The Narrow Gate and the Narrow Way - Zac Poonen - May 29, 2017

[Music] just to review what we've already been thinking of yesterday I was saying there was a beauty imbalance in the Christian life and we saw how the Bible reveals God is a God who is light and love one who is kind and strict and how he's interested in our inner life and our outer life and how there must be a balance in the way our inner life and our outer life are before the Lord let me show you where some proverbs in chapter 11 proverbs 11 and verse 1 it says a false balance is an abomination to the Lord it's good to look at our inner life private life and our outer life as something the Lord sees and it's not an even balance it's an abomination to the Lord it's an abomination when my inner life does not correspond to my outer life now so I read the source of false balance is an abomination to the Lord and a lot of people who don't take think of that seriously I think it's okay I want to be a good testimony on the outside remember this verse all your life of false balance is an abomination to the Lord if your inner life does not match with your outer life it's an abomination so what should we do get this guys know God has sent the Holy Spirit to make our inner life correspond with our outer life and that's the hope we have so if you open yourself to the Holy Spirit say Lord I believe you will deliver me from this Obama that my inner life would be exactly like my outer life my private life but I lived by myself we're not saying that we never slip up and fall but we're saying that if we do slip up and fall we set it right immediately just like we slip and fall on the ground we get up immediately and very often I have found in many people who have come to our church in Bangalore in India that there's been a faulty foundation in their life and that's why they have so many problems in the Christian life sometimes you got building a 10-story structure and there's a crack in the fifth or sixth floor the fault may be in a foundation the foundation was not strong enough and you think the fault is over there it's not there it's in the foundation a crack in the wall of the fifth or sixth floor is because the foundation is not strong enough and so even in the foundation the Bible speaks about there is a balance and the balance is not found in a lot of preaching of the gospel it's repented he said what I teach people everywhere in the world whether Jews or non-jews acts 20 verse 21 his repentance toward God faith in our Lord Jesus Christ you see the balance there that's what Paul preached everywhere whether it was it to a Jew or a non Jew and those of you who preach God's Word you need to ask yourself but you have a false balance in your preaching it's an abomination to the Lord if I preach any one of these more than the other there are some people very strong on repentance some people say the great things believe believe believe believe and there's such as so much of shallow Christianity today because people are told to believe of never repented and then there are some hyper Calvinists who say that repentance is a work and we can't do it man can do nothing man is totally corrupt but repentance is not a work see when we are unconverted as we are born into the world as children of Adam we're facing the world and sin and ourselves and God is behind us everything divine is behind us and here God is waiting to give us a gift of salvation and eternal life what do I have to do I can't receive it if my back has turned to him I have to turn around 180 degrees to receive his gift and when I do that I can't say that's a work I did to earn that gift no I didn't pay a cent for that gift but I had to turn around that's repentance it's not a work it's just turning and facing God I mean if someone were to give you a gift and he's standing behind you you're going to turn around and receive it that's all the Lord is asking and what is paid faith is stretching out my hand grace is God stretching out his hand from heaven and saying here I've got all the gifts to have heaven for you and faith is just my stretching out my hand and collecting it that's not a work either so it's a crazy thing when people say repent into the work or faith through the work it's turning around and facing God and turning my back to what I was facing before so here is where if repentance is shallow and that's what happens the vast majority of cases I've had numerous people who come and told me in our church in Bangalore whether Zak I was not really converted till I came here I thought I was I thought I was born again and took baptism and some of them have taken baptism again because he said I wasn't really converted and I got baptized the first time I hadn't probably repented and it's true you're not really converted if you haven't repented properly repentance is a 180 degree turn if I've turned only 90 degrees like most Christians do you have a very very shallow experience of the Christian life because it on one eye on the world and one eye on God and it just doesn't work repentance must be thorough it's very very important that and if you have not repented like that in your life you can do that now you've got to say Lord is there anything that I want on earth more than you you got a repent of it because God is a jealous God the Bible says he's jealous for our spirit and anything that dies with him for our attention in our love is an idol it's a form of idol worship it's like being unfaithful to your husband when you're interested in some other man as well that is a half repentance or a false repentance you go to see it like that and faith as I said is to receive what God is offering and one of the definitions I've used for papers if there's something promised in Scripture I can only believe for that the other things are God's free gift you can pray and ask God for a house or even marriage is a gift there's no guarantee in the Bible that God will cause cause all his children to be married they're people like Paul who are single but if there's something promised in Scripture for us for example forgiveness of sins for everyone or overcoming sins sin shall not rule over you anything that's promised in Scripture or he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire that's what everybody