Seek For Reality In Your Inner Life by Zac Poonen

praise the Lord we are glad that we can turn to God's Word again this morning since there are many who come newly newly mean say in the last few years you probably do not know that we almost from the beginning of our starting as out of the church thirty nearly thirty seven years ago there are a couple of things we have emphasized more than other things and the reason for that is that those are the messages in Scripture which have not been emphasized by other preachers and by other churches and even if you go through our website CFC Hindi accom and look at all the messages there it looks like it's imbalanced every Old Testament prophet was imbalanced because he had a particular message to convey just like every member of your body is imbalanced by itself it finds its balance along with other members of the body you can't live just with your heart because if the hand doesn't put food into the mouth the heart will collapse you can't live with any single organ or any three or four organs and so God raises up at different times like in the Old Testament if you study the Old Testament you find that and particular times God would send a prophet to emphasize one particular thing the message of Jeremiah was very different from the message of Hosea the message of Zechariah was very different for the message of Isaiah it depended on what was the particular need among God's people at that time it's not like teaching a school where you teach the same thing in kindergarten for 50 years and you teach the same thing in the 10th standard for 50 years it's not Chris the church is not like that because even though the Bible is the same through the years what happens is man's tradition slowly come in and modify God's Word or change God's Word and sometimes replace God's Word and different churches are affected too different in different ways by those traditions and sometimes whole sections of God's Word are neglected so when God finds that in certain areas in what is called his church certain truths are neglected he raises up people to emphasize those truths I mean if you read church history that's exactly what happened that's how God raised up people like Martin Luther and John Wesley and William Booth then different people to emphasize certain truths that were not being emphasized in God's Word and so we have emphasized a lot on the difference between grace and law so let's turn to John chapter one because most people haven't understood what grace means it's a tremendous misunderstanding in Christianity that grace means God's undeserved favor well look at this verse John 1:17 the law was given through Moses but grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ well a grace only came through Jesus Christ is it true that for four thousand years from Adam to Christ people got God's deserved favor no every human being the favor he gets from God is undeserved the Atheist gets God's undeserved favor by the fact that he's got help that he can breathe but that's not grace grace is not God's undeserved favor because when we have that understanding what it leads to is a lot of people live in sin and say well God still blesses me I don't deserve it and they live all their life till the end of their life defeated by sin and keep saying God's undeserved favor but here there's a contrast the law came through Moses grace came through Jesus Christ and if you want to know whether grace is higher than law you just ask yourself is Jesus higher than Moses how much higher is Grace than law as much higher as Jesus is than Moses so if Moses could lead Old Testament people to a certain standard of life if your standard of life is lower than that whether you know it or not you are living under law I mean if a person imagines that he's in ten standard and he doesn't know addition he's fooling himself what type of school is that you get a ten standard you don't know how to add if that person deserves to be in the first standard he's imagining that he's in the ten Schneider he's not he can say having the ten standard like a lot of Christians say I'm under grace you're not under grace so it's let's turn to another verse servers we have often spoken about Romans 6:14 [Music] to me this is the acid test you know that expression the perfect test to find out whether I fully experience God's grace or not and I want all of you to listen to it Romans 6 in verse 14 here again you see the contrast within these two words law and grace sin shall not be master over you because you're not under law but under grace that is so clear I could word it in another way if sin is mastering over you you're under the law and you're not under grace if sin rules your life whether you know it or not my dear brother sister you are under law not under grace the Bible says that Satan blinds the minds of those who don't believe lest they see the glory of God let me show you that verse 2nd Corinthians in chapter 4 I want to try and make this so clear and simple this morning that even a little child can understand and you'll never be in any delusion about what the Bible teaches in the New Testament or in any delusion concerning your own spiritual state in 2nd Corinthians 4 it says in verse 4 in whose case the god of this world that 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 now whenever most Christians read that verse you say that doesn't apply to me because Satan has not blinded my eyes I believe in Christ's James says even the devil's believe that's not faith it's not the type of faith the Bible speaks about unbelieving means those who don't believe what God has said not those who don't believe in the existence of Christ if you were to go to the devil with your doctrinal statement and check up with Satan Satan you believe there's a Trinity Father Son and Holy Spirit yes three persons in one God yes he believed Christ his