The Lord Can Present Us Perfect (Tamil) — Zac Poonen

God's Power to Keep Believers from Falling

Reading the book of Jude 24, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and make you stand in the presence of his glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ, we glory, majesty, dominion and authority for all time, now and forever.

The book of Revelation is a special book. So, if you leave that out, this is the last verse of all the epistles, all the epistles, because the last verse is, Jesus can keep you from falling, and that's very interesting that the Lord has kept that as the last verse, because he knows that however much the Bible says that sin cannot have dominion over you, believers will still think that there is no possibility of victory over sin.

We are such unbelieving people that even if an angel came here and said, sin shall not have dominion over you, you won't believe it. We believe the devil much more than we believe God's word. That's what happened from Adam and Eve's time.

God, do you remember the first word that Eve came to Eve with was this, that Satan came to Eve. Has God really said that? Those are his first words. Has God really said that you can't eat from this tree?

And we can say that he has not changed his tactics in 6000 years. Look at the number of believers who doubt, even after they confess their sin, they doubt whether God has forgiven them. Has God really said that all your sins are forgiven?

What about that terrible sin you did 20 years ago? Has he forgiven that also? Is it really true that he says I will not remember your sins anymore? Even that one terrible sin you did, has he really said I won't remember that?

Do you think what you are suffering today is some punishment God is giving you now for what you did 20 years ago? We know all things and we believe it and our life becomes miserable. I am not throwing stones at you.

I am not qualified to throw stones because I myself used to believe the devil even after I became a believer. And my life was miserable. I finished with that many years ago. I said I am not going to believe the devil anymore.

God is a loving father. He does not punish you for something you did long ago. Supposing when my children were small one day I suddenly called them and said I am going to give you a spanking now. He said dad why are you spanking me?

I said you remember 2 years ago you did something on such and such a date. Is there any father or mother like that? But we believe God is like that. Am I suffering now because of something I did not 2 years ago 20 years ago?

We insult God left right and center. We almost slap him on the face and say you are not as good as an earthly father. I tell you your earthly father would have given up on you long ago if you insulted him like that.

God is a good God. Even though we insult him he still comes after us. I want to encourage you this year. Just simply believe the word of God. It will change your life completely. At the end of this year you will be a different person.

Whatever God says. Even if you cannot understand it. Even if it does not happen immediately. Say Lord if it is written here I believe it. I will tell you my testimony after 50 years. I have never found a promise in this book that does not work.

It won't work if I don't fulfill the conditions. Then it is correct. If I don't fulfill the conditions I don't get it. Even if you want to get into IIT you have to write a written examination. There is a condition.

If you fulfill the condition you get it. So same way here there are conditions. God is not disturbed if you have an honest doubt about something. Go to God and say Lord I have a doubt about this. Can you please clear my doubt.

If my children came to me and said Dad we got a little doubt about this. Can you clear this doubt. I won't get angry with them. But we must have a testimony at the end of our life. That we are a living proof that God's word is true.

Jesus demonstrated by his earthly life that the devil is a liar. And for myself I have taken that as a challenge. I want to prove by my life that the devil is a liar. And that God is true. God's word is true.

Will you take that challenge. That God's word every promise can be fulfilled. And that every command of his can be done. You know let me for example a verse. He can keep you from falling. It's not me I can't keep myself from falling.

But if I look to him he can keep me from falling. But if I look to him he can keep me from falling. It's humanly speaking impossible. I remember somebody telling me Brother Zack this summon on the mount is very difficult to keep.

I said it's not difficult. It's impossible. As long as you think it's difficult you will try to keep it. And you will fail. One day you realize it is impossible. It's like telling people. It's like saying Brother Zack it's difficult to walk on the water.

It's not difficult it's impossible. But Peter walked on the water. Because Jesus walked on the water. That is what gave Peter faith. Lord if that is you Tell me to come. That's what we must say. Lord if you lived like that on this earth Tell me I will also walk like that.

Let the other disciples sit in the boat. I am not worried about them. I am going to look at you. That's the type of faith that God honors. And if he had continued looking at Jesus instead of looking here and there He would not have sunk also.

The impossible becomes true and fulfilled. I have read carefully through the sermon on the mount. And I am convinced it is impossible. Only the Lord can keep us from falling. So I am not surprised this is the last promise in the epistles.

He can keep you from falling. And he can present you without any blame one day. He wants to present me absolutely blameless to the Father. Now if I were to ask you If the Lord comes how many of you are going to stand blameless before him?

If the Lord comes how many of you are going to stand blameless before him? I don't know. You ask me I am going to be presented faultless before God. You see I am very proud brother Jack. No I am not proud.

