Last Days Hypocritical Christians | Zac Poonen

I want to turn with you to second Timothy this morning to Chapter three second Timothy and Chapter three Paul this is Paul's last letter as far as we know that he wrote and he had a great burden for Timothy because Timothy was the only one among all his co-workers who had the same spirit that Paul had and Paul had a great burden that when he left this earth there should be another generation of at least a few people who had the same motive spirit life ministry that he had nobody could duplicate Paul I mean when God calls an apostle like Paul you cannot replace him because it's God's unique choice but you could follow him to some extent and Timothy followed him more than anybody else that shows something of Timothy's discernment that he realized that the best life I can live is to follow the life of a man like Paul whom God has provided for me as a spiritual father I may not have Paul's ministry but at least I can follow his life and because he Paul wrote that follow me as I follow Christ and so Paul was particularly concerned to write to such people who had the same spirit and who had a longing to make sure that they got the best and he warns him about something I mean Paul did not know the future he did not know when Jesus Christ would return Jesus said when he was on earth as a man he himself did not know the date of his second coming so there's nobody who knows the exact date of Jesus second coming and a lot of people talk about it in the world and the internet is full of people who predict when Christ will come and any sensible Christian will call it all know since Paul did not know do you know Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 4 he said we who are alive will be caught up when Thessalonians 4 that means he expected to be alive when Christ came that's why he says we he doesn't say those who are alive he says we who are alive will be caught up but that was written but 1213 years before he died and 1 Thessalonians were chapter 4 in verse 15 but by the time he thirteen years later when he writes 2nd Timothy he knows he is not going to be caught up because God showed him very clearly we read in 2nd Timothy in chapter 4 verse 6 the time of my departure is at hand and I finished my course so now I'm just waiting for the final day of judgment I will not be caught up so he he knew the Lord had shown in some way when he was in prison ok Paul you're not gonna be alive till I come you're gonna die but he did not know but the Timothy would be alive till Christ's coming because you know many of those people in the first century Paul died around 67 ad or something and many people who expected that before the end of 100 years Christ would come Paul did not know if Jesus did not know Paul certainly did not know so he thought Timothy may be alive to the Lord's coming so he warned Timothy and of course that warning applies to all of us today because we believe we are also in the last days now he said Timothy remember this in 2nd Timothy 3:1 realized it understand this very clearly that in the last days difficult times will come and he's not talking about persecution the Living Bible makes it very clear it be very difficult to be a Christian now there are many ways in which is difficult to be a Christian because there are a lot of jobs today where it's difficult to be a Christian because you have to tell lies or cheat or you know a lot of salesmen and accountants and all that I have to cheat and tell lies in many jobs nothing is impossible there are people who live upright lives in all those places and sometimes they lose their job because they are upright but it's going to be very difficult to be a Christian because of those reasons but that's not what he's talking about he's not talking about his difficult going to be difficult to be a Christian there'll be much more persecution there was a lot I mean hardly anybody has experienced persecution like Paul he got a hundred ninety five stripes on his back stoned to death in prison so many times and people trying to kill him all the time so that was not what he's talking about I don't know if Timothy ever got suffered as much as Paul but he says it's going to be difficult to be a Christian in the last days because listen to this because verse five the people around you who claim to be Christians in your church verse five will have a form of godliness but not the power the form means the dress like I spoke earlier about the dress of humility but not real humility it's a fake it's a counterfeit and there he speaks about a dress of godliness yeah and what is a dress of godliness that means they will they'll speak the right language there won't be non-christians there'll be Christians who Savior evangelical Christians we are fundamental in our doctrines we believe in the Trinity we believe in being born again we believe in water baptism we believe in the baptism in the holy spirit we believe in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit we are waiting for the Lord's coming and all that that is the form of godliness but it'll only be a forum you know when Jesus spoke about a wolf in sheep's clothing the sheep's clothing is the doctrine absolutely correct but inside that doctrine is a wolf a person whose nature is wanting to bite it others grab at other sheep look for the little lambs and exploit them well there are Christians like that there are pastors like that there are preachers like that any pastor who tries to get money from poor people in his church he's a wolf I have no hesitation in saying he's a wolf but he's got the right doctrine and he's more dangerous when he has a right doctrine and he's interested in you know if a wolf comes into a fold the only he's not noticed he's not coming that a bless the Sheep he's coming there to bite and take what he can from the she bite off some of that flesh and eat up some of the sheep and any person where they Constance a pastor preacher Archbishop or whatever it is if he comes to take advantage of you to get something from you for himself maybe bring you under his authority so that you just blindly listen to him and you don't have any direct connection with Christ he's a wolf be careful the form