Most Believers Have Missed The Overcoming Life | Zac Poonen

so brothers and sisters I'm very happy to be able to talk to you and our subject is most believers amidst the overcoming life most Christians they are converted they are sure they are on their way to heaven but they missed the overcoming life now I want to begin by reading a verse in 2nd Corinthians and chapter 4 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 it says in verse 3 our gospel is veiled or hidden from those who are perishing and then in verse 4 it says the god of this world that is Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God so we see here that there is a gospel of the forgiveness of sins and there is also another gospel which is called the other gospel of the glory of Christ and there's a lot of difference between the two the gospel of forgiveness of sins is just the beginning but the gospel of the glory of Christ that means to partake of the glory of Jesus Christ it says the glory of the father was seen in Christ full of grace and truth imagine that we can partake of that that's an amazing promise and this glory of Christ who is the image of God the Bible says we have to partake of his nature you remember Jesus said that there was a narrow gate and a narrow way that leads to life most of what is being preached is about the narrow gate not about the narrow way but if you want to know the gospel of the glory of Christ we got to understand the narrow gate and the narrow way if you turn to Matthew chapter 7 Jesus spoke there in verse 13 about the narrow gate and a narrow way the gate is small and the way is narrow Matthew 7:14 that leads to life and there are very few who find it there very few who have found both the gate and away and just like we read in 2nd Corinthians 4 the god of this world Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers from hearing and understanding that their sins can be forgiven freely through the death of Christ on the cross they think they have to work and earn their salvation and we have discovered that it is freely available through the death of Christ in the same way the god of this world has blinded the minds of believers from seeing the way the gospel of the glory of Christ and in my observation over the last 5060 years I've discovered that most believers have been blinded to this truth of the gospel of the glory of Christ I myself after being born-again for 16 years I was born again but I did not understand the gospel of the glory of Christ I was just like most believers you sinned in your thought life you get angry and then you overcome you ask God to forgive you and you move on and on and on and on and I could not say that I was an overcomer because I was defeated and forgiven defeated and forgiven so I experienced forgiveness but not overcoming I was sure I'd come through the narrow gate but the narrow way that leads to abundant life think of this word that Jesus said in John chapter 10 verse 10 these are words that we got to take seriously Jesus said I've come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly not just life but have it abundantly so there is life and there is abundant life there is a gate and there is a way and we must not miss either so that's the burden of my heart when you come to the last book of the Bible in Revelation what was the message of the Lord to the church in the last book of the Bible the message of the Lord to the church is basically two things which he repeats many times to five out of the seven churches he says repent when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost his message was repent to unbelievers but when we come to the Book of Revelation in chapter 2 and chapter 3 the message of repent is given by the Lord to believers is to the backslidden churches that had not understood anything about the overcoming life but they were churches that means they were not unbelievers their sins were forgiven and they were sitting back saying my sins are all forgiven I'm on my way to heaven just like a lot of believers today I would say more than 90% of born-again believers are in that condition and why is it they don't go further because there is no thirst or longing there is a simple principle of God's dealings with man which I often like to quote and it's a verse that you must remember it's the reason why many people don't make much progress in their Christian life and that's verse is found in Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 13 my dear brothers and sisters never never forget this verse you will search for me says the Lord seek me but you will find me only when you search for me with all your heart if you are satisfied with your defeated condition you will never get any more I know how the Lord led me into this I was sick and tired and fed up with my defeat in my thoughts and my words and I said Lord this is not the Christian life described in the New Testament I want to be an overcomer and I prayed and I fasted and I saw it and I thirst it and I had to say God met with me and led me to higher ground he doesn't force anybody he doesn't force anybody to be born again every day hundreds of thousands of people die and go to hell and isn't it interesting that God doesn't stop any of them he doesn't force anybody to come to heaven that's so important and he doesn't force anybody to come there they have to choose in the same way Christians who sit back and say well I'm born again I'm on my way to having everything's okay I'm comfortable I'm earning enough money my children are okay you'll never make any progress but if you say Lord I'm sick and tired of my defeated life I'm sick and tired of the way I speak to my wife at home I'm sick and tired of getting angry so often I want to come to a life where I'm an overcomer those are the ones who seek God with all their heart they will find him so what did I say were the two words to the Church in the last book of the Bible repent and overcome repent means turn around turn around from what turn around from a defeated life turn around from this lazy lethargic attitude towards following after the Lord turn around from this sitting back comfortably thinking I'm gonna have and everything is okay turn around from that way of life and I believe that's the primary challenge that comes to every one of us what you need my dear brother sister is not information what you need is a change of heart that makes that stirs you up to seek after God that you can experience everything promised in the New Testament for believers that is what God wants you to seek for that is repentance once the banya repentance was to escape the punishment of sin and going to hell okay you that's finished now God wants you to repent from your defeated life as a Christian which is bringing such dishonor to the Lord's name do you know that the Bible says in Revelation chapter 12 sorry in Revelation chapter 13 then the devil is the accuser of all the believers on the earth he is the deceiver of the whole world it says in Revelation 13 but he's the accuser of the brothers he has two ministries one is to deceive the whole world and the other we read in revelation and sorry not revelation to album sorry Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10 he accuses them he deceives the whole world revelation 12 verse 9 and he accuses believers in revelation 12:10 but it says in verse 11 they overcame him so what does it mean when it says the devil accuses believers it says here he accuses believers revelation 12:10 day and night he works 24 hours seven days a week and what is his job accusing in practical terms that means every time you slip up the Bible says God see that person there he claims to be born again he sits back saying my sins are all forgiven I'm on my way to heaven but look at the way he's behaving you see the way he gets angry at