Trust God To Give You His Nature - Zac Poonen

when we come to the end of a year we look back and we must look ahead I'll tell you this if you look back honestly at yourself it can go very well if you decide to change in the coming days but if you look back and all you can see is the way other people hurt you or how they spoke evil of you or it's something against you or cheated you I can guarantee 2018 will be exactly like the past year or probably worse the choice is yours because God does not force anyone to change God does not even force anyone to go to heaven there are many hundreds of thousands of people who died in the last night most of them went to hell God didn't stop any of them though he knows what eternity in hell is like and he knows what eternity in heaven is like he does not stop anybody from going to hell because if he did that he would have to make man into a robot if he forces you to be spiritual the only way he can do it is by making your robot and if he doesn't even take people to heaven that way I'll tell you is not gonna make any of us spiritual that way the most important thing that God has given to us his choice and at the end of this year you are what you are because of all the choices you made in the last 365 days think back the choices you made he chose to say something to somebody you chose to say something about somebody he chose to do something to please yourself or to indulge yourself you chose to spend money the way you wanted to spend it you chose to read the Bible when you felt like it and ignore it in other days what is the result what you are today but you can change we have made many decisions in the past to change and probably nothing has happened to some of you I was thinking of a statement this morning Abraham in Romans chapter 4 it's an amazing expression I don't know how many of you have noticed it in Romans four you know when God when he had no children and because he was his wife was barren he could have no children he himself was capable of having children Abraham but his wife was barren and yet God had promised him in Romans 4 verse 17 a father of many nations I have made you when God called him his name was not Abraham his name was Abram ABR am meaning highly exalted father he was a big shot was he was being a big shot if he didn't have any children God said I'm gonna change your name I'm gonna change your name to Abraham which means the father of a multitude you know supposing in those days you had to go to some Registrar's Office to change your name and Abraham goes to the registrar's office is I want to change my name what's your new name it says father of a multitude okay how many children do you have none are you sure you want to change your name to father of none or father of a multitude no father of a multitude oh that was faith when he didn't have a single child to believe that he'd be the father of a multitude how does that apply to us when you don't have victory over any sin to believe that you'll a victory over all sins when you're defeated in every area to believe that you'll be victorious in every area that is faith you have no children call me the father of a multitude that's what we see here because God had told him it because it was only based on God's Word he did not look at himself because if you had looked at himself there's no hope so he believed in a god verse 17 who can give life to the dead I mean there is no greater miracle than giving life to a dead person healing of the sickness and not such a great miracle giving life to the dead and even if you are dead in sin to believe that God can give life to the dead every person whom Jesus raised from the dead it was a testimony that God can give life to the dead and not only that here's something going back to Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 God can call into being something that does not exist right in the beginning God says let there be heavens and there were the heavens let that be the earth that was the earth in a split second all in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 what you read in the rest of Genesis chapter 1 is not the creation of the earth the word his creation is not used there that's only in verse 1 it's because the earth got corrupted through the sin of Lucifer who became the devil God had to remake it in the remaining verses of chapter one but creation of the earth was from nothing he called into being something that did not exist this is the example mentioned in Romans 4 for our faith I mean - you have may be a victorious life that does not exist in other words you don't have a victorious life do you believe God can say to you I'm gonna give you that it was an Abraham struggling it was believing Lord if you have said it it will happen in my life I'll tell you I was defeated thoroughly defeated and I think God allowed me to sink into the depths of defeat in my own life in order to show me that I was no better than any other human being and that's something I'm convinced in my mind that two revelations I got in my life one was that Jesus came just like me tempted like me and overcame sin and the second was that there's no difference between me and the worst human being terrorist or suicide bomber there's no difference between me and any human being you know how that has helped me it has saved me from despising other people you may believe that Jesus was tempted like you but I think if you despise somebody that proves that you feel you're better than him and I have a feeling that many of you I'm sorry to say look down on others who are inferior to you in some way and I want to say to you that is the reason you are defeated and if you continue like that in 2018 at the end of 2018 you'll still be defeated can you ask God to give you one maybe you've got a revelation Jesus was tempted like you this he overcame can you ask God to give you a second revelation that there's no difference between you and the worst terrorist or suicide bomber in the world or the most adulteress fornicator in the world has no difference between you and them once you get that revelation it'll be easy for God to leave you lead you into victory and it's because you haven't got that that victory hasn't come abraham was convinced that his wife could not bear a child it was not a question of well let me try some more no no no I cannot bear a child zero but he said God has said it so God has said in Romans 6:14 