God's Warnings Against Pride - Zac Poonen

you know how I always begin when I come back from abroad the Hindi saying sorry Jahan sriracha SCO Xiomara the best place is CFC there's no place like home so being absent from here holy and spirit : body but not in spirit it means being a blessing to a lot of other people in many other countries see God has planted CFC churches now in about 12 countries it's not our work it's God's work and many of them need encouragement guidance and here I have been here with you longer than with any other Church in the world so I'm happy to spend more time in other places and what is interestingly what is laid in my heart this morning is very similar to the command we had for memory today whoever wants to be first among you must be lost we must never forget that it's easy to remember that when we begin our Christian life and when we look at the history of many churches they did not bear that in mind you heard me say this many times it's easy for God to bless anybody for that man to remain humble after God has blessed him it's very rare and very difficult and God is blessed CFC through the years it's only those who have been here from the beginning and in a sense I think more than anybody else only Ian knows here exactly how it was for us in the early days how we were despised and rejected by all Christians we said fine that's the way Jesus went so we'd go that way and in a sense we were safe in those days because we were outside the camp despised and rejected we had only God but today we are in danger because we have the acclaim and approval of many people who respect CFC our internet messages go to about a hundred countries nearly and we get responses from all those people they all know about CFC we are in great danger and many of you have also prospered financially and that is another cause of danger I'm not saying is wrong to earn money with the cost of living going up it's right that we look for jobs with a good pay and get our increase in salary that's all ok but along with money off and if you look around among worldly people and Christians pride comes in there's nothing wrong with a good salary there's nothing wrong in living a good house there's everything wrong and being proud of it when we started CFC holy I had a scooter and that was because I was I had it from the Navy days nobody else had anything more than a cycle people used to come to the church meeting by bus or by cycle we were safe I'm not saying poverty brings protection but it's a little safer but now look at the number of people who have so much wealth and cars and we need parking lots nothing wrong in that again the danger is if it makes you proud you can own a private jet airplane for yourself and not be proud but you can ride a bicycle and be proud it's not the vehicle it's not the salary it's not all that poor people are humble there are multitudes of poor people in India and they are not humble and there are many godly rich people I have met who are extremely humble so all I'm saying is we got to be careful about sitting back and saying oh god is blessed us and people appreciate us and that's the thing that we have to beware of I want to begin with the verse in 1 Peter and chapter C the reason I mention is because if you study church history I've studied church history of the denominations that started well and where they are today all of them even denominations that started in the 20th century have gone down and lost the grace of God and many others from the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s many many many groups have come up who came out of other groups because they said those groups compromise the Word of God they're not preaching the whole Council of God they came out and that was good but over a period of time this group also declined and some group came out of that and that was good but they grew at God group also declined this has been the history of the Christian Church particularly in the last 500 years some group comes out with a great zeal for purity to stand for the truth and there are godly men whom God has raised up to lead this new group in that direction but after a while usually after about 40 50 years decline sets in sometimes it's a good group maybe 60 70 years decline sets in and the reason is very often they become almost invariably they become proud we are the ones whom God has chosen in our generation to proclaim the whole Council of God ah ha beware of thinking like that I often say to myself God's work went on wonderfully before I was born and it will continually wonderfully after I'm gone for a short period you and I are here on this earth let us do what we can in humility and brokenness thankful that God gives us the privilege of doing a little bit for his kingdom and never ever imagining that we are somebody we are nobodies all of us 1 Peter chapter 5 I don't know whether you've noticed the connection here sometimes we read scripture and the Holy Spirit's put certain verses together next to each other and we will see the connection here is one of those passages like that 1 Peter 5 verse 6 humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God therefore why because in the previous verse it says in the last part clothed yourself with humility towards one another because what is the reason God will oppose you if you are proud it's terrible to have my flesh opposes me the devil opposes me there are ungodly people who oppose me there are even Christians who oppose us on top of all that if God Himself opposes you not just the devil God Himself opposes you there's no hope for any of us and it says here God is opposed to the proud it's one group of people that the Bible specifically says God opposes we would think he opposes the ungodly some ungodly people are humble and broken like the repentant adulterous whom Jesus forgave like the repentant murderer on the cross some Jesus forgave but the proud like the other thief on the other side of the cross both were murderers one was proud the other was humble that's why one went to hell the other went to heaven that's the only reason it's not because one lived a better life it was humility that made the difference in me the two thieves on the cross just pride that made the difference God is opposed to the proud whether it's a person whether it's a family whether it's a church whether it's a preacher where there is anybody apostle prophet whatever God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble when you ask God for grace you'll get it only if you're humble when you ask God for the spirit of grace the Holy Spirit is called the spirit of grace and he's pictured in the Bible like a river