True Humility Means This by Zac Poonen

you have often heard me say that we can live by one verse do you remember what that is it's in Philippians chapter 2 if you understand it properly you can live all your life with one verse of scripture but you must know the Bible before that for the rest of your life one verse is enough if he's Philippians 2 verse 5 have this attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus whatever the situation that somebody hurt you have the attitude which is in Christ do you want to help somebody don't be foolish have the attitude which is in Christ are you worried about the future have the attitude which is in christ and you worried about circumstances are you running short of money are you without a job whatever it is any situation in life the answer is here have this attitude which is in Christ and if you want to have that attitude you must study the Scriptures especially the Gospels to see what attitude did Jesus have in different circumstances it's a wonderful study to study the life of Jesus in relation to other people in relation to circumstances and if you're serious about it he will discover how he lived and in the same connection I've also shown you Matthew 11 and verse 29 we're in the middle Jesus said he said first of all 28 come to me and what should I do when I come to him learn from me he said in verse 29 why have you come to Jesus is it only to go to heaven is it only to get your sins forgiven jesus said come to me in verse 29 learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and he said that because every human being is basically hard in his heart they are hard towards their marriage partners they are hard towards their neighbours they are hard towards people they are very soft towards people from whom they want to get some benefit in otherwise human beings are hard and Jesus ed learned from me to be gentle and human beings up proud all human beings especially those of you who think you're very humble you're probably the proudest of the lot jesus had learned from me for I'm humble in my heart not outside a lot of people who pretend to be humble on the outside a lot of garbage fit for the trash can but humble in heart it's the only humility that is of value is humility of the heart you are getting a reputation for humility throw it in the trash can please do it please take me seriously the reputation some of you have built up in this church for humility I urge you to throw it in the trash can and it's fit it's worth nothing learn from me to have humility of heart which God sees and that can be a world of difference between humility of the heart and the reputation you get for humility see the reputation you get for humility depends on the discernment of the other person people in the world have no discernment and they think some presidents and prime ministers are humble wrong and even Christians most Christians have not much discernment so they can think your you're foolish if you take their opinion their opinion is what nothing why are you so excited that people think you're humble amused and amazed do you think they they see what's inside your heart do you realize that man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart learned from me for I am humble in heart these are strong exhortations learn from me it's a school the Christian life is a school where Jesus is the only professor teaches us through the Holy Spirit and it's not twenty-five people sitting in a class it's one-on-one private tuition that he gives to each one of us and the first thing he wants us to learn is humility of heart more than knowledge of the Bible knowledge of the Bible purpose of knowledge of Scripture is to lead you to humility of heart okay let this attitude be in you which is in Christ Jesus remember that reference Philippians 2:5 and then remember the second reference Matthew 11:29 learned from me and a third verse I want you to remember these three verses always even if you don't remember the references the other is Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2 looking unto Jesus or as the NES besides fixing our eyes on Jesus that means looking away from everything else unto Jesus alone so you have three wonderful exhortations let this attitude be in you which is in Christ Jesus and how to discover that what their attitude was that's Philippians 2:5 go to Matthew 11:29 learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart gentleness and humility go together if you are humble in heart you will be gentle if you're not gentle it's because you're not humble in heart and the other way around too and the third is looking under Jesus and where can I see Jesus he's not physically here but I see him in the Gospels and then the Holy Spirit if I open my life to the Holy Spirit he will as jesus promised disclose to me certain hidden things in jesus private life and attitude from my knowledge of the scriptures he will show me what other people who read the Gospels cannot see I mean I'm sure many of you have seen certain things we have taught here which you never discovered which are written in the Gospels it's plain words there but you didn't see it and the Holy Spirit comes to show us how we can look unto Jesus and run this race so learn from me for I am humble in heart and here it says fixing our eyes in Jesus who endured the cross the cross was the most humiliating experience that any human being has been subject to strip naked and hung in front of table were healed for everybody to laugh at and treated like a criminal so there the emphasis on look at Jesus who went to the depth of humility in Philippians 2 also is the same thing Philippians 2 and verse 5 you have heard me say this many times and I'll repeat it again for the benefit to have those who haven't heard it before or if you've already ten times you needed a heard at 11th time have this attitude in yourself first fire which is in Christ Jesus who verse 6 took the first step of humility as God he became man though he's equal with God he did not grasp on to it that's the first step don't grasp on to some position you think you have or what God gave you don't think you're somebody important because you've got some position in the world or in the church or some reputation he emptied himself and then the second step as a man he could have been a king but instead of being a king he became not only a servant but a bouncer which is a slave that's the lowest level of humanity there was a slave and as the second step of humility and then you think there's nothing lower than that but then he went to being crucified on a cross which was recognized as the punishment for criminals though he was not a criminal he was treated like a criminal and he accepted it without opening his mouth because he did it for us and there you see the third step of humility and that's why you've heard me say the secret of the Christian life is humility humility humility as we look at Jesus not from the dictionary looking unto Jesus and the opposite of that the opposite the secret of all sin or the root of all sin rather his pride pride pride and you see that in Ezekiel in chapter 28 if you understand this root of all sin and the secret of all true holiness he understood the most important things in the Christian life which they won't even teach you in a Bible School I don't think that the Bible School in the world that teaches what I'm teaching you here see this is the origin of Satan he was the head of the Angels and he's mentioned there you verse 14 a