Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Once again, indeed it is a great joy and privilege to come back to Oak Ridge Trinity Baptist Church and to share what the Lord has been doing in the subcontinent of India. Apostle Paul, when he mentions, when he writes to Philippians, he says I thank for thee in all my remembrance. The same way, I thank God for you, all the saints of God who have been praying for us and partaking the grace of God in the land of India. As already your pastor mentioned, the children Kamali and Ramakrishnan that you have been asked me to convey their love and regards to every one of you. The children, when they came to know that I am going to visit their sponsors, they are so excited. Most of the children know the sponsors by name. And your children, they know the pastor's name and also the name of the church. Every day, the children have morning and evening devotion. In that devotion, they sing song and meditate a particular portion and then we pray. During the prayer time, the children remember their sponsors and they pray every day. And they are so thankful and grateful to you for what you have been doing in the upliftment of the poor and the unfortunate children. Above all, these children are growing the knowledge of Jesus Christ. My heart is touched when these children have learned the doctrine of grace. They have mastered the Zag's book, Bible Doctrine Drill. Systematically, these teachings have been imparted to these children. in the past days so they have grown very well and I would continue to I would encourage you to request you to continue to remember these children in your prayers and I appreciate for what you have been doing for the sake of the kingdom of God and many greetings from my family and also from my church as you know I am pastoring Good Samaritan Primitive Baptist Church in Chettipatti. This church was constituted during the year 2001 by Elders Zag, Herb and other brethren. The church has grown. Today we have 64 baptized members and also children are attending the worship. the church is steadily growing we keep teaching the doctrine and also we keep teaching the truth to our people and also I would request you to remember my church and also other churches in your prayers now let us turn our Bible to book of Job chapter 28 Book of Job, chapter 28, verse 7. There is a path. There is a path. Let us close our eyes and look to God. The Holy Spirit will help us to understand His Word. Let us pray. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for all the goodness and mercies that you have been bestowing upon our lives. Thank you, Lord, for the saving grace. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity, wonderful privilege of coming to thy house and worship together. As we are going to meditate upon thy word, I pray that the Holy Spirit will illumine our hearts and minds to perceive the truth and help us to continue to grow in the knowledge of grace we commit these things in your mighty hand, I ask in Jesus precious name, Amen. Job from his own experience he is writing the sovereignty of God and also he is writing his own experiences in different perspectives. Job chapter 28 is an unique chapter I can say. As I was meditating this chapter some time ago, really I learned many things from this passage. He mentions there is a path. In original translation, there is their path. That means there is only one path, he says. There is a path which no foe knoweth, on which the vultures' eye hath not seen. The lions' whelps have not trodden it, nor the fire's line passed by it. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock, he overturneth the mountains by the roots, but he does not know this path. Man is very brilliant. Man is capable to doing things. He is cutting upon his rock. He overturned the mountains. And he overturned big hills. But still he does not know this path. And again he goes on saying, he cutteth out rivers among the rocks and his eyes seeth everything, every precious thing but still he does not know the path. He bindeth the floods from overflowing, and the thing that is high bringeth he forth to light, but still he does not know the path. You know, man is constructing very big dams, he is storing the water, he is doing great things, he is doing mighty things, but still majority people in this world does not know this path. He goes on saying, but where, where shall wisdom be found and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of living. The depth says, it is not in me. I do not know this path. He's going and asking, do you know this path? The depth says, no, I don't know. It is not in me. And the sea says it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold. This path cannot be gotten by gold or any precious thing. Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. This path cannot be compared to gold or silver or any other things in this world. Such a great precious thing, this one path. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels or fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. So the topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it have valued with pure gold. Whence there cometh wisdom and where is the place of understanding? And again he goes on saying, seeing it is hide from the eyes of all living and kept close from the folds of the air. Everyone cannot see this path. Everyone cannot come into this path. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears, but we never seen. God understand the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven, to make the weight for the winds, and the weight the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then did he see it and declare it, he prepared it and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is the wisdom, and to depart from the evil is understanding. What a beautiful, wonderful passage Job So Job found this way that is the reason in spite of what happened in his life even though Satan got permission from God and he tempted Job he has taken away everything he has taken away all the material blessings he has taken away his children and his wife cursed him and he had a he lost his health everything but still he did not deny Jesus he denied denied God and he did not give up his faith because he found this path this path is the precious this path is the greater value in this world than anything else that's why Apostle Paul was telling, if he boasts himself, he can boast. Because he has a highest position, he had an education, he had a wealth, and he was a wise man, but he counted everything like a dung, because he wants to know the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because he has found the path. So man by nature he cannot find this path. Because man is totally depraved. He is totally blind. His ears are deaf. And he cannot see, he cannot hear, he cannot walk, nothing he can do. Because spiritually he is dead. And he is incapable of finding this path. How can this man find this path? unless and until God gives His power unless and until the Holy Spirit quickens Him He cannot raise and find this path so tonight I would like to share few things about this path that we have read from this passage Isaiah 55, 8 to 11 says God's ways are higher ways God's paths are higher Man is lower. Man is finite. God is infinite. So the infinite God brings the finite man to find these greater ways. The first thing we are going to see is, what is this path? This path is an old path. Jeremiah 6.16 says, Yeah, Jeremiah 6.16 says, Thus says the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths. Where is the good way? And walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. So there is a path, that path is the old path. Who trodden this path? Our patriarchs trodden this path. And Abraham, Isaac, Jacob trod on this path. Joseph trod on this path. Eliza, Elijah trod on this path. Isaiah, Jeremiah, all the prophets trod on this path. Apostles of Jesus Christ trod on this path. And John the Baptist trod on this path. And our predecessors trod on this path. And people think that there are many paths. No, there is only one path. All paths maybe looks like a path, but this cannot lead to the destiny. Once there was, once I happened to go to Madras, so I reserved a ticket in a bus named KPN bus, that is the Super Deal Express bus. My seat number was 8. So as I was waiting to get the bus, someone in the office said, OK, the bus has come. Those who are going to Madras, you can go. Like that, he made announcements. Then I was very serious. I was caught up with the book, and I was reading in that. I heard only the bus is ready. You go and get in. So I was contemplating. on that book only then immediately I got up in a bus and said I found my seat it was seat number 8 and someone came and said sir sir what is your seat number I said seat number is 8 he said no my seat number is 8 I said no no no you may be wrong better you go and ask in the office counter then that man got down and went to the counter and asked Again, this man came back and said, sir, this is my seat. I have been told by this staff member. So better you check. Then I said, no, no, I have already checked. This is confirmed ticket. And he was very upset. And I checked my ticket. The seat number is 8. Then third time, this man brought the staff. And he asked, sir, what is your seat number? I said, seat number is 8. OK. Where are you going? I am going to Madras. Sir, this bus is going to Bangalore. You are in a wrong place. Then I was very upset. Then I asked apology to this man. Sorry for the disturbance. See, I was sitting in the right bus. The company is a right company. It looks like I am going to right direction. But if I take that bus, it will not end up with the destiny which I am going to the same way people think that there are many paths or these paths maybe looks like to reach a destiny this may be the name the name is a right name the right orders may be the things they are following looks like right but there is only one path unless and until come into this path they cannot get into the destiny In India, people think that there are many religions. Some group of people think that there are many religions leads to one place. Just like rivers, there are many rivers, all the rivers end up with the ocean. The same way, all religions lead to the same place. That is what they are thinking. Even in the Christianity, There are many denominations. There are many false doctrines. There are many false ways. And it may look like a right thing, but the destiny may not be reached. So the bus is the right bus, but I am sitting in the wrong place. The same way, Job is pointing out clearly there is only one path This is the path our predecessors have trodden. And secondly, this path is not a wide path, it is a narrow path. Matthew 7, 13 and 14 in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ is portraying about this path. Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way. that lead us to destruction, and many there be which go in threats. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which lead us into life, and few there are be that find it. There are two kinds of paths. One is a straight gate. It's broad. Anyone can go that. It is easier to go. But there is another gate. Another path, that is a narrow path. Many cannot go inside this path, only few. Many are called, few are chosen. And these few only can enter in these gates. This is, on what context Jesus Christ is bringing this? Jesus was preaching on, this is a sermon on mount. He was preaching about the Beatitudes who are the blessed people. And Jesus Christ was preaching about how the followers of Jesus Christ should be. How their lifestyle should be in this world. And how they should be light to the darkness. How they should be salt onto the earth. And how their life should be holy in this Gentile world. and many things Jesus Christ was teaching at the end of his sermon Jesus is telling this the path which leadeth to eternal life is narrow path Jesus Christ was giving another discourse in John chapter 6 at the end of the chapter John 6.60 what was the response of the people Did everybody respond to that message? No. So people, even some disciples could not understand that. The response was, it's a hard teaching. Who can hear this? Who can follow this? Only few can follow, many cannot follow. And oftentimes when the true doctrine of grace is being preached, people cannot understand. When we got converted into Primitive Baptist Church, we had lots of criticism all over district of Salem. Many people said, oh brother, have you heard about this man? He joined with cult. He joined with wrong doctrine. He is preaching wrong doctrine. People cannot understand. Because that's what Bible says. It's a narrow path. It's a hard path for other people. Then the third path is path of tribulation. Revelation chapter 7, 13 and 14 clearly portrays that. Revelation 7. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in which robes? And whence came they? And I said unto them, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. In the heaven it was asked, Who are these people? Where are they coming from? These are the people entered into the narrow gates. These are the people wash their robes in blood. These are the people came through the tribulation. They are the people reached the destiny. So this is a path of persecution. Matthew chapter 24, 9 says, He shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Following Jesus Christ is a blessed thing. It's a great joy. Following Jesus Christ is a free gift of God. And we don't need to pay any price. Jesus Christ has shed his own blood on the cross of Calvary and purchased us by his own blood. We are saved by his mere grace. We don't need to work anything. There are religions teaching salvation by words. Even in Christianity, many people think that salvation is by words. That's wrong. Salvation is merely by the grace of God. And God saves His people, not everyone. Everyone cannot come into Jesus Christ. That's what Matthew 121 says. He shall be saved His people. Very clear. And in this narrow path, those who goes through have to pay a price. So I say the salvation is the free gift of God but whereas the discipleship is costly. On one occasion when God punishes Israel because of the sin of David, David was offered oxen and offered a piece of land to make sacrifice to God in the land of Arnon. Arnon wanted to give it as a free. But what was the response of David? He said, No, I don't want to serve God, which cost me nothing. Serving God is costly. Salvation is a free gift of God. But whereas the discipleship is costly. It costs many things. It costs our time. It costs our friendship. it costs our family, it costs our community, it costs our privileges, it costs even our life. Mark chapter 10, 29 and 30 says, for my namesake, for my gospel, those who left his family, his parents, his brothers and sisters, they will receive hundredfolds with the blessings. I was reading the Baptist history, it touched my heart very much. Even this morning while we were driving towards Oak Ridge, I had a brief discussion with Elder Thomas Mann. I am reminded of some of the things When I entered into Virginia, immediately I remembered how the saints of God suffered for the sake of faith, to contend the faith. The three great men of God, Louis, Joseph Gray and Bledsoe, they were arrested. Why? What was the charge? Because they have preached about the Son of God. That was the church. There was a great man, Patrick Henry. He confronted in the court. And he defended. The saints were there. And many saints, many saints of God had to leave their houses. They had to leave their cattle. They had to leave their belongings. And many were killed for the sake of faith. They were killed to follow Jesus Christ. This not only happened right here, right from the beginning. When Apostle Paul was giving final charge to Ephesians, this is portrayed in Acts chapter 20. 