of godliness is that tremendously in these days in every denomination we talk about nominal Christians as those who don't claim to be born again you see that that's different from churches like brethren and Pentecostal and the CFC and etc where we don't we stand against be nominal Christianity but I'll tell you there's as much of the form of godliness in all these churches including CFC churches as there is anywhere else because as time goes on people tend to be taken up with the external the doctrine more than the inner life and the moment you find in your thinking your inner devotion to Jesus become secondary to the your external testimony before men you already started drifting that's a very good test to test yourself in I mean I test myself in that all the time because I'm living in a corrupt world just like you know why do we take a shower why do we bathe because you smell otherwise in a hot country there you perspire and perspiration doesn't smell nice you perspire and you sweat and and you feel so sticky you want to be clean so every day you cleanse yourself and you use soap and get rid of it we must do something like that every day in our Christian life as well what do I need to get rid of I need to ask myself has my inner devotion to Jesus Christ been replaced by a desire to impress other people that I'm spiritual then you're stinking that's a stink then you need to have a bath and come back to the place where the stink of wanting to impress other people has been cleansed away I hope you will learn something today that the thing that makes you stink or me stink or anyone is when we want to desire impress other people in our church or other Christians that I'm a spiritual person know that I'm a humble person or that I'm a holy person that's an absolute stink and so then I have already started backsliding but if I can be free from that and I say my inner devotion to Christ is he is what I want to preserve that I am fervently in love with Jesus Christ because the first commandment is love your Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and mind and I want to check myself to see if I really love the Lord in the midst of a world where people don't love him that is the form of godliness and when you see people like that and you sense this guy's pretending it says you're in verse 5 avoid such men he doesn't just say that okay be careful it says avoid them because you'll get the infection from them if you spend too much time with them you will get the infection from them no matter how careful you are if you hang around always with people who got infectious leprosy you'll get it there are infectious diseases that you can easily get we won't move around too closely with someone we won't let our children move around too closely with someone who's got AIDS very infectious a small cut on your finger and you can get it through that person so why are we so careful about infectious diseases but not careful about spiritual infection that we can get from people who only have a form of godliness I want to obey the scripture which says avoid such people people asked me brother Zak why can't you fellowship with all the believers I said because the Bible says I must avoid certain people you know we could Paul had earlier told Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2 look at this he says if you want to be second Timothy chapter 2 verse 21 last part if you want to be a vessel sanctified useful to the master and prepared for every good work you know what you should do there are a couple of things you should do and I think all of us should have a desire to be a vessel useful to the Lord for every good work then here are some instructions first of all verse 21 cleanse yourself from impurity from all wickedness it says in verse 19 cleanse yourself and then you'll be a vessel for honor now there's a cleansing that God does that is my past life I can't cleanse myself from my past sins because all my righteous deeds are like filthy rags my past sins only the blood of Jesus can cleanse me but my present life I can cleanse myself there are many verses that speak about cleansing myself here's one of them second Corinthians 7:1 says we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God we cleanse ourselves 1 John 3:3 says we purify ourselves as Christ is pure these are three of the important verses second Corinthians 7:1 1 John 3:3 and here in 2 Timothy 2:21 where it speaks about we cleansing ourselves the two sites two cleansing one is what God does that is my past life which I cannot cleanse myself and the other is my present walk my inner attitudes God is not gonna do that if you don't want to do it yourself of course I need God's power to do it it's through the help of the Holy Spirit that I cleanse myself but I have to do my part in other words I have to judge myself and say Lord I see something in me I want the power of the Holy Spirit to get rid of that and if I cleanse myself like that and I also do something else verse 22 I run away from youthful lusts there is no point in standing trying to conquer a temptation which is too much for you do you know that Jesus didn't just teach us to overcome evil he also taught us to pray Lord lead me not into temptation that is too strong for me if I find a temptation too strong for me I would run away if you find there is some girl in your office who is a temptation to you avoid her as much as possible sometimes in an office you cannot avoid these seductive women but avoid her as much as possible and don't let her get too friendly with you don't try to be popular with seductive women run away avoid and you'll keep yourself pure and you'll be a vessel that God can use I really believe there are many many brothers and sisters who are not keeping themselves pure and that is why God cannot use them that is why the church suffers because there's such a lack of powerful ministry from brothers and sisters I'm constantly grieved by that we should have had lots of mighty anointed men in CFC in these all our churches in these 40 years I find very few we should have had many mighty anointed women who bless and encourage the other younger sisters to be godly not who jump on them and give them advice but who are