This is always my faith, and I encourage all of you that as we worship in this place, we're going to see the entire region of North Bangalore coming under the authority of Jesus Christ, and many will be saved. I appreciate all of your passion to keep praying for our own land and facility. It's taking time; it's been a couple of years since we first announced, but we believe it. No matter how long it's going to take, we're going to keep marching until we see that miracle happening. I'm strong in my belief that the Lord will do it, amen, hallelujah.

How many of you sense the presence of God in this place this morning? Is God here? Yes. How many of you want to see the same presence being experienced by all the people of Karnataka? Only one, two, probably might be from different states, but since God has brought us to this state, let's develop, let's better develop the passion and burden for this state of Karnataka, amen.

Do you know what percentage of the state is made up of saved people who know Jesus? Officially, they say less than 2%. So, in South India, the state that has the least Christians is Karnataka, one of the unreached states. They say North India is the graveyard for missions, South Karnataka is the graveyard for missions in South India. You know it's not been reached much. If you say that even 2% of people are saved in Karnataka, my assumption, which I believe could be true, is 1 and a half percent is in South Karnataka, mainly in Bangalore. Okay, the rest, North Karnataka is an unreached place. Why am I sharing this? You might be wondering why I'm sharing all these things. There is a request that has come from our North Karnataka pastors. They are reaching out to new territories. Can we put up the slide, please? Or, Andy and his team are ministering in North Karnataka. They're working in the districts HBL Belam, Carver, Gad, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Bether, and Hari.

So, I want to tell you, these are very, very tough places. Those of you who know the demography of Karnataka will understand. Those are not easy places to reach, but they have taken the boldness and are venturing to start churches in those places. And for that, they sought our help. I would like to make this very clear in the beginning: it's not a compulsion, definitely not for the new people if you're visiting here. But I'm appealing to all those of you who consider yourself part of this vision and members of this church.

There's a request that has come, they want to train 22 people in Hub. Their goal is to establish 19 churches: one church in district headquarters, 15 talukas, and three towns. So, this is the need. They are doing 12 months training, four days per month, they're meeting. So, training will cost them 9 lakh rupees. They want to support two couples and three singles; it will take four lakhs, totally 13 lakhs is their need.

So, all the details are there. I don't want to go through all those places. So, they have a need of 13 lakhs, and I'm bringing this need to all of you that we are part of this vision for Karnataka. If the Lord lays it on your heart, pray about it. When an opportunity to give arises, and I rarely make financial announcements, I restrain myself a lot, you know, but this is a worthy cause to see that the gospel advances in the state of North Karnataka. So, I would like to encourage all of you to pray, and if the Lord puts anything in your heart, please take an envelope right behind there and write it is to North Karnataka missions. And all the money that will be collected will be directly sent to train and establish new churches in North Karnataka. If you're doing online, you're welcome to do so. Please do it and send, mention it to Sandip so that we send the money to the North Karnataka missions. Let's see India shall see the glory of God. Amen, hallelujah. District by district, state by state, many ministries are laboring in this nation, and God has raised up New Life Fellowship movement, also one of the organizations and movements that are reaching South India and across. Let's join together and see the kingdom of God established in South India. Amen.

