The Poor In Spirit Possess God's Kingdom by Zac Poonen

[Music] [Music] you [Music] we've been talking about how God's thoughts are as different from ours as heaven is above the earth and how in the New Covenant it's the kingdom of heaven that we seek to pursue after and seek with all of our hearts so in that connection I want you to turn to a verse in Matthew chapter 5 Matthew chapter 5 and verse 3 blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven those are the very first words that Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount and if you think of the kingdom of heaven like a vast treasure house many rooms full of treasures here is the master key that opens every door being poor in spirit you can't possess all of the kingdom of heaven in a moment but if you have this master key as you progress in your Christian life you will be possessing more and more of the kingdom of heaven and the result of that will be that your life becomes more heavenly every year the spirit of heaven becomes the aroma of your life the purity the joy the like I said yesterday the freedom from depression and discouragement and complaining and murmuring think of living a life like that think of a home like that where there's never a word of accusation accusing one another or accusing anybody else and no murmuring or complaining even if a hundred and one things go wrong as they will in this evil world there is no complaint there's no questioning there's an acceptance whatever may happen we're never discouraged we're always rejoicing in the Lord even when we go through sorrow and difficulty and trial and there's no storm that Jesus cannot still there's no problem that Jesus cannot solve that is the life of heaven on earth it's not that we won't face problems if you walked with Jesus in the days when he was on earth you find he was constantly facing problems there if he got into a boat that'd be a storm if there were people around there wasn't enough food for them if he went to a marriage the wine ran out he was constantly facing problems so what do you mean what does it mean to walk with Jesus you will constantly face problems it says in Psalm 34 many are the afflictions of the righteous but that's not the end of the sentence but the Lord delivers out of all of them so the more wholehearted we are the more we become targets of Satan but we will overcome whenever I hear you know I hear lots of believers saying oh brother zag the devil is doing this and the devil is doing that and the devil is doing the other thing and I said when the devil is doing all this what is Jesus doing nothing so many believers make the devil so big he's doing everything if the electricity goes off the devil did it it's not the devil it is just poor maintenance don't blame the devil for all types of things that we are careless about now I say what does it matter who did it Jesus is triumphant the Lord is on the throne and I never see Jesus ever facing a situation that was too much for him to handle how can you say that Jesus is with you well if he's with you you'll be able to handle any situation because his promises that he'll never allow us to be tested beyond our ability but we have to be poor in spirit then we possess the kingdom and if we have not become more heavenly in our life and in our home there is only one reason and we must face up to it we are not poor in spirit perhaps we haven't even understood what it means to be poor in spirit the best illustration I have found in trying to understand poor in spirit is you know Jesus used human illustrations to explain spiritual truths he spoke about a treasure hidden in a field he spoke about a sore sowing the seed he spoke about tears in the midst of a field full of wheat and many illustrations like that a landlord I mean a man employing laborers in his vineyard there were all earthly illustrations to teach heavenly truth so to understand poor in spirit think of someone who is poor in body a beggar that's how I understood it a poor beggar and you know if you lived in Bangalore you see beggars all the time beggars can come to your gate and ask for something they usually ask for some money or food or something and if you tell them what happened to what I gave you yesterday hey that was just enough for yesterday that's what they say and they're right beggars lived from day to day I've seen some beggars in the streets of Bangalore is still there 20 years later they lived from day to day because they just get buying they wait for somebody to give them some money there the traffic lights and roadsides they're always in need and I apply that to foreign spirit I say Lord that's how I must be in relation to God I don't go to human beings with my knee then I'm a beggar on earth no in my relationship with God I'm like that I say Lord yesterday's grace was enough only for yesterday like that beggar says the money you gave me yesterday was finished yesterday the food you gave me yesterday was finished yesterday I need something more today I need to go to God like that perpetually this is the life of dependence upon God it's a life of faith life of faith is a life of Perpetual dependence upon God the sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden it wasn't just a simple thing of heating up fruit it wasn't like an orange