1. Zac Poonen - The Two Great Mysteries

welcome everyone there is a word found you know there are many words found in the New Testament which are not found in the Old Testament and that's because in the New Testament God has given us the Holy Spirit and to dwell in us to give us a revelation on God's ways and especially to help us to understand God's heart when I read the Bible nowadays I say Lord I want to look into your heart and see what what is in your heart many people study the Bible to get the knowledge it doesn't help us spiritually God wants us to see his heart and that can only be possible through the Holy Spirit so one of the words that occurs in the New Testament which is never found in the Old Testament is the word mystery Jesus told his disciples is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven the word mystery comes a number of times even the mystery of iniquity the deception of the Antichrist is called in 2nd Thessalonians 2 the mystery of iniquity mystery means something which you cannot understand without revelation of the Holy Spirit it's a secret then God will reveal through the Holy Spirit is cannot be understood by study or analysis or any such thing and Psalm 25 says the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him so the more you will reverence God and fear him your level of intelligence IQ makes no difference is the fear of God that determines whether you will understand this mystery I've seen through the years I mean I mean breaching these truths for 42 years now and I've discovered that many people here and here and here and here here don't seem to understand the mystery even after 40 years and there are others who just hear it in one year and they got it it's got to do with humility see there's a pride in all of us which sometimes we don't recognize pride for various things right looks or intelligence or race or accomplishments or Bible knowledge or anything and pride is something that's so foreign to God that we'll never understand what he has to say to us if we don't get rid of it in our life and wherever we discover it we must judge ourselves repent and cleanse ourselves off it if we want to really get close to God I want to show you a passage of Scripture first of all to begin the people in John chapter 13 you know this is the place where Jesus was washing the disciples feet it's very interesting to see that that is the last thing that he did before he went to the cross Jesus life was one where he came all the way from heaven and finally descended right to the feet of man that's not usually the way many Christian leaders go many Christian leaders in the early days of their Christian life they start at the bottom and go all the way up till they become a director or a chairman or president of something Jesus went exactly the other way and if you're a disciple of Jesus that's the way you'll want to go that's what I'd pray for myself Lord the last day of my earthly life I want to be found at the feet of your disciples washing their feet that's what I want to do that's a direction I want to go all my life and be found there on the last day of my earthly life because that's the way my Savior went so after he washed their feet he said something to them which I want you to notice I want you to connect it with see the washing the feet is in certainly in Eastern culture it's it's a job of the nose dignified person would do it it's the job of slaves and in the homes in the rich homes in Israel they'd have a bucket of water near the door and there'd be a slave to wash the feet but because Jesus said that in this Last Supper that he was arranging he didn't want anybody around that's why the owner of that house kept a bucket of water but no slave I'm sure he had slaves in his house but Jesus had said nobody must be there in the room and so the bucket of water was there but there was nobody to watch the disciples feet you know they have all wore sandals and one of the things that you when you walk through dusty roads your feet are dirty and that's why they keep a bucket of water in the slave to wash it as soon as you enter so since there was no slave and the disciple around and wondered who's gonna do it Jesus and I'm the one I'm the slave here by the way I'm here to wash your feet then he showed us his humility from birth to the end of his life he was born in a cowshed kept in a manger I don't think there's any human being who was ever born in such a situation I've seen poor people in India and I've never heard of a poor person whose children were born in a cowshed he took the lowest place at birth and all the way to his last time with his disciples here with the disciples fees and finally he hung on a criminal's cross and there I see the way Jesus went and if you're gripped by that and you say Lord that's the way I want to go all my life the things of God will open up to you your eyes will be open to see things that no other human being can understand the Bible says God has revealed many things to us through His Holy Spirit so after Jesus did this and it manifested his humility he says this you know the Philip came to Jesus and said and it's all in the same section John 14 verse 8 which is still the last Lord show us the father John 14 verse 8 and Jesus said the last part of verse verse 9 if you have seen me the middle of verse 9 you've seen the father do you know what God the Father is like he comes to wash our feet that's how Jesus was and that's how God the Father is like he's no different and I believe when we one day when Christ comes back and we see God face to face the father will find his exactly like Jesus was a total humility that's why the devil was the head of the Angels was driven out of God's presence no pride can stand in God's presence and that's why as soon as that pride arose in the heart of that chief angel he was expelled from God's presence forever if we can remember that my dear brothers and sisters you will understand what it is that can draw you close to the Lord and what it is that will make God keep you far away from him it's humility if you want to understand it so if you've seen me you've seen the father do you see me washing your feet that's what the father is like he's no different if you've seen me you've seen the father so I want to be like that in 1 Corinthians in chapter 2 here's the words quoted from the Old Testament this is a quotation 1 