29 to 31. Paul was giving the final charge. What was his warning? I have taught everything what I received from the Lord. But I am going. There will be wolves will come and will devour the Church of God. So he warned. So this warning fulfilled after 100 years immediately the wrong doctrine slowly creeped into the church three wrong doctrine immediately came what was the doctrine infant baptism came in 251 AD then immediately the church and state merged together this is unbiblical and they preached about the baptismal regeneration What is the Bible teaching? Holy Spirit regeneration. They turned, they perverted the doctrine from the early stage itself. But God preserved his remnant right from the beginning. From the Old Testament times itself, God is preserving his remnant. These remnants are not many. They are the few. These few remnants, in order to preserve not to defend the faith of Jesus Christ, they have to persecute, they have to go through lots of tribulations and down through the centuries. About 50 million people, more than 50 million people brutally massacred just for the sake of faith. John Wycliffe, John Huss, Savonarola, all these were persecuted. Polynesians, Novitians, Patreons, Donatists, Montanists, all these God's people were persecuted. What made them to die? Because they have found this only path. This made them to be courage to stand for Christ. The same path, God showed mercy to the people in India. So, in order to follow Jesus Christ, in order to walk through this faith, people have to persecute. People need to go through these tribulations. For example, in India, following Jesus Christ is not an easy thing. In the year AD 52, St. Thomas came to India and preached the gospel and established seven churches in south west of India and later on the Roman Catholicism just like in the old just like Old Testament times the true Church of God was persecuted by the false religion from 14-15 hundreds this Portuguese came and captured the land large mass conversion taken place just for the sake of material benefits and these people persecuted the true church of God and then in the year 1705 there was a great man from Dutch land he landed to India and he was the one who first translated the Bible in our language and then 1793 another great man of God he came to India and he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ In the year 1826 the particular Baptists came to the land of India and preached the gospel in northern India and late 1800s they came to southern India and for the sake of faith they have to pay price and they themselves persecuted the Lord because of the price they have paid today the saints of God are there and God have used them as instruments to preach the gospel. They have preached, but everybody did not listen. Everybody cannot come into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because Acts 13, 48 says, as many as were ordained for the eternal life, they believed. So the gospel preached, only few. Many were called, few were chosen. The chosen people of God only will respond to the gospel, not others. In India, in our churches, many people are being persecuted just for the sake of faith. Recently, I want to mention about one family. Her name is Sarah. Couple of years ago, she came to our worship place and she heard the true gospel and her life was changed. Her life was radically changed. She became a strong believer. Through her, her daughter and son-in-law, they were also influenced by the gospel. Their lives were also changed. What happened? Sarah's husband, we changed the name as Sarah. Her husband is a drunkard. He is a strong Hindu man. First he gave warning. A fellow This is not our religion. We have our own God. We have grew up with our own faith. But all of a sudden, you have joined with other religion. This is a religion of Britishers. Religion of western people. This is not our religion. She said, my dear, I have found the true God. God showed mercy upon me. So please don't disturb me. I want to go to church. He said, no you cannot go to church. Then he started threatening. He could not stop her from going to church. Then he started beating her. In spite of she was beaten up, she did not stop coming to church. Again she kept on coming. Finally what happened, he was mad at her. He got furious. This woman did not listen to me. I am the head of the house. I am your husband. If you have not listened to me, what is the meaning of being husband and wife? So you leave my house. We cannot live together. Finally, this woman left and started living with her own daughter. They were also believers. For more than one year they were separated. Now this man's heart is little bit softened. And now he is no more persecuting this woman. And still she has hardships. There is another woman in the church named Thinnapati. Brzezinska visited this church. And in this church, there is a lady named Nea Sabachian. The same problem she got. She got baptized during 2000, when our brethren visited our place as a first time. He is also a drunkard, very wicked man. He used to quarrel with people, he used to entangled with different kinds of problems. He was so reluctant to see his wife got baptized and joined in the church. For many times, she was severely beaten up because of going to church. On one occasion, she was getting ready and he said, where are you going? She said, I am going to church. How many men you have in that church? Immediately, he kicked at her abdomen. She fallen down and she cried. On that day itself, she came to church. Finally, what happened? She had a problem in her uterus. And the doctor said, you need to get surgery. She had a complicated problem. And when she told about her problem, he said, The God whom you are worshipping will give the money. Don't ask these things. You are disobedient to me for many years. She kept quiet. Then her problem was increased. At that time, I was in Australia. I was preaching in Australian Baptist Church. On one evening, casually I made a phone call to my wife Mary and asked how things are going. and how the churches are going, she immediately reported about this woman, Naya Sabakiam's case. She is severe. She is suffering. Immediately my friend asked, what's going on? What's happening? What