Peter Tan-Chi - Be A Genuine Christ Follower
We're starting a new series. But it's not entirely new, it's part of the Sermon on the Mount. The greatest sermon ever written is called the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins by telling us how to be happy, the secret to happiness. Do you remember these eight tips? What's the secret? Blessed are the poor in spirit, be willing to humble yourself. Admit your needs before God. Blessed are those who mourn, be willing to repent of your sins. Blessed are the meek, be willing to surrender your will to the will of God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, be willing to pursue what is right. So those are the eight tips that we ended up talking about before our 34th anniversary, light and salt. Today we continue that series, What does it mean to be a true follower of Jesus?
My topic today is related to the comparison between real and fake products. How many of you have been fooled and bought something only to find out it was fake? Raise your hand if you bought something and it turned out to be fake. Let me tell you, 70% of all fakes are now purchased through the Internet. I saw this sign and it was amazing. Looking at this slogan, it is called a fake watch. Real fake watch. This is a big business. Over a trillion dollars, this counterfeiting industry. Let me ask you a question, what do the following products have in common? Gucci, Nike, Rolex. They are all expensive and all famous brands, right? But they are the most counterfeited brands, namely Gucci, Nike, and Rolex.
Can you guess where these fakes come from? China. OK, you know, most of it comes from China. But the most fake person, the most fake product, I don't know what to call it, what is it? Yes! Called Christian. Christians are the most hypocritical. What do I mean? Look at the heart of Jesus. Okay, we're going to start this series today, which is the second part of the Sermon on the Mount. Let's read this scripture together, Matthew 5:17. Let's read this scripture first, and then I'll explain it. Get ready! rise! Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to perfect. Matthew 5:18 Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one jot will pass away from the law until all of it is fulfilled.
Matthew 5:19 Therefore whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do this, he will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys this commandment and teaches others to obey it, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Why is this information so important? Because some people think they will go to heaven, but they actually can't. What does this mean? The context of Matthew chapter 5 is all about true righteousness, the characteristics of a true follower of Jesus, and a true Christian.
Why do I say this? Look at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. In chapter seven, the Sermon on the Mount, everyone stands up. I want you to stand up and I want you to read the last few verses so you know this is serious. Let us all read together now: Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only he who does the will of my Father in heaven can enter. Notice, Jesus certainly shocked his audience. For Jesus said to them, Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because there are many people who feel that they are Christians, because when they pray, they will say: Lord Jesus... But Jesus said that the true followers of Jesus are those who truly follow Him. Let's read together: Only he who does the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
So the question is, are you doing the will of God in your life? This is a big picture. Notice the next verse and read together: Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, (Many on the Day of Judgment) Lord, Lord, we do not preach in your name; Do you drive out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name? Matthew 7:23 Then I tell them plainly, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of evil. Grammatically speaking, Jesus means this: I will tell them: I never knew you! What does it mean? Grammatically speaking, it means we have never had a relationship. I never knew you. He is not talking about losing your salvation. He said you never had salvation from the beginning. We never had any relationship. You have never really met me. I never knew you.
This is the biggest shock in anyone's life, one day... My job is to prepare you to make sure you are not a counterfeit because... Look at this verse: Matthew 7:23 And I told them plainly Say, I never knew you, (everyone read) Depart from me, you evildoers. ha! Is it possible for a so-called Christian to come to church every Sunday but secretly do illegal things? Definitely possible. Look at our sharer, her name is Jackie. She said: "I feel in my heart that it is OK to sin, since I am already saved anyway. I am already saved, I just need to confess my sins. God knows". Do you have such thoughts in your heart: Since you have been saved Now, is it OK to live the life you want? God will understand anyway. is it possible?
