9.Seven Wonderful Promises - Zac Poonen

there is so as a verse I want to read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 20 it says as many as are the promises of God in Christ Jesus they are yes and therefore also through him is our Amen to the glory of God through us there are some fantastic promises in scripture and it says these promises God is made for man especially the promises that are given us in Christ there were a lot of Old Testament promises which were given through Moses like I will prosper you I will heal you I will make you the chief among the nation's I have observed through the years and you have heard me say that that most Christians prefer to live under the Old Covenant it looks as though God says hey fellas I want you to give up this old covenant and come to something more glorious the new covenant but like Jesus said when the new wine is presented they say the old is better Jesus actually said that in Luke chapter 5 they taste the new wine and say the old is better we don't want all these heavenly blessings we want something right now on earth and that's why they say the old is better I wonder if you say that you know that verse in Luke's Gospel chapter 5 you don't let me show it to you it was good to see everything from Scripture it's quite an interesting verse and he says in verse the last two verses new wine must be put into new fresh wine skins but no one after drinking the old wine wants the new means the old is good enough let me paraphrase that people hear about the New Covenant and they say no the old is good enough in the Old Covenant they promised us healing for our bodies they promised us prosperity they promised us a lot of things on this earth that's good enough for me and that is the gospel being preached today and the Lord says okay if that's good enough that's good enough go ahead but how many will there be who will say the old is not good enough God has abolished the Old Covenant it says in Hebrews eight I want the new in the New Covenant you read about over comers in Revelation in Revelation in chapter 21 it says he who overcomes will inherit all things revelation 21 verse 7 and I will be his God and I he will be my son he who overcomes to all the churches in Revelation Jesus wrote he who overcomes God's desire is that we must be overcomers there was no such thing in the Old Covenant in the Old Covenant yoli overcame the Canaanites and the Philistines and the and the Moabites well I have no interest in overcoming Moabites and and Canaanites and all those people today I've got an interest in overcoming sin I've got an interest in overcoming the devil I've got an interest in overcoming the world today the enemies of the Christian are the world the spirit of the world the passions of the world and all that is in the world and then there is the flesh with its lusts and desires and corruption and then there is the devil that's what we've got to overcome we don't have anymore bites or Philistines or your relatives or your boss or your difficult neighbour and we're not interested in overcoming them but many people say no that's what we want Lord I want you to deal with my neighbor I want you to deal with my boss the old is good enough in the Old Testament Lord you've dealt with all the Israelites enemies but in the New Covenant Jesus God did not deal with Jesus enemies Jesus enemies they continued to live for long lives I suppose that the New Covenant is different very rarely you find nowadays God judging someone I mean there are cases like that where I remember hearing in Charles Spinneys ministry in the last cent in the 19th century in England somebody would get up and oppose his ministry and he would drop dead but that is very rare I mean like Ananias and Sapphira rare it's not very common very very rare in the new cover in the Old Covenant it was there all the time anybody you opposed Israel would be submitted but now that's rare in the New Covenant our enemies are primarily spiritual we don't fight with them we don't fight with earthlies enemies but if our mind is set on earthly things you'll find unconsciously we tend towards Old Covenant blessings and we never come into the New Covenant now I tell you some of my personal convictions on this I don't want to impose it on anybody but I am totally sold out on the New Covenant in every single aspect because I believe this is what Jesus shed his blood for it's called the blood of the everlasting covenant he made with God and man and I say Lord if there's anything Old Covenant in me I want you to remove it I am NOT interested in earthly blessing 0 I'm only interested in heavenly blessing I want you to make me an overcomer over sin over the world the spirit of the world is gets no foothold in me over the flesh all the lusts of the flesh over Satan and all his hosts I'm not interested in winning earthly court cases or God smiting my neighbors or dealing with difficult people or people who criticize me I'm not interested in all that that God can do whatever he wants but I will definitely want to overcome sin and the world and the pleasures the devil I want to be an overcomer there and so I say Lord I'm never going to call you Jehovah I know there are lots of things about Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah I say Lord I read the entire episodes and I never find the word Jehovah there even once why are all these songwriters in the knew in this age singing about Jehovah okay let them do it I'm not gonna do it I never call God Jehovah because Jesus taught me to call him father he told Moses that his name is Jehovah I'll give you numerous instances to show you how Christians prefer to go and say the old is better Jehovah is better why call him father I don't I take God's Word extremely seriously in a day and age where it doesn't mean anything to most people jesus said when you pray say our Father not Jehovah but you know the number of people who sing songs is over and they say then they argue about is it Jehovah or is the correct pronunciation Yahweh I see I couldn't care less I don't call him either whether Jehovah Yahweh akka I call him father I know