Anchor

00:00 Shall we do the confessions together? I believe in the almighty God, our father and creator. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God and my savior. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He suffered, [snorts] died, and rose again. He ascended into heaven. He shall soon come again. I believe in God the Holy Spirit, who is worship and my guide. I believe in holy fellowship, faithful giving, and service to God in this church. I believe the Holy Bible is the perfect word of God. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. And I can do what it says I can do. Today, as I learn the word of God here in my spiritual family, I am blessed, healed, and anointed for a holy and victorious living. I will never again be the same in Jesus' name. Amen. The Lord [clears throat] bless us. Please be seated. The first of every month, the first Sunday of every month, we [snorts] start

01:02 with the Lord's holy table, and this morning we want to take our attention to the holy cross of Christ our Lord. The fact that Jesus, our master, went to the cross, the fact that he took our sin on himself, the fact that he died in our place, and the fact that he rose again from the grave, he is alive forever. And that he did all that because he loves us, he cares for us. The Bible says in the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "If you follow me, if you love me, eat of my body and drink of my blood." Then the Bible says Jesus, at the last Passover before he could be crucified, called his disciples, baptized believers, and said to them, "Eat. [clears throat] This is my body." And he broke the

02:04 Passover bread and said, "Take, drink. This is my blood." And took the Passover grape juice and gave it to them. Instead of bitter herbs, which they had practiced in the Passover for so many centuries, now >> [snorts] >> said, "This is my blood. As long as you eat it and drink it in remembrance of me, every time you gather together, you honor me." And this morning, holding the elements of communion as baptized believers, shall we say, "Lord, yes, we honor you." Yes, Lord, we honor you. It is through your precious body that was broken on the cross, and your holy blood that was shed on the cross, that I have become the child of God. My works could not save me. Your work saved me.

03:11 Heavenly Father, this beautiful day we want to thank you. As we have come to partake, to participate in your body and in your precious blood, we thank you. We thank you that you went to the cross for us. That by your wounds we are healed. And by your blood we are cleansed from every sin. Thank you for the power of holiness that comes through your saving grace. We receive that by faith. And this month of February, we call it the month of great hope, of hope in Christ Jesus. Through the power of your Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave, for it now works in us. We thank [snorts] you, master. We thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's eat of his holy body and drink of his precious blood together.

04:31 >> [clears throat] >> Gracious Lord, this beautiful day we want to thank you. Thank [snorts] you that we belong to you. Thank you for the power of your protection, the power of your forgiveness, the power of your healing and anointing. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may kindly drop the used cups in the bags that are being passed by the volunteers. And I want to um before uh we sing the last song and pray and close today, I [snorts] want to take a minute to pray for all the students who are appearing in the exams. I think February onwards is exam season all over India. It's not only the students, but even parents who go through the situation in the family. So, we're going to pray for success. God's children should be toppers.

05:35 But I promise you this, >> [applause] >> it's not your marks card that holds your future. It's not your next admission that holds your future. It is God who holds your future. >> [applause] >> Study real hard, work real hard, focus real hard. Watch a video only if you want to see me preaching, otherwise don't. Stay focused on the scriptures and stay focused on your studies. Of course, I want to pray for you before we close the service that God will give you great success. Those of you who have cleared your B.Com, M.Com, whatever, you're an accounts personal, there is some opportunity in the church for those who have some experience. You can just go to the church website and fill in your details. And yes, there is some opening there. This month we're talking about hope.

06:39 Hope, [clears throat] H O P E, the word hope. That's the theme for the month. And doesn't look very hopeful right now around the world, you know. Things are not great. No one knows what's going to happen in the back house or the White House. Uh [snorts and clears throat] no one knows what's going to happen in the capitals of the world. Uh no one knows what's hap- There's there's a lot of hopelessness and uncertainty. Just when we thought human wisdom is failing us, artificial intelligence is taking over. And if the original didn't work, we're not too sure what will happen with artificial. And in all of this citations of uh jurisprudence, as we find everything uh messing up, I like that scripture in the book of Daniel. The Bible says, "Those that know their God shall be strong and shall do great things." >> [snorts] >> And I feel that qualifier is something so important. But I'm going to start with a story. This is a true story that happened during the World War II.

07:41 Uh Europe was going through warfare. America was just getting involved in in the Second World War. Hitler was running a rampage. Russia had already lost uh hundreds of thousands of soldiers. I don't know how many millions of lives. People dying. Churchill Winston Churchill in Britain was um realizing that not only his political stake was running out and he was going to lose, likely to lose, but the war itself had come to a place of absolute chaos, and they were afraid. At that time, at that time, there was a greater problem for a small children. A group of small children whose parents had died in the war were collected by few missions, missionary people in Great Britain. And they were kept uh a little outside the city in beautiful facility, and the children were being taken care of because their parents were dead.