sin will not have dominion over me okay the question is whether you're going to look at that promise in 2018 or you're going to keep on looking at how you struggled and being defeated throughout this year then you'll continue to be defeated it says here in because God had said this is the expression I want you to see verse 18 in hope against hope he believed in his case it was to become a father of many nations when he had not a single child and in your case it may be to get victory over all sin when you haven't even got victory over one is there somebody here who has not even got victory over one sin after being here so many years this is for you some of you got victory over a few sins but somebody who hasn't got victory over even one not even one child God says as the stars in the sky that's how your victory will be now you don't have hope but it says Abraham was like that in hope against hope he believed your case that sin will not have dominion over me did not become weak in faith verse 19 there are two things he did not look at and the two things he did look at he looked at God's promise for himself and for Sarah both then he looked at his own body dead in the beginning he could produce one son through a servant woman Hagar that time he was not important because he could produce a child Ishmael but God waited till he became important at the age of 99 it says now there's no hope now you know I can't produce a child it says here very clearly his own body was as good as dead that's not when he produced Ishmael that is 16 years after he produced his mill he was dead then incapable of producing a child about a hundred years old and Sarah's womb dead okay he looks at himself dead Sarah's womb dead I mean dead in the sense it can't produce a child but then he looked at God's promise I'm not going to waver in unbelief see I feel that many of us have wavered in unbelief sin shall not know sin will rule over you and you say well it's still ruling it's like Abraham saying another year has gone by no children another year has gone by no children one year two years three years sixteen years went by no children but he did not waver in unbelief he grew strong in faith not because he was looking at himself he says I know my body's dead it's like a man saying and I've tried for years to get victory I can't get it some of you are still trying but some of you have given up is the ones who are almost given up the other ones close to victory he was convinced that he could not produce a child and he was convinced that a Sarah can not produce a child what he said God you have said it you said I'm gonna have one oh I'm gonna glorify you how do you glorify God by believing what he has said against what you see in yourself that's glorifying God whatever habit you're a slave to your anger or your sexually dirty thoughts or your pornography or I don't know what you're defeated by your bitterness against your relatives those you're unforgiving attitude towards somebody your problem with your mother-in-law or your daughter-in-law or anybody else whatever it is these are the main areas so many people have problems which never seems to change and you feel you're gonna do it better this year oh no this year will be just as bad until you say Lord nothing good dwells in my flesh have you said that like Abraham said I'm incapable of producing a child we haven't got there that's why some of those sins still come out and you glory in one or two victories you got here and there when there are other areas which are stinking before God and we can glory in victory in certain areas I want to show you a verse in that connection turn with me to James in chapter 2 concerning God's law there it speaks about God's laws and we don't we give ourselves marks in a different way than God does in James chapter 2 it says verse 10 listen to this whoever keeps the whole law but one point you miss out is guilty of all that's like saying out of hundred questions in the examination paper you got 99 right and one was wrong you get zero you get zero for the whole paper you can go to the teacher and say hey I got ninety nine percent how can you give me a zero like that fellow got everything wrong no you don't understand God's law God's law it doesn't make a difference whether you got one right or 99 right listen to this you keep the whole law that means you got every question right except one zero see these are verses we haven't read carefully that's why we compare ourselves with others and say I'm better than that person I'm not watching pornography like that person I just get angry once in a while zero you're as bad as that guy was watching pornography every day how many of you who lose your temper believe that you're as bad as the man who's watching pornography every single day I don't think you believe that right you think you're a little better than that person that's because you haven't read James chapter 2 and verse 10 because the one will get one commandment also gave the other the question is not what the commandment is the question is who gave it and if he's given a number of Commandments and you violate it is not a question of how many Commandments you kept you violated the one who gave it that's the point and here it is speaking about a sin which almost nobody considers a sin I have seen in my life even among CFC people this is one of the biggest sins of all you know what it is verse nine partiality very few brothers sisters I've met in my life who have really fought against partiality and overcome it and determined I will never be partial to anyone in my life can have a great ministry for you if you overcome this once in are you partial towards someone that's what he's peeking he's got a whole number of verses in verse 1 he begins a personal favoritism an attitude of personal favoritism it's a sin that means you as far as the church is concerned you treat a man who's rich verse 2 is a special way and you ignore the fellow who is poor that's partiality basically what it means is if you cannot look at an highly educated rich person who's a believer in exactly the same way you cannot look at a poor person who is thoroughly uneducated and crude if you can't look at them in exactly the same way as to the rich person you've got partiality I see that particularly in conferences I particularly see that when foreigners come here to CFC you find certain believers brothers and sisters they all