Building A Church On The Rock — Zac Poonen

Many churches, they have some flowers near the pulpit. These children are our flowers. It's better than any nature flower. You know, in the old testament, God had a great concern that children should know what their parents believe.

From a very young age, my wife and I used to make sure that our children have an interest in the bible. Only God can make them spiritual, but we could encourage them to read the bible. Now I'm glad to see that my children are teaching their two-year-old children to understand the bible.

Teaching Children to Love Jesus

So, we must encourage our children to know the stories in the bible and what Jesus has done. Always remember what Jesus said, let the little children come to me. Why did the disciples drive those children away?

Because all their life they had seen the pharisees who had no time for children. All the jewish rabbis would only talk to older people. But Jesus longed to talk to the children. And I learned something from that.

That if I'm like Jesus, I want to talk to the children. However old you may be, if you have no interest in talking to children, you're not like Jesus. And when you talk to children, become like a child.

Don't act like a grown-up. So, whenever I go to a house, I like to talk to the children. So, in CFC Bangalore, all the children are my friends. So, when I stand up to speak, they listen more than the adults.

And it's very easy to grow up. To win the heart of a child. Just give them one sweet. How easy it is. You can't win the heart of an adult with one sweet. But with children you can get it like that. And then you can draw them to Jesus.

See, that is our goal. We draw them to ourselves so that we can draw them to Christ. So, I want to read from Matthew chapter 7. Here we have a picture of two churches. One church that crumbles and falls.

Another church that doesn't crumble and fall. Matthew 7 verse 24 to 27. You know the story of the wise man and the foolish man. You know the story of the wise man and the foolish man. We may think, if we don't read carefully, that everyone who has accepted Christ is a wise person.

But it's not true. But it's not true. Here in verse 24 we read, The wise man is the one who listens to my words and does them. This is especially referring to Matthew 5, 6 and 7. This is especially referring to Matthew 5, 6 and 7.

You children and grown-ups, You can find out if you are wise just by reading Matthew 5, 6 and 7. You read it slowly. Even if it takes you one week to read through it, read it slowly. Even if it takes you one week to read through it, read it slowly.

Even if it takes you 10 -15 minutes a day to read it, read it slowly. Even if it takes you 10 -15 minutes a day to read it, read it slowly. Ask yourself, am I trying to obey these verses? None of us may be able to obey it perfectly yet.

Christian life is like a school. You don't reach 12th standard in one year. Christian life is like a school. You don't reach 12th standard in one year. But if you study and practice it continuously, you will reach 12th standard in a short while.

And if one of your children gets one arithmetic sum wrong, you don't say, oh you are hopeless at mathematics. It's okay, you try again. You will one day become a specialist in mathematics. All the great mathematicians, they made mistakes when they were young in kindergarten and first standard.

All the great mathematicians, they made mistakes when they were young in kindergarten and first standard. It's not a big deal that something wrong happens in your Christian life. But you have to learn from it and move forward.

Repentance, Grace, and Wholehearted Love for Christ

See, the apostle Paul was once a murderer of Christians. Because he thought they were all false teachers. But such a person, when he repented, became the greatest apostle. And when Jesus rose from the dead, it is a great honor to be the first human being to see him.

And if God had asked me, who should see Jesus first? And if God had asked me, who should see Jesus first? Who would you recommend? I would recommend the mother Mary because she suffered the most seeing her son being killed on the cross.

I would recommend the mother Mary because she suffered the most seeing her son being killed on the cross. I would recommend the mother Mary because she suffered the most seeing her son being killed on the cross.

But God chose neither Mary nor Patronus. God chose a person whom none of us have ever chosen. Seven demons lived in her once. And who had lived a very sinful life. Why did Jesus choose such a woman to be the first person to see him risen from the dead?

Have you thought of the reason? It's very important to understand. There are some people who are closer to Jesus than others. They are not people who know the Bible well or who can preach well. That's not the qualification.

I was converted when I was nineteen and a half. I was converted when I was nineteen and a half. Fifty four years ago. I didn't have a desire to be a preacher. I still don't have a desire to be a preacher.

God made me. That is his choice. It's not my choice. God made me a preacher. That is his choice. It's not my choice. God gave me the ability to preach today when I was twenty three. It's not my ability.