08:43 But now there was a problem. Because of the war, all the money being diverted into the war, there was lack of donations, and there was lack of food. A few days the children in a few hundreds of children in that orphanage went without food. And at night they could hear the sound of the bombers flying above them. At occasionally, they would glance into the newspapers, and somebody would whisper stories of how [snorts] more Britishers were dying, more of the Allied armies were drying, more of the Nazis were conquering. All of this was causing trauma for the children. And they were having nightmares. They were becoming suicidal. They were losing memories. Small children were going crazy. No food to eat in the orphanage. And don't know how to handle things. Thankfully, through a lot of prayers and hard work of the churches, they were able to raise donations, and slowly

09:46 bread started coming back into the orphanage. And a steady supply of bread started coming from contributing bakers and churches. And so, the children now had food to eat, but there was a problem. The trauma that the children went through for a few weeks, now children, though they had food to eat in the kitchen, they were not able to sleep at night. They were having dreams of war. They were having dreams of starvation. They were having dreams of death. They were having dreams of blown-up bodies with the bombs, and they were having nightmares and couldn't sleep at all. A wonderful pastor who was also a psychiatrist, he had an idea. His basic thought was, "Now there is enough food. Why don't you sleep peacefully? Why are you worried?" But he had a question in his mind that he thought he wanted to experiment. So, he took permission from the orphan people, the orphanage authorities, and made a small change. The rule in the

10:49 orphanage was, "You cannot take food into the dormitory where you sleep. You eat in the kitchen, you eat at the dining table, and then you go to play in the play area, you study in the study area, and in the dormitory you sleep. You cannot carry food there." But this gentleman, he made a difference. He gave all the children one loaf of bread, a long 1-ft long bun-like bread in each child's hand, and said, "From tonight, when you go to sleep, you have to keep this with you. You cannot eat it in the night. Keep it by your bedside or hold it in your hand. Tomorrow morning, you have to bring this bread to the kitchen table, sit there, apply the bread and jam, and along with the scrambled eggs, you eat your food there. But in the night, you have to keep it by your bedside." I know some call center guys are thinking, "Oh, that was our idea." No.

11:51 It's there from long. It started in an orphanage. Okay, that was sarcasm. Silly sarcasm. That night, for the first time, children holding bread in their hand went to sleep at night, which was unusual, but not one had nightmare. Not one woke up in the middle of the night. Not one had any trauma. All woke up only in the morning, and some [clears throat] really late. Now, the authorities of the orphanage were quite confused. What happened? Because they were prepared to wake up at night. They would usually take a nap in the afternoon because children will cry at night and create problems, so they were now scheduled to sleep in the afternoons to make up for the lack of sleep in the night because as authorities of the orphanage, they had to take care of the children. But now children slept in the night, and they were staying awake because they had slept in the afternoon preparing for the night. But children didn't wake up. Many times they came into the dormitory and checked on

12:52 children was snoring to sleep. Now, they asked this pastor, was a psychiatrist, "What really happened?" The pastor explained, "The whole problem was children became hopeless. They felt never know when food shortage happens. Even though there is food in the kitchen, they are worried never know when we will start starving again. The simple thing of them holding a bread in their hand, they knew one thing when they went to sleep. Tomorrow, I have food to eat in the morning." Hope makes a huge difference. Hope makes a lifetime of a difference. What some of you are lacking is not a job. What some of you are lacking is not a good marriage. What some of you are lacking is not the facilities you have. What you're lacking is with a good marriage, with a good job, with good health, you've missed out on hope because the world looks hopeless around us. This morning, God says, "Be of good hope. I am with you. You're holding on to me.

13:54 >> [applause] >> You're not alone. If a bread could bring hope for the children, you have more than just the bakery bread. You have the bread of life, Christ Jesus, that you're holding on to." Rapid change around the world, whether it's global uncertainty, fragile relationships. Today, people go for divorce at the drop of a hat, and sometimes because the hat was not dropped. Blurred moral boundaries. Nobody knows what's right and what's wrong. Technological disruptions have left people emotionally and mentally overwhelmed. Life doesn't look like a solid ground for many. It looks like a stormy sea, and they are sailing not sure where they are going. In this constant pressure of real discouragement, God's word says, "You got to be filled with hope." Because faith and hope, they strengthen you. They bring joy, they bring vision, and instead of emotional tiredness, you

14:57 have emotional rejuvenation, renewal. Hope is so important. We all believe in faith. We believe in Jesus. Faith in God is so important, but have you noticed faith requires hope? Without hope, faith doesn't exist. If faith has to be faith, hope has to be there. Can anybody make biryani without rice? I thought you knew the answer. Can anybody make a steak without meat? Can anybody make food without ingredients that are edible? Can anybody study without a lesson that they have to follow? How can you have faith without hope? Because hope is the essence, basic of faith. Hebrews 11:1, please read. Hebrews 11:1. Now, faith is the confidence in what we Without hope, there is no confidence.

