1.God Honours Those Who Honour Him - Zac Poonen

there's a little phrase very beautiful phrase found in second Peter chapter one I want you to look at that in second Peter chapter 1 verses 3 & 4 there are some amazing things mentioned here if you read slowly and carefully and meditate on what's written here it says that his divine power that means the power of God and remember whenever the New Testament speaks about the power of God he's talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit jesus said that when the Spirit of God has come upon you you shall receive power and if there is one doctrine that is misunderstood abused and concerning which there's so much counterfeit and confusion it's concerning the Ministry of the Holy Spirit because they have not related it to divine power they relied are related to other things so whenever when you read in the scripture about divine power pay attention because it's telling you what happens when you're filled with the Holy Spirit His divine power has granted to us granted means it's a gift God does not give the spirit to those who deserve him just like forgiveness of sins you know there are multitudes of religions where people are seeking forgiveness of sins by works pilgrimages offering money rolling on the ground self-denial of various sorts trying to earn where have they missed God's true because it's free and as long as a person thinks that he can work and earn something from God he's never gonna get it the Bible says God gives it freely so that no man should be able to boast that he earned forgiveness whenever you see a person who is baptized in the Holy Spirit sort of talking to you in a condescending way you know what that means sort of for you who have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit like me you know he's missed the bus he hasn't understood a thing he's got a counterfeit because he thinks he did something and got it I mean those of you who've been terrible sinners and Jesus forgave you would you look down on a sinner and say oh you poor thing you haven't got forgiveness of sins like I have no we know that forgiveness of sins was so absolutely free that we can't possibly look down on another sinner that that's the way you know your forgiveness is genuine but all these people who go on pilgrimages and various give various offerings in order to get forgiveness they look down on others they haven't got forgiveness forgiveness is free so remember the divine power grant says something it's a free gift the gift of the Holy Spirit the Bible says and you don't pay for a gift you got to receive it that's for sure if somebody gives you a gift and you don't stretch out your hand and take it you won't get it that's another thing but that's not a work receiving it so remember this that if you are really filled with the Holy Spirit it is impossible for you to look down on someone else who's not filled with the Holy Spirit you were long that he or she also receives this wonderful part of the Holy Spirit which you receive as a gift I mean if you receive forgiveness of sins don't you long that other people should also know that it's free man you don't have to pay anything you don't have to do anything it was absolutely free it's for sinners it's not for righteous people it's exactly the same with a gift of the Holy Spirit and God's power and the sooner we realize it the sooner we'll stop wasting our time trying to deserve God's gifts okay His divine power has granted to us everything whenever you read everything it means everything but it's qualified not everything in the world everything pertaining to life and godliness and remember in the New Testament when it speaks about life it's always speaking about the life of Jesus eternal life eternal life is not living forever that's not the meaning of eternity eternity means no beginning and no end so eternal life means a life had no beginning and no end it's only one person has it that's God and that was manifested on earth in the life of Jesus we read in John 1:4 in him was life and the life was the light of men nobody had it in Old Testament times and God has granted us everything pertaining to this wonderful life of Jesus and everything pertaining to godliness there in other words there's absolutely no excuse for anyone who is a believer now not to have the life of Jesus more and more in his personality and his behavior and his character his conduct there's absolutely no excuse for anyone not to live a godly life anymore in the Old Testament there was an excuse because this this verse could never be there in the Old Testament that God's divine power has granted you everything pertaining to life and godliness they didn't have it they had power to do all kinds of external things I mean things that amazed others like pulling down the walls of Jericho splitting the Red Sea calling down fire from heaven Jesus never did any of those things it's something else life and godliness so the Holy Spirit's power is what God is given so that we might have everything pertaining to life and godliness I thank God for a promise like that because it assures me that there's not a single sin in my life that I'm a slave to that I cannot overcome not a single I don't know what habit plagues youth but I'll tell you it can be overcome because God's grounded everything pertaining to life and godliness to you I don't care what filthy habit you got and it doesn't matter how many years you've been a slave to it God has given you divine power if you will take it to have everything pertaining to life and godliness we may have I'm not saying that we get healed all about all of all our aches and pains and weaknesses as we grow older those things will be there because we're not promised a resurrection body yet but we are promised everything pertaining to life and godliness that's for sure everything I mean if that's not true the Bibles are lie God's a liar and we got to throw away the scripture there is absolutely no excuse for me to have anymore darkness in my life in an area where I'm conscious unconsciously