Faithfulness With Our Body and Our Money - Zac Poonen

I want to turn this morning to Philippians and Chapter three one of the verses that we often caught in our church which is almost never quoted in other churches is follow me as I follow Christ those are the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1 but it's not only Paul who is an example here it says in Philippians 3:17 brothers and sisters join in following my example every true believer if he's a really wholehearted Christian should be able to say to people younger than him follow my example Paul would not tell Peter follow my example Peter was older more mature than him but he was looking at people who were younger than him who younger in the Lord and said follow me as I follow Christ and if you are really a wholehearted Christian there are there's always somebody younger than you in this church sure age wise and in terms of knowing the Lord younger than you what is your responsibility towards them you feel you have any responsibility I mean do you feel that when you join CFC you're a member of a family not just like many churches they sit in and like in the city in a movie theater watching a performance or a drama or listening to a lecture in some auditorium and then go away that's not the type of church where building that is Old Testament in the Old Testament no Israelite had the responsibility to tell others follow our example and every Christian who cannot say that is like the Israelites he's really under the Old Covenant a New Covenant Christian not only seeks to overcome sin in his life but seeks to look at people younger than him in the Lord and to say follow my example that's where you had to be careful about your example it's not just listen to what I say but don't do as I do that's how it is with many people know to do as I do and listen to what I say follow my example so he says here observe those who are walking according to the same pattern that you have seen in us so it's not just Paul there are many others also in this time probably not many at least some others and Paul tells the Philippian Christians look around Paul says I'm not the only one look around and see people who are living according to the same pattern of life that you have seen in me so there were people whom the Philippians could look around and see probably very few but there were a few who were gripped by what they saw in Paul's life and they didn't just admire Paul's preaching and/or his life see a lot of people today we admire a preacher oh that was a great message well that's really spoke to my heart but Paul never wanted anybody to admire his message he wanted him people to follow his life so that's what we emphasize we are not here to get people to admire our preaching but we want people who will follow the example we set follow me as I follow Christ and look around you and see other people like that who may not be as mature as Paul but who are more mature than you and not all of them are examples but some of them are look at those examples because even in his day Paul says there are many who walk in a different way and he's not talking about unbelievers unbelievers definitely are walking in a different way there's no need to even talk about them but he says there are many who walk about whom I've often told you that means Paul warned even in his day this is written around 6080 about 30 years after Christ of 30 years of the day of Pentecost Paul is warning people there are Christians at this time who you should not follow I warn you because they are enemies of the cross of Christ and the amazing compassion that Paul had for them this is the thing that spoke to my heart when he says they are the enemies of the cross of Christ he doesn't say it with a anger or rudeness it says I'm telling you this while I'm saying it I'm weeping imagine Paul writing this letter and the tears flowing from his eyes as he thinks of people who claim to be Christians but you know those days I was only one church in a city there were not so many like today and they all claim to be Christians they were the testimony for the Lord in Philippi and some of them who sat in that church were not a good testimony and that grieve Paul he says what about testimony it is before others I mean there's some wonderful brothers and sisters here but there and there are some and Paul weeps when he thinks of it it's like you know this is what shows me that Paul was a real father you know you can probably criticize some young man saying he's wayward but how do you think his father will talk about him father will talk about him yes he's wavered but if his father will talk about it weeping you can criticize some young sister here in a rude way but her father or mother will talk about her weeping and that's how Paul was and that to me is a great verse that teaches me that Paul was a spiritual father to those people who accepted him as an elder not to every Tom Dick and Harry no no servant of God is an elder to everybody he's an elder to those who accept him as an elder I've said that for years I said I'm not an elder to everybody who sits in CFC far from it I'm an elder only to those who accept me as an elder that's all in to such people Paul is a father who took the responsibility of rebuking correcting but rebuking and correcting with tears he was weeping when he said these are the enemies of the cross of Christ and enemies of the cross of Christ as we understand it today is not just that they hated Jesus crucified I don't think people today hate Jesus crucified as if that's a terrible thing I think it is more unwilling to take the cross in their own life they don't want the cross in their own life there are enemies of the message of the Cross there are enemies of the message that says you must be crucified with Christ there are enemies of the message which says you cannot follow Jesus unless you take up the cross every single day and die to yourself you cannot follow him there are enemies of that and I want to tell you I don't think I have the tears that Paul has what I want to tell you is the truth that there are many many Christians like that in fact the vast majority of Christians they don't believe that we should die to ourselves every single day and seek to walk in brokenness I don't