The Spirit Produces Fervent Devotion to Christ - Zac Poonen - September 6, 2015

think of that as a love God that means of my assurance of my father in heaven loving me it's just this much when I'm born again my knowledge of my father's love for me who must become like a bucket as I grow must become like a pond like a river like many rivers so I want to encourage all of you my dear brothers and sisters as we conclude this conference pray that God will give you a tremendous revelation of his love for you this is the whole secret of the Christian life they never could understand it in the Old Covenant when you say that the Spirit of God could not dwell within people in the Old Covenant they couldn't understand how much God loved them it is only the power of that love recognition of that love that God loves us that's gonna make us serve Him to the end of our lives willing to make any sacrifice you think of the early Christians what is it that made them willing to go to the prone to death to sing when they were being burnt at the stake or thrown to the Lions we faced nothing what we've got is mosquito bites they were thrown to the Lions we should be ashamed of ourselves that we complain about silly little things some little petty requests of ours God didn't answer and some believers get all upset about that where do we stand in relation to the early Christians who were thrown to the Lions and would sing songs in my sitting room I have a big painting of that Roman Colosseum and then early Christians all in torn clothes if you have been kneeling down there and an older person leading them in prayer and lions coming out of the cages to devour them I look at it often my life is very comfortable compared to theirs but I never want to forget that these are my brothers and sisters these are my forerunners these are the first spirit-filled people they weren't sitting in comfortable chairs singing songs and speaking in tongues and making a lot of noise and jumping and dancing they were laying down their lives just because they would not say Caesar is Lord that's all you only had to say three words to escape Caesar is Lord they say we won't say say Jesus Christ is Lord I've heard stories how when the Lions would come upon them and they would be praising God and every one of them even young girls and without any fear and somebody up in the auditorium would be so convicted seeing that in seeing this is the real faith all the idols are worship or nonsense mm-hmm and he would shout out I am also a Christian and they would catch him and throw him to the Lions to imagine that I think of that and I said Lord make me worthy one day when I stand in heaven and I see these people and they ask me for my story my testimony and they tell me there's what will I tell them but the silly little things I complained about on earth the worthless mosquito bites that I called problems I'd be ashamed to open my mouth these are brothers and sisters have gone ahead of us I would any day make them my foreigners than all these shallow television evangelists with their million-dollar aeroplanes fooling simple people I have no respect for them zero these are my foreigners I also have another painting and the one you just saw just now the father embracing the Sun these are the things I look at frequently because I need to remind myself not only of how these people loved the Lord but also I want to remind myself of the temp time I came back to my Heavenly Father and he ran to welcome me when I had dishonored his name and he could have sent me to hell I dishonored his name and as a believer you know the sins we commit when we are born again after we are born again I'm much more serious than what we commit before we are born again if you tell a lie after you're born again to me that's like telling a thousand lies when you're unconverted so every little sin becomes magnified I don't know whether that's happened to you but I've found as I've come closer to the Lord sin becomes exceedingly sinful like the Bible says that means it's like seeing something under a magnifying glass that thing which looked like a small speck is a huge rock do you find sin like that a little bit of a complaining spirit a little bit of something in your heart and anger that you didn't even express yeah the only thing that's made me see these things is seeing it all in the light of God's love the Holy Spirit fills my heart with the love of God and this has been my testimony even though I was converted when I was 19 into half I really had a deep and I had a anointing even when I was 23 to be able to preach and it was quite powerful and I had great Liberty God had gifted me but in spite of that I back slid as a preacher I'm ashamed to say but I want to say it for the glory of God the grace of God that reached out to me and didn't let me go and drew me back and filled me with the Holy Spirit it was exactly like that picture there was a time when I was a sinner then I came to the Lord then I was a son but wander away like that prodigal son when I came back he ran to welcome me and that's what I can never forget then I owe my whole life to him I I thought of you know when I was first converted was a little picture the Lord gave me in my little immature Christian way I felt I I think in pictures I read the Bible and I see pictures and it helps me to understand scripture better that's how I preach also mm-hmm because I see that Jesus always spoken pictures and one of the pictures I saw was myself I don't mean a vision it was just in my mind I saw myself as someone about to cross a road in a massive truck came and I didn't see it was about to run me over and someone came and pushed me out of the way just in time and he got run over he didn't die but his legs were completely crushed and broken this is the picture it's like a parable and I go to see this man in the hospital with his amputated legs and I used to think I was only about 2021 then what would I tell him will my thank you for doing that for me will not be sufficient I owe my life to him I would be dead if it were not for him but he's lost his legs I would say listen I don't know what I can do for you in return but if ever in your life you need anything anytime just call on me I'll drop the most important thing I'm doing and I'll come I don't care where I am I'll fly around the world or anything I'll come to help you you just got to give me a call I will not wait one moment that's how I decided to commit myself to the Lord I owed my life to him and I said Lord I will never again live for my