(The Church and Satans Wiles) 1 - a Revelation of Christ — Zac Poonen

Satan's Deception Throughout Scripture

I see the whole Bible as a book that describes how Satan constantly seeks to deceive God's people with one thing or the other and how those who humbly seek the Lord are protected and delivered from that deception.

And we need to study the scriptures like that because right in Genesis chapter 3 as soon as man's created you see Satan coming in and he's not destroyed until Revelation 20. You have just two chapters in the beginning two chapters at the end without the devil and you have him all the way in between.

Jesus ministry begins with Satan tempting him. And when Jesus spoke about building the church and that is the body of people that belong to him he said these words in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 18. He was speaking to Peter in you know Peter had just confessed that you are the Christ the Son of the Living God.

Matthew 16 verse 16 and Jesus said blessed are you Simon Barjona. Matthew 16 17 because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you. In other words you didn't come to know who I am by your human cleverness or intelligence.

And even today remember you cannot know Christ by study or human intelligence. But my father in heaven revealed me to you revealed who I really am. My great desire through the years has been for an increasing revelation of Christ and I would urge all of you to pursue that towards the end of Paul's life.

He said that I may know him even though he had known the Lord for 35 years. By the time he wrote Philippians 310 he says I still want to know him because Jesus said that eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ.

It's not living forever it's knowing God. The more I know God the more I have of eternal life the more I know Jesus. And so many people who had studied the Bible in Jesus time didn't know him. And I believe there are many people today who study the Bible who don't know him.

The father reveals him to us. Jesus once said in Matthew 11 verse 25 onwards he says no one knows the son except the father is the father who revealed Jesus to Peter. And then you see how important this is he said now Peter I'm telling you something.

You are Peter a small little stone. That's what the word Petros means. But on this rock which rock this rock. You just confessed this rock of a revealed Christ. I will build my church. There are many people who are seeking to build the Church of Jesus Christ today who haven't seen this revealed Christ.

And they will discover when Jesus comes back again that what they have built was not the Church of Jesus Christ. Look at all the mega churches today many in this country. In my own country too that's not what Jesus is building.

He's building a brotherhood where Christ is central not any man where people come to fellowship around the person of Jesus not just to meet a man or listen to a man. God may use men. But the very fact that many of these men are so inaccessible it's so difficult to meet them proves to me that they're not really servants of Christ.

The very fact that these people are so interested in money proves to me they're not servants of Christ. When Christ is revealed to you you can build a church on this rock you got to see the connection.

You are the Christ the Son of the Living God. And Peter says Jesus says blessed are you. Because you didn't get that by study or intelligence my father revealed open your eyes to see who I am. And on this rock I will build my church.

Christ as the Foundation of the Church

I know in my own work in India I've seen that church built in different places. And it's always been as a result of seeing who Jesus was seeing him as fully God and fully man. Seeing him as one who's got all authority in heaven and earth.

Seeing him as one who who created this universe and bears this universe but found the load of my sin too heavy to bear on the cross. You got to see Jesus like that. You'll never love anything or anyone more than him.

Once you see him like that he'll change your whole life. It changed my life nearly 50 years ago when I was converted and keeps changing my life even now as I see his glory and beauty as the father reveals him to me more and more by the Holy Spirit.

It's one of the great deceptions of the devil has been to confuse the ministry of the Holy Spirit to just supernatural gifts. I believe in supernatural gifts. But Jesus said when the Holy Spirit has come he will take of the things of mine and show it to you.

It's what he said in John 16. That's the main ministry of the Holy Spirit. And I've just enjoyed exposing myself to this ministry of the Holy Spirit of taking the things of Christ and showing it to me.

And as I see it and I'm enthralled by the sight it's like just like Peter. You know when nobody else could see Jesus they thought he was a Beelzebub the Prince of Devils. Some some people thought he was a prophet some people thought he was like Elijah etc etc.

But Peter saw something which others didn't see. And I've seen things of Jesus that I see. A lot of Christians around me haven't seen. And how do I know they haven't seen it because it doesn't. Their lives don't seem to be changed much.