such an example that young sisters will feel like going to them and say sister can you please help me that's the only type of sister you should go to not somebody who jumps on you with advice where you see her and you want to run away no one who you see a godliness where you want to go and say I want something that you have we need brothers and sisters like that and those are people who will flee from youthful lusts and Timothy was probably forty five years old he is not twenty years old a forty five years old Paul is writing them you listen don't think you're so old and you won't be tempted just flee from youthful lusts just run away don't we don't run away from the devil the Bible says resist the devil if you see the devil coming in front of you don't run away resist him in Jesus name but if you see a tempting woman come come in front of you run away that's what the Bible says and I think of this I don't run away from the devil but I run away from a tempting woman that's practical advice it's like telling David don't run away from Goliath but run away from Bathsheba she's stronger than Goliath and that woman is stronger than the devil to knock you down because you resist the devil he would run away from you but you don't resist that woman she'll knock you down flee it's not just run flees the type of way where you run if a lion is chasing you flee from youthful lusts and don't just run aimlessly you run in a direction which is righteousness verse 22 and faith and love and peace and don't run alone it's a beautiful verse verse 22 first of all you run away from all these things that cause temptation from links on your phone or computer run away from it people have asked me what shall I do brother when I'm sitting in front of a computer and I'm tempted to go to some polluted link or dirty link or and got a phone in my hand and what should I do I say turn it off and run away from there run away from sitting in front of the computer if you got a phone turn it off and go and try and find some fellowship go for a walk at least go somewhere out in the open where you're in the midst of people where you won't be tempted or go and seek fellowship with somebody if you obey this practical advice to flee you're resisting resisting and you find your resistance is weakening you're about to fall run away I tell you you will come to a victorious life because God sees your desire to run away from there you say Lord this is too much for me this temptation is too much for me I'm not going to try and stand here in concrete I'm gonna obey your word I'm gonna pursue righteousness faith I'm gonna look for someone who's got a pure heart verse 22 and I want to fellowship with him if I can't find somebody immediately I just go out for a walk in the open but I'm not gonna sit here and try to resist something which is too much for me if you're serious about it you will really overcome so in the last days it's going to be very difficult to be a Christian and it described here's the type of people that will be in the last days in 2nd Timothy 3 who will have a form of godliness remember all these verses verse 2 3 and 4 are not talking about unbelief no all these versus two three and four may refer to the characteristics of unbelief but here's referring to believers so-called believers who have a form of right doctrine and the right language and appears spiritual and say the right things and but you can see that God can see that there are lovers of themselves number one they don't really love you they love themselves and they're only trying to show you how spiritual they are you see anybody who's trying to show you how spiritual he is he's a lover of himself and apply that yourself if you are a person who's too trying to show other people how spiritual you are you don't love that person you love yourself think of a father who's trying to teach his son mathematics if he's just trying to show off to his son how clever I am he's not gonna be a good teacher he's trying to just trying to show off what a clever mathematician I am that poor child will learn nothing a good father will not try to show off to his child I know more than you the child already knows you know more than him but that's not what you want to show off to your child you want to help that child to struggling with some arithmetic problem help him to answer that problem in his maths paper which he doesn't know how to solve and don't try to show of how good you are in that subject so that's a good father that's a good person even a good elder brother who's helping his younger brother will not write a show of hey you're in second standard I'm in tenth standard that's not the thing help him to understand and if you are really a spiritual person you will never over all a people person with your spirituality you will never may say things to make him feel so small in front of you as if you're a great man of God and he's a nobody and one way you can find that out is this when you're talking to people supposing somebody comes to visit your home whoever it is maybe a younger person and you do all the talking there are some people like that they imagine themselves to be a spiritual they are the proudest and most carnal people they are I've heard complaints like that I go to visit that brother and he does all the talking and I sit there like a dumpers and listening to him but he gives me good food so I visit his home what's that that's not Christianity if you are really it's such a person is a lover of himself avoid such people all these people listed here from verse 2 to 4 at the end of it it says in verse 5 avoid them avoid them avoid them a more in a person who's got all the right doctrines but he's just trying to show you how spiritually is run away from such a person don't visit his home that's my advice he will not help you to godliness he's only trying to impress you with how spiritually is or how hospitable he is or some such garbage like that he's not trying to draw you to Jesus Christ he's only trying to draw you to himself all these people are people who draw people to themselves and remember that verse I quoted the other day in John chapter 2 and 10 all who come became before me are thieves and robbers that has two