go and speak to that person who's come from abroad you never see them going and meeting the people who come from Tamil Nadu during the conference oh no no no they're not no time they are the biggest sinners of partiality I have seen and I've seen it for 42 years you examine yourself whether you you're like that you ask yourself how much have you spent time have you spent trying to talk to people from Tamilnadu I've seen people who children of Tamil families who say we don't know Tamil I'm not from a Tamil family I just learnt I speak a lot of mistakes but I learned it because I wanted to speak to these people not because I grew up speaking I said I'm determined in my life that I will have no partiality I will never care for a person's skin with his white or yellow or brown I'll never care for his income I'll never care for his education I will not even care whether he's an elder brother or somebody who came yesterday to the church I will not show partiality because I know then I'm as guilty as watching pornography every day as guilty as killing people I take God's word seriously if you show partiality verse 9 you're committing a sin and you're convicted as a transgressor and you keep all the rest of the law but you stumble in partiality it's as good as murdering as good as watching pornography as good as doing the worst possible sins I take it seriously I believe God's Word and I'll tell you what has happened to me because I believe God's Word God helped me to overcome it and it has changed my life and I've got a revelation from God you ask yourself if you're not getting a revelation from God continuously it's because you know something you ignore it as something very not so serious which is not so serious if God has come under something seers he says verse 6 you have dishonored the poor man you've dishonored someone verse 5 whom God has honored God honors somebody in you dishonoureth very serious ask God to make you free from partiality in the way you treat all brothers and sisters I have know I can stand before God and say Lord I have no partiality to Malayalees or to educated people or dark-skinned durham white skinned or any other skin I'm not partial to educated people uneducated people elders junior brothers sin is sin wherever its found take that attitude to in the New Year say Lord I'm not going to great sins as murderers up there adultery is up here and no partiality that's not such a big thing then you haven't read James chapter 2 so coming back to Romans for of Abraham how he believed them you know once you take sin seriously and you recognize then you will be at you'll be able to acknowledge Lord I cannot produce that I cannot produce victory like Abraham was convinced that all his efforts he cannot produce a child but he didn't waver in unbelief God's gonna deliver me and his faith was this verse 21 romans 4 21 that what God has promised he will perform not I will perform what God has promised he will perform that was the difference that in the beginning abraham thought what god has promised i will try and perform so i want you to see the difference and I hope he'll understand this in this coming year turn with me to Genesis in chapter 16 you know God had already told Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 verse 2 I will make you a great nation very clear word Genesis 12:2 I will make you a great nation and verse 7 Genesis 12:2 your descendants I will give this land and God did give it to Abraham's descendants to the promise he didn't promises heaven to his descendants but he said this land of Israel which is called Israel today I'll give it to your descent and then God has kept his word and so here is a promise that God has given in our case the promises sin will not rule over you keep that in mind as we study this now chapter 16 Sarah Abraham's wife had no children promise can be fulfilled how can your descendants on this land if you have no children I don't have victory so Sarah said to Abraham now see I don't have children and we got to help God God is in a tight situation now we got to help him out somehow can you imagine the height of unbelief to think that God cannot open Sarah's womb it's real unbelief and so please take my servant girl when we got from Egypt first one and Nance Genesis 16 one ship Shin made named Hagar you can have children through her and listen to these very sad words very sad words chapter 16 verse 2 alas part Abraham listen to the voice of Sarah earlier Abraham listened to the voice of God now he listened to the voice of his wife just like Adam he Brown was another guy who listened to the voice of his wife and so he had a child and the name of that child was Ishmael 416 Genesis 16 verse 16 abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him next sentence Abraham was 99 years old what's happening in those 13 years not a single sentence written about those 13 years you know what God was waiting for Abraham to say even if I try I can't have a child that is the point at which we read in Romans 4 he looked at his own body it was dead at 86 in verse 16 of chapter 16 his body was not dead he could produce a child and he could go on producing children through Hagar if he wanted it is a picture of man's effort to try and keep God's promise God has said I will make your descendants of blessing okay I'm gonna produce those descendants who will be a blessing God has said I'll give you this land to your descendants I'm gonna produce those descendants and he could do it he produced an Ishmael God said okay keep trying that's not going to be accepted to me and Abraham says in verse chapter 17 verse 18 oh that Ishmael might live before you oh that Ishmael might live before you you know what Ishmael is a picture of is Ishmael is the picture of that apparent victory that we get through our own effort for example you learn to control your tongue for a few days and say oh I got victory over anger but it hasn't got out of your heart and as few days later you're losing your temper again oh it's just a slip-up let me produce another Ishmael you have to recognize to wait you know how God has to wait with different people here it was 13 years not one sentence between Genesis 16 16 and 17 1 we know what joy Jacob he had to wait 20 years before he could break him dislocate his tie and say okay now you'll be Israel with Moses yet wait 40 years premiered with 13 years what are they always the waiting is for