Corinthians 2:9 from Isaiah 64 Android's 4 it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 the things which eye has not seen nor has you heard and we shall not entered into the heart of man God is prepared for those who love him think of that which human eyes are not able to see and human years are not able to hear and which him human heart cannot understand there are amazing things that God has prepared for those who love Him that's where it stopped in the Old Testament the Isaiah 64 verse 4 stops there but in the New Testament it goes on to say in verse 10 but God has revealed them to us through the Holy Spirit that's New Covenant they could not know it in the Old Covenant but now we can now I can know the things which are hidden from the clever and the intelligent God has revealed them to us by his Spirit because the spirit searches the depths of God and then reveals them to us it's amazing you know there's a verse which says Jesus said the prophets and Paul longed to hear some of the things you hear he told his disciples we are amazingly privileged people and I want to say to you my dear brothers and sisters if you study the Bible like the Old Testament scribes did like the way they teach in Bible schools today you'll never know God you'll have a lot of information about Greek and Hebrew and root meanings of this that in the other but you want oh God you'll have enough material to preach sermons but you won't know God he won't live the life God wants you to live you will not fulfill the ministry God wants you to fulfill till that comes through knowing God and for that you've got to be humble one more verse in Matthew chapter 11 Matthew 11 verse 25 it's interesting that Jesus thanked the father for certain things and one of the things he thanked the father was that God had hidden truths from clever intelligent people have you read that Matthew 11:25 I praise you lord of heaven and earth father I praise you that you have not allowed clever intelligent people to understand these things have you ever thought of that I have braced God with all my heart that the truths of the Bible God is hidden from clever intelligent people but revealed them to dreams the word were revealed is a New Testament word also you never read in the Old Testament about Revelation the Old Testament you read about understanding study it produces scribes a revelation produces disciples there's a world of difference between a scribe and a disciple a scribe is a Bible scholar a great preacher the disciple is one who follows Jesus who knows God personally so why I mean why does God do that you remember another place where Jesus said it's so difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God's kingdom it looks as if Jesus said it's very difficult for rich people and clever people and intelligent people to have the things of God what shall we do if we are clever and intelligent I mean that's not something we create we are born with it it's like the color of our skin we cannot change the color of your skin you were born with it and intelligence is something like that what if you're born with a high IQ does that mean I can't know the things of God that's what disturbed me I said Lord I'm not stupid I don't want to pretend I'm stupid I'm pretty clever and I've got some amount of intelligence are you gonna hide things from me and or if some of us are born or have inherited wealth or have accumulated wealth through faithfully working in a profession or business what should we do about that does that mean I cannot enter God's kingdom and I discovered that what Jesus was saying was that you see usually clever intelligent people are proud of their cleverness and intelligence have you noticed that very subtle ways sometimes we look down on someone who can't understand something that we can understand we inwardly we see all that guy's dumb have you ever had that attitude toward someone that guy stuff he can't he can't understand this joke which we all laughed at but he's still wondering what it meant see that attitude is due to pride and you don't realize it's that pride that prevents God from revealing things to you and it's very subtle it comes in very subtle ways it's not her cleverness or intelligence that's what's helped me and the Lord showed me that is your cleverness and intelligence will not hinder you from knowing they're getting revelation on truth provided you're not proud of it if you recognize what have you got which you did not receive 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 7 says what have you got which you did not receive what have you got do you have good looks are you proud of that it can hinder you you don't have to get rid of your good looks but don't be proud of it you don't get rid of your intelligence but don't be product you don't have to get rid of your wealth but don't be proud of it that's what makes it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle and then for this rich man to enter God's kingdom so here again he said but he is revealed to babes infants what is it that infants have newborn infants what do they have which clever intelligent people don't have humility Jesus didn't even pick and pick a ten-year-old boy he picked a little baby and said the kingdom of heaven is like this until you unless you humble yourself like this little child this little baby you cannot enter God's kingdom a lot of people who think they've entered God's kingdom is just fooling themselves they got a religion maybe they got an evangelical version of Christianity but I haven't possessed the kingdom of God they don't live as those have inherited the kingdom their lives their home lives and their professional lives they don't manifest themselves as princes in the kingdom of God and that's because this is the reason pride oh it's it's only those who are humble like a little child who can possess that Kingdom so humility is what the child has it's and humility is as sort of a helpless you know there are so many ways we can fool ourselves of the humble the external manifestations of humility or deception it's an attitude humility is an attitude and it's the child has got a very humble humility seen and it's helpless dependence on its parents I can't do anything but think of that little baby few days old lying in the cradle if it's saying I can't do anything I need my mum and dad to take care of me anything I can't do a