meanings that means everyone who came before me in time was a thief and a robber he was the truth and the life Jesus Christ and the other meaning of before in English has come in front of me anyone who comes before me he's a thief and a robber so if you come before Jesus Christ in the sense of in front of Jesus Christ when you're talking to someone you're a thief and a robber you're preventing that person from seeing Jesus he's seeing you he admires you he's not drawn to the Lord he's drawn to you beware of drawing people to yourself such a man is a lover of himself don't let people admire you for your preaching or your singing or your bible knowledge or your music or anything be one who says like John the Baptist I must decrease so that Christ must increase that is the only person who sincerely deep down in his heart in his contact with other believers wants to decrease in their eyes so that they'll be drawn to Christ that is the only person who can know I'm not a lover of myself so that's the first type of personal we are warned against and then the second person mentioned here in verse two is a lover of money not one who has a lot of money many people sitting here have a lot of money I think most of the people sitting here have probably got 10 times what some of our CFC believers in the villages have your salary is ten times what people in the village earn some some people more than that so it's not a question of having money it's not a question of owning a house with many of you own your own houses it's a question of loving it there are many people who have little who love money there are many people who have much who love money and this is a lover of money who still has a form of godliness and I tell you the Christian world is full of it most of these pastors you see on television they are the biggest lovers of money of all and I noticed another thing in Christian television both in the United States and here that most of these Christian television preachers are people who speak in tongues and claim to be baptized in the Holy Spirit most of them perhaps 90% of them and they are the most covetous lovers of money on the face of the earth because they're always asking for people's money and they take those poor people's money and buy big cars and planes and big houses and all that for themselves but they speak in tongues that shows the whole thing is a counterfeit because if a person is filled with the Holy Spirit really he should be more free from the love of money he should be more free from desiring money from other people I'm surprised that so many believers can't see through this deception on Christian television from all these preachers how is it you don't see it how it some of you want to go and listen to some of these men and some women also we're just out Co what they treat so well uh-huh so you're more interested in the outward garment than the inner life you're more interested in head knowledge he want to be moved emotionally they've got a tremendous ability to preach if you want to be moved emotionally go and listen to some politician they hold people's attention for two hours some of them very good they are not necessarily godly people so we have to be very careful I find these are days of tremendous deception we are mistaking a person's eloquence for anointing I really believe one of the greatest needs in our day is to distinguish between eloquence and anointing eloquence many worldly people have many politicians have there are some politicians I've heard about amazingly eloquent they can hold your attention for a long time they speak in such an interesting way they can speak for two hours and you won't lose your you won't be distracted it's not anointing its eloquence it's a human gift and when such a person can become a Christian and a preacher he can preach without an anointing and anointing will draw you to Jesus Christ not make you just impressed with that person an anointing will convict you of sin convict you of the right the need for righteousness and convict you of judgment because that's what the Holy Spirit does eloquent people won't convict you of sin and righteousness and judgment so lovers of money be very very careful avoid such people I want to avoid such people I want to avoid listening to such people on the internet or television I want to know if this guy's a lover of money and a lover of himself I don't want to go anywhere near that person I don't want to attend his meetings I don't want to listen to him on television because he will not make me godly he will influence me in the wrong direction and Paul said in the last days it's going to be difficult to be a Christian because people will not have the CERN meant to know that this guy's just a lover of himself lover of money because he's got this form of godliness the third person mentioned here is boastful one who I mean this is a crude way of trying to show off to others that also unfortunately there are Christians like that who's say subtle things to show that they are superior to you beware of any person who says things to you claiming to be a testimony but the motive behind that testimony is not to help you to go that way but the motive is to show you see what a great man of God I am beware of such people who are saying things to you only to show off it says avoid such people avoid such people completely and then another you know he uses a number of words for pride so not only possible but arrogant and that is a certain attitude and I'm sorry to say I've seen that in some elders and some preachers and arrogance in the way they speak to others not the spirit of a servant I'm not talking about rebuking sin when you rebuke Scindia to be very strong but there's a lot of difference between rebuking sin and supposing a person has made a mistake anybody can make a mistake even this is a leader can make a mistake I must distinguish between the way I correct a person for sin which is rebellion and the way I correct him for a mistake that he's made okay that mistake caused some problem and that often happens in the church when we work together when we are running a conference or we're doing so many things in the church we got a distinguished routine rebellion and a mistake