Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful opportunity you have given to the church once again to reflect on the gospel. What is the gospel and why we must preach the gospel to ourselves? How much of our Christian life is dependent on the gospel and that we can never go beyond the gospel or grow beyond the gospel. The gospel is our foundation. There is no other foundation except Christ and him crucified and resurrected from the dead. So we welcome the ministry of the Holy Spirit this morning to speak to each one of us. Although we are joining online, help us not to be distracted or focus on other things. And we pray that may be sure reverence to your word and allow your word to speak to our hearts and enlighten our minds and transform our lives and make us Christlike, better, mature, fruitful Christians. We thank You, Lord Jesus, for what You had done for us on the cross, for paying the price for our sins, for rising from the dead, because of which our sins are forgiven. If there is any person here who has not been saved, not repented and trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross, We pray that You please to regenerate their hearts, that they may come to the knowledge of the truth. Come to encounter the living God. Come to trust in the Savior who loved them and gave His life for them. And we pray that You please to seal the church. with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And also have mercy on me as I preach, because I need your grace too. I don't stand here and preach this message as a man who is on the mountaintop, having a perfect, mature, always growing Christian life. I struggle with my own weaknesses. I falter, and I pray that you please do cover me by your blood and speak to me and through me, break me and break through me, minister to me and minister others through me. Please do be with us and guide us, O Heavenly Father. We ask you for your gracious help and intervention. In Jesus' name, we commit ourselves to you, and we invite the voice and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts. We offer this prayer in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave his life for us. Amen. Amen. So let's see the final message, what the Lord has for us today, and allow him to minister to our hearts. And this is part eight, the gospel for everyday Christian living. This is what Tim Keller says, and let's listen carefully, the words he has for us, because what he says is very important to what we are listening now. Tim Keller says, no matter what precautions we take, No matter how well we have put together a good life, no matter how hard we have worked to be healthy, wealthy, comfortable with friends and family, and successful with our career, something will inevitably ruin it. Do you understand what he's saying? This is a fact of life, dear people. No matter how careful you are in building your career, your family, your friends, or how healthy you want to be, or you make money, suffering is inevitable. That's what it's telling. Something will strike your family, or your career, or your health. And you may not be prepared for that, but suffering is an inevitable fact on the planet Earth. No matter whatever religion a person clings on to, No matter whatever his convictions are, as long as a person is a human being, every person suffers. But Christian suffering is very different. And that's what we are going to look at today. How the gospel preaching to ourselves will make a tremendous difference. C.S. Lewis also says that, we were promised sufferings. Wow, I wish he had lived today in our generation to tell this fact, because a lot of people tell that. And I was spending with a brother this week, and he was telling that, brother, if you come to my village, and you will hear people saying this when they preach the gospel, believe in Christ, your life will be wonderful. You will have no suffering, your problems will be solved, so your life will be easy and cozy. Now what a false gospel is that? And this is what the Bible says. And C.S. Lewis agrees to that. We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. You were even told, blessed are they that mourn and I accept it. Do you understand people? The Bible says that life is painful. The Bible tells that life is miserable, suffering. disappointments, discouragements, pain. These are the common experiences of life. And if you don't believe that, you know it. You can't live like that. Sufferings are inevitable. So the question that comes to us is, what inspires us to persevere in suffering? What really motivates us to hold on, not give to despair, not to give up our faith, not to live a life like the people in the world where they find sufficiency in the creation for comforts. What really inspires Christians, believers to persevere, to be patient in suffering. You know what is that? Now this is what the Bible tells in Romans chapter 12 verse 2. Romans chapter 12 verse 2. It says here that rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. It says here that life is difficult, there is tribulation, there is suffering, there is affliction, there are trials. But you know what the Bible says? We all know the scripture actually, rejoice in the Lord always, rejoice in the