For example I don't believe that God ever intended that his children should ever be depressed gloomy anxious fearful if any of these things are true in your life. Depression anxiety fear gloom complaining murmuring scary dreams at night where you get nightmares.

I want to tell you in Jesus name that's not God's will for you. You know what you need. You need the Holy Spirit to show you the beauty of Jesus. It'll change you completely. I tell you it it changed me.

You can't see all of Jesus in one day. You got to see him more and more and more as the Holy Spirit shows you because it is on this rock that the true Church of Jesus Christ is built. You build on any other foundation you'll discover in eternity that's not the Church of Jesus Christ.

You know people try to imitate a pattern. Sometimes people have come to our conferences in India and say we want to build a church in our locality. Brothers act just like you have here and I see you can't do it.

Jesus said I will build my church. You know that a man can't do it. He said on this rock I will build my church. He's never given that he uses men. He can use me can use you. But you must recognize that he's the one who builds a church.

Holiness, Community, and Service

And the other thing I want to say is wherever this true Church of Jesus Christ is built. And let me say this before I move on. Many people are satisfied with living a holy life. I believe in living a holy life.

I've pursued holiness for many years and I've God shown me more and more and more and more of what his holiness is like which is very different from man's understanding of holiness. But I've seen also that holiness alone is not the ultimate goal of God because with holiness I can live a very individual life.

I'm holy. And I can you know like the olden days the monks used to lock themselves up in a monastery and spend their time in prayer and meditation pursuing holiness. And we can be like that too. We may not lock ourselves up in a monastery but we can go away from society.

You know we can say oh this place is too sinful. We can't live here. We got to go to some place where there are holy people. What's the difference between that in a monastery. I mean you don't have walls.

But it's the same principle we got to go away in the midst of holy people and spend our time there. Whether you know you don't need to light a candle where they're already a hundred candles burning. You need to light a candle where there are no candles burning.

In the place where people are living in sin that's where Jesus was. Jesus didn't gather with holy people. Once when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration with holy people like Moses and Elijah. Peter said Lord this is great.

I'd like to be here all the time. Of course I'd like that like that too you know imagine spending all your life with Peter and Elijah and Jesus. What's better than that. Or some people who are somewhat like that holy people.

And Jesus said no we have to go down the mountain because down in the valley there are demon-possessed people. There are people who need me. I can run away from all those sinners and live with holy people and think I'm building the church.

No I'm running away from the place Jesus wants me to be. He wants me to be in the midst of sinners. The fundamental characteristic. Let me tell you this my brothers and sisters until you understand the fundamental nature character the nature we got from Adam the fundamental part of that nature we got from Adam we will never know what it is to be free from sin.

And let me tell you in one word it is seeking our own. We seek our own. That's what happened to Adam when the poison of sin got into his system. And you see that immediately when God asks him whether he committed sin whether he had eaten of the tree he sought his own.

He's not going to protect myself. Even if I accuse my wife put the blame on her. I've got to accuse myself. I've got to protect myself. And that's why he accuses his wife. Oh she's the one Lord. She's the one who came and gave it to me.

You see how that poison got in right there. And it's spread in so many forms through the years. You look back at the decisions you have made in your life and you'll see most of those decisions were based on.

What can I gain if I make this decision. What can I. What can my family gain if I make this decision. I seek my own. And that's why this prosperity gospel is so popular. You tell Jesus. You tell people that Jesus can bless you materially and prosper you.

What is there any man in the world who doesn't want to prosper materially. Everybody's seeking their own. And if you present to them a Jesus who helps you to seek your own that's another Jesus. But people will gravitate towards that Jesus.

Yeah I want him. And that's why you have huge crowds for these healing meetings. What are they going there for. Are they going there to learn how to deny themselves and die every day and follow Jesus.

Oh no they're not interested in that. They're interested in something for themselves. I want some healing. I want some money. I want a better car. I want a better house. I want a better job. It's all seeking your own.

They are in the center of their life. And there are preachers who preach a Jesus who revolves around them to serve them. Like if you read the story the children's story of Aladdin and his lamp he rubs that lamb and a genie appears and says Oh master what do you want me to do.

