The Helper Has Come - Zac Poonen

there are many reasons why Jesus came to earth most of us know that he came to die for our sins but he also said that he came to send fire on this earth and he said he had a baptism to go through not the baptism he took in the River Jordan II but a baptism of suffering on the cross he called it an immersion baptism means an immersion and he said he had to go through an immersion and was only then the fire would fall so Calvary had to precede Pentecost and when we look at Calvary and if you receive only the forgiveness of sins you missed a major part of what Christ came for I look at our heart like a cup you know there's a verse in the Psalms which says what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me I shall lift up the cup of salvation I shall lift up my cup and it's filthy but sin with years and years of sin so I need the blood of Christ first but once the blood of Christ has cleansed me if I am delighted that my cup is clean now it's not dirty anymore and I stay like that with a clean cup till the end of my life maybe clean but I will never be a blessing to anybody else there's nothing I have to give in that Cup to other people that's why the whole purpose of Christ's coming and dying was not just to clean the cup but that that cup might be filled turn with me to John chapter 7 we read in John chapter 7 and verse 39 when he spoke about rivers of living water and verse 38 flowing from our innermost being that's that cup inside which has been cleaned cleansed by the blood of Christ from there Jesus wanted to fill that with the Holy Spirit so the drivers of living water will flow out to others you see a cup can only satisfy your own need and if you are satisfied with just that small measure of fullness that gives you peace and gives you joy it's a very selfish way to live and Jesus didn't come to earth just to live a line for peace and joy and show how peaceful his own life was his life was an overflowing life that wherever he went people got living water from him that's how our life is supposed to be every single one of us and that's what rivers of living water means and it says this he spoke of the Holy Spirit whom those who believed in him were still to receive but the Spirit was not given I mean he was given in Old Testament times but only upon people not inside them every person filled with the Holy Spirit anointed with the Holy Spirit all the way up to John the Baptist they were filled on the outside anointed on the outside of course it's like pouring water on it glass which has got a lid on it before it doesn't go inside the glass it just flows around and blesses millions but that lid on top of our Spirit is called a veil in the Old Testament and Wale blocked off that third part of the tabernacle and the third part of man is our spirit it was blocked off and spirit could not penetrate that because of what the Bible says in Hebrews 10 20 of flesh when Jesus died that veil was rent and he opened the way for the Holy Spirit not only for us to go into God's presence that's one part of the truth the other part of the truth is the veil was rent so the Holy Spirit could invade our spirit and fill us from within and that's what it means here that the spirit could not be given in that way to dwell within man because in the previous verse verse 38 he's talking about the inner most being the Spirit was not given to dwell in man's innermost be because Jesus was not yet glorified Jesus said to die be raised up be glorified only then could he send the spirit to dwell within man that's what he longed for and that's why on the last night before his crucifixion he spoke a lot about the Holy Spirit I don't know whether you've noticed that he spoke very little about the Holy Spirit before that I mean there's an occasional reference like this rivers of living water without any without even referring to the Holy Spirit later on John writes that that was referring to the Holy Spirit but I don't think everybody understood it and thank a lot of people don't understand it even today I never knew for many years of my Christian life after being born again what that verse meant the Spirit was not given I was so blind I thought the Old Testament pouring of the spirit of on David and Elijah and Elijah was the same as a New Testament and I think that's the understanding of 90% of Christians who are blind till God opens our eyes to show us that to read it in context the Spirit was not given to dwell in man's innermost being and flow out from man's innermost being God opened my eyes I saw that but the whale was rent now God could come inside and dwell within and flow out from within that's why in the Old Testament those people who did mighty works for God the water flowing over them without touching their spirit you know delivering his relights here there's Samson and David but they would commit adultery also because spirit was not within them or the New Testament you can dream up Jesus sinning or Paul committing adultery or Peter committing adultery no that's unheard you got that's unthinkable so when you hear today of a preacher who's preached and being blessed in a blessing to thousands and then he's covered adultery say that guy's under the Old Testament that's the reason the Spirit is not within it it's upon him blessing thousands of people you can live in this new government age and if you don't allow if you don't walk the way of the rent whale spirit won't dwell within and you can grieve the Holy Spirit it's very easy so I see this as the greatest blessing I know there are times in my life and I have wept and wept and prayed and said Lord you can take away anything in my