Love Without Limits

Yeah, once again I just wanted to bring greetings to you all. Greetings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ our dear Lord. And secondly, I want to thank pastor Manu Thomas and uh pastor Thomas Samuel, Pastor Mama Chan, Pastor Anil, Pastor Daniel, and Pastor Jojin, and all the rest of the church members and the elders. And not but the least, I want to thank my mother-in-law and the family. And she was such a blessing to us. Not only she’s a mother-in-law to me, she’s like a mother to us from the beginning the time we got married. She takes care of us all the sun-in-laws as like a sons and even daughters in-laws are like a daughter. So therefore we are blessed to have such a wonderful mother-in-law and uh even two brother-in-laws Sunonny and Papu and two sister-in-laws of Veronica and Sweetie and nevertheless last but the least and my beautiful wife. She’s such a blessing to me from the time I got married and uh she’s cooperating in the ministry and from the beginning. We thank God and Stanley and my daughter. I’m blessed with a son and daughter. Stanley is the elder one. He’s 24 years now. And I have a daughter. She’s 15 years. My heart pains because she could not come with us. She could she she did not get her visa in spite of trying thrice. So they rejected and uh even me and my wife we came with a great pain coming alone leaving her. But anyhow it is God’s will that one day she will come here and she will also come and come and enjoy the fellowship in the church in Bethl church. And before I go to the body of my message I just wanted to share few things about me. I am from Andhra Pradesh. There is a place called Marapram but I was born and brought up in Pune Maharashtra because my dad was in railways. Then later we came and shifted to Karnataka. There’s a place called Hubli Dharawad near Bangalore. So we came and settled there. I studied there. At that time the Lord has opened my eyes once I visited brother DJs dinccurrence meeting. So he came to Hubli as he was sharing the word of God and he was singing that song you know Asia will know that song as he was singing uh literally there was a tears rolling from my eyes and the first time you know I started weeping without knowing myself and that is the time God was trying to give me whispering in me I ear saying how long will you waste your life you give your life to me and that is the time I went before and wept before the Lord like a little child and I said come into my heart Lord. Then I could not get a proper fellowship. After one year I got a very good fellowship. I search it was a Pentecostal church and there I went I took water baptism. I was filled with the Holy Spirit even we used to speak in tongues and you know so God blessed us and in a wonderful way and then my desire was to become a doctor. Brother Manu, my desire was to become a medical doctor. But the Lord called me for the ministry. Every time I read Bible, every time I pray, I I used to get some kind of thoughts. What will you earn? What will you take when you die? You serve me, you serve me. This is a thought all the times to come to my mind. Then I went to my place, my hubli, and I asked some pastor. They said, “Brother, this is the thoughts I’m coming, you know, getting.” Then they said maybe God is calling you for ministry. I was hardly 17 years old when I have accepted the lord as my savior. Then after one year the lord I visited one organization by name called brother r. Stanley is the head of the organization blessing youth mission and their office is in wur tamil nadu. Then uh I joined them joined there as a missionary traininee. I got my training there for five years and uh Bible Bible uh college as well as my mission fields brother we used to visit villages colleges and visit the families and that’s how you know we started doing doing ministry then afterwards I left that organization because of some reasons and then I joined new life fellowship organization in Bangalore. So I was assistant pastor at that time in Bangalore and uh there that was an English service. I was there for two to three years. Then later I came to Hyderabad and then afterwards I found my wife and some pastors came and proposed this family. After getting married I I almost settled in Hyderabad past 26 years and now we have a small fellowship by name called Praise the Lord fellowship. So we have somewhere 25 to 30 families. If everybody comes maybe almost that will be a little this big this kind of you know this this size otherwise every Sunday 30 to 40 people without missing everybody comes and we enjoy our fellowship almost similar like this. So that is the reason all the four Sundays I came here enjoying this time of praise and worship. Yes brother, this is my small introduction and today my small thought is brother uh it is 12:50. How long you want me to share? Okay. Okay. I’ll take another five 10 minutes. Okay. Fine. Yeah. Today I just wanted to Yeah. Today my my message or my thought is from Psalm 103. I