My friends, let me share with you what the Bible says, especially what the Apostle Paul says. Let's read this verse together: 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Also experiment on your own. Pay attention to this grammar: examine yourself. Don't judge others. This morning, don't judge others. I'm not asking you to say, "Ah! Fake, hypocritical"! No, no. Examine yourself, examine yourself. Do you not know that if you are not reprobate, you have Jesus Christ in you? Have you ever noticed that you have to test yourself? You are not asked to test others. Examine yourself. So my question to you is: How are you doing? Are you a true follower of Jesus? Only you know.
Look at another warning given by the brother of Jesus. He wrote the Book of Jude. To see what he said, please read: Jude 4: Because some people sneak in, in other words, imagine they come to CCF, it is possible for believers to reach this size, because of our size, they sneak in and join your group without being noticed. Read on, everyone: He who was condemned of old to be ungodly, who turned the grace of our God into an opportunity to indulge in lust, and who denied the only Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. My friend, you turned God's grace into a license. Did you know that there are two extremes in the Christian life? One is legalism, I have to do this, I have to do that, to go to heaven. The other is indulgence. I was saved anyway, so grace became a license to sin.
These are false teachings. That's why this sermon is so close to my heart. Most churches won't preach it because it's not popular. It will make you uncomfortable, but my job is to tell you the truth. Salvation is by grace, you cannot earn it. It's all because of Jesus and by grace. But grace never exists in isolation. Grace will shake your heart and change your life. On the other hand, legalism is very popular today.
I was witnessing to someone yesterday (Jim, you saw me on the golf course). I was witnessing to someone, and this person told me, and I was asking that person, "How are you on your spiritual path? Are you convinced that you're going to heaven"? You know what this person told me? "It's hard! Because I belong to a religious group, and if I'm absent on a Sunday, they come to visit me. If I'm absent on a certain day of the week, they come to visit me. I can't live up to their standards of piety". She very sad. I said to her, "You know what? God loves you so much because we met today". I said, "I'm going to tell you, God loves you so much because He wants you to hear what I'm going to say to you. words".
I said: Jesus loves you, but it is not because of your actions. It's because of our relationship with Jesus. You need to understand the A-B-C of salvation. Do you want to know what I told this guy? A-B-C? Do you want to? Okay, I'll tell you later, okay? Heed this warning and don't turn God's grace into a license. Let's read this verse together: 1 Corinthians 6:9 Don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (Note again: unrighteousness is the opposite of righteousness) The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Don't fool yourself. In other words, hey guys, listen to me. Don't fool yourself. Whether it's fornication (a single person having sex with a single person), idolatry, adultery (having sex with someone other than your husband or wife)...
Wwhy is this so important? Because a mother from CCF asked her son who was not from CCF and went to another church and asked: "Son, have you ever had sex with your girlfriend"? The son said: "Yes". "Where is your current girlfriend? ? The one you went to church with". And her son said, "Mom, what's wrong with having sex? She's a Christian, I'm a Christian. I love her. What's wrong"? Can you imagine what's wrong? Has it entered the minds of today's young people? Completely ignorant of God's Word, we feel we can do anything in the name of love. Look at this verse and read it together. Don't fool yourself. (In other words, in Tagalog, don't be confused). Whether they are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, pedophiles, homosexuals, (note here, we are not singling out homosexuality. The Bible talks about all kinds of sins.) thieves, greed Drunken, abusive, blackmailers, you know who yourselves are.
Who is the thief and who is the liar? You borrow money and don't pay it back. Is it possible? That's a liar. We have people running from discipleship group to discipleship group. They would borrow money and tell sad stories. In fact, we have a CCF chapter, and that guy swindled over half a million pesos just by telling great stories. So I'm telling you now, when someone joins your discipleship group, when someone approaches you every Sunday and asks you for money, I'm not saying they're a liar, I'm saying, be careful. Because others will tell you sad stories. Those of you who are doing this, I'm warning you, don't play with the grace of God in your life. You know why? The Bible is very clear, keep reading. Read it together. No one who revels or extorts will inherit the kingdom of God.
