(The Fire of God) the Baptism of Fire — Zac Poonen

John the Baptist’s Call to Repentance

I want to turn to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 3 and the words of John the Baptist as he introduced the Lord Jesus. You know he was the forerunner of Christ and he was sent by God specially to prepare the way for Christ.

And I see that that ministry is if we open ourselves to it is what prepares our heart to receive Christ as well. Just like John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare Israel to receive Christ that ministry the emphasis in his ministry is what prepares our heart to receive Christ as well.

And that emphasis is what the world needs to hear today to be and especially the church is to prepare itself for the second coming of Christ. So that's why I want to look at this verse. His message you know was essentially a message of repentance.

Matthew 3 and verse 2 he came in the wilderness saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Change your mind about sin. That is my understanding of the word repentance and I believe that's what it means.

Change your mind about sin change your attitude to sin. Turn around from sin. It takes time to get victory over sin maybe years sometimes with some habits that we have indulged in for many years. But it doesn't take more than a moment to change our attitude towards sin to change our mind about sin.

And the tragedy today in Christendom is that we have heard about faith without repentance. We hear about the grace of God without understanding the fear of God. And we try to understand grace without understanding law.

Remember that God sent his message of grace to this earth after 1 ,500 years of keeping people under the law. That wasn't a mistake it was a preparation. And that's why the people of Israel those who responded like Peter James John Paul and all understood the grace of God.

I believe a thousand times better than a lot of Gentile Christians and a lot of Christians today because most Christians today have never heard much about the fear of God in their whole life right from day one what they hear is about the grace of God and the end result is that they haven't really seen the seriousness of sin.

I mean if you had to offer a goat as a sacrifice you know how expensive a goat is when you commit sin you understand the seriousness of sin pretty quickly because whenever it costs money we understand the seriousness of something.

And that's how the God taught those Old Testament people to understand the seriousness of sin. But we have Christians today who've never spent one rupee when it concerns sin. It's just one word Lord forgive me.

And repentance is not understood. I know many people who have come to this church who imagined that they were born again before coming here who told me that they really understood salvation only after coming here.

Why we don't preach a different gospel than anybody else. We preach that salvation is by faith not by works. We got a trust in Christ. He paid the price for all our sins. In that way it's the same but we preach repentance.

We explain what sin is. You can't turn away from sin until you know what sin is supposing. You go to a strange group of people who've never read the Bible and tell them turn from sin. They don't understand what sin is.

You go to some headhunters they don't even think chopping off somebody's head is sin. So unless sin is explained nobody knows what turning away from sin is. And that has been the problem with a lot of preaching in Christendom.

And that's why because Christendom has neglected the message of John the Baptist we have in many many cases people who imagine they are born again who are not really born again. I've often thought of the words of Jesus to the Pharisees who sent their preachers all over the world.

We read in Matthew 23 anyway around the Mediterranean and he said you people cross land and sea in order to make one convert. And when you convert that person he becomes twofold a child of hell than yourself.

How does a person become a twofold a child of hell. Everybody is all a single child of hell. To start with he becomes double a child of hell. And I fear I fear that is the condition of some people sitting here when you think you're born again you're not really born again.

That's how a person becomes twofold a child of hell. Now there are lots of people in the world who don't even imagine they are born again. Well they are single children of hell. The twofold children of hell are mostly found in churches that preach salvation without repentance.

So wherever you find a church that preaches about being born again without the message of John the Baptist of turn from sin. Change your attitude towards sin. There's a great danger of a lot of people sitting there who are not really born again who imagine they are the Lord told Ezekiel I've made you a watchman.

The Watchman’s Responsibility to Warn

If you see the enemy coming and you don't blow the trumpet I and the enemy comes and kills God's people. I will require their blood at your hand. But if you warn them to blow the and they still don't turn then they're responsible not you.

That's the word the Lord spoken to my heart many a time. Your responsibility is not to take people to heaven. But your responsibility is to tell people the way there the importance of repentance. If you blow the trumpet you explain to people there are sometimes I've gone up to people and told them I don't think you're really saved.