I know how to pronounce that and I go one step further and I call him dad above I know how to pronounce that all these it's amazing how almost no Christian stands up against all this and says this is all Old Covenant man and that is the reason for their shallow lives because in the Old Covenant they could not overcome the world they could not overcome the flesh they could not overcome the devil and in the Old Covenant they used to get depressed and discouraged in the New Covenant it says rejoice always do you know Christians who have argued with me brother Zack you cannot say that everybody must rejoice always can you imagine born-again believers telling me that you must not preach that people must rejoice always because they say there is something called clinical depression I suppose the Holy Spirit didn't know about that when he said rejoice in the Lord always well I say I don't know about all that brother you can say what you like you you better scratch out that verse from your Bible and say those who don't have clinical depression rejoice in the Lord always it's not what it says I don't I don't care what people say I believe God's Word sin shall not have dominion over you means it will not have dominion over you you can rejoice and I don't mean smile always there's no such verse in Scripture that's for idiots go around smiling all the time rejoice in the Lord always that is what it says it's an inner thing that maybe sorrow Jesus was a man of sorrows but he had a joy inward joy that kept him triumphant the joy of the Lord was his strength we don't follow Elijah who got depressed we don't follow Moses who lost his temper and broke those tablets of stone we don't follow David who committed adultery and married so many women the author and finisher of our faith is Jesus who never got depressed who never lost his temper when it concerned anything personal he was angry for the house of God the zeal of God's house ate him up but never concerning anything personal never never never and he was never depressed he was never angry concerning himself and he was never impure you must keep Jesus as the author and finisher of your faith if you want to be an overcomer will you pray this prayer with me Lord deliver me from the old covenant completely show me that the Old Covenant is over it's like you know I remember living in in India in the British days I used to live in New Delhi in 1947 early part of it and our King was King George the sixth you asked me who was my king as a little six year old boy I'd say King George the sixth but you asked me today I don't say King George or Queen Elizabeth I've finished with all that who is the head of your state Queen Elizabeth I mean Elizabeth no President of India that's what I mean the difference one regime has finished do you know that the Old Covenant is over we are in a new covenant why do we say the old is good enough like say oh the British Raj was the best I wish we were still under Queen Elizabeth this is how some people are living under the Old Covenant and I want to encourage all of you to break free from that and come into the new governor we're living in another day Jesus has come the Holy Spirit has come and there are blessings that are fantastic promises all the promises of God which are in Christ second Corinthians 1:20 God has said yes and we say Amen that's ours we must be bold to claim those promises if somebody sends you a check some multi-millionaire sends you a check let's say somebody like Bill Gates richest man in the world sends you a check number of checks here I like you so much here are some checks what's use admiring them I got to go to the bank and cash them and say thank you and whenever I have a need I go and cash that check this is even greater God has given me promises signed by Jesus Christ was God all authority in heaven and earth and I can go to the bank of heaven and claim every single one of them but it says in that verse in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 it's not enough that God has said yes in Jesus we have to say I'm in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 God has said yes in Christ we have to say I mean any of you who have taken a check to a bank if you want to encash up a cash check you go to any bank signed by whoever it is richest man in the world whatever amount it is whether it's 10 rupees or 1 million rupees pay cash they will always ask you to sign on the back side they won't give it to you otherwise but you say it's signed on the front I know it's signed on the front but you got to sign at the bank it's signed in the front in the name of Jesus Christ this promise is mine I know but you got to say I'm into that otherwise you won't get it that is the reason a lot of people don't get it they don't sign on the back and say this is for me so I want to encourage you I just want to share a few promises with you this morning and I want you to put your signature in the back and say this is for me don't the signature of Jesus is already on the front you say Lord this is for me the first one is the first promise in the New Testament Matthew 1:21 where it says thou shalt call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins I want to say to you the first promise in the New Testament that is for you put your army into that I'm gonna give you seven promises and I want you to put your army into all seven there are many more they're all from the New Testament I'm not going to go back to the Old Testament to Jehovah and killing our earthly enemies and no we're finished with all that we're in a new regime new covenant and the first promise in the page of the New Testament is he will save you from your sins meditate on that for a moment when you say in the name of Jesus what does it mean for many people when you say in Jesus name all it means is now we can open our eyes the prayer is over that's not the meaning of it in Jesus name means I come in the merit of Jesus Christ I come in the merit of him who has come to save me from all my sins I ask for this I shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins let me tell you the good news you do