Child-Like Dependence on God - Zac Poonen - June 30, 2013

I want to read a verse in 1 Corinthians in chapter 14 and verse 20 brethren don't be children in your thinking in evil be babes but in your thinking be mature or King James it says an understanding be men as we've all grown up in the world from childhood it's really been the other way around with us in evil we have grown up to be men and mature and in the understanding of God's Word and discernment were like children that's how every unconverted man is he's mature in evil mature to find fault to criticize judge others to think evil to speak evil to hurt others very mature that's how we were an unconverted and we came to Christ and the will of God was that from the day we came to Christ that trend should be reversed from maturity in evil you have to go down to become babes in evil I think of that when I see children standing here and I thought of that now I said Lord I want to be like them who do you want to be like you want to be like some of the great preachers great men of God Jesus said the greatest in God's kingdom is a little child I'm always excited when I see children and singing together like that there's a innocence about them which grown-up people don't have there's a purity in their eyes which grown-up people don't have they don't have any grudge the smaller they are the less grudges they have against people and a little child lying in a court doesn't have any high thoughts about itself I have meditated much on children a little the little children little babies because Jesus said be like little children for the other greatest in God's kingdom and I had a great desire to be great in God's kingdom not great on earth and absolutely zero desire to be great on this earth or even great in the Christian world because I've seen through the years that's all rubbish trash but to be great in God's kingdom that should be the ambition of every one of us to be great in the sight of the Lord I think of that phrase that the angel Gabriel used concerning John the Baptist when he was going to be born he told Zechariah I'll never forget it your little child will be great in the sight of the Lord how do you feel when you read that do you want to be like that great in the sight of the Lord may be ignored and despised and misunderstood on earth maybe misunderstood in your family misunderstood by your relatives neighbors going through all types of problems but great in the sight of the Lord that is the greatest thing see some of us don't have great gifts to be able to be appreciated brothers we don't have a lot of money to throw around too make friends with money we're limited our temperament may be such that we're so introverted and reserved that we can oddly make friends and the end result of that is we feel so inferior now I want to say to you you don't have to feel inferior if your aim is to be great in God's eye God's eyes all you have to do is seek to be like a little child whenever you see a baby say Lord make me like that one innocent without any hurt feelings about anyone without a grudge nothing to grumble about or complain and no worry or anxiety think of the mind of a child it's not worried about anything that's happening on the earth it doesn't know what's happened in the newspapers or what comes up on the news is completely ignorant and Jesus said we must be like that in our hearts in our understanding we must be mature so it's a two-fold development mentioned in this verse that in evil anything connected with evil we want to be unfamiliar the knowledge of evil is not wisdom to know what's evil is happening in some other part of the world and how somebody raped someone and what somebody did to somebody over there it's not wisdom it only succeeds in polluting your mind a little child doesn't know all that and all the adults who read all that information they don't become any more spiritual and they I don't think they gain anything much through it but in understanding in the things of God there we really need maturity and discernment if we are to live the way we're supposed to live on this earth so in this verse I see a two-fold development one going downwards and the other going upwards and I want that more and more in my life and I hope you wanted to that from this evil that we were in in our unconverted days that we should be growing and we haven't got rid of it all even as believers we had to go right down to the place where in evil we become like babies what a goal Lord make my mind as far as evils concerned like a baby and yet the same thing in spiritual things growing in maturity and discernment concerning how I should live on this earth as a godly man you know when it says that the greatest in God's kingdom is a little child Jesus said that when the disciples asked who is the greatest in God's kingdom he took a little child and said this is the greatest in God's kingdom and we know that the greatest in God's kingdom was Jesus he is Jesus so putting the two together I conclude that Jesus was like a little child in his attitude to his Heavenly Father in everything seeking to know what is the father want me to do see smart clever people don't have to ask their dads about anything they know everything to do on their own but Jesus said he never did anything without consulting his father it's amazing this is what it means to be like a child is the most wonderful life that you can ever live turn with me to John chapter five all who are interested in going this downward way the way that Jesus went to become like Jesus to walk as he walked if you really ask the Holy Spirit to fill you I'll tell you this he'll make you more and more like a little child in this area he'll make you very mature in your discernment yeah it's amazing the discernment God can give as you grow spiritually I found that particularly because I have responsibility for so many people I find that God gives me discernment to discern people even though I know very little about them I can talk to a person for 15 minutes and discern where he stands for actually I need that for my ministry and I believe that any of you who are you should seek to develop the spirit of discernment you need to discern for your children maybe you don't have maybe your circle is very small if you've got a family you need to discern the direction your children are growing especially as they grow up because you know children grow up and if your children are approaching teenage years they're coming into a very dangerous phase of their life and I'll tell you a boy father and mother need a lot of discernment because those little children can gradually become deceptive and begin to hide things and things like that and you need discernment loving discernment and that's very very important and if you have responsibility in a church you need even more discernment the more responsibility you have the more discernment you need and the Holy Spirit gives us that he makes us mature in our mind to discern he gives us discernment as he reads scripture to apply scripture to our own life