Fathers Must Lead Their Children to Christ

And I'll tell you honestly a lot of our young people sitting here right now your children they're not saying it's alright if they are three or four years old. I'm talking about the teenagers. And if you think that the Sunday school is supposed to bring them to Christ you're wrong.

If you think the young people's meeting is supposed to bring them to Christ you're wrong. The Bible says fathers bring up your children in the instruction and discipline of the Lord. That responsibility is not the Sunday schools.

It's not the young people's. It is the father's. Now then who is the Sunday school. For the Sunday school is for children whose fathers are not converted. Who is the young people's meeting. For the young people's meeting is for those whose parents are non-christians not for those whose parents are Christians.

If you are a father and you're a member of this church and your child goes to hell. I want to tell you the responsibility is 100 on you. It's not on the Sunday school. It's not on the young people. And you have to take that responsibility.

It's no use going to the elders and say do something. Have some young people's meeting for our for my son. What do you mean. Have some young people's meeting for your son. I've heard people say that people who were never interested in young people's meetings when their sons were two years old and who themselves could have taken some interest for young people when they were young but not interested at all.

And now and their children are teenagers. They say what are we doing for the young people. What did you do for the young people. Brother when your children were two years old there were young people here.

It's your responsibility. I want to put it squarely on your shoulder. I want to blow the trumpet so that none of you ever think that it's the church's responsibility to bring your children to Christ. It is you as parents who got to bring your children to Christ.

And if you have failed in doing that you need to fall on your face before God and say God there's something wrong with me as a father. Something wrong with me as a mother. Something wrong with me as parents.

Everything that's happening in the world around us today points to the fact that Christ is coming soon. I want to be ready. I don't want a single one of my children to be lost. And not only that. I don't even want a single one of my child children not to be a disciple of Jesus.

I want them in their generation to lead other people to Christ. Do you have that burden. I mean to get your children saved and go to heaven is the bare minimum. That's like saying I managed to put my children in the kindergarten.

How many of you are happy if your children managed to get into the kindergarten. Is that all you want your children's education. Or do you want your children to go on from kindergarten to get a degree.

Perhaps has to be a disciple of Jesus spiritually. And don't you want them to get a job to support themselves. That means spiritually leading other people to Christ. That's what we should desire for our children.

We should not be happy merely. Oh my children are saved. You know. I'll tell you something. I want to say that very straight. If you are satisfied my children have accepted the Lord they're saved. I tell you the chances are.

Please listen to me. They'll be lost. I've seen enough people who are just across the border and sitting on the border. Who you see them. Five years later they've gone back the other side of the border.

It's true. Don't be satisfied that your children have accepted the Lord and just crossed the border. Make sure they are way away from the border. They become disciples of Jesus and are following him. There's no danger of their being lost.

And whose responsibility is it to exhort their children to be disciples. My children are all in their 30s. But even today I write to them almost every week urging them wholeheartedly to turn from sin to be disciples of Jesus.

I don't care if they are half bear on the world. I tell them that do you do that to your children. It's the father's responsibility to proclaim the message of John the Baptist to the children turn from sin.

Change your attitude to sin. Do not love the world. Turn around from the world. And you must know the condition of your children. You must know what their spiritual condition is. And you must pray for them.

Pray that God will restrain them. Pray that God will break their bones in a road accident. If there's no other way that God can turn them around. How many of you would pray that. I pray if I hear that one of my children is going astray not following the Lord.

I'd even pray God would break their bones in a road accident so that they'll turn to heaven. Because I know that is nothing compared to going to hell. That's nothing compared to living in the world and glorifying the devil sees these things are serious now.

I believe we need to take it very much more seriously than we have taken it so far. And that is a word particularly for you and particularly for a lot of parents who've been in CFC for many many years.

And those of you parents who are lucky enough to hear this message when your children are two years old start now. Start now. Teach them to honor their father and mother. Teach them to respect older people.

Teach them the fear of God right from the beginning. Teach them the seriousness of telling lies. Teach them the seriousness of rebellion. If you've got daughters be careful that they don't copy the fashions of the world.

Even if you see other young sisters in the church following the fashions of the world. Tell your daughters I don't want you to be like them. Yeah. That's your responsibility. That's what I'd do if I had a daughter.