16:01 Without hope, there is no faith. Hope is the central pillar on which much of our faith stands. And this is why the devil attacks your hope. Your hope gets affected, and you begin to become hopeless. Hopeless doesn't just mean less hope, it also means no hope. And when the devil attacks your hope, you go for hope in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. Everybody doesn't go through the same problems. Different people go through different problems. But God says, "It is hope that builds your faith." Invest your hope into faith. Don't invest your hope into doubt and fear. Don't hope. Don't expect. Don't desire. Don't assume in the direction of what the enemy can do. Don't invest your emotional energy in what the devil can do,

17:05 but invest your emotional energy in what God can do. In what his plan for your life is. Hallelujah. Amen. This is what God's word is telling you and me. Hope in people may fail because people are all not almighty. They sometimes change. Today's friend can become tomorrow's enemy. Yesterday's friend can be today's enemy. Simply, they can pick up a fight for no reason. People who put trust in wealth, wealth can fail you. Newspapers are filled with rich people becoming hopeless. Today, poor people are having hope on the road because of the traffic, there is time to beg. But rich people who have more cars than what roads can handle are

18:06 dying through mysterious ways. Hope in wealth can fail. Hope in career can fail. Just when you think that that job is a settled job, AI This AI AI is bothering me. I just thought, let me check what the Bible talks about AI. And the first verse that came to me was, "And Joshua destroyed AI." I like that. I like that. There's There's a city called AI. It's It's not AI, it's I, actually. It's called Ai. And when I searched, it thought I was searching for that city. And it said, "Joshua destroyed Ai." Ai was standing between Joshua and the call of God. That city called Ai was standing between Joshua and the call of God. And the first time Joshua got defeated because he wasn't prepared. He wasn't

19:08 qualified. He went back to God, and God said, "Fix some things in your life and get back." And the second time, he overthrew Ai. I tell you, my friend, no city of Ai. I know today there is there is some link with it, but in the pure sense of it, nothing can stand between you and God's plan for your life. >> [applause] >> You will overcome. Systems can fail. Personal abilities can fail. Last week, I was talking to a 80-plus-year-old pastor, and he cried, and he said to me, "I need prayer. And now I'm retired. I'm not pastoring." And I said, "Okay." I thought he's to say he's got body pain, age-related problems, he needs prayer. So I said, "Pastor, what can I pray for?" And he's crying and he says, "I want to dance and worship like I used to when I was young." I just want to worship God, but health fails me.

20:12 You know, that day I said to myself, "Johnson, stop looking cute before people. Better dance to God before you grow old and you regret, you know?" >> [applause] >> Things in our life can fail. Don't put too much hope in those people in those changing, volatile, vulnerable things. What should our hope be made of? The Bible says, number one, your hope should rest in the fact that the same Holy Spirit that raised the body of Jesus from the grave now works in you. I like that. Holy Spirit is working. Somebody say, "Holy Spirit is working." Say that again. We keep hearing about how the enemy is working and how the Shapa is working and how the Dosha Kala is working. Hey, you haven't heard Holy Spirit is working. On the other side, he is working. God is working. Hallelujah. Greater than every other work is the work of the Holy

21:15 Spirit of God Almighty. The Holy Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the grave can raise you out of your poverty, can raise you out of your sickness, can raise you out of your poor habits, can raise you out of your struggles, can raise you out no matter from where, because when he chooses to raise somebody, no one can put a ceiling on where God chooses to take somebody. And you could be that somebody. PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE FACT THAT HOLY SPIRIT IS WORKING. IN FACT, the Bible SAYS IN 1 PETER chapter 1 verse 3, put your hope in the fact that Jesus who was raised, his spirit works in you. Second, Christian hope is made of the fact that our God is a merciful God. His character won't change. His promises won't fail. They are new every morning. Hallelujah. In the book of Lamentations chapter 3, it was Jeremiah who was lamenting before God and said, "God,

22:18 your faithfulness is new every morning. Your mercies are new every morning. And therefore, we are not consumed because your loving-kindness >> [snorts] >> is new every morning. Hallelujah. There's a beautiful English song and it says something like this. Oh, your righteousness is like majestic mountains. And your wisdom like the depths of the sea. And you come to me. The Bible talks about how great he is and yet [snorts] how close he comes to us. That his greatness is no reason for distance. Though he is the almighty great God, yet he chooses to come close to each one of us. And that's why Lamentations chapter

23:22 3 verse 22 and 23 says, "God, your mercies I have hope because your mercies are new every morning." Hallelujah. Third, our hope should be in the fact that our Christ, our Lord, will return. Titus chapter 2, the Bible says in verse 13, our hope must be purified with the awareness that Christ, our Lord, not only is going to come back to take the church, but he's also going to be involved in our lives, appearing as the great God. Some people ask, "Does the Bible say Jesus is God?" Yes, Titus chapter 2 verse 13, the Bible says, "And this great God." Talking about God's greatness and the fact that he is God is soon to appear. He's soon to appear. But apart from he coming back, he's also with us by his Holy Spirit. Our hope should be built on that. So, Pastor, is it wrong to hope I'll get salary at the end of the month? No, it's a good hope, but don't let that hope dominate your