Lord. And so many times the Bible speaks about be joyful. And many of us question actually, how can I be joyful in my suffering? How can I rejoice in my afflictions? Now listen to this carefully. Nowhere in the Bible says rejoice in suffering. Because there is no joy in suffering. If someone tells you rejoice in your suffering, take a bat and hit on his head and ask him, do you rejoice in this? No one rejoices in suffering. No one rejoices in afflictions. No one takes joy in pain. But we have to look beyond suffering, look beyond pain, look beyond discouragement. If you and I should be living a joyful life, a life of rejoice. And what is that? The Bible tells rejoice in hope. Rejoice in hope. Not necessarily in the present painful circumstances that you are going through, but your focus is on hope. If you understand what glorious Christian hope is, then you will rejoice. And that's why we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day to rejoice in our hope. Now listen carefully, my dear brothers and sisters, suffering is unbearable without hope. Suffering is unbearable without hope. Every person who complains suffering is unbearable. Every person that I have seen that they are too much discouraged about suffering, I see them not focusing on the glorious hope of Christian faith. And every person that I have seen not giving up, persevering in suffering, I see them, they are people who cling on to hope. Hope is so important to Christian faith to persevere in suffering. And that's why all this boils down to one final factor. We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to cling to our glorious hope of eternal glory. This is the Christian hope. The glorious hope of eternal glory. And one thing we need to understand, the glorious hope of eternal glory is dependent, contingent on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why we have to preach the gospel to ourselves. Paul, the biblical authors often use the gospel to stir up hope in people in their suffering. And that's what we see in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 3 to 4. I have mentioned this and then we will see what Paul says this later. For I deliver to you as a first importance what I also received, that Christ Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scripture. Now listen carefully people, without the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel is incomplete. The holistic gospel has the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, I remember once accompanying a brother who was converted from a Brahmin background, and he became a very popular preacher and teacher in Hyderabad. And one day I accompanied him, and because I also had some preaching assignments, so we both went to do ministry in a place. And he gave his solid testimony. sharing about how he was a very pious, priestly, Hindu background and he shared his testimony and he shared the message of the gospel. And then at the end, something that I found was missing in that message. And I talked to him and said to him, brother, your testimony was good. And the gospel you preached was almost good. But what lacked in your gospel was you didn't speak about resurrection of Christ at all. You just mentioned about Christ dying for sins. There is no resurrection of the Lord Jesus in the message, because that's important. It is not just Christ dying for our sins. Now listen carefully, people. If Christ died only for our sins, but he didn't rise from the dead, what good is a dead Savior? Do you understand what I'm saying? If Christ died for our sins, but he did not rise from the dead, what good is a dead Savior? Jesus is called the living Savior because he rose from the dead after he paid the price for our sins and this resurrection is so important because the Christian resurrection the Christian glorious eternal hope Glory is dependent on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and one of the Bible teachers is A.M. Ramsey And this is what he said now listen carefully. He made a very powerful point over here for them That is the apostles who wrote the New Testament. For them, the gospel without the resurrection was not merely a gospel without its final chapter. It was not a gospel at all. Wow. I love this. The resurrection of Christ is not a final chapter in the gospel. The resurrection of Christ is centrality in the gospel. The death and the resurrection of Christ are inevitable, are inseparable. You cannot separate them. Because the gospel is all about the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we talk about Christ dying and not resurrecting, that is not gospel at all. And that's what this Bible scholar says to which I agree. Now you see after mentioning what is the gospel, that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Now you see what Paul writes about the glorious eternal hope. Now listen and follow the argument carefully. 1 Corinthians 15, 12 to 19. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, which is the gospel, How can some of you say, there is no resurrection of the dead? Eternal glory, the hope of eternal glory is speaking about. Now follow the argument carefully. In this passage you will see both the gospel and the hope of eternal glory. And actually Paul was arguing in 1 Corinthians 15, he was not arguing about the resurrection of Jesus. Because people believed the resurrection of Jesus. The problem with them was they didn't cling to the hope of eternal glory. And that's what Paul says that, if you say that, Christ raised from the dead. If you really believe that the gospel is true, then how can you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? How can you live a hopeless life? Now Paul continues to say that, but if there is no resurrection of the dead, which is eternal glory, then not even Christ has been raised, which is the gospel. If there is no hope of eternal glory, there is no gospel because the gospel births The hope of eternal glory. And if Christ has not been raised, which is the gospel, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that He raised Christ, which is again the gospel, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised, which is again eternal glory. For if the dead are not raised, which is eternal glory, not even Christ has been raised, which is the gospel. And if Christ has not been raised, which is the gospel, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope only in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. People, do you see what Paul is arguing here? He is arguing that there is the hope of eternal glory. There is the resurrection of the dead. There is inheritance in the kingdom of God. Christian life is not a hopeless life. Christian life is not a life that can be enjoyed or lived or believed only in these earths. Paul says that if we have hope only in this life, then we are the most piteous people. Why? Because we suffer for Christ. Because we suffer to live a righteous life. All this will be in vain if there is no hope of eternal glory. And observe these people very carefully in this entire passage, how the gospel was preached to these people to cling on to the hope of eternal glory. Because Christ rose from the dead, we have the hope of eternal glory. And I would like to show to you some more scriptures in order for me to convince you how preaching the gospel to ourselves every day is so important to cling to the hope of eternal glory. Now this again Paul is writing to the Roman believers. And you see what he says here. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, now what is this? This is a gospel that Christ died for our sins and we are united to him in his deaths. We are dead to sin in the death of Christ for our sin. That's what Paul is arguing. We are dead to sin in the death of Christ for our sin. And He says you that, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. Do you see that? This is what is eternal glory. We shall be united with Him in a resurrection like His. The day Stephen David dies, the day Alan David Shepard dies, the day Shankar Babu dies, the day Chaitanya dies, the day Shalini dies, that's not the end. That's not a miserable end. That's the great entrance into the hope of eternal glory. And when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, we will be resurrected with our glorious resurrected bodies. And no religion people gives you such certainty. Now people listen to this carefully. Paul is not telling maybe, hopefully it may happen or not. There is no doubt in Christian proclamation about the hope of eternal glory. There is only certainty. Observe he says, we shall certainly be. No doubt about it. Don't doubt the hope of eternal glory. Don't think about whether resurrection from the dead is true or not. No, as true as the resurrection of Christ is, so true will your resurrection be in the future. and that is rooted in the gospel. Like him, we will be in this eternal glory. You see again in 1 Thessalonians 4.14 how Paul preaches the gospel. There we have seen to Corinthians and then we have seen to Romans. And here we see to Thessalonians, how many epistles speak about the gospel to believers in order to cling on to eternal glory, the great glorious hope of Christian faith. Paul writes here, for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, what is this? Isn't this the gospel? We believe that. We believe Jesus died and rose again. Now you see what Paul continues to write. Again he speaks about certainty. Even so, in the same way, through Jesus, through the death and resurrection of Christ, through the gospel, God will bring within those who have fallen asleep. In other words, those who are dead, those who die, God will bring them back to life. You know, sometimes I tell that to people that death is not a dead end of the road. Death is only a speed breaker. No one who crosses a speed breaker says that, oh, this is a dead end of the road. No one says that. That's only a speed breaker you just bump into. And that's what is death to a Christian. It is not a dead end of the journey to eternal life. No, that's only a speed breaker. We bump into that, we cross that and we have the hope of eternal glory. and how beautifully the word of God constantly reminds. You see here again in 1 Corinthians 6.14, again the gospel is preached to teach to believers to cling on to the hope of eternal glory. You see here 1 Corinthians 6.14, and God raised the Lord The Lord Jesus from the dead, he raised him and will also raise us up by his