Through Resurrection Power — Zac Poonen

The last few days see Sundays rather. We were considering a Statement that the people in Thessalonica said about the Apostle Paul and his team That wherever he went He turned the world upside down. That's written in Acts 17.

And I was mentioning that it was not really turning the world upside down it was turning the world right side up. Because the world became upside down when Adam sinned that means God wanted man to walk erect and when Adam sinned he died and He was upside down or flat on the ground thereafter.

Like dead people are dead people can't stand erect or walk upright. So in a world where everybody was dead a few people stood up and started walking. It didn't look funny. It would look odd. But that's how Christians are supposed to be.

Standing Upright in an Upside-Down World

I Never forget a picture I saw painting I saw of The people in Babylon all on their faces worshiping the statue of Nebuchadnezzar. And how three young men were standing upright in the midst of a sea of people who are flat on the ground.

I've never forgotten it and I said Lord. That's how we should be as Christians. In a world where everybody is worshiping money and sex and power and position. They're all flat on their faces. There must be a few people who are upright and they say I don't worship any of those things.

Are you like that? That's how we should be. So people who are flat on their faces will think that we are upside down, but something wrong with us. There's nothing wrong with us something wrong with them, but if we are also flat on our faces.

Worshipping worshipping the gods of money and sex and power and position then we're like them. Then we're not going to be a testimony or a witness or a positive influence on the world, so When Jesus made statements like I Have overcome the world be of good cheer and John says in 1 John 5 That this is the victory that overcomes the world our faith.

The way Jesus overcame the world we overcome the world means that we don't bow down to all these Attractions that are compelling us to bow down we say no I've overcome the world. I do not bow down To those things.

Jesus was tempted with everything in the world you know at the age of 30 at the age of 30 after he had already overcome so many temptations. Still the devil felt he could tempt him with the glory of the world.

Isn't that significant? That someone who had lived so perfectly for 30 years. The devil tempted in showing him the glory of the world and say I'll give all this to you if you bow down to me so don't think that there's a Stage you come in your life where the glory of the world will not tempt you.

Like mother Teresa one said temptation is like fire. Even if you're a hundred years old it can burn you. Absolutely true. Temptation is like fire. Don't think you ever come to a stage where I say oh, I'm okay now.

I'll never get burned by anything. You can get burnt by sex when you're 80 years old if you have not been faithful in your earlier years. You can be destroyed by the love of money at that age or seek for honor and position in the world or in the church.

The things that the world seeks after bows down to. We are to overcome. That's what it means to live upright In an upside-down world and to live upright in a world that is Bowing down to other gods and idols.

God created us to walk upright. That's the meaning of the resurrection. Let me turn to Ephesians in chapter 2. Ephesians in chapter 2. It says here that Verse 1 you were dead In your trespasses and sins that's the condition of the whole world and that was our condition.

Before we were really born again, and if you are not really born again today, that is your condition. Dead means flat on the ground and In that condition it says here God verse 4 because of his great love.

Even when we were dead now think of a person who was flat dead buried Raised us up with Christ verse 6 now here's a cemetery you go into a cemetery and Everyone there is underground. Most of them have become skeletons some of them become dust.

They're all dead in the midst of that when you walk. You are different from all of them because you're walking you're upright. That's the way a Christian is supposed to be. The world is like a cemetery with a whole lot of people dead.

Dead because of sin dead because of their love for things that are contrary to God contrary to the nature of Christ and The more we partake of the things that Christ would not partake of the more we become dead and We are buried as a result of that death by sin, and that's why to me the Most perfect definition of Christ is Is Of sin rather the most perfect definition of sin is that which is on Christ's life.

The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and The glory of God we read in John 1 14 was seen in Jesus Christ so when it says all have sinned the definition of sin in Romans 3 23 is Coming short of the glory of God.

That's in and the glory of God seen in Christ so anything which is unlike Christ is sin, that's the Bible definition of sin. So anything in your life, which you cannot do in fellowship with Jesus Christ is sin.

Now that's not the definition of sin for most people you know the world there are people who got all types of definitions of sin. It's like in a school or in a college people have got different understanding of mathematics.