24:26 life. Let this hope dominate your life that yes, I'll get a salary, but with or without my salary, God is able to lead me forward. THAT HOPE. >> [applause] >> DON'T PUT YOUR HOPE ONLY in your salary. Don't put your hope only in your studies. Don't put your hope only in your marriage. Put your hope in those things under the greater hope that God is in control. That he is working in my life. That he is taking me forward. That he will never let me down. Hallelujah. Now, these are the bedrock of the hope that God wants us to have because they provide vision, they provide vision for life, they provide patience when we go through difficulties, they provide us courage when we have to face challenges. It provides us a sense of gratitude knowing that God who led me thus far, he is able to lead me forward. And God

25:27 will give us the strength to put our hope into action where we start working based on what we believe. You know, the other day I was looking at the enormity of things that we are taking up, how large they are. And I was just walking around praying, "God, help me. God, help me. How are we going to do this?" And in my heart, one small thought came up. Actually, um uh something had happened and and then this thing came up. Okay, what happened is uh as I was walking and praying, the street lights went out, you know? And it became dark. And and then it hit me. Back in the days when street lights would go, even church lights would go. Because church didn't have lights. And we used to have candles lighting up the place because there was no money for electricity. We've come a far, long way. Nobody sponsored us. We didn't raise sponsors. We didn't

26:29 raise people who can give us money. Nothing. But God is faithful. God who brought us thus far, he's faithful to lead us further. You know, [applause] sometimes you got to look at your problem and say, "Hey, I met your elder brother sometime back. >> [laughter] >> Satan, I met the bigger one sometime back. If he brought me till here, you are no match for his greatness." >> [applause] >> Go ahead, take a few minutes to appreciate him. Thank him. Hallelujah. >> [applause] >> The devil cannot destroy your hope, but you can. How how how is it that we destroy hope in God? Because self-reliance replaces reliance on God. Success, wealth, comfort can sometimes lead us into a false sense of security. And instead of trusting in God's grace and mercy, we begin to trust in the

27:31 achievements that we have. That's why the Bible says in 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 17, "Teach those who are rich in the world not to trust in the riches, but to trust in the goodness of God. Have money, make money, keep money, but love God, trust God. Money is a fleeting thing. Money comes and goes. But God is eternal and faithful. One of the big challenges to Christian hope in our life is our sufficiency. Most of us Most of us today are driving cars that your parents and your grandparents could never imagine. You're having facilities, you've got education, you've got facilities, you enjoy uh technology that your parents and grandparents could never imagine. Most of you, irrespective of your socioeconomic background. And sometimes we tend to trust these things replacing our trust in God.

28:35 And that is dangerous. That's what weakens our hope and then it weakens our faith. When hope is weakened, faith is weakened. Second, earthly comfort dulls eternal perspective. When you study the scripture, what weakens our hope is earthly perspectives, earthly pleasures, earthly comfort. Sometimes we're not bothered about what divine plans are because we're kind of comfortable here. Love for pleasure replaces the love for God. Joy in God is sometimes replaced by joy in the blessings God has given. Mhm. Have you noticed some kids who love you till you get the toy? Once you get Give them the toy, they don't care for you. Those kids are sometimes in the church on Sundays. They love God till they get their toy from God. And once they get their toy, then God is searching for them, "Where

29:38 are you?" Don't love God's blessings more than loving God. Find joy in your fellowship with God more than joy in the blessings of God. Enjoy the blessings of God, but enjoy God more than the blessings. Hallelujah. >> [cough] >> And most of the times when that happens, people who lose hope lose it so by losing their joy in God, by losing their love for God, and then what happens is they start developing fear of losing what they have. Fear of losing their good looks, fear of losing their friendships, fear of losing their reputation, fear of losing their health, fear of losing so many things. The fear of losing begins to come in because they know they put their hope in things that can go away. And this is why the Bible says, let's go to Hebrews chapter 6 verse 19 and 20. Which hope we have as an anchor. See the word anchor there? Hope is signified as an anchor. I'll explain what an anchor

30:41 is. This is not media anchor. I'll explain what this is. Which Let's read again. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that Aha, the next verse. Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus Christ. Made an high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. The exegesis of that verse, to to just extract what it says very primarily is this. Number one, hope. Let's say that together. Hope is an anchor. You know, when ships go on the sea, every ship has an anchor. I'm not talking about the pedaling boat, but big boats, big ships, they have an anchor. Because where where the sea is not very deep, they have chains attached to anchor. So, when they when they decide to stay in some place in the sea for some time, they loosen their anchor and the entire

31:44 chain begins to fall down with a huge anchor. I have seen some anchors um in um in where where the ships harbor, where the ships um uh come and uh yeah, that's you know, railway station is called railway station, bus station is called bus station, ship station is called harbor, right? Port. Yeah, airport, shipport, harbor, whatever your your English for you. I tell you this English language, man. So, >> [snorts] >> So, I I have seen some They are I don't know how big this Some of the anchors the some ships anchors are bigger than this building. Steel. It's made of steel. Uh iron. It's It's bigger It's bigger than this building. Huge. I don't know how they move these things, but um huge. And And they And they low depending on the size of the ship. And they lower it. And and the anchor goes into the bedrock of the