it's very important if any of you have responsibility for others distinguish and see is this guy doing it in a rebellious spirit or is it a mistake and you can see your arrogance in yourself and the way you correct somebody in the way you speak to people there we can learn from Jesus he was very strong when he rebuked unbelief and sin but at other times he was very gentle with his own disciples arrogance and then it's me sure about revilers these are all people who have these characteristics but who have a form of godliness revilers are people who blaspheme say things about God in a loose light way there are many people nowadays who crack jokes about the Bible and about Hell and about God and they think they're very funny it's blasphemy to make fun of biblical things it's blasphemy to make fun of spiritual things marriage for example is a very holy thing God has created this it's wrong to make fun of it in such a way that people don't value the sanctity of marriage it's there's many things you're very close to blasphemy you don't have to just curse God there are many things like that it's it's this is what reviler me and someone who's doesn't take holy things seriously he makes fun of hell and makes fun of people who are burning in hell and it's terrible I mean I've heard some things even so-called believers speak which are I don't even want to mention them they make a joke about something that Jesus said be very very careful that we don't make fun of biblical things don't be a blasphemer don't be a reviler and you can some of these people who do this I've hurt myself or people who claim to be mourn again so we want a purity in our CFC churches where people don't have these qualities because you know we have a tremendous form of godliness in CFC we preached among some of the highest doctrines that are being preached in India and it's very easy to have that garment and behind that garment have all these qualities especially in the last days and then it says disobedient to parents this is so fundamental even in the Old Testament and spoke about the seriousness of disobeying parents but to have a form of godliness you young people especially you children you are not at all godly if you disobey your parents let me tell you that straight to your face I'm not saying that you got to obey your parents if they tell you to do something sinful many of you from non-christian homes if your parents tell you to bow down to an idol you are to say sorry dad mom I can't do that because I respect you I'll do it in a speak to them in a loving way I respect you I love you I'm thankful for you took care of me from the time I was born and cared for me and educated me all that but Dad mom please don't ask me to bow to an idol because not because I don't respect you but because God is above you and I don't believe that God can be represented in the form of some brass statue or wooden statue so please please respect my conviction it doesn't mean I despise you it doesn't mean I devalue you it doesn't mean I'm ungrateful to you for all that you've done but please don't ask me to do that there you have to stand against your parents in a very respectful way or if they ask you to marry someone who's an unbeliever say dad mom I love you so much I respect you I want to please you but do you want to make my life unhappy you wanted me to be unhappy all my life marry someone who's not going the same direction I'm going in a certain direction and this person may be going in that direction you put us together we will be having constant conflicts which may one day end in divorce do you want me to face that Dad mom please don't ask me to marry someone who's not got the same view as me in spiritual things it's very important there we have to stand against the parents but other things we have to be respectful and obedient that means maybe you're tired and your parents ask you to do something get up and do it don't just say dad mom I'm too tired I can't do it that's disobedience that's got nothing to do with spirituality and if you're like that I tell you God will honor you that when you are tired and exhausted or you urgently want to go and play a game or something and your mom asks you to do something obey her obey your parents is one of the first things that we need to teach children in fact God gave only one commandment for children he gave many for the adults but for children only one obey your parents as long as you're at home as long as you're dependent on them financially you're living in their house and they are supporting you you have to obey them once you leave home and you've set up your own home whatever it is then you must still respect them and honor them to the end of your life but you don't have to obey them I honored my parents till the end of their life but I didn't obey them once I left home I let the Lord lead me so please remember this it's one are going to be one of the characteristics of the last days young people disobedient to their parents but pretending to be very spiritual it's a deception form of godliness what is the rule avoid such people don't hang around with people who are have got that spirit of disobedience don't hang around with children in your school who are always criticizing the teacher you may disagree with your teacher but don't speak evil of her or him that's not good Christianity you don't have to fight with those people who criticize teachers just avoid them you don't have to be on some type of judge or prophet there no no no avoid is easy he's not asking you to correct them no don't correct them avoid them and the other thing it says especially you know if you don't start with children when they are young they will grow up there are so many cases I've seen of little children who act in a very rude disobedient way to the parents and the parents take it lightly oh it's only a little child yeah but little snakes grow up to become big snakes don't forget that and little Tigers grow up to become big Tigers so don't forget that so disobedience to parents is something that must start from the beginning I believe the most important thing that we need to teach our children is obedience respect for parents and if they respect parents they will respect