The Holy Spirit Reveals God's Thoughts - Zac Poonen

okay brothers and sisters welcome we hope you will enjoy meeting with us as much as we enjoy meeting with you it is the psalmist said all my joy is to be with the Saints and that's how it is and we want the Lord to be present in our midst and in all our conversation between sessions we want the Lord to be between us he will never gossip if you're conscious that Jesus is there he will not back by it he will not cause confusion by anything you're saying if you recognize Jesus is there listening to you while you're talking to each other our days these days can be d'like days of heaven upon earth God gives grace to the humble hum boo it is impossible for grace not to come upon your life you don't even have to ask for it it'll come automatically so humility we are very thankful for all that the Lord has done in the past in our midst over more than 43 years that we've had conferences we're not rejoicing in the increase of numbers because most of the time when Jesus saw a huge crowd he preached such strong messages on discipleship and taking up the cross that most people got offended and left we want to be faithful to preach the truth we don't want to cover up anything any cracks in the wall we want to repair it and I want to invite you my brothers and sisters come with a hungry heart thirsting for God seeking to hear his voice seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit that God will do work in you that will last for all of your life and also that God will give anointing to those who speak I'll tell you though I've been preaching for 55 years at least it is never easy to speak even now even today not for me it's not at all easy I feel helplessly dependent on the Lord if it is just a question of preparing a clever message that's easy I think I have enough intelligence to do that but if it is a question of speaking a word from God to the people according to their need boy even if I preach for a hundred years I'll be helpless so my prayer often is and I want to say that to all of you whether you're a preacher or even the way you live I always want to be this is the picture that always comes to my mind because this is my understanding of faith without faith it is impossible to please God you can do whatever you like but Hebrews 11:6 says without faith whatever else you may do it is impossible to please God and faith is not intellectually believing that the facts of the Bible the devil also believes that he doesn't have faith that is knowledge faith is a helpless dependence upon God like a branch is helplessly dependent upon a tree and the sap from the tree flows into the branch and keeps on producing fruit and even if that branch has been there for 50 years the branch says I can do nothing without you to the tree if you have understood that you understood faith and your life will always be triumphant I'll tell you that faith is the victory in 1 John 5 we read this is the this is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith what is that our helpless dependence upon God when a branch is like that it will always produce fruit even after a hundred years when preachers start their ministry with great power and then over a period of time they decline it is because they've stopped depending on the Lord they are starting depending on their past experience and their cleverness and the fact that people in that church who respect them that even if they speak a lot of nonsense they can still continue to be elders such people are an absolute disgrace to the name of Jesus Christ and I pray that there will not even be one elder like that in a CFC Church we want every elder to be helplessly dependent upon God throughout his life then they can be an example to all the other brothers and sisters to be helplessly dependent upon God God doesn't care for your intelligence and your ability and your knowledge not even your Bible knowledge he doesn't help the people with the maximum Bible knowledge were the ones who crucified Jesus Christ never forget that a man who was completely ignorant of the Bible Pilate I wanted to release Jesus for the people with Bible knowledge said no killin never forget that Bible knowledge can make you blind if you're not humble if you're not keeping your conscience clear so it's very important now these are truths that we have preached for 43 years in CFC and we will never stop preaching it we never get tired of preaching it because of two reasons the ones who've been here need to be reminded of it every day even if they've been here for three years and the new ones who are coming to the church who have never heard this in other churches need to hear it here and the little children who are growing up who have not heard it because not only they're coming to an age of understanding they need to hear it that's why these truths that I'm sharing need to be repeated again and again and again and again and I will never get tired of hearing it Paul's Peter says in second Peter I want you to see that verse 2nd Peter chapter 1 but all those will preach God's Word 2nd Peter chapter 1 it says here verse 12 2nd Peter 1 verse 12 therefore I will always be ready now this is an old Peter saying it was probably over 60 doesn't know how much longer he lived I will always be ready to remind you of these things even though you already know them and even though you've been established in the truth which is present in you so here is Peters speaking to a congregation who already knows certain truths and was already established in those truths and Peter preaches the same message and someplace does not know the ways of God goes to Peter and says hey Peter you preach that same message 20 years ago and Peter says yeah I'm preaching it again you preached it last year yeah I'm preaching it again I'm not seeking a reputation Peter says to be preaching something new you know a lot of preachers they I know