Are You Following Jesus Or Admiring Him? by Zac Poonen

dear brothers and sisters it's always a joy to share God's word with you and this morning I want to speak on the subject are you following Jesus or just admiring him the great need in our Christian life is for balance God has made our human body in such a perfect way there's a balance on the left and the right and in our Christian life we need to worship admire appreciate and praise the Lord there's no end to that we're gonna do it all eternity in heaven but that must lead on to following him it's much easier to express our appreciation on Sunday morning when we come together in praise and to say there's no one else like you Lord we admire you appreciate you it's so necessary I think is good for us out of 10 lepers who were cleansed only one came back to thank and appreciate the Lord and that's a very good quality but it shouldn't stop there because Jesus the word he used most frequently when he spoke to people inviting them was follow me follow me follow me that means we are to literally walk in his footsteps one of the complaints that God had against the Israelites in the Old Testament and which Jesus repeated and quoted was this in mark chapter 7 and verse 6 in mark chapter 7 and verse 6 jesus said to them rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far away from me and there it says their heart went off to the covetousness and the things that they wanted but they would come into God's presence and honor him with their lips and say wonderful things to him we had to be careful that we are not guilty of that but when we express our appreciation and love for the Lord and gratitude for all that he did for us that it's manifested in a life of following him as he wanted see when Jesus came to earth he came in a human body and when he went up to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit he made the church his body is given the same name the body of Christ so Jesus Christ has two bodies one physical one in heaven the one he walked on earth with and the other is us and why is the church given the name the body of Christ because people are supposed to see in us what they saw in Christ people are supposed we're supposed to carry on the same ministry that Jesus did in his earthly body that's why we're called the body of Christ and we need to take this challenge seriously this is our calling in John's Gospel chapter 8 jesus said in verse 12 I want to show you these scriptures so that you understand in the words of Jesus himself what our calling is he said I'm the light of the world he who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of Life I can have appreciate him admire him and walk in darkness but if you follow him you'll never walk in darkness darkness is discouragement gloom a life of murmuring complaining bitterness and unforgiving spirit and everything that we inherited from Adam the poison of the devil and Jesus said promise that if you follow him will never walk in darkness but mean have the light of Life that's the way we are supposed to live and the purpose of our coming together in God's house and church is to receive the prophetic word and the prophetic word also has a balance the prophetic word challenges us and encourages us we need both we need encouragement God is our Father Jesus loves us cares for us he'll provide for us and we also need challenge in Scripture we find both and if we receive only encouragement very often people come to church they want to be encouraged yes we need encouragement we need to encourage one another but we also need the challenge of God's Word calling us to God's highest standards Jesus once said you must be merciful as your heavenly father is merciful the standard he set before us was not of any human being since exactly as God is merciful we must be merciful that's just one example of a challenge let me show you that in Luke's Gospel chapter 6 verse 36 it's it's a very high standard be merciful Luke 636 just as your father is merciful think of that exactly as God has been merciful to me repeatedly again and again and again and again I have to be merciful to others Jesus encouraged people by telling them how much the father loved them but he also challenged them with statements like this and Christians very often are guilty of going just to the places where there are words of encouragement and ignoring words like this there is absolutely no excuse for example on the basis of that verse for me to have an unforgiving unmerciful spirit to a single human being on the face of the earth because God's been so merciful to us the only person who can say I will not be merciful to others is one who feels God hasn't been merciful to him there's no such human being in the world so you take that challenge and ask yourself is there a human being in the world whom you've not forgiven when we are not merciful to words it says when Peter sinned by denying the Lord three times there's a word in Luke's Gospel which says the Lord turned and looked at him and I don't believe that was a look which said I told you this would happen no it was a look which said it's all right Peter I forgive you let's move on there are many people perhaps who are waiting for a look like that from you will you follow Jesus here that's the challenge Jesus says follow me this is the route to eternal life to a life where there's no darkness at all we can glory in the fact that our sins are forgiven and yet be defeated