single thing and dependent on my mum and dad for everything my brothers and sisters that is humility you keep that attitude towards garden I tell you in Jesus name I'll tell you you will get such amazing revelations from Scripture that all the great scholars can't get and don't think you get it just by hearing me I can share with you some of the things God's taught me but you'll have it in your head it still won't be revelation I've very often taught in our own church or I've taught for 42 years now I said dear brothers and sisters don't think you understood it just because you're clever mind has grasped what I said ask God to give you revelation your heart that will change your life otherwise you'll just have a nice thought that you can preach to somebody else and get some honor it's worth noting it's garbage until you it becomes revelation and for that you got to have humility and a helpless dependence upon God I see these two pictures of humility one the baby Jesus picked up a baby and said you gotta humble yourself like a little child he's the greatest in God's kingdom helpless dependence and the other picture Jesus gave us of the branch in the tree remember John 15 verse 5 as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself you can do nothing without me is that really true yes you can do nothing of eternal value without me you can do a lot of things at a value on this earth sure we're all smart capable but you'll never be able to do anything of eternal value unless you have this helpless the attitude of the branch which is in the tree and if it's been in the tree for 50 years producing apples this still says I'm sorry I can't produce a single Apple even with 50 years of experience the moment I'm detached from the tree I'm finished that is the only attitude that produces eternal fruit nothing else and once God has begun to use you a little bit it's a little more difficult to have that attitude but if you live before God's face you can have that attitude forever Jesus never became proud even when He healed thousands of people imagine if you heal ten people it could puff you up Jesus was healing thousands regularly it never puffed him up not because he was God but as a man he lived in humble dependence on his father showing us that as human beings we can live like that every day that even if God does amazing miracles through you you can still remain the same humble person you are when you started your Christian life so those are the two pictures of humility that I keep in my mind always little helpless baby and that helpless branch in the tree keep at it for you because those are the people to whom God gives revelation he revealed them it says here to infants so I mentioned that is an introduction I told you about this word mystery mystery is a truth of God which you cannot understand by any amount of study and even by hearing me explain it you won't understand it you'll understand in your head you may be able to preach it to others but you won't come as revelation to your heart remember always is the heart that God's after not the mind the mind is only a channel through which God wants to reach our heart the eyes for example we read something when I read something it goes into my mind but it must reach my heart when I hear something through my ears it goes to my mind but it must reach my heart if it stays in my mind I haven't got it that's okay for mathematics and chemistry and physics and history and computer science if it reaches a - ball in mouth but in the things of God if it stops there you missed it you're no better than the other guy who didn't get anything in his mind that's a big mistake a lot of people make when they sit in Christian meetings or listen to a video message on YouTube or something they think I got it well you got it if it reached your heart otherwise you haven't got it otherwise you only understood something the Bible says one of the enemies of failure is our understanding turn with me to proverbs in chapter 3 proverbs 3 trust verse 5 trust in the Lord with all your heart heart heart and don't lean on your mind your understanding you see how the mind and the understanding can be an enemy to faith he's talking about faith here have faith in the Lord it's not something in the mind it's in the heart and that's why we made the mistake when we think of faith we think it's oh if I hear this or you hear some testimonies or what God miracles God did for that person and that person the other person the more I hear and understand in my mind I got faith no you haven't this is cribe thinking that he's got faith faith is in the heart and until it descends in the heart you don't accomplish anything that's why a lot of people think hey I thought I trusted God for that why didn't it happen well it does in your mind trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean upon your mind use your mind yes but don't lean upon it the mind he's not saying we don't need the mind God has created the mind for us to understand but God's truth must go through the mind - a heart man is a body soul and spirit it goes through the body that's the eyes or the ears truth and then goes to the soul which is the mind but if it stops there it hasn't reached the spirit the truth must reach the spirit which is in the tabernacle the most holy place the innermost section of that tabernacle with Jesus opened the way to when he died in the whale was rent that's the spirit God could not reach the spirit of man in the Old Testament now he can and so jesus said once when he spoke to his disciples about revelation in Matthew chapter 13 he said in Matthew 13 verse 11 he uses a sort of mystery the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven Matthew 13 and verse 11 he tells his disciples to you it has been granted in other words it's not something you deserved or you achieved no granted means it was a gift and I tell you all revelation is a gift it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but those other people it's not being granted and that's only because of their pride they couldn't get it and he goes on to save further at the end of that chapter Matthew 13 and verse 52 about the scribe becoming a disciple have you ever seen this verse the Bible scholar the scribe the great preacher who preaches from his head has to Humble himself and become a disciple because when he becomes a disciple he'll have within