I want to see that our church grows in giving. I'm always proud of, we are a generous church, especially when it comes to missions. Every year we top, out of all the 150 churches, New Life Lanka is a top that gives into missions. And I want to keep up that spirit and keep, yes, you can feel, thank you. I appreciate all of you; that's a sign that we love God and we love what He loves, His churches and His heart to see new churches being established. Amen. One more round of vigorous applause unto Jesus. Alright, can we now just look to the Lord for the word for this day, just till our spirits battle all distractions and get our focus to Jesus in this place? Everybody, just a moment, would you just say a word of prayer, whispering, saying, "Jesus, I want to hear Your voice here, and I want to hear Your voice, dear God. We acknowledge Your presence in our midst. We thank You, Lord, for each one of us seated in this place, whom You have saved and called and brought to be the body of Christ in this location. We thank You for Your vision that You have called us. God, it's our desire and prayer that You would always remain the center of everything that we do, and You would be the Lord. No man, no flesh will ever come close to touching Your glory, God. You continue to build this church. Father, as we look to Your word, we want to hear Your voice. You are a living God; every time when we assemble, Lord, You have something powerful to say. Lord, give us that sensitivity to Your spirit, to hear what You have to say and align our lives, Lord, to what You're speaking. Lord Spirit of God, take complete control all this time in Jesus' mighty name we pray. Can we all give one more round of huge applause to Jesus? Amen. How many of you ever wondered what heaven would be like? Are you happy with this Earth so much that you're not thinking about heaven? You know, what is your imagination about what heaven would look like? Here are some interesting descriptions by some of the people, what they thought heaven would be. I'll read out for you all. Heaven, where Mondays are like Fridays and the coffee is always perfectly brewed by angels. In heaven, you never have to worry about losing your keys because St. Peter always remembers where he put them for those of you who have a problem with forgetting your keys, I'm one of them. Heaven, where the Wi-Fi signal is always strong and there's never any buffering. All those working from home in heaven, the weather forecast is always sunny with a chance of eternal bliss.

After this I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

John is doing his best to paint a picture of heaven, drawing comparisons to earthly scenes. He describes the throne of God surrounded by 24 other thrones, with 24 elders seated upon them. The scene is filled with rumblings, thunder, and lightning, yet amidst this display of power, there is also a calm, serene, glassy sea. This juxtaposition symbolizes both power and peace, sovereignty and serenity.

The 24 thrones around God's throne are often interpreted as representing the 12 tribes of Israel from the Old Testament and the 12 disciples of Jesus from the New Testament. However, John suggests that these may not necessarily be human representations but could be angels, resembling elders.

Additionally, John describes four living creatures beside the throne: a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle. While some interpret these as symbols representing the four Gospels, others, including John, see them as cherubim, another class of angels. These creatures symbolize the sovereignty and power of God.

Amidst the chaos and suffering on Earth, John's vision of heaven provides a stark contrast of perfect peace and serenity. This serves as a reminder that God is in absolute control, even when things seem chaotic and hopeless on Earth. As believers, we are encouraged to hold onto this truth, knowing that ultimately, Jesus triumphs.

This morning, as we worship, as we come before God, we should know before whom we are coming. We are coming before a sovereign God. Many times, we take our God lightly. Not because many of the songwriters had bad intentions, but they would have portrayed Him as a friend, God as a brother, and so on and so forth. And sometimes, we take Him so lightly. But if we read the book of Revelation, it will make us fall in awe and wonder, fear and reverence, and know who our God is. He is mighty, He is awesome, He is on the throne. He's indescribable, He's invincible. That's the God whom we worship. We should be confident people, bold people, courageous people. It should make us tremble, on the other side, it should also make us love Him at the same time. That's the balance that we need to strike. We love Him, but at the same time, we should tremble before God. That's the kind of God whom we are worshipping.

Yeah, we as believers of the 21st century, we're bombarded with the love of God, grace of God, mercy of God, you know, God as a buddy, and all of that. Yes, it is true, I'm not denying that. But as much as that is true, God is sovereign, God used to be revered, used to be feared. He's on the throne, and we should never lose sight of that when we come before Him to worship and pray. Amen, hallelujah. God is sovereign. To all of you who might be wondering what is happening with your life, your children, your profession, your career, you don't have to know. Entrust it to the One who knows all things. He's sovereign, He is ruling, He is reigning, He's in complete control of all things. Amen, hallelujah. That's the powerful revelation we should know: the God whom we worship is a sovereign God. Amen.

The second revelation that we have about God is the song that the four living creatures sang. What did they sing? "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." As they have the revelation right before the throne, they could have sung anything beautiful, wonderful, glorious, loving, kind, gracious, long-suffering, it's all true. But one thing, when they see God in the revelation, heaven, the words that came out of their mouths were more than anything else: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." Because many theologians say, just like white color summarizes all the other colors, holiness is a summary of all His attributes. Our God is holy. There is none other holy like our God. There is none other almighty like our God. There is none other God who's always present like our God. That's the God before whom we come and worship. Let's never lose sight of this.

