(2018 Atlanta) 6. Living Before God's Face - Zac Poonen

I'm reminded of a verse in John 7 as we come to the last session John 7 in verse 37 at the last session jesus said on the last day he cried out saying John 7:37 if anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink he who believes in me as the scripture said from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water but this he spoke about the Holy Spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive for the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified I mentioned yesterday in the entire Old Testament the Spirit was only upon people they he came upon them and like water flowing over a person could bless millions but the heart of the person was remained unchanged even though there was a command in the Old Testament thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul strength and mind that was not primary they did not obey out of love in the Old Covenant because the spirit was not within them but they serve God there were mighty servants of God in the Old Testament who stood alone for God think of a man like Elijah he stood before the king of Israel King Ahab and said I stand before the Lord God and this is what I say he he was a prophet I want to show you in that time two types of Jews his real eyes which is a picture of two types of Christians today one in whom that light is very dim and the other in whom the light is very bright so turn with me to 1 Kings in chapter 17 in 1 Kings chapter 17 we read of this great prophet Elijah you know when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration there were only two men from the Old Testament who stood there with him I think there were the ones whom the Lord considered to be the two greatest men of Old Testament times it is not David it was not even Samuel it is not Isaiah Jeremiah they were great prophets it was Elijah and Moses so Elijah was one of those great friends it says in 1 Kings 17 one Elijah said to Ahab listen to his testimony as the Lord the God of Israel lives before whom I stand his testimony was I don't stand before you King Ahab I don't really care for you're the king of this nation I respect you as the king but I stand before God and I'm not afraid of anyone I will speak the truth to you when I say there'll be no rain there won't be any rain and when I pray God will send the rain but the Lord told him go away from here and hide yourself worse 3 because such men are persecuted they have a scared of him but it has wife Jezebel was an evil woman and there are some women like that who are the boss in their homes who control their husbands I mean he was she was so evil that she even killed a man of God like maybethe in order to possess his property and Elijah was the Prophet you read later on how he said let's prove who's the true God he called 850 prophets prophets of BL and other prophets and he said let's see who can bring fire down from heaven you read about of that in the next chapter and it says the prophets of BL prayed for hours and hours and hours right up until the evening and there was nothing they rolled on the ground and cut themselves and all that emotion like you see in many churches today people falling on the ground and kicking their legs and laughing they remind me of the prophets of BL but there's no fire just a lot of excitement emotional excitement is not the mark of the Holy Spirit is the fire of God the fire of purity the fire of love the fire of humility that's the mark of the Holy Spirit who there was none of that there and there was no fire then Elijah comes up and he prays for less than one minute don't think long prayers are what God answers don't think shouting emotional prayers of what God answers God the answer of God is the fire of God I very rarely in my life seen the fire of God on a preacher there are a few I've seen in my life very very few there's a fire upon their life there's a fire in their words and I remember as a young man I said Lord does he only does the only way to preach that's the only way I want to be you know he's just giving a big lecture like these professors and colleges and Steven stirring people emotionally their lives must be changed and we read that when Elijah called the fire down from heaven the people all fell and he killed all the false prophets that's how they dealt with false prophets those days and the people turn back to God that's the mark of a man of God he gets people to turn from their sin from their idol worship of pleasure and money and things like that turn back to God but because Elijah lived in the Old Testament he got discouraged sometimes you can have an emotional high tremendous move of God in the next moment you're down in the dumps not today that was then Elijah the great prophet who could bring fire down from heaven did not have the Holy Spirit within him Holy Spirit is upon him and so when a Queen Jezebel threatened him saying I'm going to kill you like you killed my fault my prophets he ran away he got so discouraged he read in 1 Kings chapter 19 he hid himself in a cave and said Lord please take away my life imagine a prophet of God who brought fire down from heaven and killed 450 prophets of running and the sound of a woman I don't know in that moment did God forsake him no but sometimes you know in the Old Testament they didn't have the Holy Spirit to keep them rock steady Elijah was a million times better than all of us but he didn't have the Holy Spirit within him and we don't have the Holy Spirit within you you can have an emotional high in an emotional low but it's not like that now Paul was never like that Paul was fearless he could bring spiritual fire down from heaven and nobody could frighten him not because he was better than Elijah but because he had the Holy Spirit with him dear brothers and sisters never be satisfied with the Holy Spirit upon never be satisfied with a ministry the Holy Spirit must be within from the innermost being the rivers must flow and even if the river doesn't flow at least if the heart is full of the Holy Spirit and clean that's enough God uses some people to serve Him with ministers with ministry flowing out but I want to show you one thing here in Kings chapter 19 when he was so discouraged and he said in verse 14 1 Kings 19 was 40 in the last board last part he said Lord they have killed your prophets they've torn down your altars they have forsaken your covenant I alone am left and they seek my life to take it away and the Lord said to him no there are verse 18 still 7,000 people in Israel who have not bowed to the idol Bale and they have not kissed their idol with their lips so I want you to see the difference within Elijah and these 7,000 none of them have bowed to idols Elijah did not bow down to the idol pay all the 7000 did not bow down to the bay they are a picture of we can say of