God gave it to me miraculously. I can't take any credit for it. But this is what I desired and I still desire. I wanted to have great love for Jesus Christ. I wanted to love him with all my heart. I did not know then that is the first great commandment to love God with all your heart.

I did not know then that is the first great commandment to love God with all your heart. But I used to meditate on how much he loved me on the cross. I said Lord I want to love you with all my heart. I have a longing after you.

I have a longing after you. When I go to heaven, before I see anyone else, I want to see my savior. My parents are there. I can wait for them. All the other apostles are there. But I want to see Jesus first.

I am the only one who has got nail prints in his hand. A lot of people went on Sunday morning to the tomb to see the body of Jesus. Just like we gather on Sunday morning. Just like we gather on Sunday morning.

But when we come here on Sunday morning, we are here with different desires. They went to pour some perfume on the body of Jesus. That is a good desire. To pour a perfume of worship at the Lord's feet.

So when all the disciples and the women went there, I want you to receive a verse. They went inside and they saw the tomb was empty. It was very early in the morning. Maybe 4 .30 in the morning. They woke up and they went to the sleepy eyes.

And Jesus' body was not there. And it says, so verse 10, John 20 verse 10, John 20 verse 10 says, It says, all the disciples went back home. They were sleepy. They all went back home. There is nothing wrong in that.

But we read verse 11, That is what made the difference. We all went to their homes to sleep, but Mary. That is Mary Magdalene. She was weeping. She was standing there weeping. When she saw Jesus standing there, She asked him, why are you weeping?

They have taken away my Lord. That's why she told the angels in verse 13, I don't know where they have laid him. When she saw Jesus, she thought he was the God in her. And listen to these words. Sir, if you have taken his body, tell me, I will take him away.

Can you imagine a small thin woman carrying the body of Jesus? That is how much she loved her Lord. She couldn't sleep. She wanted to see the body of the Lord. She had such a longing, Willingness to, I don't care how heavy it is, I'll carry it.

I have meditated on this passage many times. I said, Lord, teach me to love you like Mary. That is what I desire more than anything else. I don't want to be a preacher, I don't want to plant churches, I want to love you.

I don't want to be a preacher, I don't want to plant churches, I want to love you. That is what I desire the most. Do you know that this is the most important thing to serve Jesus Christ? We all have different lights in the body of Christ.

That is not necessarily the most important gift. There could be a lot of hidden gifts like the heart and all in the body which do a great job. Who do you think will sit on the left hand and right hand of Jesus on the final day?

Who do you think will sit on the left hand and right hand of Jesus on the final day? Do you think it will be some apostle? Maybe. But it is quite likely that on the other side there may be some poor widowed woman who loved Jesus with all her heart.

And who prayed for God's work. She could never be an apostle or a preacher but she prayed and prayed and prayed and God gives her the honor of sitting on the one side of Jesus. I am convinced that one side of Jesus there will be a man and the other side there will be a woman.

That I am sure. I am convinced that one side of Jesus there will be a man and the other side there will be a woman. Who never preached. Who was unknown perhaps hidden in the midst of some congregation.

But who was humble and who loved Jesus with all her heart. There is no partiality with God. In John 21 we read the next verse. We see the part where God calls Simon Peter to his service. God asks Peter the same question.

Do you love me? Do you read the Bible every day? Do you pray every day? This is not the question of God. All these things. That's the question. 21 verse 15. Do you love me more than these? You see he had just caught verse 11, 153 large fish.

Read verse 11. He had just caught verse 11, 153 large fish. He had never caught such huge fish in his life. Each fish may have been 6 or 7 kilos. 153 large fish. How much is the price of fish in Bangalore?

It's about 200 -250 rupees a kilo. One fish will be 1500 rupees? So one catch 153 fish means more than 2 lakhs? Peter is calculating. Wow, this is fantastic. It's better than being an apostle. I'll just be fishing and ask Jesus to bless me.

I will definitely give tithe of this regularly to the Lord. Then the Lord says, Peter, do you love me more than all these fish? Peter, do you love me more than all these fish? Do you love me more than your business, your job, everything else?

Yes, I do. If I say I love you, at least I have the opportunity to serve you. That's all the Lord is asking all of you. Even you children. Do you love Jesus more than anything else? He died for you. Don't you want to love him?

