Give God The Best - Zac Poonen

there's something happening all over the world which is in my 80 years of life on this earth I've never experienced it's a unique situation and we need to hear what God is trying to say to us through it because God didn't send it but God allows everything that happens on this universe and he has a special purpose for this world and especially for his children it's very important to remember that one of the most important things we must remember at this time is the Lord's Prayer our Father who art in heaven we speak to someone who is our loving father who loves us intensely who is merciful and who is in heaven meaning he rules the universe will never forget that jesus said all authority in heaven and earth is given to me and that's never gone away from his hands he says to those who love him and are called according to his purpose everything will work together for good Romans 8:28 and that is for those who are called according to his purpose and his purpose is mentioned in Romans 8:29 as being conformed to the likeness of Christ this is what you emphasized in C f/c for 45 years that God has saved us not just to go to heaven in fact that is not primary Jesus never said I've come to take you to heaven the first promise in the New Testament is he has come to save us from our sins and as those was want to be saved from their sins who are ready to meet with the Lord and the other thing Jesus has come to do is to build his church this is what we have emphasized throughout these years those who are gripped by this who want to be saved from their sin and who want to be a part of with him and building his church here is God's promise in Romans 8:28 every single thing will work together for your good because you're called according to his purpose it's very important to remember but we also need to think of Scripture especially in relation to the last and there are many things in revelation chapter 4 2:19 would speak about how things are going to happen before Christ returns some of those are in the actual Great Tribulation extreme the difficult times kinds of persecution for the church but I want to tell you something that's going to happen before Jesus returns turn with me to Revelation chapter 9 in Revelation chapter 9 we read then the fifth angel sounded and a star from heaven fell which had the key of the bottomless pit and bottomless pit was opened down to the smoke verse three came locusts upon the earth and power was given to them as the Scorpions that had power you know this is all picture language I mean in in the first century when it was written if it was written that viruses came up from the bottomless pit nobody would have understood what it means so it's all picture language some type of insects came up and they had the power of scorpions and they were told to hurt people who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads and this is not what I'm it's not what's happening now but it's something that is going to happen and listen to this further down in the same chapter it says here in verse 18 revelation I need in one third of humanity was killed by the three planes and the power of these these insects or whatever it is in verse 19 was in that tails which are like scorpions and they are power like the serpents to kill one third of humanity that's a huge number more than two billion people now there are people who say that those who are two died as a result of the present coronavirus it's going to be one of the largest destructions of humanity in such a short period of time more than the second world war which lasted six years so we are moving into times which are mentioned in the book of Revelation it's going to come this is not yet there not yet there is something in the future but what I say is we must not be afraid fear has no place in the life of a wholehearted disciple of Jesus because of the worst I just quoted Romans 8:28 and also because of another verse two verses that we must remember very much in this time this one is Romans 8:28 and 29 and the other is 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 this is another words we must remember at this time the middle of that verse God is faithful he's got nothing to do with us he's got to do with God God is faithful who will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability but with the testing will provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it and since that is the case here is the exhortation that is what God will do God is faithful there's always you know two parts God's part and man's part so here is God's part God is faithful he will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability but with every trial we'll provide a way of escape that we may be able to endure it not escape it he doesn't say God will provide a way to escape it but God will provide us a way to endure it which means we will overcome spiritually even if have to suffer so what is our part listen to this therefore might beloved verse 14 flee from idolatry and when a Christian reads that you'd say well we're not Idol idol worshipers I never worship an idol in my life think again let me show you a verse in the Book of Colossians Colossians chapter 3 Colossians chapter 3 the Holy Spirit says in the last part greed consider the members of your earthly body dead to immorality impurity passion evil desire and greed which amounts to idolatry how many Christians have even read that verse not to be greedy for something God has not given us is a form of idol worship there's no difference between being greedy for something God has not given us and bowing down before an idol of wood or iron or brass and saying