making the fellow important it took 13 years for Abraham to become important I cannot produce a child it took 20 years for Jacob living with his father-in-law and mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to recognize I can't fulfill God's purpose it took Moses 40 years staying with his father-in-law and his sisters in law to recognize I'm useless then at the age of 99 he comes to Abraham and when Jacob has been broken and he says now I'll make you Israel and when Moses is broken he says now you'll be the deliverer we must learn this lesson throughout that's why God allowed Peter to fail three times because he was so proud no I'll never deny you okay Peter I'll teach you a lesson Peter says I can produce what does he produce an Ishmael he says to a servant small servant girl I don't know Jesus that was enough to Humble Peter he was broken then he could be filled with the spirit and become a different man and we can produce something in our own effort for it looks like the victory other people are talking about in CFC and we say Oh Lord is this good enough Genesis 17 18 oh that Ishmael might live before you and God says no have you heard God say no to you to the yoga type of control you had over your anger where you control your tongue and with a great effort you accomplished something in some area and Ishmael you see Oh Lord is this acceptable and God says no that's just your own effort you get the credit for it and the proof of it is that you look down on other people who lose their temper that is you know whenever you overcome some sin and you look down at another person who falls into the same sense you can be absolutely sure that that victory you have is in Ishmael why because you say I accomplished something and that guy cannot uh-huh okay it's an Ishmael and try to present it to God and you think God is accepted he hasn't he says that's the result of your own self control his Buddhism it is yoga look at your heart man looks on the outward appearance and gives you credit for looking like a victorious Christian but God looks at the heart he says you're no different from anybody else I see you got partiality in your heart you already got zero I see that somebody you cannot stand you've got zero you may boast about your external what you think is CFC standard or whatever it is what God says you got zero God says no I won't accept it and now finally you know as we read in Genesis 21 verse 1 the Lord took note of Sarah and gave her a CD promised and Sarah conceived genesis 21:2 in in his old age just as God had spoken to him it's a wonderful thing we can experience that God has said sin will not rule over you and it happens or like it says in Hebrews 8:11 I will write my law in your mind and in your heart I will put my law in your mind and write it in your heart that's not your effort that is God doing something that is in Isaac so if you turn to Galatians the these are not bright ideas that I got from somewhere I just read Galatians chapter 4 and it's over over there the explanation of this Old Testament example Galatians in chapter 4 first 21 listen carefully tell me you who want to be under the law now the Apple you know those Jews want to be under the law but for us the application is tell me those who think you can overcome sin by your determination and by your discipline of your life and you're gritting your teeth and your yogic self-control tell me listen Abraham had two sons one by a slave woman Hagar and the other by the free woman Sarah and the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh that means by Abraham's effort he did not need God's help at all it was 100% yogic self-control the self-discipline for the son by the free woman was the promise of God and this is an illustration of two covenants do you see that Old Covenant and new covenant we speak about new covenants so much in CFC and here is this here is an example in the Old Testament of Old Covenant and new covenant Hagar and Sarah producing children and there's a world of difference between the two you look at both these babies they look exactly alike you look at that fellow's yogic self-control with which he overcomes anger and this other person who's overcome anger by the power of God it looks the same but it isn't one is from the heart and the other is just on the outside you see this person who's loving this person somebody else whom he cannot love trying to love his mother-in-law and this other person who genuinely loves the mother-in-law it looks the same on the outside what one is just pretends one is just acting say Ishmael the other is from the heart this acting you can do if you're a good actor but divine nature you cannot produce to love one another you can do it on the outside we can produce any number of Ishmael's that thing my brothers and sisters in 2018 is to recognize what your Ishmael's are and don't say lord i present them to you God says I don't accept them it's all pretending to love somebody you don't love it all but you're pretending to love that person it's Ishmael don't take any credit for it God says I will write my law of love to that very unlovely person in your heart in your mind to that person you cannot forgive I will write my law that you can forgive that person somebody who cheated you years ago you can forgive that person you may not be able to fellowship with them because even Jesus could not fellowship with the Pharisees I don't get condemned that I cannot fellowship with certain people Jesus could never fellowship with the Pharisees the Sadducees I'm not better than Jesus but I can love everyone Jesus loved them God's not asking you to fellowship with everybody don't try to struggle to have fellowship with somebody that you are trying to be more spiritual than Jesus I don't struggle fellowship is from two sides if the other person is not interested I cannot have fellowship but love is only from one side nobody could stop Jesus from loving people but he couldn't fellowship with them in fact he could not fellowship with most people how many people in the world in Israel do you think Jesus fellowship to it I think it must have been less than 10% so when people say brother Zack you don't seem to have fellowship with many people I said I agree I fully agree tell me how many people in Israel Jesus had fellowship with but love must be a hundred percent in other words in my attitude in my heart I must not have any bitterness