13.Three Radical Prophets - John The Baptist - Zac Poonen

so we come to the concluding Bible study on 3 radical prophets you remember in the first evening we saw Moses and yesterday we saw Elijah the two greatest prophets in the Old Testament who had the privilege to stand with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and representing the law in the prophets the entire Old Testament now today I want to speak on the one whom Jesus called the greatest prophet of all and you know who that is John the Baptist these were the three greatest prophets under the Old Covenant even though John the Baptist appears in the New Testament he was under the Old Covenant and Jesus declared him not only did it be the greatest prophet up to the time of Christ from Adam but also the greatest man ever born of women and when Jesus gives us a certificate like that that's really something he was greater than job greater than Abraham greater than Moses greater than Elijah and greater than every single great man of God in the Old Testament right up until Christ it was only Christ to us above him in that entire history of man from Adam to Christ and Moses and Elijah didn't numerous miracles amazing miracles but the greatest prophet of all John the Baptist did no miracles at all he never did a single miracle that teaches us that it's not the calling of a prophet to do miracles because the greatest prophet of all never did any miracles and many of the prophets in the Old Testament there's no record that Isaiah and Jeremiah ever did any miracles and they were fantastic prophets miracles is more the Ministry of those who have that gift I want you to see in John's Gospel chapter 10 where it states that but it states very clearly that in John chapter 10 and verse 41 John the Baptist did no miracles so there you have the record in Scripture people who had observed him all through his ministry they saw one significant thing about this man he never did a single miracle and that is what has taught me not to look for miracles as the sign of a man of God because Jesus also said that there are many who do many miracles in my name who will go to hell and here is a man who did no miracle who is not only going to heaven but it was the greatest man ever born of women you know our human thinking even the thinking of many Christians is so warped and crooked I tell you if you were to take a survey of all the hundreds of thousands of believers in India I think most of them if you ask them to write the name of a man of God I think 99% of them will write the name of somebody who does miracles and if they were living in John the Baptist time John the Baptist name wouldn't even have occurred in their list of great man of God because he did no miracle but Jesus had a completely different opinion which teaches us that sometimes our view can be totally different from Christ's what did John the Baptist do that he became the greatest man born of women the greatest prophet without doing a single miracle he changed lives radically and that's what God is after the miracles are only to confirm his work he's not interested you know the number of people who were healed by Jesus finally shouted crucify him and there are many people who got miracles and who did miracles God was not happy with them do you know that the people who saw the greatest miracles and experienced the greatest miracles in the entire Bible were not the people who in Jesus lifetime Jesus did miracles for three and a half years in the wilderness two million people experienced miracles every day for 40 years yeah you know if you got bread dropping from heaven one day in your life you'd never forget it if a miracle if God sent you bread from heaven straight from heaven these people got it every day one year two years forty years how many of them not one or two two million people 600,000 men plus many women and children and yet the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 3 the last few verses God was angry with all of them can God be angry with the people for whom he did the maximum number of miracles for 40 years I mean most churches would have got that man to come up and give their testimony imagine a man getting up and saying you're brothers and sisters you know what I saw bread falling from heaven not one day brother it's sisters every day I tasted bread the bread of angels he would be the main speaker in many many churches do you think any of those churches would have a clue that God is angry with this man and he also would say do you know when we were thirsty where we got water from we hit the rock and we from there he would be the main speaker at most conventions in conferences today because he can talk about actual miracles and he wouldn't be bluffing like some people Bluff today about the Americans he would be telling the truth and he'd say brothers and sisters you know we got bitten by the most poisonous snakes at all we looked at a bronze serpent and we were healed immediately and further for 40 years I wore the same sandals they never wore out and none of us got sick for 40 years can you imagine so we need to change our way of thinking and John the Baptist helps us to change our way of thinking concerning whether a miracle identifies a man of God or not and it's very important because Jesus called him the greatest prophet of all up to his time and the greatest man of all all together so it's good to look at this man like we said about all the other two about both of them John the Baptist also was a man who was alone with God all these prophets were people who spend a lot of time alone with God Moses up in the mountain Elisha out in the forest and in another country Sidon and John the Baptist in the jungles