Righteousness, Kindness and Humility - Zac Poonen

so we come to the end of a year and start another one we look back in gratitude to God for all that he has done for us not only in 2013 but in all of our life until today many have left this earth than gone we are still alive and there's a verse in the Old Testament I would like to point out to you in the book of Micah and Chapter six I hope you all know where my car is you're gonna meet him in heaven you better read his book before you meet him micah chapter 6 towards latter part of the Old Testament in Micah chapter 6 we think of how shall we show our gratitude to God for preserving us a life for giving us help for blessing us with so many things taking care of our children and you know like they say count your blessings name them one by one and surprise you what the Lord has done you know when people have done a lot of good to us we always think of how shall I repay that even to human beings how shall I repay God Micah six verse six with what shall I come to the Lord and how shall I bow myself before God on high shall I come to him with the naam Lord of offerings some cars in those days does cars Hill I come to him with money or gifts do you think I mean to translate it into did today's language do you think the Lord takes delight in thousands of rupees that you put into the offering box do you think that's what he wants No do you think you can give like in the hidden culture they please God by offering their son their son into the fire some crazy things like that he says do you think God wants that the fruit of my body the sin of my soul now listen to this is the worst I want to talk about he has told you verse 8 oh man what is good what does the Lord require of you [Music] to do righteously or to do justice to love kindness or mercy and to walk humbly with your God so the three words there righteousness kindness and humility righteousness inwardly kindness towards the people around me and humility in my relationship upward with God see that word justice or righteousness is a court word it's a language used in the court and it's talking about being right before the court or in God's Court in other words being right before God not before men and in the Old Testament righteousness was merely outward and it was what you did before men but in the New Testament also the Lord speaks about righteousness but it is in word so I want to translate these three words righteousness in kindness and humility in New Testament terms because this is what the Lord requires of us so as we think of this year how we should walk think of these three words first of all righteousness inwardly drink up three directions inwardly outwardly and upward let's turn to Matthew chapter 5 and see what the Lord says about righteousness in the new in the New Testament those principles mention in Micah six verse eight are applicable even today but the standard is higher there it was external now everything is in Word we can say that in a simple way we can say everything in the Old Covenant was outward the sacrifices were outward the temple was outside and the priests were dressed outwardly in a grand dress etcetera etcetera and riches were also outward gold and like David and Solomon had when you come to the New Covenant everything is in word the sacrifices are in word the temple is inside holiness is inside not on the outside and everything is inside in that simple way outward and inward you can see the difference between Old Covenant and New Covenant so if you are living merely an outward life whether you know it or not even if you are sitting in CFC you're living under the Old Covenant to abolish 2,000 years ago you're living before the face of man that's how Old Covenant people lived you're concerned when your testimony is affected before men a new covenant person is really not bothered about what men think of him he is more concerned about what God thinks of if you have come there you come into the beginning of the New Covenant where you can really say to God directly to his face Lord you know my life I'm much more concerned what you think of me then what anyone in this church or anywhere else thinks about me it's that simple to enter into the New Covenant but I'll tell you this the vast majority you will hear me will not do it because they are so concerned about their reputation before men and their godsey's I'll tell you how serious it is it is a form of idolatry to seek to be righteous before men not want to be righteous before God is a form of idolatry you can despise those other people who bow down to idols of wood and stone and gold and brass and say I'm not an idolatry but I'll tell you the worst idolatry of all just to worship other human beings living human beings you know when you're concerned about your person's opinion what you're saying you're bowing down to him and say oh my god you're bombing two people and saying oh my god I'm concerned about what you think about me I'm not concerned about the real garden heaven thinks about me but what you might God think about me please tell me that you approve of me don't you think that's idolatry it's the worst form of idolatry it's a very subtle one and the thing is people who do that don't realize they're idolaters now in the Old Testament they didn't have light on it but Jesus Christ has come to given us light and that's why when he began explaining the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in Matthews five the Sermon on the Mount he began with these words Matthew 5 and verse 20 I say to you that unless your righteousness remember that's the word we saw back in Micah 6 unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven so let's try and understand that you cannot enter God's kingdom if your righteousness is not going beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees think of all the people in the world who say I have accepted Jesus but their righteousness is not beyond or surpassing the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees but they think they're going to heaven and there are thousands of preachers will tell them they're going to heaven I will not I tell people what Jesus said like it or not if your righteousness does not exceed and surpass the righteousness described in Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven I believe that with all my heart if you don't believe me when Jesus comes back you'll see that my words are true you better believe the Scriptures so then the question is how do we know what does it mean immediately when we think of exceed our mind always thinks in terms of quantity the human mind is such we are impressed by size how big is a church how big is a building how much money do people have I mean how upright he is doesn't seem to impress us so much we're always impressed by quality how much can people do like the Guinness Book of Records what is the greatest and the biggest and the highest and the tallest excetera but that's not what God is interested in that's man's way of looking at it quantity quantity size but when Jesus speaks about surpasses we have to stop thinking in human terms he's not talking about quantity he's not saying the Pharisees pray three times a day you must Blair pray at least four or five times they fast twice a week you must fast at least three times a week that's not what he's talking about they paid 10% you must pay at least 15% that's not what he's talking about that's quantity he's talking about quality so read it like that the quality of your righteousness must surpass the quality of the righteousness of the Pharisees I'm trying to show you the way into God's kingdom and if you want to see the righteousness of the Pharisees you see that in jesus said that in matthew chapter 23 and worse Matthew 23 verse 5 they do all their deeds to be noticed by men we hear that they do all their deeds to be noticed by men that is the righteousness of the Pharisees that means you're more concerned about your behavior and your speech when people are watching you then people when people are not watching you that is a definition of a Pharisee we must be very honest this is a serious thing as a matter of entering God's kingdom your quality of your righteousness must exceed or surpass the quality of the righteousness of the Pharisees I want to make it very very simple I want to repeat and make it simple because I don't want anyone in this church missing God's kingdom because you didn't hear the gospel properly or because you were deceived by something you heard somewhere else I'm coding you from Scripture they do all their deeds to be noticed by men that's the thing Jesus hid out against they won't kill people because that'll be seen but they'll keep anger in their hearts because it's not seen that's one example that's why in later on in Matthew 5:20 he said the old cup the old covenant standard was don't commit murder but I say to you don't be angry the Pharisees would not commit adultery because that will be seen but they were lust in their heart after a woman because that's not seen that's the second thing he spoke about in Matthew five and verse 29 onwards he was always in Matthew five you read it he was just expanding on that one statement he made in verse 20 your righteousness must surpass the quality of the righteousness of the Pharisees they do all their deeds to be noticed by men so they avoid certain things because they lose their testimony before men but they don't avoid other things which men cannot notice that's a very very good test by which we can evaluate our own lives whether we have the righteousness of the Pharisees or the righteousness which God wants the righteousness of the law or the righteousness of God when they pray they want people to know that they prey now you may not want to impress people by telling them how many hours you pray because probably you pray only for about one minute in your life every day so you can't impress people with that in any case but we can try to impress people when we pray in public and use very flowery language and the way I mean I've done that myself and I've repented my yenadizze that's how I prayed I wanted to impress people so the way I got out of that by was by asking myself when I pray in public supposing nobody was in this room and it's only Jesus and me would that be the way I prayed in other words when I'm praying in my bed when I'm all by myself how do you pray is that all be praying public or you'd make your language more flowery and impressive that's the Pharisee they do all that deeds to be noticed by men they pray to be noticed by men I know preachers who will save funny things I mean I say some funny things too it's mostly because I preach for one hour and I want people to be awake and not go to sleep in the middle but these many preachers are not saying that for that purpose they're saying it to get some honor and some appreciation to be noticed by men watch it my brother sister if you want if you are serious in this year to enter into the righteousness of God every one of you please take my word seriously say lord please help me this year what does the Lord require of you righteousness not an outward one but an inward one not the righteousness of the law but the righteousness in the New Covenant righteousness