son of God yes he believed he died for the sins of the world yes this is Satan replying do you believe he rose from the dead yes do you believe he's coming back to judge the world yes do you believe that if you're under grace sin will not rule over you yes tell me something the devil doesn't believe in the Bible he believes it more than most believers he doesn't change him he doesn't save him because his will is set against God for other things it's a question of where your will is set the choices you make your will means the choices you make in your life we must distinguish it in mind and we'll the Bible speaks about the mind and the heart the heart is where you choose it's your choices that determine what you are not what you understand faith does not depend it does not rest in your mind if you read in the scripture it's New Testament you'll find that it always speaks about believing with your heart not with your mind I found that most Christians believe in their mind they believe everything the devil believes that's why very often their home life is pretty much like hell why is that because both husband and wife believe what the devil believes but their heart does not choose like Jesus chose the things of God so I want to remove that deception from your heart so that you don't destroy yourself or waste your life evaluate your life you know sometimes you go to a doctor I've heard of numerous cases like this they go for a scan a routine medical check-up do you know the number of cases of people I've heard of who went for a routine you know not because they're feeling they're unhealthy or sick just for a routine medical check-up and they discover they've had cancer in their body for three years you see a doctor I felt perfectly okay and the doctor says that's exactly how some cancers are you feel perfectly okay till it spreads so much that it bothers you then sometimes it's too late so it's like that in the Christian life too you can see I feel okay maybe you do but God's Word is like a scan and if you don't read it you're never going to get that scan that's why it's so important to read God's Word and so important to listen only to preachers who turn you to God's Word not preachers who tell you their testimonies faith does not come by listening to testimonies as human beings we prefer to listen to testimonies it's more interesting stories this person's experience in that person experience but faith doesn't come by that the Bible says in Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing the word of Christ and the word of Christ refers to the New Testament so when it says the Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving there are believers who are unbelieving they don't believe something in Scripture for example how many of you believe let me ask you that if you are defeated by sin you're under law I don't think most of you believe it you see whatever rather Zack may say I'm all right I'm under grace well you can choose what you believe or you can choose to believe what God's Word says that's what I mean the god of this world is blinded people's mind say to worry about all that you're okay I want to tell you you're not okay Romans 3:3 says let God be true and every man a liar I never knew victory over sin in my life for 16 years after I was born again because Satan blinded my eyes to believe that I had experience gracefully till the day came in my life where I chose to believe God's Word that said if sin rules over you you're under law not under grace and I confess to God lord I am under law please bring me under grace bring me to the place where 365 days a year I'll never raise my voice at my wife then I'll know I'm under grace bring me to the place Lord where I do not lust with my eyes then I know I will be I'm under grace but I'll speak the truth even if it costs me money or my life I'll know I'm under grace but if I can modify God's standards according to my convenience they did that in the Old Testament you're under law I'm not saying you know there are three types of people those who are under no covenant who don't believe the Bible at all and those were under the Old Covenant and those are under the New Covenant maybe you're better than those who are under no covenant you're under the Old Covenant you have certain standards you keep the Ten Commandments or at least nine [Music] you don't murder you don't steal you don't commit terrible things I'll tell you numerous Old Testament people who live by that standard I'll show you numerous Hindus and Muslims and atheists who live by that standard if Jesus Christ cannot raise me to a much higher level than all those people of other religions who believe in other prophets and leaders I tell you you're not believing in the Christ of the Bible look at the lives of many people who call themselves Christians compare that with the lives of non-christians look at the number of Christians are unfaithful to their wives which many non-christians will not be and they call themselves we are born-again Christians rubbish the god of the world has blinded your eyes you imagine maybe you sit in CFC and think this is a good church I'll never go to hell if I sit here I tell you in Jesus name some of you will go to hell even if you sit here because God is not going to ask you in the final day which church did you go to it's your personal relationship with Christ that matters there is only one book that God is given that shows us the way to him and that's the Bible I don't have any doubt about it because I read it for 52 years and I know how it's changed my life and I've seen these promises becoming true in my life how it is possible when it says in God's Word rejoice in the Lord always 24/7 it's possible to come to that life I mean it took me many years to get there but I discovered that if you work at it you get there and you come to a godly life that's how I know