If you ask a kindergarten student what mathematics is this is understanding of mathematics is 2 plus 2. You go to a little higher class the understanding of mathematics is trigonometry and go a higher class.

It's calculus. You go to a PhD student mathematics. He's talking about things, which I don't know there must be something higher than that. But they're all talking about mathematics, but it's all different levels.

It's exactly like that with sin. Your understanding of sin Depends on which class you're in. If you live in the kindergarten forever Your understanding of sin will be very low. It will be pretty close to the world.

You know people in the world are like those who haven't even come to school. But the kindergarten students knowledge is not very much above that of the world and When a Christian's understanding of sin is not much above the rest of the world that's okay when he starts.

But if it doesn't increase He's not progressing. I mean if your child's understanding of mathematics is only 2 plus 2 even after 10 years in school I Would suggest you change the school. Or change the church you're going to.

Because that's not the way it should be. I wouldn't send my child to a school where they're 10 years they learn 2 plus 2. What do you think of? Christians who go and sit in churches where even after 20 years there.

They've never been taught that getting angry is a sin. What sort of school is that I mean to me that's one of the elementary things in the Christian life. Getting offended Is a sin. You never heard it.

If you'd been here you'd have heard it for 30 years. To get offended. That's what somebody said or somebody did or somebody didn't say or somebody didn't do or somebody forgot to. Do you get offended or somebody called you a devil you get offended?

That's a kindergarten lesson. To overcome that I tell you honestly there are other things which are more difficult. Lust with the eyes a little more difficult. Anger is actually a little more difficult.

Love of money is a little more difficult. There are many things seeking the honor of men to be free from that those are a little higher classes getting offended. That's one of the first things we got to get rid of.

And there are husbands and my wives who are married for years who still haven't got victory over getting offended. They don't realize that they are flat. Even if they are little up is just the head is up.

They're not upright. They're not walking upright. So what does it mean to walk upright? In the midst of a world. That is insane. The only one thing that can help us is resurrection. It says when we were dead God raised us up.

Do you know that? Even though Jesus said Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days. He was referring to his body meaning that You can kill this body. I can raise it up in three days. And he also said in John chapter 10, I have power to lay down my life and I have power to raise it again.

He had that power. He had that ability just like he had the ability to call 72 ,000 angels from heaven to fight for him when he was being attacked by the Roman soldiers to be captured. But he didn't call them.

He didn't even call one angel even though he had the power to lay down his life and The power to rake take it up again like he said in John 10. He used only one of those powers. He used the power to lay down his life.

Never use the power to raise it up again. That's why the Bible never says even once that Jesus raised himself up from the dead. It always says God raised him from the dead. In other words When people came to crucify him he had the power to resist it.

Oh, he had the power to give himself up. He said you see Jesus of Nazareth. That's me. Let the others go take me. He used that power to give himself up, but once he died He waited for the father. To raise him up whenever he wanted it is after three days three days if it is out of 30 days 30 days.

That's up to the father. He left it in the father's hands to raise him up. That is what we symbolize in baptism. In baptism in proper baptism you'll be standing on your feet and Somebody dips you and he can't dip you if you resist it.

If you keep resisting he can't dip you. You have to yield into the hands of the person who's baptizing you. And all that symbolism disappears with this invention of Child baptism called christening. It's completely contrary to scripture in true baptism.

It's a symbolism of death burial and resurrection. I could read in Romans 6 you have to submit to the person who baptizes you and he pushes you down and you yield and the More quickly you yield the sooner you can go down.

But then do you know when you're on your feet like that in the water you can't pull yourself up. Somebody else pulls you up you yield to go down. But somebody else has to pull you up. That's the meaning of death and resurrection.

You Jesus gave himself to die. God raised him up and It's exactly like that when we follow Jesus. That we come into situations in life Where people want to crucify us, I don't mean physically. They want to crucify our reputation our dignity our rights.

Our self-life whatever it is. The world is full of people awaiting to crucify others. But the child and everybody resisted. The world is full of people who resisted. Who resist the fellow is crucifying them and want to crucify the other person in return.