from my life but don't take away the Holy Spirit father and we take not thy Holy Spirit from me that's what David prayed and that was only upon him you know it's so easy for us to lose that mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit there would have been no church in the world today if it were not for that mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit that took place on the day of Pentecost and that's why the devil has made that such a controversial issue I'm not surprised because he wants people to shy away from it but Jesus spoke so much about it in the last days and see the context in which he spoke John 14 first of all he speaks about the necessity of obedience he says in the Old Testament people obeyed God out of fear or because they wanted God's blessing because the Old Testament people were like children and how do you get children to obey two ways punishment or reward if you don't do this I'll punish you if you do this I'll give you a reward that's how we get all children to obey and as long as people were under the Old Covenant they were treated like children they have to be under law and you read Deuteronomy chapter 28 the great chapter of punishment and reward if you obey me a little ward you if you disobey me I'll punish you you can see from there the entire law was teaching treating people like little children like I said earlier you can live in a new covenant age and live like an Old Testament person we are in the computer age today in the world but do you know that there are people in the world today living in the Stone Age conditions you go to some of the jungles in some parts of the world of barbarians who live exactly like man lived 5000 years ago so it's possible in a computer age to live according to stone age conditions and it's possible in a new covenant age to live according to the old covenant or with no covenant at all like the unbelievers so it's possible for a believer who is born again to live out of the same principle that Israelites did punishment or reward and there are preachers who encourage that you better not sing cuz God will punish you you better not sing otherwise you'll go to hell you better not sing otherwise this God will give you a sickness you better not sin otherwise some suffering will come into your life and you better obey then God will bless you give your money to God and God will bless you with wealth and houses and lands and it's all back to the Old Testament there are preachers in our day and there are thousands of them who are leading people back to the old covenant making them children again but jesus said in John 14 verse 15 if you love me you will keep my Commandments this is something completely new not because you fear me not because I'm going to give you a reward but if I don't give you any reward I'll serve you I remember when I left the Navy 47 years ago God called me about 49 years ago with the name he wouldn't let me go for two years and when I left I said Lord as soon as the Lord called me of 49 years ago I said Lord it makes no difference to me now whether I get food or a place to sleep I love you and I'll serve you till the end of my life I don't have a place to sleep I'll sleep in the railway station or a bus stand or somewhere like that and I can live with very little food no problem but I want to serve you did nothing to do with the reward and it nothing to do with fear of punishment I hope you have come there where you are not expecting God to do this for you expecting God you know a lot of teaching on faith today is claimed this from God and claim that from God what is it most people are claiming invariably 99% of cases some earthly blessing some job some merits for their children some healing something earthly how many people fast and pray to overcome anger or to overcome dirty thoughts they never think that is God's blessing that's a far greater blessing and getting a million rupees if you love me you'll keep my Commandments and there you see God treats us like adults you don't tell a 25 year old son if you obey me I'll give you a chocolate or yeah I'll make you lie down in bed I won't let you go and play at all for little children you talk to a grown-up son saying if you love me son do what I say when God speaks you like that you know you're a son and when you relate to God like that I obey him not because I'm afraid of punishment not because I want any reward at all he's already done more for me on Calvary than I could ever expect then you're a son but it's difficult to keep his Commandments if you don't believe that read Matthew five six and seven I remember reading it seriously long out drives converted for many years after I was gone already I never took it seriously when I took it seriously I said Lord this is impossible how can you live without getting angry how can you live without lusting after women as a young man how can you live without seeking any honor from people how can you be free from the love of money these are some of the things written in Matthew five six five and six which in this church we pray preach for 38 years but within most churches on hardly ever preached at all just these few things I mentioned and yet Matthew five and six is all about this is impossible to live there the standards of Jesus are so high he said if every idle word you speak you give an account in the day of judgment Matthew 12 36 to 38 who can live according to that standard and so when we can't keep God's command me say Lord how in the world I love you but how to keep my Calm your Commandments and the Lord anticipates that question he says something and before you ask the question he gives the answer if you