scripture is true so the God of the world is blinded people's minds from what let's read carefully 2nd Corinthians 4 and verse 4 not the gospel of forgiveness of sins now the good news gospel means good news the good news of forgiveness of sins multitudes of Christians believe and perhaps all of you sitting here believe that but that's not what it's speaking here about is speaking about Satan blinding people's minds to see the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ which I can partake off have you heard that gospel that I can partake of the glory of Jesus Christ not forgiveness of sins that's just cleaning the cup I mean if your little boy comes and asks you for a glass of milk and you clean up that dirty cup and offer him a empty cup what's that that's teasing him you don't clean cups just to display in a shelf you clean a cup to put something in it why did God clean your heart and forgive your sins just to that's all to keep you empty you know that story with Jesus said about a man who had a demon it's in Matthew 12 and the demon was cast out but he kept his heart empty you know cleaned up his heart and kept it empty this is what most Christians do which they never do at home they don't clean back up and keep it empty it's always to be used for something so here's this guy who got the demon cast out and kept his heart empty and then when that demon kept wandering around he said hey this guy's heart is still empty he threw me out but he hasn't replaced his heart with anyone else he hasn't got the Holy Spirit to fill his heart so he called seven of his companion demons I say Ellen come here I'll show your house we can live in and he got into that person these are the words of Jesus and Jesus said that man's lost state was worse than its first this is actually the condition of many Christians let me show you that passage then you will understand how serious this is dear brothers and sisters you have to bear with me this morning I don't want any of you to go to hell I don't want any of our children to go to hell I don't want any of you to miss what God has for you in this one life before Christ comes back and I'll tell you it is not just serving him and going to Bible studies and missionary work it's a lot more than that it's gaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ so here Jesus speaks about this in Matthew chapter 12 verse 43 on the unclean spirit goes out of a man it passes through waterless places seeking rest and does not find it and then it says I'll return to my house from which I came and when he comes there he finds it unoccupied unoccupied swept cleansed in the blood of Jesus but empty which is the condition of the vast majority of Christians and he goes along and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there and this is the in the last state of that man becomes worse than the first to whom did he say that he didn't say that to the Greeks and the Romans he said that to a whole lot of people who are reading the Bible every day and going to the synagogue every Saturday he said that's how it's going to be with this evil generation his lost state will be worse than the first that means compared to what he was when he first became born again it's going to be much worse now there are many many believers if they're honest they will say when I gave my life to Christ I surrendered everything I and I did not even watch internet pornography but brother as time has gone on I've got back into those habits that I gave up exactly his last State is worse than his first he was far he was a far better man on the day he was born again first ten years later instead of being from kindergarten he should have gone to ten standard instead of going from kindergarten to ten standard he's dropped out of school altogether and forgotten all that he learned in kindergarten that is the condition of many many Christians is lost state is worse than his first see second Peter in Chapter two Peter heard Jesus say that and he was inspired by the holy spirit to use the same words in second Peter 2 verse 20 the last part his last state has become worse than the first here is the Holy Spirit's interpretation of the parable that Jesus spoke in Matthew 12 that we just read what is the meaning of that parable verse 20 what is the meaning of the demon cast out first they escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then they keep their heart empty and they get entangled in them again and our overcome the last state is worse than the first that's the New Testament interpretation of that parable speaking about people and in such cases he says it would have been better for them never have to be born again at all not to even have known the way of righteousness than having known it to turn away from the holy commandment handed to them but it has happened to them according to the proverb the dog has returned to what is vomited out you know when you give up some habit in your life think back to the day when you were converted you decided you're never going to watch these dirty movies again you vomited it all out because you spent so many years watching filthy movies you vomited the dollar ignosi I'm not gonna watch any dirty movie and the dog sees that vomit which it wanted out a few years ago and says hey that tastes nice and he goes to the vomit and licks it up again have you done that are you doing that now the pig that was washed goes back to the same mug and mire it was in believe it or not this is the condition of many Christians and the reason is they listen to the wrong type of preachers if you listen to the wrong type of preacher you will end up like that God is appointed prophets and teachers in the church and if you don't recognize the ones God is a pilot you just listen to any Tom Dick and Harry you who picks up a Bible you will be deceived see what that's the subject of second Peter 2 