(Kitchener, on 2012) a Servant / Sonship — Zac Poonen

Pressing On to Christlike Maturity

So we've been looking at this expression found in Hebrews chapter 6 which says, in the verse first, let us press on to maturity or perfection. And we know that perfection is found only in Jesus Christ.

So really, he's talking about pressing on to become more and more like him as we progress in the Christian life. And that is what is God's goal for us. I want you to turn again to Romans 8 verse 29. In Romans 8 verse 29, we read about the goal that God has for all of his children.

The goal is total likeness to Jesus Christ. It's called here predestination. There's a lot of controversy concerning that word in Christendom, but it's very simple here in verse 29. He predestined us to become like Jesus Christ.

That is the maturity and the perfection we are to press on to. We must see that clearly. In the old covenant, they didn't have a goal. Well, they did have a goal in one sense. The goal was to possess the land of Canaan.

It was an earthly goal. First, their goal was to get out of Egypt, and then God had a goal for them to possess Canaan, but they never got into Canaan. But God's will for them was to possess something of earth.

If you read the Old Testament, in the whole Old Testament, there's no promise of something heavenly or change of our nature. No. It's only an earthly blessing that God promised Israel. But in the new covenant, it says God predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.

So we must never forget that. To press on to maturity means I must become more and more like Christ. And like we saw earlier, the hope that we have, do you remember that? Is not only that we shall see Him, but when we see Him, we shall become like Him.

So that's our goal, and if that is our goal, then we seek to purify ourselves more and more as we approach that day. So that is why the Bible says that this Christian life is like a race towards perfection where we look to Jesus as our example.

Old Testament Faith and the Better Promise in Christ

So I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 11. In Hebrews 11, we have a list of all the great men of faith. In the Old Testament. And some of them lived very wonderful lives. And there are many good things we can learn from all these people, you know.

You can take a Bible study on Abraham or David or Elijah and learn many, many things about the Christian life from their faith. In fact, all of these people had faith. But if you look at the entire list of the faith they had, it was mostly for earthly things, almost entirely.

They pleased God, but we don't read much about heaven except perhaps in one little phrase about Abraham where it says that they were seeking for a heavenly country in verse 14. Otherwise, all of them were seeking, you know, the blessings were earthly by faith.

They pulled down the walls of Jericho, they shut the mouths of lions, they crossed the Red Sea, they defeated their earthly enemies. It was all earthly. We can say it was an earthly faith that the whole people had in the Old Testament.

And when your faith is limited to earthly things, it's an Old Testament faith. Yeah, we can get a lot of earthly things by faith. And Hebrews 11 teaches us that. But at the end of Hebrews 11, in the last verse, verse 40, it says, God has provided something better than all this for us.

Hebrews 11, 40. So, whenever you read Hebrews 11, every verse concerning anybody, when you read about Abraham, anyone, always remember the last verse. That's not the best. God's provided something better for us.

You read Genesis to Malachi, whatever you read there, remember this verse. God has provided something better for us. In fact, this is a verse that you must remember when you read any part of the Old Testament.

If you forget this verse, you'll get stuck in the Old Testament and you'll think that those blessings are the blessings God is offering us. And that's a mistake that lots and lots of Christians make. A lot of people go to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28 and think of all the blessings that God can give us and earthly on this earth.

And there are many pastors who threaten their congregation saying God will curse you if you don't pay your tithes. It's all from the Old Testament. So, whenever you read the Old Testament, remember this verse, Hebrews 11, 40.

God has planned something better for us. That is the last verse at the end of the history of all these great Old Testament people. And then what is this better thing? And the better thing is in chapter 12, verses 1 to 3.

It says in chapter 12, verse 1, we must run the race. And verse 2, it says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith or perfecter of our faith. This is the perfection we aim for.

Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So, the goal of the Old Testament people was Canaan. Our goal is the throne of God. That's where we're going.

That's in heaven. That is the better. Now, anybody can tell you the throne of God is better than an earthly Canaan. That's the better thing God has provided for us. And that's why it says that we must press on to this goal.