was the news? I told about this Naya Sabakiam. He said, please ask Mary to admit this woman in a hospital. I will pay all the bills. I called back Mary and said, You immediately make arrangements to put her in a nearby Christian hospital named Bethel hospital. She was admitted. On my return, they sent that money to pay the bills. It was a huge bill. And her surgery was successfully done. But this man did not go and see her even in the hospital. On the final day, Before she discharged from the hospital, he entered in the hospital and said, please I am sorry, the God whom you worshipping helped you. Please forgive me, I became very rude and wrong with you like that. But God is working in the life of this man. Now his heart is also being softening. So likewise, Many people in the rural, they are suffering for the sake of faith. And the other parts of the country, there is a freedom. There are many people are enjoying the freedom. On the other hand, still there is a persecution. There is also persecution in the own community. Some people were not allowed to draw water in the well when they got converted. Some of the tribal villages in the Erkad mountain, they are facing persecution problems. And even government indirectly giving, persecuting Christians. For example, if a low cost man become a Christian, he is stamped as a high cost. When he is stamped as a high cost, he will lose many privileges from the government. For example, the government allocates seats, certain percentage to the low cost people. If he born in a low cost, he can get easily job or he can get seats in a medical college or engineering college like that without paying any money. But when this poorest of poor man who born from the low cost, when he got converted and joined in the church, Immediately they call he is the high caste. All the privileges are denied. Because of that many people afraid of openly witnessing Jesus Christ in the community. This is another kind of persecution. When Hindu militant groups called RSS, Bajrang Dal and many other extremists are working against Christians in the land of India. On one occasion they said what is government? what is secularism? we are the majority one day we will annihilate the minorities and we will annihilate the minorities in the country they openly challenging and they set up their own offices they are training their own people they are giving military training to persecute christians that is their goal and in that context Who can follow Jesus Christ? Only these few people who are chosen by God are going through the persecution following Jesus Christ. That's why this Job clearly mentioned there is one path. This one path is a old path. This is a narrow path. This is a path of tribulation. But where this path will bring it? This is the path of pleasant and peaceful path. That's what Proverbs 3, 13 to 17 says. This is a pleasant path. This is a blessed path. Then finally, Psalm 66, 10 to 12 says. Psalm 66, 10 to 12. I'll read. For thou, O God, hast proved us, thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net, thou laidest affliction upon our lions, thou hast caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but thou brought us out into the wealthy place. What a wonderful scripture it is. The Lord preserved his remnant, but the remnant had paid a price. Dear friends, I am thankful to God for the liberty you have in this land of America. But we never know what will happen in future. We never know what the chosen people of God may face. But There is a hope. We have a better place. We have a home. Today, we have a language barrier. I wanted to say many things. I wanted to say many English scriptures, but I could not convey because of the limitedness of English. Day will come. We all will live together. There may be no language barrier, no cultural barrier. No other barriers. We all will speak one language. We all will live together forever and ever because we all are going through one part. That is the only part, the part of Jesus Christ. May God bless this scripture. Thank you very much. Let us pray. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the mercy and the grace showed up on us. we were unworthy to come to thy presence, we were unworthy to be thy children, we were dead in sins, we were in darkness, and we deliberately transgressed thy commandments, and we did not have a strength to come to thy, but because you have showed thy mercy, because you have chosen us. You have not chosen me. I have chosen you. I have chosen you even before foundation of the world. And I have chosen you even before you have conceived in the womb of your mother. And because of such a grace and mercy, you have drawn us closer to you. Thank you, Lord, that you have showed us this path. Thank you, Lord, the path that our predecessors have trodden in the persecution in the tribulations thank you lord that you have brought us in the same path as we are continuing in this path I pray that you will continue to hold us and you will continue to sustain us and you will continue to guide us to reach the destiny because you have started the good work in us and you will lead us until the end we thank you lord for that Greatness you have in us and today as we are worshiping together. I pray that he will continue to bless us and especially I pray for this church. I pray for the pastor on the congregation. They may be a few in numbers. But they are in the right path. Thank you Lord for the grace. You have shown to this congregation. He will continue to bless them. I ask in Jesus precious name. Amen.