Freed From Worldly Attitudes by Zac Poonen Sermons preaching, Church Sunday Sermons

[Music] we were considering last Sunday about turning the world right-side up and we saw how this was the way the folks in Thessalonica routine reported the preaching of Paul these are people who come to turn the world upside down in Acts chapter 17 and I mention how actually the world became upside down the day that Adams sinned in the Garden of Eden because we need to see what was it that turned the world upside down [Music] Adam and Eve sought their own instead of the glory of God they didn't seek to please God but sought to please themselves and that is how sin came to the world and that's how man became upside down so when you say that Jesus came to make man walk properly it should be the opposite of what happened in the Garden of Eden now God gave an inkling of this in an Old Testament verse in Leviticus chapter 26 and verse 13 if you are not familiar with this verse encourage you to look at it you know the children of Israel being brought out of the land of Egypt in the Old Testament was a picture of our Redemption from sin and Satan so apply this verse to ourselves says I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of sin and Satan so that you will not be their slaves and I broke the bars of your yoke and make you walk erect not upside down so that's the way God wants us to do you know he only can make us walk erect where we seek to please him and not ourselves if you turn to Romans in Chapter 15 you see that exemplified in the life of Jesus I've often said but if you want to know how God wanted Adam to live look at the life of Jesus that's how God wanted Adam to live and that's how he wants every one of us to live one of the reasons why God sent Christ to hurt besides her dying for our sins was that he might show us how to live I mean he could have died at the age of TT for our sins why did he have to live 33 years through all that suffering because he came to her not only to die for our sins and this wonderful truth that most Christians haven't understood that Jesus lived on earth to show us how we should live 99 percent of Christians only know that Jesus died for their sins but is dead for their sins was on one day of his life 6 hours of his life that's all what was he doing for 33 years compared one day with 33 years what's the proportion 33 years he lived on earth to show us how man is supposed to live how a child is supposed to live he demonstrated in the years of his childhood in Nazareth how a young teenager with all the passions in his body he's supposed to live he demonstrated when he the teenager how teenage men should relate to young girls he was tempted and he demonstrated and you say it's not written in Scripture Jesus once said the Holy Spirit when he has come he will take of the things of mine and show it to you why is everything not written in Scripture I'll tell you why the secret of the Lord we read in these Psalms is with those who fear and - then he will reveal his covenant there are secrets that you don't publicize you whisper in people here is forgiveness of sins is an open truth but to walk as Jesus walked is a secret it's called a mystery of godliness and that's why more than 95% of believers don't have a clue about it but if you fear God and your great longing is to obey the command in 1 John 2:6 it says we must walk as Jesus walk I tell you he will show you how Jesus looked at women when he was 18 years old otherwise even if you're 80 years old you won't discover it because God sees you have no desire to live that he doesn't door revealing its secrets to people of no interest and that's the reason why I believe many of us sitting here I've never overcome lusting with our eyes and you never will because God sees you're not keen about it you want to be free from the love of money God will show you how Jesus handled money sure you did sir promise in John 16 let me show you that before coming to Romans 15 John 16 is history it's a wonderful promise not claimed it many times and I would encourage you to do it John 16 it says the Holy Spirit when he comes verse 14 he will in the middle of that words he will take of mine and will show it to you now you don't need the Holy Spirit to know that Jesus heal the sick that's written in Scripture you can be an atheist and read that you don't need any fear of God to know that Jesus raised the dead you just need to be able to read some language have a Bible you read that but there are a million things about Christ that are not written in Scripture which are secrets but God reveals to those who hear and the more you'll fear him the more you'll discover then you will discover what true spirituality is I tell you 95% of believers I've met don't have a clue about what it means to be spiritual they don't have a clue because they don't even know the difference between what is soulish and what is spiritual they don't know the difference between what is religious and what is marriage they don't know the difference between what is human and what is divine what's the difference between human goodness and divine nature or human anger and divine anger human love and divine love just don't know and what's the reason they're not serious about walking as Jesus walked I can offer this challenge to any of you sitting here any one of you even a very young child if you're serious about one verse in scripture 1 John 2:6 which says anyone who says he's a Christian must walk and live as Jesus lived that's the Living Bible translation if you're serious about that just that one verse I guarantee God will show you amazing things which other Christians even those who listen to messages like this won't understand he was ears to hear let him hear I tell you there are many many people who haven't seen many of our elder brothers in our churches