know if everybody if all of you sitting here believe that do you believe my brothers and sisters tell me honestly I mean answer yourself do you believe that you should die to yourself in your relationship with your husband every day and every your wired in relationship your wife or two other brothers die to yourself and say Lord I want to live before your face and everything I don't think so personally I mean if it were like that we'd have a revival here if every imagine if everybody's sitting here decided from today onwards I'm gonna die to myself every single day I'm gonna die there will be a revival that is the that is the reason why the devil hides that message from so many people and when you're an enemy of the Cross it says you're their end is destruction that's a sad part nobody likes to say that the end is destruction for some people but it is this is the Bible that says that as I often say nobody spoke about Hell in the Bible as much as the Lord Jesus nobody nobody in the Old Testament not Paul not Peter not a single person spoke about Hell as much as Jesus Christ and there's a reason for that because he was the only one who really knew what hell was like coming from heaven he had seen hell Paul had never seen hell Peter had never seen you and I have never seen hell so we don't think of the seriousness of it but Jesus who saw hell realize the seriousness of it and he spoke about Hell more than anybody else even in the Sermon on the Mount he spoke about Hell and he told the Pharisees who were very religious people who paid that tax didn't commit adultery and lived up upright according to the law but who were inwardly hypocrites he told them how will you escape hell imagine Jesus saying that to religious people how will you escape hell because you're living a double life one life in front of people in the synagogue another life and private how would those are the people to whom he said how will you escape well he didn't say that to the murderers and adulterers they were not living a double life for murderers living a single life he's a murderer everybody everybody knows he's a murderer a prostitute is living a single life they they're saying yeah I'm a prostitute that's my job but it's among Christians usually that you find those who live a double life they give one impression of being very holy in the church and quite another life that they live privately and those are the Pharisees who lived a double life and to them he said how will you escape the sentence of hell that's a very serious thing do you think that Lord would have to say that to some folks sitting here I want to warn you so he says their end is destruction and then he goes on to say certain things which we don't take very seriously one of the marks of some people who don't take up the cross in their life who are enemies of the cross who don't want the message of the Cross it says here that God is their appetite or their stomach now you'd think that Christianity has got nothing to do with eating and drinking it doesn't matter how much you eat or drink that's not true it speaks here about some people whose God is their belly in the margin it says that God is their stomach when is a person's God his stomach can a person whose God is his stomach in other words someone from food is his God is it possible for a Christian to have food as his God whom he worships definitely and it's one of those things which the Bible speaks about the New Testament speaks about it in the Old Testament didn't speak much about this at all but the New Testament speaks about it because one part of taking up the cross is keeping this body under the control of the Holy Spirit and keeping it fit for his use and it's a well-known fact any doctor will tell you that if you're in disciplined in your eating habits you will shorten your life you will not live the length of life God planned for you God planned when you were born a certain length of life and you shorten it by making food your God yep whose God is their stomach what are some of the evidences that we worship food well if the food is not up to the mark one day in your home you get all upset about it no there's nothing wrong and telling your wife there was a bit too much salt there or you know I don't like so much chillies in my food that's okay that's just a matter of taste to have different tastes is okay some people like less chilli or more that's not the point but who get upset about something I mean here your wife has tried our best to cook something and you get all upset with that brother I want to tell you honestly your God is your stomach you're worshiping your God and that particular day the food didn't satisfy you and you're upset because that is your God take that seriously enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their stomach and glory in their shame how important is this let me show you you probably never heard me speak about eating but you know Jesus began his ministry with 40 days of fasting now I've never recommended people to fast 20 days because you're not going into a ministry like Jesus Christ none of us are and I have never done that but I believe a certain amount of fasting particularly in your younger days is good for you to overcome this worship of food all of us are born with certain unique characteristics like children all children fight and all children love good food it's all natural it's just comes to us and as we grow up some of these things have to be controlled and fighting must be controlled and the love to eat everything that as we grow up we discover certain things are not good for our body and we just keep on eating it I mean we think about the people who drink too much or oh those guys are on drugs drugs harm the body or those guys get drink alcohol that harms the body but you know that a lot of other things that harm the body too not just alcohol and drugs a lot of sicknesses that we get like diabetes and blood pressure and some of these things that can shot in your life or give you a heart attack or a stroke are not as partly due to hereditary what we inherit from our parents but also due to what we eat so if I don't control what I eat I'm gonna shorten my life and I'm concerned about that I don't want to live one day less than what God planned for