secret 2814 you were the anointed cherub he's an angel who covers covers means who guards the whole of God's property he was the chief ruler guarding everything and the Lord says I placed you there on the holy mountain of God and verse 12 middle you are the seal of perfection middle of verse 12 full of wisdom perfect in beauty beauty wisdom and verse 14 position and then you were blameless verse 15 until unrighteousness found in you and what happened well verse 17 this root of all sin first sin that came in the universe was not an external sin the first sin that came in the universe was internal in the heart or 17 your heart was lifted up the head of the angels millions of years ago long before Adam was created something came in his heart see the planets and trees and all the obey God they never could become proud there's no pride or humility in them they're just laws they live by laws they automatically do what God created them to do but the first being that God created with a free will for the angels before he created man and the moment you give someone a free will there's the possibility of obedience or disobedience which is not there when he created the planets in the mouth stars and trees and all which have no free will so your heart was lifted up what was it lift it up with three things I told you his beauty his wisdom or knowledge and third his position pride in his beauty pride in his wisdom pride in his position it's a root of all sin pride pride pride and the root of all holiness is secret of all holiness is humility humility humility never never forget it and we are all born with this in bond pride which makes us want to show off that we are one cleverer than others or more good-looking than others good-looking means physically spiritually anyway spiritual beauty more spiritual we want to prove that we are more discerning more spiritual we want to prove that we are more good-looking more clever than others or we know more than the Bible than the others or we understand the New Covenant better than others and we can say thank God we are not like other believers who don't understand the New Covenant it's all pride in the heart it's so subtle and the third is our position we can be proud of the fact that we are elders or recognized as spiritual in a church or that we have a ministry in position all types of things remember this pride in our beauty physical or spiritual pride in our knowledge whether earthly or biblical or spiritual and third pride in our position that's a root of all sin and that's what makes us fight and quarrel with people you see her husband fights with his wife because he thinks he's more spiritual many fight because they think that they are stronger I can overcome physical strength and beauty and position I am the head of this house position that's how all quarrels and fights come and the same out in the world or because they browbeat other people saying I'm cleverer than you you better not listen that's how it is in so many cults where one person just forces a view on everybody else and you better accept what I say and with position and beauty and because a number of actors and actresses have ruined their life because they were physically good-looking thank God you are not so good-looking that you didn't end up in the movie industry and destroy your life so we must look for every opportunity or everything in the scripture that helps us to go down and become zero in our own eyes and I want to say to you that from the time we are converted one of the great works that God seeks to do in your life in mind is to bring us down to zero once we reach zero he can do something for us till then he can do nothing it's like the you know the first miracle that Jesus did he did not go and he I'm sure Jesus who knew the future what was there he didn't know so many things he knew would happen in the future he knew the wine would finish why didn't he go before they came to that embarrassing position where it's all over and the cans of wine are all empty no he doesn't he waits till it comes to zero to the last drop of wine is over and they confess we have no wine okay now I'll do something for you I want to say to you that's the first miracle and there's something a lesson there that it's very very difficult for human beings to admit that there's nothing in them that they can do to please God I always feel there's something in me and also take this matter of you can also feel that God chose me because of something in me absolute nonsense there was nothing in you that made God choose you oh maybe you had little desire after him oh that's why you don't grow spiritually because you haven't come to zero you think that there was something in you that made God choose you if I were to ask you why why did God choose you and not some other members in your own family and say well I had a desire towards God that's exactly why you don't grow spiritually because you think there was something in you which makes you a little better than the other people why is it you found the truth in CFC with some other Christians having found because you think oh you had a hunger after God uh-huh that's why you've come to see us he and you have hardly grown at all I've seen people sit here for forty years and they have not grown spiritually they don't think so they think they're grown they've grown in knowledge but they haven't they haven't grown spiritually they haven't grown in humility the only growth I recognize his humility because that's the only growth Jesus and if you guys are not growing in humility I want to tell you don't worry about my not recognize you God doesn't recognize you that's serious well that's the only thing that I value because I say I want to see how much grace God has given a person that shows me God's estimate of that person and I know that God gives grace only to the humble you can think whatever you may like about yourself and have tremendous amount of Bible knowledge and gifts and ability and all that but if God doesn't see your humble you just will not get grace and after some time it will become evident to others that you've not God raised even though you yourself think that you've got a lot of grace because you're reactive and zealous and doing this and doing that and helping people in the church and knowing the Bible and preaching and all that the other anyone with real spiritual discernment will see you haven't got it I want to say that and I believe that there are very few people I have met in my life even among CFC elders in different churches who have spiritual discernment to see through people and how does our discernment grow our discernment grows as we judge ourselves and refuse to judge other people you judge other people you'll never grow in discernment a humble man is always judging himself because if he sees I am NOT why does he judge himself he says I have not yet become as humble as Jesus Christ that's why I judge myself every day and when shall I stop judging myself the day I become as humble as Jesus Christ I will stop judging myself and that day is not gonna come till Christ returns do you recognize that God is my witness that I judge myself every single day and I've been doing that for many many years because I've seen Jesus and I seen that I am so way beneath him and I want to be like him I have no interest in becoming a famous preacher or traveling here and there or having a ministry or anything I want to be like Jesus my passion it's been my passion almost from the beginning of my Christian life