Seek To Follow Jesus' Example - Zac Poonen

so we've been thinking about seeking the heavenly and seeking for life instead of knowledge you know when God made Adam he's the only person of all of creation about whom is written he made him in the image of God that doesn't mean he was like Jesus Christ in character know what that means in Genesis 1 is that he made Adam with the capacity to receive the life of God which the Angels did not have the Angels are also God they've got a conscience you know the devil was also an angel once the highest of the angels and he had a conscience and he sinned and he became the devil Gabriel Michael are all angels with them they live holy lives but they cannot have the life of God in them in all of creation it's only man the human race that God made with the capacity to receive the life of God that's what it means when it says God made Adam in the image of God so in practical terms for exact use an illustration this table in front of me cannot does not have the capacity to receive electricity and give forth light but the light above me that has got the capacity to the bulb capacity to give forth light so in the same way the angels are say like this table no capacity to give both light Adam was made like a bug with the capacity to give for if you send electricity through the table doesn't produce like you send electricity through that bug it lights up so in the same way that's a picture of the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit is allowed to have full control of me the life of God the love of God will fill me you'll find it easy to love those people who are difficult to love right now you'll find it easy to overcome those sins that you are enslaved right now it's a wonderful thing can only come if I open myself to let the Holy Spirit work in me that's why the most important thing in the Christian life is to be genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit and not be deceived by all the counterfeits going on around and not even to boast about anything if you are really clear to the Holy Spirit others will see it you see Jesus used two examples in the Sermon on the Mount he said you are the light of the world and you're the salt of the earth salt and light what is the one thing common about salt and light you know what it is it doesn't make any sound light does not make any sound salt does not make any sound but as soon as you go into a room you know whether this is light or not as soon as you eat a food you know whether there's salt in it or not if nobody has to tell you hey the salt in this food nobody has to say there's light in this room and when you meet a genuine Christian what was filled with the Holy Spirit and you spend a little time with him you will see that he's from other Christians a godly man a really godly man filled with the Holy Spirit will be different from all the other pastors and preachers and all the other type of Christians you've met in your life there'll be something about him which is fundamentally different his attitude to people his attitude of money his attitude to everything salt in life he doesn't have to advertise hey I'm like this light and salt keep quiet it's a something that shines forth and that must be our longing to be like light and salt in our it's not a knowledge as I said it's a life so when Adam failed completely God sent another man that was Gd Jesus the Son of God came to her in the form of a man and God says okay now I'll show you how I wanted man to live so we don't look at Jesus as only having come to earth to die for the sins of the world because if that were the case God could have made Jesus just like he made Adam from the mud and the clay full-grown that means he come to earth as the 33 year old in one day he goes and dies on the cross and goes back to heaven finished he's died for the sins of the world he that was the only purpose he could have come to earth as a full-grown man from heaven to this earth landed somewhere and gone to the cross and been crucified for the sins of the world no problem why did God allow his son to live that very difficult life but 30 years as God Jesus never submitted on anybody he and the father were equal but when he came to earth here to submit to an imperfect Joseph and an imperfect Mary have you experienced working under an imperfect boss wasn't your boss in your office is a crook and evil in many ways you find it easy to work under him no the boss is very good and kind and upright is easy but what about a boss was a crook not upright very difficult to work on it can you imagine how Jesus must have felt to live in a home where both his earthly parents were imperfect and not only that they would fight with each other do you believe Joseph and Mary fought with each other be you husband and wife fight with each other I'm talking about new covenant husband and wife you don't have to pretend they were under the Old Covenant even new covenant husband and wife I'm so difficult delivered a piece of each other can you imagine how it was for Joseph and Mary without the Holy Spirit and Jesus saw this Joseph and Mary yelling at each other each others in your mind and the father says submit to him submit to imperfect Authority