Few Be That Find Life by Zac Poonen

why is it that so many who claim to be born again who claim to have received the Holy Spirit and talk such high spiritual language very often not able to work together not able to become one with each other I mean leave alone a church my experience in many many places has been that it's difficult to find even a husband and wife who can testify that the Lord has made us one and that's the reason why so many children go astray and yet you know that Jesus prayer the last prayer that he prayed after the Lord's Supper he prayed that those who believed through his disciples and that includes us should become one not one at the cost of truth you know which is what the ecumenical movement tries to do gather all people who take who just say they are Christians by name because they were born in a Christian family and try to make them one Jesus didn't pray for them he's not trying to make all religions one he's not even trying to make all those who call themselves Christians one that is impossible because 90% of people who call themselves Christians are not children of God according the scripture but he prayed for those whom the father had given him I want you to turn to John chapter 17 verse six I manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world there's a category of people men and women whom God has taken out of the world and given to Jesus I want to be in that number I hope you do think of that read that slowly let's read it as the people whom you father gave me out of the world they were yours because all of God's creation is is you gave them to me and the identifying mark of these people is they have kept thy word that's how I know for myself that's how I know that the father has given me to Jesus because when I read God's Word I tremble if there's a word if there's a word there I have not obeyed I try to find out what it means and I keep try to obey it I want to be in that number whom the father has given to Jesus I hope you want to be in that number all the opinions that other people have about your spirituality is fit for the trash can all the opinion that your Christian leaders have would think you're very spiritual or even born-again throw it in the trash can worth nothing all the opinions you have about me trash can 10,000 people calling you a prophet will not make your prophet 10,000 people calling your devil won't make you a devil you decide your own destiny do you keep God's Word only you know it not only God's Word that he gives us in the scriptures but through your conscience you know the times all of you know the times when God has spoken something clearly to your heart and you have made a decision at such times whether you would keep what God spoke to you or you begin to think if I do this what price will I have to pay if I do this what will so-and-so think or what concern so say if I do this what are my wife's saying I couldn't care less what my wife says I'm more interested know what God says you cannot be a disciple of Jesus if you love your husband or wife or father or mother or wife or children or brothers or sisters anyone more than him you cannot be a decide the prayer in John 17 is for disciples those whom the father took out of the billions of people in the world and said here my son this is your bride I want to be in that number I don't want to just go to heaven when I die I want to be part of the Bride of Christ and it says here I asked verse 9 on their behalf do you know that Jesus isn't praying for everybody he ever lives to make intercession for certain people I want him to be praying for me I don't want to imagine that he's praying for me a lot of Christians live in imagination listen to this I ask on their behalf I do not ask on behalf of the world you know that Jesus is not praying for the world there are some Christians who try to be super spiritual we're going to pray for America we are praying for India go ahead brother sister Jesus is not praying I'm sorry to disappoint you but Jesus is not praying for America is America a part of the world by the way this year I don't ask on behalf of America I don't ask on behalf of India all this business of America repent what about Afghanistan repent nobody is interested in Afghanistan repenting Iraq repenting Indonesia repenting why only America oh that amount of deception there is among Christians they deserve to be deceived because they don't read the scriptures they deserve to go astray because they don't read the scriptures they live in sin and imagine that they're going to the kingdom of God not in a hundred million years heaven is not a place for people who fool around with sin heaven is a place for the worst I mean can you think of a worse sinner than the murderer on the cross he was worse than all of us sitting here but he went into paradise because he repented he'd never have got there if he hadn't repented but when Christians were you've never committed sins as serious as him fool around and think that they can oh I believe in Jesus he's all he loves sinners and I love him and it doesn't matter if I slip and fall into sin that's another gospel that's not the gospel that thief on the cross believed I mean if he was released from the cross and come down he was not going to go and murder people again the woman caught in adultery was forgiven immediately but do you know what the Lord told her don't ever sin again don't sin again don't go and commit adultery again like don't condemn you don't do it again that's the full gospel the full gospel is I don't condemn you don't do it again so he doesn't ask for the world because the world's not interested in being giving up sin and I'll tell you a lot of Christians sitting in