and also to give us the right word for people who come to us in need I see this in Jesus in two ways so two things in having discernment to help people in need but at the same time dependent on his father turn to John chapter 5 and verse 19 just think meditate on this for a moment and see jesus answered and said to them truly I say to you the son can do nothing of himself unless it's something he sees his father do hmm whatever the father does these things the son also doesn't like manner it's like a child saying I really don't know what to do but I watched daddy and as daddy does something I just do it like that I imitate him you know little children imitate us so much but how would you like to say that as a grown up man I just watched daddy say that's pretty humiliating I'm a grown man I don't need to watch anybody that's our problem we're too big and that's why our Christian life is so shallow that's why we know God so little we need to become like little children Jesus was like a little child towards his Heavenly Father he's I can't do anything I just watch daddy and see what he does you know Jesus showed us how God wanted Adam to live that's how I always see it God made Adam and Eve in His image and there was a certain way he wanted them to live but they never lived like that even for one single day they allowed the devil to just lead them astray straight away how disappointed God was how sad he was says in Genesis 6 we read that yesterday God was sorry that he ever made man I think of that verse we read it yesterday in Genesis say God was sorry that he made man and ask myself what are you sorry that you made me what about you he's God sorry that he made you I never wanted to be sorry that he made me I know I've grieved him in my past life in so many ways in my unconverted days not knowing God living for myself thinking I'm somebody but I thank God that in His mercy he reached out to me I didn't choose him he chose me and he chose you my brother sister don't you ever think that you chose him never he chose you and because he chose you you found him and he didn't choose you because you're better than other people in the world I have a brother three years younger to me for many years he was an atheist and slowly coming around to the Lord in the last two or three years but I remember telling him once I say you were a much better person than me that's why God chose me who Jesus didn't come to call the righteous he came to call sinners to repentance so God didn't choose you because you were holy it shows you because you were a sinner and you acknowledged it he chose you and he chose you with a purpose he chose you to become like him that you might be his younger brother that's what I tell people you know and when I go into Christian circles where the leaders are called pastor so-and-so on Reverend so-and-so and right Reverend and doctor I say don't give me those lowdown titles call me a brother just a highest title you can ever give me brother of Jesus Christ is anything greater than that sister of Jesus Christ you're on these lowdown title like Reverend and right Reverend and all no I don't want them brother of Jesus Christ that's what God Almighty chose you and me to be a brother and sister of Jesus Christ God wanted to populate heaven with a whole lot of people who look like Christ and he chose you to be one of those who populate heaven that's the whole purpose why we come together as a church it's good to receive instruction teaching but nowadays you don't need to come to a church to get good teaching it's such a lot of good teaching on the Internet I know numerous people in Europe America Australia all over India who tell me that they listened to me on the internet every day you don't need to go to a church now and if they're listening every day is because they're getting something that's helping them and so that's a great blessing now hundreds of our messages on YouTube that anybody can search and find on any subject but you can't grow just with that you need fellowship it's very important think if you had a child who never had in contact with any other children it was just for studious sitting in the room studying studying studying studying studying studying studying it may be very brilliant what are you pretty abnormal it'd be unfit for society and that's how a Christian can be who just listens listens listens listens listen to a whole lot of messages but doesn't know what fellowship is with other believers that's why we need to need a church I see there's a lot you can get by listening to you know a conference like this on the internet pray God for those who can't come that's a second best but there's one thing that no electronic technology can ever reproduce by any means since that's the presence of the Lord where two or three gathered together in a church you can't get that on the internet it's not possible you can be blessed God can speak to you the presence of the Lord is where two or three are gathered together in his name and who love him and who love one another you're gathered in a church that's why every one of us needs to belong to a good church it's not like going to a good school it's not like just going to a good Hospital a church is like a school and like a hospital but it's more than that it's a place where we built fellowship and then it's like a family church's family and in this family we grow in discernment and we have to grow to become more like Jesus because heaven is going to be populated with people who look like Christ and if you believe that your goal will be to more be more like Christ too and in this verse Lord I want to get here pretty quickly do you want to where you say I can do nothing of myself as I see what God is doing can I really see as a human being how how my Lord wants me to live and to be moment-by-moment dependent on him I remember the story of the person who wrote that song moment by moment it's a lovely song I think he said that I heard that song I need the every hour and he said that's not good enough I need a moment by moment and then he wrote that other song home in my moment and that that's the Christian life not I need the every hour but my moment by moment the son can do nothing of himself except what he sees his father do he was always seeking the father for advice all the time his life was like that and he would know where to go and what to do and what to say he was dependent on the father and that's how he became such a blessing and it says the father loves the son John 5:20 and shows him all things and then he also said in verse 30 these are two great verses that I remember from many many years ago nearly 40 years ago one is verse 19 I can do nothing by myself unless I see the father and again he says in verse 30 I do nothing on my own initiative as I hear I judge that means I don't give my opinion unless I hear what God has to say we are so quick to give our opinion a small child if you ask him something he is so easy for him to say I don't know I don't know how it is let me ask daddy to tell you but we're