haven't seen I'll tell you honestly but I've seen their life they haven't been gripped by the way Jesus lived many many others the Holy Spirit will take of the things of Christ and show it to us that's why we need to be filled with the holy spirit now I'll tell you quite honestly I'm more interested in the Holy Spirit showing me the things of Christ then speaking in terms even though I do speak in terms that's not the main thing for me it is the main thing for many people but to me it's like a little finger I don't cut it off I keep it the right side but the main thing for me is the heart of the Christian life to see Jesus and to be like it and that I see is the main reason why the Holy Spirit's come and you can get taken up with other little doctrines of the Holy Spirit and miss out on the main thing that's what the devil does he gets us taken up with other things and the end result is taken up with all these other things and we still walk upside down you can have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walk upside down an example of that is in the Corinthians Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1 they had all the gifts of the Holy Spirit but they were walking upside down they didn't even know that it was wrong to take a brother to court they didn't know that he morality he's not permitted in the Christian life but immoral people will never enter God's kingdom they didn't know that so Romans 15 you see how Jesus moved what it means to walk upright the way God wanted man to live Romans 15 it says here in verse 3 Christ did not please himself he did not please himself throughout his life for 33 years imagine if the Lord told you listen I want you to live the next one month never pleasing yourself boy what a burden Jesus lived 33 years like that you'd say that's a miserable life that would be a miserable life if I can't never please myself on the contrary you won't be so first as you are now you won't get angry like you get angry now you won't lust with your eyes like you do now many things will change in your life but your wondering is struggling is training I've heard people tell me oh brother I'm still struggling with the last I'm still struggling with the love of money I tell you you will struggle forever till you say the way Jesus lived is the way I want to live I don't want to live centered in myself I want to live centered in God I tell you some of your sicknesses will be healed when you do there you think of all those multitudes of injections and pills and tablets and all will here you know the problem is you're centered in yourself I'm not talking about every sickness a lot of sickness is done because we live in a sin cursed earth like thorns poked our foot we catch the flu and I'm not talking about that type of stuff but there are definitely at least 10% of sicknesses that come because man is self-centered which he can be free from many many problems in our life are not going to go by coming to church singing songs attending meetings or even listening to messages you gotta say Lord I want a radical change in my life I want you to change my way of thinking I wonder when are you to renew my mind I want you to show me what it is to walk upright in Iraq there is a life that's promised in Scripture which I find very few Christians living most Christians are just saying yeah one day I'll be like that they'll never be like that because they're not serious it's like a students saying yeah one day I'll get my PhD my guy doesn't even go to school he's playing marbles and playing the fool the whole day well he get his ph.d he probably never even finished third standard but he's not serious about his studies we can have great ambitions I want to be this not want to be that I want to be like Christ Noland but if you're not serious Jesus once said that the kingdom of heaven is taken by people who do violence not external violence we're men apiece externally but violence to everything in their life that stands in the way of their possessing God's kingdom all one's found that there were desires in his body that he had a discipline and control if he was to qualify and win the race he says that in 1 Corinthians 9 the last race and that's one reason the Bible says we got a fast sometimes fast means deny ourselves certain things which are normal not I'm not talking about giving up sinful things I'm talking about giving up certain legitimate things which hinder us from pleasing God so I want to speak particularly the doors sitting here who are determined that whatever the price you have to pay whatever the cost you want to please God in your life I don't know how many of you there are like that but I believe there are some and to you I say God will do that in your life there is a life promised in the New Testament like Paul says it was his own life places thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ always in triumph never gloomy always giving thanks never losing our temper never depressed never in a bad mood never anxious it's I can show you verses for all of these you know those verses yourself but you have assumed for so long that those are just high concepts it'll never be achieved it'll never be achieved by those who are seeking other things in life if you're seeking honor for yourself I guarantee you'll never achieve the life the Bible speaks about if you're seeking your own name and fame and please yourself I agree you'll never come to that life even in a hundred years but if you're serious and wholehearted and say Lord I recognize now that you didn't create me to live for myself you couldn't even create me to live for other people you created me to live for the glory of God I want to do that my life now what I'm willing to pay any price for it I want to walk erect I want to walk different from everybody else on the earth I don't want to