I hope that is your passion I hope your passion is not to get up and preach I know many many brothers in different CFC churches their great desires to get up and preach they'll never become like Christ not in a hundred million years because I mean anybody can be a preacher you just got to have little cleverness and little knowledge of the Bible and no consideration for others wasting their time you'll be a preacher sure but if you really want to be a servant of God and God is to back you up with His grace and that regards humanity and that's why I'm telling you these things I want every single one of you to be useful to God not as a preacher but as a useful witness for Christ in your home first of all in your office and everywhere so that you know like a little lamp that burns brighter and brighter and people can be drawn to Christ and the only way for that is if you get rid of all this poison this poison that the devil has put in the human race called pride which makes us think too much of ourselves so everything in the Bible that helps us to go down and recognize where nothing is of great help and so I want to show you a few things one is this verse in Ephesians in chapter 1 we haven't spoken much about the sovereign choice of God Ephesians and chapter 1 and verse 4 most of us would think that sometime in our life we chose Christ that's why we are born again that's why you are here oh you chose to come to CFC I don't know whether you see the element of pride there it's I I chose Christ I found CFC this big capital I I remember years ago had a little card with a big capital i' and a big capital c and the words were lord help me to bend this proud and stiff-necked eye so that the eye gets burnt bent and becomes a see for christ not i but Christ help me to bend this proud and stiff necktie help me to bow my neck and die beholding him on Calvary who bowed his head for me have you learned to bow your head like that and let this proud stiff necked eye be bent if you want to see how strong it is all of you who have children you see the strong will in them who gets a who's got a humble submissive child if you got one like that he's probably and does not know what he's doing but any normal child is proud and stiff-necked and all of you parents know what a job it is to break that will so everything that humbles us is good for us and if you really understand this then what I'm trying to show you it'll really humble you it says in Ephesians 1:4 that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him full stop in love should actually be the next worse in love he predestined us to the adoption of sons so he chose us verse 4 and in love he predestined us he chose us to be holy and blameless verse 4 and in love he predestined us to be his sons according to his will not mine that means God chose you not before you were born but before he created Adam when you didn't exist when you were in God's foreknowledge you existed but you didn't exist Adam was not the human race was not even created and God chose you and that's why my brother's sister you're here I don't know whether you recognize that that's why some of your relatives are not here don't have any high thoughts about I was jealous and I thought God get rid of that rubbish if you want to really grow spiritually and recognize the sovereign choice of God you say why did he choose me I'll give you that answer in three words I don't know why did he choose me I don't know he did it in love he did it in his sovereign choice but if you have an answer to that I know why he chose me yeah you say I know why he chose me because you know in certain time I decided to give up my sin ah that's why you don't grow spiritually that's exactly why you don't know spiritually why have you I asked you why have people learn to respect you in CFC because I've been very faithful so so many years in CFC I've served I'm not taking any money I've done all this you could have grown ten times more if you didn't have that attitude I know you're grown but you could have grown ten times more if you didn't have that attitude that you have grown because of this this this isn't this in you learn something about the sovereign choice of God God chooses whom He desires and he chose you and he didn't choose somebody else you have to leave room for mystery when it comes to God and it's like asking me the other question how can there be three persons but one God throughout the Old Testament it says the Lord our God is one worship Him then you come into the New Testament in your discover his Father Son and Holy Spirit and all our God one God not three gods one God and you ask me how do you explain that I get go my three wait on three word answers a great help I don't know and I don't want to know but in my heart I know him I know the person I can't explain it if I could explain God I would have to be guard myself you think a dog can explain a human being there many the dog thinks human beings do will do a lot of stupid things for example we buy clothes and the dogs wonder why you go to school the dogs wonder why many things like that dogs can't understand you know why because they're dogs let that dog become a human being and you understand immediately a child knows pretty quickly that he must wear clothes knows it has got to go to school it's a complete change of position from dog to man that you begin to understand you've got otherwise the dog will never understand because it's a it's an animal and we must remember just like an animal cannot understand a man it cannot understand multiply and square root and calculus and all no matter how much you train a dog in the same way there are a million billion things about God that you will never know as a man and if your can we humble yourself and say that there's very little I know what I know is that God loves me what I know is that God sovereignly chose me we found nothing in me but he why my child of God well I'll tell you eternal ages ago he chose my name you asked me why I don't know he just chose me isn't that partial well go and ask God that I'm not gonna explain that I know that he chose me and I'm so happy that he chose me and I can never be proud of the fact that I did I'm his child and that person is not I don't know but he chose me before the foundation of the world he that doesn't make you humble I don't know what will make you humble if you think it saw something in you okay I'll show you in other words Romans chapter 9 see these are truths that sometimes we have not emphasized sufficiently in the church because it can be misunderstood you need to come to a certain maturity and I believe this church has come to that place of maturity to understand this is the sovereign choice of God which has nothing to do with you Romans chapter 9 see it says here about Isaac's two children hi Sian Romans chat room ins chapter 9 verse 10 Rebekah when she had conceived twins by our Father Isaac listen to this although the twins were not yet born Romans nine eleven and he had not done anything good or bad so far in order that God's purpose will stand according to his sovereign choice and not according to works but it entirely depends on him who calls it was said to Rebecca your older twin will serve the younger twin and it is written Jacob I loved Esau I hated that means compared to Jacob God doesn't hate anyone but he hates sinners of course so Jacob I loved but Esau I hated and then of course immediately the clever person maybe there are some cloud people sitting here question what's