and faith is listen carefully to believe that God is more eager to give me that gift then I am eager to receive it God is more eager to help you overcome sin then you are eager to overcome sin and that's not the way most people think they think oh I'm so eager to overcome sin and I'm not able to overcome it you are full of unbelief you think that God is not eager and you are eager that's an insult to God and that's why you don't overcome come to the place where you say Lord if you have said in your word sin will not have dominion over me you are more eager to fulfill that in me than I'm eager to receive it and you'll find faith coming it was like that when when I was seeking for the baptism in the Holy Spirit my big problem was unbelief I believe I've yielded everything I had repented a 180 degrees from everything I knew to be wrong or dishonoring God in my life but I didn't believe I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I fasted and I I realized later on my problem was I felt I was more eager to be filled with the Holy Spirit than God was eager to fill me and as long as I had that attitude I never realized that was unbelief my one side was okay repentance faith was absent and so I waited years and I met people like that according to your faith be done to you is a law in God's dealings with when with man and you will receive not as much as God wants to give you you will receive as much as you have faith for so when you come to see God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit if you can believe God is more eager to fill you then you are to be filled God is more eager to give you what he's promised in Scripture then you are to receive it now I'm not talking about things not promised in Scripture there are a lot of people today preaching that God wants you to be rich and he wants you to have a fancy car and a fancy house it's no use praying for such things and believing God is more eager God is not eager to give you all that he's not promised in his word what he's promised in his word is if you seek his kingdom Bercy all the things needed for life will be given to you he'll give you a house to live in Jesus God didn't allow Jesus to be a homeless person on the street and I don't believe God will ever allow a child of his to be a homeless person on the streets but he won't give him the fanciest house in town no nor the fanciest car but what is promised in the word so if you can understand this definition of faith it's helped me tremendously this balanced repentance is a 180-degree turning around from everything that's other than God in my in my life and faith is to believe that God is more eager to give me what he's promised that I am to receive it so there's this area of balance so that's how we begin the Christian life that's how we lay a foundation repentance and faith you see the balance there and once we come there the rest of our Christian life also there's a balance the Bible speaks in Matthew chapter 7 about a narrow gate and it's not all it leads to a narrow way in fact the New Testament is full of areas where we need to be balanced just like repentance and faith jesus said the gate is narrow Matthew 7:14 and the way is narrow also that leads to life so how do I get to life some people say get through the gate no Jesus said come through the gate and walked away it's not just coming through the gate it's not just once saved always saved no Matthew 3 Hebrews 3:14 says if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence that is entering through the great firm until the end that's the finishing line we are made partakers of christ read that in hebrews 3:14 i remember someone once asked me one of the Calvinists brothers AG do you believe in once they've already said i said all can show me a scripture I said I'll show you Hebrews 3:14 one verse is enough for me if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence that's when we have come backs to the gate firm until the end that is the end of the way we are made particles of Christ that is what God says and I'd rather believe what God says than what any theologian says theologians are the ones who let people astray there is a and Jesus said it to the way to life is not just a narrow gate a small gate it's a narrow gate and a narrow way that leads to life that's the balance if you only emphasize the gate it's like as I said one side of the body muscular and strong the other side skin and bones that's a tragedy in Christianity everywhere we see imbalance in balance and imbalance is ugly and as we saw earlier it's an abomination in God's eyes and very often people quote scripture what scripture says this let me show you the devil quoting scripture Matthew chapter 4 the devil quoted scripture to Jesus Christ do you think he wants could go scripture to you to lead you astray do you think he won't quote a scripture to you to try and convince you that once you're saved you're always safe of course the devil he's been doing it all over I believe it's one of the doctrines that has led more people to hell than any other doctrine you just got to come through the gate there is no way who said there's no way when Jesus said the narrow gate and the narrow way lead to life and the devil says no it's just a narrow gate who would you rather believe and the devil Camco description he quoted it to Jesus that's the thing that should alert us that's why it's important to know the Bible and I say this if you have a Bible in your own language and you don't bother to study it you deserve to be deceived I'm sorry to say that but it is true you deserve to be deceived if God's given you a Bible in your own language and you don't bother to read it carefully because the devil quotes scripture he turned to Jesus and said jump from the roof of this temple because it is written why did he say it is written in matthew chapter 4 verse 6 because earlier on when he asked jesus to turn the stones into bread jesus replied saying it is written so that there was an r this is an it a certain person ok then i'll quote it is written so if you're the type of person who wants a scripture he'll call scripture for you if you're the person who believes in psychology he'll call psychology but if you're a person who believes in scripture like most of