defeated defeated and God's not glorified by our defeated life so I want to share with you this matter of following Jesus in two areas first of all in our life and in our ministry when we think of following Jesus in our lives we begin with having our sins forgiven we must be absolutely sure that the blood of Christ has cleansed us completely and the Word of God is clear that if we come into the light and we confess our sins he is faithful and righteous to cleanse us to confer give us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness that's where we begin it's like a foundation you can't move on unless you're sure that you've been forgiven not only forgiven but declared righteous and assured that God has promised your sins and iniquities I will remember no more don't let that devil ever Harris you by sin you've confessed to the Lord and turned from very often the devil does that if you're ignorant of Scripture remind us of some terrible thing we did last year or ten years ago and the we know it was evil we know sometimes some of those evil things we've done there's no way of rectifying it there's no way of even making restitution or apologizing we don't even know where those people are whom we have heard we're not to live with the guilt of that if you live with guilt it'll be like a chain on your feet that you'll never be able to move forward in your Christian life so you got to finish with guilt that's very very important when we glorify guilt we're dishonouring the blood of Christ now if you have not confessed your sin you have not turned from IDIA are not sorry for what you did then you need to have guilt but once you've confessed your sin to the Lord I want to encourage you to believe the blood of Jesus has cleansed you and the Lord says in Hebrews 8:12 I will not remember your sins anymore and then we move on so that's our foundation and from then on we are to listen to that word of Jesus which had follow me follow me Jesus is not only our Savior there's a title of Christ's that is not so well known among many Christians it's in the book of Hebrews and unfortunately Hebrews is not a very popular book with many Christians well it's a very important book because it shows us the humanity of Jesus Christ more than any other book we need to see Jesus Christ as God the deity of Christ is fundamental but we also need to see his humanity if I only see his deity and I don't see his humanity that's be my Christian life will be incomplete in Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 20 it says here that Jesus has entered as a four-runner have you ever heard that word before forerunner one who is run in front of us the same race that we have to run I want to show you another verse in Hebrews 12 where it says in verse 1 in the last part of verse 1 Hebrews 12 verse 1 let us run with endurance the last part of that verse the race that is set before us and the next verse verse 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith so we to run this race looking at Jesus the way he went in every situation he was tempted like us we can see his footsteps where he overcame temptation that's the race we are drawn that's what it means to follow him not just admire him not just say wow what a wonderful life he lived on earth but the Bible challenges us to see his footsteps and walk in his footsteps to forgive as he forgave etc and this will encourage us too because the Bible also says in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15 Hebrews 4:15 we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us our weakness but one listen to this this revolutionized my life nearly 38 years ago when I learned this truth that he was tempted exactly like me and yet without sin he was not tempted in a different way he did not have access to resources to overcome temptation that I don't have he had the same holy spirit that he offers me that's why we can follow him in the way he lived otherwise it would be impossible I mean if Jesus lived on earth as God how in the world could I follow him it's like an angel coming to the wings and telling me to fly across follow him and he flies across the river I said I'll do that there's a force that pulls me down that's not pulling it on get rid of your wings and come to the body like mine and then teach me to swim it's so important to understand Jesus became like us you know for many years in the back of my mind I was always thinking he couldn't have been like us he couldn't have been I mean we're such sinful creatures how could he have come down to it he did not have sin in him but he was tempted like us he faced temptation exactly like us and one of the illustrations that came to my mind was this there are many poor people who live in the slums in India who are very little money they they work carrying bricks or doing all types of odd jobs sometimes they don't get work every day and their income may be you know one to three dollars a day say a hundred dollars a month and it's very difficult to live in the cities with that amount of money now supposing some rich man from a wealthy country went there and say I want to teach you people to live within hundred dollars a month and I'm a billionaire but I'm not gonna use my credit card when I come here I will live in your midst work like you earn my living just like you and teach you how to live within this amount of money and keep your little pot clean etc is he a billionaire he is but he refuses to use his credit card