Note, the Bible is very clear, be a true follower of Jesus, don't be a fake. 1 Corinthians 6:11 Some of you were like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Praise God! The Bible says, There are some among you, and you were once like this. But you are changed now. You see, the church in Corinth was very sensual and very immoral. If you go to Corinth today, you will see that old temple. There are those called temple prostitutes. There are many temple prostitutes who are very immoral. Paul is telling these Christians, now that you belong to Jesus, as some of you have become, you have been washed, sanctified, and justified. In other words, it's all in the past and I have good news for you. Lord Jesus can change you, amen?
Praise God! Look at this girl, her name is Jackie. She told us her story. She had a lot of money, she went to nightclubs and women would come and cater to her. She said her life was filled with immorality. But praise God, God used her Son to bring her close to us and ask us to pray for her. When we prayed for her, when I prayed for her, I asked her this question point blank. I said: What is your secret sin? She was shocked, secretly guilty... and then she started crying, and the girl was never the same again. The Lord touched her heart and she was transformed. do you know? She now teaches the Bible. Because the Bible says: Some of you were like this. Do you believe that God's grace can change lives? Do you believe it? A gospel that doesn't change lives is not the real gospel. A Savior who doesn't transform your life…that's not the real gospel.
So my friends, today's message is very simple. Talk to me about being a true follower of Jesus. Don't be a fake. Why? When you buy a fake Rolex watch, the most you can do is lose your money. At least it's a fake brand. But if you become a fake, counterfeit follower of Jesus, the consequences are unimaginable. I pray that you will examine yourself today. What does it mean? Let me explain. Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to perfect. Jesus wanted his disciples to understand who his true followers were. So he told them unceremoniously not to have such a wrong concept, and not to think that I have come to abolish the law (the Ten Commandments, the moral law) and the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to perfect.
"Fulfillment" is a beautiful word, and it means more than just the fulfillment of prophecies, because there are prophecies in the Old Testament. But it's also saying, I came to meet all the requirements of the law and beyond, so you will understand that I came to explain to you, to explain to you what the law is, what it really means to follow God, Jesus said This is what the saying means, and He repeats it in another way: Matthew 5:18 Truly, I say to you, (read everyone), Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one jot will pass away from the law. To be fulfilled. He is saying that the Word of God, the Old Testament, the Law, and the Prophets are not temporary. It applies to the end of the world because it comes from a perfect God who gave the law in a perfect way. No improvements to the law were required.
I am not speaking against the law here. Bit by bit of the law... What is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet? It's the letters Yud. It is the smallest letter. Jesus is the Master Educator. He said that even a comma or a Yud cannot be abolished and must be fulfilled. Because the entire Old Testament typifies Jesus, including the ceremonial and moral laws. Do you believe it? Let me give you an example, Jesus said, He is the fulfillment (of prophecy). What does it mean? Please read: Luke 24:44 Jesus said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything is written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. If so, it must be fulfilled. Do you know what Jesus is saying? Everything in the Old Testament will come true, and you won't understand the Old Testament unless you connect it to Jesus.
Let me give you an example of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. We have the entire book of Exodus. After explaining the Passover, the entire book of Exodus talks about the tabernacle and the sacrifice of animals. Leviticus also talks about animal sacrifices. What does this mean? very simple. Animal sacrifices and animal sacrifices are a type of what the coming Lamb of God and the coming Messiah will do for us. He would die for us, shed His blood and gave His life so that we could receive forgiveness of our sins. So you don't understand the Old Testament until you relate it to the New Testament, which is established in Jesus Christ. For example, the Tabernacle. You don't know what this temple and the tabernacle mean. You know why? You have to relate it to Jesus. There was only one entrance to the Tabernacle. Do you know why?