of God in fact that's what he said in Matthew 6:33 if you seek God's kingdom and his righteousness not righteousness but his righteousness see God's kingdom and his righteousness first what is he saying all these things that means all these material things which verse 32 the Gentiles eagerly seek after many people think that the way to get all these things material things that we need I'm not talking about becoming a millionaire you know what we there are certain material things which we need for our life on earth to be really rich is not to have plenty of money but to be really rich is to have no lag even if you don't have much in your bank account that means you have enough to live see God doesn't have a bank account but he's the richest person in the universe and here it says that if you seek God's kingdom and his righteousness everything that you need will be added to you I can tell you that from 55 years of being a Christian and a lot of that in full-time Christian work never making my needs known to any human being God is faithful you seek his kingdom and his righteousness every single thing you need in life will be added to you he may not make you the richest person in town thank God if he doesn't a lot of problems you can have that way but he can provide all your need and all your need means not only food clothing shelter something more than that health health is a very important thing I find it's very essential for me if I'm gonna be travelling around here and there more than money and food and clothing I need to be healthy don't you think you need that too you realize it as you grow older that's what the Gentiles I'm once made a mental list of words 32 what do the Gentiles eagerly seek after because those are the things God has promised to add to me so I tried to think or study to what other things not which the Gentiles seek after but we stay eagerly seek after money health health and wealth that's why this popular health and wealth gospel that's what the Gentiles seek after and that they are preaching to please the Gentiles plenty of help lennier well and you know comfortable life etc and the Lord says if you seek my kingdom and righteousness I lied oh I'll add as much as necessary for you God decides how much we need too much is bad for us when you feed your children you don't feed them too little and you don't feed them too much you don't think by keeping on stuffing your child with food he's going to be healthier he's gonna be sick and God also doesn't stop us with beyond what we need please remember that just like you don't stuff your child's mouth with too much food God won't stuff you with too much money it'll ruin you and a lot of people are sick because they got too much God doesn't do that he gives us just enough when you put clothing you don't put 10 shirts on your boy you put 1 God is like that he doesn't stuff us he puts what is necessary for us and not too much we think if here more and more and more it's great that's stupid God gives us just enough my God will supply all your need Philippians 4:19 not what you want so if you seek your right his righteousness in your life this inward righteousness I can guarantee from 55 years of experience and more than that from the Word of God you will never lack anything you need on this earth neither you nor your children nor your grandchildren I mean read to your verse in Psalm 37 the blessing of being righteous some 37 you know the first verse it says don't fret because of evildoers don't be envious towards wrongdoers and the paraphrase says don't wish that you could succeed like those who do wrong a lot of crooked people in the earth crooked politicians crooked businessmen who make a lot of money don't wish that you could succeed like them no they'll all wither one day like grass instead trust in the Lord and do good delight verse 4 in the Lord and commit your way to the Lord in one day were six he will bring forth your righteousness into the light don't be afraid it's hidden now but one day he will show people even while you're alive what what a wonderful thing it is to live a righteous life that's how I want to end my life I want to be a living testimony at the end of my life - what a wonderful thing it is to be totally righteous before God never lack anything he goes on to say in verse 25 David wrote many of his Psalms when he was 27 28 years old you know that when he was running he became King when he was 30 and he was running from Saul but this is one Psalm that he wrote when he was nearly 70 towards the end of his life he's I being young now I'm old and I have never seen a righteous man forsaken that's exactly what I said little while ago and David says he's seen in his 70 years he's never seen a righteous man for a second and I can say that do it's not only about myself I've seen some godly people in my life they've not been very rich but God's never forsaken I've seams I've seen some very rich people who were not rich towards God forsaken you know how Jesus said about one man who was not rich towards God he was rich towards himself forsaken but I've never seen a man who's rich towards God forsaken a righteous man and I've never seen his descendants his descendants means his children his grandchildren without a job that's the meaning of begging for bread begging for bread means without a job I've never seen a righteous man's child looking around for a jaw begging I've never seen his grandchildren looking around for a jaw begging what more do you want brother you want to just live in a grand house is that all and your children live like beggars be righteous is the most sensible way to live on this