love me keep my Commandments and your question is how in the world can I keep them yes I'll tell you verse 16 I will ask the Father and He will give you a helper I like the NASB translation a helper and if you read it in its context it means a helper verse 15 to keep the commandments what else does it mean dear brothers and sisters once fundamental principle of Bible study read a verse in its context not by itself the King James Version called it comforter and a lot of Christians who say the comforter has come the comforter has come we sing a song the comforter has come what far what for to help me keep the commandments that's why he has come he said that you'll keep my Commandments and I will ask the Father for a helper to help you keep those Commandments is all one sentence really and he'll be with you forever so that you can keep my Commandments forever and that's why I know that I'll never sin in heaven I mean if in a filthy world like this the Holy Spirit can help me to overcome so much of sin not perfect yet but so much imagine how it'll be in like in heaven God doesn't have to take away my free will to prevent me from sinning in heaven he's not gonna make me like a robot in heaven I automatically I will have complete free will in heaven for all eternity to disobey God but I'll never disobey God what a wonderful thing that is have you thought of that you think God's gonna take away your free will in heaven you'll be a robot there you'll be like the planets God's not gonna reduce us to the state of the planet the great miracle in heaven will be I will have free will for all eternity but I'll never sin and I've begun that journey here on earth slowly slowly get to that place where I'll never say I hope you're climbing towards that mountain peak they're not going to do a healing and preaching in heaven those are not the mountains I want to climb with this mountain peak of never Cine I haven't got there yet but I'm gonna get there and I know I'm getting there because I'm getting closer and closer in my life I hope you are that's how you know all this spirit has come the Spirit of Truth we're 17 whom the world cannot receive because he cannot does not know him but I will not leave you as orphans that's the other thing the Holy Spirit's come for to deliver us from being orphans a lot of Christians are orphans they don't know God is a father I mean they say God is their father it's like someone whose father is living in a distant land I've heard of children whose fathers are living in some distant land and they don't see their father for 10 years but they know there's a father because there's occasional letter from there and some money comes they've never seen him they're never really there never been hugged by that father and I think a lot of Christians are exactly like that they say way back there there is a father I have I know I never seen him but I don't know but now and then he answers some prayer of mine and I never get a hug from him I'm not so sure whether he loves me but I think he does because I read his letters and he says he loves me but when you're in a trouble difficult situation and you get all anxious and worried you know that you're an orphan even though theoretically you say you have a father and Jesus says the Holy Spirit comes you'll never feel like an orphan again that's the other thing the Holy Spirit's come for to take away from you disobedience and to take away from you the sense of being an orphan I don't need fellowship a lot of Christians can survive Aliyah best fellowship I don't need fellowship I can live 20 years in a prison for my faith I will not be an orphan because I found my father in the Holy Spirit it's one of the great things that happened to me when the Holy Spirit filled my life showed me God as my own father there's very little of preaching of that nowadays and go and see in a Christian bookshop how many books there are that encourage you to know God as your father I guarantee you won't even find one percent of the books there go and listen to the preaching in charismatic circles brethren Assemblies Pentecostal Assemblies there are little of teaching God is your father the proof of that being he will take care of you you don't have to be anxious you don't have to be worried you don't have to be living insecurities about the future he won't be in competition with others orphans are the ones are always competing with people they can't cooperate with others they're always jealous of others if they see two people talking they're sure they're talking about me that's an orphan the person who's an are not an orphan he's secure he doesn't matter if everybody leaves him jesus said later on in John 16 you can all leave me doesn't matter the father's with me see this in John 16 that shows that Jesus was not an orphan many had already left him now there were these twelve and one of them left him Judas then he tells the eleven in John 16 an hour is coming when all of you eleven also will leave me you won't stick by me when the Roman soldiers come he will run and you will leave me alone John sixteen thirty-two you will leave me alone but I'm not alone what a great phrase you will leave me alone but I'm not alone because the father is with me you know when things become tough and difficult a lot of your good friends don't stand with you they stand with you when things are going well they won't stand with you in fact do you know what the Apostle Paul's experience was towards the end of his life Paul was such a radical wholehearted person he never compromised and you know one by one people started leaving him Dimas left him one of his closest co-workers and listen to this 2nd