preachers who keep a diary of this is what I preached and so on so place is what I preach in so-and-so place so I can't preach that same sermon again these are people who don't know God I never kept such a diary I don't mind preaching the same message 25 times in the same place to the same people one thing that people don't understand it even after one hearing or ten hearing sometimes so he says I will always be ready to remind you of these things even though you already know them and you're established in the truth which is presented you and not only that I considered it right verse thirteen as long as I am Alive to stir you by way of reminder in other words I'm not gonna preach it to you in some dead weight to preach it in a way that will be stirred as you are reminded of these things that's the way to preach God's Word because he's I know that the Lord has shown me where's 14 that I have to lay aside my birth lead body soon and I'm gonna go up to be with the Lord but I will be diligent that even after my departure verse 15 you will still remember what I told you because I'm writing it down and if Peter were living today he would say because I've recorded these hundreds of my messages on video and you will be reminded of it long after I'm gone that is a true servant of God so people who want to hear something new it says in the people in Athens in acts 17 that towards the end of that chapter it says Paul went to Athens they always wanted to hear something new and those who want to hear something new there are many other churches where people preachers preach clever messages you can go there but here we are going to preach what is old you know there's a verse in Jeremiah chapter 6 Jeremias chapters Jeremiah was a prophet who was trying to save God's people from going to Babylon Israel was so backslidden that God is going to punish them by sending them to Babylon but before he sent them to Babylon he sent Jeremiah the Prophet to preach to them for forty years to try and save them but he did not succeed he wept he was called a weeping prophet he would weep in secret not in the presence of people he said if you don't listen to me I'll weep for you in secret but he did not succeed they went to Babylon but one of the things he said in Jeremiah 6 was thus says the Lord verse 16 Jeremias six verse sixteen thus says the Lord stand by the ways by the ways means there are many roads going in different ways it's a junction with many roads going in different directions stand there and look for the ancient paths the parts that the Apostles taught the parts written in Scripture by the Apostles the example set by Jesus and the Apostles and ask where is the good way out of all these different ten different ways which is the good way and walk in it and if you walk in that way the proof will be you will find rest for your souls you will not be an unrest you will not be an anxiety you will not be in fear those are all indications that you're not walking the way of the Lord the way of the Lord there's always rest for your soul I found that way I'm not ashamed to say it I only say the Lord helped me to find it and he keeps me there I don't say I keep myself there I say the Lord keeps me from stumbling and the Lord keeps me from looking for some new path I don't want a new path the same old path is good for me in there's a song that the in the olden days hundreds of years ago the African slaves in America southern United States would sing give me the old-time religion give me the old-time religion that's good enough for me and that's what I say give me that Christianity that the Apostles preached that's good enough for me I don't want these modern versions that have not helped people to come closer to God and it's the modern versions that leading our young many young people astray many people are drawn to that we stand we stood against it 43 years ago we stand against it today look for the ancient parts I want you to turn with to Philippians chapter 3 and something that the Lord has been reminding me more and more of late you know the thing is as we go closer to the Lord and my desire is every year to be closer to the Lord just like I wanted my children every year to go to the next higher standard first standard next year you must be second standard next year you must be third standard isn't that what you desire for your children that is exactly what I desire for myself every year a closer walk with God a better knowledge of him every year more revelation do you have that passion or are you like those lazy children who go to school only to play marbles and play the fool with others and fail in every subject and remain in the same class year after year after you ask yourself ask your husband if there's any improvement in your behavior ask your wife if there's any improvement in your behavior at home if not brother-sister however much you may attend conferences and listen to messages you are in the same class don't deceive yourself and wake up one day before the Lord and the Lord says 40 years you sat in the same class what were you doing well if you listen to what I say you won't be in the same class at least not next year take it seriously Philippians 3 accomplish so much here planted churches he had written Scripture he had done miracles he had raised the dead he had even been taken up to heaven and come back and he's humble enough to say in Philippians 3:12 I'm not perfect every true disciple will say I'm not perfect but he didn't stop there he said I press on I want to be in a higher class next year to lay hold of not to plant more churches or to preach more messages no no no no no no no that's not my goal my goal is to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me that is what to make me like him that is how you go to an higher class if your one passion in life not to become an elder or to be a respected brother or sister rubbish but I want to be a little more