God Will Help Us To Walk As Jesus Did - Zac Poonen

God doesn't have a calendar he lives in eternity but he made the earth go around the Sun in 365 and a quarter days so there was something in it and we read in the Bible about years and every year is the period the earth takes to go around the Sun so it's good at least once in a year for us to examine ourselves to see where we stand of course the ideal thing is to do it every day I do it every day but many people are not don't take the Christian life seriously and we have to come down to their level and help them so at least once a year to evaluate ourselves see where we used to just like in a school they evaluate the students are you prepared to go to the next higher class and we want all our children to be promoted to the next higher class every year we don't want anyone to stay in the same class in the same year and it's the same in the Christian Church in our church here we don't want anyone to stay in the same level next year and not only that we want to learn something new every year we want to finish with our past mistakes and move forward in the Old Testament they could not do it as well as we could do it now I want to turn to a verse in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 6 1 John 2:6 you know the way you read the Bible you can read a verse and you can look at it in two ways I want to ask you how do you look at this verse 1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Christ ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked or as the Living Bible says anyone who says he's a Christian must live as Christ lived like you have got the title of my book living as Jesus lived so you ought to walk as Jesus walked how do you look at that verse you can look at it as a impossible command it's not possible it's a challenge that I can never attain to or you can say see that's that that first attitude is the attitude of unbelief that's what the devil tells you that's impossible man don't even waste your time thinking about it and I would say the most Christians in the world look at that verse is an impossible standard you might as well scratch out that verse in the Bible it doesn't it's not possible to live like that and there are some people who say well we probably reach that when we get in heaven but not possible now but is the Bible telling us how to live in heaven no there's not a single verse in the Bible it tells us how to live in heaven in fact we don't even know how it will be there it's telling us how to live on this earth right now the other way to look at it and that's the way I want you to look at it for the new year is to see it as a possibility that God says I will help you to live like that that's the language of faith oh boy you mean I can walk as Jesus walked it took me a long time after I became a Christian to take that as a possibility instead of feeling discouraged though I can never live like that I feel most of us here have always taken it as an impossible standard not even worth trying and always the devil says who can live like Jesus lived it's impossible but if yes if you believe that God does not give us commands that are impossible just like a loving father will never never my father or mother will never never ask that child to do something they know they cannot do they will only ask them to do something they can do when you children sit for your final examination and you look at your question paper whichever subject every question will be a question of a subject that you were taught in that year not a question that you were not taught I mean you can have that much faith when you go to an examination that I will not get a question that I was not taught in this year you won't get a 10 standard paper if you're sitting in the third standard laws no and if earthly teachers know how to give us challenges and questions that we can answer are we accusing God of something less than that if earthly fathers will never ask us to do something which we cannot do as children do you think God will do something like that I mean are we accusing God of something like that that's that's a terrible sin to accuse God of something like that and even though we may not have deliberately said it I feel that unconsciously our attitude to this verse in the past years is something we have to repent off many of you think of the particular areas in your life where you have sinned and you only got to go to the Sermon on the Mount to see how Jesus lived you read that some time takes about 10 minutes three chapters Matthew 5 6 and 7 Jesus did not sit down the previous night and write down the points to preach the next morning no he had lived that life for thirty years and he spoke he want the kingdom of heaven he must be poor in spirit have a sense of your own need that's what he had hunger and thirst for righteousness be merciful and mourn for greater fellowship with God be pure in heart and all those Beatitudes and avoid anger and avoid sexually dirty thoughts are these all impossible commands that God puts upon us and we are burdened now most Christians just chuck it and said don't even attempt it you know there are some people who say Matthew 5 6 and 7 it's not for us there are people who go through sections of the New Testament and if you go to the Book of Leviticus and say that's not for us I agree because the Old Covenant has been abolished it says in Hebrews chapter 8 but where does it say that any chapter in the New Testament has been abolished and yet there are groups of people particularly among the Brethren Assembly who say certain parts are not for