assume that people around me live like that I also live like that I don't want to assume that as a husband and wife will always argue and fight forever till Jesus comes that's true rubbish that's a lie of the devil if you accept it it'll be true in your life but if you see that the Bible teaches another standard you will live by another standard it's all up to you if you're satisfied with exercising some gifts of the Holy Spirit that's all you'll have and you can even go to hell without all those gifts of the Spirit because the Lord is calling people to follow him who will deny themselves and take up that cross every day now you don't hear that much in the pulpits of Christian churches today because the gospel that's being preached today which has made man and even those who say the unbelievers walk upside down is a man-centered gospel whereas the Bible teaches a god-centered gospel and there's a world of difference between the two let me show you a verse 1 Corinthians in chapter 10 I'm talking about those who want to be radical Christians we really want to live for God and not waste their earthly life because we have only one earthly life if you waste it it's gone it's like having a billion dollars and just wasting it or flushing it down the toilet that's how many Christians are living I believe my life is worth more than a million dollars and so is yours a billion rupees or billion whatever and if I waste it it's like taking all that money and flushing it down the toilet now I don't want to do it I'm not going to get this money again I'm not gonna get this life again one time in my life God gives you a billion minutes to live for him it's up to you how are you going to use and we are more careful with our money than with our time how we use our life 1 Corinthians 10 verse 31 says he takes the simplest thing that we do on earth every day eating and drinking and he says whatever you do whether you eat or drink do all to the glory of God that's an amazing verse you know you could take that one verse and live all your life without any other verse in the Bible just keep asking God in every situation Lord here I'm supposed to do something now this is more important than eating or drinking I'm getting married or I'm looking for a job or moving location going here there whatever you do let's show me Lord what is for your glory here not what is for my comfort and what is for my gain and what is for your glory I want to ask you my dear brothers and sisters many of you being believers for 10 15 20 years whenever you have taken a decision you've taken many decisions in the past you have taken decisions concerning marriage concerning job and sending location and sending him many many things now answer this question to yourself how many times in those decisions you - did you say Lord what will glorify you most here before I take this decision I have this option and this option and this option which of the three will glorify you the most I want to choose that can you think of instances in your life where you sink sincerely purposely sought what would lure if I got the most and you may find very often but that didn't even enter into your thinking and that most of the time you thought of your convenience and your satisfaction your pleasure what you still go to church you are a very good religious person you haven't understood true spirituality a truly spiritual person will say Lord what is for the glory of God what will glorify you in this how shall i respond to this person to rude remarks to me I don't want to please myself what will glorify you the most here in every decision that is the happiest most wonderful most triumphant Christian life anybody can ever live now if a man doesn't start there and he says brother I still lose my temper I still lost and I still get angry I still get depressed brother you will you will for the next hundred years you will because you got your foundation wrong you've not laid the axe to the root of all the problem I think of when antibiotics were discovered before antibiotics discovered they used to have ointments to rub on your source to remove them superficially that comes somewhere else then somebody discovered antibiotics you know what I need bionics did you don't drop the antibiotics on the on the sword you swallow it so it hits the root of the disease and when the root of the disease is hit the sores disappear all over the body it's something like that the law was only an OLE temporary measure you know rub it here rub it there keep keep the body healthy but Jesus came with an axe to the root of the tree and said now I will solve the problem at the root so that you can you don't live with these problems that Old Testament people lived with Elisha was depressed Moses was angry David committed adultery you don't have to have those things when the access it to the root why do Christians go into all these things because the axe is not laid to the root in their life that's the sad thing whatever you do do all for the glory of God imagine if you make that a motto in my life that from now on I'm not going to take a decision in my life that's not for the glory of God and start when you're young lord what will glorify you in my life ask yourself oxygen I started when I was 21 I wish I had started earlier but I'll tell you at the end of your life you can look back over a very fruitful life there is no limit to what God can do for a man who's totally yielded to him or a woman if you will decide even now you say Lord many years of my life I wasted but at least the rest of my life I want to live for the glory of God I don't want to seek my own let me show you a couple of other verses in Philippians chapter 2 Philippians chapter 2 here's another good verse it's another verse which you can just stay and live all your life with you don't need any other verse in the Bible