like him next year a little more gracious a little more humble a little more loving the truth and hating unrighteousness a little more firm for God and for the truth and a little more unbendable upright that is to be like Jesus to be compassionate towards the weak towards the backslider to hate no one no one means no one to hate zero people in the world is that your goal is that your goal to hate zero people in the world to love everyone to forgive everyone no matter what they did to you is that your goal are you seeking to go higher and higher every day only if you have this passion I press on he says I press on and I hope as a result of this conference you will press on and if you want to do that verse 13 one thing I do verse 13 middle there's only one thing I do that's the primary thing in life if your one aim in life is to get a promotion in your job and to be go higher and higher and higher and learn more and more money you can do that but that should not be your main goal in life that should be way down somewhere else Lord my one aim in life is to become more like Jesus Christ that is the only proper aim that any true disciple of Jesus must have we read here what God has prepared for those who love Him what has he prepared for us is there anything greater that God can prepare for us then say I will make you like my son Jesus Christ anything greater than that what is he prepared for you what are you looking for if you're sick are you looking for health No I want to be like Jesus whether I'm sick or healthy doesn't make a difference I want to be like Jesus it's all sickness is not gonna hinder me from being like Jesus in fact it may help me to be a little more like Jesus because I don't complain in that sickness and I don't make any demands on my wife or anybody else when I'm sick and I don't want to get sympathy from anybody when I'm sick yeah then I become like Jesus everything can help me to be like Jesus everything and so he says now listen to this this is the one thing he does forgetting what lies behind was 13 and 14 and reaching forward to what lies ahead I press toward that goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus a little more detached from the earth a little more detached from the earth a little more detached a little more detached like the rocket going up and up and up and up and up that stops at the moon but we are aiming for heaven so forgetting what lies behind is the phrase which has been lured upon my mind in the past few weeks and months forgetting what lies behind means I picture it like a curtain that falls just behind me not so far behind but immediately behind me so that when I look back I can see nothing I've forgotten everything I say what have I accomplished for the Lord oh nothing I look back and say how much progress I've made can't find out because the curtain has fallen right behind me in other words I'm not conscious of anything I've done or accomplished it's a choice of my will because you know I'll tell you something the devil knows that God gives grace to the humble and so he will try every possible way to prevent you from being humble so that you won't get grace because the devil knows that if you get grace he has got no hope against you he'll overpower you left right and center without grace but once you get grace he will flee from you and that is why he tries to puff us up how by either by making us proud of our intelligence or looking into a mirror and seeing how handsome or out pretty you are or of some good things others people said about you or remembering what all you accomplished for the Lord Wow you see there's nothing wrong in remembering what you did for the Lord last year or in the last 20 years or 30 years of 40 years aha the devil's got you brother sister has got you completely forgetting what lies behind forgetting how much the Lord is already blessed forgetting whatever I may have done I look at myself I deliberately exercise my you know the wonderful thing is we can exercise our will to say no and I don't live in my mind I live in my will that's why I never get discouraged for many many years I never get discouraged it's the honest truth because I don't live in my mind I live in my will in the olden days I used to live in my mind and I'd be frequently discouraged even as a believer but no longer it's gone I say I refuse to be discouraged it's an act of the will I refuse to look back I look refused to look around like Peter and sink in the sea I look at Jesus and I say he's on the the God is on the throne my father is there and Jesus is always there with me he said I'll never leave you nor forsake you that's all that's enough for me I don't need to think about how intelligent I am or how many people will help me or and I never think about what I have done written brothers icon zero how many sermons have you preached zero what have you done for the Lord zero I thought of that even today Lord I want come to this conference as one was never in my life done a single thing for you that's an act of my will in my memory there may be so many things I don't live in my memory develop this habit it'll change your life ask the Holy Spirit to help you to live in your will I refuse to look back and see what I've done I will look back and remember the foolish things I've done oh yes because that helps my humility but if I look back and think of all which I think I have accomplished for the Lord that will feed my pride so I forget what lies behind and I want to live like that tomorrow I want to be as if I did nothing for the Lord today tomorrow's my first day the day after tomorrow will again be my first day this is the day the Lord is made I will rejoice and be glad in it I want to encourage you my brothers and sisters live this life I discovered this way after many many years you can you're hearing this you can discover this way as a young man now start now where I started after many years failure