I want this. And the genie goes and does that. And then he asked him what. He rubs it another time. What do you want master. And I want this. And he does that. It is the same thing with today's Christianity.

Prayer is like rubbing the lamb and Jesus appears. At least they think Jesus appears another Jesus. What do you want Lord. I want to be rich. I want to make money. I want this. I want that. It's all seeking one's own.

And as long as you're seeking your own the root of sin remains there. You can get rid of the fruits like you know speaking evil. And you can start being kind to other people. And so a lot of preaching today is just a self-improvement program you know.

Because when you behave nicely you get a better reputation. I mean there are companies which conduct management seminars for their staff where they got nothing to do with Christ. It's just that if you behave properly you they teach people how to sell sell goods and be a good salesman.

And you know be kind and gracious and all that. That's what's happening in many pulpits today. Self remains in the center. What do you. Why do you think that salesman is acting so nicely. He's want to get some money out of it.

He's getting a commission out of it. It's exactly the same with preachers and many Christians. Until you see that seeking your own is the root of all sin you'll never be free from it. You'll keep clipping bad fruit like anger or lust or internet pornography.

Get rid of these things. These are all fruits. Or because and when you get rid of these things you become a decent sort of human being. You don't become holy. Holiness is another category altogether. So until we see that I've Jesus came to lay the axe to the root of the tree.

And the root of the tree is what can I get out of this. How can I get the most out of it. And put the blame on others. Whatever it is to look back on the decisions you've made in your life and you'll see a lot of those decisions were based on if I go here that'll be better for me.

That'll be better for my children. That'll be better for my family. So I choose to go there. If I go here that won't be so good and I won't go there. Everything is centered around me and my family. What is the difference between such a believer and a godless atheist who does his business.

He's also motivated by the same principles. What's good for me. Maybe he's got some bad habits like drinking and smoking and gambling which you don't have. And because the external part of your cup is clean compared to his you think you're holier than him because his external part of his cup is dirty with drinking and smoking and gambling.

And you're the outside of your cup is clean because you don't drink. You don't smoke you don't take drugs. But when you look at the inside of the cup both are equally dirty. That means both are seeking their own.

He's seeking his own and you're seeking your own. What's the difference. Except that you've got a reputation as a good Christian. He has got no reputation at all. Well he's got one good quality that you don't have.

He's not a hypocrite but you are. He doesn't claim to be a Christian. He's. I'm not a Christian. I just seek my own. You see this is where we find many Christians are not really satisfied in their Christianity.

I've been as I said a Christian for nearly 50 years and I tell you I'm excited with my Christianity. My Christianity is exciting. There's never a boring day in my life. I'm not trying to sell anything.

I'm telling you the truth I found God to be the most wonderful person to spend your time with. He's so understanding so kind so good. He never scolds you. Wouldn't you like to be with somebody like that who never scolds you who's so warm and pleasant and who is really fun to be with.

He's not a boring person like a lot like the devil told you he was. No he's not a boring person. You know a lot of young people don't want God because he's all this Christian life is so boring. How did he get that impression.

Because they saw so many boring Christians. That's why they got that impression. But it's not true. It's an absolute lie. God is the most interesting person in the whole universe. I thought of that in relation to you know all these people who can produce very interesting television programs.

I'm not talking about dirty movies. I'm talking about all these very beautiful children's programs and how they produce pictures of animals and a lot of God's creation about the universe and things like that.

And you know some of those things are so gripping. And I asked myself who is the who gave this person the ability and the intelligence to produce something so gripping. That was my father in heaven who gave him that.

I mean he's using it to make money. That's another thing. But it is my father who gave him that ability. Imagine how wonderful it'll be if I can get in touch with this father himself directly and spend time with him.

The one who gave this person the ability. Do you know this God. Do you know Jesus like that. When I was a young Christian I never knew Jesus like that. Even after I was born again for more than 15 16 years I never knew Christ like this.

I knew I was scared of hell and I want to go to heaven. I never knew Jesus and the most wonderful person you could be with. So we need to see this that Christianity is not just a matter of being holy.