I request all of you please turn your Bibles to the book of Psalms. Book of Psalms, chapter 1 or 3 verse 11 it says if you have taken then I’ll read. It says, “As for the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy towards those who fear him.” Let me read again. As for the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy towards those who fear him. Here the first thing it says, those who fear God or in the New Testament you can say those who love God. In the Old Testament, fear God. But when you come to New Testament, there’s no word called fear God. Only once Jesus said, okay, fear God who can put your soul and your body into hell. Otherwise, in the New Testament, I don’t find the word called fear God. But you have that word called love God. Jesus said in John 14 and 15, if you love me, obey my commandments. He asked Peter thrice repeatedly, “Peter, do you love me more than all this?” Peter said, “Yes, Lord, I love you.” Then he said, “You take care of my sheep or take care of my lamb.” Somebody said, “The lambs are nothing but Sunday school children or little ones.” Then secondly, Jesus said, “Do you love me?” Again, Peter said, “Yes, Lord, I love you.” Then he said you take care of my sheep. Sheep is nothing but adults like us. Then third time Jesus said do you really love me Peter more than all this? He said yes Lord. Then Bible says Peter wept it and said Lord don’t you know that I love you. In original Bible it says you take care of my flock. lambs, little children, sheep, adults, flock, whole church. Peter, if you really love me, you can do this ministry. You can do you can take care of children, you can take care of adults, you can take care of the church. Book of Revelation chapter 2 there Jesus is complaining against the church of Ephesians. He said, I know your works. I know your deeds. I know you have you have labeled for me but I have something against you. What is that? You lost your first love. I don’t want any service without love. You know what happened this book Ephesians? So when Paul went to the Ephesians city, he was very good. He was sharing the word. Many people came to the Lord. Many people were saved and born again. You know gradually what happened? There were deaths in the church. There were marriages in the church. There were functions in the church. So day-to-day life was going on. Slowly their love came down for the Lord. They’re coming to church. They’re giving their offerings. They’re singing. But not with that first love. Like husband and wife when they marry, you know how how loving they will be each other for 6 months. After 6 months, you find people, you know, husband and wife fighting each other. Same thing. This church church in Ephesus initially they were so good they were so wonderful loving God but slowly gradually as things were going their love came down and then Jesus said you lost that love you’re just coming and singing just clapping your hands just raising your you know hands or just giving your offerings but you have you don’t do that without of your love I don’t want anything which there is no love. So one thing I have learned in the New Testament, you know, it’s not fear God, it is love God. Do you love me, Peter? Yes, Lord. If you love me, obey my commandments. There are many references in the Bible, dear brothers and sisters, loving God, especially in the New Testament. Then this verse says as the heavens are high above the earth so is a great you know God’s love is so great on those who fear God those who love God. Now we do not know how far the heavens from the earth. According to Bible there are three heavens. 2 Corinthians chapter 12:2 if you turn with me Bible refers three heavens third heaven pet you know Paul is writing and saying I was a man was caught into third heaven 14 years ago 2 Corinthians chap 12 verse 2 let me read if you have taken the Bibles I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago go whether in the body I do not know or whether out of the body I do not know God knows such a one was caught up into third heaven there’s a only one place in the Bible it says third heaven so that means without you know referring first and second you cannot say the third so there are three heavens scientifically the first heaven it’s called atmospheric heaven where birds fly where airplanes fly where you have a wonderful you know weather where you have a clouds that’s called the first heaven atmospheric heaven the second heaven is called celestial heaven so there brother you have sun moon stars all the celestial bodies and third heaven is called Isaiah chapter 66 verse1 if you turn with me that verse The third heaven is called the throne of God. Isaiah chapter 66 verse 1 and two. Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne and earth is my foottool. That means if I sit in heaven, my feet will come to earth. Heaven is my throne. Earth is my foottool. Which place you are going to build for me? Which place I am going to dwell? Do you think I’m going to dwell in the small building? No. Where God dwells? God doesn’t dwells in the buildings or a temples made by hand. Bible says God dwells when two or three people gather together. There is one more verse in 1 Corinthian 3:16. It says, “Don’t you know your body is the temple of God?” And thirdly, it says, “God is a spirit.” See these three verses, you know, summarize together. This is where God dwells. Number one, God dwells when two or three people gathered together. Number two, your body itself is the temple of God. And number three, God is spirit is everywhere. Psalm 139:3 and 4 says, “Lord, where can I go from your spirit? If I ascended to heaven, you are there. If I descend to the lower parts of the earth, you are there, Lord. Even a thought comes to my mind, you know it. Before a word comes to my mouth, you know it, Father. You know everything. So you’re everywhere. You cannot confine, we cannot confine God to a small building or a temple or a church building. Yes, we need our own building but God doesn’t dwell there. God dwells when two or three people gather that wherever it may be. So that is the reason Bible says a third heaven is called the throne of God. First heaven atmospheric heaven, second heaven, celestial heaven and third heaven is called the throne of God. So heaven is my in throne and earth is my foottool. So therefore according to this verse Bible says God is everywhere. When he sits there, his feet comes and touches to the ground. And every time whenever Jesus prayed, Bible says he looked up heaven and he prayed to the father. He went to Lazarus tomb. He lifted his eyes towards heaven and said, “Father, thank you that you hear me always.” And then he said, “Lazarus, come out.” So therefore, you know, Bible says even heaven and earth will pass away. Matthew 24:35, my words will not pass. Every time when God Jesus wanted to take any measure, he takes always heaven and earth. Heaven and earth. In the beginning, God created heaven and the earth. Not heaven, heavens and the earth. First heaven, second heaven, third heaven. We do not know what is the distance. Bible says, “As the heavens are far above the earth, so great is God’s love, God’s mercy towards those who fear him.” And secondly Bible says verse 13 verse 12 Psalm 103 verse 12 it says verse 13 as the east is far from the west he has removed our transgressions from must the first one the height of God’s love heaven and earth it’s it it talks about the height the height of God’s love if we fear God it says I will show that mercy on them as heavens are above the earth I will sow such a great love then here it says as the east is for far from the west or west is far from the east I will remove all their transgression their sins their you know uh their iniquity ities. Okay. So far many times I was thinking well you know is is he talking about the east and west of India map. East you have you know Bombay. West you have Bengal. He’s not talking about east and west of India map or neither he’s talking about east of west of America or talking about any country. He’s talking about east and west of the whole universe. Another day I was watching one YouTube you know video and there it’s a first they have showed the earth. Earth is so massive, so big, big ocean, lot of ocean, many countries, many continents, many cities. And slowly they have summed it up and they came up and from moon they viewed the earth and earth size almost looking like a moon. Again from moon they went a little far away and from Jupiter. So there even moon is not visible. Forget about earth. Even moon is not visible. They went to sun. So almost uh you know earth looking a small speck of dust. So that means east and west of the universe you cannot even imagine. In whole big universe earth is a small speck of dust. Just imagine the east and west of the whole universe. That’s what Bible says. If you if you fear God, if you love God and if you confess your sins, he will remove your sins from the as east is far from the west. This is called the width of God’s love. The first one is the height of God’s love. The second one is the width of God’s law. East and west, how God will forgive our sins. Number two, turn with me. Book of Isaiah chapter 1. God how he forgives those who fear him, those who confess their sins. Isaiah 1 verse 18. It says, “Come, let us reason together. Though your sins are red like a scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though your sins are red like a crimson, I will make them as wool. So first he will forgive our sins as the east is far from the west he removes. Number two it says if your sins are red like a scarlet, if your sins are red like a blood, like a crimson, he said I will make them as white as snow. You cannot compare white and red. You cannot compare red and white. Though you’re so dirty man, you’re so, you know, useless man. If you really come to me and say, “Lord, I’m sorry. I will make your sins like a white as snow.” When I was 17 years old, somebody, you know, I read, I