his wife you see the way he's unrighteous with money matters you see what's that what I have a pornography is looking at you call him your child God you should be ashamed of yourself that's what the devil says to God and I want to ask you my brother sister does that make your head make you hang your head in shame or can you sit back and say oh let him keep doing it the blood of Jesus cleanses me then you are treating the blood of Christ like tap water where every time your hand is dirty you go to the gap and wash your hand say okay I'm clean every time you slip up for the blood of Jesus is there you are treating the blood of Christ like tap water and you're bringing dishonor to the Lord's name by giving the devil opportunity to accuse you day and night I saw that and I tell you I've gone the same way yourself I was defeated now he's ashamed of myself and I began to see God with all my heart and I said Lord I want to shut the mouth of the devil that he will not have anything to accuse me to you about now the devil can't know my thoughts where I wanted to be pure in my thoughts as well so that God himself would be happy with me but there are so many other things in our life that the devil can see he can see in our face if you got a grudge against someone even though he cannot look inside you he senses he hears believers gossiping backbiting he sees believers having a revengeful attitude to people and he's all the time like using them to God God see this person claiming to be a disciple of Jesus and what can the devil say we read that even a man like Joe in the Old Testament the devil tried to find something to accuse in him even though God gave him a certificate saying that is the finest man on here the devil says find some fault in him you think that that was not looking for false in you and me take that seriously God wants you to be an overcomer believe that first of all you yes you no matter how defeated you are God wants you to be an overcomer you've got to start with that faith even if you're in the bottom of the pit even if you're the worst believer on earth I want to tell you in Jesus name God wants to make you an overcomer the devil accuses believers day and night but it says in verse 11 they overcame him by the blood of the land and they did not love their lives unto death so it's the blood of Jesus and the way of the Cross they did not love their life unto death means they chose the way of death to self there are two things we read there they overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb that means all the guilt of my past life I'm absolutely convinced the blood of Jesus has cleanse me good I think many of you believe that already but then it says they did not love their self life unto the point of death see we sin because we love our self life our self life is offended by what somebody said or did and then we react against that and if I love that the devil will overcome me but if I hate myself life to the point of death Lord I'm gonna die to this self like Jesus said take up your cross every day and follow me I can be an overcomer you can be an overcomer now I want to tell you that that is the reason why God has given us the Holy Spirit so repent and overcome in the book of Revelation to every one of the seven churches in chapter 2 in chapter 3 I don't have time to show it to you but you read that in chapter 2 and chapter 3 his message was always he who overcomes he who overcomes he who overcomes the promises in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 are all all for those who overcome and the last one the last promises to the church in laodicea and this is a tremendous encouragement the Church in Laodicea was the worst of all the seven churches they were so bad that the Lord said he's going to spit them out of his mouth and he was outside that church because he says to that church in Revelation chapter three I stand at the door and knock if Jesus is standing at the door and knocking is he outside the church or inside the church he was outside but yet even to that thoroughly useless backslidden compromising Church Jesus says you know what the next verse is after he says I I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice even if you are as backslidden as that layered is he in church there's hope for you you hear my voice and you open the door I will come into him and I will sup with him and then he goes on to say in verse 21 you can overcome just like he himself overcame you can be an overcomer like Jesus overcame what a fantastic promise that is to be able to overcome as Jesus overcame that's why Jesus is called the forerunner turn with me to Hebrews hebrews and chapter 6 Hebrews chapter 6 Jesus is called a forerunner in towards the end of chapter 6 we read in verse 20 Jesus has entered into the most holy place in heaven as a forerunner what does it mean to be a forerunner one who has run the race ahead of us in whose footsteps we can follow and everything every step he took I can plant my feet in those footsteps that's the message of the New Covenant that's the message of over coming so that's what he means here in revelation 3:21 he who overcomes even as I also overcame that's the point the way he overcame he says you can also overcome I want to ask you my dear brothers and sisters do you believe that you know we can't make progress if you don't believe it do you believe that you however defeated you may have been look at Jesus life and say Lord according to your promise I'm not looking at myself according to your promise I can overcome just like you overcame begin with that I pray with all my heart that he will say that to the Lord right now Lord I believe I can overcome even as you overcame the most defeated person listening to me today to you I'm saying this confess your faith in Romans chapter 10 it says we believe in our heart and we confess with our mouth it's like the two wires in electricity you know what happens when you put on a switch and the lights come on all that happens inside that switch is two wires touch when you turn the switch off those two wires are separated and the light goes off you put the switch on those two wires touch and the lights come on these are the two wires that need to touch Romans chapter 10 we believe in our heart can we confess with our mouth you believe that Jesus loves you that he wants you to overcome as he overcame then say Lord I believe it I'm not saying it will happen tomorrow but I believe it's the first step everything in the Christian life repentance must be followed by faith so the first step is are you sick and tired of your defeated life if you are content with your defeated life I have no message for you if you are content with a good public testimony before others like the Pharisees who have the outside of the cup clean I have no message for you but if you say Lord the outside of my cup is clean everybody thinks I'm a wonderful Christian in my place of work in my church and my among my relatives and all but they don't know what goes on at home they don't know what goes on in my thoughts they don't know what goes on in the dark they don't know what goes on in secret in my life and sick and tired Lord of my defeated life that's repentance I want to turn and then faith I believe and I will confess with my mouth what I believe that I can overcome even as you overcame let me give you the example of the Apostle Paul you know we can look at Jesus and say oh that's such a high standard how can we ever reach there okay let's look at a human being like us and a person who was a worst sinner than you and me where are any a few murderers Paul was a murderer he hated Christians so much that he went out to kill them I don't think any of you were so bad that's the man God picked up and made the most triumphant Christian of his generation and look at his