I don't have to what I don't know at what age he left his home and went into the jungles we don't know anything about his history just like we don't know anything about the history of Elijah but I'm sure God trained him through a very hard disciplined route a prophet may arise suddenly on the scene but behind that there's been years of discipline under the hand of God that's made him such that he doesn't get puffed up by his ministry he recognizes his boundaries he speaks only what God tells him to say he's not influenced by the opinions of people he doesn't care for what people say about him good or bad and he doesn't use an authority which God has not given him and he's fearless and kings and beggars are the same to him he's not partial to anybody behind all this character has been years of discipline and breaking and teaching him about the nature of God this is how God raises a prophet do you think India needs prophets I believe that with all my heart I asked the Lord once I said Lord we got 1.2 billion people in India where are the prophets don't you love India and the answer I got from the Lord was that he had called many young people to be prophets but many of them fell by the wayside they married the wrong person they went after money they joined some Western organization they were influenced by current theology they went off to a Bible School not a single prophet in the Bible came from a Bible School not even one they were all trained under the hand of God and then I realized it's possible there are some young people sitting here God may be calling you to be a prophet to this nation I have prayed for years God is my witness that God will raise up apostles and prophets in India you have heard so much I don't know because I can't call anybody God has to call but it's likely that could be at least one or two whom God may be calling here to be a prophet to this country but you'll have a very hard road to get there maybe like John the Baptist you'll be hidden for many years and during those years you like to get to know God and I'll tell you this if you're seeking for honor to be a prophet forget it you're not the person you are disqualified immediately the only person who qualifies to be a prophet is the one who's not at all concerned about any honor but he's burdened because the name of Jesus is dishonored in India and that's what concerns him he doesn't want anybody to know his name or get any honor himself he's burdened that the name of Jesus should be glorified his prayer is Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name that's his prayer he's not bothered about his name holy such a man will ever be a prophet John the Baptist was like that he said he must increase and I must decrease that's the mark of a true prophet he wants to become smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller he stands up preaching like John the Baptist only because he has to because God says stand up there and say it but deep in his heart he has no desire to be known no desire for fame no desire for honor no desire to be accepted no desire for title or position or degree or approval of anybody it doesn't matter to him at all that's the type of person servant of God that God wants in this land and I'm speaking to you dear brothers and sisters you some of you should be like that India needs such people I'll tell you why because when in the last verse of Malachi we read yesterday that God said before the Great and dreadful day of the Lord I will send Elijah the prophet and when John the Baptist arose people thought hey this is Elijah because I'll tell you why because in Luke chapter 1 when his father Zechariah was met by the angel Gabriel what Gabriel told him was in Luke chapter 1 Zechariah don't be afraid your prayer has been heard Luke chapter 1 verse 13 that Elizabeth will bear your son and you give him a name John and he will not drink any liquor he'll be filled with the Holy Spirit and he will turn many back to Israel to the back to the Lord and listen to this verse 17 of Luke 1 he will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the father's back to the children this is a quotation from Malachi 4:6 it's exactly what the Gabriel told Zechariah your son is going to come in the spirit and power of Elijah and so there were people who asked John the Baptist are you Elijah he said no I'm not he said I'm just a voice in the wilderness that's all I am I'm nothing more than that what a man Oh Lord make us like him he only wanted to be known as a voice crying out in the wilderness it says in Luke chapter 3 and verse 1 a voice crying in the wilderness verse 4 saying make ready the way of the Lord make his paths straight whose voice is that not important who is that not important just a voice that is the type of man whom God calls to be a prophet and Jesus said in Matthew chapter 11 Matthew chapter 11 concerning John the Baptist he said Jesus started talking to the crowd about John Matthew chapter 11 in verse 7 he says what did you go out to see a man dressed in soft clothing verse 8 no such people are in King's palaces did you go to see a prophet verse 9 you know because all crowds were going out to listen to John the Baptist he said I tell you one who is more than a prophet and among those born of women that is from the time of Eve from Cain onwards the first man born of women and all human beings were born of women there is never arisen a man greater than John the Baptist and yet we who are in the kingdom of heaven the next Klein says can rise higher than even him because we can have the Holy Spirit within us but as John the Baptist had the Holy Spirit only upon him how many of you take that as a challenge I say Lord I want to take it