me when I was born not one day less not four not because I love this world I detest this world I'd rather be with the Lord but I know that God's got a plan for my life and he's got a plan for your life too whether you're fulfilling it or not I don't know but I have had a tremendous passion from my younger days to fulfill God's plan for my life because I know that's the only worthwhile life to live on this earth now I want to tell you that if you don't know that yet that's the only worthwhile life living on this earth if you fulfill God's plan for your life and for that you have to do a number of things one of the main things you have to overcome is sin and this critical attitude of other people is one thing it'll help you if you give up this critical attitude of other people and God will give you more light on yourself I've seen that let me show your words before I move on you know I was reading James chapter 3 verse 1 I'm giving you some really helpful advice if you are serious about it if you are serious about completing the length of life God planned for you I'll come to the matter of eating in a moment but here is a verse which says James 3:1 let not many of you become teachers there is a tremendous lust in man particularly Christians to be able to give advice to others do you find a lust to give advice to others I can say before God I have zero lust to give advice to others 0 if people come to me for advice I give them but I don't have a great lust to go around telling people this is what you should do we had some old system some older sisters in CFC like that I think some of them are still here Oh as soon as they see somebody they want to give that young sister some advice to send the other and those young sisters feel like running away from those older sisters there are people like that they have a great lust they think they are experts and they are very holy and they want to tell these young sisters that on the other wait till they come to you sister you're not such a holy person they are they detest you when you try to go and give them advice wait till they come to you humble yourself don't become many teachers don't have this lust to go around telling people what they should do what they shouldn't do when you have no responsibility for them you're not an elder maybe you're an elders wife and you think you're somebody I feel sorry for that there have been people like that in some of our CFC churches don't be teachers and the Amplified Bible there's an expansion of that verse which says self-appointed censors of other people's actions and words a censor is one cen SOR one who evaluates something don't be a self-appointed evaluator or examiner let's put it like that there's a more easier word to understand a self-appointed examiner of other people's actions and words don't be that don't become that the God has appointed some very few prophets and teachers let them do that job otherwise you'll be like these quack doctors who never studied medicine who go around in the villages fooling everybody and telling this is wrong this is wrong just to make money so they they do it to get a reputation as doctors and they're not there quacks you can be like that also spiritual quack who's just trying to go around imagining that you're a spiritual doctor telling people this and that this is wrong with you and that's wrong with you and the other things wrong with you or even if you don't save to have that critical attitude in your mind you just tell your wife or your husband at home what do you gain by it don't become a self-appointed examiner of others self-appointed God never appointed you God has appointed some people to take responsibility of others and he'll do that well that's this critical attitude because I'll tell you the real danger there is that is very close to the accusing spirit of the devil you know the devil is called the accuser of the brothers in Revelation 12:10 in other words when the devil sees something wrong in someone he's got a great lust to go and accuse him this is wrong this is wrong this is wrong in you and it's a little bit of that spirit that comes into a person who wants to go and tell somebody this is wrong this is wrong this is wrong not like a father a father like Paul said does it weeping but examiner's don't do it with weeping examiner's do it with for the heart attitude you're like this in your like this see I'm sorry to say we've had some sad examples in some CFC churches of some elders like that who preached like that to hit here there and call people all types of names and it's very sad very sad I mean whenever I've heard of it I've rebuked him I say that's not what you're called to be an elder for we are to a minister of the word strongly but with compassion the doctor doesn't just stab surgeon doesn't stab here and there he's very careful when you know how careful a heart surgeon is when he's doing heart surgery he wants to make sure that even one small blood vessel doesn't break the patient can die but we can be so careless with our words where we just fling it here and there the way you speak to your so-called loved ones and father to husband and wife and children and all thank imagine if a heart surgeon did heart surgery like that all his patients would die maybe be very careful in this the subject in James chapter 3 is about the tongue he says if you can control your tongue you're a perfect person so this critical attitude and that's part of the body the stomach the emphasis on eating and on the tongue there was no emphasis on the tongue in the Old Testament in fact the body the importance of the body and holiness was not there in the Old Testament the Old Testament is just you give some sacrifices and go to the temple three time Jerusalem three times a year and do certain rituals and that's okay but in the New Testament the emphasis so much on our body who do not control their tongue coming back to what I mentioned about food it says in 1 Corinthians and chapter 6 1 Corinthians 6 he says he talks about a people with different types of sins you know 1 Corinthians 6 you know 40 verse 9 fornicators idolaters adulterers homosexuals and all that and then he goes on to say some of you verse 11 were like that 1 Corinthians 6 verse 11 you weren't like that some of you