Christians and the proportion is 1 to 7,000 the difference is this the 7000 did not bow to bay all but they could not bring fire down from heaven no only Elijah could bring fire down from heaven there are two types of Christians the testimony of the 7000 was negative I do not worship idols like Christians today I do not watch r-rated movies I do not watch pornography I do not gamble I do not get drunk I do not do this bad thing I do not do this bad thing I said well what do you do well they can I have to think what they do they are not witnesses for Christ it's all negative I don't do this I don't do that I don't do the other thing and they satisfied I don't hurt anybody I don't speak evil I don't gossip that's excellent well what do you do I believe God wants to bring fire down from heaven upon every single believer there were a hundred and twenty waiting on the day of Pentecost for ten days they waited some fasted and they prayed they waited until the Holy Spirit came I remember seeing a cartoon an interesting cartoon of these people waiting in the upper room in Jerusalem and one man telling the others walking out of the door saying a waiting nine days is long enough I'm fed up I'm going away and he goes away and the next day he hears the Holy Spirit fell he missed it because he got tired of waiting are you tired of waiting you say Lord you know when Jacob wrestled with God you read in Genesis 32 God was wrestling with Jacob for years because he had spent all his life his name was Jacob meaning grabber they named him Jacob grabber because he he was a twin he was born along with Esau and somehow Esau got out of the mother's womb put his head out of the mother's womb and Jacob grabbed his leg and say hey I want to go out first and he can't know whether there's ever any twin bond like that he came out grabbing his brother's Lake a unique birth of twins if you read that it in Genesis I think it's out of 25 or 26 or something and say this guy's unique dick let's call him grabber and he spent all his life grabbing one day he's the shrewdness he grabbed his brothers birthright from him by just giving him a bowl of soup it says you have this suit this nice suit he said give me your birthright he was a shrewd guy he grabbed the birthright and then later on when his his father Isaac was a bit spiritually dumped I'm sorry to say that Isaac started out well but towards the end of his life he was virtually blind and even though God had told him the younger one is going to serve the elder he still wanted to give the birthright to the older one because he loved that food the elder one could make with deers meat venison is it boy he saw I love that venison so much the way you cook it if you do that for me forget about what God said I'll give you the birthright can you imagine a man son of Abraham doing that he was a backslider I'm sorry to say that but he was a backslider at the end of his life Majan what God told him you must give the birthright to the younger son and just because he loved food he gave it to the oh he wanted to give to the other one what God didn't allow it to happen and so Jacob was again grabbed the birthright he put on some animal skin pretend you to be hairy and Isaac was a bit blind and he grabbed the birthright then he saw was furious and he had to run away so he ran away to his uncle Laban Zoar house and there he saw pretty daughter of Laban called Rachel he wanted to grab her but he was a grabber all his life but he ended up grabbing two of his daughters he didn't want both of them but you know he was a shrewd guy but his uncle was shrewder than him it's amazing how shrewd guys sometimes get caught by people are shrewder than them and make fools of them and it's very interesting to see how Laban gave him Leah the older sister when he wanted Rachel you know normally it's I don't have time to show you that it's a very interesting passage he normally we have a wedding feast after the wedding right everywhere in the world is like that but Laban says let's have the feast before the wedding he was shrewd and he got Jacob completely drunk at the feast so when he put his hand in some girl's hand he didn't know who it was he said okay leaven leavens says here Jacob here's your wife hold hands and let's conduct the marriage and this guy drunk hoes and maybe put a ring I don't know and goes to bed with her wakes up in the morning and says hey this is not Rachel who in the world did I marry last night he met his match in his father-in-law then he had to wait another seven years to grab the second girl he was a grabber grabber grabber grabber and God didn't forsake him then he grabbed his Levin's property he grabbed all his sheep and then he went away and on his way back God met him it's a tremendous story how God meets backsliders people who went after money property women that's what Jacob went after does anybody here like that once upon a time you knew the Lord and you have drifted away grabbing things of Earth trying to find your satisfaction there I want to tell you God hasn't forsaken you he loves you maybe your grandfather like Abraham prayed for you and he wants to draw you back and God met with Jacob one night he would when Jacob was alone and he read there that's very important I want you to see that passage there in Genesis 32 because that's how God meets with people it says Genesis 32 24 God was Jacob was left alone and I want to say to you sometimes God wants you to come alone we have so much with people all the time and God says I want to get you alone sometime I want you to meet with me alone you need to have sometimes alone with God he meets us in a meeting in the crowds of people like I'm sure he's spoken to you even during this weekend but sometimes he wants you to be alone he was left alone and a man this was God in human form wrestling with him trying to tell him hey Jacob I'm trying to break you man you're too proud you're too arrogant you're a grabber let me break you're human strength that's what God wants to do with many of us break this human strength which prevents us from knowing him better and he wrestled with him and he couldn't succeed Jacob was so tough unwilling to be broken just like many many Christians and then it says God dislocated his tie so he had to limp for the rest of his life he had to walk with the staff and in the great chapter of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 I you can read it sometime in the chapter where you read about the Red Sea being split and the walls of Jericho being pulled down you see another miracle it says Jacob leaned upon a star and worshiped God I say what's the miracle there is that a great miracle it was a greater miracle than splitting the Red Sea it was God breaking a stubborn man that for the rest of his life he leaned upon a staff that staff was a picture of God for him and it's interesting