very ends up with these verses but see how he starts there were false prophets in those days in the Old Testament and there will be false teachers among you there will be false teachers among you what will be the mark of these false teachers verse 3 in their greed they will exploit you with false words they'll be interested in your money number 1 mark of a false teacher he is interested in making you pay your tithe and he lives off it and he lives in grand style even though you are poor how many Christians see through a false teacher they're millions and millions of Christians are fooled even though written plainly in Scripture in their greed they will exploit you let me ask you a straight question how many preachers have you heard in your life who preached against these deceptive prosperity preachers who are interested in collecting your money please tell me their names I'd like to listen to those preachers whom you have heard who drive the money changers out of the temple like Jesus did well if you listen to the wrong type of people shall I tell you what the Lord told me to tell you you deserve to be deceived you deserve to be deceived because you honor a false teacher above the prophets of God were written the scriptures so many will follow verse 2 their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be maligned and he goes on to say these people they have a you go further down in reading their verse one of the things mentioned about them is in verse 10 they indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise Authority one of the marks of false teachers is their north they despise Authority there are law unto themselves daring self wields and he goes on to say in verse 14 their eyes are full of adultery that never cease from sin enticing unstable souls again it's repeated having a heart trained in greed remember you're speaking about preachers whose eyes are full of adultery they like to talk to pretty women the heart is trained in greed a lot of preachers like that that's why all of a sudden you hear them falling into sexual sin and things like that they are called in verse 17 Springs without water for whom the black darkness has been reserved yeah you could read that whole chapter sometime it's warning us about the type of people we shall see in the last days and that is those are the agents of Satan who he uses them to blind people's eyes to the truth and that is the reason why we have sought to emphasize you know let me turn back to John 1 jesus said the Word of God says John 1:17 the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and I want to clarify to you what truth means that's another word people I'm not a hood there are two types of truth one is the truth of God's Word Jesus said in John 17 and verse 17 sanctify them father through that truth thy Word is truth the truth is found in God's Word that's one meaning of truth just like flesh it's got two meanings the New Testament one it refers to meat physical flesh the flesh of our body and the other meaning of flesh the spirit fights against the flesh Galatians 5:17 spirit is not fighting as my body spite fighting as myself will that's the other meaning of flesh fighting is my self will when it says Jesus came in the flesh he came with a body like ours with a self will which he had to deny all his life you see that in Gethsemane father not my will the same way truth is God's Word is truth in the other meaning of truth which is what is referred to here because we can't say God's Word came only through Jesus Christ it came through Moses - so why does it say truth came through Jesus Christ which is the truth that came through Jesus Christ which did not come through Moses Moses brought the Word of God Jesus expanded on it but there was another meaning of truth when he said I am the truth and that means reality see Psalm 51 verse 6 for the that meaning of truth Psalm 51 and verse six you decide truths Lord you decide truth in the innermost beam that's a great verse David when he fell into the depths of sin adultery and murder it took him one year to repent imagine a man who once walked with God and wrote Scripture before he was thirty years old could drift away so much from God twenty years later he was some of the Psalms David wrote when he was twenty-seven twenty-eight years old you see that at the heading of the Psalms where he wrote it twenty-seven twenty-eight years old before he became a king at thirty but 22 years later when he's 52 years old he commits adultery with somebody else's wife kills the husband and marries the woman how much a man can drift from God and on his deathbed he won't forgive somebody who only cursed him he's Dells his son Solomon to kill that fellow who cursed me it's very easy for a man to drift from God but when he was convicted of his sin he wrote Psalm 51 and he got knowledge as the sin completely took him one year to recognize how sinner he was an artist because a prophet called Nathan came up to him and confronted him and said you are the man David boy I love these Old Testament prophets they did not fear the face of any man they didn't want anybody's money when Rich naman came and gave a lot of money to Elijah said keep it I don't want any of your money where have you seen preachers like that today when you see prophets like Elijah who turn around in a man and say keep your money keep your clothing I don't want any of that you see more preachers like Gazi Elisha's servant two ran after name and and said hey I'll take that if he doesn't order that's fine I wanted so Nathan was a great prophet he confronted David Elisha was like that he confronted Ahab he seen the mark of all these Old Testament prophets where they were completely free from two things from the love of money and from seeking the honor of men no one can be a prophet of God if he's got any interest in these two things and they replaced that