against a single human being other words aren't guilty of all guilty of pornography guilty of murder guilty of adultery did we read that in James chapter two so let me not glory if I still have some unloving attitude in my heart that I carry over into 2018 and think I'm very spiritual because I got victory over a few other things dear brothers and sisters I plead with you let's move into reality in 2018 let's not present any more Ishmael's to God and say Oh Lord accept it he says Ishmael is a picture of the Old Covenant Galatians 4 24 that is what comes from Sinai the law and either all who do that they're slaves but that which comes verse 27 from a barren woman who could not bear one who had completely given up all hope of victory I can never get it Lord but I depend on you you promised I can't do it Lord I'm just thoroughly defeated in this area this area this area this area I cannot love that person I try I try to show love why do I mention love because the Bible says love is the fulfillment of the law that is a test I can glory that I keep certain other Commandments but if I cannot love I've violated the law so you brethren verse 28 are like Isaac children of the promise scriptures say verse 30 cast out the bondwoman and her son get rid of this yogic type of victory God will not accept it so it's very important to understand this so as I told you that period when nothing was written between Genesis 16 and Genesis 17 thirteen years with nothing written could be like that in our lives where nothing really happens year after year after year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 13 years can go by with nothing written because I'm not yet important is 2018 going to be like that how many years more shall we remain till we come to the place where Lord in my flesh that dwells nothing good there's no difference between me and the worst terrorist or suicide bomber in the world there's no difference between me and the worst pornography addict or drug addict there's no difference Lord there is no difference I will never think I'm superior to them in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Romans 7:18 it's a revelation to understand that worse many people think the only thing we need to understand is 1 Timothy 3:16 great is the mystery of godliness that Christ came in the flesh and was tempted in all points as we are it's true that is a mystery Romans 7:18 is another mystery in my flesh that Wells 0 good if you believe that it's I tell you it's a revelation it is an absolute revelation which many Christians don't have and that is one of the main reasons they don't get victory they think they are a little better than that person a little better than that other person a little better than that person in that other Church I remember when I was speaking in the United States and I said that I don't agree with Mother Teresa's doctrine but I believe that she was a godly woman who loved Jesus and cared for the poor and I believe her heart was much better than mine and I believe in the kingdom of God she'll be way ahead of me and Indian brother living in the u.s. who was a converted Catholic came to me and said how can you say that she prayed to Mary and she prayed the Rosary I said brother those are all matters of the head she was wrong in a doctrine okay she was wrong but her heart she loved Jesus and I think was this brother who left India to go to America to make money and to give his children a good future in life he's despising this mother Teresa went to the poorest people in India to pick up people from the gutter I should be ashamed to despise that lady this because you have a right doctrine this is the type of craziness that some people have I got the right doctrine lord I thank you I'm not like those Roman Catholics I'm not like those people because my doctrine is better it's a deception if you got 10 talents of doctrine you got to produce another 10 and if that person only got one talent of doctrine and produces 10 don't you think that person is 10 times better than you do not despise I disagree with people but I will not despise a person if I despise a person that's because I don't believe that in my flesh there's nothing good and see that brother couldn't see how he himself was just living for himself and covetous and living for money but despising another lady who gave up everything to live in the gutter to help poor people it's very easy for us to despise people were serving the Lord in a way ten times better than us but whose doctrine is maybe a little inferior to ours do you think in the final day cheese is gonna give us all a sheet to answer questions on doctrine no you'll get a surprise he's not going to question your doctrine he'll say I gave you ten talents of doctrine what did you produce with it and you see that other person the Lord says he that person only got one talent of doctrine and see what she or he produced much more than you to whom or is given more is required and I believe that's one of the great revelations that people in CFC need to see and because I find in CFC people are glory in the fact that we've got the finest doctrine it may be true we've got ten fifteen talents wonderful 100 talents what have you produced with it have you produced another hundred if not let's appreciate someone else who's got three talents and produced a higher percentage than us it's a very serious thing to understand more of the truth because more will be required it's very clear the man who had ten talents had to produce ten in the man who had five talents only had to produce five man who had only two at reproduce early to principle is the same percentage in other words the more you understand the higher the standard of life God expects from you that's the challenge that needs to come to us today and when we realize that will say like Abraham Lord I'm important I cannot do it right your laws please in my mind and heart otherwise I'll never make it I just get a good reputation before persons people as a very holy person and nice gracious person ready to apologize every time I make a mistake to go and say I'm sorry I'm sorry for losing my temper for the 1,000th time at you but I'm holy I ask forgiveness he's 2018 also gonna be like that Oh will you say Lord I don't want to live in this muck and this rubbish of defeat I want to believe your promise that sin will not rule over me it's because I haven't become important