that in the great chapter of the heroes of faith what he says about Jacob is he leaned upon his staff and worshiped God it was a great miracle God broke this stubborn man it's a great miracle when God can break some stubborn Christians today sometimes he does something radical like dislocating the thigh or something they may lose all their money or their business goes crashing something goes wrong in their life and then God breaks them finally I've seen many wonderful Christians they know so much of the Bible they sing so well they do so many things but God is not able to manifest his power through them because of one reason they are not broken they grab grab grab earthly things they're always thinking I've got this I've got this I've got Jesus in my life and I'm always grabbing earthly things you're missing the best brother sister you land up in eternity one day and discover you what a loser because the one thing you had to grab you didn't grab you didn't lay hold of God anyway God loved him so much he dislocated him and then he tested him he says in verse 26 okay Jacob let me go now and that's where you see how Jacob had changed this man who had spent all his life grabbing money grabbing property grabbing birthright grabbing women now at last he grabs hold of God and says God I will not let you go verse 26 unless you bless me I wish many of you would pray that prayer to seek the power of the Holy Spirit in your life I remember a time my life forty-four years ago when I were desperate I had failed so much in my life I was inwardly a backslider even though my external testimony was good I was defeated I was frustrated I didn't have a close walk with God but I was preaching and I got so fed up I said Lord I cannot continue like this I'm a hypocrite you got to do something for me I laid hold of God and I prayed and I fasted and I sought God I said lord I will not let you go unless you bless me and I want to say God had mercy on me I picture myself at that time spiritually speaking as rolling down a hill helpless and the cliff the steep cliff is just a few more feet away God stopped me and fill me with a spirit and lifted me back up to the mountaintop he'll do that for you if you're desperate if Jesus means more to you than all the money in the world and all the honor in the world and all the pleasures of sin there's amazing things that God will do through any of you you don't have you may be shy timid you may not be able to speak even English properly it doesn't matter God doesn't need all those things he needs a broken man and a broken woman who will say to him I will not let you go until you bless me you mean two more to me than anything in this world that's what Jacob said and then he asked him verse 27 what's your name and he's honest Lord mial I'm a grabber are you willing to be honest and say Lord how do people think I'm a wonderful Christian but you know my thought life you know my attitudes this is what I am many years earlier his father Isaac at Austin what's your name he said he saw he bluffed but he can't love God what's your name grabber the Lord said he will no longer be a grabber verse 28 isn't it wonderful when God says you're not going to be that any more my son my daughter you're not gonna be like that anymore you're going to be different from today you will be a prince of God from today your name will be Israel because you have striven with God and you have prevailed imagine God saying you have finally prevailed with me when did he prevail not when he was strong when he was broken do you know when you can prevail with God not when you're strong not when you're clever but when God is succeeded in breaking your pride and your cleverness in your sharpness and you you come down to zero I know God had to bring me down to zero God is always trying to bring man strength down to zero the Apostle Paul he was a mighty man but he was in danger of becoming puffed up and so God gave him a thorn in the flesh that harassed him her I don't know what type of sickness it was I think it was an eye problem I don't know how to explain I time to explain to you but if you read in Galatians 5 it says he had an eye problem probably eyes that were always infected and flowing the pus he prayed Lord heal me heal me heal me - doesn't look nice me standing up there and preaching Paul says with my eyes dripping with pus he says in Galatians 4 you didn't despise me why does he tell the collations you didn't despise me because it's you know you see a man sis buzz flowing down his eyes all the time and he cannot control and he's preaching and he tells the Galatians in chapter 4 you loved me so much that you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me that's how we know he had a problem with his eyes and he prayed Lord take away this thorn in my flesh God said no I want to humble you before people your power over your power in my service will not be with your personality and how clever you are or any such thing I'll make you weak in some way I'll make people not look up to you as a man but as a man of God you know in some way God has to Humble us I remember when I was 23 years old and I sought for the power of the Holy Spirit and God anointed me with a gift of preaching when I was a very shy person and I started losing my hair and you know when you're 23 years old you're a bit concerned if you start losing your hair you're not married and and I say okay the Lord decides to take away my hair that's fine and I thought Lord there must be some purpose we see man do you save the hairs on my head are numbered so I can't lose them without your knowing about it and if I lose them one after the other that so many are gone there must be a purpose so you know I would sometimes stand yeah I was dry 324 years old and I would stand before 5,000 people and preach God's Word but because I had lost so much hair people thought I was about 33 years old and they listened to me more if they have known I was only 23 ci is a kid so I saw why God allowed me to lose my hair then and then I wanted to get married I said well nobody's marry for my hair now because I don't have any hair thank God if anyone marries me only it's because of spiritual values so that was a benefit from Eamon when I was considering marriage so God has a purpose in everything I've come to see in every little thing he has a purpose and with with Jacob it was breaking him dislocating his tie with Paul it not healing him of his sickness so that he would only glory in God you know God is who works in us in such a way that we have nothing to glory in on this earth except Jesus Paul said God forbid that I should ever glory in anything but Jesus Christ who died for me in the cross of Jesus whereby the whole world is crucified to me as a Living Bible says I have as little listen to this I have Inauguration 6:14 I have as little interest