32:48 sea and it gets kind of stuck there. And then it won't move. Unless they pull it out in a different angle. There's a way of moving it. And And then they pull it up, then the ship begins to move. So, once the anchor is dropped, usually, no matter how much storm comes, the ship will not move from that place because it's kind of tied down to the bottom of the sea with the anchor. So, the ship kind of remains in that region, you know, like a dog tied around the chain on a post. The The ship sort of sort of I tell you the Western people were so smart. You know why most professionals wear a tie? I don't know. I think somebody who was very wise in the Western world said, "Let's wear a tie as a symbol that this one piece of fabric that has no purpose but to remind us that we are chained for life by the neck." If you didn't like it, ignore it. It's

33:51 okay. >> [laughter] >> It's just to let us know anchor is a reality. An anchor is how ships are safe. Anchors don't stop the storms. Storms are a reality of the sea, but anchors hold you without shipwreck. They stop you from being capsized, from being destroyed. And the Bible says Jesus is our anchor. So, our anchor is not in what, our anchor is in who. Who is your anchor? Your hope is in somebody called Jesus. Your hope is not in something, it is in someone. Hallelujah. Jesus is our anchor. And he's the one who makes sure that when our soul is ruffled by the sea in which we live, he is the anchor that keeps us at peace. He's sure and he's steadfast. And this anchor is not connected to the gold value, is not connected to the

34:54 dollar value, is not connected to a political party. This anchor goes beyond the veil. What's the veil? The veil used to be what separated God from ordinary people. The veil separated the Shekinah of God from the ordinary people. Now, the Bible is saying Jesus broke that veil and has taken us and anchored us to God almighty. We are anchored beyond Oh, somebody here today. You got to know your anchor goes beyond. SOMEBODY SHOUT BEYOND! It goes beyond the veil. Hallelujah. Because Jesus entered there as a forerunner. Please put up that scripture one more time. Verse 20. Please put up verse 20. Wherefore the forerunner. Let's say that together. Forerunner. The word forerunner, thank you. The word forerunner means the one who runs ahead. [clears throat] Ahead to just say others are coming behind. Forerunner means someone who's running

35:56 in the front with a torch just to let people know there's somebody coming behind. Jesus went as a forerunner. Why? He entered heaven as a forerunner. Why did he go as a forerunner? He was announcing, "I'm getting a whole gang behind me. >> [applause] >> I'm getting a whole team behind me. Heaven is going to be invaded by PEOPLE THAT ARE WASHED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. HALLELUJAH. OH, somebody get excited this morning. CHRIST JESUS, OUR PRIEST FOREVER. AMEN. That's why when we come to pray, we pray with confidence knowing that Christ our high priest is interceding on our behalf. Like your advocate represents you in the court, Christ represents us in the heavenlies. And he stops us from drifting and preventing us from being washed out. Does that mean we

36:58 don't have problems? >> [clears throat] >> Second Corinthians. >> [snorts] >> Chapter 4 verse 8 and 9. Let's read. We are troubled on Mhm, 360°. Yet not We are perplexed >> [snorts] >> persecuted cast down Go back. Let's do one by one. We are troubled on Is that happens for all of us? But the next one should also happen. Trouble on every side is what circumstance will provide. But how should we respond? Not distressed in spirit. I was looking at the meaning of these words. Sometimes English word very difficult. Trouble. Trouble means afflicted. Tormented on every side. Distressed. Distressed means not limited. Mhm. Trouble comes on every side, but Paul said, "I'll not allow trouble to become my boundary. I'll not allow it to limit me. I'll not be distressed. I'll go

38:01 beyond the boundaries." I'm not limited. Next one. WE ARE PERPLEXED. PERPLEXED. PERPLEXED THIS is what comes around us. Circumstances bring perplexed. Perplexed means at loss. The The The Septuagint, the Greek meaning of that word is uh at loss. There's a loss of resources. Don't know how to take it forward. There is a loss. >> [laughter] >> But But we are not in despair. And the meaning of the word despair is confused. Yes, there is loss, but there is no confusion. Pastor, how is it possible? Hope. Hallelujah. >> [clears throat] >> This is a Bible Vedic medicine. >> [snorts] >> You know, Ayurvedic. This is Bible Vedic. This medicine brings hope. Where there will be Back to it. Verse 8. Where there will be perplexity every side, but you will not have confusion. You know God is guiding me. I'm anchored.