Philippians 2 and verse 5 have the same attitude in you that Jesus had have the same attitude in you that Jesus had and what was that there are two things particularly mentioned about him one that he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but emptied himself and came down and humbled himself but the two things that mentioned here are his concern for others is total freedom from selfishness and from pry those are the two things mentioned in verse 3 don't do anything from selfishness or pride maggot if I take that verse seriously Lord from today onwards this is scripture Philippians 2:3 I don't want to do anything in my life that is selfish well I think only of myself but verse four I don't want to look out only for my personal interests but for the interests of others that is the attitude Jesus number one long before he humbled himself on this earth when he was in heaven and he looked down on this earth and he saw people living the miserable selves that are like that taking them all to hell he could have said well I'm okay I'm having a good time here with the Father and the Holy Spirit and all the Angels and others but he couldn't sit there comfortably when he thought of all these other people who didn't enjoy what he enjoyed he wanted them desperately to enjoy what he enjoyed and he said if I can go down and tell them about this wonderful life up here in heaven and I know I have to pay a tremendous price because they will reject me kill me that's fine if I can get them to come to this life it's worth it that was the spirit that brought Jesus to earth that tremendous compassion that had a concern for other people that they should enjoy the spiritual life he enjoyed I want to say that's part of true spirituality now when you're a Christian only concerned about yourself yeah I'm okay I'm gonna happen my sins are all forgiven and not concerned about others it's not the Spirit of Christ spirit of Christ was one that was willing to pay any price to bring other people into God's kingdom that never sought its own you know it's the spirit that drove missionaries for a hundred and fifty years from about the late 1700s to mid 1900s from about 1780 to 1950 where a tremendous or nineteen forty years of his tremendous missionary movement that drove people to all types of jungles and people are not people who didn't have jobs who couldn't get any job and become Christian workers like 90% of Christian workers in India I don't talk about not talking about those third-rate Christian workers I'm talking about people who could have earned a lot of money where they were and who gave it up could have lived in a lot of comfort where they were and gave it up and they didn't come here to foreign countries and live in 5-star hotels like today's preachers come from foreign countries they went into the jungles to preach the gospel they went into difficult places they sacrificed everything in order to bring others to Christ and if any of us think we are spiritual I'd encourage you to read some of these missionary biographies they'll reduce you to the size when you read them they reduce me to that size when I read them we have a generation growing up today unfortunately who've not read these biographies I want to ask you young people here are even older people how many missionary biographies have you read of what missionaries did during those years why did I stop at nineteen fifty because the missionaries who come too far to poorer countries after that have all been visitors and tourists they're not missionaries they come forward they call short term missions two weeks one month three year three months one year they're not mission they're trying to ease their conscience early but the missionaries before 1950 I really respect them they were godly men and women no they were not tourists they were not seeking their own they were seeking the good of others they were seeking the Spirit of Christ I enjoy so much this wonderful life I've got to give it to others now God may not call you to be a missionary to heathen lands but that spirit should still be there Lord you've given me a life I've got to give it to others I can't keep it to myself I've got to do everything possible to spread this word even if your calling is maybe not in the banja list but to share the wonderful truth of overcoming sin look at the millions of Christians who are defeated look at the millions of Christians were depressed who still lose their temper who still love money who still loves with their eyes who fall into adultery who watch filthy movies on television don't you need to deliver them don't you need to tell them there is a better life than watching all that rubbish how can you do that unless you yourself a free product dear brothers and sisters is a tremendous need as we approach the end of time for people who walk upright what different from the world around who don't seek to live the way the rest of the world lives but live the way Jesus lived and I want to encourage you to take that challenge say Lord the rest of my life I want to live like this he did not see his own do nothing from selfishness do nothing from conceit that makes you look down on other people you see in the world our selfishness is seen in things like this you wish everything good for your family but you don't wish good for other people if you see something really good happen to somebody else you feel little unhappy about it you feel that you wish that some calamity would happen to that person that shows the crookedness and evil that Satan has put into the mind of Adam let us come filtering down singing down all this way it's come down all the way down to us this desire that good should happen to me but not for others it's if you think like that I want to tell you you've got the spirit of Hell right inside your heart are you I mean however much