own ambitions I have not never again lived to make money on earth I owe my entire life to you I wouldn't be alive if it were not for you I don't know whether you have seen the love of God like that and responded to him not in see so much of the way a lot of people are asked to give to God now is so commercial God is like a banker offering a higher rate of interest than some of these other banks that's how some preachers preach come and give your money to this ministry God will bless you with a better job better house this is all business I don't know how in the world Christianity has descended to this level the merchantman have come into the temple what surprises me more is the thousands of Christians who sit and watch all this with their mouths open wondering he's not a man of God he's a trickster there's hardly anybody available to expose him if Jesus was here he would just take the whip and chase them all out and I'm not afraid of saying it some of these people claimed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues and all I don't just believe it at all because of one reason when the Holy Spirit filled me he freed me from the love of money these people love money what type of baptism in the Holy Spirit is that that makes you love money more it should make you like like Jesus but there these people are not like Jesus I don't respect them at all I say this as a need to expose these things because nobody else exposes them there was nobody to expose the Pharisees to Jesus came along and because he exposed them people like Peter and James and John were freed some people say you shouldn't criticize any of these people you may be blaspheming yes all these verison rubbish I'm not afraid about that the Bible says beloved believe not every spirit 1 John 4 verse 1 but test the spirits do you do that when you listen to a preacher do you test his spirit do you see whether he's interested in your money interest or he's interested in your soul do you see whether he's attaching you to himself or drawing you to Christ so important in these days these are days of deception I want to test the spirits does listening to him make you want to give your money to him or make you want to give your life totally to Jesus that's the test and I found when the Spirit of God you know I was in this backslidden state as a preacher and I came to the place where I said lord I won't continue preaching any more with us I'm just a hypocrite that's when the Lord met me and instead of sending me to hell he filled me with a spirit and I learned one thing that day hmm that God does not give the Holy Spirit to those who deserve him he gives to those who don't deserve him but I certainly did not deserve the Holy Spirit when God filled me I fear that some of you are waiting to deserve the Holy Spirit you're going in the wrong direction turn around you will never deserve the Holy Spirit you will never deserve to be filled with the Holy Spirit the day you recognize that you'll be ready to be filled because we've heard so many testimonies of people who fasted and prayed cried out I didn't cry out and fast and pray for the Holy Spirit I said Lord I'm such a rotten sinner what can you do for me I'm so defeated by sin that's what I want deliverance from please help me that's why God filled me in the spirit I was needy are you needy you know the Old Testament there's a promise that I'll pour water upon him who is thirsty who was needy but when the poor and needy cry out for water I the Lord will hear them drench them I believe that's what the Lord is looking for and when we respond to the Lord like that it's not a business transaction it's a love relationship I I say Lord I love you and I want to give myself to you completely and since that time that was 41 years ago nearly and since that time more and more the Lord's been revealing to me his love tremendously and an intimacy with him you know where the Lord sometimes tells me things and says I don't want you to tell anybody else this this is only between me and you you can tell your wife but don't tell anybody else you know it's become a very intimate relationship do you have experiences like that but you feel broken and you just feel like John the Apostle fell down into the Lord's feet as a dead man I've had experiences like that many times Lloris you're so wonderful it's that daily devotion to Christ that's the mark of being constantly filled with the Holy Spirit that's not there my brother's sister all your Christianity is just a ritual can get boring after a while my Christianity is not boring it's never boring even the accidents that have along the way I was once riding my scooter in Bangalore in India and I'll never forget this incident it happened in 1993 August 1993 and 22 years ago and I was about to cross the railway roll railroad crossing and they have those bars across either side of the railway line and they're operated manually in India you know somebody sits in a booth there and raises these one by one so this man had raised one I think he was a new guy over there not very familiar with the technique he raised one bar and I went through I was the first person in line and I went through and he hadn't raised the other one but then suddenly lowered it I don't what he suddenly realized the train was coming or something and I went bang into it and fell off the scooter and hit my head on the railway track and I was unconscious I till today I don't know how long I lay there because I don't know anybody else who saw me and I don't know how much later I came to but when I came to my senses I saw my moped the two-wheel moped was standing up there somebody had put it on the stand and I was wondering what happened I was all shaken and my shoulder was dislocated and had a crack in my skull anyway I was pulled up before me a train came by and I was over I mean I was alive and I went to the hospital and Santhosh was there at that time he drove me to the hospital that's how I discovered there was a crack in my skull and I said Lord I have not finished saying thank you to you for dying for me you gotta give me a few more years to say thank you to you for dying for me he's given me 22 more years I want all my life and my service to be like that I don't want any reward I don't take any pay for my services anywhere in any Church I say Lord I live very simply I don't need any money what I get is more than enough for me if people give something it goes to the church and the ministry to the poor people in India God takes care of me but I will not serve you for money