The world is like that, but in the midst of this dead world. There are Christians true. I don't mean people who call themselves Christians. More than 95 of them are not really Christians. But a small group maybe 2 of 5

Who are really born again, even among believers. Most believers I've met are not really born again. They just said some words and some mantra they thought they were saying but I don't see the evidences of Christ's life in me and.

But the true disciples of Jesus. They are walking different when people seek to crucify them. They believe that God is in control of the universe. Jesus believed that The devil couldn't touch him. Till God's time came there were many times it says in the Gospels that people tried to kill Jesus.

But they couldn't kill him and the reason given. It doesn't say they didn't have an army or they didn't have another strong enough. Always. The reason given is his hour had not yet Mean God's time for him and not come that's all.

Now true disciple of Jesus Christ follows so close to Christ that he's in Christ's shadow as it were. You know, like it says How blessed is the one who dwells in the shadow of the Almighty? To me that picture in Psalm 91 is Somebody walking towards the Sun.

But I'm close behind him. I'm right in his shadow. I'm quite safe. So here I see Jesus. The way he walked I'm right behind him in his shadow and I'm perfectly safe. It's when you're not in his shadow that you have all types of problems.

But if you dwell in the shadow of the Almighty He protects you and provides for you. You know what it says there. You won't be afraid of the arrows that fly in the day or the plague that spreads at night.

You won't be afraid of anything. You're in the shadow close behind Christ anyway. So if I'm following Jesus I say hey God says that he's in control of everything. I want to show you a verse in Acts of the Apostles chapter 2 in this connection.

God’s Sovereign Plan in Christ’s Crucifixion

Because when you're in the shadow of Christ What is true Christ is true of you as well? But if you're far away from the Lord Then of course, this is not true. When the Apostle Peter was speaking about the crucifixion of Christ He says in verse 22, it's the first gospel sermon and You read here men of Israel.

Listen to these words. Jesus the Nazarene a man attested to you by God With miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through many a midst just as you yourself know. This man now, this is the verse.

I want you to see verse 23 This man was delivered over. Who delivered him over. We can say Judas Iscariot? We can say the Priests and the Pharisees and all they handed them over to the Romans to crucify him.

But here it says this man was delivered over by the pre determined plan and foreknowledge of God. That means millions of years before God the Father had planned that these Pharisees Should be against Christ and At the end of 33 and a half years their rage would have increased to such an extent that they would want to kill him and Even the date of his death was determined.

You know that Jesus died on What the Jews call their Passover day that doesn't mean now you got to understand this the date of Christ's crucifixion Was not fixed. After the children of Israel left Egypt.

I understand it right the date of Christ's crucifixion Was fixed Before Adam was created that the Jesus should be crucified on a Thursday morning. Be buried for three days and three nights and rise upon Sunday morning.

That was fixed way before Adam was created and Because that date was fixed God said okay on that day. I will deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. So the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt was timed to fit in with the crucifixion of Christ.

Which is going to come 1 ,500 years later it was the predetermined plan of God and according to the foreknowledge of God foreknowledge means God can see things that are going to happen thousands of years later.

It's just like, you know, you can see in a video. Some if somebody takes a home video of something that happened you watch it. You're not in the video, but you watch what other people are doing. God can see a video of something that's going to happen 2 ,000 years from now.

He's not part of it. He just watches he knows what people are going to do. He knows he knew everything about your birth and my birth and the day we would yield to Christ and every secret sin We would commit and everything we would do and all the good things we would do.

He knew everything long long before Adam was created and It says according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God he Jesus was crucified and The father loves us. If you are a disciple of Jesus, you don't love everybody the same way, but if you're a disciple of Jesus He loves you exactly the same way as he loved Jesus.

See that verse John 17 23, yeah, I've often spoken about it that the world may know. That you love them as you love me and I've spoken about it for years. But I want to clarify what could possibly be a misunderstanding.

Some of you who hear this may say That's great. God loves me as he loved Jesus. Hang on. Who did he say it to? He said it to people who had become his disciples. Who had acknowledged him as Lord? Who had surrendered everything to him and I'd say 90 of born-again believers are not like that.

So that verse does not apply to them. You got to read who it's written for. You got it when you get them when the Postmaster postman's got a money order for 10 ,000 rupees. You better check whose name it is.