all older people when you don't teach respect for parents they will not respect older people also and very often let me say this to wives the way you treat your husband maybe what your child is seeing which one day makes him disobedient to Daddy he grows up like that it happens we've had a few cases like that in this church of who young men who would despised their father and they ended up despising the elders in the church the only thing we could do such people with such people is put them out of the church and say never come to CFC again where did it start with I believe it started with the mother not respecting the husband the children learning that and the children don't respect their father and over a period of time they don't even respect the elders some people think this is a small thing it's not a small thing you know what they used to do in the Old Testament you read in Deuteronomy a father had to bring his disobedient son to the elders and say this son of mine has been disobedient and arrogant and you know what the elders did to him stoned him to death that was the Old Testament law how seriously God took it what did the guy do he didn't kill anybody he didn't commit adultery he was just arrogant and disobedient to his father some people think we act too strongly No we don't stone anybody to do that we just put them out of the church because it's serious we don't want people in this church who have a form of godliness and don't respect their parents or don't respect older people and then it speaks in verse two about those are ungrateful now this doesn't look like a very serious crime but it is it's good to go through all these things carefully and slowly and some of us read through these I'm just trying to help you to read the Bible slowly like I often teach ungrateful is that a sin a lack of gratitude I find this is another very common thing among children who are not grateful to their parents for all the sacrifices the parents are made for them learn to say thank you I encourage people at least once a year on the birthday of your father and your mother write a thank-you note to them I want to encourage all of you to do that even even if your dad is 85 years old even if he's not a Christian thank him for the things he did for you I'm not asking you to do it every day can't you do it once a year and if you've never done it so far give him a surprise this year you never know he may be drawn to Jesus Christ just by that little act of gratitude express your gratitude express your gratitude to your father-in-law a couple of years after I got married to Annie and I saw what a wonderful wife she was for me because we were very poor and she was willing to live in the very simple way we lived I wrote a letter to her father I said I'm very thankful for the way you brought up your daughter because that's been such a help for me now that she's my wife I'm sure that letter made his day you know it I didn't write to him to make his day I just I was since I meant it 100 percent sincerely I didn't true it to make friends I was I said this is what I have to do as a Christian as a Christian I have to be thankful when somebody's done something for me if somebody has trained up a girl in a very good way to do all types of lowly jobs and then I get her as a wife don't you think I should thank that person sure I felt it was my responsibility so sometimes we take so many things in the world for granted of course I'm such an important person I deserve all that I'm not such an important person I don't deserve anything I'll tell you what I deserve I deserve hell and anybody who does anything for me which is better than that I must thank them and mean it from my heart and it doesn't matter if other people don't thank me for what I do because I don't I'm not looking for that learn the habit of gratitude because it says in the last days there'll be a lot of ungrateful people avoid them don't be listed in this category of people's grant Angra ingratitude is a sin it's a sin it's just like lover of self lover of money arrogant proud we don't usually put ungrateful along with disobedience to parents and lovers of self no no but it is it's just lumped in there along with that so learn to be grateful for somebody who did something for you even a cup of water like I've often said Jesus would thank a person who gave him a cup of water jesus told His disciples if somebody gives you a cup of water in my name he won't lose his reward so I pictured this in my mind that in the final day of judgment Jesus calls up somebody who nobody knows about and says hey I remember 2,000 years ago you gave a glass of water to Peter when he was really thirsty and come by your town and nobody was there to give him even water you gave it and I want to give you a reward I can believe that that he remembers a cup of water 2,000 years later and there's something I learned from that is I say I want to thank people who helped me long long ago I remember writing to somebody saying brother I remember 20 years ago I was in your town and I needed to go someplace I couldn't get a cab and you took me in your car to that distance I haven't forgotten it brother I just want to thank you for that I mean I sent it as a New Year greeting but reminded him of this because I wanted him to know that I was thankful for what he did for me at a time when there was no other way to go from one place to another ungrateful I never in my life want to be listed under that category list of ungrateful people Jack Coonan never Lord I never want to be in that list never never never learn to be grateful for your husband and wife and at least once in a while express your gratitude to her I know in the West they bring flowers and all I never brought flowers to my wife I'll tell you that because it I think it's an absolute waste of money that's my opinion get something practical and useful you put those flowers up there they disappear into three days it's far better to get something that she can use for many days which can make a life a little easier [Music] maybe a vacuum cleaner instead of flowers now god bless all those people who express their gratitude of the flowers in the West I'm not against them but it's not the type of