never it's out of love what would you think of a wife I am the lord's wife I am that's my relationship and like I said the other day I'll never forget that he waited 19 and a half years at the wedding altar for me to come any other bridegroom what I walked away earlier and I'll never want to forget that till my dying day that he waited for me and so what would you think of a wife who serves her husband if he'll buy bring flowers for her or buy clothes for her that's a pathetic marriage relationship a real marries is one where bride wants nothing my wife and I have been ever had a very happy relationship she's never asked me to buy clothes for her these expensive clothes so many wants it's not what I am my relationships like that's not with her we live with what we have and buy with whatever little we have whatever we need it's like that my relationship with the Lord I want to ask all of you is your relationship with Jesus Christ like that that's how the fullness of the Spirit that's the difference it made my life and I want to share a revelation that God gave me which many of you heard me on before I mentioned it and I never get tired of saying it because I think of that song he took my sins and my sorrows he made them his very own he took my sins and my sorrows and he made them his very own and he bore the burden to Calvary and suffered and died alone how shall I respond how marvelous how wonderful this is love for a sinner like me and when with the ransomed and glory that day is coming soon his face I at last shall see it will be my joy through the ages to sing of his love for me that's all I don't want any mansions in heaven other people looking for that what will I do with the 14 bedroom mansion in heaven you can have it what will I do with crowns on my head I'll throw them all at the feet of Jesus I don't want any of these things I'm not looking for these things to tell you honestly I'm not waiting to go to heaven I'm waiting to be with Jesus a lot of people are waiting to go to heaven I'm not I told the Lord if I'd be happy to go to hell if you're there cuz it'll become heaven for me is it like that for you that's what the fullness of the spirit did to me I never get tired of serving the Lord because it's a love relationship I read a verse in Genesis chapter 29 and worse 20 you know when Jacob fell in love with Rachel Laban's daughter he I want to marry her and live and said you got to work for seven years together imagine that working seven years to get a girl would you do that Jacob loved her so much but the thing that came home to me in genesis 2921 I read this as a very young man when I was about 20 years old Jacob served seven years for Rachel and it seemed him to him but a few days because of the love he had for her and I said Lord Jesus if a man can serve seven years for a girl and it seems like a few days how should I serve you I said Lord I'll serve you I said this when I was twenty more than fifty five years ago I said Lord I'll serve you all my life and it'll only be like a few days now I say after 55 years or 56 years it has been like a few days for me I'm ready to serve the Lord another 56 years it's not money I never wanted money from God it's love there are things people will do for love they'll never do for anything else and if your Christian life is not satisfying exciting my life is extremely satisfying and exciting I'm not pretending I'm not pretending at all I say before God the joy of the Lord fills my heart when I serve Him it's because it's a love relationship the Spirit of God flooded my heart with love sometimes I lie in my bed and I say Lord you can take away everything from my life you can paralyze me you can take away my ability to speak that I've never preached again paralyzed my hands that I'll never write another book and I never be able to travel I lie in this bed and I'll be a worshipper because that's what I'm gonna do for eternity in any case I worship you and love you with all my heart that can't be stopped by paralysis or anything I'm not a servant primarily I'm a worshiper my favorite songs are not go out into the vineyard no my favorite songs are my God how wonderful thou art thy majesty how bright how beautiful that mercy seat in depths of burning light I sing that often father of Jesus loves reward what rapture it'll be prostrate before your throne to lie and gaze and gaze on thee are you a worshipper when you're filled with the Holy Spirit you become a worshiper jesus said you shall worship and then you shall serve I'm always serving I'm traveling almost all the year here and there everywhere there's never a Sunday throughout the year that I'm not preaching somewhere and I'll keep going till my dying day if God gives me health or until the Lord comes again I hope that's earlier but I want to say to you what a wonderful thing it is to be filled with the spirit with this the Holy Spirit flooding our heart with the love of God your life will be exciting every day like it says in proverbs 14 14 beautiful verse the Living Bible paraphrases it as the godly man's life is exciting if your Christian life is not exciting I want to say to you you're not a godly man you're just a religious Christian through Christianity when you're filled with the spirit is exciting my family life is exciting honestly I'm excited I'm not the perfect husband there are many shortcomings in me but I try my best I make mistakes and I repent I apologize to set things right and try to do it better I'm not the perfect father I apologize to my children as well when I do it wrong I have apologized to my coworkers I'm not a perfect man I don't deliberately sin that's gone out of my life I cannot how can I hurt my Saviour how can I put another nail into his hands I've already put enough nails into his body I'm not gonna have her anymore nails into his hand accidentally I slip up now in there that's different now I immediately repent and come but it's it's love that drives me and I wish I wish it would be like that for all of you it'll change your life completely and I was telling you about this revelation I got to just shared before about the love of Jesus for me I mean as a child and all through my life I saw his love on Calvary dying for me but I saw deeper understanding of that when I tried to understand his love for me and get cemani when he was praying to the Father father please don't let me drink this cup paraphrasing his words is there any way I can get out of this there was never a time in Jesus life when he prayed like that he always wanted to do his