areas where I don't know yeah there's darkness in all of us but those are areas I don't have light on yet it's like a student saying when he's in the third standard well I haven't studied trigonometry yet well you're not supposed to study trigonometry in third standard that doesn't mean he's a stupid child he's getting 100% in mathematics but he hasn't studied trigonometry yet so what give him a few more years and in study trigonometry and you get a hundred percent there too so when I say there are areas in my life I still haven't got light on and there must be darkness there it means I haven't grown to that level yet that's okay but wherever I have liked whatever I know to be sin what do we mean by the area where we have light whatever I know to be sin there is absolutely no excuse for me to remain defeated by that God has given me everything necessary for eternal life and godliness and if you allow the devil to have that little foothold in your life in some area it's exactly like the Israelites allowed the Giants in Canaan to have a little foot holes and live in little caves and different parts of Canaanites okay we won't disturb you God rebuked the Israelites for allowing that and now it says here this it comes through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence you know that's another thing you read very often in the New Testament that you're hardly ever find in the Old Testament the knowledge of God and here it says the true knowledge of God jesus said this is eternal life that they might know thee the only true God Jesus definition of eternal life in John 17:3 is to know God and Jesus Christ and through the true knowledge of God what God is like that's how we come to partake of this life and godliness so that's what the Holy Spirit does you know he gives us a true knowledge of God what God is like he shows us that God is not a policeman God is not a judge at the moment he will be a judge in the future he shows us that God is a loving merciful father and how do you know whether you have known God is a loving merciful father it's very easy to find out you'll be very loving and merciful to other evil people if you are not merciful to evil people you haven't known God yet if you can't love unlovely people you haven't known God yet that's the way we know through the true knowledge of God I'll tell you this I really believe that certainly for myself and I believe it's for you our calling is to show Christendom and the world what the God is really like you know that's what Jesus came to do it says he explained the father John 1:18 no one had seen God at any time but at last somebody came from heaven and explained the father explained the father means he showed by his life and by his words and his whole attitude what God was like so that at the end of his life he could say to Philip have you seen if he who has seen me has seen the father the true knowledge of God that's her calling Jesus went around all over Israel trying to show what God was like that he was a loving father he was a loving father if you're evil fathers nor to give good things to your children how much more will our loving father give good things to those who ask him give the Holy Spirit to those who ask you know brothers and sisters your life your witness to your unconverted relatives and to your friends in the office and neighbors and everything else must be a demonstration to them to show them what God is like God is a good God God's a merciful father and he's not a person who gets uptight about little little things so this is why we need divine power to make us godly and partake of this eternal life so that we can manifest it to people around us true knowledge of God the Holy Spirit comes into me one of the greatest delights in my life for the past many years has been as the Holy Spirit shown me various aspects of the life of Jesus how he lived on earth demonstrating what God was like and that's challenged me to say that's my calling to in everything in life to demonstrate what God is like you know Jesus could say to his disciples see my attitude to money for example and you'll understand what God thinks about money what about you can you tell people look at my attitude to money you know get an idea what God is God thinks about money can you say that I just tell you one area look at look at how I treat women Jesus could say that has he given me everything pertaining to life and godliness that I can treat women like Jesus treated that's our calling don't ever don't ever be satisfied with anything less than that so and then in verse four it says by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises the promises of God are called precious and magnificent or in modern language absolutely terrific promises and the purpose of all these promises is that by these promises listen to this so that by these promises we don't become wealthy materially we don't become healthy physically but we partake of divine nature that's the difference between what we preach in the counterfeit health and wealth gospel that is being preached today that was a gospel before Christ came by the way the health and wealth gospel was a gospel before Christ came Deuteronomy 28 makes that very clear if you obey me God says I'll make you healthy I'll make you wealthy and that's why all these health and wealth preachers get their promises from the Old Testament but in the New Testament the precious and magnificent promises in fact all of the Old Testament leads to the New Testament is that we might partake of the divine nature having escaped all the corruption that is in the world by lust in other words I see the world as saturated with lust all types lust means desires desires that have corrupted the world desires contrary to the will of God and that's corrupted the world and I have escaped from that it's less like think of a person who was certified cancer and then gets healed and was delivered from it and the doctor said if I hey what happened the cancer is all gone that's what it means to be having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust think of a person who was with five six Tests declared that he his blood test declared he's got AIDS and then one day he gets healed in every blood test declares he's free can you imagine what a wonderful deliverance that person has what a testimony he'll go around saying everywhere that is how we've got to see deliverance from lust you know I'll tell you honestly it's one of the prayers I prayed for myself Lord helped me to see sin as worse than cancer worse than AIDS that I will not be afraid of AIDS or cancer as much as I'm afraid of sin now I'll tell you that's a very important prayer to pray because most Christians whatever they may say they don't take sin as seriously as cancer or AIDS leave alone cancer and AIDS most people they get disturbed if they have a stomachache or a headache that bothers them more than sin can you imagine people you know so many people go to servants of God for prayer for healing for sickness or pray that I'll get a job pray that I'll get it promotion or pray that I'll get a good wife or a good husband what should we be praying for primarily and I might partake of the divine nature and I'll tell you something when we seek that when that becomes uppermost in our lives you'll get all the help that you need for your life on earth and you'll get all the wealth that you need that won't ruin you for your life on earth I've experienced that for nearly 50 years health and wealth not I never asked for it but according to my need I mean I can't do the things today I could do when I was 30 and I'm not the richest man in India that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about enough for my needs you know I've helped to do my work enough well to meet my needs what what do you want more than that so but when I seek this thing with God's precious and magnificent promises that promised me divine nature then I've got the greatest thing of all because nobody could have it in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 28 it never said that if you obey me I'll give you the divine nature you can't get it it has to be received as a gift but I'll tell you something you know God sees whether we value what we what he offers I've often thought why is it so many people seem to take so long to be filled with the Holy Spirit or to overcome sin and I've come to see the reason is that God wants us to value his gifts you note and then one of the illustrations has come to me is think of a mother who carries a baby in her womb for nine months and that baby when it's born is so precious where as if God had made this time of conception saying one day you can see the next day the baby's born I don't think the mother would value it so much it probably dumped the baby like these dogs you know they dumped their pups off for a few days and say well I'm going to have another pup some other time what is it that makes a mother value that baby so much even more than the father you know no father values a baby as much as a mother I hope you all know that it's true whether you like it or not is the mother who values a baby because if father was just enjoying himself while the mother was just struggling nine months carrying this baby it's like that you value something when you have struggled for it when you've longed for it I've seen mothers who I've seen wives who've been barren for years then all of a sudden out of the blue after so many years 10-15 years they suddenly got a baby boy he didn't wait nine months he waited 15 years can you imagine how precious that baby is God wants us to value his gifts and I'll tell you most Christians don't value the gifts of God the real important gifts of God like divine nature the part of the Holy Spirit they don't value that their value earthly things that they can't want to get from God now I believe that's the reason why God keeps a lot of people waiting so you don't value my gifts really even a lot of people who seek for the part of the Holy Spirit day they're seeking it for some selfish reasons you know to have a feeling or perhaps to testify or to be happy that I got it I want to share some of the wonderful promises that are blessed me and I found some of them are in the Old Testament by the way and I believe the principle there the Old Testament applies even today and one of the wonderful promises it's one of these wonderful magnificent promises that I believe is just as valid today as it was when God first spoke it is found in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30 this has been one of my favorite promises that I've sought to claim through many many years 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 30 it's a little phrase you know just like the phrase we saw in Peter precious and magnificent promises think of that phrase precious and magnificent promises that's what we're thinking about and here's one little phrase in the middle in the end of chapter 2 verse 30 the Lord says those who honor me I will honor I want to encourage all of you to remember that reference 1 Samuel 2:30 easy-to-remember 1 2 3 0 1 Samuel 2:30 and what is the promise those who honor me I will honor what's the reference 1 2 3 0 right 1 Samuel 2:30 it's a wonderful promise now the reason why you need to know the reference is I mean you don't have to say Lord according to 1 Samuel 2:30 he knows it but I'm saying when you want to show it to somebody else who doesn't know where it is and show it to him in his Bible that's where you need it so them that honor me I will honor says the Lord those who the opposite of that is those who despise me now you wouldn't think that you despise God if I were to ask you do you think you despise God I think all of you say oh no but do you know that when you don't honor him you are despising him it's only two options it's not ignore me it's not those who give me a low place is those who despise me you know what despise is a pretty strong word how you know how the high caste people in the villages despise the low caste people it's it's a strong word certain people despise oh