not have to save yourself from your sins then it's not a promise do you know the difference between a promise and a command a command is brother save yourself from your sins that's a command a promises he will save you from your sins there's a world of difference between his doing it and my doing it supposing there is a big problem which you can't solve and you contact some high official who's a good friend of yours and he says don't worry I'll do it finished your responsibilities over he's a trustworthy fellow he said he'll do it whatever needs to be done he'll do it can you trust Jesus like that he will save you from your sins you say why haven't I got it then you didn't put your arm in on the backside of the check yes that's for me sin will not have dominion over you that's the same thing Romans 6:14 because you're not under Moses you're under Christ you're not under law but you're under grace that is the first thing that you must claim Lord this particular sin is ruling over me you said you'll save me from it think of some sin right now that has been ruling you ever since you heard this message 20 years ago but 20 years it has ruled you will you say today Lord Jesus you'll save me from that it may be anger in some of your cases you still haven't got victory over anger it may be sexual lust those are the two first sins that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount that's why I mentioned them the first things that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount Matthew chapter 5 verse 20 onwards anger sexual lust telling lies bitterness against other people who hurt you these are the three four common sins the people just can't overcome anger sexually dirty thoughts telling lies and bitterness against others enemies and people who hurt you you read Matthew chapter 5 the last half of it you'll find these are the four sins that Jesus said and that's why I mention them that's why I mention them so often and you are you slave to one of these or all of these perhaps will you put your arm in to the promise of God that sin will not have dominion over you anymore because you're under grace perhaps you need to go to God and say Lord I still haven't understood what it means to be under grace helped me to understand what it means to be under grace I'm not under law law means my effort grace means God's effort law means my trying to save myself from sin grace means he saves me from sin it's a question of whom you trust you trust yourself you don't get it you trust in Jesus he does it for you so that's the first thing and I believe we must be wholehearted and radical and never be satisfied can you get victory over this murmuring complaining grumbling all these things we got to finish with it think what your home will become if you get rid of murmuring and complaining in your home think what your home will become if you get rid of anger from your home think what your home will become if you get rid of depression bad moods they are what does it say in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 what Jesus says God is all the promises of God are yes in Christ that means he's put his signature we put our arm in and it's ours he will write his laws in our heart and mind that's that's what he's promised to do we must not give up until we experience this not talk about it but actually experience it it'll revolutionize your home and your church and everything if if the leaders actually enter into the new covenant I fear that many of our elder brothers have not entered into the new covenant themselves so how can a person who's only past first standard teach a college class that is the problem with many of our elders they passed first standard and they're trying to teach a college class no we've got to get past this we got to really be overcomers otherwise you can't get up and preach God's Word just because you've studied something or you're meditated and produced a message no it must come out of your overcoming life otherwise you'll be like the elder in sardis and the elder layer this year so here's where we must begin Lord you will save me from my sins I want to believe that today that's the name of Jesus means you will save me from my sins you will give me the power to overcome just like Jesus gave Peter the power to overcome the law of gravity and walk on the water to me that Jesus walking on the water and Peter walking on the water is a beautiful picture of the New Covenant under the Old Covenant the law of gravity took over everybody sank in the water but then Jesus came and he walked on the water overcoming the law of sin and death the law of sin and death is like gravity pulling us down Jesus overcame and walked and Peter said Lord if it's you I can also walk boy can you say that Lord if you lived on earth overcoming sin I can live on earth overcoming sin and Jesus had come if you got the faith come and he came and he looked under Jesus and lo and behold he could overcome gravity - according to your faith be it unto you and he's he walks and his triumphant and all of a sudden he gets a little proud that's the end or he looks around and this massive temptation or perhaps looks around to see what's happening to all the others the moment you start looking around whatever the reason because you're proud or because the temptation is too big or to see whether others are obeying God as much as you I guarantee you'll go down and when you start going down you must pray what Peter prayed Lord save me you'll save you but if you don't look around and just keep your eyes fixed on Jesus you need not sink that's the message of that miracle every miracle was a parable every miracle was a parable to teach us something that you can be an overcomer like Jesus overcame to me the greatest miracle there is not Jesus walking on the water that's not a great thing it's Peter walking on the water that's the miracle Jesus overcoming sin is not such a great thing but if I can overcome sin I who was such a slave when I overcome that's a miracle isn't it a miracle if you overcome anger or you who are slaves to dirty thoughts and internet pornography and all that