testimony in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14 he's talking about himself the Apostle Paul who was once a murderer hated Christians born-again filled with the Holy Spirit and came to this wonderful life where he says in 2nd Corinthians 2:14 he gives the glory to God he doesn't think the credit himself thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ you got to read that slowly who leaves me in victory in triumph as an overcomer in Christ 24 hours a day 7 days a week do you think he's telling a lie you think the Holy Spirit would inspire him - right Ally in the Bible it was the absolute truth how did he come to that life repentance and faith he was sick and tired of his defeated life you read Romans chapter seven and you see his cry all wretched man that I am Who Shall deliver me from this body which is full of spiritual death that's his crying he felt he was a wretched man he was fed up with his defeated life where he saw sin all over him you know he says in Romans seven that in his thought life it's an interesting verse in Romans seven he was a slave to every imaginable lust do you lust in your thoughts I'm sure you do Paul says in Romans chapter seven every type of lust was in him in verse eight the word coveting is same as lusting in the margin and my by the Romans 7/8 sin produced in me lusting of every kind there are many types of lusts and Paul had every one of them but he was sick and tired of it he says o wretched man that I am Rev Romans 7:24 how can I ever be free and then he goes on in Romans 8 says praise God that by the power of the Spirit I can be free from this law of sin that drags me down and he says and come back to second Corinthians 2:14 thanks be to God he's the one who did it who leads me in triumph 24/7 24 hours a day seven days a week in Christ and as a result manifest through me the aroma of Christ what the smell that comes forth from the lives of many believers is a stink sometimes in aroma but generally a stink and what is the aroma what is the smell that comes out of your thought life what is this that God gets out of the things you're thinking grudges bitterness unforgiving spirit sexually dirty thoughts anger a grudge and all types of wrong attitudes towards others it's a stink and God changed the Apostle Paul so that that thing came into an aroma that's what the fullness of the Holy Spirit did for Paul it's not just that he spoke in tongues I feel very sad when I see that so many believers in our day have been deceived by being taught that the mark of being filled of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues I'm not against speaking in tongues I speak I've spoken in tongues for forty-five years but I never used it in public it's a private love language between me and my Savior my bridegroom but that is not the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit the mark of being filled in the Holy Spirit is Romans 5:5 that the love of God fills my heart that I can love God with all my heart stop loving this world stop loving money and that I can love other people who hate me who speak against me and love everyone every believer forgive everyone that is the mark of being filled with the spirit Romans 5 says the Holy Spirit floods our heart with the love of God and 1 Corinthians 13 says you can speak in all the tongues imaginable if you don't have love you're a zero so keep that in mind don't look for tongues I never sought it if God wants to give it to you he'll give it to you it's a gift it's like the gift of teaching God's given me the gift of teaching I did not produce it and you cannot be a teacher like me unless God gives you that gift and if God calls you for that ministry he'll give it to you tongues is like that not everybody can teach not everybody can speak in tongues not everybody can heal the sick but everybody can be filled with the Holy Spirit and have the love of God flooding his heart loving Jesus with all his heart and loving others as himself so God enabled Paul be able to say follow me as I follow Christ and that is our calling also think what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 you know there are verses in Scripture which we don't take seriously Matthew chapter 5 let me read you just one verse one statement of Jesus which people just don't take seriously or they twisted what did Jesus say in Matthew 5 verse 48 the last verses Matthew 5 after speaking about the areas where we must overcome and especially relating to loving our enemies and being good to those who hate us and greeting those who want greet us having a gracious loving attitude towards everyone he said that's how your heavenly Father is he makes the Sun to rise on evil people on atheists and everybody equally be like that and then he concluded it by saying Matthew 5:48 you must be perfect just like your heavenly Father is perfect you have a longing for that I say Lord Jesus you said I must be perfect like my Heavenly Father is perfect perfect in love and mercy to others I can't be perfect in knowledge and wisdom and holiness no no no no no he's talking here about love and being merciful to others forgiving everybody loving our enemies that means if I got 10 enemies I can love all of them that's perfection and love two enemies if so many people hate me if I can love all of them if so many people have done evil to me and I can do good to them if ten people have done evil to me and I do good to nine of them I'm not perfect but if I can do good to ten of them I'm perfect that's the meaning it's a standard that you can reach be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect and I want to say to you in Jesus name you can get there if you repent of your defeated life and for this life that God has promised you know the reason why so many believers are depressed and gloomy is because they hold the devil's blinded them to his wonderful light they can come to the most perfect life that this world saw was the life of Jesus Christ there was no better life and isn't it wonderful that the Lord says you can live that type of life that's for calling if you have a longing for it God will help you to come there that's where we want to begin so I want to show you another verse Paul gives his testimony these are these are amazing verses Paul has been set up you know there are only two people in the New Testament who said follow me jesus said follow me and Paul said follow me in 1 Corinthians 11:1 and Philippians 3:17 follow me only to people and these Paul said follow me as I follow Christ take that challenge that you also should be able to say to others follow me as I follow Paul as he followed Christ see what he says in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 4 this is the overcoming life I am conscious of nothing against myself what he's saying is I'm not aware of any conscious sin that I'm committing any day I'm not aware of a single conscious sin that I'm committing every day but that does not mean I'm perfect he goes on to say because the Lord examines me because you know there's a whole area of our life which is unconscious just like in an ice cube that is in a glass of grape juice or something 90% of that ice cube is below the surface you can't see it only 10% is above the surface and our life is like that our conscious life what we are what you are aware of is only 10% of your whole life the sins that you are aware of are only 10% of all your sins there is a 90 percent of you inside you where you're not like Jesus at all including me and including Paul he says but in my conscious area there's nothing that I feel convicted about what that means is this is the illustration I use if you could take a knife and slice off that top 10% of that ice cube the part of the ice that cube that is above the surface of the juice slice it off what will happen you know what