but now you're sanctified justified in the name of our Lord and in the holy spirit now how shall I live look what Paul says all things are lawful for me can't I eat what I like okay but all things are not profitable that is the difference between a carnal Christian and a spiritual one a carnal Christians question is always what's wrong with that there's nothing wrong with that I can do that what's wrong with watching that movie and what's wrong with watching the other the other movie and the other movie I'll tell you people who ask like that spend so much time watching movies that they don't have time to read the Bible I'm talking about CFC people this is lawful it's not pornography all things are lawful for me good it will be a carnal Christian all your life a spiritual Christian is one who asks another question above that not is it lawful but is it profitable you can send your children to the cooperation school they will learn ABC there they learn 2+2 is 4 but why don't you send your children to the cooperation school why is it even some of you who are poor do not send your children to the cooperation school don't they get an education sure see we are so careful when it comes to education for our children you're so careful when you want treatment for somebody in your family medical treatment you don't mind spending money you don't just pick up any old Hospital down the street and say ok I'll put my this point for children there for treatment no we want not only what is good but what is the best now my question is this why don't we have that same attitude in spiritual things it's lawful now that school is a good school it's a corporation school is it maybe not as high standard as that one that hospital is a good one but not as clean and efficient as the other one see how careful we are in these things we are very careful when it comes to education for our children and help for our family members why are we not equally zealous in spiritual matters in our tell you why because God is not as important for us as health and education that's the plain simple truth yeah if you keep on asking yourself is that lawful is that lawful is that lawful you'll end up as a carnal Christian and waste your life and probably lose your salvation and go to hell it's my duty to tell you that the serious Christian recognizes that Christ gave everything for me Christ came in a body and lived 100% for God and for me so I want to live like that hence he chooses what is profitable for his body I told you about how people make their stomach their God a true Christian his stomach is not as God is he eats food in order to live he doesn't live to eat but eats to live so he says another thing here you know it's unlawful for me 1 Corinthians 6:12 but I'm not got to be mastered by something I want to ask you a question but you need to ask yourself is there anything on this earth that masters you that you cannot live without I cannot live without this when I eat my food I must have this I must have that you're enslaved you don't realize it but you're enslaved you're mastered by something by a particular type of food oh you have to watch that movie or you have to do this thing something earthly which is and I say if you keep it in a proper place and use it once in a while or eat it once in a while that's fine but when you're mastered by say I can't live without it and make life miserable for your wife if she doesn't make it every day you know that you're going in the wrong direction and what is it what's he talking about when he says I don't want to be mastered by anything what's he talking about next worse food that's not my idea it's his it's the Holy Spirit I said I don't want to be mastered by anything he says food that's the subject verse 13 says food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food what one day God is going to destroy both the stomach and the food so he says be very careful that you don't worship your stomach again the same old thing you never find verses like is this in the Old Covenant so when we talk so much about being New Covenant Christians and we are part of the New Covenant this is a very important part of the New Covenant why is food so important because I want to live the entire length of life that God planned for me when I was born do you believe that that when you were born God planned a certain length of days for you if you don't know that verse I've often quoted it turn with me to Psalm 139 those of you have never seen it please see it today and remember it all your life to me it's a very comforting thought Psalm 139 it says in verse 13 you owe me in my mother's womb the second part is verse 13 inside my mother's womb god you made me and while you were making me inside my mother's womb when I was such a teeny-weeny little thing or 16 your eyes saw my substance and in your book that is in your mind all the days ordained work for me were written down when even the first day had not started the first day starts after I come out of my mother's womb but before that inside the mother's womb God had planned I believed it for myself David believed it for himself and it's for you hmm this is the number of days this person must live and the guy's not even been born this is the length of days he must live and I'm absolutely convinced that the vast majority of Christians do not live there I mean if they are martyred for Christ like Jesus died at 33 and a half that was exactly number of days God planned for him he was born in the exact day of supposed to be born died on the exact day was supposed to die but if my I remember years ago reading in a challenging article on discipline we we made copies of that and gave it out to a number of our young people here on how to be a disciplined person and one of the things I read in that article was if my life is shortened because I'm martyred for Christ I proclaimed Christ and because of that somebody hated me and killed me I can stand before God with great joy that my wife life was shortened because I proclaimed Christ but he said in that book if your life is shortened because you ate too much or you ate the wrong type of things because if your lust for food because food was your God and your life was shortened and one day you stand before God and you had to answer