don't eat oranges or don't eat mangoes it wasn't like that there's a spiritual meaning to that the tree of knowledge of good and evil spoke of a life where I have the knowledge of good and evil inside me and I don't need to consult God anymore because I know myself what is good and evil hmm a lot of believers live like that hmm they don't need to see garden is it right or wrong they have that knowledge of good and evil which they got from their forefather Adam and they decide themselves this is right this is wrong they don't need to consult God and it's a life of independence of God and that's what the devil was telling them if you eat this you yourself will know good and evil but as the other tree The Tree of Life was where you when you wanted to know something you'd have to go to God and say God is it right or wrong to do this shall I do this or not hmm I don't decide myself I wait upon God I'm not saying that for every little thing I do you know verbally ask God but it's a life of dependence true prayer is a life of dependence and the person who can pray best is the one who's poor in spirit have you read these books and we have read these stories of people who pray for four hours a day and six hours a day and some great men of God that never I was reading the other day of somebody would spend six hours a day in prayer it only discourages me doesn't challenge me I find it very difficult to spend six hours a day in prayer how many of you spent six hours a day in prayer these things this type of testimonies only discourage you and they condemn you III never preached that have you ever heard me talking about that a lot of these things only condemn people there's a lot of condemnation Christian circles I refuse to be condemned I go to the Word of God and where in the bible do i read how many hours Jesus spent in prayer never where do I read how many hours Paul spent in prayer or Peter or anybody else the wonderful thing about all these people the ways of God jesus said don't let anybody know how much time you spent in prayer I asked about all these matter what how did other people discover do you know do any of you who've known me for thirty five years do you know how many times I've fasted do you know how many times I prayed or how long has men Prayer you know how much I give fasting praying and giving Jesus said don't let anybody know it and if nobody knows how much you fast how much you pray how much you give you have obeyed Jesus that's God's Way but Christendom is not like that you read the biographies of these great men of God I'm not here to criticize them I'm just saying they are not my example my example is Jesus the book I follow is God's Word but so many of us you can listen to us oh this is a great man of God and I tell you without knowing it you're not following Jesus Christ you're following a man of God who is not doing what Jesus said you should do that is don't tell anybody how much you prayed what did Jesus say about prayer one word Luke 18:1 men must pray always if you don't know the meaning of always look up a dictionary and see whether it means six hours or 10 hours what do you think always means to me it has only one meaning whether it's rejoice always or pray always or always bearing in our body that dying of Jesus second Corinthians 4:10 always is 24/7 I have to rejoice 24/7 I have to pray 24/7 I have to bear in my body the dying of Jesus dying to myself 24/7 it means there are certain things I have to do constantly and then we may say oh how can I live like that my life will be always in tension no it won't what is it that you do constantly without even knowing and thinking about it breathing how many of you find breathing to be a tension well you need to go and see a doctor then something's wrong with you normal healthy people don't find breathing to be attention people who have asthma or some sickness like that find it but normal healthy people don't find breathing to be attention you've been breathing for so many years and it wasn't attention for you when prayer becomes like that you've understood what prayer is otherwise you will listen to some great man of God rate his biography and follow that guy I praise God for those men when I say I follow Jesus and I'll follow every man who follows Jesus who can show it to me from Scripture then I should pray six hours a day or two hours a day or five minutes a day but I'm not going to follow somebody's testimony years ago I decided I will not follow man if I don't find him showing me in Scripture why I should do that I don't care how great a man of God he is I don't care who he is and when you are poor in spirit you will pray always your life will be one of constant dependence upon God in the Old Testament we read this verse proverbs chapter 8 you see why is this important because we read it's only such people who possess the kingdom of heaven that's how we can get heaven into our lives and I've been desperate for years to have heaven in my life I say Lord I want your will to be done in my life like it is done in heaven I want the atmosphere of heaven to permeate and flood my being more and more and more as each year goes by I want to be more at rest every year I want to be have greater joy next year than I had this year I wanna have greater peace and total freedom