and defeat but I praise God that the last 43 years has been different mercy on me please take this seriously forgetting the things that are behind forget the evil other people have done to you forget it by your will in your memory to be there doesn't matter I refuse to think about what evil others people have done to me I refuse to think of what I've done for the Lord I refuse to think of all those things but like it says in second Peter 1 I will remember the sins I committed in the past it says here about a number of qualities that we can have second Peter 1 and talking about a number of qualities in verse 5 6 and 7 godliness brotherly kindness cetera love verse 8 if these qualities are yours and increasingly you'll be fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ now listen to verse 9 this is the words I want to show you if you lack these qualities which is which qualities however six knowledge self-control perseverance godliness brotherly kindness love if you lack these qualities verse eight verse nine sorry you are blind you're short-sighted because you have forgotten your former sins so there is something we have to look back and remember not what we have accomplished for the Lord but the sins we committed humbles us he says if you've become short-sighted short-sighted means you know you can only see for a very short distance that means I look back and I can only see the wrong things I did yesterday and I'm short-sighted I want to look back and see the foolish things I did 60 years ago yeah I'm not condemned by because there's not a single sin on my conscience it has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus I have no zero condemnation I've confessed my sins the blood of Jesus has cleansed me so I can look back over sins that have been cleansed but it helps me to be merciful to other people when I see them doing the same stupid things that I did 50 years ago and it also helps me to be humble so I don't want to forget my purification from my former sins I don't want to forget it but I do want to forget how much progress I have made forgetting the things that are behind if you can understand this balance huh I'll tell you this has helped me tremendously in my life to make spiritual progress to live in my will and to determine that each day where I say this is the day the Lord is made and I'm gonna begin following the Lord today I'm not gonna look back and think of how much I progressed and I'm also not going to constantly look back and my former sins but whenever I'm tempted to think I've accomplished something I remind myself Lord I know what I was that's why at the end of Paul's life he could say in 1 Timothy 1:15 I am the chief of sinners what did that mean was he committing murder or adultery No he never done that knowledge all his life how did he consider himself the chief of sinners because as he came closer and closer to God he was so aware of God's standards that he began to see so many things which are much lower than God's standards which other Christians didn't even see and he says oh god what a lot of wrong I've done in my life for so many years unconsciously I've done this and had this attitude that had cured is it I'm really the chief of sinners see this is the balance in the in life the more you get closer to God in holiness the more you see what a lot of sin there is in your flesh that you had not noticed before it's the bright light of God shining and you get light on something new it's like going from six tender to seven standard and you learn something in mathematics that you never learned in six standard and then you go to eight standard and you learn something new it's like that you come closer to God and you say boy I never even thought that was sin and I've been living in that for so many years I didn't even know it was sin discovered something like that something you didn't even think was sin and the Lord begins to show you for the first time in your life and you have lived like that for years and you didn't even know it was saying that's called revelation on unconscious in that's how we must live so if we want to receive all that God has prepared for us we must have this attitude with me now to Isaiah and chapter 64 as I 64 here is a prayer of Isaiah Oh God if you can render heavens and come down the mountains in your presence and the nation's tremble and your adversaries will know your name verse 4 how you did that in olden days heard that the human eye has not seen verse four they have not heard ah perceived by the year or seen in the eye by the eye a god like you who works on behalf but those who wait for him this is what Isaiah said he is praying that God would rend the heavens and come down and he says because you have from the days of old we believe that what you want to do people have not understood they have experienced many things in the past but what God wants to do human eyes have not seen worse for human years have not heard it has not entered into the mind of man how God will work on behalf of those who wait for him but Isiah could never see it in his day but after Jesus came that verse is quoted in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 now human eye can see and the ear can hear God can understand 1 Corinthians 2 chapter 2 and verse 9 quoting from Isaiah the same words we just read things which eye has not seen is not heard enter the heart of man that means all of man's human abilities and intelligence and capabilities cannot understand all that God has prepared for those who love him that's our theme for this conference or what God has prepared for those who love Him and you can't understand it with human intelligence and human eyes cannot see it human ears cannot hear it human mind cannot grasp it but then how do we know verse 10 but God has revealed them to us through the Holy Spirit in other words it's not something that our physical senses can grasp it's not something