that that's injustice well that's what it says in the next verse 14 what shall we say then you say there's injustice with God there is no injustice with God is there are you accusing God of being unjust saying he chooses one twin and not the other inside the womb itself before they have done anything good or bad that before you were born before you did anything good or bad he chose you why in the world some of you were born in non-christian families why in the world if God chose you but there are millions of others born in Christian families whom he has not chosen the sovereign choice of God God has a right because he created this universe to do what he likes if you want a God whom you can explain completely that God will be a human being that's how so many religions have come up all the gods of religions are human beings and even those who say that who cannot explain the three persons in one God so they say you know what some Christians say this Jesus is in himself Father Son and Holy Spirit Lord Jesus Christ Lord his father Jesus son Christ is anointed Holy Spirit is one person why do they explain it like that because their human mind says I must be able to explain it he said dogs saying well I'm trying to explain square root and he tries and tries and find some stupid explanation and he thinks as an explanation he doesn't know have a clue that's exactly what you must remember whenever you think you can explain the Trinity think of a dog trying to explain square root or calculus he can't do it neither can you we just leave room for mystery I always tell people leave room for mystery when it comes to God and the same way here a sovereign choice of God leave room for mystery you may say well does that cancel out that whosoever believes will be saved no it doesn't both are true God's truth two truths I like parallel lines I don't know whether you know the mathematical definition of parallel lines the layman's definition of parallel lines like the parallel lines on a railway track are two lines that never meet that is a layman's definition but if you go to a mathematician and ask him what is the definition of a parallel line in say parallel lines are those two lines that meet at infinity that is the accurate mathematical definition of parallel lines so two truths that meet only in the infinite God my finite mind will never be able to explain the sovereign choice of God and yet who was whosoever believes will be saved hey this looks like contradiction to my mind like a dog can't understand a man I can't understand it but I believe it and I feel that it's possible that most of us have only believed one side of it which is correct one once one parallel line I chose Christ whoever believes will be saved I repented and I believe true but if you don't accept the other parallel line that God sovereignly chooses you will never be truly humble you'll always have a little bit of pride in you that you chose God or you are what you are because of certain decisions you made or because you judge yourself and you did this and you did that and you denied yourself here and you gave up that and you gave up this which is all true there's only one parallel I'm trying to emphasize the other parallel line today to bring a balance in us it's not eliminating this I'm not saying knock out this railway line so it will run the Train on this one track no or one line you need both but I'm saying some of you guys have not laid the other line and so the trains not moving as it should you only laid one line which is necessary here is the other one God sovereignly chose you before you were even born just like Esau why was Jacob chosen tell me a reason before they were born before they did anything bad or good and before you did anything bad or good God just shows you that's what he's trying to say here and then you say there's injustice with God you wonder why didn't I choose that guy or some relatives I don't know then you said God is unjust no they can never be injustice with God I mean there's a lot of there's a lot of foolishness in our heads if we try to imagine to judge God himself to wonder what these injustice I'll tell you another thing our sense of justice is also so limited it's like a drop in the ocean God's wisdom is like an ocean and my wisdom like a drop and I'm trying to fathom God's wisdom I got to humble myself he says well supposing God says like you said to Moses I'm gonna have mercy on whom I'm going to have mercy and I'm gonna have compassion on whom I'm gonna have compassion well so then it doesn't depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but in God who has mercy can you accept that statement there's nothing to do with your choosing or your running God just decided to have mercy on you remember that my brother's sister all your life it will really humble you and it will make you grow in grace it has helped me tremendously in my life I'm telling you the truth to recognize many times when I wake up in the morning God sovereignly chose me it's not got to do with my choice and it says in verse 17 the scripture says to Pharaoh I raised you up with a purpose God's telling Pharaoh you know I allowed you to come up and become Pharaoh in Egypt to demonstrate my power in you to Humble you to crush you to bury you under the Red Sea and the truth of that will be known all over the world for the next thousands of years this is Taurus something that happened 3500 years ago all over the world 3500 years people have heard that our God humbled Pharaoh and buried him and his army under the Red Sea I chose you for that purpose to demonstrate my power so that my name will be proclaimed throughout the whole earth and you see a boy you mean God does things like that he certainly does don't accuse God of injustice you're not the judge of God God is a judge that is another area where you find many Christians sometimes try to judge God they say how can God do this how can you allow this how can you allow those wicked people to prosper and this sincere god-fearing man is suffering or how is it I prayed and he didn't answer aha that itself shows arrogant pride I did what Jesus said I asked in Jesus name I pray and he didn't heal me who in the world do you think you are my brother's sister you haven't become small enough you see I prayed in faith well you'd really have real faith if you had small enough what you have is not faith you're too big in your mind to have faith you think you're somebody well so it says in verse 18 so God has mercy on whomever he desires and he hardens whom ever he desires can you accept that I can it's the other parallel line they meet at infinity they don't meet in my finite mind they will never meet in my finite mind I'll never be able to explain it all my life I if I'll be able to explain it even in eternity because I'm not going to be in finite in eternity I'll be like Jesus but I will not be in finite No so I don't need to explain it I know it is true there are many things even in the earth I can't explain but I know it's true you know when I was studied a little bit about the wonders of the working of the human body the heart the blood vessels and the different nerves and so many things inside the body as I've read and studied a little bit about it I'm amazed that I have lived up to this age I say I say I should have probably died at one week then all these things are functioning so perfectly and we eat so many things that are not good for us we get hurt in so many ways and still be alive today haven't you have you ever