while he's there and he works just like anyone else and teaches people how to live within that income and never get into debt this is the peak one of the pictures the Lord gave me of how he came to heaven from heaven to earth he had a heavenly credit card that he could have used anytime but he didn't I don't have one I'm a man how could he ask me to follow him if he was not exactly like I emphasize this because in the back of our minds there's something that says we can't follow him we can't fallen he was not like us and that's why I want you to know he was like us he was tempted exactly like us and he had the same holy spirit we have the same Holy Spirit that he had it's to me such an exciting thing that the Spirit of God that dwells in me the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus that helped him to live on earth is and overcoming pure life we must have faith for that just like we have faith that his blood cleanses us from all sin he sent the Spirit so that we can follow him in his footsteps whatever situation we may face he didn't face all our circumstances but he was tempted in all points like we are and we can respond in times of temptation exactly like he did I remember about 15 years ago when some religious people in India took me to court for you know exposing their wrong doctrines and suing me for defamation but I'd never been to a court in 59 years of my life I never had a lawyer any such thing for the new experience for me and naturally there was a little fear whenever we faced a new experience it was like being thrown into a swimming pool not knowing how to swim but I would face a new experience we can have a little bit of fear and so as I went into the court that being I heard the Lord say to me don't be afraid just like you said to those disciples religious people he said took me to court as well before you so look for my footsteps in this court at encourage me the footsteps of Jesus in a criminal court and I saw that those footsteps were footsteps of faith and love faith in a sovereign God who would make everything work together for my good whose sovereign in control who permits things sometimes evil things to do evil things to make me as strong a Christian that's faith and the second footstep of Jesus was loud that I was to love those who accused me and those who hated me and those were taken me to court and whatever they had against me and I ask God for grace in the part of the Holy Spirit and that's how I faced that in those years it was a tremendous experience it was an honor God gave me as I stood there with all those criminals and I thought of that verse which says about Jesus he was numbered with the criminals dear brothers and sisters if you really take this matter seriously of following in Jesus footsteps you'll find you have amazing experiences with other Christians never have God will be able to give you a ministry that comes not out of Bible study but that comes out of your own personal life and experience that's the way God wants us to serve others so let's take this matter very seriously because it says here in Hebrews 4:16 because Jesus was tempted like this without sin Hebrews 4:16 the next verse says therefore therefore what you remember therefore goes back to the previous verse which is Jesus was tempted like us and did not sin is that just a statement of fact that we are to just leave there no therefore there's a consequence to that let us now because of that come near with great boldness to the throne of grace so that first of all we receive mercy Jesus never needed that he never needed forgiveness we need that but then to find the same grace that Jesus found to help us in our time of need and in relation to the previous verse our time of need is when we are tempted some circumstance some situation which we feel it is too much for us it's not too much for us we can follow in Jesus footsteps he will give us the power of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians and chapter 10 and verse 13 this is a great verse 1 Corinthians 10 in verse 13 it says here in the mid this verse see the middle of this verse God is faithful he will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able we must believe this my brothers and sisters don't ever say in any situation all that's getting too much for me you know what you're saying then God is unfaithful or we're saying in this particular moment the devil sort of taken over control of the world he hasn't God is still on the throne and he never forsakes his own never never never Christ defeated on Satan on the cross you know one of my big problems in the earlier part of my Christian life was to be discouraged frequently well tell you the honest truth is disappeared from my life for many years as I've come to faith in God's Word whenever Jesus was tempted he never discussed things with the devil he never discussed events or circumstances Eve made that mistake of getting into a discussion with Satan Jesus only quoted God's Word when he quoted God's Word the devil left he'd come with another temptation Jesus would caught God's Word and the devil would leave so I want to say this to you when you're discouraged you know Jesus was never discouraged he was never in a bad mood this is the thing that challenged me he was never worried or anxious or tense about anything he was concerned but he was not anxious there's a lot of difference between concern we need I mean if you love people be concerned about