us today whew five six and seven is for the Jews the book of Hebrews is for the Jews we had a brother in our midst once who is used to go around saying that's not for you that's not for Christians that's not for you any difficult words that's not for you imagine preaching such blasphemy I believe it's blasphemy anyone who teaches that must repent of leading people into a godless sinful life and leading them to hell anybody who preaches that because of which people listen to them and go to hell their blood will be in the hands of those preachers who taught them that's not for you that's not for you well what is for me book of Philippians is not for me that's for the Philippian people and fijians is not for me I'm an Indian where's that letter to the Indians it's ridiculous which part of the New Testament is for me then Hebrews is for the Hebrews and someone on the Mount is for Jews and what all things the devil tries to fool clever people with and I'll tell you something it's only very clever intelligent people who come up with these thoughts that's not for you you'll never find a uneducated person coming to the Bible and saying that he just believes it's for him and he gets filled with the Holy Spirit and obeys it but that clever fellow who thinks he knows so much God has hidden these wonderful truths from the clever and the intelligent not because they are clever and intelligent but because they are proud of their cleverness and intelligence it's one of the things I sought the Lord for many years ago I said Lord and I read that verse in Matthew 11:25 I thank you Father Jesus said that you've hidden these things from the clever and the intelligent I said what shall I do Lord I'm not the most clever intelligent person in the world but I do have a certain amount of cleverness and intelligence I don't take any credit for it I was born with it what shall I do I'm not a dumb person and the Lord showed me it's not your cleverness and intelligence I gave you that I can use it for my glory I can use it to make you teach the world but if you become proud of it like most people are proud of their cleverness and intelligence then I hide the most important truths in scripture from them and those are the people who don't see the possibility in this verse oh you mean I can walk like Jesus walked that's to how the person of faith looks at 1 John 2:6 but the proud person or the person who is not interested in obeying God's they are there are so many commands like this which are impossible to obey so as we approach the New Year how shall we approach these commands in the way the devil wants you to or in the way God wants you to that's the thing you need to think of as we approach the New Year how am I going to approach the commands in the New Testament the promises of course we'd love to take all things work together for good but even that promise you know it's not for everybody it's only for those who love God Romans 8:28 and Jesus said you can't love God and money in Luke 16:13 so Romans 8:28 is not for anybody sitting here who loves money all things will not work for your good I'll tell you that in Jesus name if you love your father and mother wife or children more than you love Jesus Christ all things will not work for your good I'll tell you that you hear it clearly from me you won't hear it so plainly from other people it's for those who love God read Romans 8:28 and see don't try to take a promise it's like trying to cash a check and it's not in your name I mean all of us have cents if the check is not in your name you can't put it into your account well you can't put this into your account because it's not in your name you don't love God more than anything else do you love God more than your job your property money your love your father mother wife children everything then brother sister here is a wonderful promise for the new year every single day of 2019 everything will work for your good and it also mentions here it's for those who are the called according to his purpose which means there is a purpose with which God has called you and that purpose is mentioned in the next verse that you might become like Jesus Christ so if that is your passion in life Lord you called me not to go to heaven this no verse in the Bible which says Jesus called us to go to heaven that's a false teaching that it's preached by so many preachers do you want to go to heaven I never tell people that no no apostle went around preaching around the world how many of you want to go to heaven everybody wants to go to heaven my question is how many of you want to follow Jesus Christ and if you want to follow Jesus Christ Jesus said you've got to love father and mother wife and children and brothers and sisters you got to love God more than you love your father mother brothers sisters wife and children so if somebody says no I want to love my father and mother more than god I see ok brother goodbye and I haven't come for you somebody else says I want to love my wife and children more than I love Jesus okay brother goodbye find some other church I am come to call you we have come here to make disciples Matthew 28 says going to all the world and make disciples and that's how see if she started and that's how we're going to continue till Jesus comes for as long as I'm alive I'm certainly saying that's the only thing we're gonna preach discipleship you gotta love Jesus more than father mother brothers sisters wife children and if you are not interested in that you can sit here and have the lunch after after the meal that's okay but we haven't come here for you we're not