And if she said but dad other people in CFC are like that. I say I don't care whether I have people in CFC like that. You're my daughter. And you're not gonna be like that. How many of you have the courage to say that you have to.

You don't have to criticize anybody. You don't have to find fault with anybody. Make sure that your children follow the Lord. You don't have that responsibility for somebody else's children. If somebody there's somebody else wants their sons and daughters to be worldly.

That's their business. You make sure that doesn't affect your children. It's so very important John the Baptist. The reason I say this is because you know John the Baptist came with a particular ministry.

John’s Prophecy and the Turning of Fathers’ Hearts

The angel Gabriel said in Luke chapter 1 to his father before he was born. He said that you're gonna have a son. And he's going to be filled to the spirit from the moment from the moment of leaves his mother's womb.

That means from birth. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord. And he will go. This is Luke 1 17. Luke 1 17. He will go as a forerunner before Jesus in the spirit and power of Elijah.

And what's he gonna do. What's the ministry of John the Baptist was foretold before he was born. He's gonna turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children. You know that's the ministry of John the Baptist to get the fathers to take it more seriously with the bringing up of their children.

Instead of just going to meetings and taking the children to the meetings. He's gonna turn the hearts of the fathers to the children to be more interested in their children and not just to be occupied with making money and a lot of other things in the world.

And he's gonna turn the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous. The attitude of the righteous is going to change these disobedient people to have a different attitude towards sin which is the attitude of the righteous.

You know that's when we know we have really repented. Have you repented. It's not too late. Christ has not yet come. There's still hope. The day of grace is still there. It's time for us to repent. You know what was the Lord's last message to the churches.

The last message of the Lord in the Bible to the churches Revelation 2 and 3. Repent repent. Five times. Repent repent repent repent repent. Churches need to repent. Do you know what is the Lord's last message to the elders of churches.

To five of the elders in Revelation 2 and 3. Repent repent repent repent. I have regular elders meetings with all our 70 80 elders in our churches. And that's what I preach to them. Repent repent. Some listen to me some don't.

Yeah I have to tell you some don't. And I see the result in those who don't. I don't do anything. It's God's Church not mine. But I see the result in them when they don't repent. When they don't judge themselves in secret when they think everything is all right.

In a little while their nakedness becomes manifest to everybody. They themselves are to hang their head in shame. Elders of churches. So it with God. There's no respect of persons. I'm not a favorite of God.

Neither are you. God loves all of us equally. And the laws of God are the same. If I jump off the roof of this building I'll fall. The law of gravity applies to me. And if I exalt myself in pride God will resist me.

Just like the law of gravity. It doesn't make a difference who you are. God resists the proud. So it's good for us to hear these words and to humble ourself. In Matthew chapter 3 there's another thing that John the Baptist preached.

He said I'm only baptizing with water. But there's one coming after me. Who's. This is Matthew 3 and verse 11 I baptize you with water for repentance. He would not baptize people if they didn't show some evidence of repentance.

Some people came to him for baptism and he told them verse 8 you better bear fruit in keeping with repentance. I'm not gonna baptize you today. A whole lot of bad people are baptized who haven't repented.

That's another problem in today's Christendom. As for me he says I baptize you with water for repentance. But now there's someone coming after me whose shoelaces I'm not fit to open. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

There is a baptism in water. There's a baptism in fire. There's a second promise in the New Testament. First one is he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1 11. Matthew sorry 1 p 1 21. And the other is here in Matthew 3 11.

He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. Now if I I believe that if born-again Christians who were so eager to be baptized in water would be just as eager to be baptized in fire. We would have a different type of church.

But I see around the world a lot of born-again Christians who are so eager to be baptized in water. We're not eager to be baptized in fire. I see fathers who are very eager to see their children as they grow up.

I hope my son and daughter will be baptized in water and to get a sense of satisfaction my child has taken baptisms almost as though a certificate. Your child will definitely go to heaven rubbish. If you parents were just as eager that your water baptized son or daughter would also be baptized in fire.