39:04 He will take me at the right time. Hallelujah. Okay, let's go to verse 9. Persecuted. Persecuted means everyone forsakes you saying, "We don't want you. We reject you. We hate you." That's why they attack you. But God he says, "We don't feel rejected. We don't feel forsaken because we feel God's embrace on us." Cast down. People put us down. They insult us. They speak against us. You know, they badmouth us. They hurt our reputation. They just say lies. They speak lies. We are cast down but not destroyed. They think they can destroy us. You can't because the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave now works in us. >> [applause] >> Hallelujah. This month is a month of hope. Put on your dancing shoes when you come to church because you're going to go out rejoicing, you're going to take over territories that the devil wouldn't allow you, you're going to conquer by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is at

40:08 work. >> [applause] >> Hallelujah. You know, I don't remember who it was, some big politician in India once said, "Leave the Christians alone. If you touch them, they will grow." I have very personalized this. You leave me alone. You touch me, no. I start praying more. I get more fired up. I get more anointed. Then I can't preach normally. >> [applause] >> Last night I was praying, "God, help me to stop on time because I was getting fired up on the inside." Hallelujah. >> [snorts] >> Compare 50 years ago to today. An average professional 50 years ago worked in the office. If he worked, it was only in the office. And rhythm was slower, but today you're always connected. Don't know when boss will call. Don't know when colleagues will call. It's a fast-paced, multitasking, constant notifications life.

41:11 The other day I offed notifications on my iPad because everything is ringing. Then still it is ringing. Then I asked one brother in our church who is a IT person, "Can you stop this iPad from ringing?" >> [snorts] >> Then he did something. In fact, disturbing us has become such a thing that only IT professionals can stop. Pastor is looking for peace. 50 years ago when you went to sleep nothing woke you up. But today when you are awake you're confused if you're still sleeping because sometimes you don't know the difference. 50 years ago your identity came from your family, from your community and there was no comparison. But today your identity is tied to which car you drive, which job you work, what

42:15 salary you have, and this thing called social media. It's not only social, it is very antisocial sometimes. 50 years ago your security at work was long-term and you got into work, you knew where you are going to retire. And you kind of had predictable career, you knew your your promotions, etc. But today the job instability is so crazy. The other day I saw one man he's taking over a company. Many of you would have seen him. He's taking a sink, washing sink, hand wash sink on his first day to work as a symbol that is going to wash the company. Usually people go with briefcase. This man with went with one toilet sink. It was a big news all over the world. 50 years ago neighborhood ties were very strong. You kind of knew your friends, uncles, aunties. You kind of knew

43:18 people. Social life was very strong. Emotional life was very hidden. People never remove showed their emotions because they kind of felt pride in showing good emotions. But today relationships [snorts] are very digital. No one knows who is living next door. One man died in Bangalore in one flat. After 8 days neighbors came to know there is something wrong because bad smell came. Then police came, broke open the door. No one knows who that fellow is. Today people don't know anybody. People don't know each other. They don't know who is living next door. Relationships are very digital. There is physical loneliness, but there is so much mental awareness today and there is so much of emotional awareness today. >> [clears throat] >> 50 years ago and today there's a lot of difference.

44:20 Okay, now I'll come to what I really wanted to preach. >> [snorts] >> Let's read one scripture. My time's out, so I will just first read Acts chapter 28 and verse number six. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said he was a Community was hoping he will die. He was hoping God will work. What a contrast story. In Acts chapter 24, 25, Apostle Paul is preaching the gospel, gets into big trouble for preaching the gospel. In Acts chapter 26, uh he's talking to King Agrippa of Rome and to Festus the governor. I love one line there. Agrippa the king is asking him, "Okay, Paul, tell me why you are arrested. You make a defense for yourself." And so here Apostle Paul says, "You know, by the sect they call the way of which you are

45:23 aware, I serve the God of my fathers. Oh, King Agrippa, when I was traveling to Damascus to capture Christians and to draw them and put them in the jail because I was an anti-Christian. And as I was at the gate of Damascus on my horse with authority from the high priest and from the Roman government, I saw a bright light shining that knocked me off and the people who were traveling with me to the ground. And then I asked, "Who is this that hit me?" And I heard a voice that said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Oh, King Agrippa, I realized that day that this is God Almighty. Therefore, I will never be disobedient to the heavenly vision." King Agrippa told this fellow or Festus told this fellow, "Paul, the way you are preaching, I feel like becoming a Christian." Paul said, "Of course, I haven't reached the altar call yet, but you must become

46:25 like me except for the chains in which I am." So they put him on a ship and said, "Go to Rome because you appealed to meet Caesar." Caesar is the emperor and every Roman citizen had the birthright of appealing to the Caesar. And if he made an appeal to the Caesar, no Roman inquiry or a Roman police could stop him from meeting Caesar. And therefore they said, "Because you've asked for meeting Caesar, to Caesar you go." They put him on a ship and now he's sailing all the way to Rome. He's going through the Mediterranean. If you can understand the map and geography of Israel, from somewhere in the ports of Haifa or somewhere in that region from Tel Aviv, he got into one of the ships with the Roman guards and he's traveling all the way across the Mediterranean to Rome to stand before Caesar. In Acts chapter 27, he tells he tells the ship captain and the Roman guards, "Guys, don't start sail. Don't move the ship because