them but to be anxious as though God's forsaken us and the father has given up control of this universe that's never to be found in our lives and I said Lord if I want to walk like you if I'm to walk like you if you told me to follow you is it possible for me to follow you in a life where I won't get discouraged never in a bad mood no matter how other people around me behave and the answer is yes according to your faith be it unto you God can help you my brother and sister to live like this we've got a quote God's Word that's important even Jesus never overcame Satan without quoting God's Word man shall not live by only food but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth and so for example when some terrible circumstance which I didn't expect comes to me I say how shall I follow Jesus here did Jesus get into a panic when there was a storm in the lake or when the soldiers came to capture him never he said whom do you seek Jesus of Nazareth well that's me take me I say Lord give me that when he stood before Pilate and Pilate threatens him saying don't you know I have power to crucify you or to release you and Jesus is so calm and quietly says you don't have any power over me except what my father gives you it's wonderful to live on earth like this with evil people around us and people who threaten us or people who frighten us no one has power over us so I've learned to quote God's Word to assure myself in a time of when their pressures or discouragement how to follow Jesus to say God is on the throne that's always true he runs this universe Jesus said I've got all authority in heaven and earth that's always true my sins are all forgiven being blotted out in the blood of Jesus through the blood of Christ that's always true the devil was defeated 2,000 years ago and Christ is coming back for me well the most important things are all okay a few minor things like some other little problems here and there it doesn't matter this is the thing that's helped me to overcome discouragement to confess God that these truths of God's Word we can follow him so don't let the devil ever tell you you cannot follow Jesus or to be impossible for you in this evil world to be an overcomer and to be free from anger and discouragement and anxiety we may be failing in all those areas but I want to invite you to set your mind on that mountain peak may take time for us to reach the top but we're going to get there so I see following Jesus like climbing a mountain Jesus has already reached the peak from the top he was tempted in all points as we are never sinned and reached up to the top and there are others through the centuries who have followed in his footsteps faithful men like the Apostle Paul who could turn around and people say it to say that people follow me as I follow Christ he hadn't reached the top he said I'm not yet attained I'm not perfect but he said I'm pressing on in fact there's only one thing I do I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus to be exactly like Jesus that's our calling and he said I'm following I'm following I'm following he looked for the footsteps of Jesus on that mountain slope in the snow and he walked and walked and walked and he was an overcomer and he looked grounded looked down and others who were behind him and said follow me as I follow Christ 1 Corinthians 11:1 follow me as I follow Christ and do you know that every one of us if we mean Christians for a while should be able to say to those who are younger than us in Christ but a little lower down the mountain slope we should be able to turn around to them and say follow me as I'm following Paul and as I'm following Christ there are footsteps in front of us of godly men who have overcome we must not ever get discouraged and think we cannot press on in their footsteps we can because Jesus was tempted like us and he overcame see most Christians are satisfied with the forgiveness of their sins they say well I'm gonna heaven that's about all but I don't want that to be all in my life when I get to heaven I see the tremendous love that Jesus had for me and the tremendous price that he paid on the cross for my sins I don't want to see myself as having the selfish self-centered life here on this earth no I want him to be able to look at me and say well done good and faithful servant the same for every one of us our whole life must be an expression of gratitude for Christ having died for us on the cross that's how I started my Christian life when I was 19 years old 55 years ago when I gave my life to Christ I didn't give my life to Christ to go to heaven no I didn't give my life to Christ to escape hell I'll tell you honestly I gave my life to Jesus because I saw how much he loved me and gave himself for me completely there was no hesitation or any limiting of himself in the way he gave and I say Lord I want to give myself to you like that completely totally and I want my whole life I want to respond to you out of gratitude for the love that you manifested to me I remember about 20 I think it was about 20 years ago 21 years ago I was writing my little two-wheeled moped in India in Bangalore and I'm crossing a railway track and the man who was lowering the bar that they lure when the trains come made a mistake and I ran right into it he didn't see me crossing and knocked me down and I fell on the railway track unconscious and someone picked me up before the train came and a little later I didn't know how long I was