of water and you know that water always flows to the lowest place first the humblest person sitting here will be the first among us to receive God's power if God pours out his spirit I assure you because the water always flows to the lowest place first and it's not a weather question you think your humble or I think I'm humble it's a question of whether God sees that you are humble you don't even have to pray for grace if a river is flowing you don't have to pray that the river will come to the lowest place it'll automatically come pursue humility dear brothers and sisters and then what will happen is if you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God he will exalt you exalt you does not mean that you'll become rich it does not mean that you'll become a great spiritual leader it does not mean that you'll become famous in the Christian world or in the regular way in the rest of the world it will mean it means he will exalt you over sin what do you want to be exalted over over people I hope not you want to be exalted to be a great famous Christian I hope not I tell you the passion of my heart for more than 40 years has been I want to be exalted over all sin in my life and by sin I mean anything that is unlike Jesus Christ in my life in my behavior in my conversation and my attitude to people in my attitude of money in my service for God anything anything unlike Christ I want to be exalted over it I hope you have understood this verse like that that's how I understand it God will exalt you at the right time what is the right time the time when he sees that you don't become proud over your victory I remember I when I saw the Lord I thought a lot victory for many many years and I knew there was the right time and the right time was after God had broken me and humbled me through repeated failures for a long time so that I would never lift up my head to think that I got victory by myself so that I would never lift up my head and look down on another poor sinner or backslider as though I'm better than him God waited until that time he had to wait until he was sure that I will not lift up my head and look down on a backslider or look down on some sinner thinking that I deserve salvation more than him that is the proper and that's why God is not able to exalt some of you my dear brothers and sisters I love you and that's why I tell you the truth God longs to give you a victory but there's a proper time already even though you don't have victory some of you are already proud that you're better than somebody here for some reason or the other maybe you know the Bible better maybe you're a leader of some house group maybe you're you messages you preach a little better than somebody else maybe you can play a musical instrument better than others God will oppose you till the end of your life he'll oppose you and destroy you whatever you are proud of humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that's what it says here it's a mighty hand imagine the Almighty God hand of God cannot humble you or a proud person you must be and what is the mark that you humble yourself here it is God gives grace to the humble and how do you know you got grace you know the words we have preached for 45 years sin shall not rule over you when you are under grace all these 45 years whenever I've slipped up even slightly in my thoughts or with the rude world I said Lord why did that happen it wasn't some grass in some small slip-up why did that happen and God says you did not get grace because if you had grace you would not have slipped up you would not have spoken that angry word he would not have done that wrong thing you would not have got upset with your husband or your wife you did not get grace at that moment and then I say Lord why didn't I get grace no it says because you were proud I give my grace wholly to the humble so I learned that many years ago that whenever I'm defeated by sin even the sliced supposing I find that thought I cannot conquer why only one reason pride you continue get irritated with your wife irritated with your husband only one reason my brother sister don't don't say she is bad or he is bad that is not the reason Jesus was surrounded by the most evil people in the world at yet he never sinned don't say I've got a wicked wife or a bad husband no you are proud and you did not get grace that's the only reason you got upset and irritated and lost your temper at least remember that from today onwards so that at least you can find a solution for it by going to God and saying Lord tell me how can I get graceful and so whenever the Lord said to me it's because you were proud you didn't get Grace and because you didn't get grace you slipped up there the next question I asked the Lord was Lord show me where I am proud and sometimes the Lord would show me something that happened the previous week where God blessed me in some way and I was not quick to give the glory to God I felt a little spiritual pride I'm ashamed of it but that's happened so often in the past that now I am very quick to immediately not touch the glory of God do you know when you take credit for something that God did through you you're touching the glory of God you're touching something that's holy and if you did that in the Old Covenant you'd be smitten dead immediately huzzah once touched the Ark of God he just touched it and he was smitten to death thank God we are under the new covenant have you touched the glory of God somewhere have you taken credit for your well behaved children God have mercy on you have you taken credit for the way you have prospered in your work or grown spiritually God have mercy on you do you look down on others thinking that you're better than them instead of recognizing that it is God's mercy that's made you what you are humble yourself my brother and don't think that God cannot help you in tough situations difficult situations it says in verse 7 cast your anxiety upon him because he cares for you I love that God is not only opposed to the proud he gives great and he cares for you I love that verse Oh father you care for me you care for me so I don't want to grab anything I don't want to fight with anybody for anything I will not wrestle with flesh and blood for anything we've had a couple of examples in our CFC churches of people who left CFC in some other parts of India and walked away with the church building which is financed through CFC money I said take it I will not fight with flesh and blood for anything I'm too busy fighting with Satan and evil forces I have no time to come down to the level of fighting with human beings over silly things like property take it maybe you don't