And if you were to ask me in very simple terms, what does it mean to press on to maturity? It means being more and more detached from attachment to earthly things. Till our mind becomes more and more heavenly minded.

The more heavenly minded you are, the more mature you are. And the more earthly minded you are, the more immature and carnal you are. Lot of Christians, they have problems because they are earthly minded.

You will fight with other people. Most of the fights among believers, even fights among husbands and wives at home, are all about earthly things. It's not about... You're not fighting about how to reach the throne of God.

You're fighting about some silly earthly thing that has no value when we leave this earth. So, when we think of our mind, you know, we thought of Romans 12, where our mind is to be renewed, to think like God.

That is, to be more and more detached from earthly things. To be heavenly minded. That's how Jesus was. That doesn't mean that we don't care for the things of earth. We know that Jesus worked as a carpenter.

He lived in his home as a little boy. And he grew up as a little boy. He lived a very down-to-earth life. But his mind was not on earthly things. And he wouldn't fight for earthly things. In the Old Testament, they fought for their property.

Israel fought. If an enemy took their property, they'd fight to drive them out. God Himself told them to do that. But now and then in the Old Testament, you have a prophecy concerning Christ. Like, Behold my servant.

Look at my servant. He's the one you're ultimately going to follow. Of course, they didn't understand it. But now through the Holy Spirit, we see that this is what it means to press on to perfection. To see how Jesus lived on earth just like any other human being, but yet he did not live for the things of earth.

And the earth, the things of the world could not get inside him. I mean, the perfect description of a wonderful illustration of a Christian is like a ship in the water. Surrounded by water. There's no water inside the ship.

When the water comes inside the ship, that's when the ship sinks. Or a boat. So when the spirit of the world comes inside the Christian, he's a little more time and he's sunk. And that's what's happened to so many people.

The solution is not to run away from the world and live in some monastery or in some mountain like a hermit. Jesus did not live in a monastery. And John the Baptist lived in the desert, but Jesus didn't live in the desert.

We're not followers of John the Baptist. We're followers of Jesus Christ who lived right in the middle of the world and the world did not come inside him. This is the example we have to look at. We have to look at Jesus, the perfecter of our faith who aimed for the right hand of the throne of God.

That was the joy set before him. When it says there, because of this joy set before him, he was willing to suffer anything on the earth. Endured the cross, despised the shame, he was willing to suffer shame because he said, I'm aiming for the throne of God.

And if whatever I go through is helping me to get to the throne of God sooner, I'm prepared for it. So dear brothers and sisters, let me say this. That if your aim is earthly and you're thinking of how to get more and more earthly blessings, you're not likely to make much progress in your Christian life to spiritual maturity.

I mean you can increase in a lot of knowledge and know more of the Bible, but you're not going to grow to maturity. So I want to encourage you to take this very seriously. That Jesus lived on earth just like a man.

Just like any of us. That's why God allowed him to be born as a little baby. So that he could grow up and be an example to five year old boys, ten year old boys, twelve year old boys. He could be an example to every one of them.

To example to teenagers. Example to adult working people. He worked as a carpenter. He had to work hard to earn his living. Just like we have to work hard to earn our living. He had to work hard to earn his living.

So that he could be an example for us. And then he became for three and a half years a full time worker. And there he has become an example even to full time preachers. How to preach, what should be your attitude to money, what should be your attitude to people.

So for every type of human being, right from a little child to business men and full time workers, Christ has lived on earth to be an example for us. Many of us look at Jesus only as hanging on the cross.

But here it says we have to look at Jesus who is a perfecter of our faith. The way he walked on earth. That's where we have to look at and follow. So I just want to consider a few areas where see what was Jesus attitude.

Jesus Christ as the Servant and Son of God

I quoted this verse in Isaiah 42. Let me just show you that first of all. In Isaiah 42, the Lord says in verse 1. Isaiah 42 verse 1. Behold my servant. That's referring to Jesus Christ. Behold means look carefully at my servant.