from discouragement total freedom from condemnation total freedom from depression mm-hmm it's amazing whenever I've spoken words like this there are always people who'd say ah but it is not possible brother Zak have you heard of clinical depression and all these excuses they're always trying to find some way out of disobeying God's Word which says rejoice in the Lord always I say I don't care what sickness you have will a sickness prevent you from obeying God's Word that's my question then we have to make an exception Paul should have said rejoice in the Lord always except those who have clinical depression why you can add that to the Word of God if you like but I'm not going to do it according to your faith be it unto you if you feel that's the level you're going to live live there brother sister I will not live there I believe in a great big Almighty God not a wee teeny weeny God who can help me with little problems in life I had many believers I'll tell you honestly they believe in a huge devil who's doing this and doing that and causing confusion everything the devil is doing and they believe in a teeny-weeny Jesus who's sitting around helplessly wondering what to do that's why our life is so defeated and depressed and gloomy that's why we think there are problems he cannot solve stop thinking of a great big devil and there are some people I've met also believers always in get get away Satan get away get away Satan did you see Jesus always saying Gavai Satan get amazing he said it only twice in his life once of the devil and once to somebody who voiced the devil's words don't think is very spiritual to keep on saying get me a nice you get me I'm missing I don't waste my time doing that then you make the devil very big instead of wasting time to talking to the devil talk to God and you'll find that if you really walk with God God will allow the devil to test you heat the allowed the devil even to test Jesus I'm not saying he won't attack you but you won't be concentrating on him you're it's not it's not true we run the race looking at the devil we run the race looking unto Jesus so remember that in proverbs chapter 8 it says verse 34 blessed is the man who listens to me like a beggar and the gates of our houses watching daily at my gates waiting at my door posts for such a person finds life and obtains favor from the Lord I want to be one of those blessed men who wait on the Lord poor in spirit lord I can't live without you I need you right from the time I get out it's like that prayer I heard somebody say Lord for the last eight hours I have not sinned in thought word or deed but now I'm waking up Lord and I need help every moment from the time we wake up every moment we need help Lord keep me keep me I'm waiting at your gate the message Bible says blessed is a man who listens to me awake and ready for me each morning alert and responsive as I start my day's work this is the man who's poor in spirit the man who is poor in spirit doesn't say oh I'm so busy brother I don't have time to read the Bible I don't have time to listen to God because life is such a rush it's not because it's such a rush it's because you're not poor in spirit that's all you feel that you can handle everything yourself why do you need God you don't need to listen to God you're a smart clever fellow you got a lot of intelligence huh well all the best brother you're going to be one of those people who get depression clinical or otherwise but if you listen to God and depend on him because you see Lord I'm so helpless I'm dependent on you I need you every moment every moment I need you Lord I this becomes after a while in the beginning it can be a strain to develop it it's like learning to swim you see the person who's just learning to swim today is struggling but after some time you see the guy swimming across it's almost effortless if a guy lies on his back as if the gravity's not even pulling him down he's learned how to be addressed in a swimming pool where everybody else is drowning this guy is at rest that's how our life will be but in the beginning it will be a struggle and the earlier you start as a Christian learning this the better I mean I'll tell you it's much easier to learn swimming when you're four years old than when you're 40 years old and is much easier to enter into this life in the early stages of your Christian life then much later after we have developed so many bad habits blessed are the poor in spirit is one of the first is the very first sentence in the Sermon on the Mount it should have been the very first thing your teachers taught you when you were born again I remember when we started our church in our home 35 years ago we went frequently into the Sermon on the Mount for one reason because at the end of the sermon jesus said if you listen to these words of mine and do them your life will be built on an unshakable rock your home will be built on an unshakable rock your church will be built on an unshakable rock we wanted that we didn't want a shakable life in a shakable home in a shakable Church so we said ok we'll start learning and what does it mean to be poor in spirit we can possess the kingdom and I can tell you honestly it's been a wonderful experience to possess more and more of heaven of the Spirit and the atmosphere of