they cast out the demons of the love of money and seeking the honor of men and replace their heart with the fear of God to live before God's face and I'll tell you in my lifetime I've been a believer 52 years I've rarely rarely come across a prophet like that in my life they are rare they've been rare in every generation and that's why Christendom is in it state it is that you read in the Old Testament how Israel is to sink a prophet would bring them back like Elijah one man could do the job but they are rare but anyway some went Nathan's words convicted David he wrote Oh Lord I'm full of sin from the time I was born worse five I was born in any critique indeed in iniquity but you desire truth in the innermost being what does God desire in the intervals being reality reality in the innermost being and nobody in the Old Testament could have it that's the point you desire it but oh Lord I can I don't have it how shall I have it nobody could have it because the Holy Spirit did not come to dwell inside anybody they could drive out the demons but the heart would be empty they could not be filled with the Holy Spirit do you know that they have forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament Psalm 103 says that Psalm 103 bless the Lord O my soul don't forget his benefits number one of his benefits is verse three who forgives all your iniquities not some of them that was written 1,000 years before Christ they in other words they could clean up that cup but they couldn't fill it the cup remained empty David could clean up his cup at the age of thirty by time used fifty-two he was a murderer adulterer just like a lot of believers today they accept Christ they're radical they turn around accept Christ 20 years later you see them back slidden I've lost their salvation and on their way to hell and yet 20 years earlier they were really born again but they lost their salvation let me tell you my opinion there is a doctrine which says once saved always saved I think that doctrine has sent more people to hell than probably any other doctrine that man is preached because people sit back and see how I would say 20 years ago it doesn't matter if I commit adultery today and do this that on the other it's possible that some of you sitting here believe that and that's why you fell into some terrible sins after you were born again because you believe once saved always saved the fear of the Lord is what you need brother you need to have such a fear of God more than you fear men remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10 if you ever thought of these words he said in Matthew chapter 10 - commands Matthew 10:28 do not fear somebody but fear somebody just obey those two commands and you'll be all right do not fear those who can only maximum kill your body they may insult you trouble you think of your boss sack you from your job make life difficult for you kill you perhaps what we're going to do that's the maximum don't be afraid of them but be afraid of the one who can destroy both your soul and body in hell to whom was he speaking he was not speaking to the Pharisees says very clearly verse 5 is 12 disciples come here you're twelve disciples you're the ones I've chosen out of the whole world I want to give you some instructions you 12 you're my disciples fear God who can cast your body into hell where are the preachers who will say that to disciples today what Jesus said the god of this world has blinded the minds of people Jesus could bring not only grace but truth that truth which most David longed for truth in the innermost being means reality that means in very simple language that my inner life corresponds to the impression I'm giving people other outside of my spirituality that means whatever impression you have god of me from watching me on Sunday mornings that is exactly what I am inside the way I behaved in Sunday morning service is exactly the way I behave when I'm at home seven days a week in my office in the bus in the auto rickshaw the Train and in my thought life and I'm all by myself in that area where even my wife cannot come in my thoughts I am the same yeah that is truth in the innermost being but you know I've discovered one thing with with God it's only if you long for something that you get it and if you haven't got this life which I'm just describing I can give it you in writing you have not longed for it how is it most of you have succeeded in building a good testimony for yourself in CFC you long for it you got it people think pretty highly of you they mention your name yeah he's a good brother if you had longed as much for an inner life before God you'd have got that - you know that - parables that Jesus spoke on prayer holy - and in both those parables he emphasized one truth you can take time to read it you know the stories there in Luke 11 and Luke 18:1 was about a widow who went to the judge Luke Ella 18 and said my enemies harrassing me give me justice I'm not asking for his property I am asking you judge to give me my property which the end my neighbor has encroached upon and taken from me isn't that a righteous requirement law and Jesus was talking about man crying out to God God my property with Jesus redeemed the devil has encroached into it my thought life the devil is encroaching to that property you would never allow your neighbor to encroach upon your property or physical property as much as the devil is encroached into your thought life right when the devil encroaches into your thought life you say oh that's okay he encourages some more you say that's okay you'd never that in physical property imagine if your neighbor kept on moving his boundary wall more and more and more and more and more and more units at wise you know it's okay it's alright I love them you'd never do it because we love money we love property we don't love a pure thought life we allow the devil to occupy