I believe he is able to present me faultless. If I say That plane can take me up into the sky Am I proud? No I am not proud. I am just saying the plane has got the ability to lift me up. I can trust a little thing like a plane.

And I can't trust that Jesus can present me faultless before God. You do not have. Because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive. Because you ask full of unbelief. Or you try to accomplish it on your own.

What only Jesus can accomplish. So remember Brothers and sisters There are many things the Lord can do for us If we trust him. That's why it says without faith It is impossible to please God. See all this emphasis.

Faith for Spiritual Victory Rather Than Earthly Benefits

That charismatics and pentecostals have about faith. Their emphasis on faith is right. Where they are wrong. Is they are telling you to have faith for the wrong thing. They are telling you to have faith for hair on the head.

And teeth that are pulled out. God will put it back and all that type of stuff. I am willing to lose all my teeth. If I can live in victory over sin I will tell you that. Even the little hair I have I am willing to lose it all.

If I can live in victory over sin. So ask God for the more important things. Not teeth and hair and all that. Ask him for the most important things in life. We are all so foolish. It is like children coming to parents.

Small children play a game called marbles. Supposing your child comes to you. Pray that tomorrow I will win this marbles. With my brother. With my classmates. I say you are getting 15 in mathematics.

And you want me to pray that. You will win in the marbles. You are getting 15 in mathematics. And you want me to pray that. I am not going to pray for that. I am praying that you will study your mathematics properly.

That is the stupid things. Believers go to God and say Please give me this and please give me that. It is like winning in marbles. Ask for the important things in life. Overcoming anger you are getting zero.

And you are praying God. Give me a better house, car. What is the use of a car and a house. If you get angry. Now you are shouting at your wife in a small house. After that you shout at the house. It is a big house.

Now you shout at your wife. Now you will shout at her. And she is sitting next to you in the car. What is the use of getting a car. Pray that you will get victory over anger. Even if you live in a hut.

Even if you ride a cycle. The most important message of the new testament is that. The most important message of the new testament is that He can keep you from falling. He can keep you from falling. Make that your goal.

Lord this year is going to be different. I want you to keep me from falling. I want you to present me faultless before the father. And the devil will come and say Has God really said he is going to do that for you.

Has God really said he is going to do that for you. I am going to struggle. I am somehow going to have a son. He tried to do that and it was a failure. He tried to do that and it was a failure. He tried to do that and it was a failure.

The Consequences of Faithless and Self-Reliant Choices

Today we read in the newspapers Jews and Arabs are always fighting. Where did it start. It started with Abraham Trying to help God And producing Ishmael. And Ishmael fought with Isaac. And that is continuing till today.

Through Isaac came Jesus Christ. Through Ishmael came Mohammed. We love the Muslims, we love Hindus. We love all people in the world. We don't hate anybody. But it is a fact of life That there are Muslims and Christians fighting all over the world.

We don't have any enemies. We love everybody. God loves everyone. But we must recognize That when we do something wrong The consequences go on for years. And we can't escape it. So dear brothers and sisters If you live a godly life The consequences will go on to your children and grandchildren.

If you live an ungodly life The consequences will also go on Through generations and generations. That's what we read in the scriptures. And we see it happening in front of us. So determine that you will live a godly life.

That you will be absolutely upright. I heard of a great missionary to Africa. His name was David Livingston. I think it was him or some missionary. Who said this. He said my father was such an honest man In his business that he could never make money.

He could never become rich. But he produced a godly son Who was a missionary. So there are many things We will lose in the terms of earth If we live according to the standards of God's word. But that's ok.

We get something far better spiritually. You know sometimes when you are driving When you are going along a road And you don't know the way. As long as it is a straight road There is no problem. And then you come to a fork in the road.

And both roads look wide. And then you are stuck And you don't know which to take. And you take the wrong turning. You end up somewhere else. There are many situations in life Where you come like that to a fork in the road.

Many times In your home In your work Advising your children How important it is at that point To choose what is right. We wish we could fly into the future For the next five years And see where this road will lead And where this road will lead.

But we can't. We can't even see what happens tomorrow. So how shall we decide at such times. One simple rule. I shall seek the kingdom of God first And His righteousness. I shall pursue the path of peace With all men.

I shall do what is right. Even that is a very narrow road. I shall seek that which will honor God the most. And you will find five years later That you have chosen the right path. Very few people go along that way.

But You will find later on As you look back That you are glad you chose that road. The devil will come to us and say This trial is too much for you. Nobody is suffering like you With the type of wife you have.

There are many husbands who feel like that. Nobody has got a wife like me. You know what will happen to you one day. With all the years You complained against your difficult wife Or difficult husband.