wondered about how miraculously your body works and restores things such are damaged and it's tamiya wonder the human body it humbles me I don't take anything for granted he has mercy on whom he has mercy any hardens for me then of course the clever man will say in verse 19 romans 9 19 why does he find fault then why does he find fault with somebody why does he send somebody to hell I'll give you the answer to that not in I don't know I'll give you another answer why does God send somebody to hell after hardening him you want the answer here it is romans 9 2010 sir who are you to answer back to God not it have you all got it who are you to answer back to God that's the answer just in case you wanted to know remember that all your life remember Romans 9:22 are you too question God my dear brothers and sisters I'm very serious I'm absolutely convinced this is one of the main reasons why many Christians have not grown their study of the Bible is to question God to try and explain all of God when God is a mystery and you know perhaps you don't know or some of you do know in theological which is Bible study in the wake among Christians there are two among you know there are Protestants and Catholics I know but in doctrine there are two main groups among Christians one those they call themselves Calvinists the sovereignty of God is the main thing what I'm saying here it's one parallel line of the railway track and the opposite are the Armenians as people who follow Armenia see that these guys followed Calvin and they're the one who emphasized the free will of man the free will of man the free will of man and they've been great men of God on both sides of this but the one there was a very godly man who said the truth does not lie in one extreme neither does it line the other extreme much less does it lie in the middle she's not by joining both these parallel lines together in the middle and make one track that's not it either the truth lies in both extremes held at the same time leaving those parallel lines without trying to join them saying they will never meet in my mind parallel lines meet only in infinity holy an infinite all-wise God can explain how he sovereignly chooses people and how he gives man free will to choose I cannot explain it I'll tell you almost all of Christendom is divided into one of these two some who say I chose I chose and I've accepted tries and that's it that's a very good one line of the railway track but you haven't got it all and if you don't have the other your train will not run the way it should and then there are the people on the other side who say well God sovereignly chose me and those are the people who believe once saved always saved it doesn't matter how I live because God sovereignly chose me and he chose me before eternity and I'm saved and all that and the other and the one day they stand before the Lord they'll discover that God never chose them at all they just imagine the proof of it was they lived in sin so the devil's determined to fool both people all Scripture is inspired by God and given to us that the man of God may be perfect Paul told Timothy the end of his life he said in 2nd Timothy to rightly divide the word of God be diligent study hard to rightly divide the word of God so many people are twisting it okay another thing here in Romans 9 you say who are you to answer back to God Romans 9:20 the thing that is being molded cannot say to the molder why did you make me like this and one more answer to your question why did God choose me and not some other member of my family or somebody else why did God bring me here and some others are not here who were gone into a way what type of Christianity why did some people come here and then fall away and go away because they thought the message was too strong it's not in my hands you may think it's in the hands of the elders let me tell you once an overall it is not in the hands of the elders not at all they may do certain things but ultimately it's not in the hands of any elder God is the one who decides he hardened somebody verse 9 18 and he has mercy on somebody some who have mercy continue on in humility and some will get hard and think too much of themselves and follow it I've seen that happen in many CFC churches I don't question I say God God is the one I'm not God and then here is another answer verse 21 doesn't the potter have a right over the clay to make one from the same lump of clay mud to make one vessel for honor another vessel for common use and you know there are Potter's who make very very expensive carved designs with clay they put some color into it and these very very expensive vessels that are sold for thousands of rupees and then there's a that other mud pot made from the same clay which people drink a little tea from in North India and throw it away where's nothing you see then the railway stations in North India clay cups the same mud there's another beautiful vessel that costs thousands of rupees because so much of work has gone into it colored and beautiful and Holy Spirit says doesn't the potter have a right to make one vessel like this in other ways like that so if you are one vessel own god is made in a special way can you imagine a stupid vessel thinking that I made myself like this you know always remember the Potter and the clay whenever you try to compare yourself with another believer or a believer in some other Church the Potter makes clean whichever way he makes it you know many times I've expressed in different messages that I believe a person like Mother Teresa will be aware of me in the kingdom of God because she had a lovely heart of love for Jesus Christ and there are many Catholic converts who've been very disturbed with me with that statement because they say they have told me this well it's like I'm going to teach this she worshipped Mary and she said the rosary and all types of things I said to them my dear brother those are all problems of the head she did not understand doctrine properly but her heart was ten times better than mine in devotion to Jesus her sacrifice was probably thousand times more than mine and yours her service for people she probably did a hundred times more than any of us sitting here for Jesus and she always used to say there's place and my throne of my heart only for one person Jesus Christ she said that he's wrote it down not Mary and like that there are other people who may have slightly different doctrines from us we can say anything we think can think that salvation is in a doctrine it is not if Salvage if there is a doctrine that should lead to life then it is in a doctrine but you haven't understood that doctrine properly that's the problem we think we've understood it in our head and therefore we are right see all the arguments between people about doctrine it's in the head level and that's why people get angry when they discuss something you can never get me angry in discussing a doctrine because I realize it's not at that level I've had people come to my house and argue with me and I say no I'm not gonna argue you can believe what you like you can believe I'm a heretic if you like I will not argue with you I never argue with all the people who have called me a heretic and false teaching on no because I say it's head to head he's got nothing to do with the head head to head I know I can argue with somebody and win the argument all what have I proved it approved that I'm the new number one and now more of the Bible than you I'm not interested in proving that to anybody