Seek For The Humility Of Jesus - Zac Poonen

okay there is a proverb in English some English problems are not in the Bible but they're good and that is that familiarity breeds contempt that means that even though you may be excited to meet someone in the beginning over a period of time as you get more and more familiar with that person you don't value that person as much as in the beginning most marriages are like this in the beginning on the wedding day or just before that when they're in love with each other there's such an excitement about being together but a few years later it's become commonplace that excitement is not there I use the example of a newly married couple I'm trying to illustrate what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus you have left your first love you've gone away from your first love that's what I mean by familiarity breeds contempt in Revelation chapter 2 now use the example of a newly married couple and the newly married wife is eagerly waiting for her husband to come back from work and as soon as he knocks at the door she jumps up and opens the door and welcomes him and hugs him and just come let's have dinner together and they have a wonderful time together you go and visit the same home five or six years later and the husband's coming back from work she's I mean she's somewhere in the house but she's not there to greet him anymore he opens the door himself and she says well the dinners on the table I got hungry and I ate I couldn't wait for you you can go and have yourself not like the old days the first love is gone but something like that has happened also to most Christians that I have met in their relationship with Jesus Christ in the beginning it was so exciting think of the day you are first converted from being a nominal Christian or a heathen or a sinner and you found Christ and it was so exciting years later you're still attending the conferences and attending the meetings regularly but deep down in your heart you say well to tell you honestly it's pretty boring I mean a meeting maybe Maureen because the people there are not walking with the Lord and what they share is old dead stuff that looks boring but if your relationship with Jesus becomes boring that's pretty serious there are people who in the beginning of their Christian life would never miss a day reading the Bible no lots and lots of them see brother Zack had been so busy you don't have time to read the Bible I seen what about do you have your lunch every day maybe some of you skip breakfast but do you miss your lunch as well are you so busy that you not don't have time for lunch it's a rare person who says I don't have time to eat and eating a meal sometimes takes a long much longer than just reading a few verses in the scripture and meditating on it you have left your first love and that happens so often and it's like a it is called sour they're not divorced no the husband and wife are divorced but they don't sit together anymore for their meals and they're pretty bored with each other they don't talk like they did in the old days each person's doing their own thing and no one not bothered about the other you think of your own marriage I mean if yours was an arranged marriage where you never cared for each other that's another thing but if you really loved one another obviously today compared to the early days and how is your relationship with Jesus so the purpose of every meeting and even a conference like this is very often to bring us back to our first love to bring us back to our fervent devotion to Christ but those of you who have been believers for some time you should be people now who are stirring up others to devotion to Christ not having to be stirred up yourself and what is the reason for all this you know you can't really live the Christian life without grace from God grace is to your life in the Christian life what money is in this world think of it like that you don't have money at all you can't live you can't buy food you can't rent a house you can't you send your children to school you can do nothing in this world if you have zero money and the more money you have the more luxuriously you can live in this world grace is like that in the kingdom of God and you know as you look around the world there are it's obvious certain people have a lot of money you can make that out by the way they live the cars they drive away they dress and we're all they travel except and you can make out the people have less money all the people have almost nothing the homeless people it's exactly and you don't have to keep ask any questions you look at a person and you can make out what's their lifestyle and you can make out are they very rich or mediocre or poor it's the same in the Christian life you move around with the person for a little while and you can find out what this guy's a fervent full of fervent devotion to Jesus Christ or sort of average or sort of feeling bored in the Christian life once upon a time he loved the Lord deeply but those days are gone and he doesn't appear to be so disturbed about it it's like that couple they're not they don't remember the old days when they were fervently in love with each other and they greeted one another so fervently and they're not so keen on those days coming back that's sad isn't it and here the way a lot of husbands our wives speak to one another it's so sometimes so rude compared to the way they did it at first and they speak in a more kind leading way to the stranger in the door who comes to the door then they speak to each other it's tragic so we need to ask ourselves what is the thing that's missing in our life Jesus life was never like that with the father Jesus was always fervent him as a devotion to the Father it's never a moment when he was bored with his father or you know the number of times he'd go off into the wilderness if you didn't find Jesus in the house you know where you could find him he'd be out in some wilderness away somewhere alone with his father years and years I think he's already been on earth for more than