Introduction

Good day, everyone. We shall continue with our series on Grace and Truth. What is our topic today? We are addressing the Truth—specifically, that the truth shall set us free. In the original biblical text, it means to be made free. Let us not quibble over whether it says "you" or "us"; it means us.

This is the third message. In the previous two messages, we spoke of being full of grace and truth. Without grace, how could we ever enter into the truth? In the second message, we emphasized that grace leads us to repentance. Yet, what I frequently observe is that people receive grace, but they do not repent. If there is no repentance, truth is entirely out of the question. Where should we turn when we repent? We must turn into the truth. Human nature in this world is rather absurd—everyone presumes that they already possess the truth.

Take, for instance, an ignorant person who has little education and has read few books. He remains absolutely convinced of his own notions, without a single shred of self-doubt. It is frankly astonishing. Let me put it plainly: are the things you assume to be right genuinely right? If you constantly examine yourself and ask, "Am I doing this correctly?", you will become wise. But if your attitude is, "How else am I supposed to live?", then you are finished—you are a fool.

Our theme today raises a question: what is the core subject? "The truth shall set you free." This is a profound matter. The Apostle John spoke of grace, of the Word becoming flesh in Jesus Christ and coming into this world, full of grace and truth. Grace leads us to repentance, and today we declare that the truth shall set us free.

Let me tell you, vast numbers of people simply do not know how to live. Do you realize this? People stumble through life until they end up in a hospital bed. They carry on until their lumbar spine gives out, their legs fail, their minds break down, or they contract cancer. What suffering! I see no glory whatsoever in such affliction; it is the result of getting life completely wrong.

Therefore, one must have a "license to live"—you must know how to live properly. Who explained how to live most clearly? Jesus Christ. That is called the Truth. Man must live according to God's truth, not according to his own petty opinions or narrow intellect.

With a mind the size of a walnut and a heart the size of a peanut, a person gets offended at the slightest provocation. It is a wonder they do not make themselves sick with anger. They are perpetually anxious, perpetually stressed. Why? They have no license; they have no truth. Taking this worldly life too seriously is, in reality, an utter tragedy. You must ponder this carefully: why live in such a manner? Consider two good friends having a beer together. One wears a miserable expression. When asked why, he laments, "My child only scored 600 on the exam." Why look so miserable over 600? He says, "If only he had ten more points, he could apply for a better program."

Then he asks the other, "Why are you so cheerful? What did your child score?" Both are in their fifties. The other replies, "My child scored over 400." Then the first asks, "What is there to be happy about?" Do you see the flaw in this thinking? Why shouldn't a parent be happy with 400? Some children stop schooling after junior high, and their families are content. Why must one manufacture unhappiness? It is irrational.

If you score 600, you crave 620; at 620, you desire 660. It never ends. Everyone wants their child to be the top scholar. People lose their freedom entirely over these trivialities because they take them far too seriously.

We once had a sister in our midst who struggled immensely, and similar people are here today. I asked her, "Is there a problem?" She said, "Pray for my job. The pressure is immense." That sounded off to me. I asked, "Why is the pressure so great?" It turned out she simply did not know how to do the work. If you take on a task you are incompetent to handle, of course the pressure will be enormous. She was just blindly straining herself. I told her, "That is not the way to operate. You must first master the skill before you do the work."

People are utterly ensnared by the petty trifles of mundane existence. If you cannot see through the reality of this life, make no mistake—you do not possess the truth. Think about it: a child goes to kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, university, finds a job, dates, marries, and has children. Then the grandchildren go through kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, university, graduate, work, and date.

Then they bear more children—three generations, four generations under one roof. What is the ultimate point of this endless cycle? Producing litter after litter. That is human existence, yet people fail to see through it. Failing to see through it leads to immense trouble. People walk halfway through life only to be struck down by cancer. I once ministered to a 28-year-old cancer patient. Her father was weeping bitterly.

I asked him, "Why are you weeping?" He said, "Look at my daughter suffering from this disease." That is understandable—any father would weep. But then he added, "She reached the age of 28 without ever experiencing a passionate, earth-shattering romance." Good heavens, I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.