what Jesus purchased for us imagine if your father started in poverty in rags worked hard through many many many many years and struggled and struggled and struggled and earned a few million rupees and bought a large bit of land for you his only son or only daughter this is my child this is what I labored hard to get for you take care of it and he dies and you allow all the crooked neighbors around that to encroach encroach encroach encroach and take away ninety percent of it what sort of a child are you that's how Jesus died to purchase for us a pure thought life pure speech these are the lands he purchased for us do you believe that to believe Jesus died on the cross to purchase for you a totally pure thought life totally pure speech why have you allowed the devil to encroach and take it away take it away the sad thing is not the devil's encroaching the sad thing is usage just watch it and don't even allow don't even bothered about it that Widow went to the judge and said give it get it back for me the judge did nothing she's I'm gonna keep on harassing you go to her his house had two o'clock in the morning and wake him out kept on harrassing and the judge finally said ok I'll do it and Jesus said hear what that unrighteous judge said let me read you the exact words Luke 18 verse 6 do you hear what that unrighteous judge said don't you think don't you think God who's a righteous judge will bring about justice for his elect not for every Tom Dick and Harry but those who cry to him day and night how many of you can say you have even cried one day and night for a pure thought life or to purify your speech this Widow was helpless we may be helpless against the devil but we've got a God who'd support us if we cry to him day and night and how long will he take to do it will he delay long over them why is he delaying long over many believers who are defeated in these areas they are not crying to him day and night I tell you he will bring about justice for them quickly take that as a prophecy I took some of these verses of scripture seriously I'm sorry I never had a spiritual father to guide me in my younger days to show me these scriptures I wish somebody had got ahold of me when I was converted to the age of 19 and said Zach come on the grace don't let sin rule over you I'm sorry I never had one they taught me all types of theories and many things stories of the Bible like we teach children I was defeated defeated defeated defeated defeated for 16 years till I discovered - I got so fed up in my life I said Lord I was preaching and I said Laura I'll quit not quit Christianity quit the ministry I won't preach again because my inner life does not correspond to my external life I'm giving people a better impression than is true inwardly I asked you to do only one thing for me only one thing make my inner life equal exactly equal to my outer life if I grant me that I'll never ask you for anything else again and I've kept my word God did it for me he'll do it for you but you have to be desperate we have to be completely free from the opinions of men you have to value this more than all the silver and gold you possess let me ask you a question supposing God were to appear you two tonight and say my son my daughter I will give you that pure inner thought life and a pure speech tomorrow morning I want you to empty your bank account and give it all away for my work that's the price what will you say will you turn away like the rich young ruler say Lord that's too much the pure thought life is not worth that much the pure speech is not worth that much Lord will say okay go to bed I won't disturb you I won't disturb you for the rest of my life go to CFC sit there imagine that everything is okay with you fool yourself keep fooling yourself he'll tell you that because God never forces his way I knock at the door he says and he man opens I come in he says no no no he's a gentleman he doesn't bang through into hearts that don't want him he doesn't force his way into parts that love money and the honor of men more than his honor I'm telling you the truth and tell me if I've said one thing is not in the Word of God dear brothers and sisters that is the truth the other parable that Jesus spoke about prayers in Luke 11 about this man who wanted to get food for his visitor at night and he kept on knocking at the door and said give me give me give me and that man said don't disturb me I'm in bed stop that banging at the door how many of you will keep banging at that door after your neighbor says don't disturb me I'm in bed I can't give you any food I don't think any of us who do it this guy who did it it spoke of his tremendous love for that visitor and Jesus said if you pray like that for the Holy Spirit Luke 11:13 if you pray like that for the Holy Spirit Luke 11:13 your heavenly father will give him to you where do you find Christians praying like that for the Holy Spirit they think they've got everything they believe some theology I accepted Christ I got everything but it doesn't look like that in your life brother to say that you're a millionaire and sit like a beggar on the streets it doesn't look like you're a millionaire do you think those beggars you see sitting on the streets and come come begging at your gate do they look like millionaires but that's how Christians say I've got everything in Christ but look at the way you live brother you're exactly like the beggar who comes begging at the gate and torn clothes stinking and says I'm a millionaire no I'm a billionaire you thing is off his head it's exactly a lot of Christians are I've got all things in Christ I'm a child of Almighty God but that non-christian seems to live a better life than you his family life is better than yours he's a more helpful person than you are for such a legalist yeah you ask you will receive truth in the innermost being let me say this also Moses