thirty years talking to the father for 30 years and he's still wanted to be alone with the father sometimes it's like a married couple they've been married thirty years and they still want to be alone together and talk to each other and express their affection and love for one another well isn't it wonderful to see a married couple like that I thought Jesus was never bored and it's good to ask ourselves whether our devotion to Christ is at the same time because jesus said as the father sent me so send are you and you remember what I pointed out to you when I spoke about that from John chapter one please turn with me there to John chapter one and verse 14 first of all we saw the glory of God the Father in Jesus full of grace and truth it's not just that they heard his words or his preaching he doesn't say he heard we saw and that you mean in their relationship with us as Christians they need to see something not just here it may forget what you preach to them but if you live a life as a saint of God they will never forget you if a man has come once in his life in contact with a genuine Saint he will never forget him for the rest of his life he may forget many of the things that you have spoke and preached but he will never forget the impact of that man's life and it must be like that with each of us that people who come in touch with us may forget all the things we preached and our doctrines and all that but they should never forget the impact our life had on them all over all through their life 30 40 years they'll never forget that is true Christianity and that is God's will to every one of us in the other words I showed you was John 1:18 where it says no one has seen God an angel but Jesus explained the father and it's the same today no one on earth has seen Jesus Christ our calling is to explain to the world what Jesus is like how with clever words no primarily by our life that's not calling don't think your calling is just two together on Sundays meet together and share a few things from Scripture together sing a few songs together and go home and wait for the next Sunday when you come together this is the routine of many Christians that's not Christianity jesus said when the Holy Spirit's come upon you you shall be my witnesses everywhere from Jerusalem which is your home starting in your home and in concentric circles outside Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the uttermost parts in the earth and as I told you it shall be my witnesses not bear witness what be that means your life will be like a shining light that people cannot forget what they have seen so this is our calling to let people see the life of Christ in us and to explain to them from our life what Christ is like for example you got to ask yourself this question losing the people you have met in your place of work in other places you've never spoken one word to them about your faith or about Christ or Christianity here they don't even know what religion you are and supposing gifts can you think that can you feel that the people know you since there's something different about this man he's not like the others in the office he's not like the others who might know in the neighborhood he's not like my other family members there's something different about him not because of what he says but there's something about his life which is different is that the impression people get about you or your relatives for example all do they fail well I mean he talks about Christ and all but he gossips just like anybody else he back bites about others just like any other human being he complains about various things and he's got criticism and I'll touch the thing that I can see he runs after money just like anybody else in the world I don't see much difference in him except that he's religious and thoughts about Christ that is what most people say about most Christians now the purpose of our seeking to have a church which preaches the full purpose of God is to produce a different quality of Christians who manifest by their life what Jesus Christ is like like Jesus manifested by his like what God was like turn with me now to 1 John and chapter 1 this is what the Apostle John wrote at the age of 95 65 years after Christ had ascended up to heaven John had walked with Jesus for 3 and 1/2 years 65 years later he's trying to recollect those three and a half years he spent with Christ and what did he say he says that which was from the beginning he's talking about Jesus the life of Jesus which we heard we heard the words that came out of his mouth full of grace and truth we saw with our eyes that life we looked at that life and we touched it we touched this eternal life which existed from before the universe was created we actually touched it because that life was manifested and what we are proclaiming to you John says is not some theory it's not like Moses who went up to the mountain and heard the commandments and came down with those tablets of stone and said hey fellas these are the Ten Commandments and these are the other 603 Commandments God is given please take note of them no he says we're not talking about all that we're talking about a life that we saw a life that we touched that we heard and saw the life which was with the father from all eternity was manifested to us as the father sent me jesus said so saying are you and I that means that people will come in touch with us must be able to say something like that you know say we came across a man once or a woman once he or she was different from all the others now make thousands and thousands of Christians but this guy was different this lady was different it was something about about him her which irradiated something in their life which is different there was no bitterness there against anyone I never sensed in that person's conversation a desire to speak evil of others or gossip or backed by a door he was very gracious he was very firm in his convictions he would never compromise on anything he was very firm the way he brought up his children and not compromised in any area