It's wonderful if from childhood you say, Lord Jesus, I want to love you. God can use you to be a witness to other people. He can use you. You can lead other children to Christ in your school. Only if you love him.

How can I know if I love the Lord or not? Sometimes when we sing, we can feel very emotional. Oh, I love Jesus so much. Or you see some movie of Jesus being whipped and beaten on the cross and you feel like crying.

Oh Lord, you love me so much. I love you. But that is not the mark of love. There's a temporary emotion when we are singing and all that. It disappears by the evening. It goes off. In cold places, sometimes in the morning, there's some dew on the grass.

After a while, it's gone. It's disappeared in the heat of the sun. And a lot of people, their love for Jesus, which they feel so much in the meeting, is just like that dew. By evening, it's gone. That's not love.

That is a feeling. There's nothing wrong in it, but don't put too much value on it. Jesus gave us one proof of our love for him. John 14 verse 15 If you love me, keep my commandments. So, how do I prove my love for Jesus?

You keep my commandments. So, it is by obedience that I prove my love for Jesus. There's a song in English called, I love him more and more. And before I understood the proof of love, I used to feel so emotional.

Oh, I love him more and more and more. But when I understood John 14 verse 15, when others are singing, I love him more and more, I would sing, I'll obey him more and more. Just to check up, do I really love him or not?

Obedience Rather Than Prosperity and Religious Commerce

Obedience. In the Old Testament, they obeyed God out of fear. If you don't obey me, I'll punish you. If you obey me, I'll reward you. You didn't have to love. You obey because you're afraid of punishment or you want some reward from God.

That is old covenant obedience. And today also many Christians obey God like that. Look at all these preachers who say, if you give 10 to God, God will bless you financially. They're doing business with God.

It's like a bank saying, you come put your money here, we'll give you 3%. It's like a bank saying, if you deposit your money in the bank, I'll give you 3%. Another bank says, I'll give you 5%. If that's the case, you can deposit it there.

God says, I'll give you 100 times. If that's the case, that's the best bank. Then you can deposit it there. All this is a business with God. But many people who hear this don't understand that these preachers are teaching them to do business with God.

People who love money cannot see that. I prayed for years to God to free me from the love of money so I can see it immediately. I prayed for years to God to free me from the love of money so I can see it immediately.

Every child of Adam loves money. It's like a big fat onion. You have to peel it off little by little and make it thin. I'm peeling off this onion. It's become thin. I can't say it's completely gone. Why do I say it's not completely gone?

Compared to other preachers and Christians, it may be better. But I don't compare myself with any Christian. I compare myself with Jesus. He was so free. There was a Judah stealing his money every day and he was not even bothered.

I don't know whether I've come to that place where somebody will keep on stealing my money every day and I won't be bothered. But I want to come there. I want to be like Jesus in every area of my life.

If Jesus were to offer me a choice, do you want to be more like Jesus or do you want to be a great preacher? I don't even have to think one second. I want to be like Jesus any day. That's why God chose Mary Magdalene more than anybody else because she had such a longing for him.

I'm sure Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a wonderful lady. But I wondered why she was not there at the tomb waiting to see her son. I don't know. I don't want to judge her. But Mary Magdalene was special.

There are many many good believers but among the good believers some are outstanding. And they are outstanding not because they know the Bible or they can preach but because they love Jesus more than anything else.

Loving and Forgiving Others as Evidence of Christ's Love

And when we love Jesus like that we can forgive others. I remember many years ago I read the story of a believer in South Korea. I think this is something that happened about 60 years ago. There was a lot of fighting between North Korea and South Korea and communists and all were fighting.

There was this very fine believer who had a teenage son. And in all the conflicts there one of those young communist fellows shot and killed his son. Another young fellow of his age shot him. So this father said I'm going to find out who that fellow is who shot my son.

And he searched and searched and found that young fellow who had killed his son. And he told him I've lost my son because of you. So I want to adopt you now as my son. And I want to give all my inheritance to you.

I want you to come and live with me. And he did that. I remember reading that story in a book and the title of the story was Love's Atom Bomb. Who can love like that? Only Jesus can help you to love somebody like that.