father's will but when it came to the cross he said he wasn't afraid of physical death far from it he would have gladly died 10,000 physical deaths on Calvary for me that was something he was shrinking from and for more than 35 years of my Christian 16 years of my Christian life I never understood what it was but I've always had a passion to find out something in the scripture that I couldn't figure out what it was and I wanted a real answer I didn't want it is I didn't never wanted a superficial answer that some theologian who studied in a seminary went to the Greek and Hebrew and gave me an answer I couldn't care less for those people I said I wanted someone who went to the Holy Spirit and I never never read a book or heard a message in my life that told me what was the cup that Jesus drank from I'm not saying I'm the only one maybe somebody's written about it somewhere or spoken about it somewhere I never heard it in my life maybe you have if you heard someone speak about it tell me I'd like to know who it was what I was seeking God and I was trying to think what is it cup it was not physical death he was not afraid of that I mean think of the martyrs would go singing to the grave I can't imagine Jesus getting scared to go to Calvary but there was something more serious than physical death he was afraid of and I tried to think about it meditate not in the Lord gave me a revelation the thing that Jesus valued most of all from all eternity and throughout his earthly life was fellowship with the father you and I have not valued it enough but from that day I began to value it more jesus never wanted a sin because it would break fellowship with the father even a slight sin one wrong thought would break fellowship with the father he didn't want it I don't know how many of us feel that way about sin it was impossible for him to get angry concerning himself you know he had righteous anger like if somebody wouldn't let other people get healed he was angry with them or somebody was making money in the name of religion he'd get angry with them but if they spat on him and killed killed him or called him the devil he's always forgiven and he was never angry anger because somebody hurt me or spoke evil of me is always evil but I must be angry when it concerns the glory of God which is got nothing to do with me so Jesus had never sinned he never wanted a sin because his fellowship with the father and he knew as he approached the cross now something's gonna happen that's gonna break my fellowship with the father because you know we've always heard of Jesus dying on the cross he died for my sins Christ died for my sins he died for my sins and that is to me the elementary understanding of Christ's death and there are these movies called The Passion of Christ where you see Jesus whipped and beaten and bleeding and all that in you you feel like crying oh Lord you suffered so much for me but it's all physical let me ask you well all of you know the Scriptures well what is the punishment for your sin how should God punish you and me for our sin is it by whipping this is by putting a crown of thorns on your head think of all the things that Jesus suffered if that was what is the punishment for sin okay supposing God says okay I won't punish Jesus I'll punish you what should he do to me to punish me for my sin with me beat me put a crown of thorns on my head and nail me to a cross kill me I'm ready to do that physical death is the punishment for my sin when I die whichever way I die I paid the punishment I should go to heaven Jesus doesn't have to die for me I can die myself everybody should go to heaven because they died they paid the punishment and for years I used to think Jesus died physically that was the punishment for my sin tool I began to meditate on it I said that's not the punishment for sin the punishment for sin is eternal hell and if Jesus did not suffer that then he has not paid the price for my sin however much he may have been beaten however long he hung on the cross or how many nails were driven into him he has not paid the price for my sin if he did not suffer eternal hell and my definition of Hell as I understood Scripture was the worst thing about Hell is not the worms that never die it's not the fire it's not the gnashing of teeth it's the fact that is the only place in the universe which is completely forsaken by God we talk of a godforsaken place there is only one god forsaken place in the universe that's hell no place on earth is forsaken by God no man on earth is forsaken by God if men and women were forsaken by God every human being would be demon-possessed everybody on the streets would be demon possessed demon possessed they'll kill each other and kill you and me why are they not demon-possessed because God is not forsaken the world the little beautiful babies that are born into the world prove that God is not forsaken this world yeah even terrorists have beautiful babies born to them there's not only saintly people who have beautiful babies people are healthy who are godless atheists all these things prove that God is not forsaken this world there's so much of beauty and goodness in the world he gives everybody air to breathe and water to drink and billions of billions of people God has not forsaken this world even the atheists but there is one place only one that's hell and because we don't understand a simple statement like God forsaken God forsaken doesn't mean anything to us because human beings are so carnal and earthly that Jesus had to use picture language just like use picture language for heaven mansions crowns because mansions and crowns are big things on earth gold on the streets you say Wow that's the way he's trying to show the valuable things on earth to make us understand having such a wonderful place you get to heaven you may find it's not like that it's gonna be the glory of Jesus but if you say the word glory of Jesus that doesn't appeal to carnal man people don't understand that so God needs to use that mansions there there's crowns dinner and so many has to describe he Sahel is a God for a second place God forsaken what does it mean so he has to use picture like fire worms that never die in etc etc but that's not the main thing about Hell there may be no worms in Hell there may be no fire it's all picture language it's much worse than that fire will be a million times better worms biting you all the time will be a million times better than real hell which is God forsaken the demons forsaken by God that's what made them evil and those who