but he was not critical of those who disagreed with him he just bore with them and say okay they disagree with me and believe you are wrong he would admit that but he wouldn't go around speaking even me he compassionate okay what do you do I mean I think of a lot of people in my life who have harmed me I mean when you're a servant of the Lord like I am the devil is it makes you a star him and he doesn't attack you directly he attacks you through all the human things and a lot of people are trying to harm me in the last 50 years I'll tell you something all the when they have been such a wrong bad attitude towards me and try to hurt me I said Lord I'm gonna love them how should I do it I don't want to force myself to love them because jesus said love your enemies bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you and I struggle struggle struggle to love them and bless them don't you feel like that sometimes about when trying to obey that command towards people who are evil towards you I said lord I don't want to be like that I wanted to come out naturally and the Lord said to me you got to see them like I seen it they are lepers spiritually they got leprosy I don't know whether you've seen lepers we see a lot of them in India but their noses are eaten up their fingers all eaten up all types of sores and scars and bodily parts broken many of you have seen that disfigured so ugly let me ask you what we have seen a leper do you ever hate him I've seen many lepers in my life in India I've never hated one of them as soon as I see them I feel sorry for them I'm sure you felt exactly the same way when you see a leper or you see a person terribly disconcerted his body with some sickness you don't get angry with such people how could you get angry with a leper coming begging on the door you feel sorry for him and said these people are like lepers worth doing you evil if you see them as I see them you'll see them as lepers you won't get angry with them just like you see a physical level you feel sorry for them because if their life is gone they're ruined they're no help and these people are like that the spiritual help is gone how can you be upset with them that can help me see so the solution is to see everything the way God sees them why is it for example so many people have such a struggle to be free from the love of money they know the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil I mean they read that see 1 Timothy I don't know whether you know that words if you don't know it turn to 1 Timothy in chapter 6 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 10 now when you read a verse like this don't start saying well this doesn't apply to me because I don't love money at all you start like that you'll never get anything out of Scripture if you want to get something out of scriptures read it saying Lord I'm a lover of money that's how I went to the Lord years ago and I said well I'm a lover of money you got to deliver me from it if you've never said that to the Lord I'll tell you in Jesus name in your entire life you will never be delivered you live in ignorance that you're a lot of money and ruin your life can you stand one day the judgment seat of Christ and discover you never love God you love money all the time I went is a lot honestly and said Laura just talk are the human beings every human being is a lover of money I've never had a beggar in the world doesn't love money have you made a beggar who doesn't love mine I've never made a poor man who doesn't love money no have you met a rich man who doesn't love money so everybody's in between all the rich people love money how the poor people have money we are in between everybody is a lover of money and unless Jesus frees you from it you give money lover of money till the end of your life and I said Lord first of all I want to be honest if you don't confess your sin you'll never deliver you from it so I said Lord I want to be honest I don't want to pretend I can fool other people but this is a matter of inward thoughts and I say Lord I want to admit I'm a lover of money and it says here the lows of love money is a root of all sorts of evil I don't want all sorts of you know I don't want any evil in my life and the danger is I can wander away from the faith wander away from the pig doesn't mean I turn 180 degrees and start serving the devil no I may just turn ten or fifteen degrees away from the faith and see they would accept a Christian in a church but I've drifted away from it's not straight going straight towards bodies a little bit to the side yeah I can be like that and yet keep a good testimony in most churches and I could be a lover of money a lover of all sorts of evil who they drift away from the faith and they pierced themselves with many sorrows they can put a lot of problems in their lives not money it's not money that's a root of all evil verse 10 is the love of money is the root of all evil so that's just one example I'm taking and I see Jesus lived on this earth completely free from it it's not because he didn't need money know that Jesus had the humility listen to this he had the humility to receive a gift from Herod's palace managers will you receive a gift from Herod's palace manager turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and verse 3 Luke chapter 8 verse 3 he's telling us how Jesus and His disciples supported themselves financially because they needed money all those fishermen had left their jobs Peter had a wife and mother-in-law staying at home yet to send money for them for their needs three and half years he wandered around with Jesus how is the family going to be fair I don't know how many of the other deserves were married but they all had financial means you've got a live one day without money you need food you need lodging if you go someplace you don't sleep on the streets maybe they have to hire a in to stay in when they travel to other places sometimes we don't think of these things Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem and he was there for a few days where did he stay was