they're like that imagine treating God like that I don't think any of you would dream that you've been treating God like that Oh God you'd say that's an atheist to treat Scott like that no sir believers who are the ones who are despising God every single person sitting here who is not honoring God to the best of your knowledge in every area of your life believe it or not you're despising God that's what he says you either honor me or you despise me is there is there a Midway no there is no middle way you honor me if you don't honor me you despise me you give God 2nd place in your life you're despising him you don't have a given tenth place or 45th place you just give him second place you're despising him because he is God you know in any function in India if you give the President of India seat number 2 and put anybody else even the Prime Minister and seat number 1 you have despised the President of India it's true because he is supposed to be the highest dignitary in the country you don't have to push him down the line you just put him in seat number two you've despised him now we understand that in all these big functions all the dignitaries have to come to that place and the last person who comes is the president because he is the most important person that's the place we must give God in our life in our home and in our church that's why in our weddings we don't stop the wedding and then allow the bride to walk in like a queen because she's not the most important person she must come there first and then the last person to come is the most important Jesus Christ he comes we start the service it's not like that in Western countries they make Jesus come and start the service and then the Queen walks in it's amazing how the devil's made fools of Christians everywhere in the world he say it's a little thing I know it is a little thing asking the President to sit in seat number two or making the president wait for the junior minister to walk in isn't that an insult the president has come and say shall we start the function no sir the junior minister has not yet come we're waiting a small thing it's not a small thing you insult the president you know these little little things if you if you really seek to honor God in your life I tell you God will show you the little little areas as he's shown me or your known honor me and that's why God isn't doesn't honor you it's a law the measure in which you honor God God will honor you and I'll tell you it's a wonderful thing to have God honor you you don't have to be afraid of any human being thereafter you know there are a lot of people in the world who criticized me right against me and the other day when I was down in Kerala they showed me a book written by some brethren people on theology or something some Bibles go stuff where they've got pictures of heretics and among the photographs of the heretics is the founder of the Church of Satan Anton LaVey and next to that next page is Zack Putin no definition of what the heresy is in the whole book just along with a few others like the founders of Java's witnesses and Mormons and it was interesting you think I lost a second of sleep over that not one second the point is this it doesn't matter if God honors you it doesn't matter if the whole world dishonored you it makes absolutely no difference I'll tell you that you fellows who don't allow God to honor you you're missing something you're afraid of men because you don't honor God you honor God your life you'll stand by you through thick and thin he'll never let you down you remember the time and Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4 I had so many good believers around me but they'd caught me and took me to the court and every believer ran away but the Lord stood by me the Lord stood by him he didn't bother him that other people ran away you don't have to seek help from man man may disappoint you imagine if Almighty God says to you personally my son my daughter I will honor you boy I'd give anything in the world for that I hope you will also anything in the world if God will honor you now I'll tell you something the more God honors you the more the devil will hate you and the more that devil hates you the more his agents will hate you that's why they called Jesus Prince of Devil's I mean if they had photographs those days they're to put a picture of bill Zebub and Jesus next to that that's how I be we don't understand that people who honor God are not gonna get the Nobel Prize and get honored by men when God honors your men will most probably dishonor you like they dishonored Jesus Christ Peter was crucified upside down and Paul who was beheaded and all the other people I don't know how they suffered and some were thrown in boiling oil and all types of things people who honored God because it says there's an expression in 1 Hebrews 11 which says men of whom the world was not worthy I like that expression men and women of whom the world was not worthy the world didn't deserve to have such good men in their midst God took them away men like Paul and Peter he allowed them to live 30 years and say you fellas don't deserve such a good man in your midst kill him I'm gonna take him up to heaven do you want to be one like that men of whom the world is not worthy to have such good people imagine what heaven will be like my brothers and sisters we're gonna live there with the finest people that ever lived on this earth with the best human beings that ever lived on this earth I'm just looking forward to that I'm gonna see some of the finest men and women that ever lived on the face of this earth men of whom this world was not worthy men and women whom the world did not deserve to have here but when God honored so I want to say to you take this promise seriously those who honor me I will honor seek with all of your heart to be one whom God can honor and you know hold up as an example to others I've often thought about why the Acts of the Apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit it has got so much detail of the life of the