that you're waiting one year two years thirteen years how much longer Lord like you hear that prayer of some saints how long O Lord how long O Lord do you have a longing like that how long O Lord shall I till I partake of your nature the promises of God in the New Covenant are that we can partake of his nature see 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse that we have often quoted second Peter in chapter 1 we read in verse three and four by God's divine power he has granted us everything let's go slowly I always say read the Bible slowly by God's divine power he has granted us 99% no hundred percent of everything pertaining to a godly life through the knowledge of him and by these he has granted us precious and magnificent promises so that by these promises we can partake of the divine nature not that we can get hundred percent in our doctrine no not that we can argue and prove to people that women should veil their heads Oh women should not be adorning themselves with jewelry or we must dress modestly all that I agree I agree hundred percent or this is the pattern we shouldn't have pastors or you know we should not take money to preach all correct all correct but if we follow all those things and we have partiality and we can't love somebody who's unlovely what is the use of boasting in these things it is his nature that we are called to partake of and it is only if we partake of his nature verse four that we can escape the corruption that is in the world by lust means desire strong desire now many often we think of lust only in terms of sexual lust the word is a strong desire it can be a strong desire for more and more and more money more than you need it can be a strong desire never to love this person it's so unlovely I cannot love this person that's corruption its corruption in the world through strong desire the only way to overcome it brothers and sisters is through the divine nature that is why I believe the greatest gift God has given us next to the forgiveness of sins is the gift of the Holy Spirit I don't have time to show you this in the Book of Leviticus you know leprosy is a picture of sin in the Old Testament and when a leper was cleansed they'd had to put a drop of blood on his hair on top of the drop of blood a drop of oil and different parts of the body drop of blood the drop of oil the drop of blood and a drop of oil we were lepers cleansed the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit it's incomplete with just the blood proper blood toil and I really believe that that is the supernatural power by which we partake of his nature in my case is the fullness of the Holy Spirit that gradually began to change me from that thoroughly defeated life I had dear brothers and sisters there's one thing I would urge you seek in 2018 to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day to partake of his nature never mind if you never speak in tongues Jesus never spoke in tongues do you know that Balaam's donkey spoke in tongues I'm not against the gift of tongues but compared Balaam's donkey who spoke in tongues with Jesus who never spoke in tongues so it should understand the relative value of that gift I'm not despising it I speak in tongues myself but I don't believe that is the greatest thing to me the greatest thing is that the Holy Spirit makes me partake of God's nature from within from within a cat does not have to pretend to meow like a cat a cat can never bark you know even if you train a cat to market cannot bark like a dog its nature and once nature takes over he won't lose your temper you will get angry like Jesus saw God angry with people who made money in the temple sure till the end of my life I want to be angry with people who make money in the name of Jesus Christ and use a whip at least with my words to drive them out of the church but Jesus was never angry when people spat on him or went against his his way or did anything to him called him the devil is it oh it's forgiven his anger was always directed at the where the glory of God was touched then I then you have to be anger angry when people dishonor the Lord man I know a lot of people have get upset with me when they see me speaking strongly where the name of the Lord is Dishonored I don't care what they think about me I live before God's face and thank yous don't worry the only thing you should be concerned about is the glory of God you stand for that never personal insult or abuse forgiven partake of God's nature and Jesus has given us an example for what a spiritual life is like dear brothers and sisters that's what we have to partake off in this new year and if you think that you think I can make it think of Abraham it says in hope against hope he believed he did not look at his own body but at the promise of God so when I look at when you look at your past life this past year or yours and say well it doesn't look as it was going to change at all don't say that it says in Romans chapter 10 and where's verse 9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness you are justified with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation from sin and 11 whoever believes in him will not be disappointed however there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek there's no difference between brother Zach and you no difference whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed believe that Lord I'm gonna confess with my mouth that what you have done for some godly brothers I have met you will do for me as well can you say that what he's done for even if you can't believe what he's done for Jesus he'll do for me what he's done for that for Paul he'll do for me of course the eius is to believe what he did for Jesus he'll do for me as he cared for Jesus he will care for me it's a wonderful you know that God wants you to live 365 days without anxiety in this coming year 365 days without being anxious about anything I wanted to explain the difference between being concerned and being anxious if your children haven't come home from school on time you should be concerned why are they late if you are not concerned you're not a good parent but anxiety is a different thing they're all tense no take it to God in prayer or whatever concerns that we have take it to God in prayer I believe I speak with my mouth so it says here what I believe in my heart I believe in my heart sin will not rule over me I said that to the devil