have that attitude and that's why you're struggling with sin because that property is more important for you than victory over sin no property on earth or Church property or my property is more important to me than living a pure christ-like life you take that attitude and I tell you you will come to victory very quickly your home life will be transformed your children will follow the Lord so many wonderful things will happen your life which you're missing all this all this all these years because you're seeking the wrong things first cost your anxiety on him because he cares for you never forget this worse my brothers I don't care who you are he cares for you and if God cares for me why do I have to worry I don't have to worry about anything people cannot take a hair from my head cannot touch a hair on my head without God's permission he cares for us that's why we have no anxiety and then this is the connection I wanted you to see humble yourself under the mighty hand of God because God gives grace to the humble because verse 8 be sober in this area that means be very serious about this because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour how do you understand that verse you think is persecution let me tell you something it says the devil seeking to someone to devour he has never in these two thousand years devoured any Christian by persecution never persecution purifies the church persecution purifies Christians he devours people by pride that's what that verse is referring to that's why it is written in the context of humble yourself under the mighty hand of God verse six why should you humble yourself because that devil who became the devil through pride is like a roaring lion his roar is the roar of Pride and he is seeking to swallow as many people as possible not only in the world but even among believers and even in CFC through pride so be alert be sober I don't want to that oh i preserved myself so long so i'll be alright no it is God who preserves me but I have a responsibility to be of sober spirit that means to be serious and not to think that oh I'm beyond now it's gone well with me for so long so it'll go well with me forever then I'm in danger I want to have a sober spirit which says I want to be alert all the time against this roaring lion who's roaring and rooming around and he's roam around CFC churches and I'll tell you a number of cases I have seen in the last 45 years elder brothers who have fallen devoured by Satan not by persecution by pride they prospered financially after falling away and you know what they say ah see we stood against CFC and God is prosperous financially uh-huh just look around the world and see who other people prospering financially today in other religions and you'll see whether it is a blessing of God or something else don't ever think that financial prosperity is the blessing of God God gives us more than enough for what we need but that is not the primary blessing of God that is the bonus he throws in you know like you work in a company not for bonus you work in a company for a salary the bonus is thrown in extra whether you get it or don't get it you work for your salary and the salary God gives us is victory over sin the bonus is a little financial blessing or prosperity always look at that as a bonus and not a salary none of you will work in a company just to get a bonus you work for a salary I want my salary overcoming sin and if the bonus is thrown in a financial prosperity I accept it if not it's quite okay but that's not what I live for so I was thinking of this in relation to you know the Old Testament is written as an example I want you to see a verse in 1 Corinthians 10 which says about Old Testament why is 3/4 of the Bible Old Testament we live under the new covenant but yet 3/4 of the Bible is Old Testament stories and many things like that and there's a reason 1 Corinthians 10 verse 6 says I believe this refers to the entire Old Testament the things that happen there are examples for us that we should not crave for those evil things as they also craved because it's referring to the people in the wilderness who disobeyed God but I can say it refers to all those people in the Old Testament who made a mistake of seeking something so give you a few examples as I was studying this subject I found there are many more examples but I'll give you ten examples of people who missed out on what God had for them because of pride a warning for us and the first example some well sometimes we don't think of it is Eve Eve disobeyed but what was the reason for her disobedience the devil told Eve look at this lovely fruit Genesis 3 you know why God doesn't want you to eat it because he knows Genesis 3 verse 5 you will be like him and he doesn't want you to be like him he wants to be alone God you'll become like him and God is scared that he'll become like him so he doesn't allow you to Italy can you can you imagine how stupid he was created perfect she became stupid because she thought thought that God did not love her and where do you sleep right there the pride is feeling I know better than God I know God has told me don't eat this but I know better I'll eat it every time you commit a sin which God says don't do your manifesting the same pride I know better than God you make a false statement in your office to make a little more money okay make a little more money but you know it's unrighteous you know it's a lie and you think God will bless you in spite of that lie and you think I know better than God and that's why you suffer see this is how Satan himself became the devil he was the highest of the angels given authority over everything and he said I want to be like God pride I want to be like God I want to be able to above there you read that in Isaiah 14 that's how he felt and the same infection he gave to Eve first Genesis 3:5 he will be like God that is what he had in his heart and how he became the devil did he tell Eve that's how I became the devil by the way no and when you puff yourself up about anything does the devil devil remind you remember that's how I became the devil will he tell you that when you're getting puffed up now he doesn't want you to imagine that you're puffing yourself up and losing the grace of God he doesn't want you to know that that's how the devil became the devil he doesn't want you to know that he's coming as a little roaring lion to you at that moment what is Peter say be alert every moment be sober don't play the fool with Christianity be alert so that's the first example and then we moved to another example and that is some small some big and that is Noah you know after God has blessed us I told