you suddenly finish with it boy what a miracle that is think how effective your life will become if you start going along that direction and you get rid of bitterness you get rid of telling lies boy you become an overcomer those are the ones we need in our church over comers where our homes become like little heaven our home becomes like a little heaven no anger nobody in a bad mood anytime I decided long ago I will never be in a bad mood for one second in my whole life why because the second Corinthians 1:20 all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus and I put my arm into it that's it it's not got to do with my determination I'm not a Buddhist controlling my feelings no I'm a Christian Jesus saves me not my gritting my teeth and yoga and all that no no no it's Jesus it's another power that keeps me from falling you must believe that you keep you from falling believe it put your arm into it okay here's a second promise and that's the second promise in the New Testament Matthew chapter 3 verse 11 a lot of people have a problem with this also Matthew 3:11 is the second promise in the New Testament which is he will again it is he remember this Old Covenant is thou shalt thou shalt thou shalt thou shalt not thou shalt not thou shalt but the New Covenant promises are completely different he will he will he will if you can understand this fundamental difference between law law is thou shalt thou shalt thou shalt and if you hear a preacher in in your church saying thou shalt thou shalt thou shalt he is under the law the one who's under grace says he will he will save you from your sins he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire John the Baptist said don't come to me I can't I can't help you I you I can baptize you in water but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire don't think you have to go to somebody you know some I know the early apostles had an ability to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit but I've never met anybody in my life listen to this I've never met anybody in my life who had that ability I think the early apostles had it you just got to face facts if they prayed for twelve people all twelve received the Holy Spirit I pray for twelve and I wonder if anybody who received the Holy Spirit may be one I don't have that ability so don't come to me if I place my empty hands on your empty head nothing's gonna happen but go to Jesus and ask him to fill you with your Holy Spirit he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire immerse you in the Holy Spirit I went to him and I asked him to immerse me in the Holy Spirit and I asked him many many times Lord set me on fire I'm getting a little cold Lord set me on fire I want to be on I want to be a blazing flame for Jesus till the day I die you have that desire you can't do it you can't work yourself up you can work up emotions but you can't get the fire of the Holy Spirit only he can do it only he he will save you from your sins he will baptize you in the holy spirit do you think he'll deny that to you after he said he'll do it think of earthly people who have made you some promises saying don't worry I'll do it and you call him up a second time and he said listen didn't I tell you I'd do it trust me I'll do it can you trust Jesus can you go to him and say Lord here's a check signed by you that you will baptized me in the Holy Spirit and fire here today I'm writing my army and on the backside of it that's for me claim it say Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit and I believe this is something continuous I need to be saved my from my sins continuously the first promise in the New Testament is not something that happened to me 10 years ago it has happened to me today next week I have to be saved from my sin he will save you from your sins as a continuous promise just because you went and cashed a check in the bank last month does that take care of your needs today now you got to go to the bank again and catch another cheque for today's needs it's like that okay he baptized me in the Holy Spirit I need to be baptized continuously immerged continuously in fire I met a lot of people who were on fire for God some time ago over there cold is anything today what happened they quoted Dave in the past I spoke in tongues on so and so date so what brother you're not on fire today God wants us to be on fire all the time and I can't do it he has to do it I have to write my army and you'll do it Lord you'll do it for me why not go to God and claim some of these magnificent promises where Jesus has already put a signature on it and said it's for you you put your arm in behind and say yes it's for me that is boldness to go before God and claim that promise I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit I want the gifts of the Holy Spirit to serve you Lord whatever gifts you want to give me and it says in 2nd Corinthians 1:20 for the glory of God that's also written in that verse Lord it is not for my glory I give you my word I give you my word I told the Lord that Lord whatever gift you give me I will never try to make profit out of it for myself I won't write books for profit I will not write make CDs for profit I will not preach for profit I will not do anything for myself for the glory of God go to God and say that I Lord I won't even seek honor with my gift only the glory of God don't seek to exercise a gift so that people will recognize it and make you an elder in the church lord I don't want to be an elder in the church I want to glorify God that's all I don't want anybody to recognize my gift and say oh that's a good brother to make an elder in the church is that what you're interested in get rid of all these carnal desires they say Lord I want to glorify you that's all that's why I want to be saved from sin that's why I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit all the time he will do it this is not a command it's a promise please distinguish I'm not preaching commands this morning I'm telling you promises to which you must put your signature at the back I'm in ok let's go to another wonderful promise in 