labyrinth that part you can throw away but something underneath will come up again from the remaining 90% 10% and that will come up so apply that to your life what happens and I found this in experience do when by the power of the Holy Spirit we deal with conscious sin the 10% that I can see and deal with it and overcome it and I say I'm conscious of nothing I finished with that something hidden part of that hidden 90% will come up I will see some new area of UNCHR ice likeness in my life and I can battle that and overcome that and then I slice off that 10% something more will come up like that little by little by little the whole of my own Christ likeness gradually gets reduced and I become more and more like Christ this is the overcoming life to use an illustration in the Old Testament there was the land of Canaan and to live an overcoming life is to go into the land of Canaan and kill all the Giants and occupy their land but they could not occupy the whole of the land of Canaan in one day they first conquered Jericho they killed the Giants in Jericho and occupied that land but there were a thousand other Giants in the rest of Canaan that's like unconscious in the area that conquered Jericho was conscious area they conquered it there was not a giant living there but then the Lord said now you got to go and conquer the rest of the country that's exactly what he says and even at the end of Joshua's life the Lord tells him in Joshua chapter 13 he says you're very old now Joshua Joshua chapter 13 and verse 1 he says you're very old but there's still much of the land of Canaan yet to be possessed there's a whole lot of the land of Canaan could be possessed he says Joshua you occupy quite a bit but there's still more to be possessed and the sad thing is in the book of Judges they never bothered about it they allowed the enemies to rule the land this is the condition the book of Judges is a perfect description of the lives of most Christians a life that is meant to be completely ruled by Christ there are all types of Canaanites ruling different parts of the land of your life that's not the way God meant it to be let's let me turn now to Romans chapter 6 the overcoming life Romans 6 and verse 14 it says sin will not be master over you because you're not under law but under grace this is the overcoming life when you come under grace sin cannot rule over you no sin when any sin rules over you it is an indication that yeah there's something of the grace of God you missed out on it's like if you're under a roof the rain cannot fall on you but if you go outside that roof the rain falls on you when you're under grace it says here sin cannot overcome you it cannot drench you you're an overcomer it's when we move away from grace that's in overcome what does it mean to live under law you know the how the Old Testament people lived they were given a commandment and they tried and tried and tried and tried to keep it so when a Christian here's a commandment and tries and tries and tries to keep it and he'll be defeated he'll be defeated all his life he's under long what is grace grace is God coming to help the Christian to overcome see Hebrews chapter four Hebrews chapter four he's talking about Jesus Christ to Hebrews 4:15 being tempted like us and not sinning I told you how Jesus is our forerunner he never sinned but many people don't believe that he has given us an example to walk like him because they say oh he was God yes in his person he was God but he never used his resources as God to overcome sin did he get that in his person he was God but he did not use those resources to overcome sin he used the same resources that we the part of the Holy Spirit to use an illustration if an angel came from heaven and used his wings to fly across a swimming pool and told me to follow him I would have to say to him I cannot follow you I cannot overcome gravity overcoming gravity is a picture of overcoming sin I get into that swimming pool and I got down because gravity pulls me down as long as I live in this world my flesh the lusts in my flesh pull me down there's a law of gravity in my flesh pulling me down it is sin all the time so I have to tell that angel get rid of your wings and be subject to the law of gravity like me and then teach me how to swim that's an example when Jesus came to earth if he came using his bar as God listen carefully and he said see how I wore comes in follow me it would be as ridiculous as the angel flying across the pool and trying to teach me to swim I'd say a I can admire you but I can't follow you and many Christians only admire Jesus life they don't follow him because they don't believe that God in the world has blinded their minds from this glorious truth which glorious truth that Jesus came to earth exactly like you without sin and the overcame only with the power of the Holy Spirit as a man he did not overcome as God he overcame as a man filled with the Holy Spirit and that's why he says follow me is it it's like the angel getting rid of his wings and saying I'm also now subject to the law of gravity I'll teach you how to swim without drowning ah I say thank you now you can teach me because you've become like me now and the day I see this what happened to me 45 years ago when God opened my eyes to see one truth I hadn't seen it clearly for 60 I have not seen it clearly for 16 years after being born again that Jesus became like me and overcame sin as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit this is the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ is the god of the world has blinded from so many people and that's why most believers have not come into an overcoming life it says in Hebrews 4 let me read this to you Hebrews 4:15 and 16 let me read it like this we have a high priest who can sympathize with us can sympathize with our weakness he says we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize water with our weakness in other words if he had come as God then he would be a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness because he undoes not understand our struggles he doesn't understand temptation God cannot be tempted the Bible says in James one but he was not a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness of being tempted he can sympathize with our weakness and what is that weakness being tempted it says in the same words why can he sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted like us in every single point boy I wish I could teach that to every Christian in the world that Jesus Christ came to the earth like us and was tempted like us in every single point what are you tempted with my brother sister Jesus was tempted in the same area and he did not sin that is how he's our forerunner you read that and sit there for what therefore what therefore verse 16 let us hear is Jesus our example came like us tempted like us overcame every sin therefore now let us also come to the same throne of grace with boldness boldness so that we can receive we need two things first of all mercy mercy means forgiveness for our past Jesus did not need mercy because he never sinned we need mercy so the first thing we get at the throne of God is mercy my past has blotted out by the blood of Christ but don't stop there they got mercy in the Old Testament the Old Testament is full of that His mercy endureth forever his mercy endureth forever we read in the Psalms fine but they did not know grace John 1:17 says grace came through Jesus Christ and here it says we can receive mercy and Hebrews 4:16 find grace to help us in our time of need what is our time of need verse 15 when we are tempted please meditate on these verses the god of the world has blinded people to see this and that's why we have Christians today defeated defeated defeated in their thoughts if he didn't anger defeat him - lusting