interested we're not interested in making people who just want to go to but don't want to follow Jesus on the earth right now it's like going to a shop and buying something expensive and saying I'm sorry I don't want to pay for it can I just walk out with this refrigerator you wouldn't do that in a shop would you oh it costs three thousand five thousand rupees is it can I just take it and walk out with it I want a refrigerator in my house you say sorry you have to pay a price for it do you want to go and spend eternity with God there's a price for it you got to put God first in heaven they put God first and it's not something difficult God is asking do you know when you put God first all the filthy things in your life will be cleansed away I'll tell you it's because you don't put God first that those filthy things still cling to you some area in your life God is not first something else is first money is for some relatives are first ask God this coming year to make sure he's first in your life like the first words in the Bible in the beginning God let it be like that every day of this year in your life Lord I want you to be in the beginning of my life not my possessions not my family and I'll tell you something else you'll be able to honor your father and mother much better if you put God first I believe I can love my wife much better because I put Christ in my life first I told her when I got engaged to her that you'll never be first in my life you'll always be second Christ will be first and I told her I don't want ever to be first in your life either I want to be second I want you to put Christ first that's what I told my wife more than 50 years ago and that's what I did or no I don't want to be first in your life our marriage life would be miserable if we all make each other first that's why there are so many fights and quarrels and if I don't yell and get angry with my wife ever even once in 365 days it's because she's not first in my life because Christ is first think of these things my brothers it's not something we accomplish it's something God works in us that's in the New Covenant in the Old Covenant the commandments why do this do this don't do this don't do the Ten Commandments are all like that and all those 613 commandments and leviticus and numbers and all were do this and don't do this and if this happens do this there's and boy they couldn't keep it and God understood that they cannot keep it why did he give it he gave it so that they can learn that you cannot keep God's standards no matter how hard you try so if you look at 2018 the year that has gone by maybe it's like being in like an Old Covenant period in your life where you try to I'm sure many of you perhaps all of you have sincerely tried to live according to the standards of God's Word that we have preached in this church and you have found you have failed good God wanted you to fail that's an Old Covenant period 2018 now let's move into the New Covenant where God says Hebrews chapter 8 if verse 7 if that first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second but he finds fault with the Old Covenant and he says the days are coming when I'll make a new covenant why don't you take that as a promise for the new year that the Lord will establish you in a new covenant in this new year where it's not going to be like the one I made with the Israelites in the past where I told him don't do this don't do that don't worship idols do honor your father or mother keep the Sabbath don't murder don't steal don't covet your neighbor's wife or neighbors the exam it's all don't do this and do this and don't do this don't do this they could not do it it says in verse 9 last part they did not continue in my covenant and I did not care for them but now I'm making a new covenant we are the Israel of God today the Christian Church is the Israel of God that he makes his new covenant with in verse 10 you know by the way I want to tell you there are people who even say this have actually read it Christians who say this is not for us he Bruce is not for us this is a covenant we are not in the New Covenant new covenant has not yet come they say new covenant is when Jesus comes back and then he will make this covenant verse 10 with the house of Israel boy what a deception and then to discover when Jesus comes back that two thousand years we were supposed to be in the new covenant and these people who say that the whole purpose of it is to keep people defeated by sin till Jesus comes and we are called to expose that lie of the devil it's for us you know in Galatians 6 the last end of the last chapter the church is called the Israel of God that's what we are the this is the Covenant I will make says the Lord and I'll tell you how I know it is because I have experienced this in my life I was more defeated by sin in my thought life than probably any of you I don't mind saying that I'm ashamed of it but there's a curtain behind me and I look back and there's nothing my life is absolutely clean cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ I'm not condemned by a single thing I did in my foolish unconverted days or my foolish believing days when I did not take sin seriously I'm not condemned by even one stupid foolish thing I did because the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me thoroughly and when Satan accuses me I overcome him giving the word of my testimony to the blood of the Lamb not a word saying but I am different now that's not my testimony but I have changed no Satan the blood of Jesus Christ has blotted out my past and he keeps me from stumbling