1 Corinthians after 10 in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 we have a wonderful promise of God which has been a tremendous encouragement to me through many many years 1 Corinthians 10:13 promise number 3 God is faithful in the middle of that verse who will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able to bear but will with every temptation make a way to escape so that you can endure it I tell you I would be scared to face the future if I didn't have that verse God will never allow you to be tested by a test which is so massive that you cannot bear it now if you don't put your arm into that then you may face a test which is going to be too much for you because it's everything is according to faith I'll tell you one thing in the New Testament faith means you put your arm into that check if faith is that simple you put your arm in at the backside of that check and if you don't do that you will not get it you will not be saved from your sin you will not be baptized in the Holy Spirit you may face a massive trial which you can't handle but I don't believe in my entire life however long I live I will never face a trial which is too much for me to handle I'll never face a trial which I cannot overcome I will never face a trial in my life where I have to grumble I will never face a trial in my life where I have to complain against God or against any human being never not because of what I am I'm not talking about my ability I'm not under law law is my ability I'm talking about God's ability he is faithful never to allow me to face a trial which is too much for me you see that in the book of Job job is the first book written in the Bible and what the very first thing you see there in the first chapter of the first book that God wrote is you have to get God's permission Satan has to get God's permission before he sends a trial into the life of a man of God or a woman of God yes to get God the trial may be massive but he has to get God's permission first without God's permission it can not come to you and when I look back over my life you know I can see that there were certain things which God did not allow to come into my life until I was able to bear it I remember it was about 16 years after I was born again 16 years after I was born again that God allowed every single Christian group almost in India to call me false teacher heretic false prophet all types of names I couldn't handle it when I was just a Christian of two or three years and God didn't allow it to come he trained me and prepared me and strengthened me for 16 years and then the devil goes to God and say okay can I get everybody to call Zach a false prophet and Heretic God says now you can he wasn't ready for it till now isn't that good of God I think I would have collapsed in discouragement if that had happened to me when I was a Christian of for five years I'd have just given up but I didn't give up because God prepared me in 16 years for it I was a Christian for about thirty nine years before God allowed the devil to take me to court I couldn't have handled it before I think the devil would have gone to God and said can I take him to court now God said no he's not ready for it twenty years thirty years no not yet ready not yet ready thirty-five years no no and then one day God says there'll okay now you can have it I tell you when you understand this you don't deal with men I don't deal with men no man can touch me it is impossible I am a servant of God it's God who opens the hedges and allows the devil to do something and he will never allow that to happen before he has prepared me for it and then I can be an overcomer it's wonderful he will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability you will not face the test that I face because you may not be strong enough for it yet that's just like saying a six standard student will not get a question paper which a ten standard student gets and that's not a great revelation is that no he's a very simple truth that's exactly this verse a BSc student is going to get a tougher maths paper then a fourth standard student that's all this verse is saying God will not give you a question paper that's too tough for you he'll see which class you're in and he'll give you that so whenever a question paper comes don't say this is too tough for me or we didn't study this portion all the excuses people make nowadays no Lord I can overcome this this is not something beyond my ability have you heard some believers say oh this is getting too much for me God is a liar this is getting too much for me God is not a liar the Bible says God is faithful you probably did not put your arm into that verse but your arm in today and say Lord I believe with all my heart not what I am no no no no no but you are faithful you will never allow me never never never not in a hundred years will you allow me even one day to be tested beyond my ability but when a test comes you'll give me a way to overcome it it's wonderful promise that's why you can piss even ten years from now I don't know what's gonna happen in India ten years from now I don't know what persecution is going to come on Christians years from now but I tell you humanly speaking I'm scared I read of people who are persecuted where they pull out their nails and poke things through their tongue and I can't stand that and I say Lord if you don't give me grace I may even deny Jesus Christ I won't be like Peter say oh if all men deny you I will not deny you I won't say that I'll say Lord I'm a weak person but because I'm a weak person I cling to you it's good to be weak you know the little two-year-old who never tries to cross the road himself but holds on to daddy's hand is much safer so as I was saying the two-year-old clings on to his father's hand says I'm scared dad I can't cross this road alone there's too much traffic and he crosses safely but the seven-year-old who's pretty bold says Oh dad I know I can crawl and have a lot of cars going and he gets run over don't be like the seven-year-old be like the little child who clings on to daddy's hand and says I can't cross this this world is