with their eyes defeated with the love of money defeated with bitterness murmuring complaining all types of things jesus never sinned in any of these areas what does it mean let us there is looking under Jesus I think of the Apostle Peter he walked on water and Jesus called him - that was overcoming the law of gravity that's like a picture of overcoming sin as long as he looked at Jesus he walked but the moment he turned his eyes away from Jesus and looked at let me say temptation or the bit the angry words of others or the way other people were treating him badly he sank that's what happens to you or me if we turn our eyes away from Jesus immediately we sink but the Lord did not let him sink you know what he said lord save me that's all you have to say when you're sinking in defeat three words Lord saved me I tell you in Jesus name I tell you he will stretch out his hand and hold you so that you don't fall and if you keep looking at him he will keep holding you that you'll never fall and little by little you'll become more and more of an overcomer as I told you how it is in conscious and unconscious sin 1 Timothy chapter 3 in other words I want to show you the secret of living a godly life 1 Timothy 3:16 great is the secret of godliness or the secret of an overcoming life or as the Living Bible paraphrases it it is true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter but the answer lies in Christ who came to earth as a man as the Living Bible paraphrase of 1 Timothy 3:16 great is the secret oh it's a secret it's a mystery a mystery means a secret that God reveals according to Psalm 25 verse 14 the secret of the Lord is with those who feared him you know we don't reveal our secrets to everybody there are many things we openly shout and speak for everybody in the room to hear but secrets we whisper to our loved ones and the Lord whispered the secrets to those who fear Him who reverence him and one mark of those who reverence God is that they want to be free from sin because they know sin is dishonor in God in their life making the devil accuse them to God day and night Lord I want to be free and the Lord whispers his secret to them the secret of godliness 1 Timothy 3:16 you can see it Christ came to earth just like you and was tempted like you and received grace from me the father says received the Holy Spirit to give him grace every day of course he prayed for it and he received and he overcame and you can also overcome that is the secret of godliness how did Jesus pray Hebrews chapter 5 it was not an easy way for him to overcome says in Hebrews 5 and verse 7 hebrews chapter 5 verse 7 in the base of his flesh that means during his entire 33 years on earth 33 and a half years of his honor that called the days of his flesh what did he do he prayed he never prayed when he was in heaven God doesn't have to pray why did he have to pray prayer is the sign of a helpless person seeking God for help did Jesus have to be like that yes because he was like us as a man and we need help he wanted to be an example for us like the angel cutting off his wings subject to the law of gravity Jesus came like us and he had to pray and how did he pray with loud crying in tears what was he praying for he wasn't praying like other Christians pray today Lord give me more money give me a better job give me a better house he wasn't praying for a single earthly thing he was praying that he might not enter into spear death which is a result of sin he prayed to him who was able to save him from spiritual death spiritual death is another word for where sin leads you James 1 says that sin when it is finished brings death we can paraphrase that to say Jesus prayed to the Father saying father keep me from sinning keep me from doing my own will the root of all sin is to do your own will where self is on the throne father helped me to put myself to death every day and to do your will every single moment helped me how did he pray with loud crying in tears and he was heard this is not speaking of Calvary because he didn't pray to be escaped physical death no he was praying to escape spiritual death which comes as a result of sin father I don't want even the smell of sin in my life and it wasn't just a casual prayer like some of Christians pray it was a desperate prayer and he was heard because of his godly fear his godly fear means he never wanted a smell of sin in his life and I say Lord I want to pray like that that's why he often used to go to the wilderness and pray where he wouldn't disturb anybody I remember years ago I said Lord I live in a city the wilderness is all are miles away and I can't find a place where I can show it but the Lord taught me you can have a loud cry in your heart even without opening your mouth and I remember the days when I was defeated by saying in my bed I would weep on my pillow and cry in my heart without making any noise Lord I want an overcoming life at any cost I want a life where I will never lose my temper at my wife even once 365 days of the year Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always always means 24/7 I say Lord I want the overcoming lights where I will rejoice in Christ 24 hours seven days a week and you know in my early Christian life I used to be so discouraged often gloomy just like many Christians discouragement has gone from my life and telling you honestly and I didn't take it away the Holy Spirit took it away do you have a longing for that life where you rejoice in the Lord always where you leave your life where it says in Philippians 2:14 you can do all things without grumbling or disputing what a wonderful life it is do everything without grumbling and disputing in everything give thanks the Fijians fight 19 and 20 and rejoicing always Philippians 4 verse 6 being anxious for nothing what a wonderful life is described here now these are not imaginary thing I'm quoting scripture which many of you believe is inspired by the Holy Spirit a freedom from the love of money for example jesus said in Luke 16 no one can serve God and money a light where we can overcome Satan Ephesians chapter 6 we struggle not against flesh and blood but against all these satanic powers and having overcome all of them we stand firm Ephesians 6:11 where I can confront the devil like it says in James 4:7 I submit to God I resist the devil and he flees from me I remember gradually God the Lord brought me to the place where he said to me just like you were afraid of the devil once from now on the devil will be afraid of you I'll tell you something that's for every one of you if you want if you are willing to be free from sin the devil is not afraid of a person who is proud and angry and has got bitterness and gossips and back rights and murmurs and complaints and it was mind is full of filthy thoughts the devil's not scared of him at all here it says we do fight against flesh and blood Ephesians 6:12 that's another thing the Lord told me years ago if you want to overcome Satan make one decision in your life today many years ago the Lord said to me that you will never again fight with a human being for anything I decided that many years ago I will not fight with a human by being of a property or I will not even fight with him over doctrine I would proclaim the truth if he wants to argue I say god bless you my brother I'm not gonna argue with you because I do not fight with human beings in the Old Covenant they fought with Canaanites and hammerites and ro bites but I'm not an Old Covenant Christian Jesus never fought with human beings when they slapped him he forgave them when they called him bill's a bull Prince of Devil's he said you are forgiven I'm a follower of Jesus Christ I'm not a follower of Moses or even John the Baptist we do not fight with human beings and the Lord said if you want to overcome the devil make one decision