God is to deliver me from seeking my own. And one of the ways in which he delivers us from that is by putting us with other people who are also seeking their own. And I tell you it's wonderful. It says you know iron sharpens iron.

You get a man and a woman married. Both are seeking their own boy. If they're really humble themselves they'll both become holy. If they're not pursuing holiness they'll fight with each other like most marriages even Christian marriages.

But if they realize that God put us together we're not perfect. I know my wife seeks her own and I know I seek my own. But God's put us together so that we can help one another to be sanctified and holy get more light on one another and become more like Jesus.

And not only in marriage. In the church. Have you heard people come to you. I've heard people come to me and say brothers I I went to that church and they don't show any love. I know such a person will never fit into any church.

I said when the Bible doesn't say you've got to go expecting people to love you. The Bible is full of verses. It does. You got to love other people but haven't you met lots of people say oh there's no love in that church.

Well you're supposed to go there and give them give them some love not receive. It's more blessed to give than to receive. And this is how we go to a church again. We're seeking our own. What can I get out of this church in the poorer countries.

A lot of people in India anyway go to a church because they want money. Ah the church is full of generous people kind people good people. And so they go there seeking their own. If you allow such people to flourish in the church your church is destroyed.

You may think that you're doing a lot of kindness to such people. You're not really helping them. If you're not delivering people from seeking their own you're not building the church. You're just building a nice club of kind people who help others.

There's a lot of social work. And in the same way if we allow people to come to a church expecting to be loved and served and this that and the other we're not helping them to grow. The church is a place where God puts together imperfect people but they become one.

Love as the Mark of Christ's Disciples

And Jesus said all men will know that you're my disciples when you love one another. And that's the one thing the devil sort of hid from people everywhere I've. You know when I travel different places people ask me about my church.

And the type of questions they ask me. Always show me which group they are from. Some people ask me do you do you break bread every Sunday. Then I know they are from the Plymouth brethren any part of the world.

I know they're from the Plymouth brethren. And then if they ask me do you all speak in tongues. I know where they are from Pentecostals or Charismatics. And then there are other groups who say your sisters veil their heads all the time 24 hours.

Then I know where they're from. You know so many questions like this. Do you all live in a community. Yeah that's the hot rice. But I've never heard anybody ask me till today. Do you all love one another.

That's the last thing people are interested in knowing. It's always the externals. Do you break bread every Sunday. Your sisters veil their heads every 24 hours. Do they wear jewelry. Do you speak in tongues.

And yet what did Jesus say. All men will know you're my disciples. Not when you carry a Bible. Not when you speak in tongues. Not when you veil your heads. Not these are all human definitions. Not when you remove your jewelry.

When you love one another. And you know what is what is one of the primary characteristics of love. You read in 1 Corinthians 13 love does not seek its own. That's one of the primary characteristics of love.

So put that characteristic of love into the mark of Jesus disciples with Jesus himself said. And how does it read. All men will know you're my disciples. When you don't seek your own you got it. Do people recognize you as Jesus disciples.

Because they look at your life. And they see that you don't seek your own. In the midst of a world full of people are seeking their own. They see you're not seeking your own. Hey how is this. He must be a disciple of Jesus.

It's not in breaking your bread. It's not in your external appearance. It's not in the type of clothes you wear. You know there are people who feel if somebody wears a suit and a tie boy he's pretty worldly.

I wish it were so easy to get rid of worldliness just by removing your tie. It isn't brother. Don't fool yourself. That's all for honor. We get in some circles you get honor by wearing a tie. In some circles you get honor by removing it.

That's all. And all of us seek. If you seek honor you will conform to your particular groups convictions to get honor. Otherwise they'll think I'm worldly. Who cares whether they think I'm worldly. I want to be free from worldliness in my heart.

And the mark of that is I don't seek my own. But if I seek my own in my heart and I've got all the external trappings of being spiritual I'm a hypocrite. Those are the very type of people whom Jesus turned on and said you hypocrites.

You clean the outside of the cup but the inside is full of dead men's bones and filth. What is that seeking your own. I never knew this for many many years. But you know when you pursue after Jesus the Bible says let's fix our eyes upon Jesus and run this race.