you are he'll call scripture to you to deceive you and if Jesus had taken that word I claimed that word his angels would take care of me and take care of my feet and jump off the temple Jesus would have died he'll have broken his head on the pavement below that's what happens when you listen to a scripture that the devil courts if you don't know the other scripture so what did Jesus reply saving you say it is written on the other hand verse 7 on the other hand it is also written you see the balance there it is written right that's in scripture on the other hand it is also written right through you find The Tempest on being balanced in our understanding of truth and understanding of the word in our Christian life there's repentance and faith one without the other is incomplete what God has joined together let no man put asunder and I tell you I could mention numerous things that God has put together this man is put asunder repentance and faith being one of the primary things the gate in the way is another thing God's put together a man separated it it's a devil who separated it so be careful of this the whole truth is not contained in it is written the whole truth is contained in it is written and on the other hand it is also written that's the whole truth that's why it's very important in studying scriptures and if you don't know or you don't have the ability to study the Scriptures you must go to a teacher who can teach you the scriptures or read a book that'll help you to understand the scriptures so one of my great burdens I mean God's giving me the gift of teaching I don't boast about it if God didn't give it to me I couldn't do it God could give it to any of you it's no different from any other gifts God gives us sight hearing is that all gifts of God there are people who born without hearing without sight so I can never boast about it but one of the burdens I had as I studied the scriptures for more than 40 years now fifty years I said lord I want to pass on to the next generation what you have taught me from the Scriptures because I see so much of false teaching around and that's the burden with which I wrote that commentary called through the Bible and I want you to know that I don't take royalties for any of my books I don't get a salary for my services I've never taken one cent of royalty for any of the thirty books I write so I don't mind promoting it because I don't get the money for it we're not you know in our churches we don't believe that we should preach for money we don't believe we should write books or articles for money Paul never wrote his episodes for money I value those songwriters of ancient times because they didn't write their songs for money today's song writers write it for money and most of that songs are just three four sentences repeated ten times and they collect millions of dollars for it but as these old people like Charles Wesley and rod who 7,000 him he never got a cent for it and that's why they were godly hymns with a lot of content in it another shallow type of stuff we hear these days anything done for money doesn't have value before God you tell me if you knew one preacher was preaching to make money another preacher was preaching value he wanted to live for God and bless people who would you rather listen to you know the answer okay now you hear you know one preachers once songwriters writing those three four lines to make money another songwriter and 200 years ago wrote only to bless people which you'd rather sing and listen to I know which I choose I know what blesses me see it's sad that Christendom has drifted so far away Babylon is centered around money anything to do with money this babylon if it is religious in christianity true christianity money does not figure that's why jesus never offered his disciples of salary it's very very important if you want to distinguish a true servant of god from a false one check his attitude to money it'll immediately show you where he if he's wrong in money he's wrong in everything and if you take this one guideline as a principle in your life you'll be protected from a lot of false teaching so as i was saying here there's a balance in everything and this foundation must be a repentance and faith there's a gate and away and as i said the other day jesus is not only our forgiver he's also a forerunner forgiving our sins is the gate forerunner is along the way and how do I know whether I'm going along that way for myself it's been like this he gives me light okay let me explain it simply when I start as I enter the gate though all my past sins have been forgiven every single sin blotted out and God doesn't even remember it yet I still retain with me what the Bible calls the flesh the old man is different from the flesh a lot of Christians even confuse that let me explain the old man is the desire to sin that is being killed when we are born again God takes that away now I don't want to sin I'm a sin if I'm careless but I don't want to sin but the flesh is a storehouse of desires that makes me want to do my own will basically it is self-will self-will in different areas in relationship money and lusts and so many things that's the flesh that still remains with me even though I come through the narrow gate the old man is finished gone as I enter through the narrow gate but the flesh is still there self-will is still there and the end of the way is the finishing line where I become like Christ completely so what is this way how do I know I'm along the way it's very simple I will be getting more and more light on the flesh I'll be getting more and more light on on Christ like areas in my life that is the indication that you're walking the way over the your stagnant weather you're stuck maybe you came through the gate and walked a few yards and you got stuck a lot of Christians I like that even those who hear me often because they don't seem to be getting light every year on the uncrushed likeness area in their life I have looked through the Bible for a good definition of sin and here is the definition of sin that I found to be the best you know many people's definition of sin is very shallow and the shallower your definition of sin is the shallower your experience of holiness under Christ will be so here is what I discovered