in your life that you will never fight with human being he won't fight with your neighbors you won't fight with your wife you won't fight with any human being or anything lord help me I need grace Hebrews 4:16 what did we read there let us come boldly to the throne of grace and get that grace from God we need to get the same grace that Jesus had Luke chapter 2 verse what he says the grace of God was upon Jesus that's why sin cannot rule over him and when the grace of God is upon me murmuring complaining anxiety fear and bitterness and hatred all disappear from my life I left power to overcome it I'll be tempted I'm tempted every day but I will overcome that is the power of the Holy Spirit God wants to give us that is His divine nature that he wants to make us a partaker of so that we overcome yeah I want to say one final thing the New Covenant Christian life of overcoming is not an individual type of life it's a life in fellowship with that's why we need to seek fellowship in a church there is no such thing as individualistic Christianity and I thank God that soon after God let me personally into victory he gave me fellowship with others and that little church began to be formed and getting Richter II personally is the first step towards building a local church just where you are and let me define to you what a local churches a local church is not to 300 people No here is a definition of a local church Matthew 18 verse 20 where two or three to is another or three are gathered together by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus not those who just gather together themselves no gathered by the Holy Spirit led by the Holy Spirit gathered means somebody else did it those two or three gathered together in my name Jesus said I'm in the midst that's the church he's the head and it starts with only two or three it goes on to become four five you just like you know in a babe in the mother's womb two separate units unite inside that fallopian tube and they join and become one and then inside the mother's womb those two little cells become four and then eight and 16 and 32 and gradually it becomes a baby that's how a baby is formed and that's how the church is found initially they just do who are united to dissimilar units coming together and becoming one inside a mother's womb and that's how God brings us together with others so if you are not interested in fellowship you're gonna live a very lonely like you'll be defeated I'll tell you that your desire for personal victory must lead on to a desire to build the Church of Jesus Christ let me read further where two or three are gathered in my name that's the church I am in the midst and these two they're only two or three they must agree together completely means the agreement is in Christ I'm not worried about little personal differences we have about so many things in Christ do you want to follow Jesus I want apologies and we're agree that's fine the other things are all peripheral and secondary do you want to follow in Jesus footsteps I want to call him in Jesus footsteps we are agreed and I get two or three like that then what would be the bar I had verse 18 I'll have a thority to bind satanic powers on earth that will be the church Jesus spoke up in Matthew 16:18 the gates of hell the powers of darkness will not be able to prevail against this church why are you not able to find one or two more with a similar desire to join you wherever you are I'll tell you why just ruin my life tell me why our experience initially when I sought the Lord I was alone but the Lord showed me in John 12:24 very important verse a grain of wheat will remain alone you take a grain of wheat and put it in a beautiful glass case a hundred years later it'll be one grain of weeks but Jesus said in John 12:24 if it falls into the ground and dies if it falls into the ground and dies dies to self every day it will not remain alone every farmer knows that they saw one seed into the ground it comes forth thirtyfold sixtyfold a hundredfold from one seed that's how the church is formed if god can find one person in any place in the world who's willing to die to himself every single day of his life and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and say Lord I want to live an overcoming life I want to take up the cross every day and follow Jesus in the fire of the Holy Spirit please give me this you fall into the ground and die God you will fine very soon God will add to you one more person who has the same desire and then there are two the church is beginning to be formed then it'll be three many others will come and go who are not interested in dying two sons so we also found that when we started meeting lot of people cannon joined us with no interest in dying to self they dropped off but a few stayed on and that became the core of what we call Christian Fellowship Church today one by one God adds dear brothers and sisters this is the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ Jesus is not coming for individual holy Christians he is coming for a glorious church a church that has become his bride long with all our all your heart that you will build that church in your locality and that will help you to live an overcoming life that is God's will and I would say that the Lord is saying I will help you he is called the Holy Spirit is called a helper beautiful title a helper John 14 what has he come to help me he's come to help me with grace - first of all overcoming my life and then helped me to fall into the ground and die every day and overcome my in my inner life and to unite me with other people he is finding in my same town or village or locality but he's going to join to me and together form a church believe that according to your faith be it unto you if you say no no that can never happen in my place when I tell you it will never happen in your place not because God cannot do it because you don't believe it there's a law in God's dealings with man 1 I showed you earlier seek if those who seek me with all their heart will find me here's another one according to the level of your faith you will receive so if your faith is very little only for a personal overcoming life that's all you laugh and you'll probably get defeated after one but you say Lord not just me overcoming life means I've got to be part of a living Church even if it's only two or three I want to see that in my locality I want a church that glorifies God in my locality I want to say to you in Jesus name he will do it for you whichever part of the world you're in god bless you let's bow our heads in prayer Heavenly Father I pray that these words will not be taken away from anybody's heart but it'll bring forth fruit in many lives he trusts you Lord help everyone to have faith because they'll come through the gate to determine to walk the narrow way that leads to life I pray in Jesus name Amen thank you brother Zack those wonderful words I have two or three questions if we can take a couple of minutes to answer that you did mention that the Philippines for for rejoiced in the Lord always I'm always encouraged by that Psalm 16:11 in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand as flashes evermore what about some believers to think maybe some of us here may think that well you don't understand my situation the circumstances that I am going through it's just like so tough how do you expect me to rejoice always what would you tell them okay our situations are all different but I want to show you a few verses first of all in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13 Corinthians 10:13 it says in the middle of that verse God is faithful who will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability to be tempted beyond your ability some of you say oh this is becoming too much for me you know what you're saying