to God for how you lived what are you gonna say I thought about that then and I keep thinking about that now in there I say Lord I I don't want to have to because I won't be able to do anything about it at the judgement seat of Christ it's over life is over I can't get another chance to live that life now is the time and some of you are so blessed to be able to hear these truths which you'll almost not hear in most churches that we have to give an account of our life every day every day of our life to Christ not only everyday you know you often heard me quote Matthew 12 37 that every word we speak we have to give an account every careless word that we speak so that's the verse which says the days that ordained for you were written down by God and right now God knows exactly how long you're supposed to live and because we live in a sin cursed earth there are sicknesses going around and some serious ones nowadays but even where those serious germs are floating around can they shorten my life is God so helpless that a coronavirus can knock down his child and his God can do nothing about it I don't believe in such a helpless God I believe in a God was almighty I'll tell you where he cannot help you he cannot help you you go and swallow the corona where as yourself or you go to make food your God and heat all types of other bad things which short in your life I mean nobody would be so foolish to go and swallow a coronavirus germ but we are foolish when it comes to eating a lot of things that shorten our life in a similar way because food becomes our God so here it says God is one day going to do away with all this so don't become a slave to these things I will not be a slave of anything except the Lord I want to ask all of you my dear brothers and sisters can you say Jesus Christ alone is my Lord I'm not a slave of food and I'm not a slave of money these are the two things the New Testament emphasizes a lot see when we preserve our body like this and really seek to keep our body for the Lord here is a promise there's an amazing promise that I have claimed from the Lord many many many times in my life I'll tell you through the years I've claimed his promises right here we were just reading 1 Corinthians 6 13 food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food don't worship food God is going to destroy them and the same way immorality that's the other thing that you can do with your body - dangers overeating and sexual sin imagine that he puts them both together in the same verse overeating and sexual sin sexual sin of course we know it's wrong what about overeating and sexual sin destroys your body you gotta be careful now here it says here's the verse that I've claimed the last part of verse 13 the body is not for immorality or for food primarily but for the Lord so that's let me paraphrase verse 13 there are two things he mentions in verse 13 concerning the body food and sexual impurity there are a lot of sexual sins that you can commit without going to a woman on your own so he's talking about food and sexual sin in relation to the body be careful and keep your body for the Lord to sins you've got to be aware of overeating and sexual carelessness and if you keep your body from those things and keep it for the Lord it is a promise amazing promise the Lord is for your body that is what I have claimed for years I say Lord I'm not saying that I should never have a fever or never have a cold or a cough I'm not saying that and I have no desire to live one single day longer than what God wants me to live but at the same time I don't want to live one day less than what God wants me to live if God wants me to have a thorn in the flesh I will bow my head and say lord thank you your grace is sufficient for me but otherwise I believe that God wants me to be healthy to live for him and so why do I say that because my body when my body is for the Lord what is the promise the Lord is from my body so where am I finally driving at why am I telling you to not make food your God why am i telling you to be sexually pure with all the movies you watch and all the other things because ultimately the Lord will be for your body isn't that wonderful to be able to look up to the Lord and say father my body is only for you I will not worship my body I will not lust with my eyes I will not be critical with my tongue these are part of my body this is what I mean by body is for the Lord I'm talking about eyes and tongue with which me commit most of our sins lord I will not lust with my eyes I will keep my tongue under control I may have so many opinions about people but I don't have to express them I don't have to go around telling people what's wrong with them I'm not a prophet I'm not a self-appointed examiner of others Lord I want to restrain myself I don't have opinions of all types of people and destroy myself I'll tell people whether you tell me who tells how are you something but otherwise I want to mind my own business it's a great verse in the Bible don't be a busybody in other people's matters mind your own business mind your own business I wish I could write that in front of every believers face mind your own business brother you progress a lot more spiritually if you stop worrying about other people's business allow your body to be for the Lord and here is a wonderful promise the Lord is for your body and I've claimed that claim that claimed that for yours the Lord is for my body yeah so that's the first thing and then I also say in verse 19 it's all in the same subject my body is also a temple of the Holy Spirit and just like we take care of this building this is not the house of God house of God is the people but this is a building which is very important for us to keep in good shape so that it doesn't collapse or doesn't decay and all that because we want it to be a good clean tidy place for God's people to meet and our body is a million times more important than this building what would you think of the caretakers of this building if the paint was all peeling off and the crack in the roof and cracks in the wall and the rain coming through and rain coming from the roof and all that and everything happening you'd say what type of caretaker have you appointed to look out to this building what type of caretaker