you it's easy for God to bless somebody but to remain in Humble after God has blessed us it's difficult you know the story of Noah I don't have to tell you he was the one man one single man who saved this earth from destruction all of us are here because of Noah you know I was unfaithful there was no one on earth that was faithful this world would have been destroyed you and I would not have been born that's why I'm eager to meet Noah when I get to heaven and say brother thank you so much because of you I am in heaven otherwise I wouldn't even have been born because God found one man to be faithful it's an interesting thing that we see in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament and in church history very often God does his work through one man after the New Testament would not have been written if Paul was not there one man one man just like that in Jeremiah's time one man who stood up for God just like that in Noah's time and then when he comes out of the ark can you imagine how he must have felt Wow because of me my family is saved I am somebody God has blessed me now see Genesis 9 and God blessed Noah verse 1 and verse 20 Noah began farming and planted a vineyard and drank of the wine and became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent is it God's will for a man to drink a little wine it's okay but to get drunk and to strip your clothes and lie down naked in an open tent is that a man of God how did it happen I believe it was pride see Who I am see what God's done through me and it doesn't matter whether it's Old Testament or New Testament it may be written only in the New Testament but God has always been the same he resists the proud it's not that suddenly he started resisting the proud in the New Testament he always resisted the proud even if it is his favourite servant Noah that's the thing we have to remember I mean would be ashamed if I get drunk and lie naked somewhere it would mean that what Lord what happened I lost this grace from you somewhere wouldn't you be ashamed it's really amazing warning these things are written for us as a warning the next example I would mention is Abraham turn with me to Genesis 12 and see what God told Abraham verse 2 Genesis 12:2 I'll make you a great nation and the last part of verse 3 all the families of the earth are going to be blessed through you imagine if God said that to you I sometimes read the scripture and I put myself in that person's place it's a good thing to do how would I have felt if God Almighty came to me among all the millions of people on the earth and say I'm gonna bless every family on the earth through you oh that would be really watchful that I remain broken and humble before God and because and God said I'm gonna through your seed and remember Abraham and Sarah had no children and we read that it made him a little proud and that's why later on you read that he went to Egypt without consulting God God I told him stay in Canaan no he said no I think I can go to Egypt there's no food here I'll go to Canaan see it's a small little step God had told him you go to the land I will show you and you be there Genesis 3:12 7 I did I'll give you this land but when he went there it says in verse 10 there was a famine in the land and that's what happens often when we obey God we run into problems you get into Jesus and cross the lake at Jesus command and there's a storm but the storm does not mean that you've disobeyed God no the famine does not mean you've disobeyed God you went where God told you to go and if there's a storm or a famine you stay there God told me to be here did he consult God no I'll go to Egypt Hey Abraham God's told you to be in Canaan no no there's no food here I better go to Egypt and you know what happened in Egypt one big mistake he saw that all the Egyptians have God made servants to help their wives so he decided to get a maidservant from Egypt called Hagar and you know the story how he got a son through Hagar which was the cause of problems and problems and problems even though God had told him I will give you a son through Sarah when he didn't get a son for a long time he thought I got a help God Genesis 16 Sarah Abraham's wife had no children so they had this Egyptian maid called Hagar Genesis 16 1 where did Hagar come from he would she would never have come into Abraham's house if he Abraham had not gone to Egypt see how one little wrong step leads to umpteen problems that caused problems for Abraham and his children for centuries one little wrong step without consulting God God tells you to go here and you have a little problem there so you go somewhere else and then Sarah said see I don't have any children we got to help God a little bit you know and Abraham listened to his wife foolishly and he got a son it was the pride I believe that there was a pride that I am the chosen one and I can do what I like that very often happens like that okay let me give you another example that's Jacob and you know the story of Jacob these are examples written for our instruction abraham was proud I am chosen one it says about Jacob in Genesis chapter 25 in verse 23 when his wife Rebekah who is expecting twins the Lord said to Rebecca and also to Isaac at that time Genesis 25 verse 23 it's not just to children in your womb there are two nations in your womb one is the nation of Israel and another nation one will come through Jacob the other will come through Esau but the last part of verse 23 the older Esau will serve the younger Jacob will be the leader even though he's the younger twin and yet Jacob knew that and yet when the time came when Isaac said I don't want to go into all those details you read that in Genesis 27 I will bless you he called he saw and said Isaac knew that God had said the younger one has to be blessed but the Bible says that Isaac loved the deer meat called venison deer meat so much that I says forget about what God said ice love meat that Esau can cook and bring I'll bless you Esau and Jacob Rebekah heard it and told Jacob hey listen your father's gonna bless he saw today as soon as he brings the meat Jacob could have said I don't have to help God my grandfather Abraham tried to help God and you know what happened Ishmael was born I don't have to help God God can if God has said I'm gonna give the blessing I'll get it I don't have to fight for it I never said that he listened to his mother you know the number of believers who listened to their mother more than they listened to God I have met numerous people like that they listened to their parents and want to God there are some of you sitting here I know we have listened to your parents more than you listen to