many churches are part of the world if you look into their hearts their spirit is 100% with the world their whole mind is set on the things of the world reluctantly they have some interest in reading the Bible and spiritual things you know it's like forcing children read broccoli or something like that you're forced to eat come on come to the meeting and read the Bible and they do it their interest is in the world you think such people are born again a lot of preachers would welcome such people say yeah you are born again you're not when a person is born again there's a fundamental change in his heart you need to distinguish there's the world and there's the church but I'm only praying verse 9 for those whom you have given me I say Lord I want to be in that number I don't know whether all of you take that seriously there's certain people in this earth there are very very few whom geez God has taken out of the world and given to Jesus and the mark of them is they keep God's Word you can know whether you're in that number your attitude to God's commands that shows whether God has given you to Jesus or not and I believe a lot of people when Christ comes again are gonna get a big surprise I want to turn to Revelation chapter 7 a lot of people find comfort in this verse verse 9 I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count from every nation all tribes peoples tongues standing before the throne before the Lord lamb clothed in white robes and palms in their hands they cry out with a loud voice saying salvation that means our salvation is due to our God and who sits on the throne and to the lamb now obviously these are people who are God's children in heaven for eternity and it's a great multitude a great multitude which no man can number I believe that how in the world does this reconcile with what Jesus said in Matthew 7 the way to life is narrow and few there be that find it there's no contradiction in scripture jesus said heaven and earth will pass away my words will not pass away there are very few he said to find the way to life but here it says is a great multitude which you can't even count I mean that's a huge number and it says here from every single tribe I know lots of tribes in India in whose midst nobody's converted they don't have a Bible in their language lots of them not one or two millions of people in India will never heard the gospel in any time for 2,000 years I mean we ourselves in the last 30 years we have found we have got built churches in two villages where there were no churches for 2,000 years and that's just a small fellowship like ours we got two churches with it no church for 2,000 years and there are many many many many villages like that and nobody's heard the gospel when they've never never there's nobody in 2,000 years ever come to Christ knows they don't even know who Jesus Christ is how is this going to be if Christ were to come today how is it there's going to be people from every tribe people tongue we've got so many languages in India you know there's no Bible at least 300 languages no Bible and most of these people I believe our babies died before they came to childbirth the millions of abortions that have been committed that have been done throughout the world millions and millions and millions and millions which no man can number the number of abortions that have taken place and the number of babies that have died in every tribe infant mortality rate is very high in the backward tribes rami huge numbers from those tribes every tribe tongue and nation there are people going to be because those babies the righteousness of Christ is put to their account just like it's put to our account and they go right into God's presence it could be from Muslim families atheist families idol-worshipping families any family in the world that child does not suffer for the sins of the parents millions and millions and millions and people and I believe I will see and since the infant mortality rate is much more in third world countries there'll be more third world country people here than the first world millions abortions I mean the first world sort of catching up now with all the abortions being committed here with their millions over there but then I want to see I want you to see chapter 14 where you see a much smaller number the testimony of the people in Chapter seven is our salvation is dear to our God we didn't do anything we didn't do anything that's exactly what those babies are going to say our salvation is due to our God 100% we don't deserve it he forgave us by His grace and brought us here chapter 14 you know and then that day I'll tell you you will see how God turned the tables on the devil the devil's done a tremendous work throughout the world in legalizing abortion killing babies and murder during them God has turned the tables on the devil by populating heaven with millions and millions of babies from every tribe tongue and nation before they grew up and went to hell gods turned the tables on the devil it never sanctions abortion mcdonnen saying is there are a lot of things God doesn't sanction God didn't sanction the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that is the that was a worse evil than abortion killing the son of God but God used it to turn the tables on the devil and that was the place where he was defeated the greatest evil that was ever done on this earth was a crucifixion of Jesus Christ and that became the greatest source of blessing to the whole world that permanent testimony that God has given to us and God can turn anything that the devil does into something for his glory but in chapter 14 we read of a small number that can be counted I mean you and I can count to 