January 29th, 1992                                              "Eternal Inheritance"                                                Bro. Joshua Daniel

2 Corinthians 5:1

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven."

Eternal inheritance! Look at the strong confidence! If my earthly house is dissolved, I have another house not built by hands but built by God. I do not know as long as we are in the body, we have so many sicknesses and infirmities. It looks as though only a few people enjoy perfect health today. We must pray and keep out the diseases of Egypt in the Name of Jesus Christ. "He sent His Word and healed them." The body that God Himself made has been tainted by the fallen nature. Some of you who are parents not only have you tainted yourselves but you have tainted your children also. This is a very sad thing. If you have faith you give it to your children, if you have no faith, you give it to your children. If your children know only to cry for the things of the world, and when they see you cry for the things of the world, they will remember it and do the same. They will not cry for eternal things. That is the memory you would have left after your death.

Verse 2. I do not know if you are groaning for heaven. The Bible says, "For this we groan." What is so wonderful about this world? Nothing. Everything in this world fades.

I like to keep this prayer hall clean as a new building. I went to a certain place to the prayer hall. I saw a motorcycle there covered. "What is this doing here?", I said. "A certain brother left it there as it broke down", they said. What! Is this the place to dump old goods? I asked, "Did you tell him that this was not the place to dump old vehicles?" "No", they said. People are afraid that somebody will get offended. This is not right. We should have freedom in love to tell one another. In a building of God there should not be any signs of dirt. We groan for that building which is made by God. I see somehow there are certain imperfections in our earthly lives and sometimes we say, "What is this Lord! I cannot bear this unsanctified life." We cannot leave sanctification for a future date. Your body made by God is waiting for the earnest of your inheritance or your first fruits. We are told here that we are given the first fruits of it on this earth.

Verse 3. We groan to be clothed by the house in heaven. Without this perfect holiness of God, in some way or other, we are naked. Somehow we are still straitened, very greatly straitened. Why is it so? Look at the vast opportunities that we have got. I was talking with a big industrialist last night. I said, "I do not know, how you people could manage to run your industry in Calcutta. When people get converted, when people get transformed, they give their employers eight hours of work every day." He said, "We badly need them in Calcutta." People think they can do only three hours of work. There are great government-inspired strikes - more strike-days than work-days.

I see vast opportunities. I think we just have to preach in the open air, because wherever we go, people gather. What an opportunity! They are ready to kneel down right there on the roadside, on the platform, in the airport. What an opportunity to lift up Jesus! The people around may think I am a "Guru". That is the last thing I want to be known as. I do not want that name. But I see opportunity to glorify God. Revival meetings for thousands are taking place at the same time. I praise God. Our brothers are being used of God. But it all seems just like a drizzle. You cannot grow crops on a drizzle. We need bounteous rain. It takes freedom from our nakedness, from our straitness, from our narrowness to bring down the showers. "The Lord has brought me to a large place, brought me to a great freedom," should be our witness. Freedom in your hearts, in you thoughts, in your goings out and comings in. You know, if your mind is meditating on the Word of God and if your conscience is filled with the Word of God, it is so easy for God to use you. "He sent His Word and healed them," it says. When He sends His Word you become dynamic. All those of you who feel stuck, please remember this. When the Word of God comes to you, it frees you, it gets you out of your nakedness, lethargy, illness and feeling of uselessness.

Verse 4. The Lord has bought us for an eternal-citizenship. We do not know what eternity has for us. It is not going to be a boring-place, where you feel you are un-utilized and of no use. It is going to be fullness. I do not know all that it holds for us. That is why we are asked not to weep. Eternity is a wonderful place with Jesus. That is what the Bible is telling in this verse.

Verse 5. This package, this first installment of the Holy Spirit, have been given to you. You see the first installment. We got into this compound with the payment of just one installment. We had the entire possession of it even with one installment. The owner did not say this corner of this compound will be under us. You know, this first installment is what you need. This first installment is the sanctification that we long to receive. We must enjoy heaven. You must not think that I am right on the top of the world. "Can this man understand our problems, our burdens - he is right on the top of this world." In some parts of the world I am in great sorrow. There are things I am very, very deeply grieved about. You can feel sad for a life of spiritual immaturity. You can feel grieved that you are not glorifying God enough. But if someone does evil to you, do not be moved by self-pity. God says, "Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness, blessed are you when all men speak evil of you." Some people say they are converted. But if one negative thing is said about them, they will explode and make mistakes. In a certain oil exploring area I put an ex-soldier in charge of a centre. It is said about him that he has no control over his temper. What is the use of such a man’s preaching, and doing God’s work? I had to ask him some questions. He was in a sad state. If you are a converted man, you must not give in to self-pity. That is not the outcome of spirituality. It only shows we are going under our burdens and our strength is small. "If in the day of adversity you faint, your strength is small."

What about praising the Lord at all times? If everybody praises God and the Fellowship praises God it would indicate a healthy state. Some say, "The Fellowship standards, we cannot have." Some people accuse me of being a "perfectionist". I want to be clean in the sight of God. I am grieved that I am not perfect before God. It gives me great sorrow. Nothing in this world gives me such sorrow. So please remember not to be elated when we are praised by any man. No, not at all. Can we look at the disciples of the Lord and say we are like Peter, St. Paul or like St. Francis? Then why should we look at these people who praise us, saying we have good standards? We are spiritual dwarfs. When a midget who is four feet high stands with one of three feet high, we say, "This fellow is very much taller than the other." Yes we are spiritual dwarfs. We have received only the first installment, the "earnest of the Holy Spirit." If you have really received the first installment, you cannot wait for the second installment. It is very hard for you, very hard to wait. "When is God going to give me His fullness? I have tasted the first installment." That is what the Bible says, "We have received the earnest of the Spirit", the first installment. If you have really received the first installment, you will really long for much, much more.