thing I believe in I believe in practical help I mean if you have a wife who likes to smell the flowers always all the time please go ahead and get that no objection to it but what I mean is something that she really appreciates and values not something which is worthless so we express our gratitude in different ways and then it speaks about unholy I think this is talking about impurity in some way we're little little things we're not we've spoken much about impurity you know the Bible speaks about the pleasures of sin and there are many things in the world today which are impure if you go to the Internet and many of you do I want to say it's loaded with impurity even you're looking for some site and then some dirty picture on the column on the right you're not interested in that but it comes up there when you're looking for something important for something else that's how careful we have to be it wasn't like that years ago because you went looking for something for a book or something in the library you won't find some dirty picture on the right side of that book but now it has become like that the Internet is like a book you look for something in there's a dirty picture on the right and you gotta just avoid it you've got to be very very careful these days and people who are careless in like that the last days they will end up with a form of godliness and destroy themselves pray this prayer Lord lead me not into temptation very very important for our time then it speaks about those who are unloving those who don't have a natural affection it's a very common nowadays people mothers who abort their children are all people who have none don't have natural affection I'm not talking about a case where the doctors advise that the mother's life can be saved only by removing the child unfortunately there are cases like that but I'm thinking about people who say no we don't have children right now we hear of cases of people who say I want to build a house first and then we'll have children God may sometimes punish such people by never having children because you're interested in the house go ahead build as many houses as you want see you without natural affection God has created women when they get married to have a natural affection and they desire to have children but we live in a world where they say no no we got to make money first money is more important well I tell you I've never seen such a person becoming spiritual they may sit in CFC and speak the right language you got to be careful about those who lack natural affection irreconcilable that's the other thing mentioned here in verse three those are people who will never yield no matter how much you try to convince them they will not yield they are irreconcilable they will not you offended them in some way they just don't want to be friends with you anymore don't be like that Jesus was insulted and hurt and spat upon and he forgave them don't be categorized as those who we must be eager to pursue peace with all men of course be careful about those who want to be reconciled but to carry on the quarrel no but otherwise from our side the Bible says as much as it lies in you be at peace with all men Romans chapter 12 that must be our attitude and when somebody comes wants to come and have a fight with you just stop the conversation say listen let's talk about something else I don't want to pursue that subject malicious gossips do you know the word in the Greek language from which this is translated is a word called diabolic diabolic means devilish the word for gossip personal gossips in the Greek language is devil a gossip a gossiper is a devil I hope you remember that all your life diabolic diabolical is the English word for demonic devilish and that's the word used here a person who's gossips who speaks about a whole lot of things they don't have any control over their tongue yeah we I've seen good believers who just don't have control over their tongue it's as bad as not having control over dirty thoughts it's like a person constantly going to pornography what to do brother I'm addicted to it there are gossips like that they hear some type of bad news about somebody and they spread it I remember years ago reading an article by tozer it's a wonderful article you look it up somewhere sometime on the internet called five spiritual vows five spiritual vows that every Christian should take and one of them was this he said if you hear something bad about somebody don't go and tell others about it tell the elders of the church if they can sort out that problem yes but don't talk about it to somebody else but have you seen in your in your heart desire to immediately go and tell somebody hey did you hear what happened to this person or what this person did I'm just telling it to you what a lie just telling it to you there go and tell a thousand people say I'm just telling it to you and that person is going to spread it further we don't spread good news like that hey do you know that guy got a promotion his salary got doubled that's not the type of thing we spread it's usually something evil that shows that our nature hasn't changed this gossiping gossiping loving to say something bad about somebody else loving to show others how good I am compared to that person who behaved like this that's essentially the reason why gossip speak gossipers speak to show I hope you can see that I'm not so bad as that person I'm talking about and there are many gossipers in CFC and the Bible says avoid such people gossips we have had gossips who were removed from eldership because they gossiped mean so it's a very serious thing avoid such people completely without self-control self-control is a fruit of the Spirit it says we must avoid people who don't have control over their tongue over their life see the word was without self-control in the original language is from the word you get important important is a word used sexually for a man who does not have the ability to have children he is important now most men would be thoroughly ashamed if they are important and they cannot have children but that's the word you see er if you're not if you don't have self control over your tongue your eyes you are important remember that you