are you of the temple of the Holy Spirit not this building your body your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and if you'd be upset if some caretaker left this building in a ramshackle rotten useless way what do you think God thinks of you as a caretaker of the temple of the Holy Spirit are you taking care of it okay there's a great verse which says the times of ignorance God overlooked that's one of my favorite verses acts 17 verse 30 the times of ignorance God overlooked okay let us assume you don't know that verse let's go there some of you don't know it I must show that verse to everyone I don't mind repeating in verse 500 times because there may be some people who never knew it till now so those of you who already know it be patient there are others you who don't know it that was done here still learning two plus two is four be patient with them acts 17 verse 30 the times of ignorance God overlooked but now he's telling everybody to turn around from that old way of life repent means turn around from your way of life okay let us as you that until today what's today the 23rd of February 2020 until today you were completely ignorant that food could become your God from today onwards you're not ignorant until today you were ignorant of what a critical spirit you have that when you have a critical spirit you're almost teaming up with Satan the accuser of the brothers you were ignorant and you say oh all these years I was ignorant and food was my god and I've done all types of things to shorten my life Lord I was ignorant of it till today what do you do God says up until today I overlooked cleansed in the blood of Christ forgiven but from today or whenever you're hearing this message if you're listening to it online from today turn around it's not a suggestion god is now declaring commanding that all people everyone sitting in this hall everyone listening to this message at any time now or in the future must turn around and say god you're going to be the lord of my body this is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I want to preserve it for you I want to keep it pure I want to keep my eyes pure I want to keep my tongue pure I don't want to worship food anymore not from today I want to be careful and you sisters there's nothing wrong and wearing good clothes being decent I mean we don't come to church in pajamas and loogies and all that what we wear at home we want to be we you know we wear clothes because we respect others and so we want to be respectable but be careful that you sisters don't decorate your body so much that your aim is to attract people to yourself it's a tremendous temptation to of course we must look as attractive as God has made us definitely and use all the means to make yourself pleasant I mean look Pleasant and the way God's give made you but don't get to the point where you want to get people to be drawn to you sister it's a very dangerous thing very dangerous for you young sisters be modest don't try to attract boys through your physical beauty he'll marry the wrong person I'll tell you that that people be drawn to you by spiritual qualities by all means being well dressed and he comb your hair and do everything properly he do your face up nicely all that is fine but don't let your motive be and you alone know that don't let your motive be I want people to admire me I want people to think I'm the most beautiful girl can see of seeing God have mercy on you you're in danger of going to hell I'll tell you that straight you're coming here to get people to worship you and people come here to worship Jesus Christ God have mercy on you don't do things to attract people to yourself her body was not given sister your body was not given to you by God to attract people to yourself no you glorify God the out in the world is if I don't attract people how in the world will I get married I'll tell you if you're a wholehearted sister living for God God will bring to you the best person on earth to be your husband yes I'll do he'll do that if you can trust him but you don't have to make yourself attractive physically and attract so many boys here and there tempt them and with your tight dresses and all be very careful don't follow the fashions of the world your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit don't dress it in an immodest way control your tongue so in Philippians let me come back to Philippians 3 where it speaks about the stomach being the god of some people who have denied the way of the Cross the enemies of the Cross are those who whose God is their stomach verse 19 Philippians 3 the enemies of the Cross in verse 18 who don't want to follow Paul or is the example of other godly men and whose end is destruction their God is their stomach and the other thing is their mind is set on earthly things primarily money God has given us money to use and I believe it's a test he tested many people through money Judas Iscariot failed the test through money he didn't fall into sexual sin it was money that made Jesus the Judas betrayer it's a great warning that the one disciple out of 12 fell away because of money there was a love for money there imagine him you can sit and listen to the most powerful message that Jesus preached for three and half years and he still loved money and you can sit here and listen to powerful messages and in your heart you can love your set your mind on earthly things in other words you don't use money your mind is set on it set on it there's nothing wrong in using money there's nothing wrong in having a lot of money if God gave it to you and it's all earned righteously if all the money you have earned is righteously earned not because you cheated the government or cheated other people or cheated in business or anything it's all righteously earned and if God decided to make you rich well he made Abraham rich who was such a godly man that God called himself the God of Abraham was Abraham a poor beggar no ibrahim was one of the wealthiest people of his time and God calls him to the God of Abraham imagine if God put your name and said I'm the God of so-and-so oh boy what an honor and in job's time he was the richest man in all the earth he was a billionaire he was the most godly man that lived on earth at that time so the