if you're a child of God God is unfaithful you're shouting out God is unfaithful he's allowing me to test be tested beyond my ability the Bible his Bible is full of lies that's what you're saying by your life but the Bible says God will never allow you to be tested beyond your ability and you're saying he is doing it what are you saying it lead he's unfaithful your unbelief is what's making you fall start testifying from today no temptation can come to me which God will not give me power to overcome because if the temptation is too much for me God will not allow it to come into my life when I look back over my life I find in the early days God did not allow me to be tested with very strong ten patients just like a child who's in the second grade he'll only get questions related to second grade in his examination no teacher will give him a tenth grade question paper now and if human teachers can be like that how he God allow any of his children to be tested beyond their ability but it does happen because of their unbelief so if there is a situation where I say oh I can't help murmuring and complaining here and I can't help getting anxious and worried here in other words I have to disobey God no it was like that with me because of unbelief but I said Lord your word says I must be anxious for nothing I can be concerned about different things but not anxious and your Word says that I must rejoice always that I must give thanks for everything in the name of Jesus Christ I want to live that life and Lord I trust you to make sure that temptation doesn't come next too much for me let me say one thing are there temptations today listen carefully are there temptations today which are too much for me to handle my present level of maturity which if they come to me they'll knock me down and I'll be defeated the answer is yes but God will ensure that temptation does not come to me today it will come to me maybe five years from now when I'm strong enough to overcome it that's what I'm saying there are temptations of the devil you can knock me down with today but it will not come because of 1 Corinthians 10:13 and it will not come to you if you have faith and then let me also read to you Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 says what shall we say to these things first of all Romans 8:28 God will make every single thing work together for your good I believe that because I love God I want to fulfill his purpose Romans 8:28 says every single thing that people do good things bad things that people do to me will work for my good there's a filter through which all the evil that people do to me passes and when it passes through it becomes good for me the evil that Joseph's brothers tried to do to him to sell him off as a slave to Egypt it went through God's filter and made Joseph the ruler in Egypt and that is why Joseph course.this Romans 8:28 in Genesis 50 verse 20 you know the Romans 8:28 equivalent of this verse in Genesis 50:20 Joseph says to his brothers you meant evil for me but God made it work for good that's the Romans 8:28 of the Old Testament Genesis 15 where's Tony he had that faith we have it much more and then in Romans 8:31 it says what shall we say to such a wonderful gospel listen to this if God is for me who can be against me can you say that we should say it he who did not spare his own son Romans 8:32 how will he not give us everything else that we need who's going to bring a charge against me verse 33 regard of Christ no first 35 Romans 8:35 who can bring me from the love of Christ tribulation distress persecution troubles problems famine nakedness petal sword nothing in all these things worst 37 I am more than a conquerer confess that make that your faith and it will become true in your life thank you brother Zack you briefly mentioned that overcoming life is it's also mentioned that divine partaking is in the divine nature would you mind taking a like one or two minutes to explain that what does it mean you're partaking in divine nature the divine nature was manifested in Jesus Christ perfectly and it was through the Holy Spirit the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus God gave to the church on the day of Pentecost and that's why the devil has made so much of counterfeit of that in the world you know only valuable things are counterfeited nobody counterfeits toilet paper or brown paper they counterfeit gold diamonds and so the Holy Spirit being counterfeit people ask me odd that counterfeit gifts of the Holy Spirit yes I think 90% of what I have seen is counterfeit gifts counterfeit tons most of the tongues i've heard spoken in many many churches 90% of it is counterfeit because some man taught them to mumble something and babble something and they said that stuff you've got the holy spirit oh i get mad at the devil when i think of how he has deceived christians all over the world and I'm determined to expose the lie of Satan everywhere the Holy Spirit has come to make us partakers of God's nature whether you speak in tongues are not you know that Jesus never spoke in tongues he did not need to speak in tongues because his mind is perfectly one with the father one day when we get to heaven and our mind is perfectly one with the father we will not meet tongues at all that's not the main thing it's a gift used to serve God in the sir but our taking of his nature that's what the holy spirit has come to give him therefore I ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit is pictured in the Bible like water rivers of living water and have you noticed one thing that rivers always flow down to the lowest place always the river doesn't climb up to the hill it flows down to the lowest place the humblest person sitting here is the one who's going to receive the power the Holy Spirit first the one who boughs down before God the lowest who goes down and says Lord I'm zero he'll be filtered the Holy Spirit first who gives up his will completely the God's grace 1 Peter 5:5 is given to the humble that is how we become partakers of God's nature it's God's grace coming to us through the spirit of grace that gives to us that nature that enables us to overcome sin he doesn't make us robots no you know that doesn't program us like a computer that we automatically overcome no we got to use that power it's like you know the electricity company gives you electricity in your house but they're not going to come on turn on the lights they're not going to come and turn on your washing machine they're not gonna come and turn on your fan you got to do that you got to use the electricity they give you so God's not going to make you a robot that moves around in victory no but he gives you the power like The Electric Company gives you the electricity you got to use it you can use it for anything you like in your house you can use it to overcome sin you can use it to serve God you can use it to overcome everything you've been defeated by in your life thank you brother Zack you mentioned about at the last point what's about fellowship and I see so many believers from all over Oh about fellowship yeah fellowship and I see so many believers from all over the world right so I mean I just counted I think like 10 folks from Nigeria he sounds like that so if they are keen on dying to themself according to what you said on John 12:24 what's the next step what's our advice to these folks who doesn't have any fellowship there so far the Lord taught me when I was seeking for this life of victory and seeking to build a new covenant church like the body of Christ hmm and what the Lord said to me was the greatest work you can do for me in India is to fall into the ground and die not going preach fall into the ground and die and I said Lord I'll do that I before that I was traveling the world different countries in the world is an international