he sleeping on the streets they needed money to be able to stay where they eat they needed money to eat when they get it from Paul supported himself stitching tents with these people they couldn't carry them fishing boats with them Jesus couldn't carry is carpenter tools with them and be a carpenter how did they support themselves it says here they never told anybody that means they never advertise their needs anybody never sent any pray letters they never took a collection at any time in any other meetings Jesus was so different from today's churches when they all beg and borrow and plead for money and urge people to give him send prayer letters and all this nonsense and Jesus and the Apostles never did it once there's a little book of mine called God's were done in God's Way which we published last year I would encourage you to get a copy it's very cheap get a copy and read it to pour even to spend two or three dollars go to the website CFC website and that book is available for free online reading and if you are too lazy to read all the pages read at least two chapters just two chapters I would encourage you to do it read that within the next one week it won't take all in 15 minutes or 20 minutes you will see how today's Christian work is so different from what you see in the Acts of the Apostles but many of you may not even have thought about it you probably don't see it's different because you haven't read the scriptures properly I want to encourage you to see it see the difference are you concerned about that that the lord's name is dishonored because it's not the work is not being done the way it was done before coming back you know Kate was three here is how Jesus was supported Joanna the wife of chuza Herod's Palace manager and Susanna and many others were contributing to the support of Jesus and His disciples from their private resources do you know how humbling it is to receive a gift from somebody to support yourself it's a very humbling thing to receive a gift when you have a need if you're a very rich man and somebody gives you a birthday gift it's not humbling to receive it no you say thank you but if you're a person who's in desperate need financially as these disciples were and Jesus was doing and somebody gives you a gift it's a very humbling thing to receive it and Jesus had the humility the Son of God who created the universe who needed nothing had the humility when he walked on this earth as a man to receive a gift of money from Herod's Palace manager sent through his wife I am really humbled by that when I see the humanity of Jesus there I don't know whether you see the glory of Jesus in this thing you can read that casually and go to the next words probably a bit that all your life maybe because you're not so keen on seeing the glory of Jesus in every page of Scripture but ever since I saw that the Bible was given to me to show me the glory of Jesus Christ I say I want to see it everywhere everywhere particularly in the Gospels Lord I want to see your glory here turn with me to Luke chapter 24 let me show you something there we read of Jesus walking to Emmaus with two disciples after the resurrection and you know the distance there they they walk for about three hours by the way you say where does it say the walk three hours read carefully it says the distance was seven miles Luke 24:13 you can use a little arithmetic there and find out how long it takes to have a leisurely walk of seven miles I think three hours a leisurely walk is about two miles an hour and they took three hours to walk from Jerusalem Luke 24:13 to Emmaus what were they talking about during those three hours it says in verse 27 Jesus went near them beginning with Moses which is Genesis the first five books of the Bible written by Moses are called the books of Moses beginning with Genesis and then with all the prophets all the way to Malachi he explained to them what he gave them an explain of the 39 books of the Old Testament and showed them how in all the 39 books they pointed to him the things concerning himself in all the scriptures in the scriptures only 39 books those days in all those 39 books he said you've seen me here you see me here you remember when God told Eve Adam and Eve the seed of the woman will crush the Serpent's head that was referring to me use it or you go to Exodus you remember the serpent lifted up sorry the mark Passover lamb crucify the kid killed to save the tender Sun in every house as refers to me you go to Leviticus you see the sin offering that refers to me you go to numbers you see the serpent lifted up in the wilderness that refers to me you see the rock smitten from which water came Exodus it refers to me and all the way to Malachi you read in Malachi about the Sun s UN of righteousness the Sun of righteousness that's me all the books of the Bible in the Old Testament were referring to Jesus and he explained to them and their eyes were opened Hey people read these books for years they were good Jews they went to the synagogue and heard these messages at the priest in the rabbi in the synagogue never explained to them and said this is Jesus but when Jesus opened their eyes they began to see Jesus Christ in every book of scripture it's a wonderful thing there was a message in it for them one reason why I compiled that commentary through the Bible which is in audio on our website and also as a book now is to show one thing which I feel a lot of Christians haven't seen that every one of the 66 books of the Bible has a message for you but today and yet most Christians have never read the 66 books of the Bible it's something like if somebody sent you 66 envelopes full of money saying hey my friend I've sent you 66 envelopes full of money for your family would there be one envelope in that that you would not open tell me no you'd open it all the very first day how many of you have read through the hole all the 66 books of the Bible you don't believe they contain a treasure - today that's why I wrote that book through the Bible a message for today from every book of the Bible