Jesus said, I am the door. In the tabernacle, the first piece of furniture was the altar. It typifies Jesus. You cannot enter the presence of God without the sacrifice of a sacrifice. So first there's the altar, and once you get into the other room, there's the menorah. What is the function of a lampstand? Because Jesus said, "I am the light of the world". You need to let Jesus open your eyes to see the truth. And then when you get into that room, there's the showbread. What is the function of this cake? Showbread. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. In other words, without connecting these things to Jesus, the Old Testament is an incomprehensible book. In fact it is crucial. Have you understood? So Jesus is saying, all things must come to pass. He fulfilled everything, even the requirements of the law, so you and I will understand that it's all about Jesus. Then look at what He said.
Read: Matthew 5:19 Therefore whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do this, he will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys this commandment and teaches others to obey it, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Do you know what Jesus is talking about? Jesus is saying that Old Testament principles are to be taught and applied. There are many people today who don't know how to do it. Salvation through legalism in the Old Testament has already been explained. You don't go to heaven through the law. You don't get to heaven by keeping the law. You are saved, so you obey. Let me repeat, this sounds simple, but think about it. We are not teaching that you have to keep the law to go to heaven. That's legalism.
What are we teaching? Grace. What is grace? You are saved so you can keep the law. Have we made it clear? You are saved so you can keep the law. So the apostle Paul taught this: Romans 7:12 So then the law is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good. So the New Testament does not throw away the law. We are actually saved to keep the law. Do we understand? But you don't keep the law in order to be saved. That's legalism. He goes on to say: If you are truly under grace, the apostle Paul says, Romans 6:1-2, how do you say that? Can we still be in sin so that grace may abound? Because some people had this mentality, the Apostle Paul knew what people were thinking. Can we still be in sin so that grace may abound? Look at the answer: Absolutely not. How can we who died to sins still live in them? So I teach the law, I obey God's moral law. The ceremonial laws of the Old Testament all typify Jesus, which has been explained in the New Testament.
So people ask me, what about eating pork or shrimp? Those are the dietary principles God gave to the Jewish people. Those are called laws concerning the Jews. And then the New Testament explains that as well. You are not made holy by eating. You should eat appropriately because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So people ask me, can I have roast suckling pig? How would you answer? No problem, because Jesus explained it. You see, the entire Bible is organically unified, but God's moral law has never been revised or changed. For all other laws prefigured Jesus, who fulfilled them. So you will understand how to live the Christian life. So the Bible tells us, Romans 6:14 Sin will not have dominion over you. (Everyone read) For you are not under law, but under grace. But grace does not mean you can become a lawless person. Ah! That's what Jesus meant!
Matthew 5:20 I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. What is He talking about? If your righteousness is not greater than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees... do you know the word "more than"? Do you know what it means? He is describing a swollen river. He is saying, your righteousness must greatly exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. What is He talking about? Let me explain it to you. The righteousness of the Pharisees is superficial and external, and there are many such people. They invented and added 625 commandments. How many commandments did Moses give? 10 items. The Pharisees, they added over 600 clauses to explain and elaborate. And, that's not enough. They wrote a commentary and commentary on the Old Testament of the Bible called the Talmud. oh! Oh my God! Thousands of rules, thousands of pages.
Let me give you an example about the Sabbath. How do you keep the Sabbath? According to the wisdom of God in the Old Testament, you have to work for six days and rest on the seventh day. Look at these commandments, they are very simple. For six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest. Now, what would those rabbis, those Jews, do? They have developed thousands of rules in order to conform to the meaning of the word rest. For example, on the Sabbath you could not carry more than an egg. Because eggs can become a chore if too heavy. You can't light a fire. However, if you have an old fire that is already lit, this is OK. You cannot light a new fire.