As we run this race the Lord begins to show us more and more and more and more. When I started my Christian life one of the first things I saw understood was that watching movies was wrong. Okay got rid of that little by little.

But if at the end of your life all you know is that watching movies is wrong you haven't progressed. Have you discovered new things that the Lord wants you to be free from. That's how through the many years I discovered that seeking my own was just as bad in God's eyes as watching dirty movies.

How many believe that if I seek my own honor there are many ways I can seek it. I'm not gonna build the Church of Jesus Christ. I've been deceived by the devil. So we need the Holy Spirit to show us Jesus and he's gonna build his church.

So as I said the Christian life is not just pursuing holiness myself but God building me together with other people. You know this was not possible in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament you just could not get people together and make them one.

And let me tell you something you know very well what which may surprise you when I say it like I say it even Jesus couldn't do it make eleven people one he preached to them for three and a half years.

Were they one at the end of those three and a half years. No each was seeking to be the leader. What type of church was that. Just like a lot of churches we see today. But Jesus said it's good for you that I go away.

You got to see that in relation to the fact that they were not one with each other as long as he was with them they would never be one with each other even if he stayed with them for 300 years. But he said when I go the Holy I will pray to the Father and he'll send you the Holy Spirit.

And then you fellas will be able to do something that even I could not do when I was here. You read that in John 14 verse 12 you will do greater things. And I've I could do. What is that you will be able to build a church where nobody is seeking to be the leader.

I've seen churches like that built where nobody's interested in being a leader. They're interested in being servants. Jesus couldn't do that in his lifetime. Not because I'm greater than Jesus. No but we have the Holy Spirit that can dwell in people's hearts and they can not seek their own and become one with each other.

So if you're living a holy life good but you're far of God's purposes if you're not also a part of or seeking to build together with others a church of people who come together who do not seek their own.

All men will know you're my disciples when they see that you don't seek your own. That's the type of church I want to build. I mean to get 30 ,000 people in a church who come to listen to me and all seeking their own.

That's not the church. No that's just you can start with 30 people who seek their own and end up with 30 ,000 people who seek their own. What type of church is that. I'd rather have 10 people in a church who don't seek their own any day.

Because Jesus said that all men will know you're my disciples when they see that you don't seek your own. Do you belong to a church like that. Are you like that yourself. That is true holiness. And the test of that is in your relationship with your wife your husband.

First of all you know Jesus said you'll be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and for me Jerusalem is my own home your home. That's Jerusalem and then Judea the next circle around you and then Samaria and the outermost parts of the earth.

So to be a witness for Christ to demonstrate what the Lord has done in delivering me from seeking my own is first manifested in my home and then in the local church. And if the local church is not becoming like that it's because they are not hearing the truth from the pulpit.

You know a farmer can't get potatoes in his field if he never sold potatoes. No no matter how much he prays. I mean if he's so tomatoes and he comes to me brothers I pray that I'll get a harvest of potatoes.

I see you can't get it. What did you. So I saw tomatoes. Well that's what you're gonna get. Prayer is not gonna change that. And if you preach a certain type of message in your church that's the type of fruit you're gonna get in your church.

Okay you preach healing. Good. We need healing from sicknesses. You may get a few people healed but they lost. Seek their own at the end of it and probably go to hell as well. You haven't really accomplished anything.

It's not the Church of Jesus Christ. So if we don't preach salvation from sin that is salvation from seeking our own. We're not going to get a church of people who don't seek their own. And is it enough to hear one message like this.

No. I preach some of these truths in churches in India for 25 years and I still find it there. They're still seeing their own. Some people will never be free from it. The devil is so clever. And that's why when Jesus spoke about building the church I want you to see in Matthew 16 18 he said I will build my church in the gates of Hades.

And that means the forces of spiritual death. Hades is connected with death and I see the gates of Hades as a symbol Jesus was using for the powers of spiritual death will not be able to overpower the church that I'm building.

What are the forces of spiritual death. It's not demon possession. That's an extreme form demon possession. It's very easy to deliver people from demon possession in the name of Jesus. Every demon will flee.