144,000 now the book of Revelation is full of symbols so it's not a literal figure it's full of symbols right from chapter 1 to chapter 22 so it's not a literal number but what it means is compared to the number in Chapter 7 it's a very small number there's a number that cannot be counted here's a number that can be counted and these are the few about whom Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 7 a small number few there be that find it I mean think of it in the history of humanity from the time of Adam till the day Christ comes back how many billions and billions and billions of people are being on this earth among all those billions a hundred and forty four thousand isn't that a pretty small number very small that's the point few who have found that narrow way I don't think many Christians believe me when I say that few will find the way of life and that's what they don't believe Jesus yet that word is very clear the gate is small the way is narrow that leads to life it's a very clear word in Matthew 7:14 few there be that find it many will understand it but few find it and so I found in myself in preaching in India about the new and living way and the way of the cross many understand it but very few find it and you know where you can find it you find it in the moment of temptation in the moment of temptation you discover whether you have found that narrow way or not it's a way of total depth to self very few find it if you preach to a crowd come to heaven or raise their hand Jesus says come and die but if you are interested in that have you responded to Jesus invitation come have you responded to the invitation which says come to heaven or have you responded to the invitation of Jesus which has come and die which invitation have you responded to my dear brothers and sisters I want to tell you the truth because I don't want the blood of anyone on my hands in the day of judgment the way of the cross is the way of life the way that Jesus went he walked the way of the cross not just for 24 hours he walked it for thirty three and a half years and he said take up your cross daily and follow me that way is a very narrow way meeting all the Christians who sing God's praises on Sunday and who come for conferences and all that do you think they're walking the narrow way far from it look at the amount of sin there is among so-called Christians fooling around sinning sinning in their lives sitting in their marriages sitting in their business all types of thing they're all thing they're on their way to heaven they are in for a tremendous surprise when Christ comes again and there are very very few preachers on the face of the earth who are telling it like it is you got a bunch of legalists who make all type of the rules and say if you don't keep these rules you won't go to heaven that's a lot of rubbish and then you on the other side you've got a lot of other people who say well it doesn't matter how you live you know just say those magic words Jesus come into my heart and then you are set for all set for eternity boy what a lot of people's blood is going to be on these hands people's hands and the people who tell them once you've accepted Christ you're okay nothing will happen to you imagine the millions of people whose blood is going to be the hands of these preachers I don't want a single person's blood on my hand so we want to preach the truth the truth is here I looked and I saw the lamb standing on Mount Zion to me Mount Zion is a picture of true Church of Christ the Bride of Christ standing with him with 144,000 they have his name and the name of his father on their foreheads see this is in contrast to the followers of the Antichrist who give his followers the option in Chapter just two verses earlier chapter 13 verse 16 the Antichrist gives people the option you can have my name either on your forehead or on your right hand inside your right palm now this is all symbolic Rambis language I'm not talking about credit cards and all that type of things which Christian fanatics talk about is a mark of the Antichrist this is spiritual language and you got to understand it the mark of the Antichrist is a mere forehead in the palm of your right hand it can mean many things I mean there may be there may be a time coming I don't know when there could be a literal mark I've got no idea but I'm not interested in that the Bible says that you know in the beginning of Revelation it says blessed is the man who keeps the things written in this book revelation 1:3 the book of Revelation is not something which is just to say are in the future when Antichrist is going to come and he's gonna put some electronic thing inside your skin or something don't worry about all that just see first of all like John the Apostle said in 1 John 2 you know that many anti the Antichrist is coming there are already many antichrists in the church he said show you that for a moment when we come back here 1 John chapter 2 he said in verse 18 children it is the last hour and just as you heard that that big Antichrist is coming one day 1 John 2:18 even now even now first century there are many antichrists have arisen those who what is an antichrist what does it mean to be anti war or anteed this or anteed that it means you're against it anyone who's against Christ and against the Spirit of Christ has got the spirit of the Antichrist if you understand the Spirit of Christ what that stands for and you're against that spirit that's is purely Antichrist because you're anti-christ from this we know that it is the last hour and if it was the last hour in 95 AD we are probably in the last minute and now listen to this this is the most interesting part of it these Antichrist verse 19 