that I can rise to a greater height than even John the Baptist because you say so according to your faith be it unto you 99.9% of Christians are way below John the Baptist because they don't have the faith they're not willing to make the sacrifice but it's for you brothers and sisters this is God's Word these are the words of Jesus you if you are willing to pay the price he doesn't matter who you are if you are willing to pay the price if you'll have faith for it you can list rise to a life higher than John the Baptist if Jesus hadn't said it I wouldn't dare to make such a statement because John the Baptist was life was so fantastically great but because Jesus said it I believe it and I wanted dare to believe it for myself whether you believe it for yourself or not is up to you I can't have faith for you I can have only paid for myself but if you take it he's got nothing to do with your being or capable or smart or any such thing is God to do whether whether you have faith it's not according to your cleverness be it unto you according to your zeal be done to you it is according to your faith be it unto you thank God for that it's not according to your gift not according to your background intelligence ability knowledge of the Bible no according to your faith I trusted the Lord I said Lauren I many years ago I said Lord this is your word and so well I'm going to rise to a life of greater than John the Baptist myself I'm not better than you I just believe what Jesus said you can you're welcome to believe - and this man and Jesus further said about him in verse 14 this is why it's important for you to know verse 14 Jesus looked at the Jews and said if there's a big if there capital I F if you Jewish people will accept him then he is Elijah the Elijah prophesied by Malachi in chapter 4 tell me did the Jewish people accept John the Baptist and his message yes or no no then then he's not the Elijah prophesied in Malachi 4 he could have been so he said if you accepted he is but when they didn't accept it that means he's not that means like I said yesterday there has to be another Elijah before the Great and dreadful day of the Lord and that is the church as I said it's not an individual like in Old Testament times Old Testament it was one Isaiah one Elijah one Elijah one John the Baptist but now it is the body of Christ the new man the one new man it's a body a local church holding forth the message of John the Baptist that can be your local church if you believe that the coming of the Lord is near the Great and dreadful day of the Lord is coming very near then there must be a ministry like Elijah's like John the Baptist's in your local church your local church must have that ministry that's why it's so important to study the Ministry of Elijah and John the Baptist but I believe that with all my heart that the local church I'm connected with must have the Ministry of Elijah in these last days must be a forerunner for the second coming of Christ just like John the Baptist was a forerunner for the first coming of Christ and what is our message to be listen if you want to be part of that Elijah ministry as a local church your message is not to be you can make money if you trust in Jesus that is a deception that is the doctrine of balaam you got to stand against that the message of John the Baptist is the exact opposite of that what is it Matthew chapter 3 what was John the Baptist preaching his preaching is summed up in one sentence and that is a very pregnant sentence that means a men sentence full of content Matthew 3 verse 1 in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is near it hasn't yet come but it is near and when John the Baptist was imprisoned as we read in Matthew chapter 4 we read in Matthew chapter 4 that John the Baptist was imprisoned then Jesus continued to preach the same message saying repent verse 17 of Matthew 4 the kingdom of heaven is at hand so what is the message to repent because the kingdom of heaven is near now let's think about don't rush past that verse what did the Israelites have for 1500 years from the time of Moses a kingdom of Earth all the blessings God promised them were earthly there was not one heavenly blessing God promised Israel or even Abraham God never said to Abraham that even one of his children will go to heaven did you know that never the children of Abraham don't go to heaven there's no promise like that what God did promised Abraham was I will give your children a certain portion of land in the center of the earth which is at the present occupied by the Canaanites Abraham 400 years after you died I will give them to your children and it'll be theirs forever when they disobey me I'll send them out of the land punish them but then I will bring them back if they disobey me again I'll send them out but I'll bring them back because I've given it to you and your children forever when they disobeyed God in the time of Jeremiah he sent them out of the land for 70 years that time it was because they didn't keep the Sabbath didn't obey God they worshipped idols and God said I'll teach you fellas a lesson you idol-worshipping Jewish Israelis and do you know if you read the history of Israel after they came back from that Babylonian captivity for the last 2,500 years no Jewish person has worshipped idols isn't that amazing you read the book of kings and chronicles they were worshipping idols all the time God cured them completely with one 70 year captivity then they disobeyed God and killed Jesus Christ that was a terrible crime Jesus said Father forgive them for they know not what they do which is only the horizontal part of sin as a man he forgave them but the vertical that they sinned against God by killing