Today, if you go to Israel, you will meet Orthodox Jews who practice all these complex laws. You can't press the elevator button, that's work. Why? Because that one has electricity. When you press it, there is electricity, which is fire. I mean, the rules are complicated. So, I suggest to you, if you come with me to the Holy Land next year, never take the Shabbat elevator. Shabbat elevators are for Orthodox Jews. So when you live on the 20th floor, you enter the elevator and stand still. The elevator will automatically stop and open the door on each floor, opening on the 1st floor and opening on the 2nd floor... Poor people, if you live on the 20th floor If you take such an elevator, you will feel troubled. But, for me, I'm under grace, I'll get in the Gentile elevator, I'll press 20, I'm not working, you know?
In other words, the Jews came up with too many rules. Jesus said, I'm not talking about these superficial rules, for example, according to Jesus, look what he said about the Pharisees. Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Because the holiness and righteousness of the Pharisees, in Tagalog terms, were just for show. There are many so-called Christians who want to show the world how righteous they are, and they do it to show others. God is saying that righteousness is in the heart. You have to start from the heart. It has to do with you and the Lord. Not for people to see.
Do you know what a whitewashed tomb is? This picture shows a whitewashed tomb. Looks good. They looked fine on the outside, but on the inside, Jesus said, they were dead men's bones. He repeats it in the next verse: Matthew 23:28 In the same way you outwardly appear righteous to others, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. For example, if you read this verse and then read the Sermon on the Mount, look at how he explains it, he tells people, outward righteousness says, Thou shalt not murder. But Jesus said, But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother commits murder. (Matthew 5:22) Jesus said, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Yes, but let me explain to you the whole purpose and meaning. But I say to you, whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
This clause now includes pornography. You see friends, God is far more holy and righteous than the Pharisees. The Pharisees were all external. Before I jump to the next page, let me give you one more example, Thou shalt not kill. Agree? But how is your heart? Let me give you an example. The law says, Thou shalt not kill, right? Legally, when you're driving on the highway, you can't go more than 100 kilometers per hour, right? That's the law. What did Christ say? Let me give you an example. If you have Christ in your heart, what does the law say when I'm driving, when I see my enemy with a flat tire? I shouldn't drive over my haters, right? I shouldn't have run over him with my car. So I avoided him. That's what the law says. Thou shalt not kill. But the law would never tell me that I had to stop and patch the tire for him. Jesus said, look at this verse. The law says, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy? Jesus said, no, no, no, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
Looking at God's standards, Jesus is saying, Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Once you understand true righteousness, what impact will it have on you? A true follower of Jesus will now admit, "I will never work my way into heaven". A true follower of Jesus will begin to realize that he is a sinner. You see, there's a huge difference. Ladies and gentlemen, speaking of sin and wrong... Today, people don't want to use the word "sin" because sin is against the will of God. We like to use the word "mistake". How do you define "error"? According to Merriam-Webster, what is an error? Miscalculations, misjudgments, and wrong choices.
We like to say that this was a mistake. We don't want to say, I committed a crime. What do they say if someone commits adultery? This is a mistake. Sorry, you committed adultery, you didn't want to call it a sin, so they called it a mistake, what mistake? Did you enter the wrong room? What is wrong? We don't want the word sin, we want the word wrong. Let me tell you why. Because you don't get a pang of conscience when you use the word wrong. mistake. You could have used better judgment. But once you say, I committed a crime, what are you talking about? I have broken God's commandments. I have committed a crime. I am a sinner. True followers of Jesus know God's standards. And he admitted that I was more than a sinner. I am a great sinner, so I need a meta-Savior. A person who makes a mistake is different from a sinner. Those who make mistakes do not need a Savior. Sinners like me need a meta-Savior.