In the book of Revelation, the word holy in Greek means "hagos" is used more than 20 times, and it is used for God. It is used to describe His moral excellence, His flawless character. But when it refers to people and things, this word means you are set apart from ordinary use to the use of God. You're set apart from sin unto God. We are called to be holy. Many times, the Bible keeps giving this call to us: "Be holy, for I am holy." We need to hear these words in this generation more than ever. We are called for a holy life, beloved. We cannot take our Christian lives for granted. We should be careful how we conduct our lives, what we see, what we say, what we do in private life, how we handle our affairs of life, how we conduct in our relationships. All of those things are very important because we are called to live a holy life. And by His grace, we'll be able to do it. By the sanctifying spirit of God, by the Word of God, by the blood of Jesus, we will be able to do it.

We should have an awareness. You know what the good news is? One day, we all are going to be holy. One day, we all are going to be perfect. One day, you're going to be like Jesus. Can you believe that? Your parents might not be able to believe that you're going to be perfect one day. Your spouses might not be able to believe that you're going to be perfect one day. But the reality is that one day, we are all going to be holy by the blood of Jesus. Amen. We are going to be victorious that day. But right now, here on earth, we have a battle every day. A battle against self, the flesh, a battle against sin, and all the things of this world, and a battle against Satan. Continuously, on this world. But as people, how many of you are sensing this battle? Are you sensing the battle against sin, flesh, world, devil? Are you fighting this battle? If you're not fighting this battle, if you're not aware of this battle, sorry to say, there's something wrong with you. If you're really trying to live a holy life, if you're really in the center of God's will, if you're really trying to please God, if you're really walking in the ways of God, you will face this fierce attack coming upon you. We should be aware of that.

You know what Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15? "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." Other translations put it, "I am the chief sinner." Did Paul write this after comparing to everybody else and all the people have done? And then did he come to this conclusion that "I am the chief sinner of all"? No. When the Holy Spirit is working in your life, when the Holy Spirit is convicting you, you will not be bothered about others. You will not compare yourselves to anybody, but you'll be convicted by your own sins in the sight of God, and you'll be able to say, "Oh, how wretched I am!" And in that point, the grace of God will flow, the power of God will flow, the mercy of God will flow. Those people who cry out to God, "I'm wretched, I'm a sinful man, I'm a man of unclean lips," who cry out about their wretchedness, to them the grace will flow, the love of God will flow, power of God will flow, and deliver you from your sins. Not for those people who think, "I'm all right, I'm fine, I'm great, I'm okay." No, for those people who come to this realization.

So, that's a very powerful thing that we need to understand. Yeah, the second revelation that we need to have about God, dear brothers, is what we see. It is God is holy. You know, everything in heaven is termed as holy. Of course, God is holy. Angels are referred to as holy angels. The city that comes is referred to as holy city. And more than 15, 20 times, all of us, people of God, are referred to as holy. Amen. So, we are going to be holy. It's a holy place. You will not make it without the blood of Jesus. And because we are saved by the blood of Jesus, we're going to make it. There is only one man-made thing in heaven. Can you guess what it is? There is only one man-made thing in heaven, the wounds of Jesus. That's the only thing that is man-made in heaven. Through eternity, we will know that through His blood, He has bought us, He has redeemed us, made us His children to be a holy generation and a royal priesthood unto Him. Amen.

The third revelation that John writes to us is in the song of the living creatures. What did the living creatures sing? "Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." What did the 24 elders sing? "Worthy are you, Lord God." What is the difference between this holy and worthy? Holy is who God is. Worthy is about what God has done. The praise and worship, whenever we come, from wherever, we should always have these two things. We worship Him for who He is, and we worship Him for what He has done. Out of all the blessings today, we sang wonderful songs of thanksgiving unto God. Thank you, Joel, for those songs. It was wonderful to be reminded how blessed we were. Out of all the blessings, the greatest blessing is the gift of salvation that we have received, eternal life that we have received. That's the greatest gift. So, all through eternity, we'll be singing "worthy, worthy." Jesus alone is worthy.