that's why I don't argue because I've no interest in showing that I know the Bible better than you I'll show you verses and I you know don't know the Bible enough to show me verses it's a matter of the heart and how do you compare two hearts I can't I can see by their life by their fruit you shall know them what the heart is like so when I look at the person fruit in a person's life I know what's going on in his heart and that's why you find so many people who sit in CFC who believe the same doctrine but completely different levels of spiritual life why is that because it's got nothing to do with the head it's got to do with the heart remember that man looks at the outward appearance looks at the head God looks at the heart very very important so this is a truth that I found great comfort in God has got every right over the Potter as a potter over the clay he can do what he likes to equally wholehearted people he can make one more prominent and the other insignificant and unknown it's his choice equally wholehearted and one day when Christ comes again both will get the same reward even though one was world famous and the other was not even known outside his own village so what but the humble person accepts that he's not interested in being world famous he says Lord I want to be great in the sight of the Lord like the angel told Zechariah you're gonna have a son who's gonna be great in the sight of the Lord it's one of my favorite phrases great in the sight of the Lord long for that my brothers and sisters not great in the eyes of CFC or its elders or Zakk Coonan or any of that trash great in the eyes of the Lord make that your longing and the passion of your heart and what the angel told Zechariah and Luke chapter 1 the great in the sight of the Lord God is every right to make one for honor and one for dishonor so once we understand that I believe we will see something in the life of Jesus too in another aspect of humanity this is one the other thing I want to show you which helps us to be humble one is the sovereign choice of God which is where we begin your your life did not actually begin when you were born again it was way back in eternity when God chose you before you existed I believe that and that brings great comfort to me in times of pressure or trial or has God forsaken me no he hasn't he knew me before Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 I believe that and it's brought great rest into my heart when different things happen God allows various things to happen to give us an education everything every single thing big and small that's happened in my life has happened because God wanted to give me an education and to give me a ministry to bless other people who may go through similar problems yeah I thought of that when I was when I've been sick I've told you at times when some doctor made a mistake in and I had a pain in my hand before I got married and either another doctor said there's no cure for it it's fine and then lower Lord said forgive that man who'd made that mistake I forgave him immediately and I was healed what one doctor neurosurgeon said this will remain with the rest of your life it went off immediately forgiveness I tell you I have a feeling there are people here who have a problem because you have not forgiven somebody sorry that's the reason and ten thousand injections and pills will not heal you just forgive you know I didn't forgive that doctor who made that mistake I could have gone through so many surgery and this and that and tablets and whatnot and I'd be still suffering with it today and that's not the only time there are doctors I made mistakes I'm about even after that and I've always forgiven and I've been perfectly healthy mm-hmm forgiveness has got a tremendous power to heal I'll tell you that ask yourself today is there somebody who hurt you you're not forgiven he will not suffer you will suffer God will not forgive you but you say brother Zak you said the other day that Jesus said if your brother comes to you and says I repent then forgive him ah that's different I'm talking about fellowship there if you're talking about fellowship definitely if a person lives in a repentant state in a church he can't have fellowship but you got to still forgive him there is a forgiveness that does not involve fellowship that is with unbelievers and carnal Christians like Jesus hung on the cross and he forgave without even their asking forgiveness he said Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing and many many there may be believers like that with whom you have no relationship no fellowship you must forgive them instantly even before they ask you and even as soon as you hear about it somebody spoke against you somebody did something they forgive immediately don't even wait don't even wait till you discover what happened for you I've always done that and I've been a very happy man but there are people who don't resolve things in a church I forgive them in my heart but I got no fellowship with them how can you have fellowship when you don't walk in the light the Bible says if we walk in the light we have fellowship if I walk in the light with you and you walk in the light with me we have fellowship but if you don't walk in the light I still forgive you whatever way you may hurt me I'll forgive you but I can't have fellowship with the Bible itself says I kind of fellowship that's the meaning of that other passage in Luke 17 for or in Matthew 18 he said you speak to your brother if you review if you say because you want to have fellowship and that's why you speak to him and he doesn't listen to you still wanna have fellowship with him you take some elders with you and speak to him he still doesn't listen to you and then finally you tell the church and he doesn't bother about the church he leaves the church okay what to do have i forgiven him yes because in the same chapter he goes down to saying the end of that chapter you got to forgive him from your heart whatever fellowship with him zero see it's this balance always which many people don't understand they take one truth and exalt that and they forget the other it's always grace or truth you need grace and truth to see the glory of God you need to the sovereignty of God in the free will of man together to see how God chooses so here is another thing about Jesus do I want to show you learning from Jesus learned from me for I am humble in heart where do I see the humility of heart of Jesus let me show you one example in John chapter 5 think of this when you've heard me quote John 15:5 without Christ I can do nothing because that worse up there without Christ I can do nothing very important verse that's why we got up there at the back of the screen I mean on the curtain without me you can do nothing have you understood that then we can understand the other truth on the other side with Christ I can do everything but see what Jesus says in John 5:19 very important truth where was his humility seen his humility is seen in the son can do nothing of himself unless he first sees the father doing it whatever the father does the son does in the same manner and he goes on from that to say because whatever I do will bungle up something if I do something without seeing the father doing it therefore verse 30 I will do nothing on my own initiative you know what initiative means something that starts with me that means I don't consult anybody I do it on my own Jesus said I never do it I always consult my father not always asking but a spontaneous