Apostle Paul I mean it's not that people like Andrew and Matthew and Thomas who came to India you know Thomas came to India with the time when Acts of the Apostles was written he came to India long before Paul died and before Paul was imprisoned it's done that he mentioned there it's not that Thomas didn't was not a good man he was a wonderful man but I think God wanted to show the world what he could do in a human life and it took one example of Paul and said see what I could do through this man he was a man like you you fellows who won't believe that Jesus was like you can you believe at least Paul was like you and then you can go to the second step of believing that Jesus was like you okay even if you believe Paul was like you think of the life you lived a man who honored God and God honored him so much it doesn't mean he had an easy time be honored by God doesn't mean you know so many wrong ideas this world has got about honoring God being honored by God that God honors me that I have so many earthly things no Paul had very little there were times when Paul it says in 2nd Corinthians 11 the times when I fasted and there are times when I didn't have enough to eat this is different fasting was out of choice and there were other times when he wanted to eat and he didn't have money so he had to sort of scrape by with a little money he had because you know how rigid he was in his attitude towards receiving gifts and all that and he there were times when he didn't have enough to eat he there were times when he shivered in the cold because he didn't have money to buy a blanket and he tells Timothy in second Timothy foresees it's pretty cold here in this prison please bring that blanket I left behind there when you come imagine a servant of God I mean you ask somebody saying when he come can you please bring that blanket for me this is God's greatest sermons on the earth boy if I could be like him I could live like him God's given us an example there and he wants to take you my brother's sister Paul is gone he was an example in his generation you know what God calls you and me to be an example in our generation an example to what not as smart and clever you are not how much money you made but an example to demonstrate to the world that if you honor God he'll honor you yep there must be no earthly explanation for our lives people must look at your life and say how does this man manage it he's a normal human being like us how does he manage it how does he manage to be so patient when he's provoked how does he manage to overcome his anger how does he manage to keep himself pure and be free from the love of money which the entire race of Adam is riddled with there's no earthly explanation this god he talks about must be real I suppose that's the explanation it must be real this God he believes in because I'd there's no other wave I can explain it so many people attack him but it doesn't make a difference because a number of people who attacked Paul he didn't make any difference God honored him a number of wonderful ways it's not only Jesus who was protected from the soldiers of Herod when they wanted to kill you know how before the soldiers could reach Bethlehem an angel had gone there and told Joseph and Mary take the child and go it's not only Jesus Wow you read an X 21 22 and 23 those three chapters how Paul went to Jerusalem and he was captured and there were some Jews who had taken about to kill him some thirty forty people said we won't eat until we kill Paul and God allows see and now Paul didn't know it the Roman soldier who was guarding Paul and it was supposed to take him from Jerusalem to another place didn't know it but God allowed Paul's nephew to hear it sister son how did he hear it how did that happen was that accidental how did he land up from Tarsus over there at that particular time how should he be hanging around where these people are discussing that and he goes in tells Paul and Paul tells him to tell the commander and that's how his life is saved I often wondered when those forty people started eating because they said they were not going to eat and - Paul was killed I suppose they were like some of these politicians today were fast and to death and then afterwards after if you don't say yes they have agreed to negotiate so I'll drink a glass of juice or something the world is full of hypocrites Liars in the midst of all that there was this man Paul just like Jesus was protected God protects his servants he Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4 he delivered me from the mouth of the lion and when Paul's time was come Nero was allowed to chop off his head then God didn't protect him because God was saying to the world you don't deserve to have this man in your a rotten old world anymore he's too good for you he's fit for Olli for heaven so it's a wonderful thing to be like that I hope these are your heroes you know people you want to be like people who honored God in every area of their life they didn't make as much money as you and I me but they honored God and God honored them and as I said you know God will give you what you value what you're desperately longed for what you're willing to pay any price for he'll give you but if you don't value this you don't think being honored by God is the greatest thing of all you don't feel this is one of the precious and magnificent promises those who honor me I will honor you don't think of that as one of the fantastic promises of God then you'll probably carry on drift along as one of the meeting attenders it's one of those mediocre Christians always getting 35 percent I didn't fail I got promoted to the next class the next class 35 percent I got promoted in the next class no from the beginning I want to say that God is made manifest those Umi honors I want you to turn to Genesis chapter 4 this is the first event recorded in the Bible after man was thrown out of the Garden of Eden and that's why it's significant after man at sinned and was put out of Eden the first event recorded in the Bible his came bringing an