now he's got nothing to do with me he took care of the past and he takes care of me now and he takes care of my future it's all of Christ all of Christ nothing of Zack Coonan so that's the new covenant the Lord says I will put my laws into your mind that means he'll give me a great passion to obey everything when Ephesians 4:31 32 says put away all anger I have a great passion to put away all anger from my life when it says put away all impurity I'm gonna put away all impurity from my life how because God has put that desire I want that and then I say Lord I've got the desire now but I don't have the ability and the Lord says okay I'll write it in your heart I'll give you the ability let me paraphrase that I will give them a desire to obey me in their mind and I will give them Grace and strength in their heart to keep what I command them have you read this verse in Hebrews 13 verse 8 it says sorry not 13 839 Hebrews 39 it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace grace doesn't come to your mind it comes to your heart what does it do it strengthens you strengthens you to do what that will which God is revealed to your mind and which is given your desire to obey which you didn't have the strength for two things the desire and the ability in the mind and in the heart the heart and that's what grace is for the Holy Spirit comes and instructs my mind and challenges me to do God's will and then gives me grace in my heart to actually do it God says he'll do it why not allow him I'm not a robot God doesn't make us robots you know how robots are it's all programmed with computers inside and the robot will do whatever you say it'll never make a single mistake we can think of the stars and planets like robots they will make God for thousands of years without one second of disobedience would you like to be like that a Christian who obeys God without one second of disobedience but how like a robot like the star now I want to be like Adam with a free will and choosing not to go in the direction God is forbidden and to go in the direction where I can contact him the tree of life I want to have a free will I never want to be a robot God is a father like I often say do you want a little robot in your house or a child do you know robots will obey you much better than your children do you know that a robot will never disobey you it'll always speak nicely to you say hello daddy I'll do whatever you say you program it whatever you wanted to say you want a robot or a naughty child who may disobey you but one day when that child comes and hugs you and say I love you daddy it melts your heart that's what God wants in heaven a bunch of people who choose to say Lord in the midst of an evil world I love you I love you more than my money I love you more than everyone because you're my Creator you're the one who made me and I want to live for you that brings more delight to God's heart than if he programmed us to say yes Lord if God had programmed Adam he would never have gone to the tree of knowledge of good and evil because as he went near did the program inside to say turn right he would turn right walk to the Tree of Life he would walk there now take from the tree you think God wanted a robot no and he doesn't want a robot from you now that's why he gives you freedom even after you hear all these truths to go and disobey if you want you can go and disobey tomorrow you can hear everything all these wonderful things and all 365 days of 2019 you can disobey God he won't stop you but he'll be delighted if there are even a few who choose the way to life for your own good Moses told these relates the commands God is giving is for your good children don't realize it Ryan right even a small child 2 year old doesn't know why the mummy takes away the knife from his hand children don't realize why mommy forces them to eat the vegetables and not just the ice cream they don't understand but it's good for them you can't keep eating ice cream morning noon and night and be healthy but the children don't understand that and we also don't understand some things God does not tell us to do and asks us to do certain things which are for our good but he will write that law he'll give me the desire to do it and he'll give me the ability to do it I can testify to that today it was not like that in the early days but I can testify today God has given me the desire to obey every single command of his in the in the in the Bible and in the New Testament and everything that he shows me to be his will more beyond the scripture in my personal life and he's given me the ability to do it I believe if the Lord wants me to go somewhere and preach the gospel he will give me the health not perfect how they will give me enough strength to go there I don't have to be perfect in health to go there he'll give me the ability he'll give me the money to travel and when he get when I get there most important of all he'll give me the words to tell them because I don't know that there are all strangers many many places I go God we do it all it's all his work but I have to be willing to say yes Lord you know the story of the disciples when they went fishing most of us are experiences like that we try try try maybe 2018 is been like this you put the net on this side and that side and the other side the front side and like they spent the whole night you spent the whole year and you're still at the end of the year December 31st you're still defeated and you have not come to that life which God wants you to like Peter said I'm gonna go fishing he was very confident because he's an expert fisherman