But there's something which does not flee just by one rebuke in the name of Jesus. And that is the sin of seeking our own. That doesn't. I wish it would go with one rebuke. It doesn't it. One has to see the evil of it.

You know you never get rid of something until you see it's evil. You never get rid of a sin until you see that that was the sin that Jesus died for. You'll never get rid of seeking your own until you see that.

That's why Jesus suffered on the cross. Because you sought your own and you keep seeking your own. And that's why he suffered. Yeah we can shed tears and say oh Lord you suffered so much for you. But what.

For because I live seeking my own. I don't want to deny myself. I don't want to take up the cross. The message of the cross of taking up the cross is almost absent in Christendom today when people are told to repent they're told to repent nowadays just of stealing and gross sins which even multitudes of unbelievers don't commit.

What is repentance. Repentance is turning away from seeking my own. And we don't hear that type of preaching today. You know there can be a lot of preaching of fire in Brimstone. You'll go to hell. If you do this you'll go to hell if you watch internet pornography you go to hell if you smoke cigarettes.

You'll go to hell if you belong to the Roman Catholic Church you'll go to hell if you watch dirty movies r-rated movies. People think boy we need to hear preaching like that. I'm not. I remember my younger days when I knew God less.

I thought that was a great thing. You can be impressed when when you're young and you don't know God. You're impressed with that type of preaching. You think boy that's a fiery message. You know what it produces.

A bunch of people who clean the outside of the cup. They're scared. We need to see how God leads people to repentance. Have you ever read this verse Romans chapter 2. Maybe you have read it but I don't know whether you've taken thought of it.

It says in Romans chapter 2 and verse 4 that God leads you to repentance by kindness. Have you ever thought of leading people to repentance without fire and brimstone. But by kindness. By telling people about God's kindness.

I mean if you hear him if you hear a message on God's kindness. If you're a young person you know the fiery type. You'd say ah it's not great. You're more impressed by a fire and brimstone message. But it says here God leads people to repentance not with fire and brimstone but with kindness.

I mean can you do it better than God himself. Are you cleverer than God. You see how the devil deceives us. I believe in hell and I believe in warning people about hell. But I don't see Jesus always going around preaching about hell and scaring people to go to heaven.

I see a lot more preaching of Jesus revealing the father. He came here to explain that God's a good God the kindness of God. Don't. You know this. He says that the kindness of God is meant to lead you to repentance.

That's God's way. And I'll tell you something the people who turn from sin with the fear of hell it doesn't last very long and they don't go very far in the Christian life. But the people who are moved to turn from sin when they see the kindness and goodness of God they turn from sin more permanently and get more and more understanding of what sin is that they can turn from.

At least that's how it's been in my life I have when I think of what Jesus the love that Jesus had for me to free me from sin. That's what made me turn more and more. Lord you you love me so much that you wanted to be.

And I see sin as a disease that Jesus wants to free me from. But the devil deceives us. You know we think the devil deceives us by getting us into dirty habits. But see what Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 11.

Satan's Craftiness and the True Nature of Repentance

I'm thinking in relation to what Jesus said the gates of hell shall not overpower the church. I need to understand how the devil seeks to destroy me and destroy God's work. Look around at so many many churches today.

I remember in my younger days I went from church to church to church to church because I was looking for that which had the New Testament pattern which had the best doctrine. I was born into a church where I was sprinkled as a child.

It was called the Syrian Orthodox Church where they prayed to Mary prayed for the dead never preached the new birth sprinkled as a baby and according to them made a member of God's kingdom that way. But from that point one day I was born again when I was 19 and a half years old and I went from church to church church looking for the truth the right doctrine.

And I found in every church they had better doctrine than the other. But there was just as much fighting and just as much seeking one's own and just as much love of money and as in the other church. And I found that doctrine didn't seem to deliver people from seeking their own.

I found that better doctrine didn't deliver people from the love of money. Better doctrine didn't deliver husbands and wives from fighting with each other. So what is the use of all this better doctrine if it didn't deliver people from anger.