that your human intelligence can understand that's why we are against Bible schools in Bible schools people use their human intelligence to read books written by other people about the Bible and they don't really get to know what God wants them to know there are very few books I'll tell Christian books are millions but in my life I have read very few authors who speak by revelation that's why I don't read many Christian books you know a lot of people give me Christian books and I have no time to read them I read them in my earlier days when I didn't have much understanding but I hardly find a book that gives me revelation it's all information so I don't have time there are people who write books on marriage and bringing up children and so many things there are Christians who read it okay go get brother but I don't find much and if it is not revelation from God I have no time for it I don't even have time to listen to a lot of messages because I listen to a little bit I said boy this guy is intellectual he's not revelation it's not from God it's not the Holy Spirit I don't find the Holy Spirit moving in my heart when I hear this person speak why should I waste my time listening I've got better things to do go and sleep or go for a walk or something no it's only that which comes from Revelation is a value in the New Testament in the Old Testament it was different the Holy Spirit was not dwelling in man or dwelling in the people everything was study study study study read read read the scribes that's why the scribes are the great people in the Old Testament but at the end of Matthew chapter 13 jesus said the scribe must become a disciple shouldn't remain ascribe must become a disciple that means you got to experience these things and most of those crimes did not want to be disciples God reveals them by his Spirit because the spirit searches the deep things of God and just like no one can know your thoughts verse 11 only you know your thoughts he says only the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God only the holy spirit knows the thoughts of God I wish every one of us would be gripped by that one truth only the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God and if you want to understand the thoughts of God you got to go to the Holy Spirit you cannot get it by reading the Bible you got to ask God the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible to you otherwise you will not understand the thoughts of God you'll get an academic knowledge of Scripture and that is what has produced thousands of denominations everybody holds the Bible and says we've got the truth and they'll prove it to their intelligence this verse that words the other words and if somebody can convince you something from the Bible it only shows that he's cleverer than you it doesn't mean he's right it means he knows more of the Bible than you and he's cleverer than you so he can argue like a lawyer and convince you of something and if you are stupid enough and foolish enough to just go at that level you'll go astray into false doctrine we've had people from CFC who left CFC think saying that we've understood more about the grace of God the free grace of God from some other book they read somewhere and since what CFCs preaching is too much legalism okay god bless you brother I would tell such a person please watch your life and your family life in the next five years and tell me whether you really found the grace of God or whether you went down I can guarantee they've gone down the truth of God is not found in by intelligence it's by revelation of the Holy Spirit because listen to this only the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God so when you go to scripture and so I go I say Lord in worldly things I'm very intelligent I can read a book with my mind and understand it but when I come to scripture I am dumb foolish I don't know I want to be like a little child because Jesus said I thank you Father Matthew 11:25 you have hidden these things from clever intelligent people and reveal them to babes so God reveals it says in verse ten through the Holy Spirit because he alone knows the thoughts of God so we think of this phrase of ours what God has prepared for those who love him are we going to find out by studying the Bible yes but allow the Holy Spirit to show you the thoughts of God in the Bible if you don't get the thoughts of God in the Bible you just you won't get his riches revelation revelation that's the thing we have stressed in CFC from the beginning not understanding the devil has got more understanding but revelation is from the Holy Spirit turn with me to second Corinthians in chapter 3 he says in verse 6 God has made us adequate as servants of a new covenant not of the letter but of the spirit because the letter kills the spirit gives life so you can read the letter in the Bible and get a doctrine it'll kill you spiritually if you allow the Holy Spirit to give you revelation on that it will give you life that is why sometimes it's honest true sometimes my Bible reading for the day is one worse like that in the early days I've read studies study the whole Bible but nowadays many times it's one verse and I want revelation I want to know the thought of God in that one worse what is the purpose memorizing Bible verses memorize Bible verses in the mind that's good for children good very good to teach children to memorize verses I'm thankful for the verses I memorized I would encourage all of you to memorize Scripture in your churches I would encourage you to get people to memorize the verse one small words every week very good have it especially children get them to stand up and repeat that verse and one day as we hope it'll sink in and become revelation sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace I read that verse for 1617 years before it became revelation how do I know I didn't have revelation because sin had dominion