there I still don't remember it and I saw myself standing there and I said lord I have not finished saying thank you to you for dying for me on the cross give me a few more years to serve you I want to say thank you to you a little more and God's given me 21 years more my service for the Lord is not a burden it's never inconvenient for me to serve the Lord anytime morning noon or night I'd be happy to serve it because no matter how much I do I can never finish saying thank you to the Lord for what he did for me on the cross and I hope my brothers and sisters that you're seeking to live a godly life or you're doing anything for example when you forgive someone you may find it difficult because they've done so much evil against you but do it as an act unto the Lord don't wait for people to be grateful to you for the service you do for them I remember once the Lord spoke to me about that well there was a young brother who used to come to watch house church in which served him a lot and grew up got a good job and went away in to another place and we hardly ever heard from him and I was thinking what an ungrateful person he is after all that we did he hardly ever writes a note to thank and the Lord said to me the fault is with you I said me Lord what did I do he said in as much as you did it to the least of these my brothers you have done it to me so don't expect gratitude from him expect it from me I learned something that there I learned something that when I serve others whether it's in the Ministry of the word of in practical help or any other way I must not expect gratitude from them I must do it as unto the Lord even if it's the least of God's Saints we're doing it as unto Him everything we do is out an act of gratitude Lord you did so much for me how can I if I spend my whole life serving you it'll never be enough when I think of how much you did for me you have that attitude my brother of wanting to really follow in Jesus footsteps you'll have a glorious entrance into God's kingdom and abundant entrance like the Bible says then I want to say about many stream we're to follow Christ in our life and also in our ministry all of us have got a ministry the body of Christ means every single one of us was born again it's a part of Christ's body there's something that you have to do just like a human body there's no part of this body which has no function every part of the body has a function I often take the example of the nails some people say I'm not even a little finger I'm just a little nail I'm not the heart or the liver or the kidney or any important part like that but you know when you feel itchy and scratchy is that despised member that comes to your aid your heart and liver and kidney can't help you then so don't ever say oh I'm just a little small member you're a very useful member and you know what this Ministry of scratching people's back really is it's called the Ministry of encouragement encouraging people is there anybody who can do that is anybody who can't say to a person God is on the throne he'll help you brother don't give up two sentences when you're talking to somebody on a cell phone where most of the others spend their time gossiping why not use a few words of encouragement or a last sentence in that email that you write add another sentence of encouragement to scratch the person is it itching somewhere scratch his back and help them it's a ministry every one of us can do you don't need to be a scholar you don't need to be a Bible teacher you don't need to be anything we can all fulfill this Ministry of encouragement that's following in Jesus footsteps to say something good to people miss old hesitance sometimes just appreciate and say good to people because we think oh they may get puffed up or something like that you remember Jesus once saw a Roman military man a military man a man who's killed so many people the Romans were pretty ruthless and this man had a servant who was sick and he came to Jesus and said I believe Lord that you can speak the word my son will be healed over there and you know what Jesus said to him he turned around to the people and said I've never seen such faith in all of Israel can you imagine what that did to that man some of us would have may have gone to decency Oh Lord don't say that but in the guise unconverted he's a Roman man is a military man and so many things wrong but Jesus wouldn't be hindered by all that where he saw faith he appreciated it he looked at an unconverted Nathanael coming to him one day Philip brought Nathanael to him and Philip said we've seen the Messiah Nathanael said we're from him so Nazareth and Nathanael said this all in John chapter one can anything good come out of Nazareth that was his attitude to Jesus and when he came Jesus said there's a man in whom there is no guile imagine saying such a word he he had he was not converted but he was absolutely honest and I see many instances like that where Jesus appreciated somebody and express his appreciation is the easiest thing that we can do to appreciate someone to follow in Jesus footsteps here this is what it means to follow not just to sing praise and thanks to God on Sunday morning which is all very good but to follow him you know in the ministry of Christ there were there was one part of it which was doing good it says in Acts chapter 10 and verse 38 that Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good that's a great ministry which all of us can fulfill acts 