so kid quick to give our opinion we have opinions on so many things that we have opinions about so many people most of our opinions are 100% wrong because we don't know fully everything about other people's lives and everything the best is not to judge but if we hear if we hear God speaking to us then we can judge that's called discernment the rest of what we call judgement is suspicion and suspicion is not discernment a lot of that a lot of opinions that believers have about others is suspicion it destroys them but if they spend a little more time listening to the father it's one of the things we've been thinking about right from Friday evening onwards one thing is needful what mary has chosen and that is to listen to listen to listen to listen and a good child is like that a good child is one who listens the Bible says be quick to hear and slow to speak quick to hear and slow to speak quick to hear God and slow to give our opinions quick to listen to godly men and women and slow to speak ourselves that's why God's given us only one mouth in two years so we're quick to hear and slow to speak with great wisdom he didn't give us one year in two tongues I want to show you Isaiah chapter 15 there's a great verse here mm-hmm Isaiah chapter 50 the Lord God has verse 4 the Lord God has given me I was telling you about the tongue in the years be quick to hear and slow to speak we must speak because the Holy Spirit wants to use our tongue on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon those 120 there was a flaming tongue on top of everybody's head and I get a message from that went very often when I speak in Pentecostal churches and they quote acts 2:4 which says all 120 spoke in tongues I see that's great and I said I speak in tongues too but before that there's another verse which comes before they spoke in tongues is there was a flaming tongue on top of their heads and I said that's what I wanted but the Spirit of God controlling my mother tongue so that I would never speak anything rude that I would never seek an angry word that I wouldn't say anything deliberately to hurt any human being nobody in my home and nobody else at the same time that I would speak faithfully God's word without fearing man without seeking to please men a tongue on fire for God with a fire of purity and the fire of love seek for it dear brother sister this is the gift of the Holy Spirit do you really want to be filled with the Holy Spirit do you want the Spirit of God to control your mother tongue to control your tongue that you will never again speak a rude word to your wife or your husband never again make that your goal never again speak a rude word or an unkind word even to your children you'll speak firm words that's okay you can speak loudly to children because that sometimes that's the only language they understand that's not evil it's not anger but nothing unkind or evil a tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit a tongue controlled by the law of kindness that's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit I said they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke differently from the way they were speaking till then a flaming tongue of fire on top of their heads that was the first mark that they were filled with the spirit make that your goal that was my goal and I said Lord my tongue is being very evil all these years even after I was born again I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can control this tongue the Bible says in James chapter 3 hmm that man's been able to tame lions and tigers and even alligators and all types of snakes and reptiles and for the tongue nobody can control it's true no man is able to tame the tongue it's only the Holy Spirit we are able to you know be on guard and control ourselves when we are in church or when we are in company whose opening in me respect that's not a control that's we are seeking honor and when we seek honor we can do so many things like control ourselves in so many ways but the real character of a man is seen when he's alone in the dark not when he's in company your character is seen when you're in the dark when you're alone not when you're in company I say that to myself my character is not seen when I'm in the company of people it's when I'm in the dark and I'm alone when nobody's around but me there I see what my character is so don't fool yourself by apparent spirituality when you're in the presence of other human beings if you really want to know how spiritual you are ask yourself what you're in the dark what you are when you're in the dark when you're alone all by yourself when you're sitting down or lying down by yourself the thoughts that go through your mind show you what you really are and never deceive yourself that you are anything other than that I live by this rule because so many things so many people say so many nice things about me particularly Christians and churches I preach in and I'm saying well I appreciate their expressions of appreciation but I don't fool myself because they don't know what goes on in my thoughts and I say Lord I want to live before your face I never want to fool myself 10,000 people calling me a prophet will not make me a prophet 10,000 people calling me a devil will not make me a devil the reproach of men the appreciation of men both are fit for the trash can keep that in mind what you are when you're alone but you are in the dark that's what you are the way you use your tongue is a pretty good indication of your spirituality in the olden days when doctors didn't have all the instruments that they have today two three hundred years ago when doctors would go house-to-house examining patients when they saw a sick person the first thing they would ask him is stick out your tongue let me see that and I'll tell you whether you're sick or not I tell you it's the truth that's the way the doc that's the first thing the doctor asked a person to do in the olden days let me see your tongue and he could make out from the person's can the coating and things like that on the tongue whether the guy was sick it's the same today James chapter 1 verse 26 says a man who cannot control his tongue his entire Christianity is worth zero however much knowledge he may have however many conferences he goes to even if he speaks in unknown tongues and does miracles if he cannot control his mother tongue his Christianity is worth zero I took that seriously I don't know whether you take these words of God seriously to me this is the manufacturers instructions it's a scam it's a book that gives me a scan of my inner life and I took it seriously I say Lord I don't want to end my life with my Christianity worth zero I started my life like that when I was born again my Christianity was worth zero because I couldn't control my tongue but I don't want to end my life like that I want my Christianity to be worth something before I finish this earth life on Earth I hope you're moving in that direction I hope it's getting better and better every year ask your wife tell her to give