Just like we read in Hebrews 12. Look carefully at my servant. This is the one whom I uphold. This is my chosen. This is the one in whom my soul is delighted. I have put my spirit upon him and he will bring justice to the nations.

Behold my servant. So Jesus is called a servant of God. He was a son and a servant. Now not just a servant. You know like if a man has got a business and his son is a partner with him and he employs certain people in his shop, in his store.

Both are serving. The son is also serving there, maybe at the counter. And those servants are serving at the counter. But there's a difference between the son and the other people, employees in that store.

The employees are working for money. The son is a partner. He's not working for money. He doesn't get a salary. He's a partner in the business. And his employees will work from you know 9 o 'clock to 5 o 'clock or something like that and then they go.

But the son doesn't work like that. He has no hours. He's just all the time he's ready to work in the store till midnight if necessary. Or come early in the morning for no extra pay. You see both are serving.

The employees and the son. But there's a lot of difference between a son serving and an employee serving. So our service for God in the Old Testament it was like employees serving a master. But now God has become our father.

We are to serve him as a son serving his father. There's a lot of difference. And you need to ask yourself with what spirit are you serving God? Is it with the spirit of Lord I've done this for you. What are you going to do for me?

That's like looking for a salary. You know the employee telling the master, well I worked for you 30 days. What are you going to give me now? When I come to God like that with that spirit of what are you going to do for me when I've done this for you?

You're doing business with God. You've made an employee contract with God. Maybe God will give you some things. But I never want to have that relationship with God. Never. I want to be a son. A son doesn't go to the father at the end of the month and say, Dad, what's my salary?

I'm a partner with God in His business. You remember Jesus, even at the age of 12 He said to Joseph and Mary in the temple, didn't you know I've got to do my father's business? He had that sense of responsibility when he was 12.

He was not an employee. He wasn't sitting in the temple talking about God's word for some type of salary. Today you'll find even among preachers, there are those who do it as a calling. It's the burden of their heart.

And there are other people who do it only if you pay them. They'll go where they can get the best salary. A lot of preachers. They are pastors in a church and then they get a higher salary offered somewhere else.

And then they go there. These are not sons. They are employees. And that's why Christendom has suffered. And therefore He says in Isaiah 42, Look at my servant. Look at Jesus. How did He serve? He did not serve for any money.

He served in the spirit of a true servant of God. So when we look at Jesus Christ, we can learn what it really means to serve in the spirit of a son. And as we do that, we grow up to maturity. So there are three areas I want to speak about.

Freedom from Sin as the First Mark of a Servant

How to be a true servant of God. Number one. In Romans 6 and verse 22. How can I be a servant of God? Like Jesus Christ. Like a son. Romans 6 and verse 22. It says here, Having been freed from sin and become servants of God, you derive your fruit.

Slaves of God or servants of God, same thing. How do I become a servant of God? According to this verse. I have to be free from sin. Now most people say today if you want to be a full time servant of God you got to be free from an earthly job.

Give up your earthly job and then become a pastor. But the apostle Paul did not give up his earthly job. He was a tent maker till the end of his life. And he was far better than any pastor. He was an apostle.

He worked. He received occasional gifts but basically he took care of himself. So it's not being free from a job. There are some denominations of Christianity that say if you serve God you can't get married like the Roman Catholic priests.

You have to be free from marriage in order to serve God. All these are wrong. You don't have to be free from marriage. You don't have to be free from an earthly job. But you have to be free from sin. That's the way to be a servant of God.

That's what's written in the Bible. So all these wrong ideas that people have, they have come from human ideas. Any of us can be a servant of God if you determine to be free from sin. That's why I speak so much about being free from sin.

Because I believe all of us are to be servants of God. In the Old Testament you could be a servant of God only if you're from the tribe of Levi. But now we can be a servant of God. Anyone can be a servant of God if you're free from sin.

That's the number one thing. And that's why we need to look at Jesus as one who overcame sin first of all in his life. So I want to ask you if that is, if you really want to be a servant of God as a son.

And the Bible says, look carefully at my servant. He was free from sin. And even though I may not be as perfect as he was in free from sin, like we read we are pressing on to that perfection. As we look at him we can seek to be free from sin as he was.