God learn a lesson from what happened to Jacob his mother said I want to give to you God's blessing really listen to God and not to your mother if she takes you in some other direction honor God in a Jacob could have said mom God's told me I'll get the blessing I can trust him I don't have to try these secret techniques of pretending to be he saw and telling lies no and because he cheated he had to run away and recwell god finally dealt with him Genesis 32 God did not forsake Jacob even though he deceived and told didn't trust him one day when Jacob was alone Genesis 32 24 Jacob was left alone you know the reason why God does not meet with some of you I'll tell you because you'll never take time to be alone with God you like to meet God in the meeting here of the crowd of other people yeah there's a blessing here definitely but there are personal encounters that we need to have with God that you can have only when you are alone Jacob was left alone that's the time God met with him and it says here God wrestled and it says a man wrestled so does God was trying to teach him for twenty years and more I'm being trying to wrestle with you to humble you break you to stop trusting in yourself and to trust me but he did not succeed and then we read that God dislocated Jacob's thigh verse 25 and after that he had to limp he was a young man by the standards of those days when people lived up to 150 years and all a young man and from that day onwards he had to walk with a cane when if you see a 25 year old young man walking with a cane some of you are 25 if you have to come walking with a cane to the church every Sunday how will you feels pretty humiliating it's all right for people who are 60 or 70 but 25 year old young man working with a cane because his his hip socket was dislocated by God and that's when God told him now I have broken you Jacob now onwards verse 28 you will be called Israel because you have prevailed it's very interesting the only time the time rather the time that God could tell is Jacob you become an Israel is when he broke him it was that pride in Jacob he proved that he was very smart he could deceive his father in Lord Laban and all that God broke him and when you turn to the New Testament you see this wonderful verse and some of you already know it but let me mention it to those who don't know Hebrews 11 it's an amazing verse you know that Hebrews 11 is the chapter of amazing miracles Abraham had a son as an old man Samson [Music] his mighty power manifested in killed lions Jericho the Joshua pull down the walls of Jericho Moses split the Red Sea all these things are mentioned in this and people were raised from the dead it says here in verse 35 but in the midst of all these miracles fantastic miracles it's written about Jacob what is his miracle Hebrews 11 21 he leaned on the top of his staff that's his miracle he's walking with a cane what sort of a miracle is that to come in Hebrews 11 I think it is the greatest miracle in a bruise 11 that God succeeded in breaking a proud man to teach him like you're leaning upon this cane Jacob lean upon me for the rest of your life and so he had revelation which his father Isaac did not have is a very interesting story when Isaac wanted to bless he was blind that's how Jacob could fool him and he gives the blessing to the wrong person Isaac gives the blessing to the wrong person because he's blind do you know it says in Genesis towards the end of Genesis that Jacob was also blind when Joseph brought his two children eldest son Manasseh younger son Ephraim to Jacob and he made sure that you know the right hand is the hand of blessing so he brought Manasi towards Jacobs right hand and Ephraim towards Jacobs left hand and said hey my father's blind let me bring him there and you know what Jacob did he crossed his hands and Joseph said no no no and the wonderful words of Jacob you read that in Genesis my son I know I know that's what a man of God says I know I know things you don't know this younger boy is going to be blessed and you read the rest of the Old Testament Ephraim was blessed more than Manasi where did Jacob get such a revelation because he had learned to lean upon his staff he had learned to lean upon God he was not the proud man he was in his younger days and if God can bring you and me to that place where all our life will say till the end of my life Lord I will lean upon you you will get revelation - God will show you amazing things in scripture that other people can never teach you let me now show you the example of Moses in numbers the proud Jacob and the humble Jacob what a difference in numbers it says something about Moses amazing world in numbers chapter 12 verse 3 the man Moses was very humble more than any man on the face of the earth the next person about whom it can be said he was the humblest person who walked on the earth Jesus Christ but in Moses day he was the humblest man that walked on the face of the earth you see most Moses wrote the first five books of Genesis to Deuteronomy of the Old Testament but this is put in brackets because Moses didn't write this somebody else added it there just by the way Moses was the humblest man on the face of the earth some God inspired somebody else to add that sentence there but this man who has the humblest man on the face of the earth at that time one day when God told him you know when the people are asking for water and Numbers chapter 20 and the people cried out for water we hadn't we don't have any water to drink numbers 20 verse 5 and they went to God and God said to Moses verse 8 take the rod and speak to the rock Moses remember 40 years ago in Exodus 17 I told you to hit the rock and the water came out if I were to paraphrase God's words but that rock being hit is a picture of Christ being crucified and he does not have to be crucified a second time so this time when the water you don't hit it because Christ is not going to be crucified a second time speak to it and the water will come verse 8 numbers 20 verse 8 and the water will come but Moses said I am the man whom God is blessed he was proud people fall into sin only when they are proud Moses took the rod and he lost his temper and he said in verse 10 you rebels are we going to bring water out of the rock what do you mean we look at you see that word shall we as if Moses can bring water out of the rock amazing how we think that just because God used you to bless somebody he said we we are the ones who blessed so-and-so garbage I want to tell you my brother's sister you can bless nobody even if you're the most spiritual man on the face of the earth only God blesses but this humblest man Moses began to think