It may not be your name. That's great 10 ,000 bucks, but it's not in your name. Sorry. God loves you as he loved Jesus. Who is it written for those who are disciples those who have made Jesus Lord of their life?

Those who've got no other ambition on earth. Peter James John Matthew Andrew. What ambition did they have in life? They had no ambition to make money and to live for themselves and enjoy the pleasure of the world.

Their only ambition was to live for Christ to such people. Jesus says Father loves you as he loved me. Now if you don't fulfill that condition and you just go and claim that promise. You'd be a thief like going to rob the mailman of the money order, which is not in your name.

It doesn't work. He won't give it to you. And that's the reason some people try to claim promises which are not meant for them. The promise is not in their name. I Tell you the most wonderful thing in the world Is to walk in the shadow of Christ to follow him wholeheartedly be a disciple because then.

Like that chorus says you can sing every promise in the book is mine every chapter every verse every line. All our blessings of his love divine. Every promise in the book is mine. But not everybody can everybody can sing it but not everybody can claim it.

But if we are disciples and say Lord, I have no ambition in life except to do your will I Have no desire on earth except to please you. If I do an earthly job if I raise a family everything is to please you.

If I bring up children, it's for you. Everything is for you. A lot of Indian parents Raise up children. Listen, I'm speaking the truth. Because they want somebody to look after them in their old age. I never raised my children for that.

That would be a very selfish self-centered reason. Are you raising your children so that they look after you when you are old. You're not a disciple of Christ. You love yourself. And you expect your children.

Hey now I'm old you gotta look after me it's because you never lived for God. You know, the Bible says in Isaiah 46 to those who are disciples of Jesus Christ. He says Isaiah 46 I think it's the fourth verse the Lord told me that man I'm the one who brought you forth and I will look after you till your old age.

You're a disciple of Jesus. I tell you you don't need your children to look after you when you're old. God will take care of you. One way or the other if disciple of Christ is one who is not seeking his own even in his children.

He's not seeking his own in anything. He's saying Lord I live only for one thing on earth to do your will to glorify you and to Accomplish what you sent me on this earth for why did you bring me out of my mother's womb?

Why did you allow me to be conceived in my mother's womb and to come out? Why did you give me these abilities and gifts and contacts? Why did you give me a house to live in? Why did you give me this and why do you give me a job?

Or I got such a salary. Everything Lord I recognize is that I might live for your glory. And I'll tell you something for such people. Everything that will happen to you Will be like it says in verse 23 according to the pre determined plan and Foreknowledge of God you won't have a complaint against anybody.

Freedom from Complaining Through Trust in God

I See multitudes of Christians and Christian workers and preachers even Complaining so and so does this so and so does that so it is this to me so it did that to me. I heard one fellow who once told me a pastor of a Pentecostal church told me Oh brother Zack this neighbor did witchcraft on me, and I was knocked out on bed for nine months.

I said what was Jesus doing all those nine months. He wasn't anywhere wrong. Amazing a neighbor can do witchcraft on a man who claims to be a servant of God. What type of God is God is too small. It's not the God of the Bible.

Impossible. When you complain about others. What you're actually saying is listen. The devil is in control of this world. I'm not a wholehearted disciple of Jesus. So all types of things are happening to me which are not according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.

Well brother don't blame God. Don't blame the devil blame yourself. For not being a disciple of Christ, but being a first-class hypocrite by claiming to be a disciple of Christ. I've no complaint against anybody In the whole world.

I'll tell you honestly I don't even have a complaint against people who took me to court for 10 years. It was one of the best things that happened to me. I've no complaint against the people who kicked me out of that church about 34 years ago.

I love them bless them. It's one of the best things they ever did for me. You ask brother Ian he'll tell you the same thing. Honestly things which happen according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God because we want to live for his glory.

We don't want anything for ourselves. We have no complaint against anybody. No, I don't even have a complaint against the people who cheated me of my money. Because that they helped me to love money a little less.

It was that a blessing or not it certainly was for me anyway. Because that is I praying to God. I remember once it happened to me I got duped of a lot of money and the Lord said didn't you pray the other day that you want to be free from?

