is the Son of God shall set you free. You are free dear Lord you love us so much. You want the best for us but you are waiting for us to abandon ourselves to you and let your bleeding hand recreate us according to your image.

Oh Lord do not allow any one of us here to turn back saying it is impossible. Lord enable us to look to thy grace. Allow thee to do the impossible. Oh glorify yourself. Lord we commit all the young brothers and sisters into your as an offering.