over me I was born again I did not understand grace I remember that day it hit me as revelation I didn't become more intelligent that day in fact the doctors say our brain cells keep dying every day so I probably had less brain cells 17 years later but I got revelation seek for revelation so otherwise it'll be on the letter and the letter kills and then he gives the example of Moses who had a veil over his face and he uses that example to say that when people read when the people read the Bible but the Spirit of the Old Covenant verse 14 that there's a whale there because in the Old Covenant they did not have the Holy Spirit in their heart so the scribes could only use their soul not their spirit the soul that is their mind to study the Bible they use their mind to worship God but Jesus told the Samaritan woman that time has now come and we worship God in the spirit there's a lot of difference between worshiping God in the spirit and in the mind and I'll tell you 99% of all the so-called praise and worship that people have in many churches it's from the soul it's not from the spirit and if you say if you ask me what is the difference you ask God to show you the time has now come when the true worshipers will worship God in the spirit and I thank God I've learned that I've stopped worshiping in my soul I make I'm nothing I get rid of my soul the soul is subject to the Holy Spirit if if the soul is without the Holy Spirit's like a widow no husband nobody to guide me but isn't it good for a wife to have a husband who's the head of the home like that the soul I'm not saying we should destroy the soul we don't kill the widow but it's good if she has a husband a soul without the Holy Spirit's like a widow but if you allow the Holy Spirit to rule and inform and control the soul you get light on many things or true worship is what grace is or what overcoming sin is so it says here these people when they read the Old Covenant there's a whale it's like you take up well you put a handkerchief over the Bible and hey you can't read it it's all hidden you remove the handkerchief ah now I can see something that's how going from understanding with the soul to Revelation of the Spirit is it's like that veil is removed oh boy now I can see what that verse means that's how verses in the Bible can must hit you and then what will happen it says in second Corinthians and three that spirit is always a veil but verse 16 if you turn to the Lord and that's not talking about the Lord Jesus there that is the one place in the Bible the one place in the New Testament where the Lord refers to the Holy Spirit the next verse it says verse 17 I'm talking about the Lord the Holy Spirit when you turn to the Lord the Holy Spirit that veil is removed oh you begin to see something and then when that veil is removed what will happen instead of seeing a verse or a doctrine verse 18 in the Bible you will see verse 18 the glory of Jesus I praise God study the Bible now I see the glory of Jesus even in a simple doctrine like women should veil their heads when they pray or prophesying which is a big point of argument in Western countries you can take it as a doctrine and enforce it as a doctrine and I know what has happened in many legalistic churches in the u.s. who enforce it as a doctrine its spiritual depth these women sit there with their heads veiled and proud I've seen that in Pentecostal churches it's not a revelation they haven't seen Jesus they've seen a doctrine I don't want to see a doctrine in the Bible I want to see Jesus I want to see the glory of Jesus when I see a doctrine it's because of a veil you think you've understood it yeah your soul is understood it your mind has understood it but when the veil is removed you see the glory of Jesus there Wow what is the glory of Jesus the glory of how Jesus submitted to his father and it says they're a woman submits to her husband or to the elders in the church and she's covering your head to show this is my glory you sisters who are covering your head today do you understand that do you understand the meaning of your covering are you saying this is my glory like Jesus submitted to his father throughout his earthly life God made me a woman and called me to submit to my husband and to submit to the elders in the church not in a slavish type of way no how did Jesus submit to the Father he was not a slave he was a happy son see I'll explain a little doctrine to you now which may have been only a doctor until now you've done like that to any verse of scripture the veil is taken away you will see the glory of Jesus I read the Gospels and here and there I see the glory of Jesus and something he did something he did not do and then what will happen when I see the glory of Jesus the next thing that the Holy Spirit does verse 18 again he changes me into that same glory now I cannot be changed into that glory if I don't see it first it's not only to one another not only a woman to a man have you read this verse husband's be subject to your wives can you show me that verse in the Bible if you heard me before you know where it is because I preached about it before all your sisters are excited husbands be subject to your wives in the fear of Christ verse wives be subject to your husband's as to the Lord both are there if you want to know where it is don't quote it your husband this is for you to meditate on yourself like I tell husbands don't quote your wives wives be subject to your husband's that is written for wives not for you don't read other people's letters what is written for your wife let her read it what is literate n't for your husband let him read it don't open somebody else's letter and read it out to the other person they can read it themselves okay Ephesians five verse twenty-one be subject to one another in the fear of Christ then the wife can be subject to the husband and the husband can love the wife if they have first come to