PAY ATTENTION TO HOW WE LEAD OUR LIVES – PART 2
Sermon by Pastor Dr Niko Njtorahardjo, Sunday – 3 November 2013
4. Be Filled With Holy Spirit and Be Not Drunk With Wine
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,…” (Ephesians 5:18) There is a recent ‘trend’ among Indonesians, to drink wine. However, let us not get drunk with wine. Paul spoke to Timothy about drinking wine, but it was for health reasons and not to get drunk. As witnesses of Jesus, we need to guard ourselves. If we say, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked,” (1 John 2:6) this means we need to first be filled with the Holy Spirit and do the Word of God. Amen! Let us reflect on ourselves. Signs of those who are not filled with the Holy Spirit are laziness:
- In prayer
- Reading the Bible
- Build intimacy with God
- Expressing our love for God, etc.
- If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will be excited about being with God.
5. Speaks Positively Towards Others
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19) If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be speaking to one another in Psalms, hymns of praise and spiritual songs; and not foul language. Instead, it is the language that is found in Psalms, hymns of praise and spiritual songs to respect one another. This is important!
- “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
- “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:22)
- “Raca” roughly translated is “Idiot! Where is your brain?” or “Stupid!” Once again I remind you to be watchful towards the language we use these days. In Jakarta, people often say, “You’re crazy…” This is perceived as informal language or slang that makes some say, “If I am not using such language, I am not ‘cool’.” In actuality, such language is similar to foul language which is considered informal. At times, due to the habit of saying, “You are crazy…” while being angry with someone, and we say, “You are really crazy!” This is worse than the previous word, ‘Idiot’. If someone says such things, what are we to do? This person is in danger of hell fire! Be careful!
God spoke strongly about this to me. Thus far, we have always talked about visions that I have received and have never touched topics like this. In fact, such matters carry a bigger risk. We need to account for each word spoken in vain on the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. If anyone of you says to his brother or sister, “Raca”, which means, “Idiot! Stupid! Where is your brain?!” he needs to be thrown into burning hell. I was once like that too, using casual slang. I thought if I did otherwise, I would be perceived to be less social. However, it is better to be less social than to be in hell! Young people and probably the elders too, do not get used to such language. I have delivered this message and hope you do not have the habit of using such language. As I always pray for you, “God, let everyone enter heaven and no one is thrown into burning hell!” Amen! If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will wholeheartedly rejoice and sing to God. At times, there are people who hold back. Even so, when someone shouts, “Hallelujah!”, he will then ask, “What is that? Is it a kind of style or what?” NO! It is because we are filled with the Holy Spirit! I am not sure if someone is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will not rejoice and sing with all his heart, regardless of the style he has but it can be seen. Indeed so it is not about the ‘style’ that matters but it is about whether or not he is filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will rejoice and sing to God with all our heart.
6. Constantly Giving Thanks For All Things
“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1
Thessalonians 5:18) Everyone can give thanks at good times. However, we need to give thanks at
all times, good or bad. When you give thanks in bad times, peace and joy will come. It is not because we receive something but because God gives heavenly joy and peace. This is marvelous! “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Maybe there are some of you who are anxious. You have prayed and asked God but have yet to see the answer. Has your prayer to God been accompanied with thanksgiving? Normally, people just pray, “God, help me… help me… help!” while forgetting to say, “Lord, thank you. I am thankful for You, Lord.” I believe you will see what is written in Psalms 37:3-4 happening in your life:
- Trust in the Lord,
- Do good,
- Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness,
- Delight yourself in the Lord,
- And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
I remember ‘giving thanks’ was a form of personal experience that represented a turning point in life. When God called me to be servant of God, it was through an unpleasant situation. I needed to file for bankruptcy, and as the Javanese would say, “Ludes… des..”. The first ‘des’ implies everything is gone. The second ‘des’ refers to additional debt. Imagine this, not only is everything gone, there is also an outstanding debt. How would the debt be settled then? The debt is now all cleared because it has been paid. At that time, I could not take it because in addition to being bankrupt, I was not a priest too. The situation caused me great distress. At its peak, God spoke to me, “Niko, precisely at times like this, you need to give thanks!” That was when, while crying, I picked up the guitar and composed a song, “All our praise and glory only unto You, O Lord. You alone are worthy to be praised. We have come together to magnify Your Name. Hallelujah!” Initially, the song was sung slowly and with tears. This song has now become a song of joy, upbeat and joyful.
I have just returned from Japan. Japan experienced a revival that has never taken place before. The numbers of God’s ministers who were present and churches attending were beyond what was recorded in Japan’s history. God’s ministers from Okinawa to Sapporo, they all came! There were approximately 5,100 people present! According to history, the largest number was 3,500 people, implying that this recent event has never happened before. There was a senior minister by the name of Okuyama who at the age 81 years is remarkably healthy. He can speak Indonesian. He was with Ps Petrus Oktvianus because they worked together. He told me, “Ps Niko, your song is such a blessing for Japan. Every Christian knows the song!” Each time I go to Japan, I will sing the song because they request it. A few years ago, they thought the composer of the song was from China because they took the song from Taiwan and had it translated. However, when they knew that I was the composer, they took me as ‘father’. This is remarkable! The last time I was in Japan, I closed the event by declaring together, “Revival in Japan has begun! Revival in Japan has begun!” Then came a thunderous roar! On the way back, I heard on the street that a storm was coming towards Japan. Shaking took place! Each time I am at a place that is experiencing a revival, shaking will suddenly take place. However, amid such shaking, many will repent. Amen!
7. Submit To One Another
Ephesians 5:21: “Submitting to one another in the fear of God.” As witnesses of Jesus, we need to submit ourselves to one another when we are together. However, it does not happen in this world. When they gather, each tries to make himself better than the others. As witnesses of Jesus, we need to humble ourselves when we gather. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). There are also a few other verses on this matter:
- Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility. (Proverbs 18:12)
- Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
- The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)
I pray in accordance to the promise of God I have received that you will be extra blessed today! I know that God has done that. Because of that, I want to appreciate you. God has also said, “Appreciate them. They came to this place with difficulty!” On 2 November, I went to Sentul with difficulty too. At times like that, I was asked to give thanks. Indeed, the test in thanksgiving is in circumstances such as that. However, I know that you have overcome and will be given extraordinary blessings today. Amen!