Timothy 1 2nd Timothy 1 the last letter that Paul wrote and verse 15 he does Timothy you are aware of the fact 2nd Timothy 1:15 that all those who are in Asia have turned away from me while the unbelievers humbly was were never with Paul any case these were believers who found it embarrassing to stay around with Paul because his standards were too high so did Paul feel like an orphan no not at all he says I fought a good fight and I finished my course he said in second Timothy 4:7 I'm just waiting to see my lord he's calling me up there and there's a crown waiting for me so what did these fellows left me I feel sorry for them so an orphan is not always longing that other people will be with him it doesn't matter if people leave absolutely on let them all go the Dimas is and like we read here the her mo Jenny's and the fie jealous second Timothy one I'm just reading verse fifteen there will still be a few like Timothy and second Timothy 1:16 on se for is that'll be few the rest let them go but Paul did not feel like an orphan then Jesus also said when the Holy Spirit has come back to John's gospel he says in John and chapter 16 before he gets there he he says one thing that you're gonna be the helped when the helper comes John 15:26 the last two verses he will bear witness about me and you will also bear witness this is a wonderful thing you know for me that's a great verse that when I speak God's Word I'm testifying about Jesus the Holy Spirit also backs that up it's the only way you should preach any of you who preach even if you are a young brother you must say Lord this these two verses must be true in my life that when I testify about you the Holy Spirit also testifies along with me about you that will go home to people's hearts go straight to people's hearts like an arrow so don't ever go about preaching without the Holy Spirit I said Lord I'll never get into a pulpit if you're not there with me I wouldn't dream of getting up and speaking anywhere in the Holy Spirit also not going to be backing me up and saying that's right you better listen to it it's the best way to serve the Lord and all of us can be that you may not be preachers standing in a pulpit but even if you're speaking to a person for two minutes somebody visits your home or you've had a sentence in an email one sentence and it's from the Holy Spirit that guy gets that message and the Holy Spirit says listen to that dear brothers and sisters what a wonderful thing if all of us can seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live like this they could not do this in Old Testament times today we can from the innermost being and I want you to come to John 16 you know there are a number of places in 14 15 16 races when the helper is come when the helper has come here's another one like that it's a great study when you get time study John 14 15 16 when the helper has come what's gonna happen when the helper has come what's gonna happen here's another one some of you are saying are wondering where am I going John 16 five none of you are asking me where am I going they knew he's going away they were hesitant to us very going because they felt so secure three and half years were the best years of their life Jesus was always with them if there was a storm Jesus would still it if there was sick people who would heal them if there was not enough food he'd produced the food there was never a problem Jesus could not solve and they said now he's going away it's like if you had a rich millionaire who live next door to you and helped you all the time with everything you need and he says I'm shifting now I'm going away and say boy what'll happen to me that's exactly how Jesus they felt when these Jesus they sent Jesus going away and then he says to them it's better for you that I go because the helper is gonna come it's gonna be just like me it's another millionaire who's coming next door to you just as helpful as me so the Holy Spirit's coming is exactly like having Jesus here even better because Jesus could only be outside the Holy Spirit can be inside that's why it's better that means he can do all that Jesus did for the disciples and he can do more because Jesus the could only help the disciples on the outside external problems storm lack of food sickness all types of external problems he'd take care of that not enough wine what about the internal problems you think Peter and James young fellows aged thirty had victory over dirty thoughts I don't believe it there were just like any other thirty year old young man battled with lust but Jesus could do nothing for them I mean when you're in the presence of a holy man you sort of get encouraged but what if he goes away for ten minutes you begin to lust all of a sudden that was their experience or they began to fight with each other about leadership and he said it's better that I go away because when I go away the Holy Spirit will come and he'll take care of your external problems as well as these more serious internal ones lack of food and a storm is not as serious as sin in the heart and that can never be solved if I stay around with you and so when the helper has come then it probably Saul I tell you the truth verse seven listen to this exactly what I was saying I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away it's better for you that I leave how many of you believe it is better that Jesus did not stay on the earth and be always with me some of us that have wished over for Jesus we're here next door to me all my problems will be solved if Jesus are physically living in your house tell me what problems could he solve every earthly problem but he wouldn't be able to deliver you