his son God never forgave them that they got released from the horizontal aspect of sin the human aspect you know if I slap a man he can forgive me but if I don't repent before God God will still punish me even though that man has forgiven me Jesus forgave them but God did not because they did not repent as human beings we forgive people even as though they don't repent but God won't forgive a man if he doesn't repent I'm ready to forgive every person who's harmed me who does not repent he doesn't have to repent I'm not God but God will not forgive him and God never forgot forgave those Jews he gave them 40 years to repent they did not repent he scattered them all over the world for 2,000 years 1,900 years but then according to the promise of he gave Abraham 4,000 years ago he brought them back that's where they're in the land of Israel today he keeps his word but he's not promised heaven to any of them it was earthly blessing I'll give you an earthly land I'll make you very rich do you know that the Jews are some of the richest people in the whole world the whole banking system of the world is controlled by Jewish people they are the richest people as a people and they are very small percentage of the world's population but they control so much of the world's money it's a blessing of God on not on Christians it's an Old Covenant blessing because they are children of Abraham he gave them brilliant mind some of the greatest scientists have been Jewish people and money earthly things and many many promises he gave them in Deuteronomy 28 you'll never be in debt you'll have plenty of money your children if you obey me you won't have any miscarriages your wives won't have miscarriages your business will prosper it was all earthly earthly earthly and that is what today's blind Christians have taken over as a prosperity gospel for themselves they had gone back to the Old Covenant they are leading people away in the opposite direction from John the Baptist who said repent the kingdom of heaven is coming here a preacher saying no we want the kingdom of Earth God says you'll have it it's a great deception which is going on today with this prosperity gospel and there's hardly a voice raised against it because people say oh don't judge the Bible says don't judge we're not judging we're exposing corruption and false teaching don't we have to do that and then the other worse people says oh don't speak against holy spirit I'm not speaking as holy spirit I'm examining whether this is the Holy Spirit at all believe not every spirit the Bible says so I'm not afraid because I know God and I know the Bible and John the Baptist was not afraid he was not afraid whatever people told him you know he said to them don't say that you have got Abraham for your father verse 9 he doesn't make a difference he says that Abraham was your ancestor God's not happy with you like he was with Abraham God can raise children to Abraham from these stones he doesn't need you you know when a preacher preaches like that he's not going to be very popular God wants a witness like John the Baptist in the last days to be a forerunner for the second coming of Christ and that's your church you are an elder brother your church is to be the last days forerunner for Jesus Christ in your area he needs many such churches because one church in one corner of India is not going to be a witness for the whole world we thank God for the Internet we thank God for television in which we can have our programs but still it's a very small part of the world that we can reach we thank God for every possible means by which we can reach the message out to other parts of the world but you in your locality there are lots of people there who have no internet connection who's going to be a forerunner for them you in your local language and 80% or 90% of India don't watch the Internet they're not gonna watch our programs in CFC it's you in your local languages who are going to be a witness their forerunner for the second coming of Christ that's your calling as a church and that's why you need to study the Ministry of John the Baptist how he prepared people he was not interested in a name for himself he kept on saying I must decrease he must increase make that your goal be concerned about his name and not the name of your church don't seek our reputation before people that your church is a spiritual church forget it say Lord I want your name to be hallowed that's all I'm not interested in other people thinking ours is a spiritual church or I am a spiritual elder not interested in that at all it's those type of ambitions that corrupt the church we need men of God who are only concerned about the name of Jesus being glorified that's all and they were not interested and not bothered if everybody calls them false prophet heretic false teacher let them say that till doomsday one day they will realize the truth but you're calling in your church is to proclaim the name of Christ that it can be hallowed a voice crying in the wilderness saying repent till now you've lived for Earth now turn from that living for the earth to turn to the kingdom of heaven which is near in those days he said the kingdom of heaven is near after the day of Pentecost we say the kingdom of heaven has come do you know that the kingdom of heaven came to Earth on the day of Pentecost when John the Baptist said it's near he was not talking about two thousand years he was talking about three and a half years that's all when Jesus said repent for the kingdom of God is near he wasn't talking about two thousand years he was talking about just three and a half years see in Mark's Gospel chapter 9 Mark's Gospel chapter 9 and verse 1 this was something more