in this world as a dead man has when you come to that place you're really broken and it's a wonderful thing and God brings you to that place where you can say I have as little interest in people's opinions or in what the world can offer me of pleasure money honor has little interest as a dead man in the grave has blessed position then you are broken and I know God had take many years to bring me to that place he brought Jacob to that place after 20 years of trying to break him dear brother sister let God break you early in your life then you don't have to wait till you're 60 years old before God begins to use you he can start using when you're 25 yeah it's amazing what God can do through you if he breaks you humbles you and allows you to be humiliated I'm God allowed me to be humiliated in many churches right up until the age of 35 for 10 years before that he broke me broke me broke me humbled me humiliated me different situations and the Lord said keep your mouth shut don't justify yourself let people misunderstand you this is my way of breaking you let them accuse you falsely keep your mouth shut right say okay I'll keep my mouth shut don't answer back so there are different ways in which God breaks us in then [Music] he could say in Genesis 3230 now I have seen God face to face it's a wonderful way so what Elijah said I live before God's face my brother sister that's the place God wants to bring you where you speak to Jesus face to face not through a mediator you don't have to find God's will through X Y or Z you don't have to go to a pastor to find out God's will for you you have seen him face to face you remember in Exodus sorry numbers the Book of Numbers and chapter 12 this is the time when Miriam Moses sister numbers chapter 12 criticized Moses be very careful whenever you criticize a genuine servant of God by all means expose the hypocritical servants of God who are after your money and who don't preach the truth to you who try to please you instead of telling you the truth who don't tell you about your cancer the doctor who never tells you that the scan report is you've got cancer he hides that from you because he wants your money beware of preachers like that but be careful that you don't speak against a genuine servant of God Miriam spoke against Moses saying why did you marry a non Israelite woman you know Moses married this daughter of a heathen priest called Jethro he was a cush I'd verse numbers 12:1 and and they said most Miriam they would he was 12 she was 12 years older than Moses and Aaron was also older than Moses this younger brother of ours is such a leader they were jealous of him you can be pretty sure when God uses you that people will be jealous of you they'll want your ministry but they don't want to be broken like Moses is broken and they spoke against him his own brother and sister he had delivered them all from the slavery of Egypt and they forgot about all that I've seen that happen even to me so many places where I have ministered and ministered and ministered for years and finally they bite the hand that fed them for so many years and turn against well I say Lord Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing it's always my response I have nothing else to say Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing they're biting the hand that fed them faithfully for so many years I've experienced that many times well that's what these folks experienced - Moses had fed them delivered them and they were now criticizing saying has the Lord only spoken through Moses verse 2 he has spoken through us as well uh-huh wonderful words and the Lord heard it never forget those words when you speak against the genuine servant of God and the Lord heard it it was enough Moses would not respond I never respond when people criticize me I get a lot of emails and others since hey god bless you Father forgive him Moses was very humble he would always place his face down on the down to the dust and saying God I will not defend myself you defend me that's what a true servant of God does so he didn't see anything but the Lord defended Moses and the Lord said all three of you come to the tent of meeting and the Lord came down in verse five and said listen to me verse six here there is a prophet in your midst I will make myself known to him in a vision that's a great thing to get a vision from God or in a dream you think visions and dreams are the greatest thing God says no Moses is greater than an ordinary prophet Moses is different I don't speak to him in visions and dreams today we have a christened umber things of the somebody has a vision or dream that's all Wow what is that vision what is that dream he says that for the junior ones Moses is a senior servant of God I do not speak to him in visions or dreams he sees my face like Jacob said I saw the Lord face to face like Elijah said I stand before the face of the Lord and he says about Moses I don't speak to him in visions and dreams when he's asleep at night no I speak to him face-to-face he beholds verse 8 middle the form of the Lord and why were you not afraid to speak against this servant of mine who sees my face and the anger of the Lord burned against them verse 9 and he departed and as soon as the Lord departed Miriam got leprosy and Aaron saw and she fell down before Moses and so Lord forgive us for speaking foolishly against you we have sinned don't let her be like a dead person whose flesh is eaten away and Moses is immediately like Jesus prayed oh god please healer forgive her for speaking against me I pray and the Lord said that I put her outside the camp for one week after that she'll be healed and so they put her outside the camp for one week but the point I want you to see is Jacob met the Lord face to face Moses met the Lord face to face he's even here God in visions and dreams he heard God speaking directly Klee to his heart do you know you learn something there that for God to speak to your heart is of greater thing than visions and dreams if you don't believe that remember numbers chapter 12 read it sometime don't be jealous of those believers will talk about visions and dreams there's something greater than that to speak the Lord face to face I want to speak to the Lord face to face I don't want visions and dreams I think you know God speaks to some people at night because they are so busy during the day they have no time to listen to him so then they gives them a dream at night don't be in that category that you have no time for God during the days were used to speak to you in a dream at night he can speak you during the day as well face to face this is our privilege in the New Covenant far better than visions and dreams you know these are things written in Scripture there in your Bible you read them but you don't see them because the Holy Spirit has to open your eyes to