an honest opinion ask your husband to give you an honest opinion it's a very important brothers you know I don't want to having a wrong assessment of my own spiritual condition so here as I have 50 verse force of prophecy concerning Jesus says the Lord God has given me the tongue of a disciple Wow the tongue of a disciple it says the father gave Jesus that and I say Lord can you give me that can you please give me the tongue of a disciple that I may know how to sustain a weary one with a world what a wonderful gift maybe you can't give money to somebody you're not so rich but I can sustain a weary one with something better than money with a word from God that's how Jesus lived how did he get that right word you know how he used to just sometimes speak one word and comfort people he didn't have to give a huge sermon we always think that serving God is preaching sharing in the meetings saying something very clever if in your church you have sharing meetings and you want to share something very clever and you pat yourself on the back that you've shared something very clever that everybody appreciated in the meeting well that's fine but what about those people who don't have the ability to speak like you do you need to speak many words you know that you can sustain a weary person whom you meet somewhere who comes to visit your house or you visit somebody's house or you meet somebody you know in a mall or somewhere else in a store and that you have a word from God just to give to that person now you don't even know that person's need you just shared something God put on your heart and it was prophetic that one sentence was prophetic the Lord says I'll pour out my spirit on my sons and daughters and they will prophesy that is prophecy if you want to know one of the best definitions of prophecy here it is Isaiah 50 verse 4 and every child of God can have this I will pour out my spirit it says in acts 2:17 upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters will prophesy on my slaves that means the lowest levels of society you may be you may be the lowest poorest person in this church and the most introverted and the most the one with the most feeling of inferiority in this church God says I'll pour my spirit upon you and you'll have a word to sustain others you may never stand in the pulpit never speak grave be a great preacher but you'll find at the end of your life when you stand before the Lord in the final day but probably you blessed hundreds of people more than preachers did you think you can have such a ministry some sister sitting here you can don't let the devil weigh you down with feelings of inferiority and you're nothing and you'll never a kaga you'll never accomplish anything that's a lot of rubbish if you're a child of God God can do amazing things through you if you'll allow yourself to become pletely surrender to him and say Lord I want to be like a little child in evil and I want to grow and mature in understanding Lord more and more I want to go downwards in the knowledge of evil I don't want to know all the gossip that's going around about other people I don't want to know who's marrying who and who's getting pregnant and I'm not interested in these things it doesn't help me in any way all this information that we store up in our head useless information about other people's lives and how somebody failed here and somebody's daughter is going astray there and somebody son is doing is I'm not interested I can help them by all means but otherwise I'm not interested in a whole lot of information that a whole lot of people want to give me I say sorry I'm not interested brother go and tell somebody all that rubbish don't dump your garbage into my life I have space in my heart to listen to what God has to say to me if only we can do that it's very easy you just have to determine that I've accumulated enough evil in my life I want to go downwards now and reduce this garbage in my life little by little by little by little and become a child and in discernment I want to grow and grow and grow know God's ways not just be excited with God's actions so how did Jesus have this tongue that could speak a right word to people to live as Jesus lived to walk as Jesus walked here's the answer Isaiah 50 verse 4 my father woke me up morning by morning and woke up my ear to listen as a disciple that's how I got the tongue of a disciple if you want the tongue of a disciple you got to have the year of a disciple morning by morning now I'm not talking about a quiet time it's a very popular thing in evangelical circles to have a quiet time I'm not against it my early Christian life I was taught to have a quiet time spend 15 minutes half an hour with the Bible excellent habit I did it and anyone who doesn't have the habit of reading the Bible every morning I would encourage you to do it if you're a mother with small children doesn't matter if you can't do it in the morning I remember when we are little children my wife could never have time in the mornings he would have time to read the Bible late at night after the children were asleep but find some time every day to read the scriptures and now we have it on phones and everywhere in the computers and all over you can read the Bible anywhere but get to know it but this is more than that what I'm trying to say this is more than it's it's based on reading the Bible but it's it's a listening year and when it says he woke upmy year in the morning to listen he doesn't mean he shut it after half an hour no it's not that after I had my half an hour quiet time I stopped listening to God and now I finished my quiet time with God now I've got to listen to what's happening around in the world no he woke me up in the morning to listen and I never stopped listening till I went to bed in the midst of all the other work that we do to have a martha's hands but a Mary's year all the time the trouble with Martha was not that she was sacrificially serving that was a very good thing but she didn't have a listening year we must have both the hands of a Martha and the year of a Mary and it's possible it's possible for every one of us to have both so he walked me up morning by morning to listen this is the little child you know daddy I don't know can you teach me something what am I supposed to do today my life has been so blessed since I've developed this habit of because I have to administer so often in so many places and I don't know the needs of anybody I say Lord I don't know but you know and if you give me a word I'll say it I want to tune my year always to listen to what God has to say to me and very often he I've you know when I make up my mind I think this what I'd share of this person God changes it we must be willing to change so important we can look at something and have an opinion the other day Lord showed me this from 1 samuel chapter 16 it really blessed my heart as I saw it there you know in Samuel you know how samuel was from this childhood he had the habit of listening he was like Mary he was a little child and he heard a voice