Do you think it will be easy for you to love somebody who killed your only son? Do you think it will be easy for you to love somebody who killed your only son? Think about it. Do you think that only your son killed that person?

You go in search of him to share the love of Jesus with him. This is the proof of the love that is more than speaking in tongues. Give and love your enemies. We don't have to compromise with them. I mean to love the communist doesn't mean you have to become a communist.

But they are so blind. They are blind. They don't have clarity about these things. What will you do when a blind man crosses the road and a car tries to hit him? You will go and pull him back. That is how we see so many people who are disobedient to God's word.

Hatred. There is not one atom of hatred in heaven. Hatred is found only in hell. So, if you got a little hatred in your heart against anybody, any human being, you have to say, Lord, I have got a little bit of hell in my heart.

I don't want a little bit of hell in my heart. I want my whole heart to be in the atmosphere of heaven. Do you have that? Only the Holy Spirit can do that in your life. Obedience. If you love me, keep my commandments.

If you love me, keep my commandments. Now let's turn back to Matthew 7. If you hear my words, verse 24, and you obey it, then you will build your house on the rock. And that house means three things. My personal life.

My personal life. Second, my home life. That is my home. And third, my church. There are three homes we have. One is my heart, my home, my family, and my church. All three must be on the rock, unshakeable.

That means in my personal life, everything that I know to be Jesus' commandments, I must obey him 100%. There may be many things I don't know. God doesn't hold me responsible for that. See, God will require more from me because I know more than you.

That's like saying a 10th standard question paper will be tougher than a 1st standard question paper. But no teacher will give 10th standard paper to a 1st standard student. So God will not judge you by what you don't know.

There may be 100 things I know, which you don't know. Like a 10th standard student knows 100 things, which a 1st standard student does not know. So the 10th standard student will be tested for those things.

So I will be tested at a higher level than you. That means, if I do some small wrong thing, God will discipline me very severely. But if you do the same wrong thing, God will just ignore it. Because he may say, he is only in the 1st standard, it's okay.

So, according to your level, what you know, you have to obey. Then in the family also, there are certain laws God has made for husband and wife and children. See, husband and wife must love one another.

Forgive one another. Because we are imperfect. Nobody is perfect. No husband is perfect, no wife is perfect. So, when we make a mistake, we have to ask forgiveness. When we make a mistake, we have to ask forgiveness.

Do you obey the word of God, which says, don't let the sun set on your anger? Ephesians 4 .26 is a very important verse for all husbands and wives. Don't let the sun set on your anger. Ephesians 4 .26.

It's good these children are writing these verses. When they grow up and get married, they'll need to read it. It's good that these children are writing these verses, I said. It's good these children are writing these verses.

When they grow up and get married, they'll need to read it. Don't let the sun set on your anger. Don't let the sun set on your anger. You children, if you are angry with your parents one day, because they spanked you for something you did wrong, before you go to sleep, you must go and hug your daddy and mommy saying, I love you so much.

Before you go to sleep, you must go and hug your daddy and mommy saying, I love you so much. Then you are following Jesus. Husband and wife, you must do the same. Husband and wife, you must do the same.

You must wake up and say, I love you so much. Please forgive us for all the mistakes we did today. Sleeping peacefully every night is a blessed life. Otherwise, it will be like sleeping on a bed with a few thorns sticking around in your back.

Get rid of it. You can sleep much better. The best pillow is a good conscience. So, build your home on the rock. Then when you come together in a church like this, each home is built on the rock and the whole church will be built on the rock.

Building Homes and Churches on the Rock

The church built on the rock is not just that we sing well and listen to good sermons here. The church built on the rock is not just that we sing well and listen to good sermons here. In your home, you are obeying the Lord.

You love one another and forgive one another. You respect one another as husband and wife. You appreciate one another. We have got it from our heathen culture in India. We don't speak words of appreciation to each other.

We are almost ashamed to appreciate your wife or husband or say something good. Just think of the last whole year of 2012. Can you think of all the times you criticized your wife or your husband? You know, some small things they did wrong here or there.

You did this or you forgot this. I told you to do this. A hundred times I told you to do it. Maybe you said two or three times but you will say a hundred times. These are all the silly things we fight about.