you may sing and clapping do all that in the meeting hello dwells in your heart because that spirit of hell I don't want other people to have a good time I don't want other people to have anything that's really good I don't want it to go well with other people I don't want it to go well with other people's children but of course it must go well with me must go well with my children that is the spirit of hell it's not the spirit of that ask yourself whether you'll have it and if you didn't know I want to tell you we all have it when we begin our Christian life it's called the flesh and the only person who is free from it is the man who is cleansed himself who's detected it say Lord I have it I want to rid myself of it how do I know that you have it but I saw it in myself and I know you are a descendant of Adam just like me and I know that until I radically dealt with it it wouldn't go it's pretty deeply rooted like a cancer ask yourself are you are you really can you really rejoice with others who are rejoicing or do you find a secret reluctance despite years of being in CFC how held still lives in your heart how is that because you haven't taken the word seriously I want to deliver you from being religious my brothers and sisters because I have to answer to God in the final day when you stand before him I mean I can't stop you from going to hell no but I can at least warn you that you can sit here for 25 years break bread for 25 years and go to hell listen to that I believe that if you don't take the Christian life seriously if you don't say Lord deliver me from the self-centeredness deliver me from wishing any evil for another person deliver me lord from a secret delight when evil happens to somebody else deliver me lord from a secret sadness when something good happens to somebody Almighty God get hell out of my heart I want heaven in my heart I want the Holy Spirit what's you're just saying a pray Lord Jesus come into my heart what is dwelling in your heart ask yourself is the Spirit of Christ or what I need there is for repentance when we hear the truth of God and the light of God shines upon us and we see how Jesus lives here Lord how unlike you I am you know I still weep at night on my pillow because I'm unlike Christ in some area he shows me when was the last time unity when was the last time you wept at night on your pillow and say Lord I'm sorry I was a bit unlike Christ in that way I spoke there or did this thing you're not serious about the Christian life no wonder you have so many problems now wonder you have so many sicknesses take the Christian life most seriously yeah I speak especially to those of being here for many many years I'm not talking to those who have just started coming here recently you haven't heard the things we preach or we preach these things for 30 years and if you have heard these so many years and you haven't changed I tell you there's no chance you will change in the next 30 years unless you begin to take something radically now Lord I want to root out this I want you to lay the ax to the root however much pain it causes me I want to be honest I'm willing to go and apologize to everybody in this church if needed if I have hurt them because I want to set it right I tell you do a little apologizing to others that will humble you pretty quickly but we get around it we hurt somebody and we don't right by going and apologizing to that person because that hurts our pride we've spoken evil about people behind their back and we don't go and apologize to the person we don't go and tell that person to we spoke evil I'm sorry brother for speaking evil about mr. or mrs. X or whatever it is I want to take it back do you ever do that you don't know it well no wonder you have problems you'll continue to have problems because God sees you're not serious about taking back what you did wrong you don't have to confess the sins of others but what you did yourself there is so much like this we take so lightly because we want to retain our pride and our dignity and our reputation you know unless you come to Jesus and say Lord I'm willing to pay any price I'm willing to humble myself to any extent I want to get rid of everything that dishonor is you in my life I want to set right every wrong thing that I did think of radical Zacchaeus was when if you have taken money wrongfully from other people how many of you would be so radical that you'd say I'll give four times back what I took I'm hardly ever met people in my life like that and people are so reluctant even to give one time what they took back imagine giving four times I mean Jesus could have said to me hey hang on you don't have to give four times that go right ahead make those guys happy after all you destroyed their happiness by cheating from them and stealing from them make them happy now give them four times what you took from them and make them happy you didn't stop them and if you want to give four times back to somebody else I won't stop you you'll be a happier person and they'll be happier people too but if we are selfish and calculating see a lot of Christians are calculating drawn is calculating what is the exact down to the Naya paisa how much should I give to God and how much she did and you know God is also very calculating any gives to you you get little spoonfuls of grace from God because you give little spoonfuls to him and that's all you yet and there are other people getting rivers from God upon their life as they're giving rivers to God themselves you give and you get back in the same measure it's like that I've seen this God will treat you the way you treat other people you treat them with mercy and compassion and kindness God willing immensely merciful and compassionate and kind to you it's all being different from the world a walking upright in a crooked upside-down world see this let