power. The same power that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will raise your dead body, my dead body, all those who die in Christ. The Lord shall raise them up by his glorious power and they shall be alive forever and ever. What a great joy and hope The Bible speaks about and that's why Bible says people rejoice in this hope. Your suffering is not forever. Your disappointments is not forever. Whatever ruins you, it ruins temporarily. Nothing ruins you eternally. Do you hear this my dear people? Whatever ruins you, ruins you temporarily. Nothing ruins you eternally because the Lord Jesus Christ said that. My sheep will never perish and I will raise him up on the last day. That's the great hope that the Bible speaks about to Christian believers. Stephen Wren, Bible teacher, this is what he said. The Christian hope is not based on mere wishful thinking. You know, a lot of people air their opinions today, philosophies and all this, airing their opinions. I think this is so. I feel this is so. People, Christian resurrection is not about I think. It is not a wishful thing. It is not about I feel. It is not about feelings. Our hope is not based on wishful thinking, but on a certain outcome. blessing that is grounded in the finished redemptive work of Christ Jesus. In other words he's telling that our Christian hope is rooted in the gospel in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are sure of our hope Because Jesus is the sure person and his work is sure. As much as the past of the cross is real, so much the future eternal glory for us. Now listen carefully to this 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 to 7. How again, not just Paul is speaking about, we also see Peter, the hasty man among the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. How patiently he speaks about suffering and how he connects eternal glory to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now listen carefully what he says here. Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to his great mercy. You know people, not according to your good works, not according to your good performance. It says, according to his great mercy. He doesn't even say, according to your choice. It says, according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again. Do you see these people? If you are born again, it is because God has caused you to be born again, not because you are smarter than any person in this world. It is God who causes us to be born again. To what? Now we talk about born again. Born again to comforts of the world? That's not what the Bible says. Born again to live a luxurious life in this world? That's not what the Bible says. Born again to a healthy life in which there is no sickness. That's not what the Bible says. Born again so that you can always be happy and no suffering, no pain in this world. That's not what the Bible says. What the Bible says is this. You have been born again to a living hope. Do you see this people? And this hope is not dead hope. which is just a wishful thinking. Unsure about what is going to happen. This is a living hope. Sure this will happen. And this speaks about eternal glory. That's why we are born again. And I'm telling you people, one of the reasons I believe that God let suffering in this world so that we would not love this world. Because this is a world of affliction. Why do we love this world? One of the reasons I believe God has made life painful, it is for our good so that we would not love this earthly life. But all of us would be looking forward to the living hope. Oh, I don't want to live in this world. I want to enter into the eternal glory where there is great Christian hope, the living presence of the Lord Jesus. And we are born again to a living hope. My dear brothers and sisters, Do you rejoice in this hope every day? Do you preach this gospel to yourself every day to remind yourself of the living hope? If not, your Christian life will be painful, so painful that there is no joy. Because the fact of the Christian life is that joy and suffering Go together. Do you understand this people? In Christian faith, joy and suffering go together. But our joy is not in suffering. Our joy is in the Lord. Our joy is in eternal glory. And what we need to understand is this. How do we have this eternal glory? How are we born again to a living hope? Now listen what Peter says here. All this is happening through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Do you see people here again? How the gospel and the eternal glory are interconnected. There are people who believe, yeah, Jesus died for my sins, Jesus rose from the dead, but they don't connect that to the living hope. They don't connect that to being encouraged in their Christian faith, despite the afflictions that they're going through, that there is a future hope, living hope, eternal glory for us in the Lord Jesus, because we have believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, Peter clarifies what is this living hope. through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. What is that? Now you see the beautiful description that Peter presents over here. To an inheritance. People, you know that? This is what a Christian hope is. How many of you are