too dangerous Lord it's I can't walk across alone I hold your hand and you hold mine and will cross over without any problem so I'll never be like Peter saying oh if all deny you I will not deny you what I say to the Lord is Lord humanly speaking I'm a coward if people start pulling out my nails I don't know what I will deny but I know that you will not forsake me I cling to you and therefore I know that you will never allow me to be tested beyond my ability but in whatever situation even if it means somebody pulling out my nails are torturing me for my Christian faith you will not allow me to be tested beyond my ability and like those saints and martyrs of old who suffered and overcame I will also be overcome ER but let your confidence be in God a lot of our problems are because we have confidence in ourselves one of the main things that God wants you to learn to have no confidence in yourself okay we go to promise number 4 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9 we read this wonderful promise my grace is sufficient for you because my power is perfected in weakness this goes on from the previous promise that means in every situation God's grace is enough to take me over the problem may remain there the difficult person may remain there but God's grace will help me to overcome and one of the beautiful illustrations I read about this was where a man saw dream where he was trying to cross a river in a boat and always on just about a foot below the level of the water was a long rock which was hidden and his boat was hitting against that rock and hitting against that rock and hitting against the rock he couldn't go through to the other side and he was saying Lord remove this rock remove this rock remove this rock just like you sometimes pray get rid of his neighbor get rid of this problem get rid of this difficulty or get rid of his sickness or get rid of this and it and the Lord says I won't remove the rock but I'll raise the level of the water so you can still go across that is the meaning of my grace is sufficient for you your difficult wife may never change though you pray that rock will remain but God will raise the level of His grace so that with that difficult wife he'll be an overcomer or with that difficult boss you'll be an overcomer and that neighbor who you prayed for so many years that he would shift his house you just heard the other day that he's bought the house and he's gonna live there forever great now you got to pray that God will raise the level of the water so that you overcome with that person there permanently now my grace is sufficient for you every situation that you can ever face in your life God's grace is sufficient again it's not a question of what you can do God says my grace not your ability your ability is not sufficient but God says my grace is sufficient for you in every single situation you can ever face in your whole life I want to believe that in this particular case it was a sickness now generally speaking I believe it's God's will that we should be healthy I believe that's God's general will but I will not preach that God will deliver us from all sickness because there is no such promise in the Bible there is a promise that will save us from all sin there's no promise in the Bible that Allah he lead you from all sicknesses I know some Pentecostals preach it but it's not in the Bible and it is not even true in their life there's that there are as many Pentecostals and charismatics who die of cancer as in other churches there are as many lame people and with polio in Pentecostal churches as in other churches there as many blind people and deaf people in Pentecostal charismatic churches as in other churches and if you take statistics you'll find the average is pretty much the same so if the average is pretty much the same why do they talk so much about healing nothing seems to be happening don't be deceived it is to prevent you from concentrating on being saved from sin that the devil makes you concentrate on healing or prosperity or something like that you get all your mind focused on healing and prosperity and which in many cases God may not allow you to have and you never get saved from sin there's a lot of deception going on in the world today there are as many poor people in Pentecostal charismatic churches that preach prosperity as there are anywhere else it's the pastors who get rich they are the ones who collect money and become millionaires not the others it's a fantastic deception and I'm sorry to say so many believers are just swallowing that and being deceived by it but grace is sufficient in Paul's case he had a sickness he prayed three times it would go away and he did not go away and the Lord said I'm not gonna remove the rock I'll raise the level of the water I won't remove your sickness but listen to this your sickness will not hinder you from serving me you will serve me more than all the other apostles in spite of your sickness isn't that great God is not going to make Paul blind and deaf and paralyzed no but sometimes he may allow something to be there which does not hinder our effectiveness for Christ which does not hinder our becoming like Christ which does not hinder our living a spirit-filled life which does not hinder us from overcoming sin but which will keep us humble I've told you many times the most difficult thing for God to do is to keep a person humble and one way he did it for Paul was by giving him a sickness that's the way he did for Timothy constant stomach problems whatever he ate he would have diarrhea or vomiting or something like that poor man he really had to cling to God but he was a godly man yet God's grace was sufficient for him it didn't hinder him from serving God and I'll tell you this I've learned through the years that God doesn't take away all our aches and pains and everything else but he'll never he'll give us grace so that we can still continue to serve Him despite our aches and pains and blood pressure and everything else my grace is sufficient whatever situation you may face please remember that don't ever complain that your wife is too difficult or your