So, when we come to worship, how we worship shows us how much worth we are giving unto God. The word meaning of worship is very simple. It's giving due worth to worship. So, the way we worship tells others what kind of worth we are giving unto God. When we really mean what we are singing, when we're really giving worth to God by singing whatever song that we are singing, our whole being will be involved. Our posture will be of humility, our posture will be of joy for what He has done. Our spirit, soul, and body will be involved, and lost so much so that we will be oblivious to what is happening around us and we'll be opened up to the reality of the presence of Jesus in our midst. That's what it will be if you're truly worshipping the Lord and giving Him the worth that belongs to Him.

If you really believe that God is sovereign, if you really believe that God is holy, if you really believe that God is worthy, and with awareness, when we worship Him, it will be quite a different experience. Worship is the most beautiful experience of all other experiences that we can ever come across in this world. It's a beautiful experience, a powerful experience because we come to meet with God. It stretches our soul, it stretches our imagination, it stretches our spirit, it stretches our capacity. It stretches us. That's how many of you heard this person by the name Joni Eareckson Tada. She's an author, a disability advocate. She's known for painting art from her mouth, and she's a motivational speaker. She founded this organization called Joni and Friends. It's an organization that has helped millions of disabled people around the world. A very interesting thing that she has said about her life is this: At the age of 17, she met with a diving accident and she became a quadriplegic. She injured her spine and she lost all her limbs. She could not move both her hands or legs. Soon after that incident, she was sitting in one of the congregations like this, and she heard the preacher preaching a very powerful sermon. And at the end of the sermon, the preacher invited everybody to kneel down. Can I do that now? I'm telling you, may encourage, let's worship. Look to Jesus. I'm not asking you all to kneel down, but we should feel free to kneel, to bow down, to raise our hands, whatever you feel like doing. We should not be ashamed of our surroundings. So, when this preacher gave the call for everybody to kneel after the message, there this lady was, the only one who could not do it because she did not have legs. And at that moment, she prayed this powerful prayer. I want to read that to you in her own words: "Lord Jesus, I can't wait for the day when I'll rise up on the resurrected legs. The first thing I will then do is to drop on grateful, glorified knees. What are we doing with our knees that we have? There will come a day, you know, when we'll all bow and worship our God."

As we look up to this powerful revelation, what am I trying to do for you? To understand who our God is. If you understand who our God is, you will not be afraid of anything in this life. You'll be able to say, "When God is for me, who can be against me? If God is for me, whom shall I fear?" If you know God, the God whom you worship, you don't have to know anything else. That's all you need to know. Just that, like that simple man said, "All that we know is simply Jesus." So, I want to bring this revelation of open heaven that John had and is inviting all of us into this powerful experience. Even now, we are not in Patmos island. We are not chained. We are not slaves. We are free. We are comforted. But even now, as we go through the journey of life, as we go through various experiences in life, I would like to keep reminding you: the God whom we worship is sovereign. So, our response should be to trust Him. The God whom we worship is holy. Our response is to reflect His holiness. The God whom we worship is worthy. Our response is to live a grateful life.

Shall we all arise in God's presence this morning? Let's take a few moments to think about what has been spoken to us this morning. Let's think about the God whom we worship. So many things might be happening around us in this earth. Things might even get worse and worse from here on. John would have felt at that moment that he is going through a miserable situation. But when he was lifted up in the spirit and saw all that was going to happen, the seven bowls, the seven woes, the seven trumpets, you know, he would have felt that what he was going through was better. But thank God that his vision did not end with only all the judgments being passed on this earth. It culminates in a beautiful new heaven and new earth that came. So, whatever might be happening in this world, we have a glorious hope. Our hope is not in this world. Our hope is in the new heaven and new earth where we're going to be with God forever.

May this visions of heaven fill our hearts. May this revelation of God fill our hearts this morning. Every time we come before God, dear people, let us know, every time you come to pray in your living rooms or wherever, every time we come to worship God here, may we always know we are coming before a God who's sovereign, who is holy, and who is worthy.