earth God is a good God when he tells us to really pursue righteousness inwardly never to cheat another person never to take advantage of another person he is telling you what is the best for you in the long term temporarily crooked people can have a lot of benefits on this earth crooked politicians and crooked businessmen who take advantage of others by cheating them depriving them of their money you know that's what a lot of politicians do you see all the scams and scandals in the newspapers of money that is given by honest taxpayers do you know your tax which you pay tax goes to the government and when a crooked politician swindles it he's swindling your honest earn money which you're giving us tax or when a businessman cheats the government of taxis or cheats people in what he sells them some third-rate goods or cheats people in some other ways he's depriving poor people of what they should be able to buy for much less and also that he can make a lot of money and when a preacher a television preacher or any other person tells people give your money give your money and he's getting money from poor people to live in a grand style himself he's exactly the same as a crooked politician or a crooked businessman but I don't find so many people preaching against crooked preachers like they talk about rugged politicians and rugged businessmen Jesus was the one who drove such crooked preachers out of the temple trying to make money so we have to see that God is against that that's not the way you don't have to be unrighteous in order to live I'll tell you this supposing you lose some money in your account because you're righteous and honest do you think God will make you suffer for that and nowadays they are not so strict in the customs when they come through when you come through the airport from abroad but I remember in the old days you know very very strict rules about what you could import and what you could not import a lot of people would hide things here and there in their suitcases so that it wouldn't be visible and I remember the Lord said to me you mustn't hide anything he put it right on top so when they open it they see it first of all and this is what the Lord said I have no shortage of money to help you to bake customs duty but I have a great shortage of righteous people in the world don't add to the shortage of righteous people by being unrighteous yourself I said yes Lord are you there's a great shortage of righteous people in India are you increasing the number of unrighteous people calling yourself a Christian pursue righteousness not to be noticed by men but you can stand before God and say Lord you know I have been absolutely righteous in money matters and I've struggled with all my heart to be righteous in my thought line I've sought with all my heart to be righteous in every area of my life inwardly to be noticed by you if you can say that that's what the Lord requires of you and if it's not being true of your life so far don't get discouraged to acts 17 and verse 30 acts of the Apostles chapter 17 and verse 30 it says God overlooks the times of ignorance maybe till today you never realize how serious it is to be righteous inwardly you never took it seriously that your righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees but today you hear it okay let's assume that till now God says okay you were ignorant up until today I'm willing to overlook all these years of your ignorance but today you're not ignorant said this many times I said it's a very dangerous thing to come to this church if you're not serious about obeying God because every time you come and hear what I have to say your responsibility increases you have to answer to God for more and if you're not serious about obeying your judgment will increase in the final day but on the other hand if you want to obey your glory will increase in the final day so you have two possibilities you cannot come to this church and listen to God's Word today for example and walk out as the same person you are not going to walk out today as the same person either you're gonna walk away from today onwards which in a particular way from today onwards that will increase your glory in the final day or you're gonna walk in a way that's gonna increase your judgement you're not gonna be the same so I've said that seriously to people please don't come to this church if you're not serious about obeying God and His Word find some other church there lots of places you feel comfortable on a Sunday morning you neither your glory will increase nor your judgment will increase you walk in and walk out the same are probably worse but that is not God's will for you I don't want anyone coming here saying oh we hear some good sermons brother is not good sermons he's gonna increase your glory or increase your judgement it all depends how you respond to it and so God says the old I'm willing to ignore but now he declares to all people that they should turn around turn around from that way they've been living and love righteousness turn with me to Hebrews in chapter 1 and verse 9 it says about Jesus that he loved righteousness and hated sin this is more than doing righteousness in the old testament they were told to do righteousness but here it is love righteousness I love to be pure in my heart you'll find it is easy to be pure in your heart when you love it you'll sacrifice anything for somebody you love you won't sacrifice that for somebody you don't love supposing your child is dying how much money will you spend to get him treated if you really love him you'll be willing to spend all your bank account to treat that child of