Perhaps you might have had a different type of son or daughter. How many of you can say honestly I'm eager. My children are baptized in water and baptized in fire. Baptism in water is easy. You just go to a man he just dips you.

We baptized a lot of people here who we discovered later on are not even saved. We thought they were. I think I myself have baptized people like that. Philip baptized people in Acts chapter 8 to later on we discovered were not saved.

But the Holy Spirit the Jesus never baptizes anybody in fire. And not say I'll tell you that he never he's never made one mistake throughout the world. Every preacher has probably made mistakes in baptizing people in water.

We're not really saying we pass the bread at the Lord's table. And I'm absolutely convinced without a shadow of doubt that number of people who break bread on Sundays in this church are not saved. I'm convinced.

But I don't stop them because I don't know. The Bible says that a man examined himself. We warn people if they don't take it seriously. That's up to them. But if only if only those people who are so eager to take part in the Lord's table and who never missed the Sunday was the Lord's table.

And who are so eager to come to the elders and say can I take part in the Lord's table. If only they were so eager to go to Jesus and say Lord baptize me in fire boy their lives would have been different.

Baptism means an immersion. We don't believe in sprinkling. Baptism is a word which is a Greek word which means immersion. We immerse in water. But like John the Baptist said I can only immerse you in water.

There's another one who immerses in fire. Don't come to me for the baptism in fire. Don't come to me and say brother please lay your hands on my head. I'm sorry I can't baptize you in fire. I can baptize you in water.

No problem. But if you wanted the baptism in fire you got to go to Jesus. He's the baptizer in fire. He's the only one who baptizes in fire who immerses in fire. And I want to tell you dear brothers and sisters that is what we all desperately need.

That is the message of John the Baptist. That is what we need to hear in these days as a preparation for the second coming of Christ. What is the preparation for the second coming of Christ. Repent. Fathers turn your hearts to the children be let come to Jesus to be baptized in fire.

This is what John the Baptist preached. That's what we need to preach because we it's no use saying we're approaching the last days if we don't preach the message of John the Baptist. You know this quotation.

Elijah’s Spirit and the Last Days

I just read to you from Luke chapter 1 where John the Baptist before his birth he his father was told that he would go in the spirit and power of Elijah. And his father Zachariah was very well versed in the scriptures.

And he knew what that meant. I mean you may not have known what it meant but he knew what it meant because that was the last promise in the old testament. Let me turn you to the last promise in the old testament in Malachi chapter 4 Malachi 4 we read in verse 5 the Lord says I am going to send you.

This is the promise the last promise in the old testament. I'm going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children.

And when the hearts of the children when the hearts of the fathers in the fathers take the initiative and realize it's their responsibility. Don't put the responsibility on the mothers. When the fathers in the church realize it's their responsibility to turn their hearts to take the matters of their children seriously.

Then and only then will the children also turn to the God of their fathers. But if the fathers are lazy and careless and think everything is okay because my son's coming to the meeting then the children will be worldly wayward and will not turn to the Lord.

But he will restore the hearts of the fathers to children. The hearts the children. So the fathers. Otherwise I will come and smite the earth with a curse. Yeah. But when John the Baptist came in that spirit Jesus said concerning him.

We saw this once before that if you receive him Matthew chapter 11 I want to read this to you Matthew 11. There's a big if Matthew 11 14 he told the Jewish people if you are willing to accept John the Baptist.

He was talking about John the Baptist in verse 12. You're referring to the whole section. He was talking about John the Baptist. He said if you accept John if you Jewish people accept John the Baptist as the fulfillment of that Old Testament prophecy from your prophet Malachi that this is the Elijah to come then he is the Elijah to come.

But did the Jewish people accept him. No they killed him. And they killed the one he foretold about Jesus. So that prophecy in Malachi has not yet been fulfilled because they didn't. And that and that.

And then when we go back to Malachi we see that the prophet Elijah is to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord. The great and terrible day of the Lord was not the first coming of Christ there.

He came in grace when he comes a second time that will be the great and terrible day of the Lord when he comes in judgment. And just before he comes in judgment he said I'm going to send Elijah the prophet.