go to hell will become saturated evil that's why we want to save people from going there and the only thing that will take people to hell is sin not sickness nobody goes to hell for getting cancer that's why I keep on preaching you've got to hate sin more than you hate sickness you have understood the seriousness of sin if you hate sin more than sickness if you're disturbed because you got a little tummy upset or a little fever or a little cough or a cold and that disturbed you so much or somebody's got an infectious disease and you want to stay away from them and you don't stay away from sin a hundred times more than that you haven't understood the seriousness of sin you've understood the seriousness of disease you've been educated oh I don't want to go near people about infection but we don't look at sin that way because we haven't seen the seriousness of it it breaks fellowship with God no sickness can break your fellowship with God not cancer not AIDS not Ebola nothing but one little angry word one angry word you spoke to somebody your fellowship with God is broken we take that so likely that's why we don't apologize that's why we don't ask forgiveness because we don't value fellowship with God it's very difficult for God to explain to us how much Jesus valued fellowship with God that was the cup he said Oh father don't take it away because he knew that for three-hours fellowship with God will be broken on the cross he had to say my God my God why have you forsaken me the only time in the entire history of Christ that he ever called his father God he never called him by that name in heaven he never called him by that name during his entire life on earth it was always father father father but for three hours on the cross the first three hours was okay he would still call him father Father forgive them but they don't know what they're doing we know - still father-son relationship but in the last three hours it was not father son it was God the judge of the universe and a criminal hanging on the cross bearing the sins of humanity a criminal one who had never committed a crime my sin he didn't die he was forsaken that hell which we picture as fire worms and everything not for one or two days but for eternity is what Jesus experienced in a concentrated way you know how sometimes you can concentrate poison and the concentration of eternal hell is concentrated in two-three hours and Jesus faced it it could be done because you know we are finite beings and what finite beings experience in eternity and in finite being like Jesus can experience even in ten seconds because infinity makes it possible to experience eternal suffering in a short time so because he was an infinite being in three hours he would experience the agony of Hell that I could I would experience if I went there that's what he experienced on the cross and what was the worst part of it breakup fellowship with the father which we don't understand that you know we don't think of breakup fellowship but the father is a serious thing at all I told you that's why we don't immediately confess sin I mean if the lights went off in our house suddenly we'd immediately do something already I mean did the fuse blow or it's something trip and let me fix it but why don't we respond like that when you come in at a small sin because we we don't live in that intense fellowship with the father that we feel is broken the lights have gone out when you commit a small sin in your life think of the smallest little one bad thought against somebody else one bitter thought against somebody else you suddenly feel Hey some the lights have gone out in my life do you feel like that if you grow in the fullness of the spirit and allow them your God and your heart to be enlarged she walked away of the cross that is the place God will bring you to where you feel the lights have gone out in your heart because you thought of something that was bad towards someone not as a temptation but he relished it if it only came into your mind it was a temptation but if you relished it it was a sin if you were tempted with the dirty thought that's temptation but he will relished it when it's a sin the lights went out you spoke one unloving word to your marriage partner the lights have gone out do you feel like that we don't value fellowship with the father Jesus valued it so much that we read in Hebrews 5 that he prayed with loud crying in tears Hebrews 5 7 I don't know whether you know though have you ever thought of this verse in the days of his flesh in the thirty three and a half years that he lived on earth that's the meaning of the days of his flesh he prayed with some prayers and supplications this is not referring to get cemani this is referring to the thirty three and a half years on earth the days of his flesh not the last day of his flesh scripture is exact in the days of his flesh that's the first clarification that proves that it was referring to his old life he prayed with prayers and supplications the loud crying and tears I don't know whether he prayed loud and get 70 I don't think so because if he prayed loud Peter James and John would I woken up can you sleep in the presence of somebody who's praying aloud and crying I don't think so Peter and James are fast asleep he wasn't praying with loud crying in tears and Gethsemane it was at other times you mean why you know why it says used to go off into the will to pray and what did he pray for he wasn't praying for the silly things Christians pray for he wasn't praying for houses and lands and vehicles and chariots to travel from Jerusalem to Nazareth or any such thing he was praying to be saved from spiritual death not from physical death he would never pray for to be saved from physical death and we know it's a spiritual death because it says next he was heard his prayer was answered his prayer he was not saved from physical death so what prayer was heard he was saved from spiritual death which is a result of sin temptation when lust conceives it brings forth sin sin when it is finished it brings forth death James chapter 1 verse 14 so he prayed I don't want that smell of death in me what he meant by death is sin sin is the thing that Jesus considered spiritual death he prayed it wasn't automatic there was a battle in Jesus life to overcome sin that's why he says in Revelation 3:21 if you overcome as I overcame you will sit with me on my throne as I am set with my father on my throne because I overcame he overcame something he overcame temptation he asked us in Revelation 3:21 to overcome