you are my god and there are numerous Christians I have met who worship this Idol of greed they are not satisfied with what God has given them they always covet what God has not given them what God has given to somebody else they look at somebody else say I want what that they have greed which is idolatry I hope you will never forget this verse greed equals idolatry and what it turned back again to Revelation and chapter 9 he saw one-third of humanity was destroyed revelation and chapter nine and we read this in verse 18 one-third of humanity was killed by these plagues by these insects that went around the earth and the rest of humanity who were not killed verse 20 did not repent of their idolatry did not repent their worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood did not repent of that greed Christians did not repent of their greed did not repent of their worshipping money did not repent of their worshipping pleasure instead of worshipping Jesus Christ so this is very very important for us if we want to be ready for the last days you know many Christians their attitude is how can I get the best of both worlds get the best in this world and all comfort money pleasure everything and then also heaven when I die but it doesn't work like that and so very often this greed makes us very possessive to think all only of ourselves God so loved the world that He gave His Son he didn't think of himself he thought of a needy world and that's the nature of God and when a person says I've taken part in the nature of Christ and he thinks only of himself he hasn't not taken part of a nature of Christ at all he's deceiving himself because the very nature of Jesus Christ is to think of how I can bless other people not just live for myself if I'm living for myself then self isn't the throne of my life if all I can think of is I and my family that's all then self is in the in my heart and Christ is not ruling in my heart if Christ had thought only about himself he would never have left heaven I'm not saying he thought of people he thought of doing his father's will he didn't put other people in the throne he put his father and when I say I want to remove self from the center of my life it's not like the psychologists say think of other people no I'm saying but Christ they're not other people Christ in the center of my heart there's only one throne in our heart either self rules there or Christ rules there and many people say we say I received Christ they've not given him the throne in their life turn with me to Revelation in chapter 17 you know the Bible speaks about two types of churches as we come to the end of time one is called Babylon revelation 17 and the other in Revelation 21 is called Jerusalem Babylon is the harlot but beginning in Revelation 21 it says here verse revelation 21 2 I saw the holy city New Jerusalem may Betty as a bride adorned for her husband that is a picture of the true church and is also pictured as a woman in Revelation 19 the Bride of Christ revelation 19:7 let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to him for the marriage of the lamb has come see we are not yet married to Christ if you receive Christ as Lord of your life you're engaged to be married the marriage is going to take place in the future when Christ returns and before Christ returns it says here the bride has to make herself ready these are the days in which here living revelation 19:7 the bride made herself ready and that's why she's ready to meet the bridegroom and she's got a dress now written very carefully to this the dress that she's clothing herself with Revelation 19 verse 8 is fine linen bright and clean and the fine linen is not the righteousness of Christ it is the righteous actions of the believers your righteous action is going to be your dress if you have one of you in the Bride of Christ now when it comes to our being accepted before God isaiah 64:6 says even our good works our righteousness is like filthy rags I'm not talking about acceptance before God that is the foundation the church has got a foundation and a superstructure in the foundation by grace are you saved through faith not of works ephesians 2:8 and 9 we cannot do a single work to make ourselves acceptable to god to get our sins forgiven a million good works will not erase one sin from our life our sins can be erased only through the blood of jesus christ and we can be accepted before god it's the foundation of christianity with the righteousness of Christ Christ Himself being our righteousness that is the foundation but like Jesus said the foolish man laid a foundation but he never built anything on it you read that in Luke 14 in the midst of the conditions of discipleship and the meaning there is this man accepted Christ but never became a disciple so there was no superstructure about the foundation the foundation is clear probably no foundation can anyone lay 1 Corinthians 3 verse 9 and 10 then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ it's only the righteousness of Christ that can make a holiest believer acceptable before God but having been accepted now he speaks about the dress by which he prepares himself to be ready for the marriage of the Lamb those are his own righteous actions with James speaks about faith without works is dead and he says that if your faith is a real faith it'll produce works if a tree is really an apple tree it'll produce apples it's not just not enough saying well I planted an apple seed here that's great I don't see any apples on the tree so an apple tree will produce apples so here is the righteous acts of the saints the faith that produces works of righteousness that is the dress of