that's why I've encouraged everyone in our CFC churches to read just three pages a day and in one year you'll finish the book three pages enough meditate on that keep your Bible open and refer to it the purpose of that book through the Bible is to lead you to the viral don't get stuck with that commentary alone you go through the commentary to reach the Bible itself and you begin to understand the Bible manner and God speaks to you and you become spiritually wealthy so Jesus explained all the scriptures concerning himself so what I'm trying to say is how much more in the New Testament how much more that you can see the glory of Jesus and then you'll be able to say like the Apostles point I've also seen him spiritually I have touched it I've heard him and my heart is captured I've seen him and I've heard him and my heart is humbled like Isaiah said oh I'm such a sinful man I've seen the glory of the Lord I'm brothers and sisters that many Christians the Christian life is so boring familiarity has brought a son of a contempt we come to a meeting and we don't even expect to meet with Jesus oh another meeting okay I hope the preacher will have something interesting to say I know that most meetings you've gone to in your life of boring and dead because the preacher is not anointed he doesn't lead you to Christ unfortunately it's like that what do you do I was like that when I was a young Christian and I went to these meetings which you asked me honestly at the end of the meeting did you meet to the Lord I said no I didn't meet with a lot at all the preacher was there he was so boring when I was 21 years old attending a small assembly when I was in the Navy I had to be honest and say the whole thing was boring I didn't get any out of it he explains some scripture is all I saw a theological stuff but I didn't meet with Jesus no but I said Lord this is such a dishonor to your name that the churches everywhere people are not meeting with you please help me that my life will at least bring some people in touch with you not just that they will learn a doctrine through me will you pray that prayer my brothers you may never be called to preach like me but you're certainly gone to live like Jesus Christ that applies to all of us why not pray a simple prayer and say Lord I want things to be different with me from now on I may never become a preacher never mind in my place of work and as my relatives I want them to come in touch with Christ when they come in touch with me I want that happen Lord I don't want it to be just just me and the doctrine they hear some relatives sing or one really was on relative Abaza phonetic Christian that's not what I want them to say then we disagree with my doctrine but they will see something of Christ in my life that's that's your calling brothers and sisters be gripped by it as the father sent me Jesus said so send are you and like I said in the very first session it's impossible to live this life not the part of the Holy Spirit but we must start where Jesus started don't try to jump to the tenth grade when you want to start in the kindergarten every child starts in the kindergarten you can't go up to the tenth grade straight away start in the kindergarten what is the kindergarten lesson what does it mean to follow Jesus Christ let's start where he started okay turn with me to Philippians in chapter two I'll show you where Jesus started and where you can start I want you to have faith that the life I have just spoken out you can come to I've tasted a little bit of it there's a lot more for me to taste but I've tasted a little bit of it and boy I tell you honestly I'm not trying to sell anything if my life has been exciting there's a great word verse in Proverbs 14 I think we're 14 in the Living Bible says the godly man's life is exciting and I can honestly say that my life is exciting I never have a boring day I'm not again I'm not trying to sell Christianity don't think I'm not a Salesman I'll tell you my testimony my Christian life is exciting I don't have a boring day in my life I may face a lot of problems a lot of opposition and all that but my life is exciting I mean Jesus life was exciting every day he looked forward to it what can I do for my father today man in living life like that in the midst of a world where everybody is disgusted fed up complaining complaining about politicians complaining about circumstances and everything under the Sun and in the midst of it there's a man whose life is exciting it's not because he doesn't have problems he doesn't mean that he's got a perfect wife or perfect children nobody's learned to trust the Lord to intervene in all situations and to lift him and try and make him live in trying okay Philippians 2 this is where Jesus began and this way we got to begin to Philippians 2 verse 5 have this attitude in you which is in Christ Jesus I have often said that that with that one verse you can live your whole Christian life even if you don't have the rest of the Bible but if you read it one verse any situation you face are you tempted to lust after a woman Philippians 2:5 I have the same attitude which was in Christ Jesus how did he look at women I have the same attitude are you tempted to live for money have the attitude with Jesus had to money are you tempted to do something unrighteous have the attitude which is in Christ Jesus are you tempted to hate that guy who has harmed you have the data to Jesus side towards those who crucified Him have this attitude which was in Christ Jesus it's an answer to every situation of every day of my life it's a wonderful verse to keep her for you all the time whenever you're in doubt how shall I react here there's the answer have the attitude in me which is in Christ Jesus but for that you should have read the scriptures to know what Jesus attitude was in different circumstances so I said kindergarten listen where did he begin he did not begin by forgiving the righteous that was when he was thirty years old he did not even begin by as a carpenter no that was later he began when he was God verse six