we I am the man who was blessed it can happen to you these things are written for our instruction and instead of speaking to the rock it says he lifted up his hand verse 11 and struck the rock not just once but twice does God bless disobedience to his word this is a very big question here you see did the water come out or not what do you say yes why because God loved those 2 million people in spite of the disobedience of his servant God blessed those people people ask me the question women are not supposed to teach God's Word what about all these women who preach on television does God bless their word here's the answer she may disobey God's Word but God loves the people and he blesses them but like God dealt with Moses later on he will deal with that woman for doing what God Bible tells her not to do a woman is not called to teach God's Word it's a position of authority she can testify she can share her testimony share what she's received from the God's word but the moment she begins to teach his going into territory God has forbidden but does God bless such people sure what about all these crooked preachers who are making money from poor people preaching the prosperity for making millions for themselves does God bless what they preach yes here's the proof disobedient servants of God are blessed because God loves the people that hundred thousand people sitting there listening to them God loves them but he'll deal with the servant later on and all these people who disobey God's Word one day at the judgment seat of Christ he'll he'll deal with them when they say Lord we did so many things in your name we preach this and he said depart from me I don't even know you here Moses as soon as he disobeyed okay the water came out because God loved the people but then Moses the Lord said immediately to Moses Moses forty years you were waiting waiting waiting to enter the promised land you are punished you will not enter the promised land verse 12 that was the biggest blow if God had said and will get leprosy there have been much better he gave him the greatest punishment that he could ever get you will not enter the promised land yeah that's what happens to humble people when they become proud they miss out on God's blessing now you know if you later on you read I don't have time to show you that it says you're in God do you know that God did bring Moses into the promised land once in Matthew 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus it's as if Moses God said to Moses listen now I don't forget that you were faithful for forty years so even though you punished you there I'll bring you into the promised land in a better much better position when my son Jesus is there God is a good god I tell you so merciful even when he's strict and dealing with us when if you have been faithful to live for him he's merciful I want to show you another example in book of Judges and that's the example of Gideon you know Gideon by the way I don't know whether you know it is the first person about whom it's written like this in Scripture the Spirit of the Lord came mightily came upon a person where do you read it first time in Scripture judges 634 the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he went out with his army of 300 people and destroyed the whole Midianite army and he became a big man the men of Israel Genesis sorry judges chapter 8 verse 22 when Gideon got this great victory and it was happy to see how God had used him the men of Israel said rule over us now both you and your son and Gideon takes a very humble position there are many lessons to learn from the Old Testament Gideon said I will not rule over you my son will not allow you the Lord will rule over you you say boy what a humble man I wish he had stopped there but he didn't stop there he said but you can do one thing for me give me all your gold because I won this battle for you so he felt he won the battle you got to reward me take off all your gold earrings and give it all to me and it says they in the next verse 24 and the weight of the gold earrings verse 26 that he got was 1,700 shekels boy that is tons of gold he became a billionaire how did it happen pride he thought I did this I'm giving you examples from the Old Testament like that now I want to show you one more example and you know the story of Samson that's another great example in Judges where I don't have to show you the reference how God used him to whose mighty victories with one jawbone of an ass he drove away of so many Philistines and all that but then he thought I'm God is blessing me I can fool around a little bit with women do you know the number of preachers in the last 50 years all over the world who been mightily used by God when they were humble but they began to think yeah it doesn't matter if I fool around a little bit with women now watch a little pornography perhaps or fool around with somebody who's not my wife number of preachers through pride and arrogance I've missed out the blessing of God it's easy for God to bless a person very difficult for that man to remain humble and to keep on receiving God's blessing these things are written for our instruction okay now another great example is Samuel now you know Samuel was the man when he was a young boy God gave a message to Eli the high priest of that time through Samuel listen to this 1 samuel chapter 3 verse 10 the Lord came to Samuel and at other times it's Samuel and Samuel said speak and the Lord said 1 samuel 3:11 I'm going to do a thing at which the years of everyone will tingle and he said about the sin of Eli's children and God spoke many things warning samuel about the way eli has allowed his two sons to be wayward i'm gonna punish here I and God and Samuel told Eli Eli came next day didn't what is the word the Lord spoke to you and verse 18 Samuel told him everything now Samuel became a prophet it's a tremendous thing you know you're a young 10 year old and you're a prophet I don't blame Samuel it must have been very difficult for him in that day didn't have the example of Jesus Christ not to be proud 10 year-old boy being a prophet and growing up year after year after year and becoming a prophet but Samuel grew older and you know what he did this is another danger even Samuel blundered 1 Samuel chapter 8 verse 1 he had two sons and he appointed his two sons as judges why did he do that he didn't see God about it he thought I was blessed so what'd I do God will bless know this because you've been blessed doesn't mean you gotta bless anything you do he appointed his two sons and listen to this verse three his two sons did not walk in his ways they took bribes and they cheated people they