went out from our midst they were sitting in our churches some of these Antichrist John was saying who were these people they said they were born again they said that they were baptized in water and they sat here not one or two many and they went out why did they go out that's a question and when they went out it was manifested that they were not really of us for if they had been part of the body of Christ they would not have gone out they would have remained with us so that it can be manifested they went out so that it could be manifested that they are not all of us do you think that's happening today I really believe that people who don't like the strong preaching of Christ if your eye if you lust with your I plug it out better to be blind than to lust after a woman how many people do you think take that seriously better to cut off your right hand that come in sexual sin with your right hand multitudes of men commit sexual sin with their right hand Jesus said cureo where are the people who take it seriously how we have forgiven if we confess our sins the blood of Jesus cleanses us you don't have the Spirit of Christ if you get angry and you go and speak to your brother and anger you aren't going to me you're in danger of hellfire your yes must be yes or no must be no where do you hear these things they went out from us I'll tell you why they went out in those days because that's what the Apostle John got up and preached and they couldn't stand the fiery preaching of the Apostle John I said I had this guy's a fanatic and they left and they joined the church of a fellow called Diotrephes you read about him in 3rd John verse 9 who wouldn't accept what John says they say you fellas were disturbed by John's preaching come here we got a church our church is growing we were 50 a few months ago we are about 5,000 now a lot of John's followers have come here you're welcome that's why they went out they couldn't stand the preaching of the Christ that John stood for so this Antichrist come back to Revelation 13 the spirit of the Antichrist was in operation in so-called believers sitting in many churches in those days I believe it's very much there today and John said at that time you got an anointing that'll tell you that's the next thing he said to them in the same passage 1 John chapter 2 verse 20 you have an anointing chapter 2 verse 20 from the Holy One and you'll know that anointing will tell you whether what you're hearing is are the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of the Antichrist I never wanted to sit in a church which has God the spirit of the Antichrist I don't want to sit under preaching that is preaching the spirit of the opposite of what Jesus taught and all I have to do is when I go to a church check up whether they emphasize the Sermon on the Mount you know the story that Jesus said in the end it's oh no no no parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount he said I'll tell you something fellas if you listen to everything that I say and don't do and do it you're gonna build on the sand and the flood will come and the rain will come and jesus said great was the fall of it have you read that in Matthew 7 great was the fall do you hear those words again somewhere in Scripture great was the fall of something where is that Babylon right Jesus was speaking about Babylon and Jerusalem at the end of the Sermon on the Mount great was its fall there you understand what Babylon is hey listen to the Sermon on the Mount they don't obey it that's all then he said here's the wise man who built his house on the rock and it stood that's Jerusalem he was speaking about the true church in the false church and he said you can identify the true church in the fault church by those who keep the Sermon on the Mount and those who don't keep it I remember when we started 35 years ago there were two sections of Scripture that we preached on for years and we still preached on it one was Luke 14 25 to 33 with all the three conditions of discipleship are laid down and the other was Matthew five six and seven we went little by little by little by little every verse in that and said if you want to be part of Jerusalem this is it that's not popular it's not popular nowadays to speak on those chapters so that's how if you if you preach on those chapters the spirit of the Antichrist will be manifested quickly you get me a church that never speaks on those things the Antichrist will sit comfortably there forever but it says here in Matthew 3rd revelation 13 the Antichrist gives you an option you can have the mark on the forehead or in the hand now I want to look at a spiritual meaning of it can you the forehead speaks of your mind what is it that is frequently on your mind or in your right hand money it's frequently on your mind and in your right hand be careful with it a lot of people drift into the world of the Antichrist because of a wrong attitude to money and material things there are only two gods in the world way back in the Old Testament times it was Jehovah and Bale and Elijah Elijah stood up and said make your choice you can't serve both today it is Christ and money you can't serve both you got to make a choice sometime in your life you can use money like in heaven they've got gold under your under their feet that's the place to put gold even today under your feet heaven is made for those who've learned to put money under their feet now but in the world they put it on their heads be careful that's one spiritual application of that or whatever it actually means finally but when it comes to the lamb he doesn't give you the option there's another meaning we could get from this that the devil tells you you can have my mark on your