his treasure some new things and all things and then the disciple can bring out from the treasure of his heart amazing truths new and even the old truths when he brings it out will be fresh it's like the manor the manor was the same shape and taste every day which fell from heaven but it was fresh every day and that's the wonderful thing when a scribe becomes a disciple even if he's telling you something for the hundredth time it'll be fresh brothers and sisters that's how we must all be we may not all be preachers and teachers that's a gift God gives to some people but even in the ordinary conversation with one another we should speak from the heart to things and God's blessed our heart with the revelations God gives us that's the way a church is to be built it's not just by some outstanding teachers and preachers every one of us must open our hearts in humility to receive the Holy Spirit's power to let him dwell there and give us a revelation that we can share with one another well so much for an introduction let me tell you about two mysteries which are called great mysteries we find the word mysteries many times in the New Testament but only twice do we read of something called at great mystery so that's something special so I'll show you those the first great mystery is in 1 Timothy in chapter 3 and verse 16 1 Timothy 3:16 and this is such an important mystery that it says in verse 15 every true church must be a pillar and support of this truth when Timothy 3 15 the last part the Church of the Living God is the pillar in the olden days you know they didn't have concrete structures and beams and all that they had pillars every building was supported by pillars you remember when Samson pushed the pillars down the whole building collapsed because they didn't have beams those days so the church is the pillar and support of a truth and if the church does not support this through the whole thing collapses and unfortunately a lot of churches and Christians because they don't believe in revelation they not explained these mysteries to God's people and that's one of the reasons for the shallow level of Christians these days that's why you find divorce for example not only among believers but among pastors and can you dream of such a thing happening in the first century in the days of the Apostles the divorced people were appointed as elders of pastors choices unbelievable how did Christendom sink so low because the pillars were pushed away not by Samson by the demo the church must be a pillar and support of this truth this great mystery of godliness it's the number one great mystery and that is that he that is Christ was revealed in the flesh and was pure in his spirit and the Living Bible paraphrase is it like this it is true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter but the answer lies in Christ who came to earth as a man and was pure in a spirit see this is the thing from the time of Adam till the time of Christ a person who lived in the flesh and we were all born of the flesh could never keep his heart pure externally they could keep the ten commandments or the nine commandments anyway but they couldn't keep the heart pure the tenth commandment dealt with a heart thou shalt not covet you shall not desire your neighbor's wife or that girl who walks on the road was your neighborhood neighbor's daughter you shall not desire they could never keep that and God kept that 10th commandment to reveal to people you'll never reach up to my standard until the holy s--t first game even the Apostle Paul says in Romans 7 I kept all the law but when it came to the tenth commandment saying shalt not covet oh I just gave up all types of lust he says came in my heart and I couldn't overcome but he says in Romans chapter 8 but now then the Holy Spirit is come the righteous requirement of the law which is the tenth commandment is fulfilled because we walk in the spirit not according to the flesh so from the time of Adam till Christ's time nobody could keep their heart pure because of the flesh and yet now Jesus comes to the same not sinful nature but with the same body like ours and tempted like us that's the interesting thing Hebrews 4:15 since he was tempted in all points exactly as we are but he did not sin that's what it says here he was pure in his spirit and the answer the secret of living a godly life the mystery of godliness or the secret of how to live a godly life is not found in some experience of sanctification or some theory it's found in Jesus not in a doctrine but in the person of Jesus who lived on earth as a man tempted like us but did not sin that's the first great mystery turn with me to Hebrews in chapter 4 and verse 15 which makes this very clear Hebrews 4:15 says we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us in our weaknesses I think many Christians think that Jesus cannot sympathize with us when we are tempted the devil succeeded in convincing most even most believers that Jesus was not tempted like you he cannot sympathize with the pressures you're facing right now in your life in with temptation but the Holy Spirit says he can sympathize he can sympathize 100 percent because he was tempted exactly like you and me like us in every point to things exactly like us and in every point and he did not sin once we understand that we say hey he can sympathize with me Hebrews 2 and verse 18 says because he was tempted like this and he suffered suffered means not physical suffering there in relation to suffering in relation to temptation you see when we attempted the Bible speaks about the pleasures of sin you know it says Moses rejected the pleasures of sin Hebrews 11 so there is pleasure in sin the Bible doesn't deny that but it's a passing pleasure but he Moses it says rejected the passing temporary pleasures of sin the opposite of pleasure ringing and whenever I am tempted I have the choice of either choosing the way of pleasure satisfying myself or denying myself and suffering it's always a choice of pleasure or suffering when I'm tempted for example and I'm provoked to get angry it's a bit of a suffering to deny myself keep quiet there's a certain satisfaction or pleasure I get in letting that person get a piece of my mind you all know the how real that is you say you let out your anger you feel relieved well you feel relieved because you got a pleasure out of it it's like the pleasure of sex the