the bride who's called Jerusalem she's loyal to her bridegroom faithful during all the years of absence now think of in practical terms of a girl who is engaged to be married to a man whom she loves very much and he loves her more than she loves him it's a picture of Christ in the church and this man has told this girl I have to go to a far country I'm a very important work when it is finished I will come back it will take a few years but I want you to be faithful to me no matter how long it takes and she says yes I'll do that and she makes regular phone calls that is a prayer he prays phone calls to the bridegroom yes I want to be faithful to you and all that every week we go to church make phone calls to the Lord Lord we praise you I'm faithful to you and all that but then during the week this bride is fooling around with other men being interested in things which are contrary to Christ watching dirty movies choosing money over God making no effort to overcome sin which displaces the Lord anger for example is a terrible sin it's okay if you are defeated the question is are you really seeking to be free from it do you weep before God every time you get angry that is a proof that you want to get rid of it if you get angry and say oh well that's my nature oh you're not serious about getting rid kure do you speak rudely to people and say what to do that's the way I speak you have no understanding of holiness you don't have the righteousness of the saints I'm not talking about total victory over sin I'm not talking about total Christlikeness I'm talking about a passionate desire to become like Jesus Christ and to be free from every known sin forget the unknown since there are many unknown sins in all of our lives but let's deal with the known ones anger sexually lustful ways of thinking I'm not asking whether you're free from it I'm asking do you have a passionate longing to be free from these things number one and whenever you slip up do you immediately go before God in repentance do you weep before God and say Lord I'm sorry I slipped up when you have bitter thoughts in your heart or hard wrong attitudes towards others just I bring a sorrow in your heart before God does it bring repentance but husband and wife yell at each other at home and they take it lightly and some of these people even gave up in the church and preach without any sense of sorrow for their failure and that defeat the sad part is not that they get angry the sad part is they don't weep over it before God the sad part is not they lust in their mind the sad part is they don't weep or every human being is defeated by anger all human beings are tempted by the love of money and men especially every man is tempted with lustful thoughts the question is are is a true Christian different the true Christian is different in this way that he mourns he confesses every time not not once in a while but every single time he slips up he confesses it let me use an example if a thorn gets into your foot you wait till twenty-five Thrones get in before you pull them all out you wait till even two thorns get into your foot before you pull them off no if one thorn gets into your foot you pull it out immediately you don't wait for a second thorn the second throne gets in you pull out that my question is when you slip up in any of these areas that I mentioned you wait or you immediately confess it if you hurt your wife or your husband with rude words or angry words do you immediately confess it then you're gonna have a righteous dress that will prepare you for the marriage of the Lamb because you're saying thereby Lord I'm not perfect I slip and fall but you know the passionate desire of my heart which makes me weep when I slip up and I want to be like you I want to be as pure as you were when you walked on this earth I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and every part of my being I want to be ready for your coming so the harlot is one who doesn't take these things seriously she's unfaithful to her bridegroom and so many things but on Sunday she'll phone up her bridegroom and say oh lord I praise you I worship you you are my God and so many wonderful wonderful things in their prayer which I call a phone call he's phone calling her bridegroom and saying wonderful things but he's fooling around with other things during the week that is the harlot and you read about the harlot in revelation 17 Babylon and it's called here Babylon is the great mother of harlots verse 5 and one day God will destroy Babylon and I want you to turn the chapter 18 and it says in chapter 18 about the destruction of Babylon verse 2 fallen fallen is Babylon fallen is Babylon and it goes on in chapter 19 to say in verse 1 and to see chapter 19 verse 1 the last part hallelujah salvation and glory belong to God why do you know in heaven whenever they say hallelujah it's always they have a reason hallelujah because on earth people say hallelujah . in heaven they say hallelujah because yes they say hallelujah because he has judged the harlot verse - hallelujah verse 3 because the smoke of the harlot is rising up forever verse 6 hallelujah because the Lord our God is now reigning the harbour harlot has been destroyed do you know how many of you know that the word hallelujah comes first time in the New Testament in Revelation 19 when the harlot is destroyed I'll tell you that's why I say hallelujah I don't say empty hallelujahs like so many Christians doing the meeting know what for I say I'll tell you why because the harlot is going to be destroyed I want to line my hallelujahs align in line with Scripture if you don't believe me take a concordance and see how many times hallelujah