should be as ashamed of it as your total inability to have children even though you're married you rejoice in the fact that you're not important that you're very important sexually well then also rejoice in the fact that you have self-control over your eyes and your tongue that is the meaning of without self-control it's exactly the same so put these in the same category and you'll see how evil it is how you would be ashamed to be important sexually and be equally ashamed that you're without self-control well I want to rush through this you can meditate on yourself says about brutal that means very hard and haters of good and treacherous treacherous means they are not loyal to one another they betray one another reckless reckless means they you know there's a saying in English that you look before you leap before you leap jump reckless means careless in the way they go into something without realising where's it gonna take me to be careless they don't think seriously about what if I go and take this job where am I going to end up am I going to end up without any fellowship for years and years and years and may just make a lot of money reckless in the way they take a decision take a decision without considering spiritual factors holy money and how much I'll gain there are many people who do this they're reckless conceited see again already there are words like boastful arrogant and again conceded see how the Holy Spirit emphasizes pride pride pride in different ways and finally I don't have time to meditate on all of those lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God when I love pleasure and comfort and ease it is an opposite to loving God that's what I see here lover of ease now this pleasure that is clean and good like having a good meal the pleasure in that or going for a picnic or enjoying a vacation that I have a pleasure is good but it's referring to pleasure that is sinful or that which just makes me lazy it's all right for little children to play video games but if you're an adult and you get the pleasure out of video games all the time so you're you're a kid you're a child if that's what you're interested in you should be more serious about studying the Bible I mean video games are all right for little children will below the age of 12 I think once you get it well you should have grown out of it otherwise you're like a dwarf you know that's what it what it really some of these things talk about being a dwarf not really grown you know it speaks in verse six about weak women who weighed down with sins and let down by various impulses always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth that means a dwarf I mean some of you would not be very happy if when you're thirty years old you were just about three feet high how would you feel if you're just three feet high one meter high and you're thirty years old that's what he's talking about people who are spiritually at that level I mean just like you'd be so sad Lord what is wrong with me I mean everybody else is at least more than five feet and I'm three Peter I'm thirty years old that's the way you should feel if you have been so long in the church and you've heard so much and you still only have a form of godliness and you don't have the power you know if we compare ourselves in this physical realm we see how serious it is these type of things and the Bible says avoid such people and I believe the reason why many of us have not grown as much as we should have is because we have not taken these things here and especially in the last days is going to be difficult to be a Christian because there are a lot of people who are gonna claim to be Christians who have all these qualities and why is the Holy Spirit taken pains to write so many individual bad qualities this is just for me to read through in two minutes and go to the next words you think I wasted time for one hour going through this in detail because probably some of you have never in your entire life even though you've been a believer for thirty years gone through these verses in detail because you say oh yes I know all that really ever learning verse seven always learning and never able to come to spiritual knowledge of the truth let not let that not be said about any of us my brothers and sisters I'm not saying all this to condemn any of you in the church like we sing I'll always be in the church because I've never heard a discouraging word I believe that any godly person who gets up here to speak will not speak a discouraging word it'll be a challenging word it'll be a convicting world it'll be an uplifting word to show you your true condition it'll be a true scan of your heart but it will never be a discouraging word it will not be to push you down but a word from heaven saying my son my daughter come up higher and I hope you've heard it like that today the Lord Jesus saying to you my son my daughter come up higher don't be one who keeps on having knowledge of the truth but not coming to a spiritual understanding of it it's about before God our Heavenly Father thank you for being so specific and detailed and all the trouble the Holy Spirit has taken to mention one after the other a big list of different different things that we can have and yet pretend to be godly please have mercy on us and give us light first of all if we have any of these qualities ourselves to cleanse ourselves purify ourselves and secondly to have the discernment where I see other people having it not to judge them but to avoid them we're not here to judge anybody but you've commanded us to avoid peace certain type of people and we want to do that Lord because we want to be a pure testimony for you we don't want the salt in us to lose its savor we don't want the light in us to become dim and we don't care who we offend who gets offended with us we want to please you more than anything else help us to be men and women like that we pray everyone here we pray that you raise up an army of godly men and women in CFC in the coming days we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

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

Id: QWobj_tP3Lg

Length: 61min 6sec (3666 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 13 2020