pleasure of having told him exactly what I think of them in anger this is suffering if I have to keep quiet about it this is suffering when you have to love somebody who hates you this is suffering when you have to do good to someone who is doing evil to you there's a suffering there's a pleasure and making him suffer cursing him in some way and treating him badly it's like he treated me so when it says Jesus suffered in relation to temptation here these that he all through his life whenever he is tempted and he had the opportunity to choose pleasure indulging himself or suffering deny himself he chose suffering consistently that's why he never sinned and he says you can do that but God won't force you when he sent Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden he gave them a choice the power of choice and a conscience to tell them what is right and what is wrong and you and I have that to a conscience that tells us what's right and wrong and the power of choice and it's your choice that determines whether you suffer or the you please yourself so because he was suffered he's able to run to the aid to our aid when we attempted see this is the wonderful thing in the Old Testament they didn't have somebody to help them they only had a commandment saying don't do this don't do this don't do any ones do this do this do this but now we have somebody to come to our hell when we are tempted it's wonderful I picture it like sitting in an examination hall with a tough question paper and the teacher who set the questions sitting next to me and saying I'll help you answer them great then I can get a hundred percent and every every question because the one sitting next to me is the one who wrote the question paper and he says I'll help you with every one of those answers they didn't have that in the Old Testament this is how I see Jesus running to my aid when I'm tempted this is the great mystery of godliness that he was exactly like us but without sinful flesh but he was tempted exactly like us now I don't try to go and analyze the psychology of Jesus it's none of my business I mean to analyze human beings itself is a difficult thing can imagine trying to analyze the inner life of Jesus I rest in this truth that he was tempted exactly like me and every time he suffered he never chose the way of a pleasure he says in Romans 15 and Romans 15 it says and verse 3 Christ never pleased himself he never chose the way of pleasure not even once he chose the way of suffering and he showed me he says follow me you know this is the actually the meaning of taking up the cross every day when he said if you want to follow me you've got to take up your cross every day there's something I have to put to death within me when I'm in the it's in the moment of temptation that I take off the cross and saying no lord I will not yield to that I know I'll get a lot of pleasure out of saying those words those angry words to that person I know I know I'll get a little pleasure out of lusting after that woman or watching that pornographic site yeah the Bible doesn't deny there is pleasure in sin but it says it's a passing pleasure Hebrews 11 verse 25 26 it's a passing pleasure so the Bible doesn't deny this pleasure it says it's a passing pressure be there and you all know that every pleasure of sin that you enjoyed is for a period and then it's God after that regret and sorrow because the pleasure is over in a few minutes and the regret and sorrow continues for years how foolish man is to choose that five minutes of pleasure and live with regret and sorrow for years yeah that's it so Jesus was wise in the thing he never chose away of pleasure he chose the way of self-denial so in the power of the Holy Spirit we can also live that life as it says in Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 it says the second part of that if by the power of the holy spirit you put to death the deeds of the body the things the body wants to do you will live Paul once said in 1 Corinthians 9 I make my body do what it should do and not what it wants to do but body wants to do a lot of things my eyes want to look at a lot of things my eyes want to read a lot of things which I shouldn't be reading and look at a lot of things I shouldn't be looking at my tongue wants to say a lot of things which should not be saying but Paul said I discipline myself 1 Corinthians now in the last verse to make my body do what it should do and not what it wants to draw that's the Living Bible paraphrase of that version very accurate that's discipline - discipline is to make my body do what it should be doing not what it wants to do and so if through the spirit I put to death these deeds of the body I will live I will enjoy spiritual life and this can come as we understand this great mystery of godliness that Jesus came like me was tempted like me he never sinned and opened a way for me also to overcome sin to come to a life where I consciously do not sin though unconsciously I may be doing it but God gives us more and more light on that unconscious area as we walk with him so that the unconscious becomes conscious after a while that is sanctification where more and more and more and more we get light on our self life but now I want to go to the second great mystery the first one we saw was the mystery of godliness various drop personal life the individual Christian seeking to walk in Jesus footsteps the second mystery is something more the great mystery I mean this is an Ephesians 5 and verse 32 this is the other place where in the New Testament we read of a great mystery this mystery is great but I'm speaking with reference to Christ and the church so the second mystery doesn't relate to just my personal life the first one relates to my personal life wanting to live a godly life myself it doesn't really even if my wife doesn't or my brother's don't I live a godly life but the second mystery and these two go together you can't have one without the other second relates to Christ and the church where I'm not thinking just to myself why I'm related to a number of others who are also members of what the Bible calls the body of Christ I'm an individual member in it if I'm a finger for example I want this finger to be healthy always healthy free from injury that's the first mystery but the second mystery is this finger must be willing to work with all the other members in the body