An earth-shattering romance? Did he want her to end up like the Butterfly Lovers, or Romeo and Juliet? Of all the things to weep over, why cry over such nonsense? There is an immense lack of sound judgment in this world. People are not free; they are rigidly bound by mundane affairs, sighing, "In the arena of life, one has no choice." I find this deeply tragic. No matter how much I counsel them, they refuse to see through the illusion. Later, his daughter passed away. Did he finally see through it? Not at all.

Soon after, he was back to obsessing over who made a fortune here and who struck it rich there. I looked at him in disbelief. His daughter had just died before his very eyes, yet he behaved as if he would live forever. People are relentlessly agitated by the petty concerns of living. If you do not see through this life, and if you lack Jesus Christ and His truth within you, what will become of you? You will inevitably live in misery.

You will constantly fret: "I am afraid; my boss is doing this; my boss is doing that; my clients are demanding this; my clients are demanding that." In truth, no matter how many practical tactics I teach you, they will be useless. If you can grasp what I mean by "seeing through it," you will understand. Without truth and clarity, no advice will work. Telling you how to talk to your clients, how to placate your boss, or how to spin stories is utterly pointless.

Those things are not the Way; at best, they are cheap, trivial gimmicks. If all you acquire is a set of cheap gimmicks, your entire life will be a tragedy. Man needs the truth. Some time ago, there was a sister who appeared perfectly normal during the day. She stood at the podium and taught her students eloquently; she was sharp and articulate. But when night fell, she could not sleep. Insomnia bred anxiety, anxiety worsened her insomnia, and the vicious cycle deepened.

Months passed. Finally, she came to me and said, "Teacher, this has been going on for months." Months prior, I could already foresee this outcome with basic common sense, and my assessment proved entirely accurate. I asked her what the matter was. I told her, "You take mundane matters far too seriously. You are agonising over whether to buy a house for 800,000 or 600,000. You think: if I buy at 600,000, I retain 200,000 in cash; if I buy at 800,000, the 200,000 is gone. Back and forth you calculate."

I told her, "Buying an 800,000 house will not ruin you, and keeping 200,000 by buying at 600,000 will not make you truly wealthy. It is an insignificant matter." She retorted, "No, I must have 100,000 or 200,000 in reserve." That very mindset invited demonic oppression. All that relentless calculation—what profit did it bring? Previously, when she had no such savings and fell into depression, God delivered her. Why must she now depend on 100,000 or 200,000 to survive? She is nowhere near retirement age.

Anxiety set in. The enemy deceives people step by step with lies. When I pointed out that she lacked the truth inside, she became defensive: "How can you say I lack the truth?" Do not judge the details of my illustration, for I frame them deliberately to drive home the point. If you possessed the truth, how could you be in bondage? How could someone anchored in truth agonize over an 800,000 versus 600,000 property, or insist that their security lies in having 100,000 or 200,000 in hand? Understand this: people rarely realize their own lack of truth. If one truly possesses the truth, one does not lose one's freedom. People are in bondage, and I will tell you why.

Brothers and sisters, examine yourselves. How much of God's word genuinely governs your speech? When leading a small group or a pastoral zone, you may speak with great eloquence, but you do not actually believe what you preach. You are merely putting on a show. If you truly believed, would your life end up in such a state? Absolutely not.

Therefore, we must reflect: do I truly possess the truth within me? No one intentionally does what they believe to be wrong. If a person recognizes their error, they will become wise. Those in bondage must first recognize that they are not free. Some argue, "I am a Christian; how can I be in bondage? I am no one's slave; I am doing fine."

Yet you toss and turn in agony every night—is that freedom? By day, you walk around looking respectable, with normal features and a proper appearance. But let me warn you: living without the truth provokes God's displeasure and stores up His wrath, until that wrath manifests as physical illness. If a person walks in the truth, would they ever arrive at such a state? Never.

Let me tell you, the wisest practice of my life has been continual repentance. I constantly ask: "Am I doing this right? Is there an error here?"—whether in engineering, pastoral care, or Bible study. The most foolish person is the one who perpetually assumes he is right and imagines he holds the truth. That is a supreme tragedy.

Brothers and sisters, understand that the truth shall set you free. Some time ago, I was concerned for a sister. During prayer ministry, she told me that her mother had died six months prior, and her husband had died two months prior. She fell into total despair, suffering daily. She wanted to be joyful but could not; she was engulfed in pain.