so many times before it became real in my life I said Satan you've defeated me but I tell you a day is coming when sin will not rule over me you will not have the upper hand anymore I had to confess it for a long time before it happened I sought to be genuinely filled with the holy spirit for a long time you say how is it so easy in the early days because there not so much confusion you know if there are hundreds of thousands of fake 500 rupee notes floating around he got really search to find the genuine one right but in those early days when there were no fake 500 rupee notes everything was a genuine one you can trust everything buzzing there's a place with a no fake 500 rupee note you can pick up any fire ribbon or it's genuine that's how fullness of the spirit was in the early days there was no fake there right at the beginning that's why they received so easily but now the world is flooded with fake and that's why we got to turn away from turn away from all that and say Lord I will not have that I want the genuine thing I tell you I remember saying that to the Lord once I said lord I don't care waiting 10 years but I want the genuine thing I don't want to tell other people I got filled of the spirit what does that mean dear brothers and sisters I fear that some of you are just wanting to tell other people I also got baptized in the Holy Spirit dear me we won the honor of men you'll never come into the spirit filled life never means never go to God and say Lord I don't want anybody to think I'm filled with the spirit I want you to tell me in your heart you're being genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit and you you've made you've made me a partaker of Lord iam given me your nature I want to hear it from you don't accept the testimony of men and don't care for the testimony of men let everybody think you're not filled of the Holy Spirit I don't care if the whole world things I've not filled the Holy Spirit so what their opinion is fit for the trash can I want God to be able to say to me I've made you partake of my nature if you are desperate Lord I want this you said in 2nd Peter 1:4 I can partake of your nature I want it you said in Hebrews 8:11 that you will write your law in my mind in my heart now not the outside on my mind in my heart that law of love we James I want to point out one verse I didn't point out then James chapter 2 it says James chapter 2 [Music] the royal law were saved if you are fulfilling the royal law or is that you shall love your neighbor as yourself you're doing well but if on that you show partiality he goes on to say verse 10 you're guilty of all you've got zero so there's a royal law it's a law of love it's not sisters wailing the head or not having ornaments or not collecting a salary when you please no no no no you don't get take occupied with these trivialities that I can love everyone from my heart I'd rather have a preacher who collects salary for preaching and loves everybody then another CFC elder who does not collect a salary but he's got some inability to love somebody which is better you can't love your brother-in-law or mother-in-law but you don't collect the salary worthless go and collect a salary brother and love you must have relative understanding what is it but I have a the reason I emphasize this is we value all these little little things in CFC but I fear that we are straining at nasse and mosquitoes and swallowing camels jesus said that strain at little little things I don't do this I don't do that and swallowing camels what is a camel and unloving attitude towards someone that's a gamma what is the beam in the eye it's an unloving attitude and you can take a speck out of the other person's eye in that church they don't the women don't wail their heads in that church the preachers collect a salary okay that's right that's a speck in there I agree be removed but what about this beam in your eye that you can't love somebody you can't forgive someone you keep a grudge against someone because somebody treated you badly some time ago what's he's saying I don't have a specs in my eye I've got a beam in my eye this is what we should concentrate on in 2018 I hope you will see it as a prophetic word from the Lord for you don't strain out mosquitoes first get rid of the camels don't try to pick specks out of other people's eyes get rid of the beam in your eye that means the way you look at somebody in your heart I mean the way you consider that person and if you find somebody it's very difficult to love I'll tell you what you should do here's a solution it's like you'd go to a doctor I say doctor I've tried so long to get rid of this disease I can't get rid of it doctor doctor says I can cure you if you will submit to my treatment say Lord fill me with your holy spirit and give me your nature of love otherwise I can never do this I mean there are a lot of people in you know I'm Serbian serving the Lord more than 50 years and I can imagine particularly this type of standards we preach I'm sure I'm the target of the devil and target of many people whom the devil tries to use to accuse me and tell lies and all that I can say before God I love all of them I don't have fellowship with 90% of them just like Jesus but I love all of it I can stand before God and say I don't have an unforgiving attitude towards one human being in the world I don't have an unloving attitude toward one human being in the world I don't have fellowship with 99% of people that's another thing it's like Jesus didn't have but love as far as love the law is not have fellowship the law is love so pursue that pursue love in this coming year more than anything else and if your doctrine is superior to others remember you will be God will expect more from you than those people and let's leave these other people alone and say Lord let me work out my own salvation with fear and trembling one of the greatest sad saddest things rather than I've seen in many CFC brothers and even in some elders and I think of all the more than 130 elders we have in CFC churches I can see that some of them are not judging themselves even elder brothers we can make out how is this guy still in the same level as I see him one year ago two years ago he's not judging himself he's not cleansing himself you know another order comes out of us an aroma of Christ will come out more and more not perfection but a little more christ-like aroma in our