me mention another thing one thing that's characteristic of people in the world is curiosity everybody in the world is curious you don't have to be educated for that down from the illiterate villager to the most educated executive you're curious about other people's affairs they want to know about other kids they want to know this that all useless information which will not help us one bit but they want to know they want to know they want to hear this is how gossip spreads and it's not only among unbelievers there's plenty of gossip among believers especially at prayer meetings small preemie gossip sessions where they talk about this and talk about this person and that person and the other person in fact is the favorite pastime of many Christians when they come together and they're curious to know who is getting married to who who is pregnant as yeah I couldn't care less I'm not interested I want to know how I can overcome sin in my life I want to know how I can become like Jesus in my life not who's pregnant and who is getting married if you're interested in those things no wonder you have so many problems no wonder you spend your time coming to the meeting singing and praising the Lord but never growing spiritually how many of you will be radical now say Lord I don't want to be curious about anything that doesn't concern me I want to be curious about sin in my own life I'm pretty curious about that but I'm not interested in other people's affairs except to bless them help them if they have a need let me help them but I'm not interested in finding out this and finding out that but where did they get this and where did they get and what are they doing here what are they doing there the number of things that the devil puts into your mind I tell you the number of things that Christians are occupied with and they call themselves Christians they're not Christians they're just downright unbelievers pretending to be Christians Christian is a person who you know what the word Christian really means it's mrs. Jesus Christ if I were to put it reverently she just like my wife got my name when she married me when a person marries Christ he becomes a Christian Lord I'm committed to you now I want to do what you want me to do and I'm interested in you and me not and all those other people what they're doing I'm not curious let me show you a verse in 1 Samuel chapter 6 it's it's one of those verses Old Testament which says what God thinks of curiosity the Ark of God was a very sacred piece of furniture in the Old Testament which nobody was supposed to touch or look inside everybody knew there were the Ten Commandments stablish were inside the manna pot of manna was there and Aaron's rod that budded even though it was cut off from the tree there were three things inside the art everybody knew that but very few people had seen it and this is a number of generations after Moses time in 1 Samuel chapter 6 we read that the ark was kept in a place called beth shemish and in verse 19 it says living Bible and message Bible God struck some of the men of the chainage who out of curiosity curiosity irreverently peeked into the Ark of God without the reverence and 70 people died I don't know it's empty that he and he and he says fifty thousand seventy people died the whole town was mourning reeling under the hard blow and questioning who can stand before God you know why they were killed they were curious about something that didn't concern them at all that's all they didn't kill anyone they didn't commit adultery that was curious he I'd like to see what's what's in there I heard there's something interesting there I want to see God killed him so mind your own business it's quite a warning to me I take these verses pretty seriously because it does me that God takes sin very seriously that's none of your business why do you want to poke your head into that in volute 1 Peter 4 it says something similar in the New Testament 1 Peter 4 it says verse 6 15 now whole lot of wicked people mentioned here make sure that this is talking to believers beloved verse 12 believers verse 15 make sure that none of you believers becomes a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a busybody in other people's matters how do you like that for evil people murderers thieves evildoers and those who are curious about other people's matters you may have escaped the first three but the fourth one is put in the same category as murderers and none of your business I believe this is almost the number one reason almost the number one reason why many people do not grow spiritually they have never finished with being a busybody in matters that don't concern them their eyes are always open looking looking looking at looking and they're watching they're not looking at people who are like Jesus in order to become like them oh it hurt to like that it'd be wonderful if our eyes were always open to look around and look around it some godly man or woman who's become like Jesus and say Lord I want to be like that instead of that if your eyes look around to see something you want to be curious about like that why this well you'll be in the same state forever or your ears are always open to hear hear hear what are people saying I only hear something gonna hear something some news about some juicy as they call it in the world juicy news about somebody and that's how the world is that's the world upside down the world is full of people who are always looking around curious wanting to hear juicy news about others and Here I am walking upright in the midst of this crooked world no interest in all that no interest at all in all of these things that don't concern that's walking upright it's very practical very down-to-earth and there you'll see why there you see how many Christians are not living like that perhaps you see that see in your