Bible doesn't teach that if you have money you can be ungodly no but one of the things job said in this book was I have not made gold my god just like you can make stomach your God you can make money your God where you worship it like people worship food they can worship money and I want this I want this and bow down you know what the Idol says do this you do it that's how many people live this God says I'll give you money if you do all these wrong things and they do it and they get it so their mind is set on earthly things you heard me use the illustration of a rubber band to me there's the best illustration I've ever found if you have a rubber band a true Christian is one who's got his mind set his mind is set on things above but because he lives on earth and he's got to do hundreds of things on earth for many hours a day he has to stretch that rubber band to the things of Earth for eight hours in his place of work and maybe another five six hours it's a lot of jobs at home but then when all the work is done the rubber band is released goes back up to think about the things of heaven the things of God and things of God's Word meditate on God's Word that is a true Christian but he's spending 14 hours a day thinking about earthly things nothing wrong in it he has to work is to earn his living a mother has got to take care of the children is cook the food that's this rubber band stretched to earthly things for many hours a day but when it's released when it's all over does a rubber band spring back to the things of heaven what do you think about that what do you think about when all your day's work is over you lie down in bed what do you think or when you're free from other things just sitting and relaxing where is the rubberband for many people for the worldly people is the other way around it's never stretched to heavenly things but for Christians there many Christians them the rubber band is tied to the earthly things and on Sunday morning they'll stretch it for two hours two heavenly things like and go to a church service and think about God and hopefully nobody's thinking about money even now but some people even even in church they're thinking about that but it's stretch there and then the two hours service is over then back to money again our earthly things that's not the way God intended a disciple of Christ to live you say well how will I survive I'll tell you if you see God's kingdom first and his righteousness in everything all that you need on earth will be added to you I can tell you that I can tell you that from my own testimony for 53 year 54 54 years now and there are other people better than me who can testify have a long a period of time who honestly can say I did not seek money I did not seek my own but I sought God's kingdom even if it meant poverty even if it meant living simply I determined to seek God's kingdom first and God has added everything I need you must have that testimony at the end of your life even if you are in a secular job the seeking God's kingdom first is not just for preachers and full-time workers it's for everyone the kingdom of God is righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and if you are seeking for that Lord I want to be righteous in my life I want peace in my heart and joy in the Holy Spirit all the time and you put God first in your life in every situation and seek with all your heart never to cheat anyone never to take advantage of anyone never to exploit anyone and never never to make money in any unrighteous way I can guarantee you I can give you a written guarantee that the righteous man will never be forsaken by God and his children will never look for a job his grandchildren will never look for a job because the grandfather was righteous it's an amazing promise don't you want to be like that so those who set their mind on earthly things the rubberband is tied up to the earthly things and occasionally pulled up to religious activities that's not Christianity verse 20 our citizenship is in heaven we are living on earth but we are citizens of heaven you know there are many foreigners who belong to another country their passport is another country different country but they're living in India now they are tourists they are visitors they even if they are working here they are not part of this country and they're always there saving money to go back to the other country not to be here so here it says we belong to heaven a day in our life came when our citizenship was changed you know just like people longed to go to another country better country we also decided one day to become citizens of heaven yesterday you were born again really born again and he says you got a heavenly passport you became a citizen of heaven and I don't know whether you realize that you are to live here like the Bible says like a foreigner on this earth is it not your home we look forward to that day when Christ will come again it says in verse 20 we eagerly wait for the day when Christ will come back and this same body again he talks about this body of our humble state will one day be changed to be exactly like the body of his glory he looked forward to that day until that day comes when your body will become like the body of Jesus Christ free from sickness free from anxiety worry and free from every infirmity until that day my brother sister I urge you use your body to fulfill God's plan for your life be careful discipline yourself one last verse 1 Corinthians in chapter 9 1 Corinthians chapter 9 you know when you read Corinthians remember that is written to a bunch of worldly carnal Christians who were defeated in their lives do you qualify 1 Corinthians is for you worldly carnal defeated Christians they are the Corinthians now what is the Holy Spirit tell them is there a message for such people yes the message is not get ready to go to hell no the message is get ready to get the first prize in heaven can you believe that this is how the Holy Spirit speaks 1 Corinthians 9:24 and for every worldly carnal Christian sitting here I would say to you 1 Corinthians 9:24 don't you know that those who run in a race run but only one gets a prize you carnal defeated worldly Christians run from today in such a way that you can win that price can the Corinthians win that