from your lust and your anger and your bitterness and your jealousy and your anxiety and your love of money and all the other things you're inside your heart you wouldn't even do it and those are much more serious problems than the external problems and I want to tell all of you sitting here if any of you think your external problems whatever you're facing now are more serious than your internal problems like sin I want to say to you in Jesus name you are carnal see a rmal carnal don't even dream that you are spiritual a spiritual man recognizes that his internal problems are a million times worse than any external problem you can face and if that is how you see your internal versus external problems you're a spiritual person praise the Lord we need more people like that and those people say yes Lord I want the Holy Spirit in me I don't want someone just addy solve my external problems the Spirit of God comes in he deals with ball that's it's your advantage because if I don't go away see that in verse seven if I don't go away this helper cannot come I have to be glorified first you know if you were on earth and you knew who Jesus was I would migrate from India to Israel straight away I wouldn't want to live here without a doubt I would go there even if it is a very poor country and I had to struggle I'd say Lord I want to be where you are the second person of the Trinity on earth why in the world should I be living anywhere else than where he is would you be would you do that yes or no a few of you anyway said yes now let me say the third person of the Trinity has come here on earth and he's not in Israel he's everywhere are you eager desperately eager that he must come inside and fill your heart and be with you all the time do you recognize his presence do you honor him as you would honor Jesus say spirit of God I want you always with me I never wanted to a single thing even in my thoughts that will hurt you or grieve you and if I accidentally speak a word I'm going to immediately repent do you know that even if you are in a bad mood for five minutes you grieve the Holy Spirit I don't think many Christians recognize that before I knew the fullness of spirit I used to be frequently discouraged bad moods and everything I'm still tempted but I immediately realize hey I shouldn't be in that and repent of it as soon as possible sometimes we are under pressure but as soon as possible to repent and come back you know temptation pushes you under the water supposing somebody holds your head under the water what do you do you'll struggle to get out you won't be thinking of anything else at that time other than getting out of the water somebody's trying to drown me do you feel like that when some pressure makes you feel discouraged gloomy depressed bitter jealous or just upset you feel like a person trying to drown you on the water it's a battle you can't think of anything else at that time other than getting out and get out as soon as possible then you're a spiritual person but if you can live with that who can live with their head underwater for a long time that person no problem and that would indicate where you are spiritually I don't ever go back to those days when my life was like that the helper will help you it's for your advantage that I go away and the Holy Spirit comes in and when he comes he will convict the world of three things and I just want to mention them briefly sin righteousness and judgment verse eight the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin righteousness and judgment and that's how he begins we're not part of the world but we were part of the world and that's how he began convicting us of sin righteousness and judgment appeared not convicted you sufficiently in these three areas then you may say you're a believer but you need to ask yourself as the Holy Spirit really convinced you about these three things I think a lot of believers haven't really got through to a full conviction from the Holy Spirit in these areas well then we need to get convicted because it's not as simple as you think number one sin it's not about the sin of anger or jealousy or bitterness that's not what he's convicting about primarily the Holy Spirit goes to the root not the fruit these are the fruit anger bitterness jealousy strife bad words depression discouragement gloom all tied to things he goes to the root he says the root is you don't depend on Jesus believe means a helpless dependence you know the word faith so misunderstood but what it means is a committing of yourself to Christ to God in total dependence upon him just like a branch in a tree I believe one of the best definitions of faith is the branch in the vine that cannot produce any fruit by itself helpless dependence that's the picture I always in my mind of faith I thank God Jesus used word pictures there's no preacher like him in the whole Bible no prophet was like him who used such beautiful word pictures to help us understand and I believe every preacher must be like that to make truth clear to people the branch think of a branch we don't see so many vines here but think of a branch in a mango tree it's just helplessly dependent on the tree and that's faith it's not struggling and doing some things not trying to work up any faith when it says the sin is they don't believe in me that's the same verse name of sin because they don't believe in me that means they're not helplessly dependent on me they're always trying to do things on their own that's life under the law there's no faith under the law that's like a branch cutting off itself from the tree and saying I'm going to produce mangoes it doesn't happen so the biggest reason for