sound and you say why are you having so many problems in your life because you're walking on your head instead of your feet start walking on your feet start walking I'll probably not like the rest of the people of the world instead of doing that it says in verse 17 here's something else you could do instead of doing that let us judge ourselves first let's be a little more curious about what's inside us and get rid of that see there are two curiosities mentioned here in verse 15 and verse 17 one is being curious about other people and the other is being curious about ourselves do you know the number of women wives were suspicious of their husband's human and the husband's are upright men now poor summer has been a pretty feeble I know that but even where there operate some women oh yeah I'm suspicious curious curious funny on this and the other I'll tell you sister worry about yourself God will take care of other people you're not going to solve any problem by being curious tell me a problem that you solve by being curious about these unnecessary things be curious about things that are important they teach in the schools children to be curious about nature and science and why do these things happen that's how so many discoveries have been made that's good but to be curious about other people's affairs that's demonic Jesus wasn't always trying to find out what was happening in other people's affairs no what I'm supposed to know God will reveal to me I don't have to go digging and finding out I believe in CFC the number one reason why many have not grown spiritually is this many many brothers senior brothers and sisters are all curious about other things we don't concern them at all they're not spending enough time judging themselves they're not weeping over their own sins and unlike mr. Christ they're occupied with this that and the other and this person that person the other person and fill our mind with so much useless information and all that space in our mind which should have been filled with God's Word is filled with his useless information so when then when we try to read God's Word there's no place in our mind for that do you know that your mind doesn't have an infinite capacity let me tell you a little thing this universe is a huge thing but your mind is not like that your mind is like a room there's only so much stuff that you didn't put inside that room okay if you stuff something else in something else is to go out you must decide what you want to put in your mind if you want to put into your mind all that useless information about other people and then try to put God's Word in the mind and say hey there's no place for that I've got to keep the information you have stored here about a hundred other people you've got nothing to do with there's no place for God's Word here and that's why many of us are ignorant of God's Word I'll tell you a little way a simple way to get to know God's Word really to know God's Word get throw out of your mind today and determine I'm not gonna put into my mind useless information that is not gonna help me one bit in this world I'm not talking saying that all our information should be spiritual if you're working with computers you need to know about computers you need to have a place in your mind for that if you're a nurse or a teacher you need to have information that I'm talking about the whole lot of useless information which doesn't help you one bit which you're always curious to find out it's almost as though endless curiosity to find out more and more and more and more get rid of that from today and say Lord all that extra space I'm going to get in my mind from now on I'm gonna fill it with the Word of God and see what will happen to you in six months I tell you things will change I'm telling you because I decided that myself Mike was insane nature of you from Adam when I see I decide now what I'm gonna put into my mind you know Paul says about his body in 1 Corinthians 9 28 the Living Bible says I train my body to do what it should do not what it wants to do my body may want to eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat in it and Paul says no you're not gonna eat and eat and eat and even need me even get fat and sick I'm gonna discipline you that you eat a little less and the mind says I want this information this information I train my mind to be filled with what it means not what it was do you give your children everything they want that's the best way to get useless spoiled children you know that every parent knows that give your children everything they ask for and you'll have spoiled children give your mind everything that it wants you'll ever use this mind but you tell your children no you're not gonna have that and I'm gonna tell my mind no you're not gonna look at that picture you know I'm not gonna read that story even if it's in the newspaper I'm not interested in reading that what's the use of that it doesn't help me one bit what she was reading about the details of how somebody raped somebody somewhere else how does that help you brother except stimulate your passions and give you a lot of useless information which is not going to make you a spiritual and one corner in your mind is occupied this information that embrace did and then you try to read God's Word there's no place for it because the mind is filled with rubbish that's how the world is we're gonna be different we're gonna walk upright in a crooked world and an upside-down world is the wrong sense of values filling their mind with all types of useless information we're gonna walk in the world with filling our mind with useful information information about others for example you could for very little money subscribe to a missionary magazine to read about Christian work that's going on in North India it's good to be curious about that I am I've