I ministered to her, and recently she has improved significantly. Outwardly, she looks entirely normal, lacking nothing physically or materially. Yet she was consumed by anguish, completely trapped in it. Is that freedom? No. You cannot even rejoice when you want to.

On the street, people might think she has a good life—she owns vast plots of land, abundant acreage, and lacks no material comfort. But she lacks the essential thing: truth. Her understanding of life was superficial, and consequently, she lived in total bondage. What occurred here? As Jesus put it plainly, your father is the devil. When demonic influences attach to a person, that spirit produces perpetual, baseless misery. Yet some still boast, "I am a Christian, I am free." How can you call that freedom?

We must clearly understand the spiritual realm. When we cast out demons and brothers and sisters experience deliverance, that in itself is merely grace—it does not automatically mean they possess the truth within. We must cultivate a deep hunger and passion for God's word. During a prayer session, there was a sister whom I had ministered to previously regarding her fears and struggles...

Then she told me her cervical spine was hurting. Just as I was about to pray for her, the Word of God came to me: "Stiff-necked." What does this mean? It means she genuinely believes she is the absolute standard of truth. She asks, "Isn't the way I live completely normal?" The result? She brought upon herself the demon of neck pain, did she not? What must be done? We must drive it out.

Therefore, if a man lacks truth inside, he must never deceive himself into thinking he possesses it. You may have merely 1% truth and 99% lies within you. Let us be entirely clear: demon possession occurs because there is no truth; the moment the devil releases a lie, you become utterly bewildered.

Some have asked me: "Pastor, is that sister who suffered from nighttime anxiety healed?" Yes, she is healed. I told her, "You had no Word of God in you. Not a single word you spoke to the devil was God's word!" Spending all that energy arguing and haggling with demons is completely futile. It does not work.

What did Jesus do? Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." If you choose how to live, do not say I did not warn you. Man lives by every word from God's mouth. If you rely on your own words, then I can only wish you good luck. Some say seeing a black swan brings continuous good luck; well, I wish you see a black swan then. Oddly enough, I actually saw a black swan yesterday.

When a person falls ill, it is not without cause; God is exposing the hidden condition of your heart—there is no truth within. Think about it carefully: of all the rationalisations you make, how many are actually God's word? We must be vigilant today. When illness strikes, the first priority is to gain freedom through the truth, to speak the truth. A man spends his entire life convinced he is right, but his personal reasoning is not the truth. It is simply not the truth.

Let me be blunt: if you constantly believe you are right, you are being very foolish. If you think you are infallible, the very embodiment of truth, you are undeniably the most foolish person on earth. So let us continue today: the truth shall set you free.

Scripture

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:31-36)

Prayer

O God, deliver us and set us free today. Lord Jesus, grant us Your grace and mercy today that we may turn back and dwell in You once more. God, lead us to know You, to know Your Word, and to know Your truth, so that we may be set completely free. Enable us to keep and obey Your Word, that during our days on earth we may manifest the image of Your Son. God, lead us into truth. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Background of the Scripture

The context of this passage is fascinating. Jesus was speaking to Jews who believed in Him, not unbelievers: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Is there any flaw in this statement? None at all, because the truth will indeed set you free.

Yet these Jews who believed in Jesus took offense. Notice they did not even address Him as Lord. They protested, "We are Abraham's descendants, and we have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say we shall be set free?" Look at the posture here. Do you sense the attitude? "What are you talking about? Who isn't free? What are you trying to do?" That was their exact tone.

And do you see the irony? These people were in bondage, yet they insisted they were free. Jesus responded firmly: "Very truly I tell you." Jesus did not back down. "You want to argue with me? You claim you are Abraham's descendants and have never been enslaved?" Jesus cut right through it: "Everyone who sins is a slave to sin." He laid out the cold, hard facts right before their eyes.

"Very truly I tell you—you foolish people—everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. A slave has no permanent place in the household; a son belongs to it forever. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." Why get agitated with Jesus when He points out you are not free? Why stubbornly insist, "How am I not free? I feel perfectly free"?