Look, being a true follower of Jesus isn't about perfection, so don't get me wrong, it's about the GPS navigation of your soul, and you want to please God. You want to follow God because you have admitted that you are a sinner and now you need a meta-Savior. The Bible says exactly this. True followers of Jesus admit that I am a sinner and I need a meta-Savior. That's what the Bible says. Let's read this scripture together: Romans 3:20 Therefore (God's moral standards are very high) no flesh will be justified before God by the works of the law. Because the law is meant to make people aware of sin. A true follower of Jesus will admit: I am a sinner. Continue reading: Gal 3:24 In this way the law was our tutor, leading us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Do you understand? It will lead you to Christ. Because true followers of Jesus know that I am a sinner. The standards are too high for me to meet. Now I need a meta-savior. Because Christ is your Savior now, He gives you motivation now. You won't lower your standards, but you will now have increased motivation to help you live out and meet them by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Do you see the difference? Don't change God's laws just because we can't keep them. You do not try to adjust the Bible, to change the Word of God to suit human weakness. You need a meta-Savior to help you and give you strength. So the Bible tells us: 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The Bible says you need a supernatural righteousness that can only come from Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus kept all the commandments and kept all the laws. He meets all the requirements in the Old Testament so that you and I can truly become righteous. My friend, this is why true followers of Jesus do not abuse God's grace.
Let's read together: Gal 5:13 Brothers, you were called to freedom. But do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your passions. Always serve one another in love. Do you see the difference? The Bible says that you are free now. It does not mean that you are free to break the law. You are now free from the legalistic ways of the Old Testament. You no longer have to abide by the rules of "I have to do this, I have to do that" in order to get to heaven. You are now free from the bondage of the law. Gaining acceptance with God is no longer based on works, but on Jesus. Amen! Did Jesus Christ die on the cross for all your sins? have! louder please! Do you believe He loves you? yes! Do you believe that He died for all your sins, past, present, and future? Yes! louder please! Yes! Many people have difficulty understanding God's grace. You were not yet born when Jesus died on the cross. So all your sins, all my sins are in the future tense. But he knew what I would do. He died for it, he paid the price for it. That, my friends, is grace.
Remember, I told you, I told this man, the difference between religion and Christianity. I told her, God loves you, the A-B-C of salvation. I said, first, you must admit that you are a sinner. How do you say acknowledge in Tagalog? We confess that we are sinners. You admit that you cannot save yourself. B: You have to believe (Believe) that He loves you. You must believe that He died on the cross for your sins. C: You call on Him. Are you willing to call on Jesus to be your Savior? Are you willing to call on Jesus to be your Savior and come into your heart? I praise God and this man says: Yes, I do! Two days ago, I witnessed to another person. As I was telling this man the good news about Jesus, this man started crying. I said, why are you crying? She never understood the grace of God.
You see, people, people are hungry, but unless they realize that they are sinners, they will never come to Jesus. This is why the law is vital. You must teach people that God's laws are unchanging and the standards do not change. Until you are convicted and say: I am a sinner, I am not just a person who makes mistakes, I am a sinner. I need a meta-savior. Then only Jesus can save you. That 's what this verse says. Since you are now under grace, let us read this verse together. Gal 5:14 For the whole law is wrapped up in this one word, Love your neighbor as yourself. Now let me ask you, which is the higher standard, the law or the principle of love? Which is the higher standard? Friends, you combine the two. The law hasn't changed, but you can't keep it, if you don't love God with all your heart and one another.
And this love comes from... Read this scripture together: John 14:15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. People who are true followers of Jesus, followers who are truly like Jesus, will love Jesus. Why does he love Jesus? Because his sin debt was paid by Jesus. Everything about salvation comes from Jesus, and you become grateful. You say now, Lord, I love you! Friends, this will affect you. I have a friend who is addicted to drugs, an alcoholic, and a womanizer. He met Jesus. When he met Jesus, something happened and his life was changed. He went to his boss. He worked for a sporting goods company and he told his boss, "I've been stealing your products. I've been stealing gloves, I've been stealing bats, I've been stealing nice shirts. I've been stealing, and I've calculated the amount of money I've stolen, that's a lot of money. But now I'm a Christian, I ask you to forgive me and I will pay you back".