perverted justice took bribes from criminals and set them free and the elders the news went round samuel sons our wayward who's that this who's under these the same man who had warned eli about his sons i've come across cases like this of preachers who have warned other people about something they themselves go and do the same thing people who they warned about some other people's children and they themselves their own children are going straight be very careful before you go around criticizing other people's children be very careful when you go around criticizing other people's children see what happened to samuel leave them to god if you want to do on something pray for them as a great danger of some people sitting here who look at the waywardness of the child of somebody else in this church and you speak against it because you brought up your children so well oh-hoh beware of the same thing that happened to samuel can happen to you he became proud and his two sons went astray till the whole elders of israel came to know about it and said Samuel your sons are not walking in your ways they are wicked another example from the Old Testament awarness let me give you one more example from the Old Testament and that is Saul we read that's in 1 Samuel in chapter 10 Suns fail they said give us a king we don't anymore these judges so God said ok let them have a king they rejected me as king let them have their own king and they took Lots there were 12 tribes they took Lots than different different families and it took lots because they believed in the Old Testament that if you take a lot throat and throw the ordinary ultimately God will pick out the right person and they threw the Lots for the whole tribe of Israel and they picked out one man's name Saul who was the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin in 1 Samuel 10 they looked for Saul hey verse 21 middle of verse 21 saul was chosen and listen to this they announced the name saul son of Kish has been chosen as king come forward I mean this crowd of people and it says he could not be found can you imagine what a humble man he was 1 samuel 10 turning on hey I don't want to be king I'm just an ordinary person I can't do this and it says in verse 22 he was hiding inside some baggage some people's luggage was there he was hiding under the suitcases can you imagine the man who was chosen to be king he didn't want to be king and he was hiding himself I mean so different from today's when people say do I want to make you a ruler or an elder there no they rush forward sure because I think I'm worthy for it they wanted to make Jesus King and he ran away Saul was like that but the same Saul one day disobeyed God and we read also that he offered a sacrifice as if he was a priest you know in the olden days the king's job was one the priests job was another a king could never be a priest and a priest could never be a king and there was a reason for it the first king priest was to be Jesus Christ nobody else the Lord says the yarra king after the order of Melchizedek a king and a priest but in the nation of Israel milk is nickels outside Israel in the nation of Israel nobody was allowed to be a king and a priest that was a result for Christ but Samuel but Saul we read in 1 Samuel 15 he went and offered the sacrifice as always 1 Samuel 13 he offered the sacrifice when God told him not to do it and Samuel came just in time after that and said why have you done this you've committed a terrible sin in doing this this is the same man who once upon a time did not even want to be a king but here we read that 1 Samuel chapter 13 verse 11 Sam is it what have you done you're not supposed to offer the peace offering says in verse 9 Saul offered it and the Lord said and Samuel said to Saul because you've done this the Lord is taken away where's 13 the kingdom from you verse 14 your kingdom will not endure you were called to be a king and you tried to be a priest as well the same man who did not want to be a king it's easy for God to bless someone difficult for them to remain humble once they are blessed okay here's another example in David you know how David was so blessed when he was looking after the sheep in the wilderness and running off from Saul cave to cave he was writing Psalms he's writing Scripture those days many of the Psalms that David wrote were written before he was thirty years old before he became King when he was strumming the guitar and looking after the sheep when he was running from cave to cave escaping from Solley wrote Psalms inspired by God but once he became king this man was so blessed by God see what happened to him once and second samuel chapter 11 one time when the kings go to battle in those days when an army went to battle the person in front of the battle was the king he was the leader he was the general of the army and it says here in second samuel 11 verse 1 when Kings go to battle David should have gone but he said well I'm a big man now I don't have to go for these battles and all let somebody else go and he stayed at Jerusalem second samuel 11 verse 1 you know what happened in the evening he got up from his bed he's sleeping lazy he shouldn't be in praying for his army the best thing to do when you get up from bed is to pray before you do anything else even before you get out of it pray maybe just got up from bed big man and the man who is written scripture and the man who killed Goliath tore a lion to pieces I'm the man of God and he walks on the roof and he looks out through the other across the wall and he sees a woman bathing what should he have done he should have immediately turned around and gone back to his room but no he keeps staring and he's tempted and you know till today people talk about David and Bathsheba all because he did not go to battle when he should have gone he did not go to the prayer meeting he was too lazy slept and when he got up from bed he didn't pray say oh I'm ok I'm a big man and the calamity that came it's happened to many many people after that he was proud and he lost the grace the grace of God upon him and the last example I want to give is of course Judas Iscariot says in Luke chapter 6 see the context in which it comes Luke's a this is the one time in the Bible where it says Jesus went and prayed all night and he prayed all night for one reason because he wanted to select the right 12 people to be his apostles he had 70 he had others but he's among these 70 who's the one I'm to choose and he says here he went out to pray a whole night verse 12 and what was he praying father show me who should be the twelve who should be the twelve who should be the ones I'm to select to be the