life which you know like the branch in the tree always dependent dependent dependent dependent without always asking this constant dependence nothing on its own initiative branch saying I don't produce a single fruit on my own I lean on the tree the tree produces the food that's what she is saying I this is his humility I can do nothing of myself you've heard me many times caught the example of Jesus you know that man whom Peter and John healed Acts chapter 3 lame man it says he was lame from childhood and for 40 years he's been lame and they've been laying him at the door of the temple for so many years can you imagine the number of times Jesus walked by him walk by that same man at the beautiful gate of the temple and he would stretch out his hand to Jesus and say give me some money and Jesus did not say silver and gold I have none like Peter he told Judas give me some money next day he comes same man says Judas give him some money for three and half years Judas give him some money give me some money why did he heal him the father said no we have the idea that Oh somebody's sick I must have compassion and heal him Jesus did not act on compassion and you and I must not act on compassion if you want to follow Jesus on hearing the will of the Father I have given money to people out of compassion which I have regretted it took like compassion it's like helping the prodigal son was far away from the father's house and I keep on feeding him and he never goes back to his father's house is that an act of compassion it's an act of stupidity let that fellow suffer let him eat what the pigs are eating until he repents and goes back to his father's house that is divine wisdom that's what I learn about God there in that story God is so loving that he wants his son back to him in fellowship with him so he does not send him money he does not send him food packets stupid Christians will go and give him food back and money to make sure the fellow goes to hell but God loves him so much he doesn't want him to go to hell so he does not send him food back as he does not send him money how many Christians have that wisdom I find very very few because they do things in their own initiative jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the father but no no I don't have to wait proceeding rather I can do things on my own I've studied the Bible enough I'm a mature Christian now I've got compassion I want to help this person okay go ahead I'll tell you when Christ comes again we will see how many problems we caused among God's people with our not seeking God to know whether what I should do in this case because we are so proud why do I have to consult God I know I know all the rules I live by rules that is going back under the law Jesus never lived by the law he lived by when you're hungry if you are power to turn stones into bread can you turn stones into bread yeah if you're a human being yes Jesus you know I got power to turn stones into bread but I will not use that power I'll use it to bless others he used it to help 5,000 people to turn multiply bread but when it came to himself father what do you say no and even there the father said he asked the father father said yeah make for them and he made bread for them he lived by the father so this man is later the blade gate of the temple if Jesus had healed him you know got up and worked maybe one or two people were to God convert it and then when Peter and John came by later there was nobody there but when Peter and John healed and we read later on in the next chapter that 5,000 people got converted imagine Jesus could have spoiled that by doing something out of human compassion I better heal him I got power I'll let me heal him now right now that's a classic example so that's one mark of Jesus humility I have the power to heal this man father shall I do it in the father says no well let me give you another example which is even more striking you know the story where it's just in the Saint John chapter 5 earlier Jesus went to a sheep pool called Bethesda and this lay a multitude of people who were worse three sick blind lame withered how many do you think is a multitude will you call 10 people a multitude will you call 15 people a multitude Milty multitude means must be at least a hundred people there minimum crowding around this lake where or this pool where's once once in a while an angel would come and stir the waters and the first person who jumped in would be healed and immediately a clever person says why did God heal only the first person you know the answer to that who are you o man to answer back to God got it please remember that answer whenever you have a question about why God does some things in a certain way why didn't God heal my child why did that child I get the answer in Romans 9 who are you O man to answer back to God take your position as a human being okay that was this man who'd been only for 38 years verse 11 verse 5 when Jesus goes there and awesome do you want to get well you have nobody to help me Jesus get up pick up your pallet and walk and immediately verse 9 you don't know you got to use your imagination a bit yes you know shut your eyes and imagine the Pool of Bethesda hundreds of people hanging around the pool it's not a big 1 square mile area it's a small pool all these people crowding around and Jesus coming there and they hear him talking to this man who's they all know him like me they have a 38 years get up and walk and all these people hear him they seem getting up and walking what would you do if you were one of those blind lame people there tell me you'd say hey Jesus I'm here too I know I'd do that Jesus walks away doesn't he have compassion for all the other multitude of people like these people who help the prodigal son and the pigs farm with compassion doesn't that Jesus have compassion and all these doesn't he have power why does he leave them all they're sick who are you oh man to question God why didn't he do it I'll give you the answer he had no word from the Father to heal those hundred people he never felt he had the power the power was with the father the son can do later on he explains it in the same chapter he explains it in verse 19 verse 19 I can do nothing unless the father tells me to do it and the father told me to heal one man I healed him and the rest of the people I didn't heal have you seen the connection between verse 19 and what happened in the Pool of Bethesda that is the answer to what happened earlier in that chapter the son can do nothing of himself that's his humility today there are so many healers who say I was a part of heal I'm gonna hey I'm gonna heal all of you come on either hoaxes that go on they have not understood John chapter five if there was one person who had the power to heal everyone it was Jesus and there were times when it says he healed all of them because he heard the father and here's the time when he healed one out of a hundred most people don't understand that this was the greatest healer who walked on this earth humility humility humility I can do nothing I will not do anything without the father prompting me the greatest men of God I have known on earth are not the greatest preachers no it's the ones who have always had this attitude even if they don't see it let me pray about it let me pray about it now that's a very biased thing to say I know let's pray about it is a very sanctified holy thing that people say but I mean an attitude where say shall I do it you pray about it should I help this person let