Let me tell you, these Jews following Jesus Christ were constantly consumed by petty, worldly trivialities. Why do I say this? Even the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Christ were arguing over who was the greatest right before His crucifixion. After three years with Jesus, their minds were still dominated by worldly logic. Total failure to graduate. How could they pass? They failed the test; everything had to be redone. People assume they are free, but Jesus states plainly that we are not. It is like telling a fool he is foolish—he immediately argues, "I am not foolish!" How can you reason with that? You cannot.

The confrontation did not stop there. The Jews claimed, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did. But I see nothing of Abraham's deeds in you. Look at your conduct—rubbish! I told you the truth I heard from God, yet you are trying to kill me. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father."

They retorted, "We are not illegitimate children. The only Father we have is God himself." Jesus told them plainly: "Nonsense. Let us be clear: If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him."

"When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." Drop the pretension! You are children of the devil, yet you boast of Abraham. Which of Abraham's deeds have you ever practiced?

If Abraham had heard Jesus say this, would he have glared at Him? Would he have argued, "We are Abraham's descendants"? Absolutely not. Remember, these were Jews who believed in Jesus. If believers who stood before Jesus behaved like this, what about believers in our church today? Are many not still living as slaves to sin?

When Jesus told them the hard truth, they flared up. I find this hard to comprehend. When God tells us the truth, why should we get angry? I used to wear myself out over this, but I have learned my lesson. I tried to make people sensible, and they became furious with me: "Who do you think you are, the only smart one?" Absolute nonsense.

So I say: let them learn the hard way over time. Hopefully one day they will wake up. Hopefully one day truth will dwell within them. If a person is full of lies, how can he move forward? Touch a raw nerve, and his temper flares instantly. If you lose your temper with me, I will simply step back and remain calm. Telling people the truth will inevitably offend many. But only truth that cuts through human ego is genuine truth, because men naturally live according to their own self-will. Jesus said their father was the devil, and the Jews went ballistic. They shot back: "You say our father is the devil? No, you are demon-possessed!" They accused Jesus of having a demon. Notice how heated the clash became? "You Samaritan!"—calling Jesus a Samaritan, imagine that—"and demon-possessed, aren't we right?"

Jesus replied, "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death." The Jews flared up again.

"Now we know you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham?" Good heavens, this argument became utterly intractable. If it went on, it would escalate uncontrollably.

Let me tell you: with these Jews, you could not touch the topic of Abraham. If you claimed to be greater than Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, it was unacceptable to them. That was grounds for a fight.

The dispute dragged on. Jesus answered every challenge, and the hostility grew fiercer. The Jews asked, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?" Jesus declared, "Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone Him. Look at the absurdity of it.

These were Jews who had believed in Jesus, yet they lost their minds in fury against Him. Among them were likely people who had had fevers or diseases healed by Jesus' touch just days before, people who had experienced deliverance. Yet now they were ruined because they possessed no truth inside.

These Jews were indignant: "We are descendants of Abraham; how can we not be free?" The subsequent events proved conclusively that they were not free—they lost control entirely and picked up stones to stone Jesus. The facts prove their minds were completely dysfunctional.

Later, when Jesus was crucified—did they not know the miracles He performed? They knew full well. Were there people He healed? Certainly. Then why did they end up like this? Because they could not control themselves. There was a demon within. Brothers and sisters, you must understand: those harboring demons often claim, "There is no demon, there is no God."

Yet when the crunch comes, they cannot control themselves. When the impulse surges, they imagine they are the embodiment of truth, while calling Jesus demon-possessed. Do you know that in the past, a group in the church prayed fervently for me because they believed I had gone astray and had wronged them? How ironic. What is the fundamental issue? The words you obey determine whose people you are. If you strictly obey God's Word, you belong to God. If you insist on your own human reasoning, I assure you, you will suffer severe losses. And not minor losses—massive losses, because what is inside you is demonic talk. If it is not God's Word, it is the devil's lie. Do not tell me there is human reasoning apart from it. Demonic words, human words, God's words? No—human rationalisation apart from God is simply demonic talk.

I truly do not want our brothers and sisters to suffer these hardships. But if a person is bent on suffering, he will have to learn the hard way. Stop relying on your own rationalisations. Check every statement you make against the Word of God. Write it down, list it out, search the Scriptures. Examine it, and you will see how foolish you have been, speaking a mouth full of the devil's lies.