was reading John chap 1 John 1:9. It says, “If you confess your sins, he is a just and faithful to forgive all your sins and cleanse from all your unrighteousness.” So when I read that verse, I went to the fields, brother. I kneel down somewhere 1:00 in the night, I went into the fields. I was kneeling down. I was crying and said, “Lord, Bible says first John 1:9, if you really confess your sins, you’re a faithful. You’re a just God to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness. I wept. I said Lord you come into my heart and brothers and sisters I tell you that was a turning point in my life. No doubt brother Dakan meeting it was opening of my eyes but later real turning point when I read that verse John 1 John 1:9 if you confess your sin. So I confess till today I wanted to inform everyone. So uh you know once when we have accepted the Lord when we received Jesus Christ Jesus God has forgiven all our sins but after that day by day we are moving in the society. We talk to people sometimes we speak unwanted thing sometimes we do bad things with our eyes and you know mouth you know what should we do till today I am now 53 years old and 35 years I have accepted the Lord. I never slept even single day without confessing my every night before sleeping I said Lord forgive my sins if I have done something wrong if I have spoken something unwanted if I did something wrong with my Lord with my mouth with my eyes with my ears I’m really sorry somebody said what is the meaning of pray P R A Y he said P stands for praising God when you kneel down to pray God you know pray first praise God sing a song and worship the Lord. Then secondly says R stands for repentance. Every time we pray, Lord, I’m sorry I went today to church. Did I speak something extra? Did I do something wrong? Did I did something you know? Did I not do something which I’m supposed I was supposed to do. I’m really sorry today. I met that brother. I think I spoke a little extra. I’m really sorry. When we confess our sins, God will forgive our sin. As a believer, it’s not excuse. Once I have accepted a low back 25 years, 30 years back I have accepted no problem. God has forgiven me. But day to day I’m moving around. I’m in the in the society. I with my family sometimes I may speak something. I may lose my anger. So immediately Bible says we should go and say Lord I am sorry. Peter, you know, you know, Bible says Peter did the worst thing saying, “I do not know Jesus.” But Bible says he wept, he cried and he repented and he was forgiven. Whereas Judas, he just said this is Christ. He kissed him, but he did not repent. You know what happened? He hanged himself. Whereas Peter came back to God’s fold. So secondly, Bible says when we confess, you know, when we fear God, when we love him, Bible says as the east is far from the west, the Lord will remove our sin. Number two, as though your sins are red like a scarlet, he will make you as white as snow. Number number three, how God will forgive our sins. Book of Ma 7 verse 19. If you can just see that word book of Maha chapter 7 verse 19. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities and thou will cast all their sins into the depth of the sea. The third one, God will throw all our sins at the depth of the sea if we confess our sins. If I say no, no, I did not do anything. What did I do? So, we will not be forgiven. And somebody said nobody know the depth of the sea till today. In one place it will be uh one depth on the other place other depth. Nobody knows. But Bible says he will take all our sins and throw at the depth of the sea. So third comparison, first east and west. Number two, as though your sins are red like a scarlet, I’ll make them as white as snow. And thirdly, I will throw all your sins at the depth of the sea. He will never find again. What a wonderful God. Shall we say hallelujah? So fourthly, how God will forgive? Just take that verse book of Isaiah. Chapter 38:E17 Book of Isaiah 38:E1 17 let us see here it says behold for peace I had great bitterness but thou has in love to my soul delivered in from the pit of corruption for thou has called cast all my sins behind your back. Hallelujah. So God not only thrown all our sins in the depth of the sea. He says he has thrown all our sins behind his back. Can anybody can we see our back? Even God says I cannot see my back. I have thrown all your sins behind my back. So we got we thank God. We have such a wonderful God who can forgive our sins and he will never you know and there is one more verse in the book of Jeremiah. which says I will remember your sins no more. I will never remember your sins if I am sincere and say Lord I’m really sorry. Isaiah chapter 66 verse1 says heaven is my throne and earth is my foottool where is my resting place then he says those who are humble those who are broken and contrite in spirit those who fear at my tremble at my word I will look upon him if we are humble God will exalt us and god will forgive our sins thirdly I’m going