saying Samuel Samuel he thought it was old priest Eli calling him and took a couple of times he went to Eli and I said I didn't call you maybe God's calling you so next time he told Samuel he see Eli was an old man who knew all the theories in the Bible but was deaf as far as God's voice was concerned he couldn't hear God at all a lot of old preachers like that a lot of old Christians like that who been Christians for twenty thirty years they can't hear God at all they've disobeyed God so much in their life that they become deaf when his children were going astray he wouldn't correct them they became more down and but Samuel is a little child he heard God saying Samuel Samuel and he said tell God Eli told him speak Lord your servant is listening what a beautiful attitude for us to have speak Lord your servant is listening I'm not so busy I want to hear what you have to say to me and he grew up like that listening listening listening and he became a prophet in Israel that's how prophets are made Bible teachers come by study of the Bible but prophets come by listening to what God has to say and you read in 1 Samuel 16 the Lord said to Samuel I finished with Saul got a point in you King I want you to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem and I selected one of his verse one one of his sons to be my king new king 1 Samuel 16 1 so Samuel goes along to Jesse's house and says please bring all your sons along here because one of them is going to be the King verse 6 and Ilya the eldest walked in and Samuel looked at him and said wow what a tall handsome good-looking man surely this is the one who is to be the king of Israel he thought like that and the Lord said to Samuel don't look at his appearance verse 7 or it is height these things mean nothing to me how good-looking a person is how tall he is or smart he is these things mean nothing to me because God doesn't look as man looks man looks at the outward appearance God looks at the heart it's one of the great verses in the Old Testament you must never forget it 1 Samuel 16:7 man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart but the thing that struck me there was that before Samuel spoke he immediately felt a check in his heart no don't anoint him wow how good that was supposing Samuel had gone by his own thoughts say surely this is the one who's to be the King whom the Lord is selected and he takes out his oil and pours it on his head what in the world would happen then how can you cancel that and say hey hey I'm sorry let me rub off that oil from her head you're not the one that it'd have been terrible but before he could take out his little flask of oil he heard God saying no no that really spoke to me and I said Lord sometimes thoughts come into my mind they may not be from you Samuel is a great prophet he had been listening to God for so many years and even he could make a mistake be humble enough to acknowledge that even though you're a believer for many years you could have thoughts which are not from God I don't mean evil thoughts good thoughts wasn't it a good thought to anoint the king is Israel but it's not from God that's the thing that came to me Lord when good thoughts come to me the good is the enemy of the best it's a lovely proverb which I never forget the good is the enemy of the best you can choose the good and miss the best I think a lot of Christians are doing that all things are lawful but all things are not profitable that's what Paul said in a spiritual man from among the hundred lawful things he selects the one profitable thing and does that or speaks that so here samuel was about to choose something good but he was going to miss the best and he was sensitive immediately then this voice of God said no no no not him that's great you know to be able to listen to God to not just that Samuel had a quiet time in the morning for half an hour his ear was opened the whole day a lot of people satis satisfy their conscience by saying well I read my Bible 15 minutes in the morning or half an hour in the morning I'm okay for the day you're not in the olden days for 1,400 years there was no printed Bible after Christ the first printed Bibles came around 1500 AD how did people have a quiet time in the morning you didn't have a Bible at home for there no men of God for 1400 years it's amazing that song we sang just now Jesus the very thought of thee was written around 1100 before they were printed Bibles there were godly men there who could say Jesus the very thought of thee with sweetness fills my breasts but sweeter far thigh pays to see and in thy presence rest they were men of God by the way he was a Roman Catholic bernard of clairvaux see you they listened that's what today's Christians have missed so much you need to listen like little children the son can do nothing except what he sees the father do we got to humble ourselves our speaking yesterday about coming to a zero point losing confidence in our own ability to do God's work in the world we need tremendous self-confidence no company will accept you as a sales representative you lack self-confidence or to work for them if you lack self-confidence in anything even if you're you're doing your own maybe you're a farmer you need to have a lot of confidence in your own ability to sow seed and harvest or whatever work you do all of you doing different works you need to have confidence in what you're doing yeah I can handle this I can manage this I can manage my finances I can earn my own living you need a lot of self-confidence out there in the world but when it comes to spiritual things you have to have zero self confidence and that's I believe where many Christians are you know don't seem to distinguish between that secular world and the spiritual world we can be very efficient with self-confidence in the secular activities and the area where we have got expertise when it comes to God's Word no self-confidence all the symbols when the Old Testament you know the little things that are describing the Old Testament all have a meaning coming out of Egypt coming into Canaan has a meaning wandering in the wilderness as a meaning the tabernacle every part of the tabernacle had a meaning the three parts of the tabernacle corresponding to man's body soul and spirit all had a meaning God dwelling in the most holy place had a meaning the Sabbath pictured a life of rest everything tie thing was to prove that we put God first in everything that was the purpose of tithing what was the meaning of circumcision if everything in the Old Testament had a meaning circumcision had a meaning too and it's a very important meaning because the Lord said if anybody in Israel is not circumcised he's cut off from God's people it's a very severe thing punishment if you are not circumcised you could not be a part of God's people in the Old Testament the Lord told that to Abraham every one of your seed must be circumcised that's the mark of the Covenant with me what is the meaning of that for us today it's described for us in Philippians chapter 3 everything in the