than John the Baptist preached Jesus said to them truly I say to you some of you who are standing here will not die until you see the kingdom of God come in power do you think any of them are living today not even one but jesus said some of you standing right here in front of me right now before you die you'll see the kingdom of God come in power and that what power tells me what the kingdom of God is because jesus said before he went up to heaven you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter one we read that what Jesus preached for the forty days after his resurrection do you know that Jesus preached during those forty days after his resurrection do you know what was his subject he's written there he rose up from the dead verse three acts 1:3 he presented himself alive after his suffering and he appeared to them to his disciples over a period of 40 days and for forty days he spoke only on one subject the kingdom of God that's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming every day one subject 40 days Bible study kingdom of God is coming kingdom of God is coming kingdom of God is coming then he said you know what that means John baptized you with water verse five but you'll be baptized in the Holy Spirit that's how the kingdom of God is going to come and where say then power will come upon you that is the fulfillment of what you read in mark chapter 9 verse 1 some of you standing here will not taste death till you see the kingdom of God come in power that happened on the day of Pentecost the Kingdom of Heaven on the day of Pentecost the kingdom of heaven came to earth today we don't preach like John the Baptist saying the kingdom of God is near we say the kingdom of God come the kingdom of heaven has come you can enter into it now how do you enter into it by being born again except a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God when you are born again you enter into God's kingdom if you're really born again and when you're really born you can't be really born again without repentance the tragedy is today we have a whole lot of people who imagine that they are born again who never radically turned from sin that is why I have sometimes had to tell some people in CFC brother you're not born again sister you're not born again because I don't see any evidence of repentance in you when the Pharisees came to John the Baptist for baptism he said bring forth fruits in keeping with your repentance Matthew 3:8 he's I don't see any fruit of repentance in you I'm now I don't consider you as having repented at all he wasn't like those elders who just wanted to increase their congregation and baptize everybody some Sunday to keep an unbroken record that every Sunday in our church we have baptized some people such churches will baptize a whole lot of people who are not born again I'm not interested in any such unbroken record and neither was John the Baptist when some people came to him for baptism he said sorry I don't see any evidence of repentance in you and I'm not going to baptize you that's what I have told some people to go to some other church they'll baptize you not me I don't see any evidence of repentance in you John the Baptist was like that I tell you if you want to have if you want to be a church having the Ministry of John the Baptist you're not going to be very popular you're going to be very unpopular some people will think you're very hard some people will say like they have said to us brother Zack your standard is too high you can say what you like it's not higher than Jesus standard is it we just preached the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5 6 & 7 it looks high because everybody else is sitting in the kindergarten that the first standard itself looks pretty tough that's the tragedy so he said I'm not gonna baptize you you think you can just come here and get dipped in the water and go around saying John the Baptist baptized me get some honor from that I'm sorry I'm not gonna give you that honor repent and turn from your sin and don't say we are connected to such-and-such a man of God Abraham he God couldn't care less for what your connections the ax has been laid Matthew 3:10 to the root of the tree in the Old Testament they only had scissors not an axe you know the difference between scissors and an axe if your tree is bad producing bad mangoes you have a pair of scissors every time the bad mango comes you snip it off and the tree looks pretty good because there's no bad fruit I don't smoke I don't gamble I don't dance I don't go to the movies is all snip snip snip snip snip what about the root corrupt selfish proud self-centered just the same old tree only thing we snip off things so that people don't see anything bad in us this is life under the law the law gives us a pair of scissors to cut off things so that everybody thinks he's a good brother I don't see any bad habits in him some people don't use the scissors carefully so sometimes some of these bad fruits pop out but Jesus did not come with a pair of scissors John the Baptist says he has come with an axe and he's not going to snip off these fruit because he's not bothered about your reputation before men he's gonna deal with the root of the problem deep inside lay the axe to the root and root out that tree and plant another tree a tree which seeks the things of heaven more than the things of earth I want to ask you has the Lord done that in your life if you are still seeking earthly things primarily I want to say to you in Jesus name your repentance is not complete you have not turned around 180 degrees the best definition of repentance is you know repentance is in in our Indian languages it's better in Malayalam it's - and