New Covenant- God's Final Goal - Church -Part 2 — Zac Poonen

Jesus Builds His Church

So we see here something that Jesus spoke about the church and I want you to notice a few things here before we move on and that is As soon as he spoke about the church. Well, first of all, he said that I will build my church.

That's the important thing to remember. None of us can build a church. It's very important to remember that The church that you build or I build will be destroyed by the devil in no time at all. There are people who think I'm gonna go and build the church.

I've had people come to me After a conference and they taste the fellowship and life we have here and they say Oh brother Zack I'd like to build much the church in our local town. I say you'll never build it.

You try to build it. It'll be destroyed by the devil in no time. You may not know. But those who have been involved know That Every church that we planted we never did it. God did it. God did it without consulting us.

He may have used some of us, but we never built a single church. I Wouldn't dream of doing it because I know it'll be destroyed in no time. Because I know what Jesus said I will build my church and I know that Those churches which man has tried to build and we've seen some of them to Crumble and collapse and never seem to progress.

But that what Jesus builds The gates of hell will never never overpower it so the that's the mark of a church that Christ builds now, it's possible that Christ can build a church and After 30 40 years he can remove the lampstand from there like it says in Revelation chapter 2 he warned the church in Ephesus, which was a church that Christ built in the beginning through Paul.

Christ's Warning to the Church in Ephesus

But he says there I'm gonna remove the lampstand. That means I'm not gonna recognize you as a church anymore. And then the devil is free you'll still have your meetings and your numbers will probably increase and You'll have a wonderful time.

How a Church Can Lose Its Spiritual Identity

Your music will definitely improve in Ephesus. Because the world will come right in but you won't be my church the Lord said and you'll be Preaching psychology and things like that in your church and making people feel happy and everybody will have a good time.

And you'll be a wonderful club, but you won't be the Church of Jesus Christ. You won't have any influence on the powers of darkness and gradually you'll become more and more earthly minded. That's happened to many churches you can see that they don't preach the scripture they preach psychology.

They'll start off with one verse of scripture. Have you seen preachers like this on television and elsewhere? They start off with one verse of scripture and then they go on and on and on and on airing the views that psychologists teach and Stirring people up emotionally and things like that.

Oh, yeah, the numbers will increase in such churches money will increase. Music will be good. But the powers of darkness will not be influenced so the mark of the church that Jesus builds is That Satan cannot overpower it because it's obvious Christ is greater than Satan and When he said on this rock and that rock meaning Christ the Son of the Living God.

How can a church built on the foundation of Christ the Son of the Living God? Based on the principles of the kingdom of heaven ever be defeated by Satan Satan may attack it. In fact, he said he will attack it, but will not be able to shake.

Earthly Wealth and the Decline of Spiritual Churches

So when we see churches around us attacked and overpowered by Satan confusion among the elders and I'm beginning to see it in some of our churches to happens after 20 -30 years. You know why. Because God's begun to bless them.

Some of them become rich. They were not poor like in the old days. The kingdom of earth has become very big in their eyes. Heaven is not so precious to them like it was in the old days. There are very few people very few believers who can handle wealth.

I've seen that I Think among all the believers I met I would say about 1 can handle wealth. All can handle poverty. Very few can handle wealth and remain spiritual very very few. Because the kingdom of earth gets such power over us when we have a lot of money and Earthly things become much more important to us than they were in the old days when we Didn't have so many earthly things.

And when we didn't have so many earthly things we had more time for God. You see if that is not true in your life. You see if now that television has come into your home whether you have as much time for God as You had in the old days when there was no television in your home you ask anybody in the world that You see it's very subtle when the devil comes in to Ruin the church.

The Devil's Subtle Deception

He doesn't come in with horns and hooves and Fork tails and a lot of evil because he knows everybody will turn away. He comes in a very subtle way as an angel of light and Minister of righteousness. But the church that's founded on Christ and it's seeking the kingdom of heaven will never be overpowered because it can see through all these subtle tricks of the devil and We see here that the king that the church is involved in fighting.

The Church as a Community Engaged in Spiritual Warfare

As soon as he spoke about the church, he didn't talk about a picnic. He talked about a battle and that battle continues until Christ returns a Church whose atmosphere is more that of a picnic and having a good time and prospering in business and making a lot of money Is not really going to overpower the kingdom of Satan but a Church that recognizes that as long as we are on this earth We're going to be involved in spiritual warfare.

That's the church that will endure until the end. And That's why over the years the devil slowly removes prayer from the lives of believers. Can you think of? Can you answer this question whether you prayed more 30 years ago or today?

Whether you fasted more When you first came to the church or today. She's very subtle the way the devil Comes in. I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

Spiritual Authority and the Church's Victory Over Satan

You see it's it's a picture of a church which has such authority That the devil is scared of it. The devil was scared of Jesus. Demons were scared of him and the real Church of Jesus Christ Scares the devil he's scared and Where people are afraid of the devil?

You can be pretty sure that's not the Church of Jesus Christ those are People they're scared of the devil because they are so earthly minded. Jesus the Word of God says in Ephesians 6 about the spiritual battle.

Ephesians and the Church's Spiritual Warfare

You know Ephesians is the great Book which describes the church. One Corinthian speaks more about the local church, but Ephesians is the. Is the book that describes? The church is the body of Christ. Worldwide Church right from chapter 1 Speaks about the church being the body of Christ.

Chapter 2 speaks about the church chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 so In these chapters there are certain things that are very important. For example Ephesians is the only is Ephesians. Colossians are the only two books that speak much about the family.

Ephesians speaks about Husbands and wives and parents and children and masters and slaves servants. Home life is a very important part of the local church and Ephesians is the only book that speaks about spiritual battle.

Isn't that interesting that the only book in the New Testament that describes the church so much is also the only one that describes Spiritual battle because it links up with what we saw in Ephesians in Matthew 16 That the church is involved in spiritual battle.

Understanding What Spiritual Warfare Means

Now when we talk about spiritual battle many of you may say Well, I don't know anything about it if you are honest. If you are honest, I Think Many of you perhaps most of you will have to say I don't know anything about spiritual battle.

I mean I know how to pray when my child is sick or when I need a promotion or my children are going for examinations or when I want to buy something or Build a house or something like that. I know how to pray but spiritual warfare.

What does that mean?