And the Bible says in Hebrews in chapter 4 Hebrews 4 in verse 15 and 16 it tells us how he was free from sin. Hebrews 4 15 is talking about Jesus Christ. We don't have a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses.

Or putting it in a positive way, we do have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. How can he sympathize with our struggles and weaknesses? Because listen to this amazing verse which some of you may not even have thought of in your life.

He was tempted exactly as we are in every area every respect yet without sin. He was tempted as we are in every area. But he did not sin. That's why he can say to us, follow me. This is a great truth my brothers and sisters.

When you see it you'll see the secret of overcoming sin lies here. Looking at Jesus and saying Lord you are tempted like me. I know when I understood this truth for the first time many years ago whenever I was tempted very strongly all of us are tempted strongly at different times by different temptations could be a temptation to be discouraged or a temptation to sexual lust or a temptation to anger or a temptation to have a bitterness against somebody who hurt us or all types of temptations.

I must say Lord Jesus when you were in Nazareth as a young man you were also tempted exactly like I am being tempted right now and I want to look at you like the Bible says behold my servant. I want to look at you and see I want the Holy Spirit to show me how you overcame that temptation by resisting it and hating it and fighting against it in the power of the Holy Spirit I want to do the same thing.

I want to ask God's help to do the same thing. So let's get this verse clearly He was tempted like we are yet without sin and you may say so what? You see in the next verse verse 16 therefore then if that is the case that he was tempted and he did not sin then we also can come with confidence to the throne of grace so that we can also receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Now remember this is connected to the previous verse. So the time of need it's speaking of here is not financial need. It's a time of temptation. The meaning is like he was tempted in every point and did not sin in our time of temptation let us come to the throne of grace and ask God to give us grace to overcome so that we also don't sin.

I don't know whether you have a great passion in your life to be free from sin like I often have said the mark of a spiritual man is that he hates sin more than he hates sickness. That he fears sin more than he fears sickness.

That he fears getting angry more than he fears getting cancer that he fears dirty thoughts more than AIDS. That's the mark of a spiritual man. You can find out right now whether you are spiritual or not.

If a doctor gives you a diagnosis of a sickness an incurable sickness would that disturb you or would you be more disturbed by the fact that you are committing sin in different areas how much effort would you make to be free from cancer in your body you would go to this doctor and that doctor and if you hear that some doctor in some other country you'd go over there and if you hear that you need to spend so much money to be cured of that cancer, you'd go there and spend it.

You'd draw out your bank account and spend it. What a lot of effort people make to be free from cancer. What about how much effort do we make to be free from sin. So many people so lazily sit back and say oh I'm trying but I don't get any freedom from sin.

Well if you tried as hard as some people try to be free from a sickness you'd have got freedom from sin long long ago. It's not because you can't. It's because you don't think it's such a serious thing.

I mean if your shirt is torn yeah throw it away perhaps and get another shirt not a serious thing. So when I treat sin like some tear in my shirt not a serious thing. That's exactly how many Christians treat sin.

That's why they never become servants of God. That's why they never become press on to maturity this is very fundamental. Let us come to the throne of grace and at the throne of grace we receive two things and I want you to see here if you have heard my tapes you know the difference between mercy and grace two different words but if you haven't heard it let me explain it to you.

Mercy refers to my past life grace to the future. Mercy refers to the sins I've committed and grace refers to the sins I need to overcome when I'm tempted in the future. Jesus never needed mercy. Not once because he never committed sin we need mercy till our last day on earth we need mercy because any of us can slip up and fall anytime.

We need the blood of Jesus to cleanse us at all times but in addition to mercy we need to get grace. In the Old Testament they didn't have grace they only had mercy. You read words like the mercy of the Lord endures forever but you never read about grace in the Old Testament because the Bible says grace came through Jesus Christ and grace is we can look at that last expression as a pretty good definition of grace.

What is it? Help in time of my need to me that's a beautiful definition of grace is the help that comes to me in the time of my need. If my need is to overcome a particular temptation grace is there if my need is to face a particular trial and to be a conqueror grace is there.