exactly as he overcame he's a forerunner he did not have victory offered to him on a plate he had to fight and get it like we have to fight and get it but he's our example and how did he get it he prayed fervently father don't let there be even a smell of sin in my life not as one sinful thought not one sinful attitude towards anyone not one sinful motive never one sinful world not for one day for thirty three and a half years you and I know how difficult it is to live without sin for one day Jesus lived like that for thirty three and a half years a constant battle and that is the greatest miracle that he ever accomplished on earth and he lived without sin in our flesh for thirty three and a half years and at the end of it he knew that now I'm going to be this fellowship which I enjoyed with the father from eternity all these 33 is going to be broken and there he hung on the cross and he said my God my god he was calling him the judge of the universe that is what he shrank from and I imagined the conversation between Jesus and the father and Gethsemane and the father telling Jesus you don't have to go to the cross you don't have to break this fellowship with me you and I have enjoyed it for eternity you can come you have never sinned you could from Gethsemane you can come straight up to heaven but Zach will go to hell that was a revelation I caught the day I got it I wept and I wept and I wept I said Lord what a revelation this is how much you love me that Jesus said Oh Zach go go to hell okay father then I'll go to the cross put your name there I can explain it to you and you'll forget it next week or you use it as an illustration somewhere else in a message but when you get it as a revelation from heaven it'll radically change your life ask God to give you a revelation of the cup that Jesus drank for you he gave me that revelation it's one of the results I mean I when I was filled with the Holy Spirit these are some of the revelations that God gave me he's one of them very precious I never tire of repeating it I'll repeat it in heaven when with the ransomed and glory his face I at last shall see it will be my joy through the ages to sing of his love for me I won't be looking for mansions and crowns I wish you could see it my brothers and sisters it will change your life it will change your added you to sin it'll make you value the cross so much more and you will gladly follow in Jesus footsteps and cry out with loud crying and tears and I used to ask the Lord Lord how can I cry I mean this there's no wilderness near my city to go and cry out love crying in tears and and the Lord showed me you can cry with loud crying in tears even with your wife sleeping next to you without making any sound I said wow that's wonderful that there can be a cry in my heart without any sound from my mouth in the middle of the night sometimes when I wake up and Oh Lord keep me from sin keep me keep me I don't care if I lose everything else I don't want to put another nail into the body of Jesus I don't want to do it I don't want to make him get separated like that and agony I've done it enough Lord I've done enough in my life I don't want to do anymore not even I want to live without sin in my life I don't care if I don't have any gifts I don't care the honor of men is trashed for me God is my witness all the opinions of men people can praise me to the skies it's trash because I know what I am only a sinner saved by grace I've seen myself in the eyes of my Savior that the praises of men don't affect me anymore because I've seen Jesus I wish my brothers and sisters that you would all know Jesus this way that is why you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit not just some experience or some excitement or speaking in tongues if God gives it you take it but don't make that the big thing many many millions of Christians have lived spirit filled life who never never spoke in tongues true so don't go crazy after that because there's such a great emphasis in Pentecostal circles on that today the love of God is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that'll make you respond in love and say Lord have all of my life I want to love you I want to love Jesus to lead my dying day and when you love Jesus like that it'll be very easy to love other people just like that father embraced that product prodigal son you will be able to embrace prodigal children who gone away from you who rebelled against God and then this slightest turn towards God and you feel like embracing him even though he's only beginning to change mm-hmm because you have experienced that love from the father and you never forget it that's why in the in the last letter in the New Testament you know which is the last letter in the New Testament revelation is the prophecy the last letter is Jude and in the last letter of the book of Jude he says in verse 21 keep yourselves in the love of God I like that in the last letter God says keep yourself in the love of God never never doubt his fatherly love for you never insult him by getting anxious when you're anxious you're insulting the father as if he doesn't care for you never be afraid of the devil he was defeated on the cross you know whenever I lead a person to Christ I ask him to pray the sinner's prayer lord I repent and I turn to you and I believe Jesus died for me and rose again I want to turn from all my sins I want to give up confess my sins and I want to ask you to forgive me and I ask you Lord Jesus to come into my heart be my Savior and I believe you receive me and I see that that person has understood that and has prayed that prayer I say now that he has spoken to Jesus right now speak to the devil he can hear you to tell Satan Satan I don't belong to you anymore Satan I belong to Jesus he's my Lord and my Savior Satan you were defeated on the cross by my Savior he came in the flesh and he defeated you you cannot touch me anymore I don't belong to you and every contact I had with you Satan knowingly or unknowingly in my past life I renounce right now in Jesus name I asked them to say that because sometimes people have had consciously or unconsciously contact with Satan and witchcraft and we are boards and reading what the Stars foretell in the newspapers and bomb reading and seeking for the future from all types of people renounced tell the devil he was defeated he doesn't like to hear it I remember once a demon and a woman turning around to me and saying I was not defeated on the cross I said you were you're a liar get out of her and then she could