One day when you stand before the Lord He will say to you. You thought you had a very difficult wife. The Lord will call somebody Who lived in the last 20th century. Come here. Now I will show you the videotape Of this fellow's life.

He shows you the video Of what a wicked wife he had. And you discover she was 10 times worse than yours. The Lord will say Did you see how godly he lived in spite of that. And he had the same flesh as you.

How is it he could live like that. Because he didn't spend his life complaining against his wife. He believed the word of god Which says god will never allow you To be tested beyond your ability. Or it could be a husband Or it could be a boss.

I have had people tell me. Oh brother it is so difficult To be a Christian in my office. You keep on confessing that lie. It will become true in your life. God will allow you to believe what is false.

That it will really be too much for you. Another brother whose boss Is 100 times worse than yours. He says God you will never allow me To be tested beyond my ability. He walks in triumph. What is the difference.

It is not the trial. It is the question who trusts god's promise. Every promise of god is true. Joshua before he died He called the people of Israel. See I want to tell you something. Not one promise that god has made Has failed you.

God's Faithfulness to His Promises

Know that, that is my testimony. What a wonderful testimony this is. Have you read that in the book of Joshua Chapter 21. And verse 45. Not one of the good promises Which the lord had made To the house of Israel failed.

All of them came to pass. And Joshua knew that. So just before he died Chapter 23 Says here. Joshua was an old man. He called all the elders Said in verse 2 I am old now. You see now the lord has been fighting for you.

Now here is my testimony. Verse 14 Last part. Not one word of all the good words Which the lord your god spoke Concerning you has failed. All has been fulfilled. Verse 9 As for you last part. No man has stood before you till this day.

So he says As for me and my house We are going to serve the lord. I don't know about you As for me and my house. Verse 24, 15 last part. As for me and my house We will serve this lord. That was his testimony on his deathbed.

Not one word has failed. And when we become old We should be able to tell our children And tell other believers. I am an old man today. But not one promise god has given Has failed. So you must have that testimony.

It's good to have that testimony from a young age. And one of the great desires god has I believe that's the longing of his heart. Is that god can have a group of people Who will live together in unity.

Unity in the Fellowship of God's People

See psalm 133. Psalm 133. This is the desire of god's heart. Psalm 133 we read. How good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity. The last part of verse 3. There the lord commanded the blessing.

First of all we must believe that God will fulfill his promises in our personal life. And then we must believe that God will do the same thing In our fellowship together as a church. That god is going to do such a fantastic work In our midst.

That there will be no strife or quarreling Or any such thing. We may have different opinions on so many things. All around us people are falling. Unity is not seen among christian workers. See one of the things we have stood for in CFC From the beginning.

Not only victory over sin. We can build a fellowship where we don't fight with each other. We can testify that about CFC Bangalore. Those of us who are in leadership work together. We have never had a fight.

We have never had a competition with each other. We have disagreed on different things. I may say we got to do this way. Another brother may say we got to do this way. I may say we got to do this way.

As long as we are on earth. Our minds are different. So we cannot expect that type of unity. But fellowship That has never been broken. It's like our fingers. They are all different sizes. Here the thumb is on the left.

Here the thumb is on the right. But that doesn't matter. We are in fellowship. These are all different Opposite. But we have fellowship. So don't say you can't have fellowship with somebody. Because he thinks differently.

I want to tell you he will think differently till Jesus comes. I remember once I asked the Lord about this. I said Lord why don't you make all these things so clear That everybody has the same opinion.

For example Should all believers speak in tongues? One sentence would have been enough. All believers will not speak in tongues. Water baptism Must be by immersion in water. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

There would have been no child baptism in the world with one verse. You must not have any pastors. You must have only elders. So many problems Can be solved with one verse. The baptism in the Holy Spirit Is essential for all born again believers.

But you see all believers are in conflict about this and that. No Church will go through 7 years of tribulation Before Jesus comes. One sentence. I said Lord We have got 30 years of tribulation. 31 ,175 verses in the Bible.

If you had added 5 more verses Many problems would have been solved. The Lord said to me It is easy to love people When you see eye to eye with them. When you agree 100 I have deliberately Made these things a little vague To see whether my children will love one another Even when they don't agree On some of these doctrines See the wisdom of God.

I said Lord I am a stupid man. Your wisdom is better. You want us to love one another When we don't agree with each other. That's why even husband and wife don't agree. So that they can love one another Deeper than if they agreed.

That is why we give freedom in the church For people to have a different view from us. I don't try to change my wife To think like me Or Ian Robson Or anybody else Or anybody. Or even the elders in different churches.