and many of us have thought we've heard so much in CFC we know the truth we'll be able to live like that and you discovered in this year like the Israelites discovered under the Old Covenant that you cannot keep God's standard have you discovered it I hope you have I discovered it one day in my life and it became the day I was delivered when I realized that no matter how much I grit my teeth and determined I will never be able in my entire life to keep God's standards and if some of you think like that maybe you have to go through another 10 years before you discover it God has to bring us to a zero point we're all pretty high and if you have not overcome yet it I'll tell you it's because you haven't come to that zero point yet like you heard in that illustration you're messed up a few machines in the factory but is the day you mess up the biggest machine and you realize you're absolutely useless that day God will fill you with the Holy Spirit when you realize you cannot make it God does not give the Holy Spirit to those who feel they deserve him how they feel they are better than others or they're prayed sufficiently or fasted sufficiently these are all the schemes of Satan it's like the people looking for forgiveness of sins by going on a pilgrimage or lighting candles or rolling on the ground or dipping in some River where did they get forgiveness I know I got forgiveness when I realized I can never get even one sin of mine forgiven I go to like we sing in that song nothing in my hands I bring simply to thy cross I cling naked come to thee for dress helpless look to thee for grace as a foul person I fly to the fountain of blood wash me Savior or I die you know that song Rock of Ages cleft for me beautiful song I cannot make it and the disciples that day to the last miracle Jesus did before he went up to heaven John 21 they tried and tried and tried and tried and tried and tried and failed five o'clock in the morning they gave up then Jesus came said I believe with a little touch of humor well boys did you get any fish last night no Lord why didn't the Lord tell them that at six o'clock the previous evening you're not gonna get it you're gonna waste your time no he didn't tell them because they had to learn it he allowed you the whole of 2018 to try we have come to the end of it have you succeeded has it become five o'clock in the morning for you now can you see Jesus on the shore saying to you today cast your net on the right side listen to me and you come to the place where your knows confidence in your own ability anymore but you have faith you'll do what the Lord says but the Lord is saying will you let me write my law in your heart will you allow me to put my law in your mind and write in your heart will you come to me as a helpless person and say lord I can't keep your will but I want to you put the desire in me to one two and I I want it desperately enough to cry out to you Jesus cried out with loud crying and tears cry out like that in your heart even if you don't make up noise with your mouth in your heart lord I want this coming year to be different I want to be an overcomer and the Lord says then I'll do something about your past Hebrews 8:12 I will not only forgive your past like we spoke about that curtain falling right behind me he says I will not remember the past you look back and you would have committed zero sins in your life I will not remember your sins anymore you look at God's record and there's zero in it isn't that good for us I thank God that I can look back and say wow what a life I've lived without committing a single sin in 79 years I have that joy in God's eyes I stand as a person who from the day I was born never committed a sin in 79 years people say it's arrogance brothers AG it's not arrogance it's faith in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ not only to cleanse me but to declare me righteous the meaning of Romans 5:9 justified by his blood I hope all of you will begin Rome the new year justified by his blood forgetting the things that are behind a curtain right behind you I don't see anything it's all gone in lamentations 3 it says His mercies are new every morning what does that mean his mercies are new every morning do you know that verse lamentations it's a great verse if you don't know it let me show it to you it helped me a lot that verse it'll help you to in lamentations we read in 3:23 I like some of these verse is easy to remember 3 to 3 they are new every morning mercy is the quality with which God forgives my sin so when it says his mercy lamentations 3:23 is new every morning I hope you know where lamentations is is after Jeremiah towards the past the middle of your Bible Isaiah Jeremiah lamentations they are new every morning means when God looks at me today and if I slip up today in some area all order some bad thought came in to me oh the Lord says that's the first time you sinned I'm glad to forgive you first time I said yes because his mercy is new today that's the meaning of his mercy is new every morning he doesn't say well I'm being merciful to you for so many years man that's not ray says it's new every morning I rejoice in the power of the blood of Christ it's way beyond what we imagined you know because we are used to merciless people we are dealing with merciless people around us we cannot imagine that anybody could be so merciful to us that even if he mess up everything in our life is ok my son let's go get my girl don't worry God says you're my child I love you forget the past I'll I'll change your life I'll make your life a glorious life but Lord I've