the biblical definition of sin there are many definitions it says in 1 John chapter 3 verse 4 and 5 transgression of the law that is saying that means you know a command and you disobey it thou shalt not kill Nebo and kill thou shalt not murder or there's another type of sin which is James for the last word says to him who knows to do good and does not do it that's the opposite of doing here is where you know you have to do something but you don't do it one is called the sin of comission the other is a sin of omission most of us confess only the sins of commission lord I lost my temper I told a lie those are sins of commission sins of omission are and give you one example Hebrews 3:13 encourage one another daily have you ever confessed to the Lord all I'm sorry I didn't encourage my wife today and if you confess that sin to the Lord anytime we don't confess sins of omission Hebrews 3:13 is clear encourage one another daily who's the one whom you see daily encourage one another daily if you don't do it you haven't slapped your wife or her but there's a sin of omission there or your husband so those are two definitions of sin but here is the highest definition of sin Romans 3 and verse 23 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God so sin is coming short of the glory of God and when you compare that with another Scripture it is also written John 1:14 the glory of God was seen in Jesus Christ full of grace and truth there's a balance again grace and truth as I said the whole New Testament is full of balance it's amazing how we discover these things as we read carefully so when I come short of that perfect grace and truth that was in Christ I've sinned because sin is coming short of the glory of God in other words anything on Christ like is sin so who can say there's no sin left in them the only time you can say it is when you reach the finishing line and you become perfectly like Christ and if you're serious about your walk with God you will ask God to show you more and more the unpriced like areas in your life if you're serious about getting rid of it if you're really interested in thorough housecleaning and not a superficial one just to impress others you will say Lord I want a real revelation on everything in my life that is UNCHR ice-like in other words is there anything in my life that I'm doing which I cannot do in fellowship with Jesus Christ everything in my life I must do in fellowship for Jesus Christ and something I can't do in fellowship with Christ I must not do I've told people if you're sitting watching television and something comes up which Jesus Christ will not sit next to you and watch and you keep watching it I would even be bold enough to say your Christianity is shallow you've never really repented your conversion your repentance was 90 degrees perhaps or zero certainly not 180 degrees if there's 180 degree repentance you would not sit and watch that television program with Jesus cannot sit and watch an X sitting next to you you would not do anything if you're assigning a document and there's something fishy about that document it's not absolutely accurate maybe a financial statement and Jesus cannot sign that as a witness I will I wouldn't sign it I remember a brother in our church once came to me said brother Zack can you sign as a witness for this I said I can't because I feel this is not absolutely right you can get offended with me you like I said I will not sign other witness because it's wrong what's your signing you're cheating so if you follow this principle you'll be amazed to see the tremendous progress you make in your Christian life even within one year it'll be constant progress the revelation you get in scripture you're after year after year the progress you make the understanding of God laying hold of eternal life knowing God more and more and experiencing his life more and more in you so here is walking the way this is how I know that I have not just come through the gate but it's also not just one side of my body being built up the other side as well I'm progressing people have asked me this this is like how do you know God's blessing you and I say by the fact that he shows me uncrushed likeness in my life regularly that's how I know it's not that oh so many people came to hear me or somebody said he was blessed well praise God for all that but that is not to me the mark of the greatest blessing that's God's mercy and I know one thing that God can use me even if I slip up and fail somewhere you know some people ask me is it right for a woman to be a preacher a teacher of God's Word I see according to scripture no 1 Timothy 2 is very clear a woman should not teach men it's an absolute statement she can share her testimony or share what God has done in her life but to teach is wrong and then they say what about these some famous women preachers on television who they speak such good things and people are being blessed I agree I'm not saying people are not being blessed let me tell you an Old Testament story you read it in numbers in chapter 20 21 God told Moses to speak to the rock the first time in Exodus 17 when they began their journey God said hit the rock and the waters flowed now 40 years later God says you don't have to hit the rock now hitting the rock is a picture of Christ being crucified and he doesn't have to be crucified a second time I mean Moses didn't understand that but that was the symbolism you don't hit the rock a second time you don't crucify Christ again speak to the rock now even if Moses didn't understand the symbolism of it he should have obeyed God but he was so angry with the Israelites he took his rod and used rebels he said and he hit the rock now my question is when you disobey God will there be a blessing did the waters flow or not does God bless a disobedient servant amazingly yes why because he loved those two million thirsty people why should those two million people die of thirst just because one servant has disobedience so that was not a proof that God was happy with Moses it is a proof that God loved two million thirsty people so when God blesses a woman's ministry or a man's mercy it does not mean that God approves of that woman's teaching it proves that God loves those needy people sitting there that even when