see something and the more broken we are the more needy we are we read something in Scripture and suddenly it becomes light to us I believe many things have become light to you during this weekend because some if you've got a hungry heart praise God that you've got a hungry heart and if God could reveal something to you this weekend that can change the entire direction of your life and I want to show you again in what it says there in 1 Kings it says about the seven thousand I told you they were not living before God face-to-face they may be having visions and dreams I don't know but Elijah stood before God's face he could bring fire down from heaven the other seven thousand their only testimony was I don't bow down to idols what is your testimony my brother sister is it only the things that you don't do I'm a Christian I don't go to the movie theater I go and don't go to the dance hall I don't go to the bar I don't do this and I don't do that and I don't read these books and I don't watch those movies and I don't mingle with those people and I don't do this and I don't do that and in our church we don't do this and we don't do that and don't do that is that the only testimony of your church that's a testimony of those 7,000 I don't do this I don't do that our testimony will just be like Elijah the fire comes down from heaven you know that's I asked the Lord once what is the mark of a New Testament church many people say New Testament churches they don't have pastors they have elders that's how it is in our churches we don't have any pastors because you never find in the New Testament a single church having a pastor and that's it may surprise you but it's true you read the New Testament they had elders the Apostles appointed elders they planted churches and appointed elders so we follow the New Testament and then no preacher in any Old Testament or New Testament got a salary maybe the false prophets got a salary but the true prophets never got a salary they trusted God for their needs so we follow that the Apostles never receive a salary they people gave them a gift they took it but they never told their needs to anybody they told their needs to God that is how a true servant of God must live supposing your father is the richest man in the world you know the richest man keeps changing I think is the head of Amazon now was the richest man in the world supposing you were his son I don't know he's got a son but anyway if you were his son the son of the richest man in the world and you come to me one day and say brother Zack can you give me some money I think you're the son of the richest man in the world and you want money from me or your father must have disinherited you that's why that's why you're a better today and when a preacher goes around asking people can you give me money for my ministry for my I say your father is runs the universe and you're asking me for money your heavenly father must have disinherited you can you ever imagine Jesus going to someone and saying here my father in heaven let me down can you please give me some can you imagine Jesus going like that it's a shame for any servant of God to become a beggar like that I decided and I started saying the Lord 52 years ago I said I'll never in my life tell my needs to anyone but my Heavenly Father just by the way my father is a trillionaire not a billionaire a trillionaire he runs the universe he owns everything he says the silver and gold is mine the cattle on a Thousand Hills his mind he says in the Psalms if I'm hungry I won't tell you I will tell my father that's how a true servant of God lives that's all Elijah live God said I'll take care of you I can make the crows which love meat give you their meat can you imagine I mean the crows brought vegetables to Elisha that wouldn't be America but they brought meat we still of God's a God of miracles and when the Raven stopped coming you know why the Reimann stopped coming when you get regular support from somebody and you begin to trust in that man more than God he stops the supply he says now you're trusting man and you stop it he's not going to take you away you know you your faith is now in the Ravens every morning I got to stop that the Ravens stop coming when they praise the Lord when that steady source of support for your life stops and you lose your job now you can trust God because the Ravens have stopped coming he says now I'll take you to Zarephath outside Israel to a non Israeli land when nobody knows about your Lord you're gonna take me there is there some richest businessman there was going to help me no no no a poor Widow a poor Widow oh you're going to support a prophet through a poor Widow I thought it's gonna be a rich businessman and Zarephath who's gonna support me no Elijah and he goes there and he finds a widow was about to die with her son saying this is the last meal we have and we're just eating it before we die and Elijah says Lord you brought me to this one yes the bowl of flour will never run short the jar of oil will never run dry you know there are many people who say I've heard preachers say even if you're a widow you must support me like the widow supported Elijah but I tell them that's not the end of the story Elijah supported that Widow for the next three years by feeding her are you willing to do that or you just want to receive from these poor people you're a hypocrite such preachers don't be deceived by these half-truths that preachers tell you from Scripture to fool you nor the Bible and give them a response to expose their covetousness and their greed Elijah did was not supported by that Widow he supported the widow he made sure the bowl of flour was always full every day for three years the jar of oil was always full favorite here for three years thank God Elijah was in that home so he trusted God he lived before God's face that's the type of servant of God God wants today who can bring fire down from heaven who stepped testimonies not just negative I don't do this I don't do this I don't do this but do you have a positive testimony I live before God's face that was Elijah and that's the type of person who can make the fire of God is the light that we must have in those days the only light was the fire it's not electric light and so if we can allow the fire of God to fall upon our life and on the day of Pentecost it says 120 waited and the fire of God came like a tongue of fire over their heads people ask me what's the mark of being filled with the holy spirit I mentioned yesterday from Ephesians 5 but even if you go to Acts chapter 2 before they spoke in tongues they spoke in tongues in acts 2 verse 4 but before they spoke in tongues it says in acts 2 verse 3 there's a tongue of fire on top heads and I know I remember when I was asking God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit in my life I did not ask