language and in our attitude it's easy to change our language but it's attitude work on your attitude to people in a very simple language I would say dear brothers and sisters work out your salvation from wrong attitudes that you have towards anybody in the start with a small in this church I start with this church don't try to go to the other places first start with the church you know Jerusalem Judea Samaria they are the most positive so start with the smallest circle and say Lord I want to have a good attitude I may not have fellowship with everybody here some people don't want to have fellowship it's fine I have to honestly say I am NOT equally close to all of you that's the truth I believe I added it is clear but if there's something wrong in your attitude if you're not walking in the light with God we won't have fellowship that's true I can still love you but we want a fellowship and I have to honestly say I don't have equal fellowship with everybody it's not true I don't have equal fellowship so that's a fact and you will not have equal fellowship with everybody because it depends on how much that person is willing to walk in the light how much that person is willing to get rid of bad thoughts wrong attitudes partiality and things like that if not my fellowship with that person will be limited but give me a brother who's radical against everything on Christ like in his life our fellowship will just grow and grow and grow and grow and grow I don't mean the time of time we spent together fellowship is not I can have fellowship with somebody I don't meet for a whole year wonderful fellowship as soon as we meet it's as if we had been together the whole year because it's attitude that determines it so dear brothers and sisters let's make this coming year a year when we work on our attitude and say Lord I am going to pursue after love and I'm not going to produce Ishmael's and say here Lord accept this which my struggling I've struggled enough and I have not succeeded I succeed in one area and I've completely failed another area and then you tell me that I've got zero in the whole thing so what's use my glorying that I succeeded here I want your nature give me your nature Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit I don't want the product of my own efforts and please show me Lord what is in Ishmael and what is in Isaac in my life what is my struggling doing something and what is your writing your law in my mind and your heart I believe it was not at all difficult for Jesus to love anybody can I believe that is one way in which I know God has done a work in me and I'll find it easy to love people who are unlovely or repulsive okay maybe not in perfection but it's going to get the easier and easier and easier and easier but if you find in a certain area your attitude remains the same you know that despite all the wonderful doctrines we hear in CFC it hasn't changed your life I say this plainly my dear brothers and sisters because I fear many of us are gonna get a big shock when we stand before the Lord and we thought we were so spiritual so much better than some of those other people knows other churches and when the Lord comes and reveals the hearts of everyone the story may be completely different I don't want you to get a shock in that day that's why I'm speaking the truth in love work out your salvation with fear and trembling and say lord I will never be satisfied till your nature of love has taken over my heart I know I will not be perfect in Christ comes again but I wanted to take over my heart a little more in this year than has ever happened till now let's pray remember that God is on your side against the devil it's one of the greatest truths we must remember God is on your side against the lusts in your flesh God is on your side against the devil God is on your side against all the attractions of this world he's on your side he's there to help you cry out to him in secret let there be a cry in your heart that never dies out Lord I will not rest like David said I will not like Jacob said I will not let you go until you bless me that's a wonderful prayer Lord I will not let you go until you make me partake of your nature more and more and more and more I'm willing to judge myself in any area I'm willing to give up anything but Lord I want your nature this is the reason why you kept me on this earth is that I might manifest your nature let it work out from within Lord deliver me from being satisfied with an external self-control help me to be free from myself within thank you lord Jesus died second Corinthians 5:15 that we might never again live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us pray that simple prayer Lord you died that I might never again live for myself but for you who died and rose again for me I want that life Lord now and then I come across someone who has that life I love it and I want it I want to hate getting a reputation before the brothers and sisters I want to detest getting a reputation I want to die - that completely and a lord I want your nature not a reputation for holiness help me Lord help me not the glory in doctrine but in love that floods my heart the Holy Spirit floods our heart with love Heavenly Father help us it's impossible for me to share your heart the way it should be shared but I pray what I could not make clear that your Holy Spirit will make clear to everybody here because this is a matter of eternal life and eternal death and I apprai that nobody here will be deceived Lord when they stand before you that there'll be no shock or surprises lord please help each one of us we bow before you we are a needy people and Lord as we come to the end of one year the beginning of another I say for myself when I pray each of you will say to yourself I want this coming year to be better than any year in my life in the past more christ-like more loving more humble by taking more of your nature being a greater blessing to others free from prejudices and bitterness and unforgiving attitudes and every type of wrong attitude help me Lord to really make a new beginning help each one of us in Jesus name Amen you

Channel: CFC India

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Keywords: zac poonen cfc Christian Fellowship Church Church Fellowship Christian Zac Poonen, Sermons, CFC

Id: D9W5H2Kx3ic

Length: 70min 58sec (4258 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 14 2018