how long it's like being in a submitting to an imperfect worse for 30 years 30 years and not only an imperfect father and mother it says he had mark chapter 6 tells us he had four younger brothers and two younger sisters and their names are also given they're the brothers names six siblings younger than him and I don't know whether you noticed this verse in John chapter 7 it says in John chapter 7 when you look at the Bible as I said you see the glory of Jesus and these little things I read the Gospels now to see the glory of Jesus everywhere I said Lord I want to see your glory in the Gospels and that's really challenged me the Holy Spirit can make me like that John chapter 7 it says here verse 5 jesus brothers did not believe in him can you think about Jesus brothers did not believe in him don't you think Mary would have told his her other sons and daughters your elder brother is not an ordinary boy he's the son of God he's not Joseph's son by the way Joseph is not his dad he was born of the Holy Spirit coming upon me I'm sure they respected their mother enough to know that she's not a liar and that she spoke the truth but in spite of that didn't believe in it I see it's all nonsense can you think of that growing up with a father and mother who perfect and four brothers and sisters who are probably make fun of you and irritate you day and night and never sinning if you ask me what is the greatest miracle that Jesus did it is not raising Lazarus from the dead not at all it is the fact that he lived thirty three and a half years on earth with our body and never sinned even once in thought a word or action or attitude towards anybody or motive and what he did no sin now you and I know how because it is to live free from sin in these five areas taught work deed attitude motive even for one day it's an absolute miracle you can live one day without acts without the slightest defilement in any of these areas and Jesus lived like that for thirty three and a half years then is the greatest miracle of his life other people are taken up with walking on the water and healing the sick and raising the dead and that's why you try to do all those things are full people a number of fake stories I've heard about raising the dead and healing the sick and all that I don't swallow all these things I remember years ago 1970 I heard of a revival in Indonesia and I read a book about it and they said the people raised from the dead in Indonesia I went there to intervene here three years later 1973 and I discovered that there was a similar word for death being dead and being in a coma so when the Indonesian word was sort of similar somebody says he's in a coma and somebody would like to interpret it as he was dead because you'd like to say he raised the dead rather and say that the guy recovered from the coma after one hour or something this is the type of deception that goes on all over the world a prisoner and the sad thing is not these deceivers are there the sad thing is there are thousands of believers who swallow all this nonsense they don't realize that the greatest miracle that Jesus did was not raising the dead or walking on the water I'll tell you honestly I have zero desire to raise the dead or to walk on water I want to do the greatest miracle in Jesus I want to experience that to live without sin one day at a time in my thoughts in my words in my deeds in my attitudes towards people and in the motives with which I do everything or say anything I said Lord Jesus that's what I want you grant me this miracle and I'll never ask for another because that's the greatest thing I don't know that you guys are gripped by it God sent his son to show us how man should live because Adam failure in that area and so today Adam is not my example but I'm the choice before me and I read the vagaries knowledge or life I don't make the choice that Adam me I say life god man should live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth and it says proceeds means present continuous tense not preceded 2,000 years ago and written in the time you know from the Bible precedes Matthew 4:4 proceeds to me today as I read it that is how I live so it's not just reading and memorizing and I read the scripture God's Word is to proceed from there and come to my heart now and tell me what I should do then I live otherwise Bible knowledge will not make anybody live when I see that that is what she got sent Jesus on earth for I turn to John chapter 1 it says about Jesus coming to out like this John 1:14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth the glory of God is full of grace and truth not just grace not just truth grace and truth is a balance like the left side and the right side of the body our body is perfectly balanced so keep that in what is it think of it again Jesus came to earth and manifested the glory of his father full of grace and truth now go to John chapter 20 and combine that verse with what he said in John 20 please keep that John 1:14 in mind in John 20 jesus said in verse 21 John 20 verse 21 as the father sent me I also send you so I have to manifest the glory of Jesus just like Jesus manifested glory of the Father he came to earth and manifest the glory of a father