for speaking in tongues even though God gave it to me later on without asking for it but what I asked for was the tongue of fire I said lord I don't want to speak in other tongues my problem right now is my mother tongue but I get angry I cannot control my mother tongue was he use of other tongues when I can't control my mother tongue because I've seen enough people Sunday morning they scream around in tongues in their church and they go home and yell at their wives with their mother tongue that's not spirits fulness I said lord I want control of my mother tongue I want my tongue to be on the fire of God that's the first sign it says in acts two three before they spoken tongue the tongues of fire were on their heads and I said that's what I want I want my tongue now the fire of God just like Elijah had confronted the control of the Holy Spirit that I can speak words of kindness and forgiveness when people yell at me or scream at me and words of mercy and encouragement the fire of God and purity that's what I want and I sought God for and I'll tell you when God filled me with the Holy Spirit and as I've sought to be continuously filter this earth my test is always is my mother tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit not other tongues I speak in other tongues only when I'm speaking to God never in public it's a private love language between me and my heavenly bride row but when I speak to people like Paul said I would rather speak five words in a known language than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue to people but I want to have my mother tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit now I want to encourage you those I want to urge you seek for the power of the Holy Spirit and don't wait for other tongues if God wants to give it to you he'll give it you leave that to him but seek for the power of the Holy Spirit to control your mother tongue the way you speak at home the way you speak to others in your office the way you speak when the traffic is jammed on the road and everybody's angry and there's road rage that's the time you need that's the time you need the Holy Spirit to control your tongue ask for that God will give it to you you live before God's face that's the will of God for you so as I was telling you I was asking the Lord what is the mark of a new covenant church and this is what the Lord showed me in 1 Corinthians in chapter 14 1 Corinthians 14 it speaks about all of your gathering together here in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 23 when the whole church is assembled together if everybody speaks in a tongue they'll say you're mad that's sure 1 Corinthians 14 verse 23 if you go to a church and you find everybody speaking in tongues I'll say this is a mad church according to 1 Corinthians 14 23 no all said in verse 18 I thank God I speak in tongues but in the church I'll speak five words in a known language rather than ten thousand words in tongue that's the Apostle Paul but you go to a church where everybody speaking in tongues and they're mad but if you can speak God's Word verse 24 if you can prophesy and there's another word which is misunderstood prophesied in the Old Testament means to speak about the future all the prophets not only about the future I think the may the prophets in the Old Testament did not speak only about the future the one common thing of every prophet Old Testament and New Testament was they let God's people to repentance of their sin consider the greatest prophet John the Baptist what did he prophesy about the future zero-zero he didn't say a single thing about the future but he was the Jesus Eddie is the greatest prophet born of women so this idea of prophecy that Christians have prophecy is telling you what God wants you to do in the future what is going to God's going to happen to you that's not prophecy it's one small aspect of prophecy the the unifying factor of all the prophets was they preached repentance turned to God the first prophet by there was a knock in case you didn't know you read in the book of Jude Enoch prophesied saying about the coming of the Lord and how God would judge sin you read that in the book of Jude second last book of the Bible what did he preach repentance what is the John the Baptist the last prophet in the Old Testament preach repentance what did the New Testament prophets like Paul and Peter preached repentance that is the mark of a prophet he he leads people to turn from sin some prediction of the future is there Isaiah Jeremiah predicted the future a little bit but many other prophets didn't predict the future Haggai for example he didn't predict the future he just turned people up to build God's temple and many prophets were like that in the Old Testament he didn't predict the future but he stirred people of what did Elijah did Elijah predict the future the man who brought fire down from heaven no he didn't say one single thing about the future great prophet Elijah he turned people back to God what Elijah do did he predict the future no this wrong idea of prophecy that so many people have is because people haven't studied the Scriptures and we have a proscenium today with so ignorant of Scripture they spend so much time with their smartphones they don't have time to read the Bible they're texting texting texting texting texting what a way have you heard that parable of I read it once long ago that Satan had a big convention conference in Hell to find out how can we prevent these Christians from following Jesus and so various suggestions the demons came up it saying one said let's produce more dirty movies and let's produce more pornography and let's get Christians make it easy for them to make money etc and Satan say yeah that's all good but still people can still with all that they can still follow the Lord then another demon came up and said listen I've got an idea let's make Christians busy 24 hours not doing evil things but turn them away from the Bible by getting them busy with this and busy with that and busy with this other thing let's flood their mailboxes with so many discount stores and this and that the other they cut all that and see I can go here and buy this and I can go here and buy that it's ten percent off for the next two weeks over here at 15 percent off over there and they busy with all these things and then let let them all have phones by which people call them up every now and then and is easy to text and everything is free let's get them all on whatsapp groups so that they can all be communicate with each other and they're so busy they're not doing anything wrong they're not watching pornography that's busy busy busy busy busy and the devil said that's it that's the way to people turn away from God not by sin just keep them busy tell me has he succeeded in your life that once upon a time you used to read