yours how much money will you spend to give some treatment to that sick child some beggar woman who comes to your gate yeah you may be kind you'll give her something you won't give your hole bank account naturally I'm not saying it's wrong because God has put us in families but though when we love something someone will sacrifice anything when you love righteousness you'll sacrifice anything to be righteous when you find yourself unwilling to give up something in order to be righteous it proves you don't love righteousness you want to do it but you don't love it and that's the main reason why many people never come into a life of victory over sin they want it but they don't love it how do you think these businessmen make money they love it they pursue it with all their hearts remember Marwadi hindu businessman telling me that his when he was a young man his aim in life this is years ago he thirty years ago he said his aim in life was to be a millionaire by the time he was 30 and he pursued it they trained them in that Marathi culture to be millionaires quickly and become billionaires because they loved it and pursue it now it's something in life you know people athletes who want to achieve something win the marathon in the Olympics so the hundred meters they love it and they pursue it in their after it day after day after day after day and I tell you all of us can take a tremendous lesson from these athletes and businessmen who pursue something day and night because they love something they wanted how did they get it how is it we don't get it because we don't love and pursue it like those athletes do Paul says those athletes 1 Corinthians 9 do it to get a earthly crown and we an eternal reward soul of righteousness one more thing before I move on and Paul said in Philippians 3 he said when I stand before the Lord in the final day Philippians 3 I want verse nine Philippians three I want to be found in Christ not having a righteousness of my own which I got from the law but that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith that is an inward one and their faith has two meanings one is we believe and believe that God when I turned to him sincerely gives me the righteousness of Christ or what the Bible says justifies me as soon as I'm born again he declares me righteous but that's the beginning he first imputes or puts it to my account and then he imparts that righteousness inwardly so the righteousness from God is first put to my account and then impart it to me and the second meaning of faith is by dependence upon God one is to believe what he says that I've been declared righteous and then as to him have that imparted righteousness by faith means by dependence upon God in other words I cannot achieve it see I cannot produce the divine nature in me however strongly I try I can improve my human nature but that's not what God wants our human nature is fit to be killed real divine nature this inward righteousness we are talking about is something God only can produce in it it says here that which comes through faith in God that which comes through dependence upon God that which comes through seeking for the power of the Holy Spirit to make me holy inside otherwise I can think even this pursuing inward righteousness I can think I'm wholly inside am not the kingdom of God is righteousness in the Holy Spirit so that's what I want to say in conclusion about this that you cannot come to this if you don't seek for the power of the Holy Spirit in your life in what righteousness you got along for it love it and then when you want it God will say you need the power of the Holy Spirit you can't get it on your own that's the message of the disciples trying to catch fish all night and not getting it and then the Lord filling their boat teaching you that fully I can make you righteous inside so if you pursue righteousness like that I believe God and do that in your light and I want to tell you make this a year in which you say Lord I am determined to come to a godly life inwardly through the power of the Holy Spirit I don't have to understand the theology of being filled with Holy Spirit I want you to fill me of the Holy Spirit I want to live a spirit-filled life this year where the kingdom of God of righteousness in the Holy Spirit becomes mild the second thing in Micah 6 is to love kindness and mercy that's in our attitude to other people when we were thinking of when we first started putting this building out and we wanted a verse behind the pulpit it's at the back now it used to be here I thought what is the best worse for people for a church that's preaching righteousness and holiness we had this verse in the pulpit let's press on to perfection but I saw that a great danger of people pursuing righteousness and holiness was that they'd be very legalistic and unmerciful to other people in their attitudes so that's why we chose that verse be merciful to others just as God has been merciful to you which we had up here for many years and it's at the back now be merciful to others just as God has been merciful to you I tell you that is the greatest need of people pursuing righteousness otherwise you'll become a league legalist and so to balance our pursuit of inward righteousness and when we do come to that wonderful life of godliness where we have got rid of inward anger and we've got rid of inward lusting in inward wrong attitudes and we've started loving our enemies and we have the inward ability even inwardly to bless people who curse us to have no wish for evil against them then comes the danger of being hard on others who have not come to this life demanding that other people