to close it very th soonly psalm 1 3 verse 14. You got it. Psalm 103. Yeah. As a father shows mercy to his children, so the Lord pies them that fear him. Again, the word fear him, that love him. Somebody said there is no greatest love as like a father and son or a father and daughter. Yeah. Since God is a you know God has a son Jesus Christ that’s what he said my son. Jesus said I do my father’s will and God said this is my beloved son and I’m very very happy. Father he gives everything to his son prodigal son though he spent all the money and he though he has you know rejected father’s will and still father was looking for him when he came Bible says he hugged him he kissed on his neck he did not ask what did you do with that money how much how much did you drink no he did not take any you know account he said father my son has come he made a big feast so the love between father and son is such a great love. You cannot compare with any other love between even Malaki 3:16 says those who fear God when they speak to one another the Lord heard a book of remembrance was written before him and then it says at that time I will show who is righteous who is unrighteous and then he says as the father shows mercy to his son I will show mercy to them those who serve So this is called the depth of God’s love. The first is the height of God’s love. Second is the width of God’s love. The t third one is called the depth of you know God’s love. Father son’s relationship. And last and finally verse 17 Psalm 103 verse17 I’m closing. Psalm 103:E1 17. Yeah. Again you find the word those who fear him. 17:18. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto children’s children. Verse 18. to such as keep his covenant and to those who remember his commandments to do them. So thirdly, you know, for fourthly and finally, it says the you know the grace of the Lord, the mercy of the Lord on them those who fear him and keep his covenant from his children to children. Book of Exodus chapter you know chapter 20 verse 5 says I will show mercy on thousands those who fe those who love me and keep my commandments you know if I love God today if I obey God’s word not only I am blessed Stanley is blessed not only Stanley his children will be blessed not only his children his children’s children’s children Bible says for thousand generation if I am righteous today, all my thousand generations will be blessed. If I am corrupt today, if I’m cunning today, all my thousand generations are, you know, they will they will have a very tough time. So this is a lesson for us as a parents. If we really love God, really obey him, we can see our children’s children are being blessed. those who keep my covenant. You know, God made a covenant with Noah. Rainbow Noa, hereafter, I’m not going to destroy people with water. So therefore, I’m making a covenant. This is a rainbow. The secondly, God made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham, this is a covenant between you and me. All your children and all your descendants are going to be circumcised. Yes, Lord, I’ll do that. And thirdly, God made a covenant with Moses, the Ten Commandments. And you know what is the covenant God has given to us? The blood of Jesus. On that day Jesus Christ on the on the Passover day. He took the bread. He gave thanks to God. He broke it and said this is my body which was broken for many. Then he took the cup and said this is the blood of a new covenant. We are not followers of Abraham. We are not followers of Noah. We are not followers of Moses. We are followers of Jesus. So what is the new covenant today? It is the blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we participate in communion that means we are having life. Jesus said in John 16:52, if you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have a eternal life. In last day I will raise him up. I in last day I will raise him up. So we are so blessed to have you know this holy communion. every time every time we participate it will be a such a blessing. So therefore there are four things today what we learn. So number one if we fear God so Bible says as the heavens are above the earth so God’s mercy so great upon them those who fear him. Number two Bible says as the east is far from the west so Lord will forgive and remove our transgression from us. Number three, Bible says you know as the father shows pity or father shows mercy on the son who serve him who love him and I will also show mercy on them. And fourthly and finally those who keep my covenant I will bless not only them their children’s gen children generation to generation and by taking communion we’ll be fulfilling God’s will. May God bless this small verse. Amen. Once again, Pastor Manu Thomas and all the pastors, I’m grateful to you. Thank you very much. When you come to India, please do visit us, especially Hyderabad and we’ll try to have a meeting for you, brother. Thank you. I give glory to God. Thank you

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