somebody's disobeying my word I still bless those people but then he will deal with that servant later on sure he'll deal with every woman who disobeys God's Word and he'll did with a man who disobeys God's Word as well he hauled up Moses after the water at floor and everybody was blessed okay Moses now time for me to deal with you how shall I deal with you for disobeying my word you have longed for 40 years to enter the land of Canaan right you are punished you will not enter the land of Canaan Wow I mean he would have gladly chosen leprosy or cancer instead of that that was the severus punishment he could get for what for one simple thing that he disobeyed the Word of God was a small thing it's a small thing when it says a woman shouldn't teach men it's a small thing when God says don't hit the rocks speak to it the question is not whether it's a small thing or not the question is who said it the personal said it was Almighty God and that sort makes a difference so that's just in passing I want to say that the fact that God blesses our ministry is not the proof that God is happy with us please remember that all your life I learned that long ago the proof that God is blessing me is that I'm getting light on the unpriced like areas in my life every day and God is my witness when say this I live in repentance every single day of my life I'm discovering areas of unpriced likeness I want to become totally like Jesus one day and I want to make progress in that and I know that myself life is like a huge onion I peel off one layer and I think I've come to the end of myself like no tomorrow something else happens and I discover another layer Wow I thought I'd finished with that no you haven't now if you're not serious you will never discover that second layer you may tear off two or three layers of yourself life and you say I made some progress because you're better than most of the other believers you know that's the biggest problem with comparing yourself with others if you want this all progress to stop in your life just compare yourself with other believers in your church I guarantee your progress will stop and you will be proud you'll get no more light on yourself but if you really want to make progress and you want to go along the way make a decision in your life that you'll only compare yourself with Jesus Christ you'll run the race looking unto Jesus not looking here and there like Peter when he's walking on the water he's saying you will sink too if you look here and there look only unto Jesus and I guarantee you will always discover some area in your life that is on Christ like and you repent of it you may slip up again tomorrow I know in my life I've slipped up in the same area sometimes many many times but I hate it I confess it I renounce it and the day comes when that giant is under my feet maybe some Giants can be killed with one blow but some of these stronger Giants need many blows before they are killed but I'm determined to kill them and you know how the Lord said don't even spare the little children of those giants and sometimes we spare those little children those teeny-weeny things which we think are not so serious teeny-weeny acts of selfishness words that are spoken in a subtle way to hurt somebody Little Giant they don't look ugly like angry words do you ever use subtleties to hurt others those are the little children of the Giants that need to be killed if you are serious about it the Giant and its family would be killed and you'd have possessed a little more of the land of Canaan so this is how progress is in the Christian life there's a balance the gate and the way another area where we see balance is in red jesus said in matthew chapter 4 in verse 10 when the devil told him to worship Him he said no it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him if you try to serve God without worshiping him your service will be shallow that's not the way to serve Him the essential preparation for worship isn't a sensory the essential preparation for serving God is not going to a Bible School if you have not gone to Bible School praise the Lord thank God for that no prophet our apostle in the Old Testament that meant our New Testament ever came out of a Bible school the false prophets all came out of the Bible school do you know that there was a Bible School in the days of Samuel I don't know probably Samuel established because it says in those days there were no prophets and Samuel Samuel made a few mistakes like bringing up his children in the wrong way but and I think history says that he started a school of the prophets it is called a Bible school and you read of them in the Old Testament they've called the sons of the prophets sons of the prophets doesn't mean there were actual physical sons of the prophets they were the Bible school students we'd call them Bible school students today you read the Bible school students who came to Elisha once and said we were building our Bible School and the axe fell into the river and Elisha said okay tell me where it is and we exploded that is a Bible school students there so those are the people who completed that degree and got their certificates and became false prophets in the King's palaces but no true prophet ever came out of Louisville school not Elijah not Elijah no apostle Jesus never sent his apostles of prophets or his servants to a Bible School ever and I believe Christianity has suffered tremendously because of all the false teaching that has come out of Bible schools all the people who just go and study there for a few years and suddenly become pastors with no experience all they know is Greek and Hebrew and ways of preaching and all that they teach over there but they haven't gone through the grind of life which all the people sitting over there are facing in their daily life these people have never done a day's secular job in their life how can they teach hundreds of people who are working in the secular job and struggling to survive in a secular atmosphere this is the tragedy in today's churches those people who stand in the pulpits have never gone through a secular work in their life and say they don't have experience they only know Hebrew and Greek and how to preach and that's why Christendom is in such a shallow State Jesus