And we know that John the Baptist was not actually Elijah. Elijah had gone up to heaven. There's no transmigration of souls. What the Lord meant was somebody who comes in the spirit of Elijah. So John the Baptist was Elijah in this sense that he came in the spirit of Elijah.

He was a completely distinct individual from Elijah who lived 700 years before him. But he came in the spirit of Elijah. It's the same thing that's going to happen in the last days. There's going to be I believe more than one the spirit of Elijah because it was all right to have one Elijah for a small nation like Israel.

But when you think of the whole world and seven billion people one Elijah won't do. We need many people in the body of Christ who come with the spirit of Elijah. Prophets preachers preaching in the spirit of Elijah.

I believe we need thousands maybe hundreds of thousands in the last days of people who will proclaim in the mess the message of Elijah and the message John the Baptist repent fathers turn your hearts to your children and come to Jesus to be baptized in fire.

Baal Worship and the Love of Money

Elijah too was a prophet of fire. You know the way he proved to Israel that Jehovah was the true God. You know on the mount on Mount Carmel when he stood with 450 false prophets of Baal. And I want you to know one thing.

Those 450 prophets of Baal were all descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. They were not strangers. They were nominal Jews like we talked today about nominal Christians just like the Pharisees in Jesus time were descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.

And a lot of born-again people today who think they are born again. Who are the prophets of Baal in Christendom today. See the equivalent of Baal today is money. Why do I say that. Because Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and said choose whom you want to serve Jehovah or Baal.

You can't serve both. And Jesus came and said in Luke 16 13 you can't serve God and money. Same thing what Elijah said. That's why I know that the New Testament equivalent of Baal is money. Now you may think how in the world did those Old Testament people imagine that they could serve Jehovah and Baal.

That's crazy isn't it. It's very easy to look back at the failures of people in another generation and see how in the world didn't they see it. We think of people who lived before Martin Luther's time and see how in the world couldn't they see in the Bible that salvation is by faith and not by works.

And it's not by putting money into some church offering box that your soul goes to heaven. How in the world did people get that crazy idea. It's easy to see the fault of another generation. How in the world did people in Elijah's think you could serve Jehovah and Baal.

Love Jehovah and love Baal. Let's apply it to our time today. As I said Jesus said the equivalent of Jehovah and Baal are God and money. Let me ask honestly. Do you think there are Christians in the world who love Christ and also love money.

Who follow up to Christ follow up to money. Who value Jesus and also value money. Who love Jesus and love money. Who serve Jesus and serve money. Forget all the other Christians in the world. Ask yourself do you love Jesus and money.

You got to be honest there. Then you can understand how those people believe they could love Jehovah and Baal. How they could serve Jehovah and Baal. We're doing the same thing. I've seen numerous people I found it in my own life in my younger days.

I didn't have to look far. A false preaching of the gospel has made so many Christians imagine that you can love Jesus and love money at the same time. I'm not talking about using money. Jesus used money but he never loved it.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say the money is the root of all evil. Money does a lot of good. A lot of the gospel preaching is due to money. Poor people. The Bible speaks about helping the poor with money.

There's nothing wrong in that. It's the love of money. That's the root of all evil. I don't know how many of you have read that in your Bible the love of money is the root of all evil. And do you know that every child of Adam has it in their flesh.

If any of you think you don't have it in your flesh you're fooling yourself. Of all the sick people in the world the most sick are those who don't know they are sick. Yeah if you know that you're sick you seek to be free from it.

I've never heard of a person who knows he's got cancer and doesn't want to be free from it. I've known of a lot of people who had cancer and never knew it for two three years till suddenly they went for a scan and discovered they got cancer.

And the doctor says you had it for three years. Have you ever had. Have you ever gone before the Lord and the Lord told you you've had the money of love of money in your heart for 25 years ever since you were converted.

Have you ever heard the Lord tell you that. Or you never heard it. Or you imagine the moment you said those magic words Lord Jesus come into my heart. Love of money disappeared from your heart. No it's not like that.

Let's face up and be honest. Or have you imagined that it's only the rich people who earn a lot of money who are lovers of money. Show me one beggar in Bangalore who doesn't love money. I've never found one.