and now he tells me as the father sent me I send you I have to manifest the glory of Jesus and so have you that's what it means to be a Christian the light must shine without being dimming and the first step to that is to keep my conscience always clear by immediate confession of sin immediate asking for apology and progressively hating that sin and overcoming it and gradually little by little the glory of Jesus Christ becomes manifest in my life as the glory of the Father was manifest in Jesus life that Jesus would forgive people freely they killed him on the cross and immediately he said Father forgive them I see the glory of Jesus there I need to be like that to people who hurt me I remember once a brother came to me and said he was telling me about all the ways in which people are troubling him and hurting him and accusing him and I one question rather have they crucified us yet he said no not yet I said then you got a long way to go don't complain about these little silly little things these are all ant bites and bites you're complaining about ant bites Jesus was crucified man and he forgave her forgive me I don't know what he did to you but forgive her otherwise say I don't want to follow Jesus so it's very important that we see just like the father sent Jesus so Jesus sends you and me into the world to show his glory now turn back to John 1 again this in other words I want to show you link up with this John 20 21 verse and that is john 1:18 john 1:18 it says no one has seen god at any time but the only begotten son of god who was with the father he has come to earth and explained him so what did Jesus do he came to earth and explained or manifested to the world what the father was like he told the world by the way this is what the father is like do you remember one example of that in John chapter 13 John chapter 13 is the place where he washed the disciples feet even Judas Iscariot's feet he washed don't forget that he washed the feet of everyone including Judas Iscariot and then in John 14 Philip said to him in John 14 verse 8 show us the father and that's enough for us John 14 verse 8 and he says Philip have I been so long time with you and you still don't know he who has seen me the last part of verse nine he who has seen me has seen the father how can you say show us the father Tina context have you seen me washing people's feet Philip that's what God the Father is like do you know God the Father wants to wash our feet if only all the proud Christians in the world who think so much about themselves would understand that what God is like it would change their lives completely I have seen arrogant Christians in CFC churches they haven't seen Jesus they haven't seen God Jesus says if you've seen me you've seen the father and I'm sorry to say many Christians have not seen Jesus or the father that's how Christ comes in them they preach a little sermon somebody's messed in it goes to their head as if there's somebody it's so difficult for most Christians to do any little work for God without getting puffed up and what they do is one millionth of what Jesus did that is a problem you compete with other believers to show that you're superior to them in what way it's like I think of it like this you know the ant still small brown ants that crawl on our ground in India and one ant is saying I'm 1 billionth of a centimeter longer than the other end not 1 million 1 billionth of a centimeter longer than the other end this is the this is what I am reminded of when I think of when we were trying to be proud that I've done something for the Lord God have mercy on your mother sister to think like that or you're superior to some other person sitting here you haven't seen Jesus you haven't seen the father he came to wash people's feet you know in the Jewish homes the rich people's homes there was always a bucket of water near the door and all the rich Jewish people had slaves and you know they were wearing the sandals in those days and the roads were dusty everybody came to the house with repeatedly full of dust and the slave had to wash these people's feet when they sat for dinner so here because Jesus wanted to be private he told the rule order of Adams don't keep any slave there because I want to private dinner with my disciples there was no slave there but the bucket of water was there and the towel and the disciples knew somebody's towards the feet and matthew is the Chartered Accountant he says I don't watch people sleep I'm a senior person here Peter says I'm the leader of the disciples I don't wash people's feet and Judas Iscariot is the postgraduate he doesn't wash anybody's feet who's left this is John John and James says we are related to the high priest you don't wash people's feet so Jesus says I suppose I do only what here was a slave okay and he picks up the bucket my brother sister have you seen that as that gripped you you just listen to that as a message or does it grip you this is my Savior this is my lord no I want to leave all the days of my life not just once after listening to a message like this every single day of my life I have a picture in front of my dining room at home of Jesus washing Peters feet with the words by love serve one another and