listen to this though he was God he came down and became a man he humbled himself that is the kindergarten lesson in the Christian life he humbled himself and became a man so what's the first lesson in the Christian life humility though he was God there's no greater step down than that first step if he have come down and become a king God becoming an earthly king that itself would have been a tremendous step down but he goes one step further God became a man second step again here verse seven as a man he became a slave he didn't become a king became a slave again another step of humility so the first step is God becoming man humility the second is as a man he became a slave or a bond servant again humility and you think that's the rock bottom you can't go lower than a slave yes there was something lower than even that the Romans did not crucify slaves they just made them servants you know who they crucified criminals many criminals were sent to jail but the worst of the lot were crucified and so it says the third step he went down verse eight even to the death of the Cross to the level of a criminal even though he is not a criminal so you see the first step was humility God is a man became a man the second was the man he became a slave and the third is again humility that he took the place of a criminal even though he wasn't so this would have always had the three secrets of the Christian life our humility humility humility if you understood that you understood the greatest secrets of the Christian life have this attitude in yourself this is how the introduction to this section verse five have this attitude in yourself which is in Christ Jesus who went down down down down down in a world where everybody is seeking to go up up up up the whole world is full of people trying to go up businessman are seeking to go up and become bigger businessmen and crush other businesses out of business politicians are trying to go up and crush others and get on top of everyone and become prime ministers and rulers and Christian preachers are trying to become big bigger and become more and more famous and make their churches bigger and bigger and get a name that they've heard the biggest church in the city etcetera everybody in the world seemed to go up you know who is the first person who wanted to go up Lucifer the head of the Angels in a perfect world where there was no sin where only the heaven and earth existed Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created heaven and earth there was nothing the next thing he created it was the angels and that's described in Isaiah 14 is equal 28 and 1 was the head of the angels appointed by God well I'm not happy there was only one person above him God and he wanted to go above him also and the moment he decided to go up refused to submit to Authority became proud and he wanted to go above he became the devil the most beautiful angel that God created became the worst of all creation of the devil in a moment didn't take time it wasn't a gradual process over ten years it was in a moment a man who's like a saint today can become like a devil if he has the same spirit of pride and wanting to go up ah who Jesus conquered this spirit that came to the world of everybody to go up and up and up and up even among Christians to go up and push other people down and to show that I'm greater and better it's by going down so Jesus in order to conquer this one who had the spirit of going up conquered it by going down to become a man a slave to be treated like a criminal have this attitude in you which is in Christ Jesus what is the result the Bible says humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that he may exalt you in due time that's in 1 Peter 5 verses 5 and 6 if you yourself under the mighty hand of God at the right time he will exalt you exalt you over what when I read a verse like that I asked myself Lord what is the thing I want to be exalted over I have no desire to be exalted over other people in my church or over any church I have no desire to be exalted in this world as a great man or a great preacher zero I can honestly say that what do I want to be exalted over I want to be exalted over the sin in my flesh just ruled me for so many years I want every one of those things to come under my feet I want to be exalted over that I wanted to be I want to be exalted over the devil so that the devil is crushed under my feet that's what I want to be exalted over I hope that's what you want to be exalted over as well not just to show that people are a great saint or a great human being or accomplish something great in life no and Jesus demonstrated in his life how God can exalt you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God 1 Peter 5 6 that he may exalt you in due time Jesus humbled himself for thirty three and a half years he never stopped going down he started at the place of God came down became a man became a servant and the last day of his earthly life with his disciple he was washing their feet you can't go lower than the feet of your disciples that's where he was he didn't end his ministry as a director or chairman of some organization that's what our Christians are looking for I want to be the director of chairman of my Christian organization ok brother you go ahead and do that I want to follow Jesus who ended up at the feet of the disciples washing their feet that's where I want to end up on the last day of my earthly life I want to be at the feet of my fellow believers washing their feet every sermon I preached I say Lord I want my summons out to be washing feet that's what every someone is supposed to be it's washing the feet of the disciples and he went even down further down and we can ended up like a criminal and because he did that the father was so delighted with him it says in Philippians to see here verse 9 but this reason for this reason never forget that but this reason God highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name so that in the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father you say why did God give