never never called an unemployed person for his work do you know that every person he called to be an apostle was someone who had been in some secular employment because they needed that experience of secular work to be able to preach to other people who were in secular work not by going and studying the Bible that's why he called them from their fishing fishers fishermen are hard workers they survived through getting fish and a fisherman can't come home one day and tell his wife and family sorry no food today because I couldn't catch any fish they can't say that you see how those apostles those disciples fished and fished and please - all right because that's how they were to survive and a truth and why did Jesus call people like that to be servants he said he wanted people who felt whether it's saving souls are building the church I have to do it until I win them I have to do it until I build the church not I've done my 8 hours days work the souls are not saying forget it if the church will not will forget it no the fisherman couldn't be like that they couldn't say I finish I'm a nine-to-five fishing now I can go home if you haven't caught me fish you can go home you got to sit there till midnight to catch the fish because that's how you're going to feed your family those are the type of people who Jesus said I want people like that to be my servants not 9 to 5 workers who will just preach or just go some eating and preaching no but who are passionate about bringing people to Christ and building them up in a local church and it will lay down everything to build him up he called such people because and they were trained in secular work think of Matthew I mean that man is a chartered accountants making the accounts of the Roman government and Jesus calls him right there in the office this isn't it put that aside and write your resignation letter and come with me and he does it I used to think why couldn't Jesus wait till 5 o'clock in the evening when Matthew had gone home he could have gone home and asked him to resign his job I'll tell you why because then it would have been written Jesus went to Matthews home and asked him to follow him and people would have said there Jesus called an unemployed man to be his servant that's why he went and called him in his place of work to show that he never never called one unemployed person to be his apostle so how is it today there are so many people who've never done one day's decent secular job who are calling themselves servants of God I have no respect for them that's the tragedy you have to worship and then serve not go to Bible School and serve and what does it mean to worship the first time the word worship comes in the Bible just by the way is in Genesis 22 it's a it's a wonderful passage God told Abraham one night take your son and he emphasized the son whom you love genesis 22:2 he was emphasizing the fact you love the Isaac don't you Abraham you'd give your life for him he has become an idol in your life you love Isaac more than you love me that happens sometimes a man can start a business and struggles he's interested in survival and God blesses it he earns enough for his family but covetousness takes over and he wants more and more and more and more and more and his business becomes his idol he still goes to church he still takes part in not everything but very subtly this Isaac has become an idol it was a gift of God that business was a gift of God but it's become his idol and then God has to say to him take that and kill it it could be something else in your life something that has didn't have the place that God had years ago because only Jesus those days but something else that God gave you this is not an Ishmaelite you manufactured yourself that you can understand when God says send him away yeah that God didn't give me I'll gladly send it away but this is something God gave you it could be your ministry I met a lot of people whose ministry is their Idol who's preaching gift is their Idol they can say God gave it to me what God gave Isaac to Abraham he said kill him God is a jealous God he does not allow anyone to take the place he should have in the throne of your heart and you know what Abraham did he didn't think twice about it it says early in the morning Genesis 22 3 he saddle his donkey and that's how I know God spoke to him at night here was Abraham and Sarah sleeping next to each other in the bed and God says Abraham I want to tell you something take your son tomorrow morning him to the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice he doesn't question he just gets up next morning I'm sure he didn't tell Sarah I absolutely know it's not written there I'm absolutely sure because imagine if Sarah asked him where are you going so I'm just going to kill my son over there that had been a fight right there and they've been very difficult for him to move so he just said bye sir I'm just going for a trip he didn't tell a lie but he didn't tell the whole truth sometimes you don't you should not tell the whole truth because it can create problems you don't tell a lie so he took Isaac to the foot of the mountain and now the servants who were with him say master where you going see listen to this Genesis 22 5 I and my son will go up and we will worship God and come back what type of worship was there is it what people today called praise and worship swinging your hips and strumming a guitar and singing so that's not what Abraham went up there to do what we call praise and worship is not worship at all and if you don't believe me just take a concordance take the word worship and look at every reference to the word worship in the New Testament I'm talking about New Covenant I'm not talking about the Psalms and Old Covenant type of banging timbrels and all that okay that's Old Covenant but we finished with the old Co nestles that's what you say you say you finished with the Old Covenant but have you finished with the Old Covenant in worship Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:24 the true worshipers will now worship in spirit not in body and soul see man is body soul and spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and the Old Testament they could only worship in body and soul symbolized by the outer court in the