sad that you don't have great inheritance in the world today? Don't get upset people. Don't get upset because you don't have your own house. And even if you have your own house, don't be proud of it. Don't put your hope in that because your house is going to be left. You're not going to live in this house forever, whether it is rented or whether it is owned. We all have regrets actually. Oh, I wish I would have bought that plot. I wish I would have bought that flat. I wish I would have bought that position. No regrets people. You don't have to regret anything here. If you have it, praise God. If you don't have it, praise God. Because none of us are going to possess anything in this world forever. Our hope is not here. But there is some inheritance, there is certain inheritance that God is giving to us and this inheritance is forever. Peter says, this eternal glory is to an inheritance. And what is this inheritance? This is your possession people. This is imperishable. Your earthly inheritance perishes. But this heavenly inheritance is forever. It is undefiled. Your earthly inheritance is defiled. but this is undefiled. Your earthly inheritance fades, but this glorious inheritance is unfading. This inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you. People, this is for you. You know how gladly you feel that someone comes and tells you, hey man, Hey woman, oh sister, oh brother, this is for you. This I have kept for you, take it. You would be greatly rejoicing in that and God says that. Hey Stephen, this is for you, imperishable, undefiled, uncorrupted. This eternal inheritance of glory I'm giving for you, take it. Rejoice in it. And you know what the Bible says, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Now you see again, Peter says the same thing what Paul says. You know people, this is why Bible is so true. You know what is one of the great testimonies of the truthfulness of the Bible is, although it is written by about 40 different authors, they echoed the same truths. Now here Peter writes that, in this you rejoice. You may not rejoice in your sickness. You may not rejoice in your suffering. You may not rejoice in all the unexpected things that is happening in your life. You may not rejoice in the pressures of life. But you rejoice in this. You have the right to rejoice. You have the hope to rejoice. And what is this? You have to rejoice. And this is the eternal glory, the eternal inheritance, which is imperishable, undefiled, unfading. If you understand what this gift is people, our Christian life will be very different. And that's why Paul prays actually in Ephesians saying that, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be open to understand the hope of eternal glory. Paul prays for the Ephesian church. And we need to pray people. Oh Lord, you open my eyes to see what is this eternal glory that I may rejoice in that. Same thing what Paul says in Romans 12, 12. Rejoice in hope. And you know what Paul, Peter says? Twice actually it is mentioned in 1 Peter. In chapter 1 and also in chapter 5, verse 10, if you look at it, Peter says that, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. Brothers, sisters, church, no matter how much you are suffering, how long you have been suffering, Bible says, it is only for a little while. Little while. Be patient. Little while. You know, when the mother gives birth to the child, The mother give birth to a child. What is the guts that the mother is having to go through that birth pangs? What is the guts actually? And what do the nurses say? Just push it. Push it. Because this pain is only for a little while. And once you go through this birth pains, once you go through this pain, you will have a glorious joy about seeing the child. The new born child. When you see the child, you forget all the pain. You ask the mothers, they will tell you. And that's what is suffering in this world. Bible tells a little while. I think I need to be telling myself, Stephen, try all your best to get sorted out with fishes, but even if it is not, you are only suffering for a little while. Yes, there is pain in this little while, but yes, but it is little while, whether it is cancer, whether it is Diabetes, whether there is any other problem in the body or whether it is financial problem, whether it is people problem, whether it is self problem, whatever it is, the Bible says that little while, little while, keep preaching to yourself, to your soul. Little while, oh soul, you are suffering, but focus on the eternal glory because it is rooted in the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And why the Lord allows a little while suffering also? Because so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That is to test you people. Suffering is important. A Christian life without suffering is a Christian life that is not tested about the genuineness of your faith. And you see how many people bring out the reality of their heart when they suffer. We may have sound doctrinal knowledge. We may have great words to speak about when we are in comfortable zone. But when suffering comes, you see what people speak. The real message they believe you should hear actually when they go through suffering. That is a test of the genuineness of their faiths. And that is important because in that refinement of your faith in the trials, though for it is for a little while, would finally result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So do you see people in this? We see that Peter preached the gospel to believers, reviving them to a living hope, reminding them of the eternal glory and teaching them to rejoice in this hope which is rooted in the gospel and be patient in your suffering. If we are suffering every day, then we have to preach the gospel to ourselves every day. Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives hope for the resurrection of our own soul. Now what is His eternal glory? What is His eternal glory? Because sometimes we use the words vaguely. Sometimes we teach children also, right? You do this, you say this, and children have no understanding about what they are saying. Same thing, we just parrot some of the words without understanding it. But I believe in the depth of the words that we need to understand if you want to really enjoy what you are learning. Now this is my brief explanation of eternal glory. What is eternal glory? Eternal glory is eternal life. It is a life that is immortal. You will never die, but live forever and ever and ever. What a glorious life that is. Who gives you this certain eternal glory except the Lord Jesus Christ. And this eternal life is not just a life without end, but it is a life in the glorified body. You don't have to suffer from diabetes forever in this eternal life. Because this is a glorified body and in this body there is no sickness, no pain, without human weaknesses. It is a perfect, healthy, glorified body that we will receive. That's what is eternal glory and not even that. Conformity to Christ likeness. Oh, how many of us are upset that we are often getting angry, often falling into the sin of lust, often yielding to sin and we don't want to. Any true Christian will not be happy in sin. They want to change. They want to live like Jesus. But in eternal glory, we will be perfectly conformed to the likeness of Christ, perfect in righteousness. Sin will be no more. There is no presence of sin in the eternal glory, within and without. And let me tell you people, some of us say that we will get back to the way Adam was. But let me tell you people, we will be better than the first Adam. Because the first Adam had to struggle with the presence of sin. But we don't have to struggle with the presence of sin in the future eternal glory. We will have better glorified bodies than Adam himself. Our bodies will be like the resurrected body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not even that. The Bible tells that we have eternal dwelling with God. What a great joy it is. Today, we are not able to enjoy the intimacy as we have to, but we will be eternally dwelling with God, experience God in person forever. How many of us should be excited about that? That we will see God, we will dwell in His presence, we will have relationship with Him, enjoy Him and live with Him forever. Not even that. Eternal fellowship with God's saints. The church will live together in perfect harmony forever. Some of us may not like each other here, but we enjoy each other perfectly in heaven. Why? Because we don't have sinful weaknesses. And not even that people, there is eternal joy. What good is an eternal life if there is eternal pain? Isn't it people? I don't want that eternal life. If the pain continues eternally. Nobody wants it. Eternal life is eternal life because there is eternal joy, complete freedom from all earthly pain. You know, a lot of atheists deny God. You know why they deny God, a lot of atheists? Because they have problem with pain and suffering. If there is God, why there is pain and suffering in this world? So, if there is pain and suffering in this world, there is no God. And if He is there, He is not loving and good. And if He is loving and good, He would eradicate, remove pain and suffering. The problem with these atheists is they are right in saying that there should not be pain and suffering, but they don't put their hope in the future. They put their focus at the present. They deny God for the present suffering and lose the real joy, painless, suffering less eternal life that God is going to give them in the future. They lose that because their focus is only on the present. You know, none of us are atheists here, I believe, but many of us are living like atheists. Why? Because the whole focus is on present pain and suffering, not on the eternal joy, complete freedom from all earthly pain that God is giving to us. People just think about this. This is what is eternal glory, eternal life, glorified body, conformity to Christ likeness, eternal dwelling with God, eternal fellowship with God's saints, eternal joy. This is certain, absolutely sure. As real is your existence, so real will be your future existence. As real is your present existence, so real is your future existence because all this is rooted in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a glorious hope it is. You know, I love this story. It is shared by Gavin Reed, who was a former bishop of Maidstone. And this speaks about a one-year-old boy shattered his back falling down a