prize yes otherwise the Holy Spirit wouldn't even mention that so the i I've said this before that you know you know you know in a race only one person wins a prize but he's telling all these Corinthians to run to win the prize in other words in the Christian race every one of us can win a win first prize I'm not in competition with you to make you second know I'm in a competition to help you to come first as well I want to help you to come first and I want to come first - we're going to be jointly first all a few Corinthians you're so worldly now it doesn't matter from now onwards run in such a way that you may win the fur price but if you want to win it take an example from all the athletes who run in the Olympic Games they exercise self-control can you imagine a man who wants to run the 40 kilometer marathon race in the Olympics and he has no control over his eating and his stomach becomes bigger and bigger and bigger and his indiscipline how far will he get from the starting line they'll laugh at him if he comes to starting in first of all he won't be selected by his country to go and represent them in the Olympic Games they exercise self-control in all things he's taking the example of an earthly runner who's going for an Olympic Games and they'd do it to get today a gold medal but we weren't doing it to get a reward from Jesus who says to us well done good and faithful servant which is worth more than a million gold medals so Paul says as far as I'm concerned I don't know about you Corinthians but I'm concerned I am going to run I'm gonna discipline myself I will not make my stomach my god I will not make money my god I will control myself and control my appetites and my passions discipline myself and run in such a way with an aim my aim is I want to fulfill God's plan for my life I want to do all that God wanted me to do on this earth before I leave I want to be a witness to every person God wanted me to be a witness to on this earth I don't want somebody whom I lived next to or sat next to for years and years and years and years and years telling me at the judgment seat hey you knew that Jesus is the only way to heaven and you never told me about it and you called me your friend for 20 years i sat with you every day in the office lived next door to you and you never told me once how often we talked in those 20 years and the most important thing which you knew you never said a word to me you talked about all the things in the world but you never told me about Jesus is anybody going to tell you that at the judgment seat of God I'm not saying we should preach to everybody in the office but don't you think people around us should know that we are different we are Christians who seek to follow the Lord I know when I was in the Navy for example you can't go around witnessing to people in the Navy but if I had a table I'd keep a Bible there nobody can stop me from give me a Bible there and that itself is a witness the people hey this guy's some special type of Christian he's got a Bible on the table I'll tell you that a Christians are ashamed to put a Bible on the table they're ashamed the boss will come and see it and think you're a religious nut everybody in the Navy thought I was a religious nut except God I've seen non-christians hang calendars near their table of some idle picture why not hang a calendar with a verse of scripture if that's your table I mean not some public office see there are many ways without publicly shouting in the gospel at others to let people know I'm a Christian but a little different type of Christian from others a disciple of Jesus Christ I want to be a witness also as I run in such a way and what do i what do you do Paul verse 27 I discipline my body and make it my slave I like the Living Bible paraphrase of that beautiful listen to this verse 27 I make my body do what it should do and not what it wants to do great I'll ask you to remember that little phrase I will make my body do from now on what it should do and not what it wants to do I'll make my tongue speak what it should speak not what it wants to speak I'll make my eyes look at what they should look at and not what they want to look at I'll make my hands do what they should be doing not what they want to do great verse I make my body do what it should do and not what it wants to do otherwise if I don't live like that I can be the greatest preacher in the world verse 27 I can preach to so many others when I come to the end of the race at the finishing line the referee will say disqualified not only you don't get a prize you're disqualified from the race your name is not even in the list you're not even lost you're disqualified and you say ball you're telling me you were in danger of being disqualified sure there's no respect of persons with God God didn't say oh this is Paul so we won't disqualify him there's no favorites if I don't discipline my body if I don't make my body do what it should do I can be disqualified I've taken those words very seriously for many years and I want to say to you I'd recommend to you that you take it seriously - let's pray have any father we know that your word always leads us higher you never want us to sit in the same class failing failing failing failing year after year you always challenge us to get promoted to the next class to go up higher to go up higher help us Lord we pray to press onto perfection not just to sit and look at that verse on the pulpit but to actually do it in our life to press on to perfection every single day so that we can complete our earthly course which you planned before we were born Lord Jesus what an example you said of disciplining yourself denying yourself help us to follow that example and thank you for the wonderful examples we have like the Apostles who also lived that way and who completed their course with great joy and many other godly men and women through the ages who lived like that we want to follow their example Lord and make our lives worth while living on this earth for your glory we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

Views: 9,223

Rating: 4.9190283 out of 5

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

Id: -Z3wUsZ8CF0

Length: 68min 56sec (4136 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 26 2020