husband is too difficult or your servant is too difficult or your children are a nuisance you're then saying God's grace is not sufficient God's grace is sufficient put your arm into that today whatever circumstance you face whatever it is say God's grace is sufficient for me to overcome that maybe it's a financial hardship in that financial hardship you say okay lord I can't get the things I want to life is a little tough right now but your grace is sufficient and I'll tell you this some of you who got plenty of money and who got everything you want in this world you will never have a ministry like those who have gone through financial hardship I'm sorry to say that but you'll never have it because you got everything you want in this world you don't need God's grace why do you need God's grace you got help you got wealth you got everything else you need of course you need some Bible knowledge to get up and preach in your meetings but you won't be an overcomer because you got nothing to overcome and when some little difficulty comes up in your home you grumble and complain rich people are the ones who grumble and complain the most because they are used to a certain standard of comfort and luxury that little thing goes wrong and they get all upset poor people don't complain so much and if you if God allows you to go through a little poverty and struggle perhaps you'll stop complaining so much so trust in God's grace and say lord I want to prove in my life whatever my circumstances I believe your grace is sufficient if I have a sickness that never gets healed okay your grace is sufficient to make me overcome that there are many many people in the history of the church who overcome tremendous problems people who are blind who never got healed from their blindness like the blind poet George Matheson oh love that will not let me go I rest my very soul in D like Fanny Crosby who wrote thousands of hymns wonderful blind woman totally blind some of the amazing songs we sing most of the very well-known songs that we sing were written by that blind woman Fanny Crosby God's grace was abundant can you imagine if you were blind would you get discouraged and give up she didn't she didn't have the benefits that you and I have but she wrote so many hymns and blessed thousands of people more than we do with our eyesight God's grace is sufficient and one day you will see in eternity numerous people who prove that God's grace is sufficient and you must be one of them that you never complain you overcome your circumstances by the grace of God and say God's grace is sufficient for me and then we go to promise number five very well-known promise in Romans 8:28 promise number five is all things work together for good God causes all things to work together for good I like that translation in the NASB it's God who causes all things it's even better than the King James Version God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose let me ask you do you love God do you want to fulfill God's purpose in your life that your only ambition here's a promise God will cause everything listen read carefully not to work individually but to work together for good sometimes we look at that individual event and say how in the world is this going to work for my good no it won't but this along with a hundred other things that God sends into your life is going to be working for good and this is also necessary it's like a part of a jigsaw puzzle you've seen a jigsaw puzzle with 200 pieces and if one part is missing the picture is incomplete but that part by itself means nothing you can't get anything out of that one piece of the jigsaw puzzle but it's a very important piece so I think of a jigsaw puzzle when I read Romans 8:28 all pieces together present me a beautiful picture the face of Jesus think if you had a jigsaw puzzle with the face of Jesus and 200 pieces in it one piece missing I miss something of his face so that little thing is also necessary God will cause it all to work together for good and the good mention is in the next verse Romans 8:29 that he'll make us like Jesus Christ through all these circumstances please listen the good is not that you'll get a better job I'll get a prettier wife or a richer husband no that's not the good God doesn't give us shallow things that have no eternal worth when he talks about good he's not saying you know for example a person goes and goes for an interview and doesn't get that job what do I tell him God has something better for you but he may misunderstand what I say as though I'm gonna get a job with a bigger salary that's if he's an Old Covenant person who says the old is good enough but if he's a new covenant person you can say the promises that I'll become a little more like Jesus maybe the job I get is going to be half the salary of this one but it'll work for my good so and the girl you wanted to marry you couldn't get and I say you'll get something better it doesn't mean the Galia will marry will be prettier or richer or any such thing but someone who'll help you help will be a better help meat for you to live for God that's the point romans 8:28 claim put your arm into it I believe it Lord that every single thing that ever happens in my life is gonna work together with everything else for my good for my very best to make me like Jesus there's nothing that's ever gonna happen to me in my life because lord I love you I only want your purpose to be fulfilled in my life I believe that as I go out to face this world every single thing that happens is going to be part of the jigsaw puzzle that finally makes me like Jesus Christ and therefore I have no complaints about anything that's why we can give thanks always for all things because God is making all these things work together for good okay we go to promise number six another wonderful promise in Hebrews chapter thirteen verse five and six where it says the Lord says but let your character be free from the love of money be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave you I will never forsake you and I understand that in the original Greek it is three times I will never never