sin is that we don't helplessly depend upon Jesus if a branch is not producing fruit that means some connection with the tree is severed broken somewhere the SAP is not flowing as it should faith is that it's not a complicated thing it's helpless dependence upon Jesus the total confidence in my Lord is perfectly wise perfectly loving and almighty so he can handle everything is helpless dependence upon God and that is man's biggest sin if you want to know what the greatest sin is greatest sin in the world is that it's described here you don't helplessly depend upon me and some of us who think we're pretty holy because maybe you overcome anger used to think you made great progress there was a brother I knew in one of our churches who was a Hindu who told me brother Zak I overcame anger before I became a Christian I practiced yoga there are people who practice Buddhism and yoga and conquer lusting after women anger they were able to control the tongue better than a lot of Christians but it's not the part of the Holy Spirit because it's just an external control the heart is dirty are probably dirtier than other people's hearts that's not Christianity no the greatest sin is a lack of helpless dependence upon God if you go back to the Old Testament and first sin in the Garden of Eden a choice of two trees before Adam was do you want the knowledge of good and evil to be within yourself so you don't need God you can decide yourself what is right and what is wrong or the tree of life where you have to helplessly depend on me always to know what is good and what is evil every time I have to refer to Adam said I choose this let me have it within me so I don't have to keep referring to God all the time that was the root of sin that's how he all became sinners it's not because Adam got angry with his wife or Adam lusted after some other woman nor he got discouraged that's not all sin came sin came because he chose a life where I don't have to keep insulting God or depending on God for everything I can have it resident within me I myself will know what is good and what is evil and I'll choose and the world is full of the descendants of Adam today they don't need God to show what's right and wrong they said we know what's right what's wrong and if you ever live like that you're living like a child of Adam Jesus said I don't live like that I'll keep listening to the father he tells me what's right and what's wrong and I do what the father says and that's why I say a Christian who does not read the Bible and does not study the Bible he won't know what God says how in the world can you know what God says when he's given only one book to the world only one I remember I was convinced about his fifty years ago there's only one book among all the billions of books in the world that God wrote and if that is true Lord and I want to spend my life studying that and living according to that I don't care what how are the Christians live and that's what changed my life it changed my family life it taught me how to bring up my children he taught me how to handle money it taught me how to preach it taught me everything just as one book follow it depend on him to guide you and the second is righteousness of righteousness because I go to the Father and you no longer see me the Bible says Jesus was raised again the last verse of Romans 4 for our justification it's not enough that he died on the cross he had to go to the Father and his acceptance there clothed me with his righteousness no matter if all my sins are forgiven I cannot come before God my father if I'm not clothed with the righteousness of Christ and if Christ does not stand before the father as my advocate the old they didn't have an advocate before the Father think if you're in a complicated court case really complicated one where you can lose your house and lose your money and I think you'd get a good advocate right the Old Testament they didn't have one before God today I have one who's on my side therefore I have no fear I'm clothed with his righteousness I can go right up to God with boldness the Holy Spirit convinces me I'm righteous before God I'm not just forgiven but righteous justify do you know that here's the way I can explain forgiveness and justification justification is more than forgiveness let's start off sinners we are a hundred million rupees in debt that's in sinful condition forgiveness means somebody pays that hundred million rupees debt and we are free justification means the man now puts a hundred million rupees into my bank account Wow these money illustrations are good now we really begin to understand truth so well when we talk about money better than any other illustration well it's a perfect description of forgiveness and justification my hundred million rupees are they is your debt clear brother praise God why are you living like a pauper then spiritually like a beggar because you haven't understood justification there 100 million rupees I mean put your account the righteousness of Christ is yours you can partake of his nature you can overcome as he overcame that is the assurance I have I have an advocate with the father when I go to God I have no fear now do you have a fear whenever you come before God in prayer that perhaps he's frowning at you saying he didn't read your Bible today how dare you come and see me I don't have a father who frowns at me like that those of you don't have the habit of reading the Bible are very happy to hear that right I'm not speaking to you I'm speaking to people those who spend all their spare time studying the Bible not those who are fine looking for an excuse not to read it all I'm saying is father doesn't