room in Tamil it's man and terrible which means that turning of the mind in English it doesn't come out so clearly what Jesus what John the Baptist preaches was turn your mind around turn your mind around change your attitude towards sin change your attitude towards the world that's the meaning of repentance very clear in our Indian languages but not so clear in English in military terms it is about turn now you know do you know the difference between right turn and about turn a lot of difference and in the military they'll teach you that if you turn only right when they say about turn you'll never make that mistake again for the rest of your life they'll teach you so thoroughly that you'll never do it again but God says about turn and most Christians do a right turn I like to look at God's kingdom once in a while look at the world as well and they wonder brother Zach why am I not growing in the Christian life because you did a right turn you didn't do an about-turn at the beginning of your Christian life some preacher saw you do a right turn and said you're okay come out baptize you you're not properly converted because you never probably repented you never turned away completely from the world like Lot's wife you turned like this to that you could look back now and then and that's why you don't make any progress Lot's wife became stationary as a pillar of salt like many believers with no progress at all because he had that backward look the mark of a person who has not entered Canaan is the backward look towards Egypt that's why they lived in the wilderness for 40 years always that backward look oh we had this in Egypt John the Baptist said you fellows haven't repented I'm not fooled by your right turn and left turn it's an about-turn repentance turn right around once upon a time your back was to God and your front was to the sin in the world now you turn right around he doesn't mean you've given up all your sinful nature and overcome it all that may take many years but your attitude has changed you haven't reached the finishing line no but you're facing the right direction repentance doesn't mean you've become perfect repentance just means that you're now facing in the right direction it may take you years to reach the finishing line it does but at least you're moving in the right direction now till then you were moving in the wrong direction I want to ask all of you sitting here have you turned around from all that you know to be sin thank God for that there are there were a hundred things in my life when I was born again 47 years ago which I did not know to be sin and God did not demand it of me because he saw my attitude was right whatever I knew to be sin I turned from and initially that was only the cinemas and you know some bad habits few things but as I've walked with the Lord I've discovered hundreds of things which are sin which I never knew in 1959 when I was born again and God did not expect me to know as we grow we get more and more light so repentance doesn't mean that I have turned from everything on Christ like in my life I don't believe I can even say that today no there will be an cry I know there are on Christ like things in me today but I can turn from it only when I get light on it how can I kill a snake which is running around inside my house which I haven't even seen I don't even know that snake is there if once I see it I can kill it otherwise I can't get rid of it men may demand it of me ah look at him behaving in that on christ-like way maybe I don't see it yet God is very merciful much more merciful than men men are very hard on us God is not hard god knows what standard we have reached are you in second standard you will only get a second standard question paper you can be sure of that men may give you a ten standard question paper and say your failure failure failure failure because men are stupid but God gives second standard examination papers to those who are in second standard when you go to third standard he will give you a little tougher examination when you go to ports standard and you give you still tougher but men are not like that they expect you to get a PhD when you're in the kindergarten and if you don't get everything right they judge you why in the world do you bother about the opinion of these stupid men and women around you God is merciful when he tells you to repent he only asks you to repent from what you know to be sin and when you're first born again that knowledge is very very little like a child was just joined kindergarten and learned a bee see perhaps your knowledge of sinners c80 is cat ba T is bad okay that's enough for the time being that's all God wants men may demand knowledge of calculus and physics and trigonometry and all forget them it's wonderful to live with God he's so merciful he's so compassionate he's so understanding so when I talk about repentance it's a progressive thing that's why we've been talking in these days about continual repentance it's like continuing education don't you want your children to continue education of this joint disjoint school and that's it it doesn't matter they remain in the kindergarten forever no I don't want my child to remain the kindergarten forever I want him to have a continuing education to discover new things some of you boys and girls who are in 10th standard I hope you pass when you do the ICSE examination and I hope you'll go to 11 standard or PUC and learn something new which you have not learned up all these 16 years of your life progressive continuing education the same way in the Christian life repentance means progressive continuing discovery of what is sin of what is uncrushed like that is the education that's what John was