messed up so much no don't worry about that I can handle everything what Lord I tried all night and I couldn't catch any fish don't worry just do what I say one step at a time and you'll see miracles happening our life is supposed to be an experience of miracles difficulties we face the Lord solving them storm the Lord stills it no fish Jesus fills the net no food for the multitude Jesus provides it the wine runs out in the wedding oh ok Jesus can provide it what is the message in all the miracles take this word for the new year God can solve every problem I'll tell you that put God first in your life and you'll never have a regret when you come to the end of your life let people try to harm you in a hundred and one ways do you know how many people have tried to harm me and destroy me destroy my reputation destroy my ministry and destroy our church have they succeeded just look around and see if they have succeeded they would have succeeded if I hated them but I love them I said Lord I forgive them Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing they don't know they are fighting against you they're not fighting in Zack Boone and they're fighting is God they're not speaking evil of Zack Boone and they speak evil of God let them do what they like I'll forgive them they don't know what they're doing Lord you know when Jesus said Father forgive them on the cross I've thought about that often amazed I mean when he said they don't know what they're doing you mean people don't know what they're doing when they kill a man what he meant was they don't know who they are killing they don't know that I am the son of God whom they are crucifying this is not an ordinary thief or even an ordinary man Father forgive them for they don't know what they're doing they don't know who they are killing and when people speak evil of me I say the same thing father forgive them because they don't know who they are speaking evil off I'm not an ordinary man and I'm not boasting I'm a son of God if I say I'm an Indiana by boasting no if I say I'm 79 years old am i boasting no neither am i boasting when I say I am a son of God I'm not an ordinary human being if you don't have faith that what God has done in you God calls you his child but you won't call yourself that okay then what can I do but when God called me his child I said I'm gonna say the same thing I'm gonna say is anything what my son what God says about me I'm a son of God as many as received him John one trial he gave them the authority to be children of God that's what I am that's what I tell the devil and so when people hurt me or harm me I say Father forgive them they don't know whom they are hurting for people they think they are hurting an ordinary human being they're not they're hurting a son of God they are crucifying a son of God they are trying to destroy a son of God's ministry Father forgive them poor people that's how Jesus forgave and that's how we are to forgive everyone it's a wonderful way to live the new year I pray this new year will be a year of forgiving people mmm gladly happily forgiving forgiving you say brother Zack every day yes every day do you think there was one year in this day when God did not forgive you what do you think was there one day in your life this year where you did not sin well I think I can say there are many days in this day of my life where I was did not consciously sin but unconsciously every day how do I know because I'm not yet like Christ as long as I'm not like Christ there's some unconscious sin in me which I'm not aware of God doesn't hold me responsible but I send and I'll tell you why we do it every day and why we need to ask forgiveness every day turn with me to Matthew chapter 6 Jesus did not say we have to repeat this prayer like a parrot or play it like a tape recorder he said in Matthew 6:9 pray then in this way Matthew 6:9 pray then not repeat this no no in this way that means this must be the pattern of your prayer where God is first your kingdom come your name be hallowed your will be done God's needs first and then my needs my bread my food my forgiveness my victory but first God that is the way we got to pray but he also taught us something else here pray then in this way give us this day this day our daily food so it's a daily attitude I must have this prayer must be not repeated daily but it must be the way in which I must pray every day with God first my needs second God's needs first I will be your name thy kingdom come thy will be done in my life as it is done in heaven and then my needs my food and my earthly needs job house etc etc but I have to pray for it verse 11 every day said life of daily dependence the word daily this day verse 11 teach me that the next verse is also this day daily verse 12 and forgive us our debts this day today just like we forgive others we probably need to forgive others also every day because we live in a world which is full of evil people your husbands and wives you need to forgive each other every day sure not what they do deliberately I don't think almost husbands and wives are deliberately planning ok today I'm gonna hurt my wife Oh today I'm going to hurt my husband most of us most people hurt their husbands and wives accidentally sometimes by misunderstanding you said something and the other person understood it in another way fight forgive forgive forgive like God forgives Lord this day please forgive me just like I've this day forgiven everyone who has hurt me what a wonderful thing it is to go to night bed at night having forgiven every single person that's mean the way I say for