Old Testament is explained for us in the New Testament Philippians 3:3 we are the true circumcision we are the true circumcision we in the New Covenant that was an Old Covenant circumcision we are the true circumcision the last part of that verse who have zero confidence in the flesh who have zero self-confidence when it comes to spiritual things circumcision was the cutting off of the flesh and casting it away on the eighth day a male child the circumcision they had cut off the flesh and throw it away and try to be a complete circumcision and the Holy Spirit says through Paul the meaning for today is you cut off all confidence in the flesh itself so that's the mark of the Covenant no confidence in self do you have that do you have the mark of the Covenant in your life we are the true circumcision who have no confidence in the flesh but we worship in the spirit and we glory in Christ that means we are dependent on the holy spirit now not upon ourselves it's not that we are floating around like zombies without a mind we have replaced confidence in ourselves with confidence in the Holy Spirit it's not that I say I can't do anything you know there are some there are two types of people who are useless to God those who feel I can do everything and those who feel I can do nothing both are useless to God then who is useful the one who acknowledges I can do nothing without the Lord but in Christ I can do all things it's two sides of the coin one side is John 15 verse 5 apart from me you can do nothing the Lord says and the other side of the coin is jaw Philippians 4:13 with Christ I can do everything if you got only one side apart from Christ I can do nothing that's a counterfeit coin the coin that's only printed on one side is a counterfeit coin you need to have this on the other side of that coin with Christ I can do everything God wants me to do I believe that I want you to have that self-confidence brothers and sisters to have this confidence that whatever God wants you to do in your life for the body of Christ on earth whatever you're supposed to accomplish before you leave this earth you can finish the work God planned for you to do when you were born even though you have failed so much God can still enable you to finish the work he called you to do don't sit in misery over missed opportunities and the way you messed up your life that way you'll never get anywhere you see Lord I'm going to put all that behind me forgetting the things that are behind I'm going to forget my past failures I'm going to forget my past successes I'm going to press on I before I finish life on earth I want to finish what you planned for me to do I believe I can do it full confidence in the Holy Spirit so these are two opposites no confidence in the flesh for total confidence in the Holy Spirit apart from him I can do nothing John 15:5 like the branch in the tree if it's cut off as the end of that branch even if it's been 50 years in that tree and brought fruit for years the many men like that who have been very useful to God and then one day they become proud proud is another way of saying self-confident they are like a branch cut off that's the end they dry up they fall into sin and they become proud and arrogant and become useless to God I believe many of these great TV evangelists and preachers are useless to God I mean they're very arrogance shows me that they are not men of God I don't know whether you see that I don't care how well they can preach I believe the devil can preach very well I'm not impressed by all that what impresses me most in any man of God is humility because that is the primary characteristic of Christ no confidence in self no feeling that I can accomplish something no feeling that I have accomplished something in everything giving glory to God so this is what it means I because I have no confidence in myself when it comes to spiritual things I have to hear God all the time the son can do nothing of himself this is what it means to be like a little child a little child can hardly do anything if you ask him to do something he's a lot that teach me what is 2+2 teach me I want to learn it's always learning I want to be like a little child wanting to learn and hear and when Jesus heard what he heard he could share with people and solve a problem help people you know that place where it says the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery - Jesus wanted to stone her to death now the interesting thing there is that was correct according to the law that's described in John chapter 8 there was a specific commandment in the law that said a woman caught in adultery must be stoned to death and you know who gave that law to Moses Jesus from heaven before he came to earth from heaven he was not known as Jesus then he was the eternal son of God Jesus gave that law to Moses what law did he give Moses a woman caught in adultery he must be stoned to death and now the same Jesus has come to earth I mean the Pharisees don't know it's the same Jesus but he knows a master Moses commanded us that a woman caught in adultery must be stoned with it and Jesus knows that's the law he cave now what's he going to do violate the same law he gave so it says he bent down and wrote on the ground a lot of people have tried to figure out what he wrote on the ground I'm the secret things belong to the Lord our God I don't want to imagine but from my experience I feel he was just probably just doodling saying father what should I say now he was human father what should I say and he gets a word tell them he who is without sin cast the first stone that's it he didn't say cancel it I ignore it couldn't say that I'd be canceling the law he was without sin cast the first stone okay and it says it's very interesting that means which if you haven't committed adultery in your mind and it says the oldest guile went out first verse nine and one by one right down the against one we all left and then there was one man left without sin who was qualified to throw stones and fulfill the law and kill the woman and keep the law we're very low Jesus cave he was qualified according to his own standard he was qualified but he doesn't throw stones you know that is one scripture not the only one which taught me that Jesus did not live by the letter of the law he kept the spirit of the law I'm Sarah I met lots of legalists in Christendom are always sticklers for the letter of the law stoner did add here's the verse do you tirana me chapter these verses and Jesus kept the spirit of the law said I don't condemn you I'm qualified to stone you to death because I have never sinned but I didn't come to earth to stone women to death I did not come to earth to condemn people God didn't send the son son to earth to condemn people but to save them I haven't come to condemn you I've come to save you so I don't condemn you I don't say that adultery is not serious it's very serious so don't ever do it again because the Old Testament law with Jesus gave Moses from heaven was to teach people the seriousness of adultery it's not