him that position you say because he's the son of God no sir not because he was the son of God he was that from eternity he was exalted above every name in heaven earth and everyone would proclaim him great but that was not Jesus he was not known as Jesus in heaven he was the eternal son of God but now verse 10 at the name of Jesus when did he become Jesus he got the name Jesus when he came as a little baby on earth before that he was eternal son of God but now as a man as a man God exalted him to the highest place in the universe because he went down down down and took the lowest possible place on earth being willing to be treated as a criminal by others misunderstood falsely accused he kept his mouth shut he would not open his mouth and defend himself so they can do what they like allowed all those people to whip him and beat him and do all types of things and kill him and he ended saying father forgive them they don't know what they're doing and God saw that even God doesn't see the sufferings of his people you think God doesn't see how a believer humbles himself in different circumstances of course he does God is keeping a watch over every believer on the face of the earth he watches every detail of your life he knows whether you humble yourself in the different circumstances or whether you exalt yourselves every single circumstance you may think nobody's watching us we have being watched all the time all the time like these video cameras that are set up in sensitive areas in airports in different places God is watching us all the time and he's quick to exalt at the right time those who are consistently chosen to go in the way of Jesus or humility so what should we seek humility turn with me to Matthew 11 and verse 29 jesus said take my yoke upon you and learn from me see the yoke is a picture of plowing a field - two oxen plowing a field together and if one is a senior experienced ox and the other is a new junior inexperienced ox the the older experienced dog food as it were tell the junior one if you want to plow a straight furrow in this field look at my example just stay under my yoke don't rush ahead of me don't lag behind don't wear off to the left or right just humble yourself and keep pace with me and keep going in the direction submit to the yoke which is on your neck the other end is on my neck the senior access and learn from me that's what Jesus says here take my yoke and learn from me what do you want to learn from Jesus there are many things we can learn and I tell you what most Christians want to learn how to heal the sick ah would you like to learn how to heal the sick or how to walk on water or how to turn water in think of the name you'll get among Christians if you can do such things it's all an honor seeking for yourself learn from me gentleness and humility the two things he said were swindler many people spend hours training their voice to sing a solo in the church they spent hours training to be part of a choir singing songs in parts how much time do they spend learning humility and gentleness from Jesus you see that hypocrisy and shallowness of a lot of people who call them to the disciples of Jesus they're not decided of Jesus they're seeking their own honor through Christianity through Christianity they want to get a name is a great preacher or a great solo singer or great piano player or musician it's all honor seeking jesus said if you really want to learn something learn gentleness and humanity you know if there are two things that are characteristic of the entire race of Adam two things it is our hardness we're all hard people and pride I say characteristic of the race of Adam think of how hard some men are towards their wives how hard some women are towards their husbands or unmerciful to someone who hurt them or towards their children even sometimes Jesus says you need to be softened up you need to learn gentleness from me and think how how proud we are when we do something how we want everybody even know what we have accomplished it's all of the devil hardness and pride is 100 percent of sailin we are infected of it from the time of Adam and that's why we hurt one another at home and hurt our husbands and wives and children heard our neighbors and hurt our relatives and hurt people had working or people everywhere because of our hardness and our pride and Jesus says I've come to show you another life a life of God which you don't have and you cannot produce it you can try to imitate me the Lord says and you'll have this gentleness and humility for a few minutes but it'll disappear get it from me by the Holy Spirit and it will be your permanent possession the Lord is not trying to train us to be humble and gentle for a little while you train a dog to behave like a cat tell a dog now teach a dog through many hours of the training to say don't say bow-wow say meow meow meow and maybe you can make a dog say that but in a moment of anger the dog will still come out and say Bow Wow because real nature hasn't changed and you can get a man to try and behave to be gentle and humbled and all that but the real nature doesn't change waiting some real provocation comes and you're prize and hardness will come up it's not that brother-sister it's the Holy Spirit coming and changing our nature inside where you really become a different person that is Christianity and the world is seen very little of it because you will consistently be that if you tell a dog to behave like a cat okay I'm try for some time but in a moment of provocation that will stop listening to you but if you tell a cat to behave like a cat say that's easy for I am i think if we partake of god's nature of the nature of jesus christ inside and the Lord says now I want you to live like Christ say well holy spirit is making me like that I'll do that more and more every day as he answered and God does that for us when we humble ourself

Channel: CFC India

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

Id: Ly9kdWKPkD4

Length: 55min 28sec (3328 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 05 2019