heaven it is your birthright Jesus died on the cross that you might have that that you might live in peace at home with your wife and your husband and with your brothers and sisters in the church and there's only one reason why it doesn't happen either one or both people are not poor in spirit what is the most important requirement for fellowship you may say it's love but one will say I love what the other fellow doesn't love me you say it's holiness one person says I'm holy but the other person is not holy you may say humility that also one pelisses I am humble brother but the other fellow is not humble but poor in spirit the moment a man says I am poor in spirit but he is not he's not poor in spirit because person was poor in spirit doesn't check out whether other people up were in spirit the humble person can try and think yeah I'm humble if he's got a false humility there is checking up with other people are humble poor in spirit means I'm aware of my own need haven't you seen the beggars who come to your house are they begging for somebody else no they're begging for themselves that's how we are to go to God Lord I'm the needy person I'm not here to find out whether somebody else in media I'm the needy person I'll never forget the story I heard of a god-fearing sister who had an unconverted husband who to trouble here trouble her trouble her frequently and one day he gave her a yelling and I don't know what else and banged the door and went out of the house and he knew that his wife would always pray pray whenever she faced a problem and she had the habit of praying aloud so what he did he sneaked around the house to the bedroom window to listen to his wife brain what do you think his wife was praying she was praying aloud and he heard it not convert my husband but Lord show me where I have failed as a wife that my husband is like this show me how I can be a better wife and that broke him it broke him he got converted God uses the weak and the helpless not the strong armed I've seen many wives who preach to their husbands and I tell them you your husband will never be converted in a hundred years because you're a preacher you don't have a meek in a quiet spirit if you're lucky he may be converted on his deathbed after living a useless life but if you had been a better wife 1 Peter 3:1 says you could convert your husband without speaking a word as amazing a wife who can convert her husband without speaking a word you read that in 1 Peter chapter 3 she's not a preacher she's got a meek in a quiet spirit when many people don't understand that do you know what it means to be poor in spirit that's why we don't have more of heaven in our life that's why we complain all complaining murmuring grumbling which are not God's will those are not God's ways if you want to know how angry God was with such things in the Old Testament let me show you 1 Corinthians chapter 10 in the Old Testament a lot of things okay God overlooked but it says here in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 there are certain sins mentioned here for seven I do not be idolaters we understand that sure comparing you know he's talking about the people who came out of Egypt who came through the Red Sea you read in verse two three onwards and but with many of them verse 5 God was not well pleased and they were destroyed in the wilderness and that's written as an example for us what is that some of them were idolaters don't be that some of them acted immorally verse 8 don't do that we can understand all that don't tempt the Lord like they did verse 9 and then first and don't grumble that has happened to them as an example God destroyed them because they grumbled saying why doesn't God give us this as if we have a right the only thing we have a right to get from God is to be sent to hell once you realize that you'll see that everything else is God's mercy I think you know the trouble with a lot of believers I've found is they have not been deeply convinced right at the beginning of their life that they are the worst of all sinners and deserve to go to hell I thank God for the time in my life when God showed me that my heart was corrupt and filthy even though externally my life may have been good it was absolutely totally corrupt till I could see myself honestly I could see myself as the filthiest sinner of all I can understand how Paul spontaneously said I am the chiefest of all sinners I want to ask you my brothers and sisters many of you have been believers for a long time has there ever ever ever once been a time in your life once when you felt you were the greatest sinner in the whole world if you have never felt like that I say your probably a million miles away from God you're not anywhere near God don't fool yourself your religious yes you know a lot of the Bible you're very zealous for a lot of doctrines but you don't know God I'll tell you straight to your face you don't know God because you've never felt you are the greatest sinner of all I'll stand before God today and say I have felt like that numerous times in my life and not in the ancient past even recently where the closer you get to God the more you realize what tremendous corruption there is in your heart is the man who is far away from God who thinks he's pure I can understand why Paul said Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief he did not say I was the chief of sinners thirty years ago he said I am and it's when people are aware of that that they really become holy because they are broken a holiness without brokenness will make you a legalist remember that a holiness without brokenness will make your legalist you'll be religious you will not be wholly true holiness always brings brokenness such brokenness because you see the corruption in your heart as you come close to God and you you're poor in spirit and say Lord I'm the needy person I wait before you because I'm in such terrific need and one mark of it will be you will be tremendously compassionate to other people who fail I know the days when I was a legalist I'm not throwing stones at anybody I am not qualified to throw stones at legalists because I was illegal as myself for many years and Jesus said he who is without sin throw the first stone I don't qualify I cannot pick up a stone but I'll tell you from my own experience I was a legalist in the days when I was never saw the corruption of my own heart but when I began to see it when I could say like Paul in my flesh dwells nothing good in my flesh dwells nothing good when you've seen that not quoting a verse Paul was not quoting a verse we caught a verse ah that is Romans 7:18 Paul was not quoting Romans 7:18 he was giving his testimony in my flesh dwells nothing good and when that becomes your testimony because you have seen it not because you read it in Romans seven supposing it was not written in Romans seven would you say it I would say it if it has never written anywhere in scripture I would say Lord I see very clearly in my life it was nothing good in me but it was not like that in the early days I thought there was a lot of good in me till I saw in my flesh that was nothing good and that's when I began to understand true holiness that's when I began to understand heaven leanness in our life that is to be poor in spirit God has to reduce us to zero before he can do something and with many people he has not succeeded in reducing them to zero and that's why he's not able to give them more of heaven and one mark of that as I said is one mark of a legalistic person he's very judgmental of others very quick to criticize and find fault in other people I know sisters in our church in CFC some new lady comes to the meeting and they'll immediately answer why are you wearing on him and sister these are the biggest legalists of all why are you still going to the Catholic Church why do you worship Mary these are all legalists do you think such people have seen the corruption of their own heart no they are here to find fault with others they are the great holy people they never bring one person to Christ they'll make more people religious like them they'll never make people holy does it mean I endorse the worship of Mary or worship idols no I don't but I say I'm interested in saving this person not in condemning this person how did Jesus deal with the woman caught in the woman caught in adultery did he say tell me all that people who committed adultery with was he interested in all that no how did Jesus deal with a woman who had been divorced five times in Samaria and he was the holiest of all there was no corruption in his flesh how do we deal with supposing you met a woman who's divorced five times and now sleeping with a man who's not even her husband how would you deal with her we who are so full of corruption we have no right to pick up a stone and throw it anybody were full of stones in our hands I'm ashamed of the brothers and sisters who got stones in their hands in CFC I say to them you need to find another church you need to get out of CFC and spa don't spoil CFCs name anymore with your legalism and your religiosity and the stones in your hand go and join some other church and cut up that church if you like this is not the place for you CFC is a place for people who have seen their own need and not those who have got big eyes to see the need of other people imagining yourself to be some prophet a prophetess you're a prophetess all right but a false prophet is a Jezebel blessed are the poor in spirit they are the ones who lead people to genuine holiness were not quick to accuse like the devil but quick to pray and have compassion that's what Jesus once said to the Pharisees turned to this verse in Matthew's Gospel we need to take these words seriously Matthew's Gospel and chapter 9 the Pharisees asked his disciples verse 11 why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners why are you friendly with your unconverted relatives why do you go and visit the homes of your unconverted relatives don't you know they're sinners don't you know they're idolaters don't you know they've got so many wrong doctrines Jesus said verse 13 go and learn the meaning of this verse in your Bible I desire compassion not all your sacrifices I desire compassion there are thousands of believers who need to hear that word from Jesus go and learn the meaning of I desire compassion it'll come automatically when you're poor in spirit poor in spirit doesn't mean we tolerate sin we never tolerate sin and if there's a church that preaches against sin we do it more than anybody else but a hardness of heart is one