which are completely different from it that is a mystery and I found that through the years that many people who are willing to hear my teaching on living a godly life and overcoming sin when it comes to the second area of working together with others and being built together into a local church into a family of God that's where the problems arise they say no I don't want that it's too inconvenient you know like that little verse says to dwell in love with Saints above you want that indeed big glory but well below with Saints we know that's a different story but that's where our Christianity is tested to dwell below with Saints we know that's the church it's a second mystery you know it is a mystery I tell you and you can see when you look around at churches most people have not understood it they haven't got a clue of it but God wants to build churches and families so this is a great mystery that means it's something you can only understand by revelation how two people are so different from each other can become one how can people different from each other can become one how fifty people different from each other can become one function as a body it's really a mystery even and you won't get to that if you don't get past the first mystery if you're not serious about living an overcoming life overcoming sin in your life you don't even attempt to go and you can't go into college before you finish school something like that when you finish school in Gold University so what is this great mystery this refers to Christ and the church and what is the verse which is referred to here verse 31 we are members of his body was 30 and then verse 31 listen to this for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife who shall become one flesh now that's referring to marriage because that whole section is referring to husbands and wives verse 22 onwards he's talking about husband and wife I'm a husband when he gets married must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife in fact that's the first commandment in in the Bible written for us in Genesis 2 in Genesis 2 in verse 24 the first commandment in Scripture is a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife but here it says the Holy Spirit says that's not just referring to that married husband it's referring to Christ and the church Wow because Christ left his father to be married to us an amazing truth that's the pattern and the two will become one so when we go back to Genesis where that verse comes you know that was initially referring to Adam and Eve that verse is a quotation from Genesis chapter 2 and verse 24 a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become one flesh this is a great mystery and people who read the Old Testament didn't even realize there's a mystery hidden in that verse but when you come to Ephesians 5 you see yes there is a great mystery here of Christ and the church so we go back to God making Adam and Eve and we see something when you look at it as a picture of Christ of the church that God made Eve we read in Genesis chapter 2 how to be a helper verse 18 I will Genesis 2:18 it's not good for the man to be alone I will make him a helper suitable for him or as a margin of my Bible says corresponding to him I'll make him a helper which will be just like him it won't be him what it'll be like him that she can help him and help him in she's a helper so that's what the church is supposed to be when you see this as a picture of Christ in the church that God made Eve to be helper to Adam and God's made the church you and me to be a helper to Christ in his work and if I'm not doing that I'm not fulfilling that function it means I haven't understood the second great mystery and I can't do it alone what I can do alone is the first great mystery overcoming sin all by myself I don't need anybody's help for that no I can do it all by myself I can live a lonely life and overcome sin I can be a monk in a monastery and overcome sin but when it comes to the second - the second mystery I can't be a monk in a monastery and accomplish that and I can't even be a member of a church without being actively involved with the other members in the church and accomplish the second great mystery no and this is where a lot of people shy away from it a lot of people would like to come to a conference like this and hear truths and they are stimulated in their mind and they like to listen to YouTube messages that stir their mind and say boy I never saw that in scripture I never saw that in scripture that's not the ultimate goal of all these messages it's a transformed life which incorporates us into the body of Christ then you understood the truth and that's the purpose of our coming together like this you know there are some things we can't get just by listening to YouTube for example for example right now these messages are going to be on YouTube in a little while oh you didn't have to take the trouble to come all the way here next week you can sit at home and listen to it you save a lot of money say a lot of inconvenience but this you see the technology through the years has been able to transmit voice first and then video so that you can sit in a your home and and you've got a big enough screen it's almost as though that man of God is speaking directly to you and so almost as good as being in a conference but this is one thing technology can never produce and that is produced the presence of Christ which is where two or three are gathered together which you can't produce just by watching on YouTube the presence of Christ can never be transmitted through YouTube it's the audio and the video that's all stops there and they'll never be a technology that transmits the presence of Christ that comes together when God's people come together in a conference like this that is the difference that's that's the difference between coming together with others and just sitting at home and watching a message some people think it is the same but it is not there's a world of difference if it is only head knowledge you can sit at home you never need to go to even to a church service nowadays there are much better messages on YouTube than preached in most churches nowadays a lot of messages many churches are boring but you can select in YouTube the advantage YouTube is you can turn off that speaker whenever you like you can't do that at your service but what I say is