the Bible you don't have time for that now you have less time for it after you got a smartphone you have less time for it after you came into a whatsapp group you have less time for it after you came into Facebook and you spend more time with Facebook than with God's book as the devil succeeded you answer that question in your own life I won't let the never succeed my life man shall not live by Facebook or whatsapp man shall live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth he who has ears to hear let him hear what the rest man shall live what you call life is not life if you don't live by the Word of God can you think of a time way back in the past when there was no Facebook or whatsapp or any such thing when you had more time for the Bible what has happened has the devil succeeded not by sin he is very clever by making you busy the good have you heard this parable no no this proverb rather the good is the enemy of the best there are a lot of good things in the world and that's the enemy of the best the devil succeeded by keeping you from the best live before God's face you will not regret it your children will grow up in the fear of God you may not be able to know so many things of what's happening do you spend so much time on the Internet not uh knieval things but knowing what's happening here and what's happening there what I also tried to find I want to be aware of the news I want to know I think if the twin towers fell in 2001 if Jesus was alive he'd had known about it how do I know because I read in the Gospels that once the Tower of Siloam fell and Jesus spoke about it he says yeah the Tower of Siloam fell and so many people died he could tell you the statistics how many people died how did he know he was in touch with the news but Jesus wasn't spending all his time with the news he spent time with God in the morning he'd be alone if the people wanted to know where Jesus was he's over there alone somewhere seeking God he trying to hear what God is saying because he believed what he preached man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth so what is the mark then that's when a person hears that and he can speak it in the church meeting that's God's Word and there is a power in God's Word and it says here in 1 Corinthians 14 when people preach like that it says here 1 Corinthians 14:3 in the New Testament prophecy is to speak to men not about the future but edification to build them up exhortation to challenge them consolation to comfort them New Testament prophecy is defined in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 3 like this this is the light prophecy is called a light in 2nd Peter 1 towards the end of that chapter it says the light of God's prophetic word this is the light we have to shine what is it to speak to men 1 Corinthians 14:3 to build them up not to tear them down please don't ever speak to people in a way that you'll tear them down discourage them and make them feel miserable that's the voice of the devil accusing them condemning them if you hear a preacher condemn you please switch off inside don't listen to him anymore that's not geez God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world John 3:17 anybody who condemns you is not a prophet of God what is a prophet of God do to you three things verse 3 builds you up in simple language challenges you comforts you we need comfort we need challenge we need building up it's not only comfort this challenge rebuke to build you up but it's not only rebuke it's encouragement as well that is prophecy and it says in a church listen to this this is the mark of a new testament congregation 1 corinthians 14 if all the people in the church seek for this gift and verse 24 1 corinthians 14 24 you all prophesy that means you all or at least even if ever there's one person or more person they speak to encourage build up challenge p hear him and they are convicted when God speaks people are convicted verse 24 and the secrets of his heart are disclosed what that means is things that hidden inside your heart which nobody knows God exposes in the meeting and shows you your spiritual need shows you your secret longings which are ungodly that's a wonderful meeting if you've been in a meeting and unhidden desires in your heart are exposed to you not in a public way that you're humiliated it's not that God calls you by name and says you're those this this is him you're wrong in your life no he speaks to you silently in your heart in such a way that person sitting next to you doesn't hear what God is saying to you you probably experienced that during these days he discloses the secrets of your heart and you say boy God was in that meeting that's what he says God is here Jesus was here you know if you can go away from a meeting Christian meaning saying boy the Lord was there he spoke to me that's a New Testament church I remember when I read this and God called me to be a preacher I said lord I don't know what it costs to serve you but I'll pay any price any price I haven't gone to Bible School I never believed in going to Bible School early for one reason because Jesus never went to a Bible School and his disciples never went to a Bible School all the false prophets in the Old Testament went to what is called the Bible School of those days school of the prophets they were all false prophets they came out with their degree certificate isn't deceive people I said I want to do that I want to live before your face I want to be like Moses hearing your face-to-face and saying what God you spoke to me that's prophecy to Chan you can do that you don't have to go to Bible School but you got to have a clean heart you got to keep your conscience clear all the time if you hurt somebody gonna ask forgiveness if somebody's hurt you forgive them immediately don't love money control your tongue ask God to help you keep a watch over your tongue keep a watch over your thoughts ask God to help you keep a watch especially over your attitudes towards others don't despise anyone don't despise non-christians don't despise worldly Christians don't despise anyone judge yourself live before God's face and you can be a voice for God brothers sister even the sisters can prophesy the Bible says don't you speak to other women you may not be called to priests in the church but don't you speak oh boy how much women to speak to each other on on their cellphones don't you prophesy to that other sister on your cell phone instead of passing on the latest gossip yeah we can share God's Word and encourage them why not make a change from today onwards and say I'm going to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and I'm going to share some of those things that next time I speak to people when I visit them or speak to them on the phone and they should go away feeling boy I met with God when I met with that sister