Through The Bible - John, Part 3 — Zac Poonen

Welcome once again to Words of Life. In our study through the Bible, we have reached the Gospel of John. Let's look at John chapter 7. We saw there how Jesus did not go to the feast because he had not yet got a clear word from the Father.

Jesus’ Obedience to the Father’s Timing

But, that's in verse 6. And then he got a clear word in verse 10, then he left. So, he had told his brothers, I'm not coming. Verse 8. But he gave the reason in verse 8, my time has not come, not because I don't want to go.

We read in verse 1, he didn't go because they were trying to kill him. We should not go to places where we are at risk of losing our life. But five minutes later, when the Father told him to go, then he went.

So, even if our life is at risk, if the Father told him to go, then he went. That's what we learn from here. If the Father has not told us to go somewhere, then we use our common sense. That's what we see that Jesus then ignored the risk to his life and went because the Father told him.

Once the Father told him, then the responsibility is the Father's. He takes care of it. And of course, nobody could touch him because his time had not come. And then we read further in verse 37 to 39.

Coming to Jesus for Living Water

On the last day, the great day of the feast, he stood there and cried out. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me. If he believes in me, from his innermost being, rivers of living water will flow. The same word, he who believes in me, has eternal life.

He who believes in me will also have rivers of living water flowing out of him now. He who believes in me, his sins are forgiven. He who believes in me has become a child of God. Why is it so many people accept all those other promises?

Such as, if you believe in him, you will be a child of God. If you believe in Christ, your sins will be forgiven. If you believe in Christ, you have eternal life. Most believers have no questions with those words.

But when Jesus says, he who believes in me, from his innermost being, rivers of living water will flow. How is it that so many believers are so happy even with that dry life? More than 95 of believers, we can say, rivers of living water are not flowing out of them.

You know why? Because they are content with their dry state. Maybe that is your condition. Rivers of living water can flow out from you, but you are quite content with your dry state and that's why they never flow.

I found myself in a very dry state two years after my water baptism. And I was not happy. I said, Lord, this is not your will for me. Even if 95 of the believers around me are like me, dry, I don't want to be like them.

Your word says, rivers of living water will flow out from me. And I want it in my life. Then God began to do it in my life. That's what Jesus said, if anyone is thirsty, come to me. We think that anybody can come to Jesus.

No. He said, if you are weary and heavy laden, come to me. That means if you are sick and tired of your defeated life, if you are thirsty for a freshness in your life all the time, come to me. But if you are satisfied with your defeated, dry life, don't come to me.

Stay where you are. So this is the reason why 95 of believers never come to the type of life Jesus wants them to live on earth. Even if some of them get to heaven, they are going to spend an eternity in regret in heaven, because they didn't live the way God wanted them to live on earth.

We have millions of years to live in heaven. But 70 to 100 years to live on earth, at the most, some even less than that, how we live here is very important. And we can't change it once we leave. So make sure that the promises of scripture are fulfilled in your life.

Jesus’ Wisdom and Forgiveness Toward the Accused Woman

In John chapter 8, we read that beautiful story of the woman caught in adultery. And when the people brought this woman, it was just in order to try and, you know, provoke Jesus to say something. If he had said, no, don't kill her, then they could have said, see, he doesn't obey the law of Moses.

Because verse 5, Moses commanded such women to be stoned. They were trying to prove to the crowd, this Jesus doesn't follow Moses. And if he had said, okay, stone her, they would have said to the people, well, see, he's not as compassionate as you think he is.

There are Christians today like that, waiting to catch us in something. Whatever we do, they'll find some fault with us. But see how God's wisdom is superior to man. Jesus said, fine, whoever is not committed a sin can throw the first stone.

What a word. See, that type of wisdom, God has promised to give us also. In a similar situation. And I have found that in many situations. One must trust God to give us the same wisdom he gave to Jesus, to give such an answer.

If you depend on your human cleverness, you'll never have such answers. And it says, when they heard this word of Jesus, they all left. It's very interesting to see that the older people left first. Supposing somebody had decided to take a stone, he was afraid that Jesus would make a complete list of all his sins.

He said, I better keep quiet and go. I don't want people to see my private life. Nobody can stand before Jesus and pretend that he's got no sin. There was only one person left. Who was qualified to throw the stone.