The other poorest people in the city they all love money. And you go to the richest people in the city they love money too. So where does the love of money reside in the hearts of poor people or rich people.

I'll tell you you're a child of Adam. It is there in you. And I thank God for the day when I recognized it and said Lord I cannot serve Jehovah and Beyah. I cannot serve Christ in money. I cannot love God and money.

I will fool myself if I think I can serve one God one day Jehovah one day and Beyah another day and Jehovah one day and Beyah another day. No I have to be free. That's what Jesus told the rich young ruler.

You got so many good qualities. You want to serve the true God but you love money too. You can't. You can't be my disciple. We got to see that brothers and sisters we've got to learn that there must be only one God in our life.

There are many people from non-christian religions who would be willing to accept Christ because they already have many gods and they just add one more. Christ is one more. And very often we have to tell them no it's not enough.

You have to forsake the others and accept Christ. You can't have Christ plus the others. That's exactly what we have to say to many people who imagine they are born again. You can't have Christ plus money.

You can't have Christ plus Allah or Christ plus Krishna. I mean if somebody chooses to worship the other gods fine but that's their choice. If somebody wants to worship Allah fine somebody wants to worship Rama or Krishna fine or Buddha fine.

But you can't have Christ plus that. That's all I say. If somebody wants to worship money fine but you can't have Christ plus that. I mean that's the gospel you've all understood. But have we applied it to ourselves.

It's one of the greatest hidden idols among born-again Christians. And so what does it mean to be baptized in fire right from the beginning of time. You know there was no fire that we read off in the bible until sin came into the world.

The Tree of Life, Crucifixion, and True Spiritual Life

We read in Genesis chapter 2 chapter 3 sorry God is a consuming fire. But Adam could walk with him the very first day he was created and fellowship with him. It's amazing. Adam could fellowship with a God who was a consuming fire.

But a day came when he sinned. And then we read in Genesis 3 that when God put Adam out of the garden of Eden he put verse 24 he drove the man out Genesis 3 24. And at the east in the garden of Eden he stationed a cherubim some type of angel with a sword of fire not just a sword.

I mean a sword itself is pretty dangerous. But a sword of fire guarding the tree of life. There were two trees mentioned in the garden of Eden the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. And it's very interesting that God put a flaming sword only in front of the tree of life.

There is no flaming sword around the tree of knowledge. Here was a flaming sword with a cherubim then went round and round and round and round guarding every way to the tree of life. If you want to go to the tree of knowledge there's no sword there.

There's no fire there. Anybody can go and partake of it. You know the spiritual application of it when you come to the Bible. If you come to it as a tree of knowledge where you want Bible knowledge it's a great eagerness for Bible study these days.

And people think they are spiritual because they like Bible study. There are many people who told me around the world they like to hear our Bible studies. There are two ways you can approach God's Word as a tree of knowledge or a tree of life that's up to you.

The Pharisees approached it as a tree of knowledge and they had fantastic knowledge. And when you come to the Bible as a tree of knowledge there's no sword that has to fall on your self-life. There's no fire that has to burn up your self-life.

You can just increase in knowledge and your head can ooze with Bible knowledge. You can become a professor in a Bible school and be the most selfish unconverted godless person in the universe. You know it's possible.

And the greatest example is the devil who knows the scripture to Jesus in the wilderness. Imagine knowing the Bible so well that you pick out the right verse out of all those verses in the Old Testament to quote to Jesus he really knew the scripture is the devil.

And it's very easy for us brothers and sisters to come to meetings like this and to increase in knowledge. You know in many places I travel I find many people eagerly take down notes. That's good if the reason is to read those notes again and to remind themselves.

Maybe I didn't get everything in the meeting. Or they listen to the CD again very good. Or read those notes again so they're reminded again. So the message sinks in. Excellent. But a lot of people take notes because they are preachers.

There are a lot of people who go to our website to listen to messages because they want to preach those sermons. What are they coming to the website for. For knowledge not for life. There is a price to be paid for life.

The sword has to fall on yourself life like it fell upon Jesus. That sword is a two-edged sword. It fell on Jesus and does to fall on us too. Not only Christ was crucified but I am crucified with Christ too.