saying repent the kingdom of heaven now we preach is already here brothers and sisters the kingdom of heaven is here you're not supposed to live for earthly things anymore because Christ is died and risen from the dead you say well how does that affect me because if you're a true Christian you died with Christ you see how can that be I live in the 21st century well how did Jesus died for the sins you committed in the 21st century you tell me that first how did he die for sins in the first century which you are going to commit in the 21st century with God there is no past present and future his name is I am NOT I was or I will be he lives in the present 21st century person sorry 21st century BC are all the same to him he could see all humanity in one stretch he took all of man's sins and put it on Christ he took all Christians and dumped them on the cross in Christ and they were crucified all of them you died with Christ and you when he rose up from the dead God raised you up with him whether you knew it or not so what I'll tell you so what Colossians chapter 3 verse 1 if you have been raised with Christ in other words it's just like saying if you've been really born-again like you hear me say many times in this church if you have been really born again it's unfortunate that we have to say that if you have really been born-again if you have really been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things that are in heaven not bigger cars and houses God will give you all that you need on this earth but you shouldn't be seeking for them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness seek the kingdom only things the other earthly things that you need will be added to you you will not suffer lack I can honestly say before God what I've said many times that for 47 years of my life since I was born again my turning was radical I didn't make a right turn I turn in about turn such an about-turn that as soon as I gave my life to Christ I said Lord if you want me to serve you I'll quit my oath lis ambition to be a naval officer and quit all that and I'll serve you if you want me I turned around and as far as I can remember I never sought earthly things after that have I suffered I've never starved my children I've never starved God's taken care of means taking care my family because I I wanted to be a living demonstration that you could see God's kingdom person is righteous and the other things will be added to you every one of you in your town in your village must be a living demonstration to the non-christians around you that you spent your life seeking the kingdom of God in His righteousness first and the other earthly things God just threw it into your lap you didn't even seek for it God can do that he gave you a job and you didn't seek for it he gave you more than enough for your family's needs even though you didn't seek for it your heart was devoted to God's kingdom imagine if all of you sitting here at least from today onwards start living like that I tell you we'll have a revival in our churches the kingdom of God will come with power into our local churches and those who don't like it they will leave thank God they will leave and not waste our time they will go and join some other church where they can listen to the prosperity gospel and make money on the earth they can they're welcome to go but we are determined to be a witness for Christ we are determined to progress in likeness to Christ if you are risen with Christ we want to people in our midst who are seeking the things that are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God setting their mind look at this verse setting their mind on the things above and not on the things of Earth and here is my favorite illustration of that the rubber band many of you have heard me use that you know if I tie a rubber band here assume this is heavenly things and down here the top of this pulpit is earthly things I tie the rubber band here but I need to stretch it to touch earthly things many times a day I have to eat drink get my children educated feed them clothe them a mother has got many many things where she has to stretch it and mind about throughout the day but once all those earthly things are done eight hours a day the rubber band is stretched to do our earthly work but once it's all done and we have finished our day's work the rubber band is released it goes springs back up here two heavenly things that is the true disciple of Jesus Christ and tomorrow again you'll have to stretch it down to a hundred and one earthly things for many many hours a day but once all that is over springs back to earthly thing to heavenly again but do you know how most believers lives are their mind the rubber band is down here down on earthly things on Sunday morning it is stretched for two hours two heavenly things and then released back to the earthly by the time they've reached home it's already okay in fact on the way home on their scooter or auto rickshaw it's already gone down to the earthly things a husband and wife are quarreling inside the autorickshaw on their way home about something tis only for two hours it was stretched there they thought they were very heavenly people back again this is not Christianity this is Old Covenant set your mind on the things above and stretch it down to earthly things maybe for fifteen hours a day stretch it sure mothers with small children have to stretch it's for many hours of the day in the middle of the night they have to stretch it to earthly things because the babies need so much but when it's released from that let it spring back to the things of heaven that's how I want my mind to be I have to earn my living I have to take care of my family I have