holy place of the tabernacle that's all they could come to they couldn't enter into the most holy place symbolized by the spirit because this flesh this veil of self life was there and so if they could only worship in body and soul and that means a lot of emotion and mind and timbrels and all types of instruments and everything that would stir up the emotions in the mind that was right they were permitted but now the veil has been rent the way into the spirit is open that's how we fellowship with God and then the Lord tells the Samaritan woman now the RS come when the true worshipers will worship God in spirit of course the body and soul will also be there I still raise my hands I raise my voice and I clap and Gladys use instruments everything else but that is secondary to my worship in the spirit do you know what worship in the spirit means in the outer court there are many people crowds of people who are interested in being born again go to heaven all the people want to go to heaven they are in the outer court in the holy place are the people who want to go a little more than that who want to serve God yeah and as long as you like to mingle with people serve God you're there but the most holy place can be a bit boring for you because it's only God who's there and if you don't love Jesus with all your heart he can be a very boring person how long do you like to sit and talk to Jesus tell me you get bored after a few minutes right you want to come out with the holy place and meet with people who are serving the Lord and talk about how we are serving the Lord then you want to walk to the other people who are believers I want to mingle with them to be alone with God is the most boring thing for most Christians they've not understood worship in the spirits and so they replace it with just a few songs and I'll call it praising worship it is not praising worship it is praise it's Thanksgiving and prayer what we do on Sunday morning is prayer Thanksgiving praise very important and very good but don't call it were sure the devil puts fool people by saying people say well what does it matter in a word now if you go to a store to buy a Cadillac car and somebody gives you a bicycle and calls it a Cadillac car and you come home paying for a Cadillac car and say tell your wife this is a Cadillac car I've never seen one but they told me this is a Cadillac car you say what does it matter why you followed a bicycle call it a Cadillac car that's how people are being fooled with worship call it worship what is it matter words don't matter it matters a lot because then you miss out on the real thing you didn't get the Cadillac car all you paid for it but you came home with a bicycle and Jesus paid for you to be a worshiper in the spirit and you end up with worship and soul and body just like in the Old Covenant and you talk about New Covenant your words you use the words New Covenant even in your songs but it's not New Covenant at all worship is what Abraham did taking the most precious thing there is in your life and offering it up to God saying God you mean more to me than this and you live there very often we laid laid on the altar and after a while pull it back I have to be a worshiper every day of my life in other words to save the psalmist in Psalm 73 25 Lord there's nothing I desire on earth but you that's a worshiper and when I get to heaven the same verse I have nothing but you there I'm not worried I'm not looking for crowns and mansions and things like that you know the song which says I've got a mansion over the hilltop I don't have a mansion over the hilltop I'm not interested what do I do with the 14 bedroom mansion in heaven you can have it I want Jesus tell you honestly people are looking for mansions and crowns are never going to be terribly disappointed those are pictures God uses because those are the things valuable on earth value what is going to be valuable in heaven closeness to Jesus Christ I love that song my God how wonderful thou art thy majesty how bright how beautiful they mercy seat with depths of burning light I sing it often and the last words especially father of Jesus loves reward what rapture will it be prostrate before thy throne to lie and gaze and gaze on thee do you believe that we'll be raptured just to fall before God our Father and not even say a word but just gaze and gaze not for five minutes for eternity in wonder that is worship that's what I'm looking forward to and that's what what I'm practicing to do on earth I'm a worshiper and the more I worship I can serve better it's a balance I don't want my service part of my body to be muscular and strong in the worship part of my life to be skinny bones there's a balance in the Christian life that the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us it is written thou shalt serve the Lord it is written thou shalt worship before you serve the Lord it is also written so you see how importance how important balances in the Christian life let me tell you this one more thing before I close the fullness of the Holy Spirit is called in Galatians chapter 3 I don't know whether you've seen the connection here Galatians chapter 3 and verse 14 let me read 13 and 14 Christ became a curse for us on the cross many people don't know that he didn't he took our sins on the cross but it also says he became a curse do you know how what depths Jesus went to to save us becoming curse by God the Father because it is written in Scripture because it is everyone who hangs on a tree that's why he had to be crucified that's why he could not be killed by stabbing that's why he could not be killed in any other way he had to be he had to die hanging on a cross because it is written that's the only way a person can be cursed that's why he hung on the cross did you know that he had to become a curse for us why so that none of us will ever have a curse in our life you've not only been free from your sins you've been freed from curse nobody can curse you you're in Christ let them say what they like Christ became a curse for me so that the blessing of God can come upon my life and it says your Christ became a curse so that in order that not that I might go to heaven in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us and that is