10:38 Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power and he went about doing good when we are anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power the most important thing we will do is going around doing good that's what Jesus did but God was with him and God is with a person he goes about doing good a lot of things we can learn from that one verse what the anointing of the Spirit does what a man does when God is with him he goes about doing good he healed a sick he opened blind eyes and he did so many good things but that was one aspect of Jesus ministry and there was another aspect that is he trained 12 disciples he trained one Feliway but there was 11 whom he trained whom he prepared to build a church he came to earth not just to do good but to build the church to show people the path of discipleship and if we go around doing only this one part of Jesus ministry doing good you know that Christians have been known throughout the world for that ministry the greatest orphanages and lepers homes and you know ministry to AIDS patients and in third-world countries they're all done by Christians I know I live in India we're barely 2 percent of Christians but the best schools and the best hospitals through the years have always been Christian ones because this ministry of doing good has been practiced by the missionaries who come to India through the years and I praise God for that and that's one one aspect of Jesus ministry which even the world can appreciate and there are people who do that I mean mother Teresa has done a tremendous job of caring for the poor in the streets of Calcutta in India she got a Nobel Prize Peace Prize it's one aspect of Jesus ministry which the world appreciates and that's necessary but there is another side to Jesus ministry and that is leading people to godliness and holiness in becoming disciples that's not appreciated so much and when you do that part of Jesus ministry you're not gonna get the Nobel Prize no it says in Matthew chapter 10 verse 22 Matthew 10 22 read these words you will be hated by all because of my name for what ministry is that is it for because you run an orphanage or care for the lepers that your hated by all nobody ever hates anyone who cares for orphans and for poor widows and for the sick can or for the mentally challenged and oh that's a great ministry but you're not hated for that but this is other aspect of following Jesus in his ministry which can lead to people hating you and it goes on to say in verse 23 and in the next verse when they persecute you they don't persecute people who look after orphans or care for the sick why do they persecute you and he goes on to say in verse 24 a disciple is not above his teacher slave is not above his master and verse 25 it's announced that the disciple becomes like his teacher and a slave like his master and now listen to this this middle of that verse if they called the head of the house bills abode prints of Devils is there a ministry of Jesus that would end up in his being called Friends of Devils and if they did that to the head of the house how much more will they malign the members of his household have you ever been maligned because you follow Jesus that's one aspect of his ministry when we stand up for the truth and stand against unrighteousness he turn you to 2nd Timothy in chapter 3 in verse 12 in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12 it says 2nd Timothy 3:12 all that's an important word all do you believe this is God's Word all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted you will not be persecuted if you just concentrate on just that one aspect of Jesus ministry of doing good and helping the poor and washing people's feet etc but if you're gonna live a godly life and stand up against unrighteousness in the world you will be persecuted in one way or the other I remember the years when I was working in the Indian Navy there were things that my senior officers would ask me to do which they knew were wrong and I would stand up and say sir I'm a Christian I was just 23 years old a young naval officer eager to press on in my profession and I knew that if I stood against this name of this officer he would trouble me in many ways and write bad reports about me well I had a choice there am I going to follow in Jesus footsteps or not am I going to violate my conscience and do something against my conscience because I want to please a man or will I seek to please God those are the situations you may face in your place of work or in some situation in your life where you have a choice between pleasing men or pleasing God and I said law sir I'm sorry I'm a Christian and against my conscience I can't do it and he knew he couldn't force me to do it because it was wrong but at the end of the year and the annual college confidential report he would write something negative about me so that I wouldn't get my promotion so I decided that if I want to follow Jesus I got to forget about promotion I got to please the Lord the Lord will take care of whatever promotion I should get now that those are not the extreme forms of persecution that our brothers and sisters face in the first three centuries but remember the disciples of Jesus those who followed in Jesus footsteps for three hundred years from the day of Pentecost were thrown to the Lions they were burned at the stake they were crucified they were killed all the apostles except John were killed for what for