went up to the mountain once and brought ten commandments and let me repeat this because many haven't understood it no God did not expect anybody in Israel to keep the Ten Commandments it was impossible nine out of the ten commandments or external you could keep all of them but when it came to the tenth commandment nobody could keep it because the Ten Commandment was you shall not desire your neighbor's wife or your neighbor's daughter or your neighbor's house or anything that belongs to another person who could do that it was not external that was truth in the innermost being and the law could not do that Romans 8:3 says what the law could not do God did when I live by rules I can't get into that life but when I'm filling the Holy Spirit and the life of Jesus comes in then reality comes in the innermost being that he replaces those carnal desires I got from Adam with the spiritual desires of the Holy Spirit so Jesus went up to the mountain in Matthew 5 and he changed the whole sermon on mount and raised it to a higher level he said the Old Testament said externally don't commit murder I say internally don't get angry even in your heart the Old Testament said don't commit adultery I say don't lust in your heart the Old Testament said Tellis tall we speak the truth when you're making a vow in a court I say always speak the truth whether you're making a vow or not the Old Testament said love your neighbor I say love your enemies the Old Testament said pay your tithes I say don't let anybody know how much you gave that's how he took all of that which was external in the Old Testament under law and made it internal under grace the thou desirest truth in the innermost being what the law could not do God did that is the New Covenant the Old Covenant is Jesus the god took with his finger wrote the commandments on tablets of rock on rock and cut it out and gave it to Moses in the New Covenant Hebrews 8 verse 10 says I will write my law in your heart with the same finger the finger of God is the Holy Spirit he writes his law in our heart dear brothers and sisters many of us are not filled with the Holy Spirit that's a problem some of you went to some Pentecostal meeting or charismatic and give me and God some experience that tickled you or made you babble something and you thought you had it I thank God for the Pentecostals of a hundred years ago who brought forth the truth of the baptism the Holy Spirit I have no respect for today's Pentecostals and charismatics who have taken that truth and mixed it up with the traditions of men and let people astray from it there's a world of difference as a world of difference between those first generation Pentecostals in today's fourth generation Pentecost world of difference there was a truth those men had to change their lives fill them with the power of God I remember in my days when I was lacking this power and I was seeing God I was so challenged by the testimonies of people like deal moody Charles Finney when they were filled with the Holy Spirit their lives were changed I remember crying out to God so often lord I want that life on earth is not worth living if I'm not filled with the Holy Spirit I don't care for anything else I want to say to you my dear brothers and sisters in conclusion seek God for the power of His Holy Spirit seek Him day and night maybe you did have a genuine experience years ago the fire has died out you need it again my longing for my life is that the fire will grow more and more every year [Music] the Bible says wisdom belongs to the old and zeal belongs to the young I say Lord I want wisdom and Zeo I want the fire of zeal as more and more as I grow older to live for you to serve you never to lower the standards of God's Word not to have an atom of interest in money God will provide all that I need not to have one atom of interest in what men think about me or say about me behind my back not to be disturbed to love every person who hates me to bless everyone who curses me give me that power Lord and to walk in lowliness with my face in the dust every single day of my life you pray like that be desperate with God and He will show you perhaps that you're just a religious person right now not a spiritual person you think you're very religious but you think you're very spiritual because you go to so many meetings maybe you organize so many meetings and you speak in so many meetings the Pharisees did more than your brother sister his godliness it's your thoughts it's your speech she ratted you to money these are the tests of spirituality not how many meetings you go to or how much money you give for God's work or how many how much how many prayer meetings you go to the Pharisees group could beat you wholesale in all those areas don't let the god of the world blind you to true the truth in the innermost be so that's what we have emphasized in the church through the years and that's what we continue to emphasize he who has ears to hear let him hear that's great our Heavenly Father we thank you you love us so intensely that you never want us to be deceived and we know that if we love your word and take your word as it is we will never be deceived thank you for this wonderful light in the darkness that you've given us help every one of us to have a greater respect for your word to love it to study it to meditate on it and to order our lives by it because your word is a lamp to our feet the only lamp we have and a light to our part the only light we have that shows us the glory of Jesus the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ that we can partake of thank you father in Jesus name Amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

Views: 64,234

Rating: 4.7551913 out of 5

Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Zac Poonen

Id: sL3k7m9IDng

Length: 59min 14sec (3554 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 27 2014