of the worst sins of all we have to become poor in spirit you've often heard me say that the first book that God wrote in the Bible was the book of Joel is the only book in all the 66 books of the Bible which has no reference to Abraham Isaac or Jacob job had no connection with Abraham Isaac or Jacob all the other 65 books have some connection with Abraham Isaac and Jacob all the way to Revelation except job because job lived before Abraham Isaac and Jacob and since Moses wrote Genesis that is for 500 years after Abraham job lived before Moses so which was the first book of the Bible written Jo I believe he wrote it himself the reason I say that is you read it and you see all those detailed conversation can you remember a conversation you had with somebody even one year ago I can't can somebody else remember it was John himself who wrote it except perhaps the last few verses completed by somebody else after he died but otherwise he wrote that and when you see that the first book of the Bible which God wrote was about a man a man who feared God a man who brought up his children properly where 10 children who prayed for them regularly a man was attacked by Satan a man who was criticized by legalistic preachers this is the first book manrow that God wrote a man who was attacked by the devil with sickness and God allowed it God allowed it a man about whom God could boast to the devil I learn a lot from the book of Job I say Lord I see how interested you are in me from the first book you wrote that you want meet me to be a man whom you can boast about to the devil he wants you to be that the devil says there I've been going around all the world and that God says that's fine you've been going around the world but have you seen this person that's what the duck God wants to say about you and me to the devil not that this person belongs to this church many of us boast that I belong to this church we preach holiness it's no use brother sister can God boast about you by name not with church you go to not who is your leader but you can God pick up your name and tell the devil okay you've seen so many hypocrites among the believers but have you seen that girl have you seen that boy have you seen that young man have you seen that young woman they are different I learned that from Joe and then the devil says yeah but job is doing all that because you've blessed him in so many ways and God says okay take it all away take away as well take away his children finally even take away his help why did God allow all that I remember a preacher once I don't know who it was I read somewhere speaking about this he says in those days the devil said take away all those take away his wealth and let's see whether he follows you but he says in this 21st century the devil's become a little craft cleverer and says to God Lord these believers are following you because they are poor they have a lot of need but increase their salary give them good jobs give them 40 thousand 50 60 thousand rupees a month then let's see whether they follow you give them houses and cars and every then let's see whether they are wholehearted now they'll start watching movies then they won't pray as much and I tell you it's true is it true in your life then when you had little you sought God but now the devil's has given more given more giver more give a plenty and the devil's been proved right that when you got plenty you drifted away from God why did God allow job to go through all those things because with all the good qualities he had there was one thing he lacked if you turn to the book of Job I want to show you something there in joke chapter 29 and 31 what an amazing life this man lived in now Old Testament times without a Bible without any knowledge of Jesus without any fellowship without any conferences all by himself some of you may be like that in a lonely place and say oh brother some people complain brother you don't know brother zag the church in our place is pretty dead the elder is boring how can I grow spiritually job didn't even have such a church he didn't have an elder he didn't have any meetings how did he become spiritual you know it's very easy to excuse your carnality by blaming your elder who preaches boring sermons by blaming your church say oh if I were in a church where everybody is all hearted and listens to find sermons every Sunday I'll be spiritual it's not true come and sit in CFC a few years and see you'll find everybody here is not spiritual far from it job is all alone no fellowship no church no Bible no Holy Spirit but look at his life he says verse job chapter 29 I delivered the poor who cried for help the orphan who had no helper I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lane verse 15 I was a father to the needy verse 16 29 16 and so on see chapter 31 verse 1 I made a covenant with my eyes that I would not gaze at a virgin remember job is a grandfather when he's saying this is not some young man even a news young he made a covenant with his eyes I'm not supposed to look at other women I'm supposed to look at my wife he didn't read Matthew chapter 5 he didn't even have a Bible the first mention of lusting with the eyes is in the first book of the Bible by a man who didn't have a Bible today we have Christians who got their Bible in so many