Do you know what the boss said? The boss said, "Thank you for admitting it to me, but you know our company policy. I can't hire you anymore. You have to go". He said, "I understand, but I promise to pay you back". Do you know what my friend did? He worked and worked and paid back every penny. Do you know why? Once you have Christ in your heart and you love Him, you want to please Him. That friend of mine was a true follower of Jesus. Not for people to see. You don't act to impress. You don't come to CCF to make an impression. You come because you love Jesus. You come to worship because you love Jesus. But you're not here to impress. You join groups because you know you need others. It's for progress.
Can I tell you about my Christian life? It is continuous progress. We don't teach perfection, but we make progress because I love the Lord and I want to please Him. Many of you know how I feel about money. What do I mean? As you know, I am an Ilocano with Jewish and Chinese ancestry. So I'm quite careful about money. I remember years ago, we went to a restaurant, and I was already a Christian, believe it or not. I have many children. So when we go to the buffet, I'm already confessing to you, when we go to the buffet, not everyone orders, the kids don't order. You know why? Because I want to save money. Do you know what they would do? They eat from the buffet that I ordered, and they eat from the buffet that my wife ordered. But because the Lord is in our hearts, we are condemned and rebuked. I was so blamed that I told my wife, no, this isn't going to work. Although they are children, they eat just as much as adults.
Years ago, my wife would attend business meetings with me. She heard me talk, and after attending meetings she would say to me, "Honey, I noticed you were exaggerating". She was very cultured. "You're exaggerating". Do you know what another word for exaggeration is? you are lying. I thought about it, and I felt reproached in my heart. I said, "Honey, you're right. To exaggerate is to lie". But by God's grace, He changed me. You see, true followers of Jesus don't seek perfection, but they seek sincerity and want to please God. So my advice to you, everyone, is to be part of a responsible team, so when someone points out your mistakes or your sins... you don't call sins wrong, wrong, wrong. I have committed a crime. Once you say I have sinned, you can progress. You know why? You need a Meta-Savior now.
Who is your Savior? Jesus. Do you have a Savior? have. You will not have a Savior unless you admit that you are a sinner. You know God opened my eyes, my eyes were opened, and I began to see the grace of God, it says: Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the heart. The testimonies of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple. My attitude toward the law, toward the Word of God, changed. What a blessing this is! Because I love the Lord, and He loves me, and His law, the law of God, is perfect, refreshing the heart, and giving you new strength. The testimonies of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are upright, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of the Lord are pure and enlighten the eyes.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have never seen a rebellious Christian filled with joy. Do you know that if you disobey God, you will lose your own joy? I don't know any true Christian who is disobedient and yet can say that I am filled with joy. The testimonies of the LORD, the precepts of the LORD are upright, rejoicing the heart. This brings me joy when I follow the Lord. The commandments of the Lord are pure and enlighten the eyes. Do you know what happened? See what the Bible says. Psalm 19:10 They are more to be desired than gold, and more to be desired than much fine gold. Sweeter than honey, and sweeter than the honey that drips from the honeycomb. Is this how you view God's commands? I pray that you will fall in love with the Bible. I love God's Word. The Bible says that the words of God are more desirable than gold, more desirable than much fine gold, and sweeter than honey... Do you know why? Because God's word has changed my life and brought me joy.
I don't want to lose my intimate relationship with the Lord. Do you know why? Money can't buy this. The Bible tells us, Psalm 19:11 Moreover, your servants are warned by this. There will be a great reward for guarding these. I obtained the permission of my friend, who went with us to the Holy Land. Do you believe it? During that trip to the Holy Land, he met the Lord and had a first-hand experience. He told us a few months later, and I found out about it a few months later. He said, "Peter, do you know what I did in the Holy Land"? I said, "No idea". He said, "I made a long-distance call". I said, "Where"? "To the Philippines". I said, "What happened"? He said, "I'll tell you my story. I'm an angry man, full of bitterness. Someone took advantage of my family and I hired someone to kill him".