because God wanted to reduce the population among Israel by killing people Jesus doesn't carry stones in his pocket I hope you don't carry any stones either I don't want to carry any stones in my pocket to throw it people a lot of preachers do I know preachers who stand in a pulpit and they got a something they want to hit somebody over there with they got a verse to fling at that person in other words to fling at that sister who's something or the other no we don't throw stones we don't throw stones even when we are in personal conversation if you throw stones at people you're not like Jesus even where the other person is wrong it's a wonderful thing to be able to listen to God to know exactly what to say and then to know exactly what to do Jesus heart was filled with compassion for sinners and I'll tell you one thing if your heart is filled like Jesus with compassion for sinners you'll always know the right thing to do I remember well you know because I preached so much I've sought the Lord and because I have to counsel so much I sought the Lord Lord how can I know that you'll always stand by me when I stand in a pulpit and you'll always be with me when I'm counseling somebody how can I be absolutely sure because you know people depend a lot of people respect me so much they depend so much on the advice I give them despite my telling them don't do that to you seek the Lord about it they still trust my advice so much I said Lord I'm scared to give advice to people how can I be sure that I'm as far as possible speaking the mind of God and this is what the Lord's told me fill your heart with two things fill your heart with my word and fill your heart with love for my people that's all and I'll always give you a word whether it's in-person counseling or to any church that you ever have to speak at I will always give you the appropriate word for people there even though you don't know anybody there all you need is fill your heart with my word and there's a lot of difference between filling your mind with God's Word and filling your heart with God's Word a lot of people have filled their mind with God's word for the word of God to go down from the mind to the heart all it requires is obedience if what you hear everything you hear you obey it goes down into your heart whatever you don't obey remains in your mind may be accurate but it can be a letter that kills the letter kills but when you obey it goes down into your heart and it comes in love and your heart is filled with love for God's people now I want to say that all of you there's no partiality with God I believe God wants all of us to be his witnesses it's not only certain select people some are called to be prophets and teachers but all are called to be witnesses a witness must be one who's willing to speak even if you speak a few words here is a secret fill your heart with God's Word fill your heart with love for God's people be an example sometimes we have to speak strong words also sure Jesus sometimes spoke strong words you know a lot of people tell me in India sometimes brother Zhang you're so hard in the way you preach and see not always but sometimes I have to be because but I say I'm not as hard as Jesus I say I want to give you an example of how Jesus spoke after speaking about children we are talking about children being the greatest God's kingdom please turn with me to Matthew 18 when the disciples asked him who is the greatest in God's kingdom he said I say to you unless you are converted verse 3 and become like children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven to me the message of the gospel is this hear me hear the word of the Lord the message of the gospel is this that you can become a little child once again does that excite you it excites me Lord can you give me the purity in my eyes of a little child that I can look with pure eyes and people what a gospel Wow can you make my impure eyes pure again the Bible speaks in Proverbs 6 about haughty eyes pride a lot of pride in our eyes because we know so much we've accomplished so much Lord can you give me the eyes of a child who's accomplished nothing nothing to boast of the heart what a message the message the gospel you can be like a child once again the innocence the lack of memory of evil you know you pinch a little child today or whatever reason in a crib and come back tomorrow they'll smile at you doesn't remember the other one who hurted yesterday what a wonderful thing to be like a child I don't even remember you're the one who hurt me yesterday it's great if you're serious this is the message of the gospel you can be like a little child once again in evil and grow in discernment is a man Matthew 18 whoever humbles himself verse 4 like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and in relation to little children in the church receive little children in my name if you receive a little child to receive me in another place Jesus said if you receive an apostle you receive me Jesus told his apostles whoever receives and apart you in my name receives me but there are not many apostles in the world for there plenty of children so they're a good substitute for apostles did you know that if you receive an apostle in Jesus name you receive Jesus if you receive a child in Jesus name you receive Jesus - I say Lord that's easy because not so many apostles around and then listen to these some of the hardest words that Jesus ever spoke and I want to paraphrase it to make it really sink home if you are one of those who by your action or your words stumble one of these little children in the church or in your home stumble them make them trip and the way they should be going you know what you should do on your way home go buy a hardware store and buy a millstone and a really heavy one if you can get something that weighs about a thousand pounds that'll be great a really heavy one he used the word heavy by the way a really heavy stone with a good hook on it and then get a good strong rope one that won't break one that can take the weight of a thousand pounds and go to the nearest large body of water lake river Si and tie this firmly around your neck this millstone with two or three strong knots so it won't come off and jump in the river I tell people have you ever heard me speak like that this is the meek and mild Jesus speaking many people have got a one-sided opinion of Jesus who was he speaking to people who stumble little children don't stumble children by the way you speak sisters don't stumble children by the way your dress little children watch older women how they dress and I tell you there's a lot of immodesty in the world today I pray it will never come to this church very subtle ways the devil comes in an immodest dressing is one of those ways where women were born again but who don't have a passionate desire to be godly don't have a passionate desire to be an example they see these magazines and see these fashions the latest fashions the way the people the film stars dress and all the models rests and others a dress and all types of