forehead for everybody to see or you can have it secretly in your hand when nobody can see I mean for example if you want to be an open follower of the devil forehead no hypocrisy I watch pornography I commit saying I fool around with a lot of women and I'm interested in money I'm across the world none of all this God stuff for me I believe in listening to rock music all the time and there are open followers of but then the devil says supposing you're a church member and you want to have a good testimony in your church maybe to be an elder in your church or a board member or something like that you have the option of having this mark in your right hand where nobody will see it you know you can use your right hand to use the computer mouse to click on certain places and go different places where the Antichrist would like to take you with your right hand and you come to the church on Sunday morning and nobody knows the mark of the Antichrist on your hand you're a good brother you're singing hallelujah praise the Lord and all that and there are other sins you're signing things and telling lies and fooling around with your hand in many other ways and you come to church and Sunday morning the mark of the beast in hand nobody can see it and you're considered a good member of the church the devil says sure in fact that's a better option for me if you will take it sin in secret with all types of things don't let anybody know you don't have it on your forehead but when it comes to Jesus he says in chapter 14 verse 1 there is no such option the mark of the Lamb is only on the forehead see the contrast there that you don't have an option to be a secret you know I'm follower of Jesus this type of thing and hide it your if you are my disciple and you are ashamed of me and my words in this sinful and adulterous generation the Lord says I will be ashamed of you when I come in the glory of my father with the Angels you can be absolutely sure that that word will be fulfilled heaven and earth will pass away before that word passes away that word will be fulfilled you will discover in one day that all those people who call themselves Christians who sat in churches and were ashamed in their wherever they lived and in the midst of others they were ashamed to be known as Christians wanted to be had the mark of the in their hands there is no option to have the mark of the lamp in your hands only to be secret disciples because people would make fun of them at their place of work or in some places they wouldn't get a promotion you know in India that can happen you're known as a Christian I discovered that in the Navy that you couldn't advance in your profession if you are openly a Christian no they rejected Jesus then they reject Jesus today you'll be rejected but you want to hide the fact that you're a wholehearted disciple of Jesus because you don't want to lose respect you don't want your unconverted relatives to know that you're a radical disciple of Jesus ashamed of him and you want him to be to publicly confess you when he comes again he will not I tell you I don't care who you are my brothers sister let me tell you to your face if you are ashamed to confess Jesus before your friends and relatives and in your place of work I tell you without a shadow of doubt in my mind Jesus will not acknowledge you when he comes again there's no doubt in my mind about it and I'm not preaching what I have not practiced and you suffer for it and I've suffered for it - not not in terms of imprisonment or anything but in little ways it may become imprisoned on one day for any of us don't ever be ashamed the lamb does not give you the option of having his mark on your palm and secretly hiding it like the Antichrist does it has to be on your forehead everybody can see it you know I've in among in our country in hint in Hinduism there are many many people who have lines on their forehead there were a Trinity in Hinduism called Brahma Vishnu and Shiva and they put these lines on their forum they are not ashamed of it they come like that to their place of work I've seen Muslims in India in a train a crowded train we are traveling together in a train hundreds of people this man when it comes to sunset or whenever is the time of their prayer he will take a little mat and go and put it on the floors of any other door and kneel down towards Mecca and pray I remember once one of them was sitting opposite me got his children to sit this side on the crowded chair and he there was a three seater cushioned seat there and he knelt down over there he was not ashamed of anybody watching him he was a Muslim he was proud of Allah who are the people who are ashamed Christians I tell you these people have put me to shame I said lord I am worshipping the true God and these people are not ashamed they are not bother bothered whether people make fun of them or not and we have a bunch of Christians who are ashamed to make it clear that I follow Jesus the mark must be on your forehead and there's a very small number that have that and in every area of their life it's not just acknowledging I'm a Christian it's that in every every bit of my conduct people see I'm a Christian I'm sorry I don't laugh at that dirty joke you look odd of course you will look odd don't you think Jesus looked odd on the cross there's a song I remember my younger days used to sing I'm not ashamed to own my own my lord or to defend his cause I used to sing it often I say Lord you were not when I was 23 years old and I accepted Christ I used to say often I said Lord you were not ashamed to hang in an underwear up there on the cross mocked at by people scorned by demons and made the joke and butt of joke of society for me I never