I say this for one reason and one reason only: I want people to be set free. Men must no longer remain deceived by the devil. If you choose to dig in your heels and refuse to listen, and instead wish to stone me—well, that is only to be expected, isn't it? Entirely normal. After all, I have merely read a passage of Scripture.

Men Must Realise They Are in Bondage

The Jews back then had no idea. Absolutely none. Why couldn't they see it? It frankly astounds me. Why were they so blind? They genuinely believed they were free: "We don't need freedom; we are Abraham’s descendants." As if that pedigree settled everything.

They claimed, "We are Abraham's offspring and have never been slaves to anyone." What absolute rubbish! At that very moment, Judea was a colony of the Roman Empire. Roman governors and Roman garrisons were stationed in Jerusalem, exercising total control over the land.

Yet they insisted, "We have never been slaves to anyone." How did the Israelites sink to such a state of delusion? Because generation after generation, their ancestors drifted away from God. And what was the consequence? God handed them over to serve the very enemies who oppressed them.

The kings of Israel and Judah, their forefathers—they all thought they were completely in the right. "What is wrong with us?" they asked. Here is the crux of the problem: a man must recognise when he is living in bondage. What enslaves a person is the internal mindset—the secular logic system by which he lives. That very framework keeps him in chains.

Ask these Jews honestly: were they truly free? On the surface, they lacked nothing—two eyes, a nose, walking down the street looking sharp, handsome men and fine women. But what was inside their heads? Nothing but the mundane anxieties of daily survival. Make no mistake: if your mind is consumed only with the trivialities of making a living, you are under demonic oppression. Without question. If a man lives only for mere physical survival, he is bound.

Inquire into their private lives: were they not struggling miserably? Yet before Jesus, they suddenly remembered, "We are Abraham's descendants." But they possessed none of Abraham's virtues, and Abraham struggled with none of their petty issues. Abraham saw through the vanity of life; he pursued divine truth and the true purpose of existence. What were they living for? They were trapped in their own bondage. And you could not even point it out to them. Brothers and sisters, if someone speaks truth to you and you throw a tantrum, feel offended, and want to pick up stones, convinced of your own righteousness—let me tell you, you are still firmly in bondage.

Sickness—be it mental or physical, from the crown of your head to the tip of your toe—is fundamentally a manifestation of God's wrath. Men must be watchful. Conversely, even if you are entirely healthy and trouble-free, it does not mean you possess the truth. Be vigilant.

What then is the truth? It is the unbroken lineage of faith from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, culminating in Jesus Christ, and passed down through the Apostle Paul to us today. People must recognise their bondage. When you are bound, your thoughts spin out of control.

Bear this in mind: when your thoughts are out of control, your harsh words do not hurt me, because I can clearly distinguish whether it is a demon speaking or yourself. Deep down, you want to live well and be free, don't you? Yet the outcome of your actions looks as though you have been bewitched or possessed.

You walk straight into destruction. You are not free; you are oppressed by the devil. At such a juncture, what you need above all is repentance; what you need is truth. Being a Christian for decades does not mean you have the truth. These are hard words, but they are the plain, unvarnished truth.

The Root of Bondage Is Ignorance of Truth

Once, a sister remarked to me, "Pastor, one day our church will be massive, packed with multitudes." Hearing that only troubled me. Why? Consider Jesus Christ: He preached for over three years and healed countless people. How many of them actually sought the truth? Very few. A massive following was never the reality.

Only a tiny remnant remained. Even the Twelve disciples scattered when the crisis came. Later, God had to raise the Apostle Paul. Are there many who truly grasp the truth? No, very few. I changed my perspective long ago. My priority is not a massive congregation; my priority is a church that sets people free.

That is why what we preach will never be a popular, sensational hit. Nor do I expect it to be. Those with a genuine hunger for truth are few. Many receive grace when they are in distress, but precious few genuinely pursue truth to attain real freedom. Even among us, people receive grace and immediately revert to their old worldly ways. You must realise that the root cause of bondage is the absence of truth. It is truth that sets you free, not grace alone. Grace is meant to lead you to repentance. Do you hear me? Have you repented? If not, you take the grace and return to business as usual, with your mind still fixed on worldly trivialities. It is an exhausting, miserable way to live.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, while we do not expect the masses to seek truth, if you possess such a heart, let us scale these spiritual peaks together, pressing on to know the truth. For only the truth can genuinely set you free.