me pray about it most people don't do that because they're so full of themselves they say I've got the money I've got the resources I'm going to help that person okay go ahead that's because you're not spiritual Jesus was spiritually said I won't do anything I know all these people need healing but if the father says no I say no I said and I see today also so many people are saying I prayed for some people are healed I pray for many other people were not healed I don't know why I don't question God not at all dear brothers and sisters here we see the humility of Jesus Jesus has learned from me in everything learned that man lives by every word that proceeds from God's mouth that is one of the greatest lessons to learn and it is the first listen to this the first spoken word in Jesus ministry man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and that's how Jesus lived all his life and the humble man recognizes that that is why I've said for years brothers and sisters develop the habit of listening listening listening learn to listen to God from early morning when you get up learn to listen to God and keep that listening year throughout we don't do it perfectly but if we practice practice more and more we'll develop it more and more one last verse Isaiah chapter 50 you know this verse I've quoted it often I said 50 verse for Isaiah chapter 15 and verse for Jesus speaking about Jesus it's very clearly speaking about Jesus prophecy about Jesus the Father the Lord has given me the tongue of a disciple to know the right word to give to a person in need how to know the right word to give to a person in need whether in a sermon when you are preaching to a hundred people or when you are speaking to one person one-on-one in personal conversation you have to have a year that listens see the latter part here is the secret morning by morning he wakes me up God wakes me up and the reason he wakes me up in the morning first of all is to listen to him as a disciple and not that I shut my ear out of five minutes throughout the day man shall live by what he hears from God listen listen listen listen suddenly one person who's where he comes to me I have the word for him later on I have another person who comes with weary I have a word for him somebody phones me up with a question I have a word for him wouldn't you like to live like that wouldn't you like to live like that to be a blessing to everyone you meet and you talk to and hear develop the habit of listening humble yourself God is almighty I am zero I want to walk like Jesus who never decide to never to do anything by himself you say my life will be very stunted know in the beginning it looked like that but over a period of time if the prompting will become clear at the voice of God will become clearer and clearer in you and then a question comes shall I do nothing by common sense no the Bible says if you see your brother hungry don't say praise the Lord may God take care of you no give him food but if you are listening to God sometimes you may have a prompting don't give him so much money just give him a little bit listen to that that's what I mean by all means let's help one another but dear brothers and sisters there's a lot of foolish helping I have traveled this country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari from Gujarat to Mizoram and Nagaland all across and I've seen one thing in these 50 years 60 years I've travelled a lot of Christian work has ruined by amount of money that's been dumped here from other countries but missionaries and preachers who come with loads of money just helping here and there yeah they're doing a lot of good they can report back there it has destroyed the work of God and given a bad name to Christianity among non-christians that's why from the beginning in CFC we decided to do it differently when it came to money he would not ask anybody for money and we are very careful in using money I'm sorry to say there are people in CFC because a lot of money others lavishly spend it that shows how they don't know God at all don't know how there's money let's use it that's the language of judas iscariot it's not the language of Jesus why did he go and sleep under the Mount of Olives when nobody invited him to his house in Jerusalem in Luke 7 53 and John 7 53 and Johnny at 1 didn't Judas Iscariot have enough money couldn't you have gone and lived in an inn oh there's one in the back let me go and stay in some five-star in and I've come here to preach in my no he would not use God's money in a wasteful way learn from him yeah all of you who have some responsibility to spend money in CFC please learn from Jesus how to spend God's money how would you spend your own money that's the way we should spend God's money - I find a lot of carelessness there some were not we were very careful earlier on have become careless now they're going downwards instead of going upwards to become more like Christ they're becoming more like the world amazing money has become their God sad let's wake up Jesus has learned from me it's all got to do with humility of heart saying I want to hear what God is saying there we see Jesus humility I will do nothing I can do nothing as I hear I do and that's why in three-and-a-half years he could finish the work and say father I finished the work you gave me to go do did you heal all those people in Bethesda where there is no no no no I didn't heal all of them but I finished the work you gave me to do he didn't say Lord I've done 10,000 things for you no that's what we say I've done 10,000 things for you but you don't finish the work the father gave you to do that's important thing I want to finish the work the father gave me to do I don't want to travel the world and boast I've been here I mean they're mean they're nothing as a word God plans for me and I will know it day-by-day I won't know the whole future and I will not boast over the past but day by day I know what the father wants me to do and I want to do that and come to the end of my life and say father many years I lived in stupidity but from the time I have got an understanding I tried to do your work and I finished the work you gave me to do I hope at least from today do you hear this message you will work wake up every day and say Lord today I want to live listening to you it may take many years for me to develop my ears to listen because I've not done it so far but I want to live a useful life I want to be humble enough to say I don't know sometimes what to do is it possible for somebody here to take this message and go to an extreme and do nothing quite likely it's also possible so be careful let's pray Heavenly Father we know that relationship with you is a mystery so many Christians think they can explain it all like 2+2 is 4 it's not that easy I know help us to humble ourselves and leave room for mystery in our relationship with you and yet to know that you're a loving father who eagerly desires to lead us and guide us every day help us Lord to learn humility from Jesus and to avoid the way of pride and arrogance that makes us think that we can do anything for you we can do nothing we lean on you lord help us we pray never to forget the lessons you teach us all the days of our life we pray in Jesus name Amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

Views: 43,281

Rating: 4.8162394 out of 5

Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Zac Poonen

Id: bg01TEOMbQA

Length: 76min 7sec (4567 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 17 2020