offering to God and Abel bringing an offering to God God accepting one offering and God not accepting another offering it's very important to see that it just says this is an introduction that Adam and Eve had two children Cain and Abel they had many other children also which are not mentioned here don't think they had only two because one proof of that is later on when God curses Cain he says oh you've cursed me now anybody who sees me will kill me who are these people who will see him all the other children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Adam there were many there were many people in those days Cain and Abel was just mentioned that two stories mentioned about two of Adams sons that's all there were many others because it says they grew up and Cain became a herdsmen and Abel became a farmer that means they're 20 30 years old and those 20 30 years Adam had many many children so Cain this is a story of two of them Cain and Abel and Cain brought an offering to God and Abel brought an offering to God now I want you to see that everything we do we must see as an offering we bring to God our whole life is meant to be an offering we bring to God the way I speak to you is an offering I bring to God if I'm angry with you I say something to you it's an offering you know whether God will accept it or not imagine if I see my whole life everything I do the thoughts I think when I'm sitting by myself lying down in my bed at night and the thoughts I think are an offering I'm bringing to God does he accept it what's the first thing that happened after man was thrown out of Eden he brought an offering to God one was accepted one was not accepted but I want to say everything we do is an offering to God everything we say every word that comes out of our mouth is an offering to God it's accepted or not accepted two streams the head of one is Cain the head of the other is able I want to be in the stable stream where everything I do morning till night everything I say and everything I think is an offering that God can accept and he'll accept it if you seek to honor him you see they all this is life is going to be such a strain not at all it's just being spiritually healthy you know nowadays there are so many so much consciousness of healthy foods don't eat junk food they say things would just make you fat taste nice in the mouth but just make you fat and make you sick but so is it a strain to know all these things to avoid certain types of food and eat food that's good for the body it's not a strain it's good for me I'm glad to know these things was not good for my body these things that are good let me what's good for my body in the same way it's not a strain to know what is pleasing to God and what is not just like I throw away junk food I throw away junk thoughts and junk words and junk actions I mean if I'm more worried that junk food will hurt my body and I'm not worried about junk thoughts and junk words and junk actions what I'm ever Christian am I I'm just like any rotten old worldly person I'm not bothered about the offering I bring to God so this is related to that promise them that honor me I will honor why was King so angry see this anger against true servants of God started with Cain it's not new the anger that Saul had towards David the anger that the Pharisees had towards Jesus the anger that the Jews had against Paul and the anger that so many people have against me and against us as a church it's as ancient as Cain and Abel it's not something new that's why it shouldn't puzzle us or disturb us it's not something new it's as old as Cain and Abel and it is due to the fact that one man's offering is accepted by God and the other man can't stand it you know that his jealousy his jealousy the first sin described in the Bible outside the Garden of Eden jealousy and God accepts somebody blesses him you're waiting for some calamity to happen to him and no calamity is happening to him God blesses the anointing of God becomes richer and richer and some get furious and angry and by that God exposes the corruption in their hearts even though they claim to be religious and Christians and all that why should a Christian be upset if God is using somebody else I'll tell you I'm not upset I'm not upset if God uses it for example I you know when I was in Germany once I met a brother who came all the way from Italy a poor brother most of the meetings that go to was all these poor immigrants these are the poor immigrants from sri lanka who just scraped by and came to italy as immigrants and trying to get a job working in labourers and all that and with a little bit of saving he had he took a train and came all the way to Germany from Italy to hear me speak I was so thrilled he was so gripped by the truth this brother and I asked him how did you hear about me how I've never met you how did you know he said there was a tamil pastor who's living in Germany who brought a whole lot of your books and sold it here and I asked him how much did he sell it for who it was about 10 times the price he was made it was a business for him come to India and buy these books at a cheap rate and go there and when I heard it initially I got mad I mean I got mad that not that he was making money that he was duping these poor people who working as laborers and making them spend so much money for books which we sell so cheap here but then I and the Lord said to me don't worry because that fellow brought that book this chap has come now to hear your word so then I realized I let them sell it at any price and let them make as much money as they like if I get one soul out of all that I don't care if he charged a thousand rupees for a book so I changed my view after that I said to sell it do do whatever you like but spread the word anyway this guy came and I saw there how he had such a hunger for God and God saw that hunger in him and reached out to him through a corrupt fellow who was out to make money you know like the money changers in the temple trying to make money out of God this fellow with him trying to