People say, "Pastor prayed for me and it worked; his prayers are effective." That is missing the point. Many get delivered only to slide right back into their worldly mindset. Some have been believers for ten or twenty years, yet the moment they open their mouths, it is the same secular nonsense. This worldly logic is deceptively seductive.

After Receiving Grace, Strive Diligently to Know the Truth

Never imagine that because you were healed through prayer, you have become a saint. That is a delusion. Soon enough, the problems return. What happened to the multitudes Jesus healed? Let me tell you: in most cases, the sicknesses returned.

They fell ill because they lived in sin. Christ healed them, yet they went straight back to living in sin. What did you expect? If you return to the exact same lifestyle of sin, the exact same illness will inevitably strike you again.

You continue to harbour bitterness, engage in jealousy and rivalry, and let life's petty squabbles torment you. How can the sickness not return? Those who diligently pursue truth after receiving grace are exceedingly rare. If you are one of them, you are a precious treasure.

If you genuinely seek truth, you are of immense value. Do you understand? Worldly thinking is dangerously deceptive. I lay this bare so you may grasp it. Understand the power of God. Many problems appear insurmountable to human reason, but when you know God—awesome and almighty—those problems vanish.

Only the Truth Can Set You Free

This is what Jesus declared: only the truth will set you free. That freedom is spiritual. When demons see you, they steer clear. They know, "This man possesses the truth; I cannot deceive him." If they attempt to trick you, they will only be confounded, because the truth anchors you. The enemy is instantly crushed. Why? Because you live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That is the decisive weapon for spiritual breakthrough and victory. How did Jesus repel the devil? His first rebuttal was: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." That is the absolute rule. Truth alone sets men free. And what is truth? Truth is the fundamental operating principle for life on earth. Live according to God's Word, and you will manifest God's glory.

Those Who Are Free Strictly Obey God's Word

If you claim, "Pastor, I am free," then what commandments of God have you strictly observed? Do not roll your eyes or throw an emotional fit the moment I challenge you. If you are truly free, what could possibly rob you of your joy? What could plunge you into depression or drive you into a frenzy? Nothing. When truth resides in you, you do not lose your temper when confronted, nor do you quarrel with Jesus.

Let me share from experience: ministering to cancer patients is demanding work. I had two close friends in Singapore, one of whom contracted cancer. Having dealt extensively with such cases, I understand cancer deeply. When I told him plainly that cancer is a curse, he blew his top. Why be enraged when presented with the truth? My sole objective was his healing, so he would not die a miserable death.

He lashed out: "Who is under a curse?" I said this only after ministering to him for a considerable time. Every time I led him in prayer, his strength and spirits were restored. Yet after experiencing this power, he still could not stomach the hard truth. He was not free; he could not bear reality. Without serious study of Scripture, where would he get truth? Simply attending endless church fellowships does not give you truth.

Many Christians assume such superficial rituals accumulate merit. Far from it—they accumulate curses. A liberated person strictly obeys God's Word. What have you obeyed? Ask them, and they are struck dumb. Brothers and sisters, this message is tough; it is uncompromising. It puts all of us in the category of the un-free.

Are you offended? If so, I will pay it no heed. I preach it as it is. Go home and study John Chapter 8 carefully. Ask yourself: do you stand with Jesus Christ or with the Jews? Which side are you on? If your instinctual reaction mirrors that of the Jews, you are in grave trouble. Had you lived in Jesus' day, you would certainly have been among those picking up stones to throw at Him. Why am I so certain? Absolutely certain. A mind steeped in secular logic cannot stomach Christ's words. In fact, I have softened the message considerably. My desire is for you to be free in the truth. I have not sold anyone into Egypt or into slavery; I have given you nothing but grace.

Yet despite such grace, some still feel I have wronged them. Imagine if you had actually been sold into Egypt—how uncontrollably furious would you be? Remember this today: no man can derail God's plan for your life. If the truth of Jesus Christ dwells in you, you will manifest the glorious life God intended.

In time, I realized my role: I provide grace, but whether you pursue truth is ultimately up to you. Otherwise, I would be the one getting stoned, and frankly, I have no desire to endure that. Brothers and sisters, hold fast to God's Word. I tell you this: no demon can stand against you!

Amen! May God bless you all!