How many times have you said, I really thank God for you? You know, we don't appreciate one another. Do you think Jesus appreciates us? Jesus. What do you think? We appreciate Jesus of course, Lord you are so wonderful, you are so lovely and all that.

Do you think Jesus ever appreciates us? Or do you think he is always saying, this thing is wrong with you, you are a sinner, this is wrong, that is wrong. If you think Jesus is like that, then you will behave like that to other people also.

That is why you treat other people like that, because you think Jesus is always criticizing you for something wrong. Tell me, do you believe Jesus really wants to fellowship with you and loves you and says nice things to you about you?

Is there any verse in the Bible where Jesus says, you are beautiful in my eyes? Is there any verse in the Bible where Jesus says, you are beautiful in my eyes? Yes or no? Yes or no? Where? Where is it?

Song of Solomon, right. It is in the Holy Bible, you are right. Song of Solomon is, you read Song of Solomon, is it only the bride appreciating the bridegroom? That is of course right, to appreciate Christ like that.

But does the bridegroom appreciate the bride in Song of Solomon, yes or no? So much. If you don't believe me, you read it. And you read it and ask yourself whether you have ever said one word like that to your wife in your whole life.

Even if you are married 25 years, you may not have said it once. I want to ask you, do you want to be like Jesus? Yes, yes, I want to be like Jesus. Then read Song of Solomon and be like him. We have to learn to appreciate one another.

That is one of the areas where we obey the Lord. We think, oh if I appreciate, she will become big headed and she will act like a queen in the house. Don't be afraid. Why is Jesus not afraid to praise us?

Does he say, oh he will become prophet of heaven? No, he is not afraid of that. He appreciated that Roman centurion saying, I have never found faith like this in all of Israel. That guy is an unconverted military man who has killed so many people.

He was an unrescued Roman military officer. We usually think that we should never appreciate such a person. But Jesus publicly appreciates him before everybody. I was not like that in the beginning. I could not praise young believers and all that.

But then I said, Lord I want to be like you and the Lord said, you got to be like this. So then I learned. Dear brothers, if you love Jesus, you will be able to appreciate one another in your home. Your home will become like a house on a rock.

If you love Jesus, you will be able to appreciate one another in your home. Each of you, your home is in a rock, this church will be built on the rock. Though we disagree with the wrong teachings in other churches, I find that I disagree with almost every denomination.

I disagree with almost every denomination. Most of them have a grudge against money. That is definitely wrong. That is why when we started this church 37 years ago, we decided that we will never take an offering in our church.

Those who don't want to give, don't give. And that is how we have done in all the 50 churches that we have planted. Whether it is here or in Australia or in America, same principle. Different from all churches.

Because we don't take an offering. We don't take an offering. In all our 50 churches, we don't pay one preacher, one rupee for their work. That is the work God has done. Because that is how Jesus and the apostles served the Father.

Babylon, Money, and Political Power in the Church

The moment you bring money into God's work, it is Babylon. Some of you saw some of the emails I wrote recently about why I criticized Babylon for bringing money and political leaders into a church. Some of you may think that is a small thing.

But you see in Revelation chapter 17 and chapter 18, if you get time to read it, you will read there that chapter 17 is all about politics and religion joining together. And in chapter 18, you read about Babylon and money.

And we read finally that Babylon fell. God destroyed it. And I will tell you something. I don't know whether you know it. In the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms, we read Hallelujah many times. In the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms, we read Hallelujah many times.

When we praise God, we often use the word Hallelujah. Do you know where the word Hallelujah is used in the New Testament? Only in Revelation. Only in Revelation 19. Other than that, it's right to use it.

But use it in the way it is used in the New Testament. Hallelujah! Babylon has fallen. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! That her smoke of Babylon rises up forever and ever. Verse 19, 3. And all the people in heaven say, Yes, Amen!

Verse 4, Hallelujah! So you see, the fall of Babylon is what people say Hallelujah for. Because then, verse 6, the Lord our God Almighty can reign. Till then, who is reigning in the church? Money. And political leaders.

MPs. Chief Ministers. Coming for Christian functions in the church. And it's a shame when anybody in CFC is associated with such things. Which is this house that has fallen? Babylon. Now you see Matthew 7, 26 and 27.