confess to the Satan that Satan was defeated the devil you must know that devil was defeated he's got no power over you when you're completely surrendered to God and you're flooded with the love of God in your heart that's the other thing the fullness of the Holy Spirit brought to me and because I'm called to a ministry I mean you may not all experience all that but because I'm called to the ministry I had to know how to cast out demons and I never knew that till I was filled with the Holy Spirit I was scared of demons but it all went when I was filled with the spirit I was aware of another world spirit world which I was completely unaware of before her realm whets his fight with evil spirits not fighting the sense of struggle there's no struggle he's defeated I just resist him and he flees it's not a battle of he is struggling struggling to beat him no don't you believe all these people who pray and pray and pray and struggle and sweat to cast out the devil and why he's already been defeated I've never done that even once the devil's been defeated he's and what the Lord showed me was if you walk in the light the devil is the Prince of Darkness darkness has been allotted to Satan that's his territory when you sin you go into his territory he's got every right to do something to you you bring darkness into your home when you sin that's why I say stop yelling and screaming at each other at all because you're opening to the road for darkness and then the devil can do anything to you and to your children I don't want any darkness to come into my home darkness has been allotted to Satan if you walk in the light I tell you Satan will be scared of you he's not scared of people who shout at him and shout praises and all that he'll say to such people Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you but let's say it and find a humble man a man who's eliminated pride completely from his life to the best of his knowledge who's not proud of anything in his life of his visitor not proud of his beauty not proud of his intelligence not proud of his wealth not proud of his earthly capabilities not proud of how smart he is not proud of his Bible knowledge not proud of his ministry not proud of anything that devil will be scared of him that's why he always likes to inject a little pride into you when you've done something or you feel that you're better than somebody else or you're more capable or you're smart or you did something great ask God to protect you from all that I remember once in the little business I do to support myself I lost a huge amount of money and it's because I went away somewhere to serve the Lord and I came back and I lost I said fine and and I said Lord why did this happen this is because one I wanted to deliver you from the love of money which you've been praying for for so long I said oh thank you and secondly you were beginning to think you were pretty smart in your business and I wanted to humble you I said great do it again Lord do it again I'm willing to lose any amount of money to humble myself so that I can have a thority over seeing you if you're serious with the Lord I tell you he'll do that and you'll find that money counts nothing for you anymore you'll really be free Satan gets a hold on people you remember how we offered money even to Jesus all this will I give you if you will just bow down worship Me all the glory of the world and one of the major parts of the glory of the world is money dear brothers and sisters don't let it have a hold on you you can't free yourself from it the love of money is deeply rooted in us just like sexual desire illegitimate sexual desire is deeply rooted in the flesh even if you're a married man if you're not cautious the devil will get you he's got better people than you that's why you need to pray with loud crying and tears don't think you're so smart oh ho it won't happen to me let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Paul said I discipline my body when he was 60 years old I discipline my body lest having preached to others I'd be disqualified I believe temptation is like fire even if you're a hundred years old it can burn him that him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall we must live with authority over Satan drive him out of your home drive him out of your church he won't listen to you if you are fooling around with sin he won't listen to you if you take sin lightly he won't listen to you if he sees a little bit of pride in your heart conscious pride about something you know how every one of us is tempted to pride when we accomplish something in our business or in the world or in our home or when somebody appreciates us or in a spiritual ministry something happened maybe something wonderful happen in your ministry and you and the devil says hey that was great man and you don't recognize immediately the temptation I remember once somebody who was demon-possessed I didn't know he was the in possessed came to my house and said to me brother Zac he I knew him before he said I had a dream yesterday some demons came to me and said don't ever go to brother Zac's house I know why he said that just to buff me up and to make me think that demons are afraid of me I recognized it immediately that's just to puff me up I remember another time when I was casting out a demon from someone I said look at me and she said oh I can't look at you your face is terrible I knew what it was to puff me up so that I'd have no power over that demon inside you know the subtle ways in which the devil tries to puff you up be careful my brother's sister be careful don't let anything go to your head what are we apart from the grace of God everything we are is because God has done something as in us give him the credit and the glory and don't touch it there are many things God will give us his power his love is blessing but there's one thing God will never give us as I a 42 verse 8 never forget it Isaiah 42 verse 8 my glory I will never give to another I remember that frequently my his glory he will never give to us and I never want to touch that never touch it give the glory to God for whatever you are or whatever you've accomplished or whatever gifts God has given you a very smart or capable you think you are and you're prospered in your work and your business humble yourself before God and say Lord it's all of you it's all of you and if your church is better than other churches go down fall before God and say Lord it's all of you it's got nothing to do with my ministry or that I understood the new covenant and