make money out of God selling my books God used him to reach one chap who is sincerely seeking God how wonderful God is I was so excited to see that you know it doesn't matter how simple you are in the remote corner in the world if you honor God goners God honors you know how we apprai many years you and I have prayed Lord if there's anybody seeking a godly life somewhere bring him in touch with us some way or the other even if it's through some corrupt fellow trying to make money on it selling books fine let God use any agent but bring him to us and I was so delighted to meet this person who I mean that fellow's offering making money out of the books that was an acceptable card but this chap he was so hungry you could come to hear his word it's amazing how God has got these people here and there and my I tell you my life's passion is to meet these people some poor laborer here some poor cook in Paris and some bus driver in Chicago and these are the type of people I meet seeking for a godly life it's really amazing there's a stream that started with able of people who want to honor God and who are making an offering to God and God's bringing us in touch with each other I praise the Lord for that I want to encourage you all my brothers and sisters be a person like Abel who brings an offering that pleases God you will naturally find a lot of other people who are disturbed by God blessing you and don't worry about that God will honor you you'll have a great reward when you stand before the Lord and you see people whose lives you influenced not because you are a great preacher know God's given the gift of effective preaching to very few people I've seen that in my travels around the world in different places in 50 years I've seen there are very very few people who have the gift of very powerful preaching I don't know why God has God could have given it to many people but he hasn't given it I don't know why I would have thought that if there are 100 more people like that it'll be good for the church but God says now he is looking for those who will live and that we can all do he may not be able to preach why do you want to preach man going on it why not live in a way that honors God and say Lord my life is an offering to you and you accept it that's all that matters to me I don't want any honour from men seek to do that precious and magnificent promises and as you've often heard me say Genesis 4 you know many people in Christendom say that Abel was accepted because he brought blood and Cain was not accepted because he didn't bring blood and so they say so long as you say the blood of Jesus you're okay just like some mantra they teach in some religions they keep saying this mantra of the blood of Jesus blood of Jesus power in the blood etc no it's not that it says in Genesis 4 it came about when they brought the offering see what it says verse la spada words for the Lord had regard not for Abel's offering but for Abel and therefore for his offering and the Lord did not have regard for Cain and therefore not for his offering it was the man behind the offering whom God was looking at not the offering itself you know the offering you bring God regards it if he regards you first if you're okay then you're offering is okay I mean Cain brought a lambic he was looking after lambs Abel brah sorry Abel brought a lamb because he was looking after lamb that Cain brought wheat or whatever it was because that's what's his job he brought the best of the week this chef brought the best of the lambs I don't know whether he brought the rest of the week but whatever whatever it was there was something in Cain's heart that God could not approve of because I want to accept your offering you know how Jesus also said that you come with your offering to God and that you remember that you hurt somebody you yelled at somebody and got upset and got angry Jesus says leave that offering there God won't accept it why won't he accept it is it a good offering it's a good offering but the man behind the offering is not good he has to go and settle something with somebody whom he hurt somebody he yelled at or something like that and then God says come and then come and give back the same offering to God he'll accept it how the same offering was not acceptable half an hour ago and now it is acceptable how is that because in that half an hour he went and apologized to somebody the Lord had regard for Abel and therefore for his offering the Lord did not have regard for Cain therefore he didn't regard his offering those who honor me I will honor you want a God accept your life you want a God to accept everything you bring to him everything even if it's a widow brought to meit's Jesus said that's great but all the other fellows who put thousands of denarii into the box she said now is nothing there he didn't have regard for the person so seek with all your heart to be one who honors God precious and magnificent promises those will honor me I will honor let's pray if you take a decision today you must ask God to give you grace to stick to it every day and say lord give me grace give me the power of your Holy Spirit that I'll stick to this every single day of my life I don't want to play games with God I want to mean business with God when you do that respond to the call of God to your heart acknowledge your inability your weakness say Lord I really need the power of your Holy Spirit I don't deserve it when I come to you because Jesus died for me and purchased this for me it's mine I want to be filled with the spirit continuously I want this divine power that helped me to offer you everything in my life is an offering acceptable to you Heavenly Father help us to live by your magnificent promises and to partake of your nature delivers Jesus lived on this earth thank you Father in Jesus name

Channel: CFC India

Views: 16,216

Rating: 4.835391 out of 5

Keywords: zac poonen, cfc, Christian Fellowship Church, Church, Fellowship, Christian, Zac, Poonen

Id: 2MB4mf7HFUk

Length: 58min 58sec (3538 seconds)

Published: Tue May 06 2014