47:28 there's going to be storm in the future. Therefore, don't start now, wait." They said, "You shut up. What you know, preacher? Huh? >> [clears throat] >> You think that ship ship journey and being a captain is like preaching two verses from the Bible?" Paul said, "Theek hai, dekhenge. Take the vehicle." >> [laughter] >> Somewhere towards the half of the journey, heavy storm. Four anchors they put. Anchor is not able to stop the ship from moving. The ship began to break. Now 14 days, the Bible says 14 days, there was no sun or moon. It was clouded and the whole place was in a bad shape. The ship had already broken. Other prisoners are trying to run away. People are vomiting, haven't eaten up. And after the 14th day in the ship, Apostle Paul stands up and says, "Guys, come close to me. I've got something to tell you. Last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, came and spoke to me and said, 'Be of good cheer. Nothing's going

48:33 to go wrong with you.' So guys, I'm going to eat. You want to eat? Eat with me. You want to be hungry?" By then they knew whatever this fellow says is happening correctly. And they all had a feast after the storm. And the Bible says and slowly they moved the ship and it reached a small island in the Mediterranean called Malta. When they reached Malta, all the people, barbarians was the old English which means foreigners, they got together and looked at these people and they were wonderstruck. And they said, "Wow, you escaped such a terrible storm. You must be really blessed people." And they began to pick up sticks to put fire and on that island feel warm. As they were doing that, they were picking up sticks. Apostle Paul also started walking around pick By then they all are saying, "Apostle Paul, you don't pick up sticks. You are a man of God. You sit here, we'll pick up sticks. We We You sit here." Apostle Paul is a hard Every child of God must be a hard working person. Just because you have hope doesn't mean

49:35 you don't have scope. You have scope to work. Hope should not take away the scope of responsibilities. We must work. He was picking up sticks and putting into the fire. All of a sudden, I don't know why servants of God get into unwanted problems. Apostle Paul picked up one stick on which there was a terrible snake which is found only in Malta. >> [clears throat] >> This is not Maltova. This is an island called Malta. As he picked up that stick, one viper came and stuck on Paul's hand. Everybody saw that and they backed off and the people of the island shouted, "DON'T GO NEAR BECAUSE THAT'S THE worst serpent in the island. If that comes on somebody, in a few minutes, that person will swell. Their body will swell and they will die. It's only a matter of few minutes." Apostle Paul is watching. All are standing like that. They're not They're not responding. They're not

50:37 helping. They're not doing anything. They're all standing like that and Apostle Paul is looking. You know what they're waiting for? For Paul to die and fall down. He'll die and fall. Wait, wait, wait, wait. He'll die and fall. Wait, wait, wait. Somebody says, "We laugh." No, wait. He'll die now. He can't survive this. He'll die. Then somebody started social media campaign. He is He is worthy of dying. Otherwise, how come he escaped from the sea but snake caught him over here? Somewhere he is wrong. They all started campaign. Our man didn't care. This is something you have to learn. Hope should drive you, not others. Others will drive you mad. Hope will drive you glad. >> [applause] >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Bible says Apostle Paul didn't listen or bother about those people. He took that snake on his hand and went to the fire and shook off that snake in the fire. I tell you, if there is a fire burning in your life for God,

51:40 if that fire of love for God burns, you can shake that bad habit. You can shake that bad relationship. You can shake that bondage. You can shake that curse. You can shake that evil. You can shake that witchcraft. YOU CAN I DON'T CARE WHAT'S ON YOUR HAND. YOU CAN SHAKE IT OFF IN THE FIRE IN THE NAME OF JESUS. When you shake IT OFF, THE SAME PEOPLE WHO SAID HE IS GOING to die and he deserves to die are now saying he is God. This is the world. They said he is God. Then one fellow was there. His name is Publius or something like that. Roman name. >> [laughter] >> Thank God for funny names. That fellow was sick. Paul said, "Take me there." He prayed. That fellow got healed. Then he did [clears throat] ministry in Malta and then went to Rome.

52:42 Hope will make sure even the serpent on your hand becomes hopeless because there is a great hope burning in your life. >> [applause] >> Close your eyes. Let's pray. Let's say, "God, let hope in you drive our life. Not just fair weather, not just appreciation, not just success, but hope in you. Hope in the fact that you are in control. Hope in the fact that you hold our lives. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Father. Thank you that no serpent can kill, can destroy >> [snorts] >> when hope in Christ is burning in our lives. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. >> [clears throat] >> Wherever you are seated or you're

53:44 standing for lack of space, would you like to tell God today, "Father, I'm sorry if I put hope in things that are different from what really I should put my hope. My hope should be in you, Lord. I thank you for the good things in life and of course I hope good results from the good things in life, but my greater hope is in you, Lord. Things in my life can fail, but you won't. You are the unfailing. You are the faithful. Your mercies are new every morning. Hallelujah. We don't know why that when we do good things, sometimes we pick up serpents on our hand, >> [music] >> but thank you that they can be thrown off in the fire. Thank you for you are real. >> [music] >> Thank you that you are good. Thank you that you will not allow people's bad expectations to be fulfilled, but you will fulfill your expectation in our life. [music] You promised in