That guy, I said, "How much did you pay"? He said it was a lot of money, over seven figures. A top-notch killer. He said, "Peter, I was full of bitterness. I was full of anger. But after I met the Lord, I made a long-distance call and I told the man: Cancel! Cancel! Stop following orders"! The man said, "You know the rules. It's non-refundable". He said, "I don't care about the money, I just want to do the right thing". He forgave this man from the bottom of his heart, because the law of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit will change your life and your Heart. Many of you today have no peace and no joy because you have never met the Lord and you are not yet a true follower of Jesus. Because all you have is religion, and religion cannot save you. What you need to do is: A: Admit. Admit that I am a sinner. B: Believe. Believe that Jesus Christ is the only solution to my sin problem, and believe that because of Him you have eternal life.
Are you willing to believe that because of Jesus, your sins are forgiven, and that by grace you want to please Him? Because the Bible tells us that He has given you the Holy Spirit. And when He gives you the Holy Spirit, you will no longer fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We are now empowered by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, living a Christian life is originally impossible, but with the Holy Spirit, it becomes possible. True followers of Jesus are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Look at what the Bible says, Gal 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness... Dear brothers, you want the Spirit to bear fruit in your hearts? That's becoming a true follower of Jesus.
A: Admit. Admit that you are a sinner and that you need a meta-Savior. What is B? Believe Believe that He alone can solve your sin problem. He is your Savior. C: What do you need to do? You call on Him. He comes into your heart and you have to be changed. I love this passage from the Old Testament: Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. You know, many years ago, Jesus did something in my heart. He took away my heart of stone and He gave me a new heart, a heart of flesh.
And not only that, the Bible says: Ezekiel 36:27 I will put my Spirit within you, so that you may obey my statutes and keep my judgments and do them. Today I stand before you, a work of God's grace. Not as a product of my own righteousness, but as the Holy Spirit came into my heart and He made me want to follow Him. Does that mean I am complete? no. Does that mean I want to follow Him? yes. Friends, are you a true follower of Jesus? Are you someone who sincerely follows you? There are two kinds of people in this synagogue today: those who follow Jesus sincerely, and those who follow Jesus hypocritically. Two kinds of people, two eternal destinies. You have to make a choice.
We bow our heads and pray. If God has spoken to you, and you are willing to choose to be a true follower, but you feel you cannot do it on your own, and you are willing to ask Jesus to truly change you, and you are determined to follow Him, and you are willing to become a true follower, please Raise your hands. I want to pray for you today. In fact, I want you to not just raise your hands, but please stand up. You say, I want to be a true follower of Jesus, because no matter what you do today, it will affect you in eternity. Some of you come here, but you are not really followers of Jesus. All you have is religion. My friend, you must be serious about the Lord. You must say to the Lord:
Lord Jesus, I want to truly follow you and don't be hypocritical. Can you please come into my life? Can you please change me?
Friends, this is between you and Jesus. Don't be like the Pharisees who are just putting on a show for others. You won't impress Jesus because He knows your heart. True righteousness lies in the heart. Please bow your head. Please pray this prayer with me. Pray that the Lord will truly touch your heart and change you from the inside out. Stop following Jesus with a pretentious heart. It's all a performance, all for people to see. I don't want you to do it for people to see. I hope you seek God from your heart. of joy. Please pray this prayer with me. Like this... By the way, before I pray, is there anyone else? Do not contend with the Lord. If you need to surrender, surrender now. Please stand up.
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. Lord Jesus, I admit that I am hypocritical. I am not just someone who made a mistake, I am a sinner. I understand now that a true follower of Jesus is serious about pleasing you and following you. Jesus, please come into my heart and change my heart. Give me a new desire to help me be willing to do your will. Not out of obligation, but out of love. Let me know that there are tremendous blessings in obeying your commands because you love me, Jesus. Please open my eyes and change my heart. Jesus thank you for coming into my life. I call on you today to be my Savior and my Master. We all pray in the name of Jesus, Amen!