condemn me for years and years and years I always felt the father looked at me with a frown anything I did his voice was you could have done that better I tried harder you could have done that still better but I got rid of that caricature of God that the devil portrayed before me false picture of God I have a father who smiles at me all the time he's grieved if I hurt him but he knows I run back to him and hug him and say I'm sorry dad I slipped up and he's happy if you live like that with your father I have an advocate righteousness is mine and thirdly judgment ins not talking about your judgment or God's judgment is talking about the devil's judgment the three areas where the Holy Spirit convinces me one about the sin of not depending on Jesus for everything second that I can be totally righteous when I stand before God without any fear because he's there with the Father for me and I've got his righteousness and he's my advocate and third concerning the devil he was judged on the cross he was defeated that's the other thing the Holy Spirit's not convinced many people it says here the Holy Spirit wants to convince the world that the ruler of the world has been judged he does a prophetic statement of what is going to happen in a few hours when Jesus hung on the cross the next morning the ruler of the world has been judged praise God we don't have to live any more afraid of the devil wondering in what way he's gonna harm me and what way he's gonna hurt me no we don't have to have that fear anymore I want to say I wish I could deliver every single believer from the fear of Satan I've heard believers say this so the devil did this and the devil did that it's almost they've got such a small little Jesus and a huge mighty devil it's not like that with me greater is He that is in you and he that's in the world and the Holy Spirit convinces us Satan has been judged on the cross this is the life you're supposed to live brothers and sisters this is the way we're supposed to live every single day on this earth one of the verses that's come home to my heart recently I was speaking in Sunday's church in the last three weeks and if you go to that church website you can listen to those three messages where I spoke on a very important topic how a believer in the church must be a testimony to Satan how God wants his testimony to the devil the church was via testimony to the devil turn to Ephesians chapter 3 Ephesians three we read about this great mystery that Paul says there's a mystery that God revealed to me it's mystery means it's not easy to understand it unless the Holy Spirit reveals it first Philippians sorry visions three four if you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ which in olden days was not made known to the sons of men but has now been revealed by the Holy Spirit and what is this wonderful thing that the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul which we can understand one is that in the church there's no difference between the Gentiles and the Jews that means there's no caste system in the church I don't long to spend my time with people who are of my same community if you're longing is to always spend time with people of your community you haven't seen this mystery yet you pray God will give it to you where distinction of community language educational levels social levels all disappears I tell you it's a mystery because I've seen so many Christians they gravitate towards people of their own community who speak their same language or for the same intellectual level they can't fellowship with people are not at their intellectual level they fellowship with people where there are own social upper-class level or whatever level these are people who haven't seen the mystery where you can't blame them there are thousands of people millions of people in the Old Testament who never saw it and it's revealed by the Holy Spirit I can't glory that I know it the Holy Spirit revealed it to me maybe he hasn't revealed it to you because you're not open to it but if you're open he'll show you this great mystery there's no difference now in the body of Christ between people of different races or language or culture or education or Greek culture Greek or uncultured barbarian no difference have you seen it have you experienced it I don't mean theoretically but is it become real in your life that you can fellowship with people come pletely irrespective of all these differences that's one part of the mystery and it says here that Jesus has broken down this dividing wall there's a dividing wall that we read in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 14 about a dividing wall between the Jews and the Gentiles with Jesus demolition said I don't want any dividing walls between my people but I tell you many people there fellowship with other believers is with a wall they look over the wall and say praise the Lord good to see you but the wall is still there well they haven't seen the mystery that's one part of the mystery and he says I was the least of all the saints verse eight I was given the grace to preach this mystery to the others and to bring it to light and now here's another part of this wonderful mystery that this wonderful wisdom of God verse 10 has to be made known through the church to whom we've always thought of the church as being a witness to the non-christians and to the world no it says here God wants to make something known to the evil spirits in heavenly places it's like God turning to Satan and saying have you seen my servant job and like that saying when you know the devil says god most of these guys who say they believe in you are all hypocrites God says he