comes in the New Testament Jesus never said it once the Apostles never said it once it's never written any any of the letters but in Revelation it comes up for the first time saying O Babylon is destroyed hallelujah now do you think all Christians who sell hallelujah are in line with Scripture when they say hallelujah now it's become an empty world because they heard other Christians say they say it I say because I believe Babylon is going to be destroyed and because I believe were 6 the Lord God reigns that's why I say whenever you say hallelujah my brothers and sisters don't say it meaninglessly don't jesus said don't pray with vain repetitions most christians disobey the command of Jesus they don't think every word of Jesus seriously they just seen other Christians do something and they follow that one of the things I decided you know I came out from an orthodox syrian orthodox church which in the church they pray to Mary pray for the dead all kinds of things that's a type of church I came out from that is 60 years ago when I was born again I hadn't read the Bible fully then but I decided one thing when I came out of that church I was born again and I took baptism and I said Lord anything which I don't find in the Bible I don't care which church preaches it I'm going to throw it away I don't get which preacher preaches it I'm gonna throw it away I'm gonna take something only which I find in Scripture with Jesus start which the Holy Spirit taught through the apostles and that is what has saved my life and that's what enabled me to grow and that's what enabled me to fellowship with my Heavenly Father and with Jesus in all these 60 years that's what made my life full of joy that's what freed me from discouragement permanently that's what helps me to live peacefully with my wife without raising my voice one single day in 365 days of the year it's because I decided to go by Scripture it didn't happen overnight it took me many years but as I discovered what scripture said I saw so much of Christendom she's not following scripture just man's bright ideas I threw it all away even the way we are to serve God you read my book God's work done in God's Way and I've explained there how God showed us how we are to serve Him his way of serving him so I'm just saying these things dear brothers and sisters if we we want you know the bride must align her way of thinking with the bridegroom's way of thinking a good wife will align her way of thinking to her husband's way of thinking especially if the husband is perfect here on earth that it's not possible because husbands are imperfect and sometimes what the wife says is more correct and what the husband says but when it comes to Jesus being the husband there's never that question he is perfect and if I am going to be his bride and his wife one day I must seek to align my way of thinking 100% with his and I see that these two streams are there we see it in the world today Babylon he doesn't care much for God's word this goes by rituals and traditions and so many things like that Jerusalem which sticks to God's Word 100% you turn with me back to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis chapter 4 these two streams that end in Babylon and Jerusalem and began with Cain and Abel these two we can say they're like two rivers it started out right in Genesis 4 as soon as man was thrown out of the Garden of Eden these two streams started one started by Cain and the other started by Abel it ended up finding revelation with Babylon and Jerusalem so we need to think of that as we prepare for the second coming of Christ Babylon and Jerusalem law has spoken out most of all in Revelation and in relation to the Lord's second coming so let's see it's beginning it began with Cain and Abel bringing an offering to God now this is not an offering for their sin there were many types of offerings taught in the Book of Leviticus there were Thanksgiving our friends when a man brought a type to God it was not money the tithe was grain if he was a farmer the tithe was sheep if they were shepherds they were not business people dealing with money so Cain brought a Thanksgiving offering to God of grain because he was a farmer right okay Abel was a shepherd and brought sheep and offering the God of Thanksgiving there was no need for blood in a Thanksgiving offering because this was not a sin-offering but there was a difference between the two offerings such a difference that the fire of God fell on Abel's offering but he did not fall on Cain's offering what is the reason very important to understand it says here in Genesis 4 verse 3 Cain brought an offering am just an offering he just picked up some grain from his field and brought it who I have to bring an offering to God here it is but Abel when he decided to bring an offering to God see what it says he looked in his flock and he brought the very best of his flock and of their fat portions their very best this is the difference between Abel and King Abel went and looked at all his property and said I've got to give the very best to God Cain went to what he worked with and he said well I got to give something to God okay I'll pick up something and give it these are two types of Christians yes they come to church they both come to the church meetings they both bring offerings to God whether it's offering of prayer or service or their life particularly their life there are some who bring the very best there are others who bring some offering oh we have to bring some offering to God here it is and there started the two streams which ended in Babylon in Jerusalem Cain is the originator of Babylon that is young God is there we have to give