the new and living way I understood the new wine in use Ken Oh Lord it's 100% of you people ask me sometimes brother Zach why don't you write all your four sons are following the Lord so wholeheartedly why don't you write a book on raising children I said I'll never write it never because it was not my ability that made them follow the Lord it was 100% God's mercy if I write a book it'll be about all the failures I made as a father that's all all the blunders I made in my life I'll ask my children for a little help on that to tell me all the blockers hey no that's all I can write I'm not gonna write anything but I see all these experts writing books on how to bring up children and all that there are so many subtle little things that can get into your heart if you're not watchful walk in the light it's not an easy thing in the evil world we live in but it's possible that's why you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that's why every time the Spirit of God tells you die die you hear that voice many times something happens and the Holy Spirit says die and be like a dead man there when it says in Romans 8:11 reckon yourself dead I pictured it like this I'm a dead man here somebody is irritating me not even a change of expression on my face because I'm dead somebody praises me to the skies this dead man's not even affected after a while so an act and keep on showing an act it'll become a habit isn't brushing your teeth and easy thing for you now it's not a great struggle to get up in the morning brush your teeth so easy dying to yourself will become easy just like that if you make it a practice and the devil will have no power over you the Bible says through death he took away the power from him who had the power of death that is Satan on the cross collage that's Hebrews 2:14 Colossians 2:15 he stripped principalities and powers of their armor on the cross do you know that Jesus never defeated Satan when he was casting out demons he cast out so many demons where the devil was still triumphant but on the cross the Satan was finally defeated Satan is not defeated when you cast out demons Colossians 2:15 Hebrews 2:14 are two wonderful verses that teaches that it was on the cross alone that Satan was defeated and it's when you take up the cross and identify yourself with Christ depth I am crucified with Christ then Satan will be defeated in your life that victory will become real in your life and Satan will lose power over you what does it mean when it says he'll flee from you submit to God submit to that death Satan will flee from you I'd pictured it like this 1 John 4 it says as Jesus is so are we in this world 1 John 4:17 I thought of that as Jesus is so am I in this world and I used to think when Jesus came from Capernaum where he lived to Jerusalem all the demons and Jerusalem would get worried say he's coming here he's coming here be careful and he come and preached in the synagogue and that demon-possessed man who sat comfortably as long as the Pharisees were preaching suddenly erupted it when Jesus came the demons are troubled because hey he's coming he's coming who Jesus is coming they should say that about you and me the demons in a place he's coming here he's coming here we get out gonna get all our forces ready he's coming here he's coming the preacher other demons bothered when you go to some place but you who share in the triumph of Jesus at Calvary you who submit to live under the headship of Christ filled with his spirit demons tremble before you they'll say Jesus I know Paul I know and so and so I know but two other people say who are you I know how you live at home I know how you play the fool with your finances I know all the pride in your heart about how smart you think you are how you look down on others I know all the jealousy there is in you about other people are better than you you think you have any power over me you can get up and preach as much as you like and impress people with your preaching and they watch you on YouTube and all that but doesn't impress me I know you I don't want the devil to tell me that it's an insult to my Savior dear brothers and sisters there's a lot involved because if you want to build a church it's not by clever preaching the gates of hell are what stand against the church and they conquer Christian preachers with pride and impurity we've got to stand against those powers of spiritual darkness that's how we overcome doesn't matter if you can't preach for nuts be a godly man a godly woman and Satan will be scared of you that's how you can protect your children that's how we can protect your home you young people I wish you would grow up like that and become another generation in the world who will keep the devil out of homes and churches let's pray Heavenly Father you are here Lord Jesus Oh wonderful you're here right now with your hands stretched out to bless forgive anoint fill to the fullness of God do it Lord there are hungry thirsty hearts here crying out to you you know that they're sincere we are weak without strong lay your nail-pierced hands upon our heads I long for that again Lord I want you to lay your nail-pierced hand on my head once more and anoint me afresh and the brothers and sisters here who gone through many struggles and trials in I believe many of them are sincerely wanting to live a spiritual life so that you will be glorified in their lives and in their homes I pray you will lay your nail-pierced hand upon their head and lead them to walk in the light all the days of their life bless their families as their little children grow up the devil will find no foothold in their homes and the churches that are represented here people have come from different places I don't know what they're like but I pray that these brothers and sisters will be like a light when they go back that'll be radiant for you help us to honor you in the few more days that are left we have not finished saying thank you to you for your dying for us on the cross give us the power Lord to serve you wholeheartedly to say thank you to you with all of our hearts with a lifetime of service and worship pour out at your feet thank you for hearing us in Jesus name harmony

Channel: River of Life Christian Fellowship

Views: 21,838

Rating: 4.7843666 out of 5

Keywords: produces, fervent, devotion, christ, be, filled, with, holy, spirit, zac, poonen, sermon, rlcf, family, conference, 2015, river, life, christian, fellowship

Id: CCGKq1j1GPA

Length: 73min 15sec (4395 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 06 2015