verse 21 but if you skip over verse 21 and go to verse 22 [Music] in a legalistic way and there'll be conflict in your home with a wire husband telling the wife you must submit to me and the wife saying but you must love me like Christ loved the church you're not loving me like Christ loved the church why should I submit to you all these arguments are because they skipped over verse 21 read the Bible in sequence be subject to one another in the fear of Christ even children obey your parents do you know there are areas where I have to even respect the boundary of my children they may be my children even when they are small at home for example I cannot punish them publicly if they do something wrong in the presence of guests because that's a double punishment I spanked him and I humiliated them I'm not supposed to humiliate them a child has got a dignity correct him for the wrong but don't humiliate him before others spank him later or take him to another room because he's got a he's got a boundary of self-respect I've got to be subject to that boundary even to my children it's one example I can't treat the child as if this is my creation no God created Mama's record I must respect my children be subject to one another in the fear of Christ even masters and servants which goes on to say I must be I must respect the boundary of my servant I cannot humiliate him I must pay him what he's due if you like to get a bonus find me a company how many of you like to get a bonus from your company everybody don't you think your servant at home should get a bonus from here once in a while or you are so legalistic and say I promise to pay you so much every month and that's it imagine if your company spoke to you like that treat other people the way you like to be treated yourself I'll tell you something which I've discovered through many years be good to other people God will be good to you be kind to other people God will be kind to you treat other people's children well I'll take care of your children somebody else somewhere when your children of are away they will treat your children well because you treated somebody else's children here we reap what we sow we're not doing it in order to get that reward no we do it it says in verse 21 out of the fear of Christ out of reverence for Christ I do it not if I do this I'll get something from God no in reverence for Christ I want to be kind to people good to people and be subject to the recognize their boundaries not humiliate them in any way recognize the boundaries of people always be respectful to people even if it's a porter and a railway station arguing with you about how much you have to pay him for carrying your luggage or an auto rickshaw driver I'm not saying just give him whatever he wants but respect him as a human being we don't shout and yell at people the same way I want to say to your elders you also have boundaries don't sit up and stand up in the pulpit and yell and scream at all the people in your church as if they are dumb stupid people I've heard elders speak like that that's not God's Way they have got a boundary respected be subject to one another in the fear of Christ you know that I speak very strongly because Jesus spoke strongly but I'll tell you I always speak the respect I speak with the respect I'm if I expose the humbugs I'll tell you how I speak with the respect that in 1071 find me mention anybody's name Atari respect Jesus never spoke about Anna's and Caiaphas and no he said Pharisees Sadducees so I may speak about pastors and money loving preachers but I don't mention anybody's name even though I know their names I will not mention it it's a matter of respect I recognize my boundary so we had to be very careful and don't go into a ministry that God has not called you I've often told people don't try to preach what the way I preach because God may not have called you to preach and emphasize the things I emphasize recognize your own boundary respect one another in the fear of Christ so if we follow these simple principles the Holy Spirit will keep on giving us revelation and we will discover what God is prepared for those who love him they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit one last verse before we close Matthew 11 you know this verse what I want to remind you of it Matthew 11 and verse 25 it says in verse 20 he began to denounce the cities where most of his miracles were done because they did not repent the city's Matthew 11:20 and then he realized that to repent here to get revelation from God and so he said in verse 25 I praise You Father you have hidden these things from all these wise and intelligent people who are in verse 21 chorus in Bethsaida and all these places very clever people and who are in Capernaum verse 23 all these clever people there you have hidden these things from them but you have revealed them to infants two babies you have hidden these things from clever intelligent people reveal them to babies you come to the Bible with your cleverness and your intelligence you will never know what God has prepared for those who love him but you come like a little baby and say Lord I don't know anything teach me you'll get revelation on things that are hidden from the cleverest people in the world that's how we progressed in the Christian life let us pray so while a heads about in prayer I want to encourage you my brothers and sisters to deal with that one area where God has spoken to you [Music] and say lord I want to humble myself I want to seek more for revelation in my life show me your will help me where I need to get light tell me to forget the things that are behind and press forward to the things that are ahead word will remain in our hearts and produce fruit pray in Jesus name

Channel: CFC India

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Id: FI_h1zrqJKY

Length: 61min 34sec (3694 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 24 2018