I don't tell them to think like me. Let me tell you. Supposing one Elder in Tamil Nadu tells me Brother Zack I believe the church will be taken up Before the tribulation. I am not going to tell him. You can't be an elder anymore If he is a godly man.

Brother I respect you. Just make sure that people are ready For the tribulation when it comes. Don't make them suffer Because you told them Jesus will come first. I am not here that you should agree with me.

On these things I say We must believe that With our differences We can love one another. And We can show that We love each other Even though there are so many differences. How good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity.

Preserving the Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4 Verse 3 Preserve the unity Of the spirit In the bond of peace. Peace is what binds us together. If you don't have peace That bond is gone. You know that When you don't have peace with your wife Or husband There is no bond.

You can eat together Pray together Do everything together. But there is no peace. There is no bond. It says the bond of peace. Whenever Jesus came and met people After his resurrection He said peace be unto you.

In our relationship with each other We must always be at peace. That's a bond. It really holds us together. If you find in your heart You are not at peace with somebody. From your side you must do everything.

The bible says As much as lies in you Live at peace with all. Thus it says here We preserve the unity of the spirit. But many years later When Christ comes back Then it says here In verse 13 We will attain to the unity of the faith.

See the unity of the faith Is still in the future That we have to attain to. We have to reach there. But until we reach there We have to preserve the unity of the spirit. What does it mean? I keep the unity of the spirit Till I attain to the unity of the faith.

That means Until we come to that place. That is when Jesus comes. And we understand everything correctly. You know some of you may say I am sure this is absolutely right. But it is good to be humble And to say like Paul.

1 Corinthians 13 verse 12. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 12. This is talking about love. The whole chapter is about love. And if you really love somebody If you really love somebody You will have the humility to say I see through a glass darkly.

Brother. You may be right. Brother I don't see everything very clearly. But one day I will see. But till then what shall I do? Till I see clearly what shall I do? I shall remain in love. Because love is the greatest.

The greatest is not understanding everything. The greatest is to remain in love Even when I don't understand. So If you don't say I am seeing through a glass darkly Then you are convinced He is wrong and you are right.

I am talking about a whole lot of unimportant doctrines. I don't have any doubt in my mind That Jesus Christ is God. And He became a man. That I am not seeing through a glass darkly. Or that He died for my sins and rose from the dead And is living today.

Or that He is coming back. I don't see these things darkly. But there are so many things in the Christian life. Like the gift of healing. The purpose of tongues. There are so many areas where it is not so clear.

What is the right balance between Evangelistic activity And making disciples. I have a certain understanding. I say okay. I may not be 100 right in it. And Where is the balance, I don't know. But I will remain in love, that is for sure.

And I will keep the bond of peace. And I will preserve the unity of the spirit. All the time humbly acknowledging. There are many things I still don't see clearly. Then we can still remain one body. And even husband and wife.

Don't be so sure you are right. You could be wrong. Sometimes we think we are right. And afterwards we discover we are not right. So this is one of the main reasons why disunity comes. We are so proud to think that we are right.

That everybody else is wrong. Particularly in areas which are not so clearly written in scripture. And sometimes I have seen young people Who think they know much more than older people. They say no you shouldn't build a church like this.

This is not the way to do it in a church. And I ask them Brother how many churches have you built? Zero. What are you talking about? It's like a bachelor telling married people. You should not bring up your children like this.

How many children have you brought up? I am not married but I have got a lot of theories On how to bring up children. I say brother you get married. Have 7 or 8 children. Then please give me all your theories.

Most people like to give their opinions On matters which they have no experience about at all. And that is how the devil puffs them up To destroy them. I have seen numerous young people like that. Just because they have got some zeal.

Somewhere in one area. They are very gifted. But remember Jesus came here to build a church. And if you have not even built one church Your experience is zero. Whatever area you may be an expert in What Jesus wanted to do You have not even done once.

Please humble yourself. And say there are many things you don't know. Main in humility. You know when God blesses us It's very difficult to remain humble. God can bless people very easily. But to keep a man humble After blessing him.

Humility, Brokenness, and the Power of God

See he could make the universe like that in one word. But to humble a man He sometimes takes years. He took 40 years to break Moses. He took 40 years to break Moses. He took 20 years to break Jacob. One second to create the universe.

What does that teach us? It's more difficult for God to break a man Than to create the universe. So remember for God to break you Is a more difficult task than creating the universe. But if God can succeed in breaking you There will be such a mighty power released through you That the whole church will be blessed.

I believe God has put that parable in the world. In the atom. I don't know whether you have read about the atom all of you. But if you have studied science you have studied the atom. If you have studied science you would have studied the atom.