all right but have you seen Joe and today God's Satan says to God all these preachers who call themselves they're all lovers of money God says yes but have you seen this one that one or the devil says look at all these churches they are either legalistic or their worldly over this cliff or the other cliff and then God says yeah that's right but have you seen this church and he can point out a church to Satan in the heavenly places and says do you see my wisdom there do you see what my wisdom is accomplished in this person and that person all these distinctions are broken down they love one another and it's not based on community or language or any such thing and they're not living just to impress one another they seeking to please me in their private life have you seen people in this church how they handle money for example how they speak to their marriage partners at home have you see it Satan and Satan's mouth is shut I want to be a person whom God can use to shut the mouth of the devil I want my family to be a family that God can use to shut them out of the devil and I want a church be part of a church that can shut them out of the devil I don't care what the world thinks of me or my family or my church I'm really concerned what the devil thinks about because I tell you people in the world don't know how I live in private do you know many of you know me many years do you know how I speak to my wife at all I mean you see how I speak to her here publicly also nice but what about at home do people see how you speak to your wife husband at home the devil does he sees every bit of it do you open do the people around you know what values you have in your mind how you handle money those secret things which you keep your accounts and all that which other people don't know the devil knows everything I'll tell you honestly I'm more interested to know what the devil things about me then what any of you think about me because you know less than 10 percent of my life the devil doesn't know everything he can't read my thoughts but he knows quite a bit of my private life and God wants me to be pointed out to the devil he wants you to be pointed out to the devil do you know that the first book in the Bible is the book of Job job lived before Moses who wrote Genesis so first book in the Bible is Joe he lived hundreds of years before Moses it's the only book in the Bible which has got no reference to Abraham Isaac Jacob and think of this I thought of it like this when God decided to a book for man in the very first book in the very first chapter he talks about a man whom he can point out to the devil I said wow Lord is that the very first thing you wrote in the Bible about a man whom he wanted to point out to the devil I want to be that man I want to be a man like that I want to have a family like that I want to build a church like that not one with great music do you think God is that telling the devil Satan can you listen to the music in that church Wow can you imagine God saying anything so stupid to the devil you see how those fellows play the drums I tell you it's fantastic it's crazy how Christians get taken up with all these things you think God's boasting about that the devil will say God I'll show you some of these rock musicians they can do it 10 times better than your fellows what is God pointing out to the devil have you seen my servant Joe he is a rich man but he doesn't point to his riches he says what up man who fears God and turns away from evil it's not one who can play the piano well or drums well or any such thing no not even one who can preach well but two fears God and turns away from evil God is showing this wisdom today to Satan through the church be a wholehearted member of a church like that it's the only church in the world I want to be a part of that God can point out to the devil and show forth his wisdom and that's wholly possible to the Holy Spirit showing me Satan was defeated on the cross he has no right over your life he cannot have any power over you or your family or your church if you stand in the victory of Christ the devil will flee dear brothers and sisters let's remember why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and let's seek with all of our hearts to be filled to overflowing with this holy spirit who will help us to keep the commandments who will witness with us when we witness for Christ who will keep on reminding us to defend upon Jesus and showing us it's a sin not to do that we'll keep on reminding us that we have an advocate with the father you know you don't have to fear you've been declared righteous not only your debt has been cleared but heavens riches have been put into your bank account and it will keep on reminding us you don't have to be afraid of the devil anymore he was defeated once for all on the cross fear can be eliminated from your life and your home forever what a wonderful way to live let's pray thank you Lord Jesus for sending the helper oh I thank you with all my heart for the gift of the Holy Spirit for the presence of the Holy Spirit always all the time always convicting refreshing renewing encouraging lifting up assuring us for the father's smile upon ours so that we can live without fear or discouragement in this wretched world and work together thank you for breaking down the walls that the devil had built through many years thank you for fellowship in this church bless everyone here every family every brother and sister pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

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

Id: PP9EoB-WvfA

Length: 56min 17sec (3377 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 21 2013