should have what I have that's why we says after you the Lord wants not only righteousness but to love mercy not just to be merciful to but to love it to love kindness to be merciful to other people one of the classic examples of that is in John chapter 8 where the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus Christ the Pharisees pursued a certain righteousness of the law and whenever they saw somebody violating it they immediately came down hard on that person not only women caught in adultery they came hard on the on the disciples of Jesus why are you plucking grain on the Sabbath day you're permitted to pluck pluck it on other days but not on the Sabbath day they even came down hard on Jesus himself how do you tell a man to carry his caught and walk I mean they were not happy that the lame man who was lame for thirty-eight years was now walking they couldn't think about that they were thinking why is he carrying his bed can you think of anything more stupid than that I'll tell you this those who purchase pursue external righteousness are the most stupid Christians in the world the legalism is stupidity and that's what do you see here there was a law in the Old Testament that if a woman is caught in adultery with a man you must bring both of them to the gates and stone them to death for the Pharisees only brought a woman they can't say they didn't know where the man was because it says in John eight and verse two that they caught the woman in adultery so the man was there why didn't they bring him what do you think maybe was a relative of one of the Pharisees there's a lot of partiality in religious circles I've seen that even with elders I tell you even some CFC elders and some churches the Apostle when it comes to their own children or their own friends or close friends they're Old Covenant Pharisees the new covenant nobody's Marshall you can't be partial to your own son you can't be partial to your friends your relative nobody and I'll tell you from many years of observing believers even in our CFC churches no matter how much I speak against it it's very difficult to get rid of partiality we see it here that's why they didn't bring the man from these things God hates partiality if somebody's wrong is wrong even if your wife it's your wife she's wrong your son your daughters they're wrong you take that stand God will honor you and God lead you to greater heights and greater ministries I believe there are many people who were not promoted to greater ministries because God saw they were partial how in the world can I promote him he's failed in a very important subject how can you promote a poor child to the next standard if he's getting zero in mathematics can you promote a child zero in mathematics to the next class zero in partiality or 10% in partiality God says no he's got to sit in the same class I really believe this really seek to get rid of partiality in your life but they were so blind they couldn't see that we know when you're legalistic you're blind you're hard on somebody but you won't be so hard on your relatives you won't be so hard on your son or daughter.you so hard on this other woman who in the world is she she's not a relative of mine we can be hard on her I tell you I have seen this in CFC churches that's why I say it's not an easy thing to get rid of to be hard on someone not hard on the other who's done exactly the same crime that is how blind we can be love kindness love mercy and of course they had a law they quoted Moses it says in John John 8 verse 3 Moses said such women must be stoned what do you say now Jesus could see clearly Moses also said bring the man but what's use arguing about partiality with these people there was a much more serious problem there with them than partiality this legalistic hard attitude so he ignored that part he didn't even talk about it he didn't ask them where's the man you're partial in there's no need to talk about a smaller sin when there's a greater sin that they're committing wanting to stone this poor woman to death and the interesting thing is there was a law in the Old Testament which said such women must be stoned to death along with the men and who gave that law to Moses Jesus when he was in heaven before he came to earth so jesus knew when he was sitting there I'm the one who gave that law to Moses what is that women caught in adultery must be stoned to death now they didn't know that that this person sitting here was the one who gave the law from heaven they just coded Moses but Jesus said he who is without sin among you throw the first stone and it says here they all went away because from the oldest to the youngest it's interesting to see that they oldest went out first because can you imagine if one of them stood there why did they all go away have you ever thought of that the only one of them stood there and said yes Lord I'm qualified I think Jesus would have made a list of his hundred sins the fellow had to hide himself and run he Jesus could see through people and if somebody stood I see you're standing here shall I tell everybody your secret sins they knew that he would say that and so they ran they didn't want their secret sins to be exposed finally only one man was left who had no sin in his life who was qualified to throw stones according to the word of Jesus what is the word of Jesus he who is without sin let him be the first to throw a stone at her and there is one man left Jesus without sin and according to his own word he could pick up a stone or stones and obey the commandment he gave from heaven to Moses 1,500 years earlier why did he disobey a command of God it's a clear