I it reminds me I said Lord that's how I want to be all the days of my life I don't want to be known as a preacher or pastor never never never I want to serve others like my master watch people's feet I've told all the elders we work is about our more than 100 elders in different churches and I tell it all of them remember my brothers that we are only washers of feet that's all when you preach a sermon you're do wash people's feet now that's what I do and you say brother Zach but sometimes your sermons are so hard yeah because sometimes there's so much dirt on your feet I'm gonna use a hard brush to scrape off all that dirt that's why but I'm still watching the teeth getting rid of the dirt that's what Jesus did so I see the glory of Jesus in all these things he didn't come to earth as a full-grown man he came as a small child had to learn obedience there are only two things that we know about Jesus earthly life before he was baptized in the River Jordan what did he do those first 30 years let me show you the two verses people call it the hidden years in Nazareth yeah they're hidden years wood I'll tell you what he did first of all Luke's Gospel chapter 2 when he was a little boy 12 years old came back from the temple Luke's Gospel chapter 2 verse 51 he went down with Joseph and Mary Luke 251 came to Nazareth and he continued in subjection to them for how long for the next 18 years so that's one thing we know that he did in those hidden years in Nazareth he continued in obedience to Joseph and Mary all those thirty years teaching me not just to be subject to my parents the principle is not subject to parents that's one aspect of it be subject to whatever Authority God places over you even if they are imperfect in that case in Jesus case it was Joseph and Mary if you believe that God is placed your husband is in authority over you value says you've got to be subjected if you believe that the boss you are working in the place where God wants you to work when you're going to be subject to the boss unity is imperfect if not then you should find another job but you can't stay in an office and keep on rebelling against keep on speaking evil like all the others do what do I learn from this the glory of Jesus he was subject to imperfect Authority that's the first thing I learned subject to imperfect Authority in any church that I go to in India our CFC churches even the churches that came through my ministry but where I've appointed elders now initially we just appoint some facilitators or leaders to lead the meaning after some years we make elders once they become elders they are in charge of that church so when I go there I subject myself to them I remember when I used to go to the church in Tuticorin which started through my ministry Natick three I would go there for a conference and those brothers would lead the meeting I would sit on the floor just with all the other brothers and sisters in their church every Jamie conference every session like sit on the floor with the others and they would ask when they asked me to come and speak I would get up speak and come back and sit on the floor of the others I was subject to their authority they were elders appointed by me but at that time they are the elders in that church and I have learned from Jesus I am a subject authority if they say a meeting starts at this time tradition is this time I accept it they are the authority anything okay brother Zack we gotta do this now okay this is your choice you do what you like I have learned and that has been such a blessing in my life because it was at the end of that that the father said about Jesus this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased now tell you why it is so important because many millions of years ago there was an angel in heaven called Lucifer who refused to submit to Authority there was only one Authority about him that was God he didn't even want to submit to God he remelting was Tony and God cast him out and he became the devil and then God sent His Son Jesus to overcome that evil that sickness done and how does he overcome it by doing the opposite of what the devil did what is that we subject to imperfect Authority the devil could not be something to perfect as already remember Jesus came and submitted to him perfectly authority to show I can overcome that and he's my example I don't know if all of you have seen it to change my life I tell you because when God sees it year after year after year he will say about you this is my beloved child you know mine well peace and he pour out upon you the Holy Spirit like he poured it out on Jesus pour it out on me as change my life in my ministry I could never do what what accomplished it's not the part of the holy spirit completely on this question the second thing that Jesus did in the hidden years in Nazareth let me show you in Hebrews in Chapter four Hebrews four what did he do in all those 30 years in Nazareth he was subject to imperfect Authority number one and Hebrews 4:15 we don't have a height who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who is tempted in all things as we are yet without sin you know little three-year-old is not tempted with sexual temptation eight nine year old is not