Without sin. That was Jesus. But he's the one who doesn't have any stones in his hand. Do you know that Jesus has no desire to throw stones at people? He never throws stones at each other. Not Jesus. He has no stones in his hand.

He has only forgiveness. So he says, to the woman, has no one condemned you? No one Lord. Okay, I don't condemn you also. But, that doesn't mean your sin was not serious. Sin was very serious. But, I forgive you.

In future, don't sin anymore. Verse 11 is the full gospel. Two things. One, I don't condemn you for your past. Two, in future, don't sin anymore. If you only preached the first part, you preached only half the gospel.

And I would say again, 95 of preaching around the world is only preaching the first part. People ask me, why I preach so much on victory over sin, victory over sin all the time. To restore the balance, because 5 of people only are speaking out.

Judging Others and Judging Ourselves

And then Jesus said something very interesting. Verse 15. He said, you people judge according to the flesh, but I judge nobody. Believers can be divided into two categories. Believers. I'm not talking about unbelievers.

Unbelievers, they all judge each other. But among believers, I would say 95 of believers judge others. There may be less than 5 who can say, I don't judge anybody. Those are the only people following Jesus.

For many years, I have taught people, for 30 years at least. I've told people, you want to grow in the Christian life, two bits of advice. Don't judge anybody, but judge yourself. That's all. That's what Jesus said.

He didn't have to judge himself because he never sinned. But we need to judge ourselves every day because there's so much of sin in us. But we must finish with judging others. Think of the words of the perfect Jesus.

Verse 15. I am not judging anyone. If you want a happy life, do that. A lot of Christians are miserable because they're always judging other people in their minds at least. You don't have to open your mouth to judge somebody.

Judging is an inward thing. You can keep your mouth shut and be the biggest judger of others all your life. And you'll be a miserable, depressed believer because of that all your life. I'm a very happy man because I don't judge anybody.

I disagree with a lot of people. I expose wrong teachings. As a servant of God, I'm not here to judge anybody. I'm not here to decide whether God is happy with that man or not. People ask me about different preachers.

I say, I'm not here to judge anybody. But I say, this is what Jesus did. And I don't see Jesus doing things like that. That's all. Because Jesus said in verse 12, he's the light of the world. So we hold up that light.

Jesus’ Warning About Sin and the Devil

Verse 44. Jesus said, your father is the devil. And therefore you will naturally do his desire. See how strongly Jesus spoke. He turned to certain people who were reading the Bible every day and said, your father is the devil.

Not only reading the Bible, outwardly they believed in him. To whom did he say these words? Listen carefully. Jesus, verse 31, was saying this to those Jews who believed in him. What did he tell the people who believed in him?

Their faith was only in their head. He says, if you remain in my word, then you are my disciples, verse 31. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. Do you know what they replied? Oh, we're not in bondage.

Anybody who speaks to Jesus like that, you can be pretty sure his faith is only in his head. And you justify themselves. They are not really disciples. And then Jesus explains. If you commit sin, you are a slave.

And he says, you are trying to kill me. Who are these? Verse 31. The Jews who believed in him. It's amazing how people can believe in their head and against Jesus in their heart. Millions of Christians like that.

They believe in their head. But Jesus says to them, verse 44, your father is the devil. Have you heard preachers like that, turning around to Christians who believe in Jesus and saying, your father is the devil?

The world is full of compromising preachers. And they are driving multitudes to hell. The people who love others tell them the truth. Like a doctor who loves you will tell you the truth about what the scan report says.

Jesus said, when you tell a lie, remember the devil is the father of that lie. Verse 44. See, this is what made people mad at Jesus. They wanted to kill him. And preachers don't want people to be mad at them.

Believers as the Light of the World

They just want to increase their popularity. So they don't say such things. So many of God's people are being led astray. You don't have to listen to those preachers. Just read the Bible. John chapter 9, verse 5, Jesus says, I'm not going to be the light of the world always.

While I'm in the world, I'm the light of the world. What happens after he leaves the world? He's left the world now. He said that in John 17, I'm no longer in this world. He is in the world in his spirit.

But he's invisible. Whereas light is a visible thing. There's no such thing as invisible light. He was not talking about invisible light. He was talking about a visible light that people could see. And he said that while I'm in the world, I'm the light of the world.

And now he's gone. Who's the light of the world now? According to Matthew chapter 5, in verse 14, Jesus said to his disciples, you are the light of the world. So if somebody were to ask me who's the light of the world, I'd say me.