to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit so the promise of the Holy Spirit is linked to the blessing of Abraham let's look at the blessing of Abraham Genesis chapter 12 it's good to compare Scripture with Scripture and again there's a balance in the blessing of Abraham this is what I was trying to show you the whole scripture is full of the beauty of balance the balance of truth here's the blessing of Abraham Genesis 12 verse 2 in the middle one part is I will bless you and the other is you will be a blessing is a balance it's not just that God will bless me that's one side of the body the other side you will be a blessing many people are seeking I want God to bless me what about the second part you want this side of your body to be skin and bones bless me bless me bless me what about being a blessing to others that's the balance in the Christians that's the blessing of Abraham that's the fullness of the Holy Spirit God blesses me that's the fruit of the Spirit to bless others God needs to give me the gifts of the Holy Spirit so which do I need more the fruit of the gifts which did Jesus have imagine if Jesus had only character and we met a demon-possessed person and said I love you very much I really feel compassion for you but I can't help you sorry I don't have any gifts and needy people he says I love you folks so much but I don't have any gift of teaching or preaching so I can only pray for you god bless you imagine what Jesus life would have been if he had no gifts there'd be nothing to write in the episodes there are other in the Gospels he had fruit plus gifts which is more important there's no person of comparison the God's will is that he might bless me make me a blessing that's the blessing of Abraham he wants to give me the fruit of the Spirit love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness self-control that blesses me sure I want all of it I'm free from sin thereby but then what about being a blessing to others it says God acts 10:38 says God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and he went about doing good delivering people who are oppressed by the devil the world is full of people oppressed by the devil I want to deliver those ones whom I can those ones that come across my part anyone who's a needy person who comes across my part is like that person who came to his friend's house at midnight hungry now I have to go and bang at God's door and say give me some bread for him that is seeking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit I began to seek the gift for reaching God's Word when I was 21 years old because I read in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 14:1 covet to prophesy just like people covet for money it said that covet to prophesy now I was very young and I said lord I don't understand what prophecy really means but it says here that he who prophesized speaks to men for edification exhortation comfort I want I'm trying to preach to men to edify them and comfort them and strengthen them if that is prophecy I want it and you told me to covet for it just like that worldly business man is coveting for money I'm going to do it no were lemurs listeners man is going to put me to shame by coveting more for money then I covet to prophesy and God is my witness all these 56 years since that time I have coveted to prophesy I get up to speak in the meeting and I covet to prophesy before I get up even today I never get up to speak without coveting to prophesy because I know it'll be just my empty words we don't help anyone commit to prophesy do you want to be a blessing to others don't seek for healing gifts God decides to give that to very few people prophesying is more important much more important I remember I sought God for the gift of healing many times when the Lord says I'm not going to give it to you I said why not think of the thousands of people and I promised God I said Lord I promise I won't go to rich people I only go to the poor people and I promise I'll never taken money from anyone if I pray for them and they're healed you still didn't give it and the Lord told me you know what will happen if you fight give you the gift of healing your phone will be ringing 24 hours all types of people will know about it and they'll be calling you day and night you'll never be able to sleep and all types of people will come to your church to be healed and you won't be able to distinguish who's come for healing and whose wants to be a disciple but when you preach discipleship in holiness there's a sick thing and now and then I can still use you to heal a few people and I'm happy with that covet to prophesy it is the most important gift that we should seek for and it's for all believers maybe not to the same extent that God is given to one he may give you less but at least to a little extent seek for the blessing of Abraham I will bless you since the Lord and you will be a blessing it says there to all the families of the earth and I look at it like this that every family I run into must be blessed by me in some way like it says goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life that means I go into a home and when I leave that home I have left goodness and mercy behind what a wonderful thing is because it's following me and when I left the home I've left goodness and mercy behind that think that you can be like that every one of you that's why you need to pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fire then goodness and mercy will follow you everywhere you go and you leave that behind in every place you visit and every one of us can be like that it's not just in the Old Testament it is just for the prophets and the priests in the New Testaments for everyone amen do you agree with me that's pretty Heavenly Father bring us into this beautiful life of balanced Christianity where we don't emphasize one truth over the other help us to be your disciples because a blessing to others pray in Jesus name [Music]

Channel: River of Life Christian Fellowship

Views: 16,374

Rating: 4.8395061 out of 5

Keywords: narrow, gate, way, balance, truth, zac, poonen, sermon, rlcf, family, conference, 2017, river, life, christian, fellowship, church, god, jesus

Id: qXbt-Di2EPg

Length: 59min 5sec (3545 seconds)

Published: Tue May 30 2017