It is so small that you can't even see it under a microscope. Everything is atom. You are all made of atom. But they are so small. You can't see them In a scientific way. If you can take that small atom of one particular metal And break it.

Not any atom. It has to be some particular type of mineral or metal. If you break it It releases so much power. The whole of Vellore can get electricity. It is unbelievable That in such a small thing There is so much power That a whole city can get electricity.

That is a parable God has put in nature. What power is released when God can break something. When he can break a person That he is not so eager to always express his opinion. He is not assertive. To force people to go according to his wish.

If you want the power of God released in your home. If you want the power of God released in your home. Be a broken husband, a broken wife. God uses so many circumstances to break us. To protect you from sin.

I know many many years. And even now God breaks me in many ways. He uses different ways for different people. He makes people put a court case against me. For 10 years I bow before God and say God that is fine, break me.

You break different people in different ways. But if God can break us He breaks us sometimes by making us get sick. We go to conference to get a blessing. And we get sickness. God breaks us. He breaks you, he breaks me.

The question is what do you do when you get it. I believe there is nothing. Not even an ant bite in my life. That can happen without God's permission. Because my body totally belongs to God. So every little thing, big thing God knows about it.

I don't have to ask why. Because everything is to make me a little more like Jesus. To humble me. To make me more broken. To get rid of pride from my life. So that I can become more integrated With other brothers in one body.

So we should not pray that God will protect us From all the problems in life. I remember when I got a stomach upset After this recent conference. I didn't have it during the conference. Because God knew I had to speak.

I am thankful for that. But after it was over Then God gave me. And I know He also knew that he had to heal me. Before the Velur conference. But again I have to speak. So I said Lord, what is this for?

I always ask, small thing, big thing. God never does anything without a purpose. We are foolish people, we do so many things without a purpose. But God never. The Lord said to me that You have to also go through what other people go through.

Then only you will understand what you are going through. Then only you can preach with compassion. Thank you Lord. Good to get an answer from God. It brings us into unity. We come into greater fellowship with one another.

To me, fellowship with the brothers Is more important than health in my body. To me, fellowship with the brothers Is more important than health in my body. If a disease will bring me closer to a brother I am ready to get sick.

To me my goal in life is not health. My goal in life is to build the body of Christ. And if your goal in life is to build the body of Christ You can never be defeated. No demon, no sickness. Nothing in heaven or earth or hell Will be able to hinder you from fulfilling God's will.

He is able to present us faultless. So as Christians we have to have a spirit of triumph. Many years ago I read this verse Philippians 2. Like I have often said, read the Bible slowly. Verse 14. Do all things without grumbling or disputing.

Overcoming Grumbling and Complaining

2 .14. We have to read it slowly. How many things do we have to do? All things. Everything in life. I must never grumble. Never complain. We say Lord, there are so many things that happen in one day itself That can cause us to grumble.

No, you don't do it. I am not saying that if something is wrong You should not correct it. No, correct it. I mean if your child is learning how to ride a cycle Teach him the right way. If your child is learning mathematics And he is doing it the wrong way, correct him.

We have to correct one another. But we shouldn't grumble and complain. Yeah, that's not the right way. Brother, let's do it this way. But no grumbling. And if we are like that Then it says here we will be.

Like lights in the world I want to be a light in the world. Do you want to be a light in the world? Do all things without grumbling and complaining from today. And therefore from that I get a truth. That when God looks at the world Everywhere he looks on the earth.

Everywhere people are grumbling and complaining. And grumbling and complaining is darkness. Like it says in Genesis 1 Darkness was upon the face of the earth. Darkness is on the face of the earth today.

Why? All grumbling and complaining. Everywhere he hears grumbling and complaining. Then he says, let me look at those who claim to be born again. Let me go into their homes. They are also grumbling and complaining.

But here and there God sees some people Who are finished with it. Who take it seriously. Do all things without grumbling and complaining. That's like in the midst of this dark earth. One light. Another place hundreds of miles away.

Another light. Don't you want to be like that? I say Lord, I want my life to be like that. I want my home to be like that. I want my church to be like that. I am not worried whether I have 25 children.

2 are enough. If there is no grumbling and complaining I don't want 500 people in the church 50 are enough. But no grumbling and complaining. That we are one in the spirit. As you look at us You can see there is a light shining for you.

Make that your goal this year. Let's pray Heavenly Father. It's so easy to get stirred for a short while. And then it's forgotten. Because the devil is there to make us forget. Help us Lord to endure till the end of this year.

And then to go to a greater height next year. Help us to be a light for you in this place. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.