many years now there's not a single person on earth I'm not forgiven I say there may be people who I don't even know but love forgiven I want you to forgive me of my unconscious sins the ways in which I am not yet like Christ cleanse me and I want to forgive others and every day Lord don't lead me into temptation too strong for me but deliver me the very prayer deliver me means I cannot deliver myself in the time of temptation Lord when I am tempted to be angry deliver me I cannot deliver myself when I am tempted to lust after women deliver me I cannot deliver myself Lord deliver me day by day from evil and from the evil one because the power is yours not mine it's a beautiful prayer the power is yours so that's what he's saying in Hebrews 8 the New Covenant I will write my look put my law in your mind I will write them in your heart I'll give you grace to be an overcomer and I would be merciful to your past verse 12 Hebrews 8:12 I will not remember them anymore and on top of it all all will know me personally as their father you will not need brother's act to come and explain to you God is your father he did that in the days when you were a baby but now you know him yourself and even a brother Zach disappears from the scene it doesn't matter you know God is your father they will not teach every man his name brother saying you got to know God as your father no all will know me you say but I'm a new believer okay your name comes first by the way are you a new believer your name is first in verse 11 all will know me from the newest believer to the most mature believer did you read that it's just a paraphrase of verse 11 from the newest believer to the most mature believer who is the first one the newest one he will know me you don't have to wait one year to know God as your father you could know God as your father the day you're born again the devil doesn't want you to know that but God wants you to know him as your father he wants you to call him dad in a reverential way father father oh what a wonderful life and my brothers and sisters as we approach the new year let's go back to 1 John 2:6 again what a word that is in this new year father you have put a desire in my mind your written your law in my mind that law is walk as Jesus walked live by the principles Jesus lived by live saying not my will but your will God every day and every moment of every day unconsciously not my will the Holy Spirit will prompt you no not that way go this way listen to that prompting I will write my law in your mind I'll give you the desire to walk by the principles that Jesus walked by on his life on earth because he was tempted like us and he overcame by the power of the Holy Spirit and not only will I give you that desire I will write that means I'll give him grace in your strength in you heart so that you can walk by the same principles that Jesus walked by Jesus never got angry once when it concerned himself they could call him the devil they could spit on his face they could do whatever they like no you think he was not tempted to be angry he was tempted like us when people insult you and call you all types of bad names and tell false stories about you your attempted to be angry sure and they told all types of false stories about Jesus he was tempted but he didn't get angry once because the Holy Spirit gave him strength in his heart no Father forgive them they don't know what they're saying I'm not living here to please them they can tell whatever story about me you know that they like maybe they are telling story about your children forget it can somebody spoil your children by telling stories about them no you'll spoil them by not forgiving those people by teaching your children not to forgive those people you're spoiling the children you're the one who's spoiling your children not those people they are really telling false stories about your children but you're the one spoiling your children by teaching them to have a wrong attitude to those people many CFC parents have spoiled their children by criticizing others by defending your children in a wrong way protecting them all oh my dear girl did they say that about you oh forget they are evil why not teach your dear little girl to forgive them it's okay Jesus is with you God is your father he will not let anything happen to you you know the hair on your head is numbered do you teach your children that the hairs on the head are numbered that there are more value to God and all the sparrows in Bangalore those are the things we should teach our children instead of gossiping about what that young brother did and what that young sister did and look at the way that person is dressing did you see that way that girl dressed and came to CFC today instead of looking at that tell them to look at the sparrows your children will grow up godly we have taught our children all types of useless things in 2018 is it going to be different parents in this year teach them to look at the sparrows teach them to remember that the hairs on their head are numbered that God is a loving father if God if earthly fathers give bread to that children your father you tell your children your father you may be young my little boy my little girl 10 years old your father will fill you with the Holy Spirit why not is there an age limit for being filled with the Holy Spirit do you have to be 45 before you're filled with the Holy Spirit rubbish I believe we have limited God amazingly so look at these verses like 1 John 2:6 as a possibility God is your father and you don't need anybody else to teach you that you can know him yourself