command this was not New Testament yet New Testament came on the day of Pentecost they were still under the law Jesus disobeyed that command to stone the woman caught in adultery even though he was qualified as a person without sin you need to understand to understand that true righteousness also loves mercy and loves kindness but you can say there was a letter of the law which said such women must be stoned right Pharisees keep the letter of the law you think God was interested in killing poor women definitely not Jesus came to earth to save adulterous is why should he kill them what he could say was you guys don't know the spirit of the law the reason that law was given was to make people afraid to commit adultery you know like today people get AIDS you don't get AIDS if you don't commit adultery no you can AIDS when you go to prostitutes who commit adultery it's it's like a punishment God is given to people who play around in the sexual area it's why do you think God loves to forgive people AIDS no he wants to keep keep people away from such terrible sins which will destroy their life the same way in those days does not AIDS does throw stalls he doesn't love to do it just to warn people stay away from it so the spirit of the law was different and Jesus doesn't have any stones to throw at people he doesn't walk around with his pocket full of storms so follow his example don't have stones in your pocket to throw at people there are preachers who have stones and they stand in a pulpit they see somebody sitting there whom they don't like and they find a verse to hit him with somebody else over there there they're not servants of God their pocket is full of stones we're supposed to preach God's Word let me confess I've also done it in my stupid younger days so I don't blame people I say we must get light if I continue like that then it's wrong we've all probably thrown stones at other people at some time in our life stones means verses that we fling at people unmercifully but I thank God I finished with it I still stand for the truth of God's Word but I love righteousness and mercy they go together if I have righteousness without mercy I'm back under the Old Covenant I'm a Pharisee again I can take the letter of the law and try to hit people on the head with it I can take a New Testament verse and say doesn't it say this I've seen in some churches some Pentecostal churches and unfortunately some of our CFC churches in some places Kerala and etc where they will look down on a sister who wears some jewelry or ornaments now personally my wife and I've had a conviction all our life never to wear jewelry it's a personal conviction because I don't feel that it adds anything to our life except tempt all the snake chain snatchers and others who were walking down the road I don't want to necessarily tempt them it says lead them not into temptation lead me not into temptation and lead them not into temptation but quite apart from that I don't see that it glorifies God in any way so we don't do it but we don't judge other people who do it I mean some people wear it I remember when a Roman Catholic brother who came to the Lord many years after he was grown up his daughters were all grown teenagers he said brother Zack is believer now he said you know it's very difficult for my to me to tell my daughters to remove their ornaments they say they feel naked like removing their clothes and I realized that in some cultures in India its to remove an ornament for some women it's almost like becoming naked I mean you may not face that because you didn't grow up in that culture but I have learned to be merciful to people who have another culture sometimes we are so strict about our culture is the right culture who's it for example I had a discussion the other day in Tamil Nadu I was saying in a wedding I don't care if a man dies a tally around the woman's neck all that Hindu I said you mean putting the ring is Christian which verse is that that's not Christian that's Western I'm not Western I'm not Eastern I see you can be you can buttering if you want really put a thali what's the difference to me it makes absolutely no difference so but some people who say no the ring is Christian and Italian Hindu brother that's why all these you know anti-christian people in this country say your Christianity is Western Western religion I want to stand against it I say my Christianity is not a Western religion it came from heaven I don't believe in Western customs as superior to Eastern customs doesn't matter to me be merciful to others don't judge others be kind be merciful allow them to have freedom somebody wants to have a Christmas tree in his house sure let him have it he's not coming and putting one in your house well you bothered he wants to put a star in his house and Christmastime do it he's not how coming and hanging a star up in your house why you worried he wants to let him put a star or a moon or whatever he likes and on his house I'm not bothered see so many little little things dear brothers pursue righteousness pursue mercy forgive people who have hurt you very important area righteousness forgive others who have hurt you every single person the only reason why God says he'll never forgive your sin is if you don't forgive others you can commit adultery and you'll be forgiven murder you repent you'll be forgiven but if you don't forgive others you will not be forgiven Matthew 6:15 be merciful I tell you there's one area we all need to pursue mercy be kind don't gossip about others it's a bad habit that a lot of CFC Christians have particularly women I'm not saying that women are greater sinners