You know trials can be different from temptation. Trials can be related to say a financial difficulty in my life or a problem in the office or problems with my relatives problems, serious problems. We live in the earth we have so many problems and grace is the help that comes to me to help me to overcome in that situation and to solve that problem so it's not enough to get mercy.

Many Christians only ask God for mercy forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. It's good but they never ask for grace. Grace is help me Lord to overcome don't let me sink and one of the best examples is Peter sinking in the sea.

You remember that time when Jesus was walking on the water to me Jesus walking on the water is a beautiful picture of overcoming sin because you know why we can't walk on the water because there's a law called the law of gravity that pulls us down, down, down as soon as you step on the water gravity pulls you down and gravity is a beautiful picture of the law of sin.

The law of sin in our bodies is like the law of gravity always pulling you down into sin and Jesus walking on top of the water without sinking is a picture of overcoming that law of gravity. It's a picture of Jesus overcoming the law of sin that tried to pull him down.

He did not have sinful flesh like we have but he did have temptation. We know that Satan tried to pull him down in temptation even in the wilderness. It says he was tempted for 40 days, he was tempted all through his life and it says in the previous verse in every way as we are he felt that pull but he did not sink just like he walked on the water the gravity could not pull him down, sin could not pull him down and that was by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now the greatest miracle there is not Jesus walking on the water. The greatest miracle there is Peter walking on the water. What do you think? Which is a greater miracle? Jesus walking on the water or Peter walking on the water?

Jesus walking on the water is not a great thing, he is the son of God but Peter, a guy like you and me walking on the water boy, that's really a miracle and Jesus said come, what he was saying is now you got to take that message to yourself instead of Peter you, the Lord saying to you to all of you come you can overcome this law of sin just like I overcame.

See how I am walking on the water see how I overcame sin. You can do the same come out and step out in faith and if you have faith and Jesus says come don't sit in the security of the boat get out and say Lord I believe I can be an overcomer also in my life, I can overcome I can't overcome the law of gravity but I can overcome the law of sin.

Let us find grace to help me in my time of need and as I overcome sin, you know what happened to Peter after a while, as long as he was looking at Jesus, he was overcoming and walking, overcoming the law of gravity, but just for a short moment he took his eyes away from Jesus and looked at the wind and the waves and he sank.

And if you begin to look at the seriousness of temptation you begin to sink or you begin to look at other people and begin to compare yourself with them and say I am better than them. You sink immediately.

A lot of people sink just because they are looking at other people and saying I am a better believer than them, it's the easiest way to sink. But you look at Jesus like Peter, he didn't sink, he sank when he was looking around.

And what did he do when he was beginning to sink. You know the story in Matthew 14 he said Lord save me, that's all he said three words, Lord save me. Peter stretched out his hand and held him and made him stand.

That is help in time of need when you feel dear brothers and sisters, now I want to make this very practical next time you are tempted. You could be tempted when somebody provokes you to get angry. You could be tempted with dirty pictures.

You could be tempted when you are sitting at the computer to go to sites that can pollute you. You can be tempted to make money in some unrighteous way. And the temptation can be strong because everybody else is also doing it telling lies.

You could be tempted to have a very bitter attitude to somebody who did great harm to you, all these things are temptations to make you sink in the sea. What should you do if you find it so strong. Lord give me grace.

Now help me to stand immediately. Jesus held Peter's hand and made him stand. I find that such a tremendously encouraging picture. It's not a question of me overcoming sin as much as it is a question of Jesus keeping me from falling.

You know if I say I overcame sin the emphasis is on me. But if I say Jesus keeps me from falling then the glory goes to God. And I want to say to you not that you can overcome sin but I want to say to you that Jesus can keep you from falling.

But you ask him for grace. You don't have because you don't ask. If you ask he will give you grace. And it says in Romans 6 and verse 14 that when you get grace this is what happens Romans 6 chapter 6 of Romans and verse 14 sin shall not rule over you because you are not under law but under grace.