languages and still don't do what job did it's because even though we don't have we have the Bible we don't have the fear of God you're not poor in spirit we don't have a sense of need saying lord I need your help every day how can I gaze at a virgin and he says verse 9 if my heart has been enticed by a woman or if I've worked at my neighbor's doorway then may my wife be exploited by another person he says every man who is fooling around or looking at other women would you would you be able to say Lord if I'm lusting after women let my wife be exploited by some other man would you want that here's a man if I have despised despised verse 13 the claim of my slaves and forget that God sees everything many things is a wonderful life this man lived but there was one thing he lacked he was not poor in spirit he was proud of his righteousness and I fear my brothers and sisters that many who are pursuing holiness are proud of what they are attained they are proud of I brought up my children right they are not wayward like that fellows children I belong to a good church I'm living a godly life it's all good but your pride ruins the whole thing like I say it's like making a beautiful chicken curry and then putting a dead lizard inside it spies the whole thing you're wonderful holy life and then you're proud of it that's like putting a dead lizard inside a chicken curry that's what most people who are holy do job is like that he had a wonderful holy life he cared for the poor he didn't lust with his eyes he was faithful to his wife later on he says I didn't make gold my god I didn't pursue after money wonderful man in every possible area but he was proud of it and that's the one thing that God wanted to break down in him and God succeeded finally in chapter 40 job finally says you know the whole book is full of job's argument I'm like this I'm like this I'm like this how can you not allow how can you allow all these things to happen to me when I've lived such a godly life do you ever have an argument like that Lord I've lived such a godly life how can you allow this problem to come into my life how can you allow this problem to come into my family if I were a wayward sinner or something I can experience this but I've been such a godly holy person how can you allow this financial problem to come into my home how can you allow this sickness to come to my home such a holy person like me you're like Joe that's exactly what he said how can you allow me to be sick I'm not like these other fellows not a holy man and you don't see your lack of holiness there but finally God succeeded in breaking job and he shut his mouth and he said joke 40 verse 4 Lord I'm insignificant I will lay my hand on my mouth I've spoken once and twice I have nothing more to say you can do whatever you like I will not question that is the man who is poor in spirit you know the man who says jesus said when you have done every single thing that you have been commanded Luke 17 at the end of it say I'm an unprofitable servant I want to ask you a question brothers sisters many of us have been related to CFC churches for a long long time and I believe that many of us have kept God's commandments many commandments which you did not keep when you first came to CFC some of your sisters are pretty proud that you have removed your ornaments obeyed God not to wear any gold you rail your heads like God fearing sisters many good things you don't watch dirty movies you don't watch bad television programs you could make a list like job chapter 29 and chapter 31 but at the end of it all it's all good I'm not saying it's bad there's all good you've got a wonderful righteousness in every area but at the end of it what do you say Luke 17 and verse 10 it's an amazing verse Jesus himself said when you have done every single thing that I commanded when you have done every single thing that I've commanded say we are unworthy slaves you're unprofitable servants we have only done what we should have done we have not done anything extra so I don't deserve anything I'm an unprofitable unworthy slave I want to ask you an honest question my brothers and sisters is that really your attitude today do you find in your heart of feeling I'm an unworthy slave do you look at other people like an unworthy slave of Jesus Christ who's getting mercy upon mercy upon mercy which I don't deserve that's the place to which God wants to bring us that's to be poor in spirit the Kingdom of Heaven is yours your life will become heavenly that's the place to which God wanted to bring Joe and he succeeded because Joe went on to say in chapter 42 he says Lord I take back everything I said Joe 42 I only heard about you buy all these preachers till now that was a problem he heard about God from the preachers and that did not bring him to repentance verse 5 but now I see you it's when we see the Lord that we repent not when we hear preachers now I see you and I retract I retract means not all those things that I said I take it all back I repent in dust and ashes and the Lord restored the fortunes of Joe but the Lord is angry with those preachers and if you read what the preacher said the preacher said many right things about God but he said you have not spoken about me what is right verse 8 I want you to read the scripture carefully