the presence of the Lord is the main thing that makes a church or church where two or three are gathered together in my name what happens there I are in the midst of them that is a New Testament church not just it follows the right pattern and like you know we don't have pastors we have elders and we have New Testament principles in financial matters and we have New Testament principles and we practice immersion baptism and not child baptism excellent very good but that doesn't make the church what makes a choice is the presence of the Lord there were two or three gathered together not where together together they live immersion baptism but well together together I am in the midst and that is not there that's not a New Testament church I don't care what doctrines it practices it can follow every little detail of what another New Testament church practices in doctrine go down to the last letter and Christ may not be there that's not a New Testament church so I'll make him a helper suitable for him so the purpose is that we as a church become help with the Christ in his ministry we had to see that and the word helper here by the way is the same word that Jesus used if you turn with me to John 14 about the Holy Spirit imagine the word you know Jesus was there in Genesis chapter 2 making Eve I hope you know that he was part of the Trinity that made he Jesus made Eve and said this is a helper and the same jesus comes to earth four thousand years later and says in John 14 and verse 16 I will ask the Father and he give you a helper that's the Holy Spirit and so when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we become real helpers like he was to Jesus filled with the helper that's why the same word is used you cannot like I said you cannot really come to build a church the way the Lord wants until you understood the first mystery of really seeking to follow Jesus in the way of self-denial and here also you can't really be a helper unless you have left a real helper come and fill you a real helper is the Holy Spirit jesus said that in John 14:16 I will ask the Father and He give you another helper he be with you forever that's the Spirit of Truth and he says this Spirit of Truth in Old Testament times and up til now verse 17 the disciples at that time still under the Old Covenant John 14 17 the Spirit of Truth the last part where something is now only with you is outside of you with you but in the day of Pentecost he will be in you do you notice that in verse 17 he is with you now and he'll be in you as long as he's with you you don't change for example even after three and a half years of listening to Jesus what were they discussing at the Last Supper now that Jesus is dying who's gonna be the next leader can you imagine that leader is going to be crucified they're discussing who's gonna be the next leaders is it you or me Matthew says I'm the chartered accountant here well Peter you're just a fisherman they were discussing that three and a half years of ministry did not change them because the Spirit was with them but everything changed when the Spirit came in them then they have no desire for leadership they only wanted to be servants gladly to give place to each other so the Spirit who is with you will be in you and then this helper will make you a helper to Christ like he was to be a helper to Adam so the two shall be one flesh this is a great mystery but it refers to Christ in the church so when you turn back to Genesis the number of things we learned there you know Genesis chapter one two and three I'd say almost all Bible is in a nutshell in those three chapters the amazing truths that we can learn from Genesis one two and three how God created the heaven and earth and the Bible says every good and perfect gift comes from the father James 1:17 that means the father never makes anything imperfect never never never so when it says God created the heaven and earth it was perfect because God never creates anything imperfect and how in the world does it say in the next verse it was formless and empty and dark or as another translation says the earth became formless empty and dark because between verse 1 and 2 is when the head of the Angels fell and became the devil and just like the earth was cursed to an Adam sinned that original earth was also cursed when Eve sinned sin brought a confusion into the earth and it's not mentioned there because this book is not written for angels it's written for man so man's history begins it with the fall of the devil is mentioned in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 but it happened over there between verse 1 and 2 and then the earth became God never made it like that because as we read all God makes holy perfect gifts god never creates anything dark and empty and formless so he didn't create the earth like that he created verse 1 perfect but it became formless in dark and after that you read the word made no God made this made this difference with him created and made in six days the Lord made heaven and earth he created it in a moment you if you're careful with these words you'll find never in the bible does it say God created the earth in six days people who read the Bible carelessly imagine that's true try and find it go to go to concordance and look for it it's not there a lot of people say God created the heaven and earth and 60s those are careless people who read the scriptures carelessly God says he made the earth and that's after the earth was spoiled he made he made he made but then he created man he made of the dust of the earth but the spirit within man was created so man was both made and created and what we see here is a number of things one that when the devil messes up something God comes to restore it that's the first message and chapter 1 of Genesis if the devil's messed up something immediately God comes to restore it through 2 means 1 verse through the Holy Spirit to God's Word verse 3 the Word of God so what you've seen in Genesis chapter 1 is the operation of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God remaking this corrupt earth and it's a parable of what God does to us God created man perfect and the devil came and messed him up and we are born in sin now the Holy Spirit comes Genesis 1:2 holy spirit broods over us and God speaks his word and remakes us into such a beautiful creation that at the end of it God looked at and said