want to be ashamed of you in my life anywhere in any society I wanted to be known I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ if I lose something I lose it's okay that people know that I want the mark of the Lamb on my forehead I don't want it anywhere else and it says here in verse 3 about this group of people they sang a new song before the throne and it says in verse 3 no one revelation 14:13 no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth you know what that means have you been redeemed from the earth that means my mind where I've got this mark has been redeemed from the earth and I learn a song a heavenly song and that's the song and she can't you can't learn it unless you're redeemed from the earth it's easy to sing these songs which are on the screen up there and sing it but this is another song is the song whose of those whose mind that said the mark of the land is the mind is set on the things above and not on the things of Earth that's their song their they are occupied with Jesus their song is there's nothing on earth I desire beside the Lord Jesus whom have I in heaven body many years ago I wanted to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus to the woman of Samaria in John chapter 3 and John chapter 4 are very interesting for me on how to witness to people to worship God is the highest activity that any human being can do we're going to do it for all eternity it's the highest form of spirituality to be a worshiper of God better than a preacher apostle evangelist and to be a worshiper to be born again is the most elementary thing in the Christian life in John chapter 3 Jesus talks to a bishop about being born again and he talks to a sinful woman who's divorced five times about worship he said that's the opposite of what we do right we talk to the bishop about worship and talk to the divorced woman about being born again the Lord says my ways are not your ways is the Bishop's who need to be born again and this sinful divorce he divorced five times and now sleeping around with a woman with a man who's not even her husband he wouldn't even want to sit near such a woman right because you're so holy but not Jesus he came for sinners but he came for sinners who were honest do you know that one good quality that woman had honesty I'll show you Jesus said go and call your husband she was living with a man she could have gone and called that man and said here is my husband don't you think she could have done that she didn't know at that time that Jesus was some prophet some man is asking me go and call your husband okay I call this man this is my husband but she was not legally married to him and so she says for the honest truth said I don't have a husband that's what Jesus here's a woman who was absolutely honest I've got to take her into my kingdom it doesn't matter if she was divorced five times sleeping around with a man who's not her husband but she's honest I love honest people who will not cover up their sin I came for sinners so it doesn't matter if it's a murderer on the cross if he'll acknowledge this is my fault I'm 100% to blame I'll take him to paradise or here is a woman divorced fighter I'm sleeping around with a woman whom all others may despise but she's honest I'll tell you I've learned through many many years the most important thing we got to learn to walk with God is honesty absolute ruthless honesty no pretense no pretense before men no pretense before God no pretending to hate sin when you don't hate sin have you ever gone to God and spoken him the truth like this Lord I love that sin I'm sorry to say but I love it but I want you to free from free me from it I have gone to Jesus and said that that's when he freed me from it when you go around preaching you know what I hate it you don't hate it if you hated it you run away from it I say Lord I pray prayers like this I say Lord I want you to give me such an such a revulsion to sin like I have a revulsion to lick the toilet bowl with my tongue have you ever been tempted to lick the toilet bowl with your tongue ah I say Lord that's how I want to my attitude any sin to telling a lie to be bitter or unforgiving or to speak a rude word or an angry word I want to shrink back exactly like so that even if I were permitted to do it I wouldn't do it I mean if I tell you okay you fellas are permitted to go and lick the toilet bowl who do you go and do it supposing God says I've changed the rules you can go and now lust after women I say no thank you do you have that type of attitude or are you keeping away from some sin because God has forbidden it what to do I want to do it but I just longed to lick that toilet bowl but I'm not permitted I said lord I don't want that attitude I don't want to avoid sin because you have said don't do it I want to have the same revulsion to it it says about Jesus he hated sin I really believe that's the reason why there's not enough joy among many Christians they don't hate sin it says in Hebrews 1:9 Jesus loved righteousness he didn't avoid iniquity he hated iniquity and therefore God his father anointed him with the oil of joy and gladness above all his friends why because all his other friends didn't hate sin so much they could speak a rude word nobody heard it it's okay what do you mean nobody heard it it's okay he licked the toilet bowl look around nobody saw me licking the toilet ball it's okay it's not the type of Christian you are you commit a sin in secret and look around thank God nobody heard it nobody saw it that's not Christianity I want to say to anyone who's living like that you're living in a world of deception the Holy Spirit will give you a tremendous hatred for sin if the devil who's an evil spirit