The love of money my hair is Thank you Lord. That's great. You know if your only aim in life is to become like Christ Nothing absolutely nothing it says even the hairs on your head are numbered will be according to everything will be according to the Predetermined plan foreknowledge of God.

That's why we don't complain when somebody tries to crucify us. Because we have faith that in that crucifixion as I yield without fighting without resisting I say this is the mighty hand of God. Maybe it's coming through Judas Iscariot.

Maybe it's coming through anus or Caiaphas or Pilate or whatever their modern names are they are crucifying me, but it is God and I will not take out a sword like Peter to fight back. And if somebody does want to fight back for me, I'll tell him put your sword down.

I've done that when people tried to fight for me in some carnal way. I said brother Don't you do that? In my name you do that for somebody else you want to do that for me. I'm gonna accept. This is the mighty hand of God.

That's humbling me. Humiliating me. I say praise the Lord. I'm gonna accept it. I'm gonna submit to this baptism. The spiritual baptism for the 10 ,000th time because I know all the previous times God raised me up.

God's gonna raise me up again. He will if you submit he'll raise you up and Imagine what happens in your life when you experience so many resurrections in different situations that people try to push you down.

God raised you up. You know in the ministry I've seen also some some of you are not in the ministry so you don't understand this perhaps but many people who are in Christian ministry say Oh, so-and-so is trying to suppress me.

He's not allowing me to have a ministry. Not allowing you to have a ministry you mean that guy is more powerful than Almighty God then your God is too small. The message I have for most Christians is your God is too small.

Somebody's trying to suppress your ministry and your God can't handle him. What. I have a stupid God. Are you worshiping? That's not the God of the Bible in my life. Many people have tried to suppress me have tried to destroy my ministry destroy my reputation destroy my family's reputation.

So I tell you at the end of 50 years of being a believer not one of them has succeeded. Impossible. Impossible because I worship the God of the Bible that's supposed to be your God and you can have that testimony, too.

If you're surrendered if you get close behind Jesus shadow and stay there. You will walk upright in a world where everybody's fighting those who are trying to crucify them and Trying to crucify them in return you say go ahead.

You seek me here. I am like Jesus said go ahead and You stop the people who take out their swords to fight for you and say put your sword back and you will say like Jesus The cup which my father has given me.

Shall I not drink it? The father I thought Judas Iscariot. No, no. No Judas Iscariot. It's only the postman. The cup came from my father. Can you see that? Can you see that even when a Judas Iscariot is betraying you?

The cup comes from the father Judas Iscariot. It's only a mailman and if you take that cup There'll be a resurrection in it. It's like getting a letter in a dirty Stinking envelope that fell in the muck and all that and you open it out and there's a check for one lakh inside boy.

Glad I opened that envelope. So don't reject the envelope because it looks ugly and dirty and soiled. There's a resurrection in every crucifixion. If only you would see that You would gladly embrace every crucifixion that other people seek to make to you because it will enable you to make a walk a little more upright in a crooked world.

Resurrection Power as the Christian’s Central Hope

Resurrection resurrection. That's the most important message for the Christian. There was no such thing in the Old Testament. Elijah raised the dead, but that is not resurrection just a raising of the dead.

Elisha raised the dead. It's not a resurrection. Jesus raised the dead even Lazarus. It was not a resurrection because Those people died again. You can't say they conquered death. They were raised from the dead, but then death conquered them again.

There was only one person in the history of the human race who conquered death that's called a resurrection not just a raising from the dead more than that a resurrection and the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 1 That this was the greatest manifestation of God's power in this world till today.

Now to the average person in the world the greatest manifestation of God's power is in the creation of this universe. God spoke a word and The worlds were created. That's fantastic power to speak one word.

Genesis 1 1 stars planets galaxies millions of them in such a huge area called space. All coming to be Wasn't a slow thing. It was in the moment Genesis 1 1 everything was created but when it comes to Resurrection power that's an even greater thing.

It says in Ephesians 1 verse 19 the surpassing greatness of his power the surpassing greatness of his power. Which is Given only to those of us who believe you don't believe it. It's not for you. I Mean if you don't know open that envelope you want to experience it.