Very simple verse. Sin cannot rule or have dominion over you. So from that verse I could even ask a little child here if you can read and understand English from that verse tell me what is the mark that you are under grace.

Very simple sin cannot rule over you. Sin cannot have dominion over you. From that verse what is the mark that you are under law. Sin has dominion over you. Now whether you know it or not when sin rules me I am under law.

If I am under grace sin cannot rule me. Because if Jesus holds me up how can I fall. That's grace. Help in time of need. I fall because I am not getting grace because I don't ask him for it. I am looking here and there I am comparing myself with other people and looking at the seriousness of temptation or looking for some earthly gain for myself.

Then I sink. But if I look to Jesus I will not sink. And if I happen to look away and I am slipping and falling all I need to do is say Lord forgive me, help me, hold me up. He will keep you from falling.

It's wonderful, it's a wonderful message. The message of the gospel. So the Bible says look carefully at my servant being free from sin. What's the number one condition of being a servant of God free from sin.

Freedom from the Mastery of Money

Ok now we go to point number two and that's Luke 16. Any of you can be servants of God. I told you seek to be free from sin. Second condition. Luke 16 and verse 13. Luke 16 and verse 13 where we see no servant can serve two masters.

Now if you don't read further in that verse and I ask you who are the two masters. You'll say God and Satan. No the two masters in the last part of that verse is God and money. Who are the two masters.

See the last three words God and money. You cannot serve both masters. You can make money your servant. That's ok. But don't let money be your master. That's the point. Jesus used money. You know not only Jesus used money.

Do you know that as a carpenter for at least 12 years of his life he was a carpenter. Maybe from the age of 18 to 30 he was working. How do you think he earned his living. He had 4 younger brothers 2 younger sisters and a widowed mother at home.

7 people at home. 8 members in a family. How many of you got 8 members in your family. Jesus had 8 members in his family and he had to work pretty hard to earn money for all of them. And he worked as a carpenter and he made profit.

Otherwise how could he earn his living. Teaching us that if you earn profit in your business it's not a sin. But he was honest. He didn't cheat anybody. He didn't do a patchwork job and take money from people.

He was honest and upright in his work and he earned his living as a carpenter and he used money. He needed money to buy food clothes for his fathers in the home etc. He used money and even as a full time worker we read in Luke 8 verse 3 people gave him money and he took it because he was not working then and he took it in order to serve his father.

So we see that Jesus did not allow money. He used money but he did not allow money to be his master. In other words he didn't live for money. His aim was not I must be the richest carpenter in Nazareth, that was not his aim.

Not at all because I can imagine that if Jesus was asked to make a table or a chair for some poor widow and he made it and took to that widow and the widow said how much does it cost. I can imagine Jesus saying that's a little gift from me keep it.

You think people who live like that will end up becoming the richest carpenter in Nazareth. Impossible. They'll do a lot of good to the poor and the weak and the helpless. Behold my servant. See what his attitude to money was and make that yours.

Use it and somebody gives you a gift receive it but don't let it be your master. Your master must only be God. You cannot serve two masters. You got to hate the one. In other words to hate money means I'm not going to let money be my master.

That's what it means. It's not hating money itself but hating the mastery of money. I hate it. I will not allow money to be my master. I will make it my slave. In other words money will not run my life.

But I will use money as my servant. What does it mean to have money as your master. That means all your decisions are determined by money money. A lot of people's decisions on life are determined by money money money.

But a true servant of God has to have his decisions determined by God. God God God. What does he tell me. And the Bible says if you live like that Matthew 6 and verse 33 well known verse Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33 if you're thinking of God God God all the time it says here if you seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness all these earthly things that you need will be added to you.

That means God will bless your business enough for you to earn a living. There's a very lovely verse in the Old Testament. I love that verse. I love quoting it to people in times of recession. There's a recession in the country.

Here is the verse you must remember when it's difficult to get a job difficult to make ends meet difficult. Psalm 37. Wonderful verse. Psalm 37 and verse 25. This is David, David wrote many Psalms when he was young 25 years old, 28 years old.