than men but the Bible speaks about women having a greater tendency in that I'll show you that in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that's the only reason I say it it says here about women who verse 13 1 Timothy 5:13 is talking about women there they learn to be idle they go around from house to house not merely idle but gossips and busybodies talking about things not proper to mention that's particularly talking about women you see the context the Holy Spirit says it's not me don't get angry with me the Holy Spirit says women tend to be idle you know particularly are there that children are grown up gone to school they're cooked for the day they've got nothing to do husband is slogging away 10 hours at work a woman who cannot even do go from house to house which how shall I go and tell some juicy news today go from house to house they gossip and are busybodies and talk about things not proper to mention the sad thing is they infect their husbands with this disease in some cases I know our brothers in CFC churches who could have been elder brothers today if they'd only not picked up this infection of gossip from their wives gossip gossip gossip gossip a man doing that I see you're a woman be a man let her do it if she wants to destroy it well if you can change your changer but just because Eve comes and put something in your mouth why should you take it like Adam say no it's not going to be in my mouth you can do what you like gossip gossip beware of this be kind to other people be merciful don't if you heard some bad story about someone don't repeat it do you know that God knows a lot of bad things about you which you dig from your younger days terrible sins let me ask you - how many people in this church has God revealed all that as he revealed anything of your past life or other people in this church now he loves you and love covers a multitude of sins treat other people the way God has treated you and treat other people the way you want them to treat you you don't like people gossiping about you don't gossip about others remember these two laws treat other people the way God has treated you and treat other people the way you want them to treat you love kindness and once we have pursued righteousness and come to a godly life and pursuit kindness then our tendency becomes to become proud so the third thing is walk humbly with your God when you come to this wonderful life this wonderful godly life of inward righteousness and real mercy and kindness towards others then keep your face in the dust the third thing walk humbly with your God that means like John at the age of 95 put his face in the dust put your face in the dust and say like it says in 1 Corinthians 4 verse 7 Lord what have I God that I did not receive have you got good looks who gave it to you have you got health who gave it to you have you got an understanding of the gospel who gave it to you have you got holiness who gave it to you are you merciful towards others who gave that to you what have you got that you did not receive then why do you boast as if you manufactured it isn't that telling a lie supposing somebody has made a very beautiful cake and I go distributing it and they say to me brother Zhang that's a lovely cake you made nice say yeah I'm a liar I have to immediately say that it's not to me I'm just distributing it brother somebody else made it what about if somebody appreciates me for my righteousness or my kindness or I get a reputation in the church that I'm such a godly man and I begin to get some I think in my thought life that I'm somebody you're a liar you're a downright liar taking credit for a cake you never baked if you made it yourself that's a useless righteousness in any case if God made it the genuine thing he gotta give God the glory walk humbly with your God and then you will grow from glory to glory because the more you keep your face in the dust you know why John became such a godly man when churches around him we're back slit and other elders were going down the drain somewhere just haven't named that they were alive but here was John 65 years old walking with God you know why listen he always kept his face in the dust before God one of the main exhortations I give to you old people young people elders keep your face in the dust before God when he's done a wonderful work in your life give the glory to him don't touch it time is the kingdom dine is the power thine is the glory that's how Jesus told us to conclude our prayer our Father our art in heaven you can ask whatever you like but then dine is the glory for ever and ever remember that's how he told us to conclude our prayer amen so that's how we must conclude after we received something and accomplished something you've still not big done what God wants you to do what is the Lord require of you seek for that inward righteousness seek to be kind and merciful to others and at the end of it all live in brokenness before God saying Lord it's all from you let's pray Spyro heads before God Heavenly Father as we face this whole year in front of us help us to understand what you require of man to love righteousness to love mercy and kindness and to walk humbly with you till we see you face to face one day Lord we thank you so much that your promise to ignore overlooked the times of our ignorance but we want to turn around today around in these areas and walk with you help us we pray in Jesus name

Channel: CFC India

Views: 26,586

Rating: 4.8923078 out of 5

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

Id: 2pfYFOqqrQw

Length: 61min 10sec (3670 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 27 2014