54:45 Jeremiah, "I have a good plan for you," said the Lord. Plans to [music] prosper you. Plans to give you a good future. Your hope about us is what will be fulfilled. Make that our hope, oh God. Father, for those that are struggling and they're not able to experience hope in you, today I pray for a divine strength. This month, week after week, help them to learn your word and grow in hope. To you be all the glory and honor in Jesus' mighty name we pray and the people said, [music] "Amen." Go ahead. Give God a big hand of praise. Hallelujah. Amen. Shall we all stand before we sing the song? I want to pray for people who are writing exams >> [music] >> that God's favor will be upon them. Shall we close our eyes as we pray? Lord, we pray for all the students who are writing exams in this season of February-March and we pray, Lord,

55:48 that you will give them unusual ability to focus on their studies. Help them to understand. Give them the wisdom. >> [music] >> Father God, we pray they will have good ability to memorize, to remember, that they will not be afraid, >> [music] >> that in their family there'll be peace, that there'll be financial success. >> [music] >> Father God, that they'll have wisdom on what to do next. Holy Spirit of God, I pray in the seasons of stress your guidance will be strong. [music] We welcome you, Holy Spirit, and we pray your lordship will rule over the wonderful kids [music] in the house of God. We bless them today. In Jesus' mighty name we pray and the people said, "Amen." >> [clears throat] >> I know your kids are in the kids' church. [music] 10th and 12th are in the teens' church. Let them know we prayed for them and they're going to do good by the grace of God. Shall we sing? My hope is built on nothing less than

56:55 Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but only lean on >> [music] >> On Christ the solid Oh, yes. All other ground is sinking [music] sand. All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness [music] veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging [music] grace. In every [singing] high and stormy [music] gale, my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid [music] rock I stand. All other ground is >> [music] >> All All other ground His oath, his covenant, [music]

58:03 and his blood support me in the way. Come on, church. Everybody, let's [music] do it. All around my Sing it together, everyone. >> [music] >> He is hope and stay. On Christ the [music] solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. When he shall [music] come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness [music] alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Come on, church. Lift your hands, [music] everybody. Worship him. Oh, yes. All other ground

59:07 All other ground. Let's sing it one more time. Lift your hands and tell him, "On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking [music] sand. All other ground is sinking sand." Hallelujah. Take a few minutes [music] to praise him. Go ahead. Go ahead. Clap your hands. Shout out thanks. >> [music] >> Rebuild rebuild your hope in Jesus' name. >> [music] >> Go ahead, lift your voice and praise him. Lift your voice and praise him. People may expect you to be destroyed, but God is holding your life.

1:00:10 That snake cannot destroy you. Throw it in THE FIRE OF WORSHIP. THROW IT IN THE FIRE OF FAITH. THROW IT IN THE FIRE. You don't have to kill it. God will destroy it. In the mighty [music] name of Jesus, let the church grow. Let the people be blessed. Let the victory of God be mighty. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Go ahead. Go ahead. Your miracle is on your lips. Your victory is in your hope. Worship him. IN THE PERSECUTION, GOD IS going to hold your life. He will take you forward. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. >> [music] >> Heavenly Father, we just want to say thank you, Lord, for speaking into our hearts and to our lives today in such

1:01:12 clarity through your word. And [music] to embrace this new month, oh Lord, knowing that you are our hope, and our hope is anchored in you, which is which is sure and which is steadfast. And we just want to say thank you, Father God. Dear Lord, give us the grace and the strength, oh Lord, to live a life that is that is hopeful in the midst of this hopeless world. We thank you and we praise you that you are with us. We bless your precious holy name, Father. At this time, we pray for those who are here for the very first time, those who are watching us online today. Father, [music] we pray that your word will bring command the transformation and healing in them, where their lives will never be the same again. We speak your blessings upon them, oh Lord. Dear Lord, we pray for those who are traveling this week. May your hand of grace and your presence go with them with whatever purpose that they're heading for. >> [music] >> We pray for your favor, your success, your protection to be upon their lives. Dear Lord, we pray for those who are celebrating their birthdays and marriage anniversaries this week. Thank you so much for adding another year into their lives. May their years ahead [music] be prosperous and blessed by you. We also pray for the tithes and the

1:02:14 offering that people have given to you with a sincere heart that you would bless them, that [music] they will always have abundance, oh Lord. We bless them in your holy name. Dear Lord, we at this time we also pray for those who are going through a time of pain, of losing someone, or maybe a struggle of financial. God, we pray for your divine breakthroughs to come forth, that they will never feel hopeless. May your presence cover them, Father. [music] We pray that this week will be a blessed week unto each one of us. This morning, we give you all the glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus' most holy name we pray. Amen. Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of our heavenly Father, and the sweet abiding presence of the Holy Spirit rest and be with us from now and forevermore. Amen. Amen. God bless you all. We want to take this time to welcome all of you who are here for the very first time. Come on, church, give them a very warm welcome. Those who are watching us online today, and those who are here, we would love to meet you in our guest lounge. And if you need prayers, our pastors are here in the front and also in the overflow. And God bless you and have a blessed week. >> [music]