things and they like to be a little fashionable oh that's okay I'm not saying we should dress like people to dress in the 18th century or something like that but make sure it doesn't become immodest that you don't reveal so much of your body by exposure or by tight-fitting clothes or by low necklines provoke men to lust I wish you women would know how weak every man is in the area of sexual lust they already have a battle as it is in this wicked world don't add to it by you becoming one more source of temptation get rid of those clothes if you have them and don't ever follow the examples there I know in India also my wife very often has to stitch some of her own blouses because the tailor's you don't get blouses that are modest in the stores and when you give it to a tailor you have to specifically tell them I don't want it stitched according to the latest fashion I want to tailor things you're crazy they say nobody dresses like that is this you have to tell them that's okay I dress like that I remember one father of a young girl in our church coming to me and saying brother Zak my little girl tells me why can't I dress like that young sister see our church is open we don't sort of say nobody can come to our church unless you're a member a lot of people come and they're slowly becoming members and during that period they could be dressed we don't allow any really modest dress if it's in modest I'll speak to the girl's father or her husband or if she doesn't have either then I will speak to her directly lovingly just like my daughter I'll assume that she did not know and I'll speak to her lovingly and say exactly what I'm saying right now so this brother came to me and said my girl says why can't a dress like that light daddy what shall I say to her I said this is what you must tell her in the ancient paradise called Eden there were two trees one was bad one was good and God sent Adam in there you had to make a choice and I said even if our church is like paradise like Eden you may have to make a choice there are some wonderful sisters here I said in our church who dressed so modestly who I'm proud of that they're so different from the world in the place of work in their colleges and schools they go to and there are also a few whose parents are not strict enough with them or as husbands are not strict enough with them who for the sake of peace at home allow their wives to dressing modestly they know it's wrong I'm sure those husbands know it's wrong but they don't have the courage to tell their wives it's not right for a godly woman to dress like that so I say your daughter has got a choice in this church and she can choose whom to follow so there is a choice and if anyone causes a little one to stumble I told you you need to go to the hardware store and get a really heavy millstone and get a rope and gone drown in the sea the Lord takes it very seriously when new people coming to the church young ones growing up are seeing someone whom they think is a mature Saint dressed like that or behave like that I hope none of us will stumble the little ones it's very important dear brothers and sisters if we have failed there's a wonderful words I always quote that acts 17 verse 30 the times of ignorance God overlooked say Lord I'm sorry and the Lord says I will not remember your sin any more great I rejoice in that because I stand before God as one who has never sinned I've probably done a lot more stupid things than you have but God's forgiven me I stand before God today as one who's never sinned I thank God for the days when God overlooked my ignorance my days of ignorance he overlooked but I feel so ashamed of the way I let the Lord down that I say Lord I want to make up for it in the days to come by really living wholeheartedly for you I missed so many years of my life because I did not know the New Covenant I never knew the New Covenant till I was about 36 37 years old now I tell young people in our church you guys are 17 years old and you're hearing these truths which I never heard for nearly 20 years our travels converted how lucky you are you can start the race now and run but I said I don't think you'll overtake me even though I started late because I have repented so deeply about my past that I'm running full speed and you guys I don't see many of you running full speed even though you know so much because you haven't failed a lot so much jesus said he who is forgiven much loves much do you recognize you've been forgiven much then you'll love much you'll run top speed this race in the footsteps of Jesus and the Lord wants such people and I believe the Lord's raised up this church to be a witness here he's given you two fine elders I listen to them and I see the anointing upon their life and sometimes I say Lord I don't need to come to this church anymore let me go somewhere else let's search doing okay they've got men who preach the truth or in fellowship with each other I hope you appreciate the fact that God's given you such good elders it's not true I've been to many churches and they do anything to have the type of elders you have here be grateful for God's gifts to you seek to be in a church where you can grow spiritually where your children can grow in godliness we want this church to be like that open to the Holy Spirit's leading listening always hearing what God wants to say may it be so let's pray Heavenly Father as we bow before you help us to hear you all the time we know that everything you say is for our eternal good you have our very best at heart you say I know the plans I have for you plans to give you a future and a hope so that you'll never face calamity in your life help us Lord to take your word seriously to walk in your footsteps Lord Jesus bless this church mightily let it be like a flaming light in this area that will draw many people to you like the flame on the tabernacle of old the glory of God the people will see for far distances and bring into this church all those who you see need the help that this church can give and who need the shepherding that this church can give and who are seeking for a godly life we know there are few we don't look for large numbers what we pray you bring in those few so that they can be built up together here to be a body a body that glorifies you and we pray that those who are slack and sluggish Lord you'll stir them up so that there will be no one without the flame of the Spirit burning in their hearts thank you for hearing us I pray you'll bless the elders of this church anoint them give them the gift of prophecy a heart of love and compassion but a heart that firmly seeks your glory and the eternal good of people and never to seek to please man we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: River of Life Christian Fellowship

Views: 64,039

Rating: 4.8048782 out of 5

Keywords: child, like, dependence, god, zac, poonen, sermon, rlcf, summer, conference, 2013, river, life, christian, fellowship

Id: UKQqnKd8vXw

Length: 76min 26sec (4586 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 01 2013