never which means Father Son and Holy Spirit I will never never never leave you nor forsake you and so that verse six we can confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me why can we say that why is it we can say the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid you know fear is one of the greatest things that's ruling people in the world today fear of the future fear of sickness fear of financial difficulty fear of losing a job fear of your husband dying pure if you're losing your house fear of so many things but you say the Lord is my helper one who runs this universe is my helper I will not be afraid what can any man do to me people threaten us in this world ah I'll do this to you I'll do that to you and you can say what can man do to because the Lord is my helper why can we say that because he has said I will never leave you I will never forsake you and that is why I say to you please keep your conscience clear please keep your conscience clear and please humble yourself there are only two things you have to do as soon as you commit a sin confess it and as soon as you get an opportunity to humble yourself humble yourself and then the promise is true he will never leave you he'll never forsake you I decided long ago in my life that I will keep my conscience clear immediately as soon as I slipped up somewhere my thoughts words I will never justify myself I would say I'm wrong forgive me I tell you I'm sorry to say that even some of our elder brothers have not learned that lesson to immediately acknowledge error why can't we do that so why can't we do that immediately you fall I'm not saying you'll never fall but as soon as you fall don't don't don't justify yourself I'm sick and tired of the justification I've heard from so many people all the way from elder brothers down to the last is always the justification well I look at these people and I don't see an anointing in their lives they're missing God's best keep your conscience clear you could be wrong brother you could be wrong just acknowledge there is a possibility I may be wrong I can press it forgive me cleanse me you're missed a lot in life by not keeping your conscience clear with God and man and not humbling yourself that's the second thing humble yourself under the mighty hand of God in all situations and he will never leave you now forsake you then we can boldly say the Lord is my helper you must be able to say that the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me a good verse to memorize Hebrews 13 six because it says we must say that boldly the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me got it shall we say it together the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me you didn't say it boldly it says here you must say it boldly the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me say that all your life say it all your life every day the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what will man do to me eeeyah said he'll never leave me now forsake me and the last one number seven this relates to our ministry and the church Matthew 16 and verse 18 is especially for those of you who are interested in building the church in your locality I am I hope you are the Lord's promises in the middle of that verse I will build my church again it is I will not you will the trouble with a lot of people is they are going out to build the church and nothing happens the Lord says I will build my church and here's the promise the gates of Hades will not overpower it why is it over part your church because you try to build it according to your ideas according to your psychology how to deal with people etc etc no wonder the gates of hell over parted this confusion there's jealousy the strife there's all types of things as worldliness why not let Jesus build it why not just become an instrument in his hand and say Lord this is your church build it for 30 years I faced all types of problems in our different churches you know that and every time I paint a problem I fall on my face before God and say Lord this is your work this is not mine it's your church it's not mine I'm building nothing you build your church and I know the gates of Hell will never go for it and that's why I don't have any complaint against anybody it's he who builds the church the government will be upon his shoulder it says in Isaiah 9 the trouble with some of our elder brothers is the government is on their shoulder they are upset when somebody does not submit to their authority who made you an authority why not just get rid of that government from your shoulder and put it on his shoulder and you'll discover that the gates of Hell will not prevail against your church against the church which he's building it's a wonderful promise the gates of Hell will not prevail we will overcome the devil in our home in our church your home is a little Church where you father and mother are the elders Noah's Church was just his family eight people the gates of Hell will not overpower it this is the spirit of triumph that you got from these promises you put your arming behind it and you'll find all the checks will be cashed by the bank of heaven I can guarantee that and that's the spirit in which we got to face the world in the days to come let's bow our heads before God and pray God has given us exceeding great and wonderful and magnificent promises let's claim them in Jesus name and then we'll be able to testify like the Apostle Paul thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ always that we can walk as Jesus walked on this earth always in triumph afraid of no man afraid of no demon or devil or anything afraid of no circumstance because his father would never forsake him and Jesus has said I will never leave you nor forsake you keep your conscience clean brother sister humble yourself at every opportunity God gives grace to the humble

Channel: CFC India

Views: 14,153

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Keywords: 09, 18, 05, 06, Seven, Wonderful, Promises, 1

Id: VLAEAeFs-8A

Length: 60min 51sec (3651 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 17 2012