flight of stairs. So when he was a one-year-old, he fell back from the stairs and he broke his back. Just one-year-old. How painful it is. So he spent his childhood and youth in and out of the hospital going through various treatments because he was just a small boy. And one day Gavin Reed was interviewing him in the church. And when he was talking to this boy, this boy said that God is fair. Oh my goodness. This is only a boy people. There are a lot of women and men when they go through suffering, they complain God is not fair. I think God is unfair. But hear these words from this boy. He's telling God is fair. And this bishop stopped him and asked him, how old are you? You speak so mature. A lot of people when they grow up in their 30s and 40s and 50s and 60s, don't even speak the words that you are speaking. How old are you? And this Boy said, I'm only 17 years old. 17 years old and you say God is fair. How many years have you spent in hospital? Gavin asked this boy and the boy answered 13 years. He spent his time in hospital. And Gavin asked a very beautiful question to him. When you spent your life so much in pain, how many boys are playing well? How many boys are enjoying their life? But you spent your life in pain, in suffering, in hospitals. You broke your back and you think that God is fair? And you know what this boy said? Oh, God has got all of eternity to make it up to me. This is not the end. Do you think I will be like this with eternal glory? No! He has got up all the eternity to restore whatever I have lost here. We should learn from this boy to cling on to eternal glory which is rooted in the gospel of the Lord Jesus. People, now listen carefully. Don't come to decision what God is to you, what is happening to you based on your present suffering. Because that's not the end of the chapter. Are you understanding? Your pain and suffering and miseries are not the end of the chapter. Not at all. Wait for eternity and God is going to restore everything. Much more than what Job has lost actually. Job's restoration happened on the earth, but much more restoration we will receive it when we enter into eternal glory. And I love in this sense what Tim Keller, pastor and author says. Now listen carefully what he says. But resurrection is not just consolation. It is restoration. Wow. Resurrection, that is rising from the dead, is not just consolation, it is restoration. We get it all back. The love that we have lost, the loved ones who believed in the Lord, the goods, the possessions, even much more better we will get. The beauties of this life, all this we will get, but that will be new and imaginable degrees of glory and joy and strength. What you have lost here is nothing compared to what you will be gaining in the future. You understand people, whatever you lose here, your health and your loved ones, your position, whatever you're losing and causing you to feel the pain and causing you to feel the misery, causing you to feel hopeless and disappointment, rise up from that. Listen to this carefully. Whatever you and I lose here is nothing compared to the new unimaginable degrees of glory and joy and strength that God has kept for you and me. That's same. Restoration, God has promised in this word. Let me close with John Newton. You know John Newton, right? The famous songwriter of Amazing Grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. You know that song very well. Once upon a time, he was a slave trader, but transformed by the power of the gospel. And you know, people, at the age of 82, when John Newton was dying, He said to his friend, my memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great savior. Oh my goodness, what words he spoke, even at the age of 82. This is the only thing people, that we are great sinners and Christ is our great savior. He didn't say that I am a great songwriter. I am a great pastor. I am a great preacher. I am a great philanthropist. This is not what he said before he died. That's what a lot of people think that, oh, I've done this, I've done that. He said just two things. I'm a great sinner. And that Christ is a great savior because that gives hope of eternal life. And you know what he said in his letters to his wife? He wrote this when he was dying. You know what he said? How wonderful must be the moment after death. How many can say this people? Now listen to this carefully, I'm telling you very seriously brothers and sisters, if the eternal glory is not a meditation of your daily life, death is miserable to you because that's not in your mind. Are you understanding what I am saying? If eternal glory, the hope of eternal life, the hope of eternal joy is not our daily meditation. At the time of death, you would not be rejoicing but feeling miserable. Oh, I am dying. Can somebody help me? Oh, death is miserable. Death is hopeless. I don't want to die. Why? because eternal joy was never your focus and daily meditation. But if you preach the gospel to yourself every day, knowing that you will die anytime, knowing that you will be lost from this world anytime, and preach the gospel and keep meditating on the eternal glory, this is what you will say. I will say, any Christian will say, like John Newton, what he will say? How wonderful must