him something okay we'll pray we go a few meetings I'm gonna live for myself the best is for me what's left over is for God now when you come to the end of the Old Testament the book of Malachi find that the same thing with Israel the nation of Israel towards the end of their history in Malachi and chapter one the Lord says to them in Monaca 1:6 his son honors his father and a servant is mastered if I have a father where's my honor if I'm a master where's my respect you priests who despise my name if I were to say to some of you you're despising the Lord's name you'd say like the priests how would we despise the Lord's name that's what they said verse Malachi wants it however we despise your name and the Lord says I'll tell you how we have despised because when you bring in a bullock Kureshi to the offering you pick out verse it's a sheep that is blind oh you got the Bullock verse 8 that is lame that's a bit of a nuisance for you in your flock in any case so you say - we'll get rid of it give it as an offering to God and skeins offering pick up some blind sheep some lame bull which is a nuisance to me in any case give it to God God wants an ox God wants his sheep here it is and the Lord says you bring the lame and the sick is an offering to me that's that skin's offering where as the one with the spirit of Abel will go and take the very best God's have to have the best and then he says here try now for these type of offerings to your governor he's saying if the governor of your state comes to your home would you give some third-rate gift to him would you give him the leftovers would you drink a cup of tea or and give him what is left in the cup you drunk most of it yourself you wouldn't even do that to a beggar you wouldn't give a drink a cup of tea and give the leftover to a beggar but when you use all of your energy and time for yourself and give the leftover to God you're treating him worse than a beggar that's what he's saying here that's the offering of cane that's what ends up in Babylon and the Lord says to the priests who were receiving these offerings he says in verse 10 I was I wish there were at least one of you priests who would close the gates of the temple and said we don't want these useless offerings there was no priests the priesthood also backslidden compromisers like so many preachers today who will not proclaim the whole truth of God because they want popularity because they want numbers in their church well one day they allowed to answer to God and these people who finally miss out on being in the Bride of Christ they will turn around at the judgment seat of Christ - that pastors and preachers and elders and say you never told me the truth you are supposed to be preaching God's Word and you never told us the truth you give us a compromising message and that's why we end up today missing out on God's best I tell you a lot of people at the judgment seat of Christ are going to say that to their leaders that should never happen to us I've often told people in my own home church in Bangalore I said none of you will ever be able to accuse me of not having told you the whole truth you may not have obeyed it you may not have taken me seriously that I can't help but I told you the whole truth which I practiced in my life for forty five years and see as he was in existence and which I preached now whether you did it or not is between you and God so the Lord says here he was fed up with Israel and he is winding down with Israeli instilling melaka was the last prophet he never sent a prophet after that to israel the next one was john the baptist's preparing the way for the coming of the Lord but then he prophesized that in verse 11 look at verse 11 I want to tell you something verse 11 is the worst that the Lord gave us when we started CFC 45 years ago he took us to the Malaka and told us this is what Christendom is offering I want you to begin with a new offering in August 1975 and see if she started in Bangalore in my home this is the words he gave the phrase here offering that is pure in the last part of verse 11 pure offering and the Lord says Israel I've set you aside now verse 11 from the rising of the Sun to the setting all over the world from east to west this is what the Lord said from east to west my name will be great among all the nations not just in Israel and in every one of these countries there's going to be an offering that is offered to me that is pure like Abel's offering and then my name will be great among the nations this has been our calling and this is what we have worked towards in all these years and we continue to preach the same message today the bride has made herself ready with her own righteous actions the righteous actions are Abel's actions turn with me to Hebrews in chapter 11 why is Abel called righteous listen Hebrews 11 verse 4 by faith that means by a total commitment to God Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than King he offered the best in offer a cheap offering there was a better sacrifice and through that he obtained a testimony that he was righteous God testifying about his gifts and through faith even though Abel is dead he is still speaking to us today and still how to be ready for the second coming of Christ faith was one which believed that God must be first in my life like the first words of the Bible you know the first words in the Bible Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God that's how it must be in my life in everything in my life in the beginning God let that be the motto of your life when you wake up in the morning as soon as you wake up in your bed before you get out of your bed talk to the Lord he's waiting