can give so many of his followers such a tremendous love for sin that they can cheat tell lies murder commit adultery do all types of things you mean the Holy Spirit so powerless that when he comes into us he can't give us a hatred for sin what type of spirit is that there's a tremendous amount of confusion today concerning the Holy Spirit take it seriously brothers and sisters we got to be redeemed from the earth we got to learn that song now where my mind is set on the things above for myself there's one wave that I've decided to find out if I'm in the father's presence only there's this very simple secret for me anyway it says in Psalm 16 verse 11 in God's presence there is fullness of joy Psalm 16 verse 11 in thy presence there is fullness of joy I say to myself I mean whether you accept it or not it's up to you but if myself I say any time in my life I do not have fullness of joy I am not in the father's presence when I'm depressed it's not because of my circumstances it's because of sin I'm not in the father's presence I haven't taken sin seriously if I hate sin what God did for Jesus he will do for me he will anoint me with the oil of gladness there's a tremendous power and joy the joy of the Lord is your strength in his presence there is fullness of joy not just little trickles of joy fullness of joy Peter calls it joy unspeakable and full of glory have you ever experienced joy like that I don't mean in little spurts on a Sunday morning but continuously how often do you want to live in the father's presence once in a while and the devil says no no no you can't do that you can't live in the father's presence all the time who said that has the veil been rent or not tell me it has been rent God tore it from the top to bottom when Christ died we can walk right in and live in the father's presence all the time and learned that new song while I'm on the earth and don't say to me brother Zacchaeus 70 years old it's easy for you to talk about all that now I said the same thing when I was 19 years old it's not a new message I said that to the Lord I wrote in the front of my Bible when I was 21 years old Lord Jesus I drew a little heart Lord Jesus Christ in Zachman and I said I don't desire anyone on earth but you I don't want anyone in heaven but you and I've tried to keep that through the years dear brothers it's not for old people are just about to die and I don't believe I'm about to die by the way I don't consider myself old either in my heart I'm moving from the age of 30 to 33 one of these days I'll be 33 and I'll be raptured I'm moving in that direction okay but to be like Jesus it's if you if you can agree that the most wonderful best life any human being ever lived on earth was Jesus Christ you'd make him your hero like these young people make heroes of music stars and rock musicians and film stars and big big big posters in their rooms I've got a hero too it's Jesus he was not a rich man or a great man in his time on earth today people sing his praises but they don't follow him but he did his father's will he bought the cross every day he was never offended when people called him the devil they spat on him he said forgive them they killed him he said forgive them I said Lord that's the life I want to live judas constantly stole his money he said it's okay you're not gonna go to fight with Jesus and fight with Judas over that when it's one of his disciples chopped off somebody's here he quickly picked it up and healed the persons here the person who had come to capture him he said put your sword back he stood before Pilate and said my kingdom is not of this world my kingdom were in this world I would be fighting My servants would be fighting you'll never get me fighting for any earthly thing that's how Jesus lived they wanted to make him a king he ran away he said no men are not supposed to be Kings they're supposed to be servants so he refused to be a king look at the number of people today who longed to be elders in churches and leaders in one position and honor you think they've got the Spirit of Christ who want ministry and position and honor in the church they haven't understood the Spirit of Christ at all they're singing the old song of the earth they want honor and position and money and all types of things on this earth they haven't learned the new song there's something else we see here in Revelation 14 further about this small group of people these are the ones who have not been defiled with women and you know who the women are Babylon the harlot and her daughter's number of women that plenty today the hundreds and thousands of them I mean that's you go three chapters further you read about those women Babylon the Great the mother of harlots they were not defiled by any of those women they kept themselves from the spirit of the harlot that's what that means basically what is the spirit of the harlot do you know that a non-christian can never be part of Babylon did you know that a non-christian can never be part of the spiritual harlot because a non-christian is not married to Jesus Christ does not even claim to be engaged to Jesus Christ he says my God is money my husband is money I'm not totally faithful to my husband I live for my husband day and night another babylonia another non-christian says Mike husband displeasure I am absolutely faithful to my husband day and night pleasure my husband is sane I'm absolutely faithful to my husband day and night I'm not a harlot I'm absolutely loyal to my husband whether it's money or pleasure or sin or honor I'm devoted to my husband I pursue up from my husband day and night but in the midst of these worldly people who are seeking after who are faithful to their husbands you have a