If you don't open the envelope of being crucified, you'll never experience resurrection power. But to those who believe It's called the surpassing greatness of his power. Which power is that? The working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead.

Not in the creation of the world. No, you look at the words used surpassing greatness power. Working strength might what a lot of words the Holy Spirit uses just to speak about the resurrection of Christ.

God raised him from the dead and That same God is my father who's going to lift me up and anybody crucifies and it's going to enable me to walk upright in the world and I believe that one mark of those have been raised from the dead, you know resurrection always brings joy.

Haven't you seen that whenever Jesus raised Jairus's daughter from the dead what joy that was. They were gloomy and mourning and all of a sudden They were excited. There was fullness of joy when the widow of Nain's son was raised and the funeral Procession was stopped by Jesus and the young man was raised from the dead.

Was joy when Lazarus was raised from the dead all that gloom Disappeared there was joy even the stink Disappeared from his body and in the Old Testament to in the Woman whose son was raised by Elisha Elijah.

There's always joy. I believe joy is the mark of a man who is experiencing resurrection power. Imagine if you your son was dead and Jesus came to your house and raised him from the dead. Would you go around the long face?

My son was dead but he was raised from the dead. No, you'd be so excited. Your face would be full of joy be a celebration and if there is no such celebration in your life. If there is no joy, that's marked on your face.

Because you got joy in your heart. I want to say to you my brother and sister you're not experiencing resurrection power and That's because your whole attitude to the problems you face. Is the attitude of the people in the world?

Oh People are treating me so badly. They're telling lies about me they're telling lies about my daughter and my son and this and that and the other you've got a complaining and this person and that person and the other person and Where's God?

I don't know where he is, but the devil is pretty active all over the world. Are you a Christian or a heathen? I tell you most Christians behave as there's there's there's no God in heaven or if There is a God it's like they are you know what Elijah said those prophets of beyond.

Maybe he's sleeping. Maybe he's gone to the toilet. Maybe he's gone somewhere. You're God. He is not around. That's what Elijah made fun of them. I tell you when when I look at the way many Christians live it looks as if their God is bail.

That God doesn't seem to be around to help them in any way. He's not there to help me. Their lives are so gloomy. They're miserable. They're miserable at home miserable at work. They come to church. They're just as miserable as anywhere else.

There's no joy in their life. You speak to them. You don't find the joy of the Lord. That's why they are not strong. But the Bible says joy of the Lord is your strength. The person who is experiencing resurrection in his life because he submitted to crucifixion will find Continuous joy.

Joy inexpressible Through Trials and Genuine Faith

It says you know how the Bible describes this. Let me show it to you in one Peter. See Peter didn't write this episode. First Peter when he was 32 years old. He wrote it when he's pretty close to 60 after having.

Or past 60 after he'd been persecuted for the Christian faith and suffered a lot for Christ's sake. Look what he says and it observed a lot of Christians in those days were suffering for the Christian faith.

Much much more than any of us have suffered for the Christian faith. I don't know if there's anybody here who suffered anything serious for being in Christian. These guys were suffering a lot in the first century.

I mean we didn't get a increment in our job. We call that a suffering. It's all rubbish the mosquito bites these people were suffering with lions and tigers biting at them and Look what he tells them in one Peter chapter 1.

He speaks about this resurrection. This is the great theme of the Apostles the resurrection. He says in verse 3 the middle you're born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ha have you.

I want to ask all of you who say you're born again. Are you born again to a living hope? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is that living hope that anytime anybody crucifies me? I'll be resurrected too.

That's a living. Hope I have. I Defy anybody in the world to crucify me without there being a resurrection. I defy the devil himself to crucify me and without there being a resurrection in every time.

There'll be a resurrection. If I'm a disciple of Jesus I'm walking in the shadow of the Almighty. God loves me. He loved Jesus. People can put me to death. I can't stop that and I won't stop it, but that'll be a resurrection.

God erased me from the dead. Spiritually and That's a living hope. And then it says verse 5 You're protected by the power of God through faith. Do you believe that? Do you believe that you can be protected by the power of God through faith?