whatever your need is some people ever need to get married ok it's a desire God puts in the heart the attraction towards the opposite sex is a god-given thing it's not wrong it's the basis on which you're attracted which you have to be careful about most people in the world are attracted in the wrong basis that's the problem the attraction is not wrong for a boy to be attracted to a girl for a girl to be attracted by is perfectly normal it happens at a certain age God Himself does it but the devil has taught boys only to look at a pretty face say that's all what's her color how good-looking is she then I'll choose her now I'm not saying we should ignore the body we are not angels angels don't look at faces because they don't have faces but we are created as human beings we are not only spirit soul . we are spirit soul and body but in that order 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says spirit soul body so we have to look at the opposite sex spirit soul body so I'm not saying we shouldn't look at the body I'm not saying we shouldn't care whether the person is one foot taller than you you know a girl who's one foot taller than a boy say maybe you should reconsider that proposal or a girl who's twenty-five years older than the boy I just brother just reconsider that a little bit we do consider age we do consider these things automatically and so if you can consider height and age appearance is just another part of the body there's nothing wrong and considering it but put it number three that's what I'm saying and one saying eliminate it put it number three put spiritual values first and then soul value soul values are can you speak the same language of course we look at that don't we we are unconsciously looking at certain things you wouldn't marry a girl or a boy who speaks a different language would you who can't understand you the only benefit you'll have in that marriage is you'll never quarrel you'll never fight because you kind of understand each other you'll smile and the other person is yelling at you because you can understand what they're saying but otherwise we look at remarry people whom we can speak to in the same way social level is important because it's very difficult to adjust to a completely different level for example can you imagine a a girl who's been brought up in a city you know well-to-do home where there's running water and hot water and all that marries somebody in a religion she has to go every morning to draw water from the well and comfort and then use wood to heat fire outside I think it's gonna be a bit difficult that's all I say it'll add to the problems in marriage so there are certain things we need to think of but spiritual first so what I say is you must also in addition to all these things have faith that if it is the will of God for you to be married it is God's will for some people to be single I'll tell you that one of the greatest missionaries that ever came to India was a single lady called Amy Carmichael who read her story it's amazing what she did in generally district Fidel Valley area some amazing men and women like that were never at Paul was never called to be married so there are some people are just not called to be married that's okay but if you say Lord I want your will for my life that's the best thing to choose but you must trust him Lord I don't want to always be in a panic and always unrest unrest unrest unrest unrest I want to be at rest and trust you so that's very important Jesus lived at rest all the time and very important I mentioned that because that is an area of tension for many people it's important to have a house to live in he's got interested in that in 2019 sure is he interested in giving you a job we need to do a job to earn a living God children need to get jobs to earn their living but not to get into a panic no we have a loving father who cares that's how Jesus lived he lived at rest all the time and I pray that 2019 will be a year of rest instead of all this turmoil that's been in your mind concerning job marriage house education all these things good to pursue it work hard but in the back of it all I want to encourage you to be at rest say Lord I want to enter into your rest I want my whole life to be like the Sabbath the Israelites had this are not these alert had the Sabbath that Adam had on his first day of life Genesis 2:1 God rested and Adam rested from that rest he went out to the garden to work so I pray that 2019 will be like that and we must have faith that God will help us let's believe that how many will say Amen I heard about 20% how many will say I mean good let's keep saying that throughout the year let's pray Heavenly Father it's a life of tremendous possibility that you have invited us to in the New Covenant all the commands in Matthew 5 6 and 7 we can obey all of them 1 John 2:6 is gonna be our goal this year not perfection but pressing on to perfection day by day a little more perfect a little more like Christ walking by the principles he walked by every day seeking the help of your Holy Spirit every single day depending on you make it like that for us we pray you heard our are men today you heard us say it shall be so and we want to say that in English as well it shall be so yes Lord thank you Father in Jesus name Amen I hope you all know that our main means not let it be sold but it shall be so god bless you

Channel: CFC India

Views: 42,236

Rating: 4.8216867 out of 5

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

Id: aMwKeIBm5IQ

Length: 59min 13sec (3553 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 03 2019