preacher that they came to my life I gave it up I said Lord that's not what I want I want to build a church and I said I'm willing to fall into the ground and die every day in my personal life my thought life in my relationship with my wife the way I bring up my children myself will die I will be detached from the love of money I'll be detached from everything I'm willing to live simply I won't even do anything but I want an overcoming life and then whenever I get high I didn't do it perfectly from day one but as I got a light on it I said lord thank you for giving me light of that and then I would take one step forward and I different things you know when I slipped up the Holy Spirit would say to me that's not what Jesus would do that's not the way Christ would react and I say Oh Lord I'm sorry I reacted wrongly and the Lord saw that I was really serious about my repentance small little things if I said a word out of place hello it said that's not what you do I remember once when I helped somebody and very much we help this brother very much and years later he thought he is not at all thankful to us to me and I said Lord this guy's so unthankful and the Lord said something's wrong with you and I said Lord what's wrong with me in as much as you did it to the least of these my brothers you've done it unto me said the Lord you did not serve me you serve that person that's why you're expecting thanks from him but I have taught you that even when you serve others you must serve me and if you serve that brother as a service to me you would not be expecting thanks from him you'd be expecting thanks from me I got light on the fact that expecting thanks from another brother is a sin have you got light on that I got light on it from my own failure that's just one example and I said lord I want more and more light on everything on Christ like in me and as I died and died that God brought to me does not my choice I could not find you know the picture the Lord gave me is the country of India is like a huge haystack and you know there's a saying in English finding needles in a haystack how can you find needles in a haystack such a big pile of stay stagnant 10 or 15 needles in it how will I find it and the Lord said if you try to plunge into the sea stack and searched and searched and searched among the 1,000 million people in India you will not find them a better way is you spend all your life and you may find not even write one or two outside put a powerful magnet outside that haystack one by one these pins will come out attached to a magnet and if you have a church like that which is seeking to follow Jesus it will draw these people who are seeking for a whole hearted life and you will gradually be able to build such a church for fellowship is built one of the things we decided was I'm never going to take money from my service I have written 30 books I will take no royalty not even one cent for the books I write I'll go and preach I will not take money I will support myself like the Apostle Paul that very few preachers who are even interested in that type of life many preachers won't hey I gone and preached I expect people to give me money I tell you before God I expect zero so many people when they give I return it I say give it to the poor and I say you really want to follow the Lord be detached from the love of money say Lord what I'm interested in is not money what I'm interested in is fellowship fellowship give me godly brothers who can follow in your footsteps and without partiality don't look for people of your community or your language no of course we must speak the same language but I'm not bothered about community don't look for people at your level of education God has given me fellowship with in literate people who cannot read and write you know there are people in our churches in the villages in India who cannot read or write they have to get somebody else to read the Bible to them I fellowship with them I don't just fellowship with PhDs and people are educated there's no difference in God's eyes so if I'm willing to fellowship with anybody and it doesn't matter if their different language different community different whatever I want fellowship at any cost I believe God can give it to you anywhere you must have a longing I would say this one final thing everything depends on thirst take this verse if any man thirst John 7:37 come to me and believe only two things thirst and faith do you want a third you thirst for a victorious life Jesus has come to me your thirst to build a new covenant Church come to me if you don't have a thirst you'll never get anything and if you don't believe that God can do it in your locality won't happen god bless you thank you brother Zack so one more question this is the last question so such a person like a thirsty this person is very me thirsty for that life and finding a new town and church or having a new covenant church but he say it's like well I'm not a pioneer I'm not a facilitator I'm not an administrator I don't have any capabilities what would I do well do you think I started life with capabilities and gifts no God said I want to bring you down to zero you know there was a time when I thought I was capable accomplish nothing hi Liv day defeated life in the years when I thought I could do something for the Lord and the Lord said I have to bring you down to zero do you know the story of Jacob Jacob was wrestling against God and God broke his hip socket and he had to lean on a staff for the rest of his life and when he was broken and all his strength was gone then God told Jacob now you're a prince of God or take Moses when he was 40 years old capable smart speaker he was so powerful he could kill an Egyptian with one blow and he thought he would deliver the judge Israel Egypt the Israelites like that not said no you're too strong as take you to the wilderness 40 years you're going to look after sheep you've been living like a king look after sheep and I'm going to make you live with your father-in-law for 40 years can you imagine anything if you want anything to break you go and live with your father-in-law for even one year Moses had to live for 40 years he was thoroughly broken and then God appears in a burning bush and says Moses now you're ready and he says oh no Lord not me not me this man at the age of 40 he thought he was ready now he had come to 0 no it says now you're ready what about the Apostle Peter who said even if everybody denies you I will not deny you he said to Jesus Peter you're not ready we're too proud you are going to deny me three times tonight he said no no no I'll never do it and he did it and he was so broken by that well the rest of his life he never forgot and the one who denied the Lord I want to say to you that God's aim with all of us is to bring us down to zero whatever your strength is God wants to make you weak there and when Peter thought okay I failed as an apostle I denied the Lord Peter said there's one thing I can still do I can go fishing John 21 he says let's go fishing ah the Lord said you can catch fishes at try and they try try try all night he comes to 0 there also no face Peter was broken in every possible way that's what prepared him to be the leader on the day of Pentecost I'll tell you why God is not able to work with many people they have not come to zero some people come to zero and they don't stay there it says in Hebrews 11 Jacob leaned upon his staff for the rest of his life and worshiped God I want to be like that Lord break me keep me at zero for the rest of my life I want to be at the feet of the disciples I never want to be a chairman or a director or a leader or any such title I want to be a zero all my life because then I know the power of God will rest upon

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Published: Wed Jul 08 2020