People think what an arrogant fellow he says he's the light of the world. I say I'm only telling you what Jesus said. Matthew 14, Jesus told me you are the light of the world. What shall I say, a lie?

Is Jesus the light of the world? Sure. But it is Jesus in me. Not I by myself. I myself, I'm darkness. But if Christ is in me and I'm filled with the Holy Spirit and the oil of the Holy Spirit is burning a fire in me and I'm baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire, in those days, the only light they had was fire.

There was no electric light those days. So if I'm on fire, because Jesus is in me, he's filling me with the Holy Spirit, then Matthew 5, 14 is fulfilled, I'm the light of the world. And then, and then I want to show you John chapter 10.

Jesus’ Promise of Abundant Life

Jesus said, he has come to give us life and life more abundantly. We want to be happy with life. Jesus came to give us abundant life. What does that mean? You go to a hospital and you see a man with tubes in his mouth and nose and stomach and drip going through his veins.

He can hardly do anything except breathe. And I ask you, has he got life? Yeah, sure. He's not dead. And now you see another picture. A young fellow playing football on a football field. Has he got life?

Oh yeah, but there's a lot of difference. One is life and the other is abundant life. Now some Christians, most Christians, are like this fellow on the hospital bed. They're alive, but they need to be pumped up every Sunday.

Always they need this drip. Otherwise they'll die. The Lord doesn't want us to die. The Lord doesn't want us to live like that. He wants us to be like those young fellows playing on the football field.

Full of energy. Living for God. He came to give us abundant life. Just like I could not get life, I cannot get abundant life. Jesus gave me life and he's the one who gives abundant life too. So we see here, the other alternative is to submit to the thief, the devil.

The thief has come only to steal away all your life. Finally to kill you and to destroy you. So remember that. In John chapter 11, you read of Lazarus being sick and they sent a message to Jesus saying, the one whom you love is sick.

Trusting God’s Timing in Lazarus’s Resurrection

And here Jesus says, this sickness is not under death, but the son of God may be glorified. And here are these amazing words. Verse 5 and 6. Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. And we think the next verse should be, so he rushed to see them.

No. This is therefore, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed two more days in the same place. Do you understand that? This is so different from a human way of thinking. Jesus was so different in his thinking from man.

We use our common sense and run. Jesus said no. Why? Because he listened to the prompting of the father. Father, shall I go? No, not yet. He's sick. No, that's alright. That's how he lived. And other people would have said, Lord, he's sick, let's go.

You can go if you want. I won't stop you. This is the mark of a godly man. He listens. You know, so much can be saved in your life if you listen. So Jesus went finally and by the time Lazarus had died.

And he raised him up again. He said a greater thing than if he had gone a few days earlier and healed him. So, whenever the Lord delays in answering your prayer, you can be sure it's something better he has in store for you.

If he answers immediately, it will be a lesser miracle. But he answers later so that you can have a greater miracle. Okay, now I told you that Jesus always did miracles in cooperation with others. What about raising Lazarus from the dead?

Cooperating With God in Miracles

Did he use the help of the others? Sure. When he went there, he said, okay, first of all, the stone has got to be rolled away. Verse 38, 39. Yeah, he could have said, stone, roll away. Do you think the stone would have moved?

Sure. He who created the stars from nothing. What is the problem to get a stone out of the way? But that is something man can do. You do that. See, God doesn't do miracles for things that we can do. If I can catch a train from here to Madras, why should I ask the Lord to lift me supernaturally and take me to Madras?

If you can take a medicine and be healed, why should you ask the Lord to heal you? This is the foolishness of people. What man can do, they are asking God to do. You ask God to do the things which man cannot do.

Jesus said, roll away the stone, you can do that. It's difficult. It's not easy to roll away that heavy stone. But it can be done. So they rolled it away. And then, Jesus did the difficult part, raise him from the dead.

And he came bound hand and foot with wrappings, verse 44. Does Jesus have to give another command, wrappings disappear? No, that man can do. So he tells him, now you can do this part, unbind him. This is the great lesson for us here.

Don't ask the Lord to do things which you can do yourself. The Lord will do the difficult part, which is 99%. But he asks you to do the 1%. And here we see the way the Lord did all his miracles. And he's teaching us a lesson for ourselves.

The Lord bless you.