tempted with money as they grow up they become eleven twelve thirteen they get tempted sexually then we start learning sixteen seventeen eighteen they are tempted with money Jesus was tempted in all those years what is he tempted with use tempted sexually with girls he was tempted with monies when he started earning as a company he was tempted in think of all the temptations you faced in your life says here Jesus faced all those temptations but he did not sin that's what he did in those thirty years one he was subject to Authority that God placed it over and second he was he overcame every temptation that came to him now the Holy Spirit has come to show me this glory of Jesus which I just showed you and say he says I want to do the same thing in your life he's not saying thou shalt do it thou shalt you shall you shall not is the language of the law the Ten Commandments that's not what he says in the New Covenant he says I will do it in you turn to Hebrews eight Hebrews 8 and verse 8 the days are coming the Lord says I'll make a new covenant verse 9 not like the covenant which I've made with their fathers that covenant was you shall you shall not you shall not worship idols you shall keep the Sabbath you shall honor your father and mother you shall not murder you shall not steal you shall not covet doctrine it's all you shall you shall not this is not like that the New Covenant the Holy Spirit comes in and says I verse 10 middle I will put my law into their minds and I will write them on their heart who's responsible is that not mine God's to put God's law in my mind means to give me a desire to do the will of God to put God's oil my heart means to give me the ability to do that will I need two things the desire to do God's will and the ability to do God's will both of them I don't have initially after some time the desire to do god's way comes but the ability may not be there but the Holy Spirit is come to do both I will write put my log into their mind I'll give them the desire to do my will I'll write it on their hearts I'll give them the ability to do my will the heart is the place where God's grace comes to strengthen us see chapter 13 Hebrews 13 and verse 9 everything is in Scripture if you study the scripture you have the answer Hebrews 13 verse 9 middle of that verse is good for the heart to me strengthened by grace when the heart is strengthened by grace it says in Romans 6:14 sin will not rule over you because you're under grace but grace comes to the heart gives me power to overcome sin comes to a mind to give me the desire to do God's will comes into my heart give me the ability to do but God does it same thing is written Philippians 2 Philippians chapter 2 verse 13 read Philippians 2:13 what does God do for us God is at work first of all outside of the world to make everything work together for my good that is Romans 8:28 you all know that God works in the world Romans 8:28 to work for my good but what does God work inside me in my mind and heart that is in Philippians 2:13 God is at work inside you and whenever he talks about inside you he's talking about the Holy Spirit's work first of all to make you will his good measure and secondly to do his good pleasure that is to give you the desire to do his will and secondly the ability to do his will exactly the same as Hebrews 8 all Scripture is the same in the New Testament this was not possible in the Old Testament because they didn't have the Holy Spirit that's why the New Covenant is so blessed that's try to be filled with the Holy Spirit is the most important thing in the Christian life the genuine fullness and that's why the devil has brought so much counterfeit people live insane and do all types of things they speak in tongues on Sunday morning in the in their so-called charismatic churches and the same afternoon they'll yell at their wives in their mother tongue well what sort of tongue is that absolutely disgraceful so there's a lot of confusion in this area so go to the scriptures and say Lord I want to follow Jesus I want to be like him in my life and this is what the Holy Spirit will do but what have we to do if God is at work in me in my mind and in my heart what do I have to do sit back and do nothing no see the previous verse Philippians 2:12 you must now work out you have to work out what God works in you're not a robot robot has to nothing God works in and God works it out but here God works in and you must work it out with fear and trembling why him with fear and trembling because this is a God of flesh which constantly leads us to disobey God when God works in you to choose his will to flesh will say no and when God says seek me for power the fraction say no just take it easy that's why we sin so brothers and sisters let's take seriously what God's trying to tell us you seek for the power of the Holy Spirit we seek to understand his ways God is a wonderful plan for every single one of you pray that this weekend will bring a revolutionary change in your life your personal walk with God and your family life

Channel: CFC India

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Id: LaKuug-4-F0

Length: 37min 41sec (2261 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 05 2019