following Jesus are we really following in their footsteps or are we so careful to avoid anything that'll make us unpopular when you stand up for the Lord my brother sister you will not be popular in this world the world is not any different from what it was 2,000 years ago if they crucified Christ because they didn't want him if he came to the earth today they'd kill him again even though a lot of people talk about admiring him at all when he why was Jesus crucified it's not because he washed people's feet and opened blind eyes because he stood against sin and he exposed corruption and tradition in religion and the religious system because he stood against people making money in the name of God in the temple and he chased them out took a whip and chased them out and you stand today against the television preachers who make money from poor people in the church and you won't be popular either no you stand against the corrupt gospel which is not leading people to be free from sin but just telling people how they can be healthy and wealthy that's not what Jesus came for you won't be popular even among Christians you preach the way of the cross the way that Jesus walked he said if anyone wants to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me that means let him die to himself every day and follow me that's not a popular message let me turn to John's Gospel chapter 6 John chapter 6 is one of the most amazing chapters in the Bible if you want to know how to reduce a large congregation to a small one John chapter six that's the that's the one in a good way John chapter 6 verse 2 a great multitude was following Christ that's how it began a huge crowd of people following in Jesus footsteps and that's how John's Gospel chapter 6 verse 2 begins they saw the signs that he was performing it is extremely popular in fact he was so popular it says here that they wanted to make him a king in verse 15 Jesus perceived that they were going to make him a king he was so popular a very popular preacher but he didn't want to be a king says he would drew and went alone and then by the time you come to the end of that chapter you read it says in verse 66 is the same chapter john john 6:66 many of his disciples withdrew and they were not walking with him anymore and verse 67 there were twelve left that's what I'm said that John chapter six is a great chapter reduced this huge multitude to twelve why would Jesus preach in a way that produced the numbers because he said the way to life is narrow and few there be that find it Paul said to Timothy in the last days people who have itching ears they like to have preachers who will just comfort them tell them stories and not preach God's Word in all its power entertain them and use cycle methods of psychology to comfort them there'll be crowds but if you preach the cross that's what Jesus preached here Luke john 6:53 and you've got to eat my flesh and drink my blood if you want to have life in yourself john 6 in verse 53 that's the message they got offended with you got to eat my flesh and drink my blood if you want to have life in yourself it was not physical flesh and blood he was talking about choosing the way of the cross flesh and blood there speak about the death of the cross if you choose this way of death healer life in yourself that's the message that reduced this huge crowd to 12 we will discover in the final day that the way the life was really narrow and very few found it and will also discover that there were very few preachers in Christendom who preached the truth faithfully because they didn't care for numbers they didn't care for the offerings they didn't care for money they proclaimed the truth of God I want to be in a church where the truth of God is proclaimed I don't care about numbers that's the principle we have followed in India for 40 years we planted about 40 50 churches in different villages etc we've never never never cared for numbers in fact we have always seen the numbers go down is and I noticed another thing is the rich people who get offended and leave first and God is God has chosen the poor of the world rich in faith that's what James chapter 2 says and we've seen that in India but God's not building a club of rich people he's building the body of Jesus Christ if people who want to follow in Jesus footsteps whatever the price who want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and manifest Christ in their life about in life go that way let's stand up and pray pray to the Lord and renew our dedication to him we can never give back to the extent that he gave to us when he died on the cross even if we devote our whole life it'll be a very small offering let's repent of our sluggishness in past days laziness ingratitude say Lord I want to give my whole life to you I want to be a very useful member of this body that meets here I don't want to be just a meeting attender I want to be an effective member of the body of Christ in this place I want to work with you and with my brothers and sisters to build up your testimony for your name help me Lord fill me with this spirit forgive my sin help me to press on help me to make a new beginning perhaps today to go this way you pray in Jesus name Amen

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Rating: 4.8535471 out of 5

Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Zac Poonen

Id: EZVbKXSrz5I

Length: 49min 36sec (2976 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 04 2014