been getting it for many years or subscribe to a website if you don't have the money to read about persecution of Christians in other countries I'm very curious to know about that when I read it every week I read it I want to know what's happening to my own brothers and sisters in China in Eritrea you know we got a email from a brother in Eritrea Eritrea by way the middle of Africa of the Muslim country who was so gripped by what they were getting from our site on the internet they translated one of the books into the Eritrean language I never even knew I was so delighted and they sent us a copy of it and then I read in this persecution website that a lot of eretrians were locked up and killed I've never heard from this brother for a long long time I'm so thankful that before whether he's locked up or kill now I don't know but before that happened that I could communicate with him and encourage me do you know what's happening in the rest of the world to your brothers it is so easy nowadays to know if I stop being curious about a whole lot of unnecessary things I can be curious about good things now the worldly people are not interested in all that they're only interested in how to make more money and what's happening here what's happening there at all times we use this information I want to say brothers and sisters let us seek to have a renewed mind and say Lord I want to walk upright I don't want to fill my mind with what pleases me Lord something that will help me to be more christ-like that will help me to have a little more compassion for other needy people that can help me once in a while perhaps to pray for one of them and help them think of you what a useful life you can live even without ever standing up in this pulpit just by yourself you mean nobody in this church may even know your name and you can be the most useful person sitting here if you say Lord I want my life to count for you from this day onwards I'm not gonna live with my mind occupied with the things that all the other people in the world are occupied with I want my mind to be disciplined from now on to think about the things that are useful to be concerned about other people not to be curious about them be concerned about them and to show me Lord how I can serve them how I can live for the glory of God to choose make my decisions based on Lord I want to think now will this glorify God if it doesn't I'm not gonna do it once Jesus was speaking and you know a man raised his hand and said I got a question and he said tell my brother to divide the property with me imagine in the midst of a spiritual message he's asking Jesus to get involved in a property dispute and Jesus said no I'm not gonna do that that's all agreed what a definition of Breed have you ever heard such a definition agreed to get your legitimate half of your father's property when you're only two children is greed have you ever heard of that and there are only two children if you two get 50% of your share is that greed according to Jesus it is according to the world it isn't what in the world it's just fight and get it Jesus no it's Bree and I want to train my mind to think like Jesus things I remember we have three children in our family and when Mike came to my father's property I said lord I want to think like Jesus things I want to imagine that they're only two children might not mean that I'm not there now I told my dad you can divide it between them I don't want I did the same with my wife's when her father promised no no I want to train my mind to think like Jesus things I don't want an atom of greed in my mind have I suffered lost you guys have watched me many of you have known me for 35 years [Music] you'll see me in the days when I struggled God doesn't let us down my children didn't beg on the roads because I sought God's kingdom first you seek God's kingdom first his righteousness he will honor you he will take care of all your needs and at the end of your life your life must be a demonstration to the truth of the fact that if you live for God's kingdom you'll have enough of this earth not too much I thank God he never gave me that which would destroy me he knows exactly what to give dear brothers that's the way you're supposed to live completely different from the way the rest of the world lives and the whole if you ask the Holy Spirit to show you different different aspects may God help us that's great it's a question of how you're going to respond personally to whatever the Holy Spirit's been telling you personally forget about everybody else say Lord deal with me in my mind transformation begins in the mind worldliness is in the mind we got to be made correct in our mind in our way of thinking [Music] help us Lord we pray Lord I'm scared of being religious in that spiritual and I'm scared that people here may be religious and fool themselves please give us light shake us out of our complacency shake us up Lord do something drastic it will be what help us to live the way you want us to live in these closing days of time and those who are an understanding of the times in which we live and the type of men and women you're looking for young boys and girls you're looking for on earth at this time to be your witnesses we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Channel: Worship Hymns

Views: 25,271

Rating: 4.818182 out of 5

Keywords: Zac Poonen, Zac Poonen Sermons, Zac Poonen preaching, preaching, free sermons, Sunday Sermons, church sermons, church services, Sunday sermons, christian sermons, Bible Teaching, Bible study, gospel, jesus, salvation, online sermons, HeartCry Missionary Society, heartcry, heart cry, Bible truth, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, revival, Free Sermons, Video Sermons

Id: 6z48XRKfyxI

Length: 58min 12sec (3492 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 22 2017