I met with the Lord I met to that brother I met with the Lord you know every one of us can be like that because every one of us can have the Holy Spirit today is not just Elijah Elisha who has the spirit today every one of us God has poured out the Holy Spirit for every one of us to receive if we open our hearts and say Lord come in I believe that many of us are like houses with all the blinds drawn and door shut and saying O God send the sunlight in God's in the sunlight is waiting to come and just open the blinds and open the doors the sunlight is waiting to come in we Oh God fill me with the Holy Spirit kneel shut the doors to so many areas of your life open it all to the Lord and he will come in will you let the Lord come into your television room and determine what you watch he'll come in but you shut the door and say no no no I don't want you to come in there then you can pray for one hundred years to be filled with the Holy Spirit he'll never come in because you shut the door from the inside the Lord says let me come into your finances room and check how you spend your money are you generous are you upright you say no no Lord don't check in this world we can't be so upright okay keep it shut but don't pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and one hundred years you'll never be filled with the Holy Spirit well you're shutting the door there are areas of your life that are shut there are books you read that you shouldn't be reading the magazines you read which you shouldn't be having in your home you'll not only go astray your children will go astray let's be careful and say Lord I want to open every area of your my life to you and you only don't have to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit all these little automatic for you like the sunlight what comes screaming in when you pull the blinds away and open the doors and people who meet with you say by the law I met with the Lord that's the mark of a New Testament church why not pray for that I really longed for that one more verse and then I'll close I read in Luke chapter 24 this is there are a hundred and one other things I'd like to say but and let the Lord say that to you later directly but let me close with this and Luke chapter 24 do you know that after his resurrection Jesus walked with two disciples to Emmaus and he had a talk with them do you know what his subject was his subject was the entire Old Testament Genesis to Malachi from the entire Old Testament he took up the scriptures and it says in Luke 24 verse 27 beginning with Moses that is Genesis all the way through the prophets this up to Malachi he explained to them from the Scriptures the things concerning himself you see Christ here in Genesis the seed of the woman you Krissy Christ in Exodus the Passover lamb you see Christ in numbers this serpent lifted up in the wilderness you see Christ in Malachi the Sun of righteousness all the way through you see Christ in Isaiah the suffering servant all the way he explained the scriptures okay let me ask you a question how long did that conversation go on any idea you got to read scripture careful about three hours he said where does it say that zag I I don't see three hours here okay I'll tell you where where's 13 two of them are going from Jerusalem to Emmaus and the distance was about seven miles how long does it take to walk seven miles in a leisurely way how long three hours that's why I get three hours you read scripture carefully three hours it was a long meeting they had Jesus speaking for three hours explaining Genesis to Malachi showing Christ in every book and you know what they said at the end of it would you get bored listening to a preacher for three hours I get bored sometimes listening to a person for 15 minutes he's got nothing to say but Jesus preached for three hours and you know what that testimony was in verse 32 our hearts were burning while he was speaking when the Holy Spirit fills you if you yielded everything to him you can speak and if he's called you to speak God's Word you can speak for three hours and people's hearts will be burning every minute of those three hours if Jesus is in a meeting in your church meeting it will not be a boring meeting your hearts will burn but it says in Romans 12 you must prophesy according to the proportion of your face some of you are preachers don't get up next Sunday and say Jesus spoke for three hours I'm going to speak for three hours you you may not have that anointing your proportion of your faith maybe only for five minutes sit down after five minutes that's like saying don't write a check for $5,000 when you've got only five dollars in your bank account please prophesy according to the proportion of your faith means write a check according to the size of your bank account that guy may be able to write for five million dollars because he's got 100 million in his bank card you may have only ten dollars in your bank account humble yourself say brother I can only give you a short message for five minutes but don't bore people please Jesus spoke for three hours that's the mark of the presence of Christ hearts burn the fire of God from heaven you are the light of the world a light that comes through fire from heaven my brother sister this is the gift of the Holy Spirit don't despise it he may not make you a great preacher but he make your shining light for Jesus Christ by your life he calls very few people to preach in my case he called me to preach don't try to preach like me that may not be your calling your calling but your calling is to be a witness for Christ say Lord I want the fire of God you know if I'm naughty you know don't call me to preach let me let me be like a burning shining light for you and draw people to Christ not to yourself I always tell people is an I'm only a signpost a signpost says New York that way this is not New York there's only a signpost go in that direction that's our calling to point to Christ may the Lord bless you all let's bow in prayer Heavenly Father we pray that the word that we have heard will sink deep in our hearts and bring forth fruit for eternity in every heart here Lord let no one go away discouraged let everyone go we encourage and let everyone go away with faith that what you've done for others you'll do for them but there's no partiality with God you pray that all of us will seek you with sincerity and love you with all of our hearts live before your face and have the fire of God burning in our lives especially on our tongues we humbly ask in Jesus name Amen you

Channel: AtlantaCFC

Views: 2,119

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Keywords: zac poonen, atlanta, cfc, Jesus, Christ, God, Bible, Gospel, Salvation, Sin, Satan, Light, Darkness, Truth

Id: DHc45IFjWIw

Length: 66min 32sec (3992 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 16 2018