leaders of my church is there not a sudden decision small decisions you can pray over to three minutes and take a decision but this is a major decision that's going to affect the world for the next 2,000 years major decisions you have to pray longer he prayed all night and when the day came he had it clear in his mind the father told him verse 14 Simon Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James Simon Judas and Judas Iscariot verse 16 who became a traitor he was not a traitor then when it's some when he says somebody became a leper it doesn't mean he was always the leper when it says he became a traitor means he was not always a traitor he was selected to be an apostle I believe that he could have written the episodes that Paul wrote because Judas Iscariot was the cleverest of all the disciples he was a postgraduate but he missed the crown you know that verse in Revelation chapter 3 which says hold on to your crown let somebody else take it in Revelation 3 Judas Iscariot was to be given a crown but Paul got it Paul got his crown and Judas his crown as well and Judas Iscariot now this is before he became a traitor he's selected and can you imagine out of all these disciple standing out Jesus calling out names and Judas his name is called Wow I am one of the chosen and that went to his head and he became a trip traitor he didn't go to the head of the others what are these things written for these things are written for our instruction turned back to the verse I read in 1 Corinthians 10 these things happen as an example for us remember this that's why three quarters of the Bible is the Old Testament these things have happened is an example for you and me God may bless you mightily like all these people but see what happened finally they were confident in themselves the failure of all of them was they began to have self-confidence and I believe that is the danger that can happen to us when God has blessed us it's the thing that has happened to many many groups through the years that God has blessed us and he'll always continue to bless us God is best CFC for 45 years he will continue to bless us not necessarily my brother sister humble yourself under the mighty hand of God don't look down on other denominations don't say like the Pharisee Lord we thank you we are not like the other churches we understand the New Covenant Lord God have mercy on us if we ever come to that place but there are individuals sitting here and there and a CFC churches who think like that and that's why the grace of God is not upon them or upon that children if it goes well with you give the glory to God if it goes well with your children please listen don't ever ever ever compare your children with other people's children that is how your children will get ruined and some of you have ruined your children because you have secretly boasted about them as if they are better than others where are they today you've encouraged them to be proud that they are better than others and superior to others spiritually and where are they now don't blame them oh brother they are going astray you let them astray because you were proud of them and filled their heads with pride thinking making them think they are better than others they have a tremendous responsibility as fathers and mothers don't blame others take the blame yourself say Lord I failed these things I've written I remember what happened to Samuel classic example Oh Eli's children are like that uh-huh Samuel just wait till your children grow up let's see what happens these things are written as an example for us families churches humble yourself under the mighty hand of God I've come across so many different Christian groups in my life I've come across very fine preachers and different ones but I've tell you I have seen very very few people in my entire life who have consistently unheard of very very few people who've endured until the end in humility who never say Lord I thank you that I'm not like other men I thank you that my children are not like other people's children I thank you that my church is not like other people's Church I thank you that we have understood all things better than other churches very few people it's amazing how pride comes in so people have asked me this question through the years brother Zack what is the secret of remaining in humility always very simple if you walk with a humble man he'll be humble and the humblest man that walked on the earth was Jesus Christ walk with him every when you begin a day this is how I begin my day they before I get out of bed the first person I talked to is Jesus Christ first person Lord Jesus I want to walk with you today I don't want to be a great preacher I don't want to do any great things for you I just want to walk with you in humility and brokenness impurity or sinned in my thoughts life in my conversation that I never get angry never get never murmur or complain about anything in my relationship with my wife who's the one I see every day Lord please preserve me I'm a weak person and the chief of all the sinners but I know you can keep me in with the grace of God upon my life til the end of my days I want to encourage you walk with Jesus walk with Him every day is the greatest honor we can have a king of kings that I can walk with Him you will never never become proud of anything in your life and the grace of God will be upon you till the end of your days may it be sold I mean let's pray to our heads in prayer brothers and sisters please remember and meditate on what we heard or listen to the tape again later listen to it often so that you're reminded of the failures of other people learn from the failures of others and never never say it will not happen to me lord have mercy on us we are in great danger the devil is walking about as a roaring lion seeking to devour people with pride and yet in the midst of all we hear your words saying come learn from me for I am humble of heart and you shall find rest for your souls we want to learn from you Lord Lord Jesus we want to see your example the little things we read in the Gospels and walk that way till the end of our life we thank you for your mercy upon us we thank you that your mercy has preserved us and our children and our families and everything else we give you all the glory heavenly Father for being such a loving father to us warning us in advance of dangers we will face we thank you in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

Views: 40,096

Rating: 4.9004526 out of 5

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

Id: dizO0vqBnN4

Length: 73min 43sec (4423 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 20 2019