to pay taxes for my house and there are lots of things I got to pay tax for my car and scooter and I've got to do many many things I have to think of I have to stretch my mind but when it's released I want to be hearing what God has to say to me and the more we live like this the more heavenly minded we'll be but not so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use no our head will be in the clouds but our feet will be on the earth our mind is set on the things of Earth but we are down to earth practical we can laugh and joke like we did this afternoon in those skits we can enjoy it we're not so heavenly minded that we can't crack a joke or have any sense of humor no we can enjoy earthly things but our mind is set on the things of heaven once that thing is over we spring back to heavenly things and it's perfectly natural for us to have our mind this is the message of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven is near what a short ministry he had and we read there and Luke's Gospel chapter three amazing words it's it's a lovely I have been blessed by this passage in Luke chapter 3 verse 1 here are the greatest men in the history of the world at that time and I like to hear this in Rome Tiberius Caesar was reigning for 15 years in Judea Pontius Pilate was the greatest man in the world in in Judea sorry in Galilee Herod was the greatest man there in I Turia Philip was the greatest man there and in abilene licenese was the greatest man there and in the temple it was Anna's and Caiaphas but the Word of God bypassed all these people and came to that man John in the wilderness ah I say Lord make me like that that the Word of God will bypass all these great scholars and prophets and Bible School professors and doctors of divinity and all that and it'll come to some poor man who's seeking you on his knees somewhere in the wilderness God open word to me I want to be like that till the end of my life and you can be like that God doesn't care for degrees and all that type of stuff he doesn't care for your earthly position the Word of God bypasses all these people came to John in the wilderness and that message was a message of repentance from sin he said make ready the ways of the Lord every ravine will be filled up we don't want any depression and discouragement among God's people fill it up John the Baptist says and all your mountains proud people come down humble yourself and all you crooked people you got to be straight and all you rough people you got to learn to be smooth strong message and then all flesh will see the glory of God in the salvation of God and we read that great crowds came to him from all over Judea to listen to him he didn't have any advertising campaign message went round from place to place to place hey there's a prophet over there go and listen to him by word of mouth and they went to hear him I'll tell you one thing when God has a message through you people will travel a thousand miles to listen to you but if God doesn't have a message through you the fellow next door will not want to listen to you be a man of God be a woman of God so that when people come to talk to you you have a word that draws them to the things of heaven that encourages them that delivers them from the fears of earth that makes them heavenly minded that lifts up their spirit and delivers them from the oppression of the enemy from discouragement depression glue delivers them from an unforgiving spirit and from sin in every form do you want to be a man of God like that determined that you will have the spirit of John the Baptist in you the Lord the Gabriel told Zechariah he's going to be great in the sight of the Lord this John the Baptist and that's an expression that has come to me many times great in the sight of the Lord he read it in Luke chapter one keep that before you Lord I want to be great in the sight of the Lord I want to preach a kingdom of heaven I want to preach repentance I want to preach a total about-turn from the world and from sin I want to live like that every day in my life I want to discover more and more of the things I need to repent off I want my repentance to be continuous may God help us I believe there is a word the Lord has for you in what you heard today and when God begins to use you remember the other word of John the Baptist Jesus must increase and I must decrease let people not see me Lord let them see Christ I don't want to connect anybody to myself I want to connect people to Jesus if people get connected to me I want to shake them off push them off I've done that many a time no be connected to Jesus I don't want people to be connected to C f/c no I want them to be connected to Jesus whichever church you go to be connected to Jesus that's our calling CFC must decrease Christ must increase then God will honor us if you are concerned about the name of CFC or your local CFC forget it you won't have the Ministry of John the Baptist make your goal that Christ will increase and God will support you all the way let's pray well I had about in prayer I want to invite you again to respond to the word you heard turn from whatever you know that God spoke to you during this meeting that's all he requires one step at a time he doesn't ask you to take 20 steps just one step today tomorrow he'll show you another Heavenly Father help us to be like these men Moses Elijah John the Baptist that we can be witnesses for you in this generation we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

Views: 9,022

Rating: 4.7543859 out of 5

Keywords: Missing, Christianity, Prophets, John, The, Baptist, Sermon, Poonen

Id: JwzVD-8MjkM

Length: 57min 39sec (3459 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 23 2012