be the moment after deaths. This guy knew the gospel. This guy clung to the hope of eternal glory because of the gospel. And this is my conclusion people. We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to cling to our glorious hope of eternal glory. We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to cling to our glorious hope of eternal glory. Let me summarize what we have learned so far. The 10 factors why we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day. All these notes are there on Sermon Audio. If you want to download and meditate on that, feel free to do that, people. Every factor that I have shared is not to tickle your ear or my ear. This is to stir up our hearts because this is the reality of the world that we are living in. And this gospel is so important to us. Why? We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to live a life of sufficiency in God. Second, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to live a holy life. Third, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to have a new beginning. Fourth, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to practice loving one another in the church. Fifth, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to be a good Christian employee. Sixth, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to build a godly family. Seventh, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to practice generosity. We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to follow Christlike acceptance of one another. Ninth, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to stir ourselves up to preach the gospel to others. Finally, tenth, we must preach the gospel to ourselves every day to cling to our glorious hope of eternal glory. I've explained clearly all these factors in these two months, how they are rooted in the scriptures, how gospel was exposed in order to practice all these issues, which are necessary for our daily Christian living. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, how blessed are your people? Because according to your great mercy, you have caused us to be born again. We have not been born again because we are smart people. We are born again because of your mercy. And this born again we have experienced through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this born again experience leads us to a living hope. As Christ was raised from the dead. Heavenly Father, your word says that you will raise us from the dead. Oh, what a glorious hope that we have in the future. We are not hopeless people. We are not people who have hope only in this world. We have a great hope of eternal life, great hope of eternal glory. Heavenly Father, help us to preach this gospel to ourselves every day. Not see it as a theory, not see it as a head knowledge, but let it be a reality of our daily Christian living. Because if we want to really enjoy living the Christian life that your word prescribes, That cannot happen without preaching the gospel to ourselves every day. So we thank you for the death and the resurrection of Jesus, for our sins, for our reconciliation to you. We thank you that because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we have certainty of our own resurrection, the hope of eternal glory. Pray that you please to remind the church, Spirit of God, prick the hearts of the people, penetrate the hearts of the people, revive the hearts of the people, enlighten the minds of the people. Please to save us from the allurements of the world, from the pressure of the present, from the focus of the present, from the deceptions of the enemy, and please, Do open our eyes to focus on our eternal glory. To rest in our eternal glory. Thank you for this promise of eternal life, eternal glory, which is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Help us, O Heavenly Father, not to forget these glorious factors we have learned. Help us to meditate on them. Rejoice in the hope that we have and eagerly wait for our Savior who is coming again To take your church to be with you forever. Oh Lord Jesus come soon For we are your bride for we are your children for we are waiting for you The world is not our hope the inheritance that we have is not our hope our family is not our hope nothing in this world is our hope our hope is Jesus and Jesus, please come soon Come soon, O Lord. We are groaning in this world. We are going through pain in this world. We are longing for you. We are crying out to you. We call upon you, Maranatha. Come, O Lord. Come, O Lord. Come, O Lord. Take your children to be with you forever and bless us with your eternal glory, which you promised in your word. Remember us, oh Lord, please to remember us. In Jesus' name, we offer this prayer with thanksgiving. Amen. Thank you for listening to the message. We believe you are being greatly encouraged in your heart. Stephen David also writes articles that are relevant to today's generation. You may read them on his blog www.messageforourage.blogspot.com I repeat www.messageforourage.blogspot.com m-e-s-s-a-g-e-f-o-r-o-u-r-a-g-e dot b-l-o-g-s-p-o-t dot com. You may also email him at cstephendavid at gmail dot com. I repeat c-s-t-e-p-h-e-n-d-a-v-i-d at g-m-a-i-l dot c-o-m. Grace and peace be to you.