to hear you in the beginning god first thing in my life God in everything in every decision I have to make are you considering a job let me put God first in everything in your life and you concerning marriage put God first in everything in life in the beginning God and like Abel say Lord I want to give the best to you we used to get sometimes letters from like this in India many years ago brother Zack I've retired now from my government service and I've heard quite a bit of money now I want to give the remaining years of my life to do something for the Lord I said no thank you we don't want you this is people who are drunk the full cup of tea and they are giving the dregs saying God I'd like to give you the rest of my life I said those are not the people we are looking for you're looking for people who will give the best part of their life to God not to become full-time workers but who for whom God is first right from the time they are 20 years old whatever they do have a job they may do god is first in everything they would rather lose a job than compromise their convictions how many people there are who tell lies to get a visa that visa means more to them than God where will such people be in the Bride of Christ not in a million years you think until a life for such a small little thing like getting a visa to sun country or tell a lie to get admission into some college with false certificates or false marks where can you see these are all people who may yo they're also Christians they want to give some offering to God what type of offering corrupt third grade offerings God says where are the priests who will shut the doors and say we don't want this where are the preachers who will tell people that's not what God wants from you he's not going to accept it forget it yeah very few and even some preachers who started out well after a period of time they cool off they don't preach like they did in the early days because they want numbers they want popularity they want money you've never been interested in any of those things we want to prepare people for the second coming of Christ just like John the Baptist John the Baptist has been one of my great heroes because he said prepare the way of the Lord and I want to say to all of you my brothers and sisters these are days in which we had to be prepared for the second coming of Christ I want to tell you when Christ comes again there's going to be two types of believers one who will shrink back Oh Lord no don't come I'm not ready and the others would say yes Lord I'm ready turn with me me lookin closing at 1 John chapter 2 and verse 28 1 John 2:28 he's writing to God's people listen take it to yourself two types of people when the Lord comes which group will you be in little children children of God abide in Christ remain in Christ never compromise never seek for some earthly gain by compromising your convictions never give God second place the best let him have the throne of your heart the best of your life so that when Christ appears here are the two groups one who has confidence when he comes yes Lord they're ready if we're waiting for you all these years all I like we're waiting for you and the others another group who shrinks away these are believers who don't want to meet him who shrink away in shame because they are not ready can you believe that there are believers who when Christ comes don't don't come yet we're not ready you know how Jesus said when he comes you shouldn't have to go down to the ground floor of your house to pick up something or to settle something if you're out in the field you shouldn't have to go back to apologize to your wife no you should be ready wherever you are you're out in the field not in the office out on the rooftop you're ready to go from there because all the time you kept your conscience to you I hope you're walking like that that's the only way we'll be ready for the Lord's coming so when we see things that are preparing for the day when one day one third of humanity will die of the plagues on the earth not yet the people who are dying of the plagues today are not one third of humanity see the huge number there are thousands and thousands dying every day but not yet one third of humanity it'll come to that I believe the Bible to be true you say where is God in all this well it says in Revelation 9:20 the rest of humanity did not repent of their idolatry they still kept on putting other things first in their lives God was not first in their life so I see here that the plagues came because people didn't put God first in their life that is the clear message of revelation 9 verse 18 to 20 read it some time one-third of humanity was killed because they did not put God first in their life but there must be a group of people called Christians true Christians who by their life manifest in their office in their home and their context we people that in my life God is first there is no compromise let's bow our heads in prayer dear brothers and sisters please examine your heart don't worry about others don't think of your neighbor don't think of somebody else don't think about your wife or your husband think of yourself and are you ready for the second coming of Christ are you willing to pay any price say lord I want you to be first in my life at any cost I want to walk in righteousness I want to hunger and thirst for righteousness I want to abide in you every moment I want to fight the battle against Satan against my flesh is the attractions of the world to be true to you in Jesus name Amen

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Length: 45min 42sec (2742 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 10 2020