is very good one day God will say that about us provided we allow him to work on us day by day by day on the first day God said the second day God said third day God said and if I keep listening every day of my life to the third day and the 10,000th day listen listen listen listen to what God is saying I will be transformed just like that earth was till one day God can look at my life and say very good and in that will be this husband and wife that God made so I see there in Adam and Eve a picture of Christ in the church the second great mystery that was the first picture of Christ in the church that we have in the Bible and there I see what I'm supposed to be I'm not supposed to be just an individual Christian I'm supposed to be a part of a body that is called the church the bride of Jesus Christ and Jesus is the bridegroom and that's why it's very very important that I'm built together not with half-hearted people who don't obey God's Word or not serious about obedience to God's Word but with wholehearted Christians who are serious that I allow myself to be led by godly men who are wholehearted in wanting to build the church as the bride of Jesus Christ then it will be a family that's that's the origin of this beautiful family of God I mean just as beautiful as he was in Adams eyes I mean Adam it says here that when he saw Eve in Genesis 2 he you know it's very interesting to see this passage of scripture I read it continuously and see it's a very humorous picture here Genesis 2:18 God said it is not good for man to be alone I will make him a helper suitable for him now don't jump the gun and go to the the Eve you know we haven't got there yet had him is still alone remember he's still alone he doesn't exist there's no such thing as a woman so far I'll make him a helper suitable for him and the next verse says he brought all the beasts of the field and the creatures of Earth to Adam to see if they will be a helper to him what about this line is Adam all this beautiful female dog no verse 20 the ladder said but for Adam no helper was suitable for him you see the context why did God bring all those animals before and if the context is I want to make him a helper verse 18 and then he brings all the animals to Adam and he says but among them verse 20 last part nobody was found to be a helper suitable for him because the nature was not the same it was a different nature that that animal may look so beautiful but Adams is not my nature I often quote this verse two young men looking for a bride that pretty girl as she have the same nature the divine nature as you otherwise like Adam say no and when he had said no to every last one of them then verse 21 God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and me even said here you are when we have rejected that which is contrary to God's ways he presents us with the wife he wants us to have and then like one of the paraphrases or the sleeping Bible one of those paraphrases when man sees Eve he says wow this is it I think the Living Bible is paraphrases like that I believe that's exactly what Adam said and whatever language he used those days wow this is it he saw Eve and after seeing all those animals I can imagine how to sing all this animals and then CUA say wow this is it so I see there a picture of Christ on the church Christ is not going to receive those who live like the animals he wants to be able to look at us and say wow this is it this is what I was looking for this is my bride when we think about being like the animals what's an animal interested in any animal in the world dogs please cats elephants whatever it is food and sex and it doesn't matter who they have sex with any number of female dogs or any number of female rabbits or elephants is no no distinction and when a man's attitude to sex is I want to look at some pretty woman on my computer it does matter who she is it doesn't matter if it's not my wife he's like an animal I don't know whether you realize that there's no difference between him and that dog who goes after so many female dogs no difference at all he wants to see all these naked women on the screen or his smartphone or where it is you think the Lord is gonna choose that person he waits till Adam rejects all that then says here I'll give you your bribe learn something from that there's truth in every page of Scripture if you want to look for it if food is your gone do you know that food is the god of some people just like sex is the god of some people you read in Philippians chapter 3 Philippians 3 it says there are many people he says who are the enemies of the cross of Christ Philippians 3:18 one says I'm weeping when I say this that there are people who are enemies of the cross of Christ and how are the enemies of the cross of Christ verse 19 then God is their stomach that's exactly what it says in the margin of my Bible then God is their stomach their appetite they are occupied with earthly things like animals you know and animals our head is always looking down have you ever seen an animal looking up I've never seen one no animal dogs cows you know anywhere you see them they're always looking down they are always looking for food and sex that's it and when a man is like that he's like an animal not fit to be the Bride of Christ that's why we got to take our attitude to sin or seriously it's a bride it's a helper suitable for him a helper like him and that's why we go back to the first great mystery that he became like us so that we can follow him and be like him that's why he sends a spirit into our hearts that's the foundation for building a beautiful family in the church let's pray so while a heads about in prayer I want you to pray a little prayer in your heart that whatever particular thing God spoke to your heart today say Lord right and deeply in my heart that I don't miss out on what you're trying to say to me you're the same God who spoke words into chaos and created Beauty into that chaotic situation in Genesis 1 you can do the same in my life today speak the word Lord I want to live by every word that proceeds out of your mouth thank you Father we give you all the glory for your word and for the revelation you give us from it in Jesus name Amen

Channel: NCCF Church

Views: 19,253

Rating: 4.7058825 out of 5

Keywords: NCCF, CHRISTIAN, ZAC POONEN

Id: GAXjtPXJ5D0

Length: 64min 53sec (3893 seconds)

Published: Sat May 12 2018