when the Lord told Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar you have not spoken about me what is right I may give you a little homework go back to the book of Job and read all the things that these three people said you will not find one thing wrong what did God mean when he said you have not spoken about me what is right try and find what they spoke wrong about God their spirit was not right that's what God is trying to see in you and me it's not whether you've got your doctrines right and you're preaching the right thing your spirit is not right your spirit is that of a critic and an accuser even when you're saying the right thing and that's the spirit of Zophar Bildad and elephants whereas joe who said so many wrong things when one sentence he took it all out and God says verse eight my servant Joe has spoken the right thing you know who speaks the right thing the one who says Lord I'm insignificant I repent in dust and ashes that's the person who speaks the right thing and the person who gives the big lectures about God like these other three preachers he will say to you man or woman you have not spoken about me the right thing do you know the ways of God you think because you speak the right thing God is very proud of you he's ashamed of you because even though you speak the right thing you don't have the right spirit of compassion and humility you have the spirit of the accuser hmm a person who's poor in spirit is quick to see his own fault he's reluctant to pass an opinion about another person if he expose the wrong teaching it's not because we compare that preacher with ourselves we compare that preacher with Jesus and say Jesus wouldn't do that Jesus wouldn't do what that television preacher is doing that's against the Word of God we're not comparing them with us or our church comparing them with Scripture but these three preachers are accusing job you're not like this you're not like this be careful my brothers and sisters that we don't have that spirit that may be the reason why all these years despite all the messages you heard despite all the conviction you felt you had you haven't possessed more of heaven ask your wife whether she has seen more of heaven leanness in your conduct at home ask your husband whether he has seen more of heaven leanness in your conduct at home it's not what you appear in church that is all whitewash what what's underneath that whitewash your wife will tell you your son will tell you your daughter will tell you your maidservant will tell you better than anybody else how much heaven leanness there is in your life it's true the Bible says in the book of Proverbs that if you have those who care for animals even their animals will know if there's heavenly nests in a person their master it's amazing verse when heaven leanness comes in your life even the animals say hey what happened to my master your maidservant your son your daughter your wife your husband will all sense something is happening this person is changing because he's become poor in spirit those are God's ways holiness without brokenness will make you a legalist don't ever forget that brothers and sisters make sure that the holiness were pursue after is a holiness with brokenness may God deal with us as he dealt with Joe where we come to the place where Lord I'm insignificant I'm nobody Bible says if anybody thinks he's as somebody when he said nobody's deceiving himself and then even when we had to correct somebody we will do it graciously and in humility seeking not to condemn that person but to lift that person higher to a more godly life I feel a lot of evangelism and witnessing here is attract here's a drag okay now your blood is not on my hands that's not the Spirit of Christ Jesus didn't come to the earth and say okay I preach to you McCullers if you go to hell it's your responsibility that's how a lot of evangelism and witnessing is done by a lot of people today I don't want to be responsible this person's blood this person got here you are God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world and if you want to find out ask yourself this question how many people have you brought to Christ with all your preaching hardly anybody how many people have joined your church because of you zero I'll tell you why you go around condemning people not saving them God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save them and you condemn people because you're not poor in spirit yourself but this is the time to change may God help us it's Baba for God hmm a message will not change you a message can stir you and any change will only be temporary for a few hours or a few days but if you see Jesus you will be changed job said I heard about you with my year but now I see you and I repent don't be satisfied with hearing a message say Lord I want to see you I want to see how you lived on earth and I want to be like that thank you Father for giving us an example in Jesus help us to how our eyes filled with seeing him we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

Views: 39,646

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Keywords: Zac, Poonen, Revival, Repent, God, Sermons, Jesus, SermonIndex

Id: ux3OdkD8Sag

Length: 57min 40sec (3460 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 18 2011