bunch of people who call themselves Christians who say my husband is Jesus Christ I'm devoted to him and they say I love him I'm engaged him he's coming back to marry me but who are secretly going after money and pleasure and sinful things they are the harlots so you see Babylon comprises of those who claim to be engaged to Jesus but who are interested in these husbands of these other people but these folks didn't defile themselves with women they kept themselves free they kept themselves pure these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes they look for the footsteps of the lamb wherever he goes they know that Jesus obeyed the Father's will completely one of the prayers I've started praying of late is Lord before I leave this earth I want to obey every command that a Christian is supposed to obey that's written in Scripture I don't want to miss out on even one of them if there is one command that a Christian I'm not talking about Israelites who had to keep the Sabbath and play that tights I'm talking about Christians any command that you've given for Christians to obey in the New Testament or in the Bible I want to obey 100% I want to obey all of them before I leave think of a college student who wants to complete all his courses before he leaves college is that a too strong an ambition millions of working on that who work day and night to complete all their courses before they graduate well I want to complete all the courses too before I leave this earth that is every single command that Jesus wants a Christian to obey every single one of them small or big I want to obey and I don't want to enter Heaven before I have obeyed all of them secondly I say Lord every promise that a Christian is supposed to claim before on this earth not in heaven but on earth I want to claim it experience it before I leave are you interested in these things or these are sort of optional things you know are you are you a serious Christian by the way are you playing the fool with God or you just want to go to heaven when you die and have a nice time with a nice family here comes along every Sunday and you feel comforted in your conscience come along once or twice a year for a conference and have a good time and go back I don't want that life I'll tell you I finished with that long ago I want to be in this number that follow the lamb wherever he goes they are the first fruits to God in the land and here's another wonderful thing there was no life found in their mouth no lie means there was no double life in them there was no guile there there was no hypocrisy they were what they claim to be they never spoke and pretended to be something before others which they were not dear brothers and sisters I beseech you pursue this life let God break you let God break that satisfaction that we have with a self-centered type of life and say lord I really want to take this seriously I want to be in that small number that have found the way to life that have that are following in the footsteps of Jesus every day who are looking at Jesus and seeing the way he lived on earth and asking for the power of the Holy Spirit to have the same attitude that Jesus had I've often said you can live with one verse of the Bible all your life if you don't have a Bible take this one verse with you supposing you're locked up in prison without a Bible and you didn't memorize any verses of Scripture please memorize one Philippians 2:5 have the same attitude in you which is in Christ Jesus that's it in any situation what shall I do have the same attitude that Jesus had I want to have that attitude Lord to everything I want to have the same attitude Jesus had the same attitude to money the same attitude to women the same attitude to honor the same attitude to preaching or position or fellowship I always want to have the attitude that Jesus had to obedience to the Father to taking up the cross I want to have the same attitude that Jesus had that's one versus enough it covers every area of life may God help us let's Bob before God in prayer has God spoken to you today are you gonna let the birds of the air take it all away in a few hours or a few days or will this day be a turning point in your life it doesn't matter how much you failed in the past dear brothers history don't let this conference be like all the other ones you have attended in past years all that effort and money and time you spent coming here is going to be worth it in terms of eternity because you're going to make some radical decisions here say whatever the cost I'm not asking you to raise your hands I'm not gonna ask you to stand up I'm going to ask you to sit down and count the cost sit down and count the cost is it worth it following such a lord is it worth it are you going to continue your life of hypocrisy pretends and religiosity and legalistic rules are you going to throw it all away and say Lord Jesus I want to follow you all the days of my life I'm your disciple may God help us Heavenly Father we bow before you lord of heaven and earth you become our Father come down in your spirit upon those who ever cry in their heart right now a longing pour out your spirit Lord upon them encourage them refresh them and give them the assurance that you will lead them on one step after another till they have entered into your glory Oh father don't let us miss out don't let anyone here miss out on that which you longed to give to each one of us thank you in Jesus name comment

Channel: SermonIndex.net

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Keywords: Zac, Poonen, Revival, Repent, God, Sermons, Jesus, SermonIndex

Id: 6FaGb_a_91w

Length: 60min 8sec (3608 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 12 2010