See verse 27. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and burst against the house and it fell and great was its fall. 27. Even our children must understand that. I was so excited when one of my sons, when he was only about 12 years old, he read this and he said, Daddy, isn't this Babylon?

This house falling down, I said, you're absolutely right son, don't ever forget that. Those who hear God's word and don't obey it, they are building a house that will collapse. So, this is what we have.

We don't want to build a house. We don't want to spend so many years meeting together, meeting together, meeting together here and then finally the building collapses. You tell me, would you like to spend 20 years building a house and then finally at the end of it it collapses?

Because you were not careful about the foundation. When it comes to worldly houses, any amount of money we will spend to have a good foundation so that it doesn't shake. You know, if you are building in Japan and all, you have to spend much more money because there are so many earthquakes there.

So, supposing they say, oh, if you want to build with such a strong foundation, then you can't build a big house, only a small house with this much money. Because you have to spend so much money on the foundation.

You say, yes, I am willing. Let me have a small house, but let me have a solid house. If you try to save money on the foundation and you build two, three floors, the whole thing will collapse. We are not foolish when it comes to earthly buildings.

Small Commandments and Complete Obedience

But so many churches, they don't obey the words of Jesus. I'll give you one example. You know, in western countries now, the sisters don't cover their heads in the church. No, that is not a big commandment.

The big commandment is love one another. I agree. But this is one of the small commandments. But Jesus said, if you disobey the small commandment, you won't go to hell, but you will be small in God's kingdom.

Do you know, God does not test us in the big commandments, but in the small commandments. How do you test your children? Big commandments. Son, today when you go to school, don't murder anybody. You must not commit adultery with any of those little girls there.

You must not rob a bank on the way to school. And the son comes and says, daddy, I obeyed all those commandments. Those are the big commandments. Small one is, when they are playing outside, ok, time to come in, come and have your dinner now or come to do your homework.

Then you know how the children will obey you or not. Wait, wait, wait, mummy, not now. Where do you test their obedience? Not in the big commandments. Every child's obedience is tested in the small commandments.

You know that in your home as parents. God also does not test us in the big commandments. Small commandments. I remember when two of my sons now have started churches in America. All, not Indian people, American people.

And they started preaching, what is not preached in any church in America, you must cover your head. And immediately some families left the church. I said, praise the Lord, that's wonderful. This is like a filter that will keep away all people who are not interested in obedience.

I was really proud that they would take such a stand on something like this. They knew many would get offended and go. See, sometimes, you know, if I say that, somebody will get offended. Let them get offended.

That's how we will build the church. Obedience to everything that Jesus has commanded. That's how we must build this church. Everything that Jesus has commanded. We want to do it. But we don't judge other people.

Whether they obey or not is not my business. Let them obey, they will not obey, we are not judges of other people. See, 1 Corinthians 5. 1 Corinthians 5. Here it says. Verse 12. What do I have to do with judging outsiders?

We are not God. People in other churches, we don't judge them. We disagree with them, we may say their wrong teachings, we will expose. But we will not judge them. I may explain to the little flock the wrong teachings of Catholics or Pentecostals or anybody.

Many of us have left different churches and come here. I started out leaving Orthodox Church first. Then I joined the Brethren Assembly. Then I left that. Then I was with Boxing Assemblies. Then I left that.

Then another. Then I left that. Somebody told me. Brother Zach, you are such an unstable person. You are always leaving one church and going to another church. He said all my life I was like that. All my life I said I was like that.

From childhood I have been unstable. I left 1st standard and went to 2nd standard. Then I left 2nd standard and went to 3rd standard. I never stayed in any class more than one year. I left it and went to 4th standard.

All my life I am an unstable man. When I found something better, I moved there. I found one house, then I found a better house, I moved there. I am not like these steady people who stay in kindergarten all their life.

You want to be like that, you can be. There are some people like that. They say my great-grandfather onwards we are in this church and we will stay here. I said do you go and study in the same school your great-grandfather studied in?

No. Will you get admitted in the same hospital your great-grandfather used to go for treatment? No. There are better schools, better hospitals today. There are better churches than what your great-grandfather went to.

Why are you willing to change the school and hospital? But not the church. Because education is important. Health treatment is important. Spirituality is not so important. That is the reason. But for me, spirituality is more important than education and health.