Gods Standard for Us Today is Far Higher Than Under the Old Covenant — Zac Poonen

The New Covenant Must Become a Lived Reality

I want to turn to 2nd Corinthians in chapter 3 and this is one of those chapters that speaks about the difference between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. Not all the differences but just tries to show that the New Covenant is far superior to the Old Covenant.

Now you know that in CFC we speak a lot about the New Covenant but like everything else it's very easy for that to become something we speak about without experiencing. There are a lot of churches where people many years ago came out of the dead denominations preaching the new birth and that first generation proclaimed the new birth.

You know Brethren assemblies, Pentecostal assemblies when they started out but today when you go to some of those assemblies the people there are not even born again. They still preach the new birth but many of them are not really born again.

It's become a language. Now we've been going 47 years as a CFC worldwide and a little less in other places like you but the great danger is of our mouthing certain words without it becoming a reality in our life and we can think that we have experiencing it because we understand it.

There's a lot of difference between understanding and experience. We must never rest satisfied with understanding. That is Old Covenant. We can say the Old Covenant was the word God's word. It was very clearly written on a rock rocks and which Moses brought down but when Jesus came down when Moses came down from the mountain he brought the written word but when Jesus came down we read the word became flesh John chapter 1 verse 14.

So if any word that I understand in my head clearly I mean clear enough to be able to explain it. If it has not become flesh in me I have to say to myself I'm still under the Old Covenant. However well I may speak about the truths that I understand sin will not have dominion over me over you Romans 6 14.

Truth but if it is only in the head and it's not reality in my daily life if it's not a reality that my wife can testify to that your husband can testify to then we have to humble ourselves before God and say it's like the Old Covenant.

It's like the Old Covenant. It's the true word. There's nothing in the Old Testament that is not true. The problem was it never became flesh in the lives of those people and these things are written for our instruction.

I've often wondered why three-quarters of the Bible is the Old Testament. I mean if everything that we needed to know was only in the New Testament why in the world is three-quarters of the Bible 39 out of 66 books are Old Testament and pages wise three-quarters of the Bible is Old Testament.

We have to learn something from there that people who proclaimed the greatest truths did not often live them. They could not. I mean there are many examples of that. For example in the New Testament and you just one example.

Two of the greatest men in the Old Testament were Moses and Samuel and Ezekiel for example. The Lord says Ezekiel even if Moses and Samuel stood here I would not listen to them. So he thinks Moses and Samuel is too great.

God himself tells Ezekiel Moses and Samuel were some of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Outstanding men who prophesied to God's people what they said and thought was accurate and God bore witness to both of them.

But their children were wayward. We don't know anything about Moses children. All we know is we see him fighting with his wife and in Exodus 4 and read it sometime it's because Moses had not even obeyed the elementary truths of circumcising the child and I have a feeling that Moses probably wanted it but his wife did not want it.

So he said for the sake of peace at home he listened to his wife and finally when God said I'm gonna kill you you read that in Exodus 4 I don't want to go there now and then his wife realized because she was not a Jew you know.

She's not a descendant of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. So then she realizes because our child is not circumcised. God's gonna kill my husband. So under that pressure she circumcised the child and threw the skin of the feet of Moses saying you're a husband of blood.

They never had a good family relationship and the same with Samuel. He had two sons whom he foolishly appointed as judges after him. He was not able to discern the spirituality of his own two sons. It's very sad and so the sons went astray.

They were taking bribes. Can you imagine that? Children of Samuel taking bribes and Samuel went along merrily traveling here and there preaching till the people came to Samuel and said we are fed up of your sons.

New Covenant Qualifications for Church Elders

Now you see that such a man if Moses and Samuel were here today they would not qualify to be an elder even in a CFC church. Can you believe that? Can you believe that Moses and Samuel were not qualified to be elders in a CFC church because their children were wayward.

And then you see that there you see the height of the New Testament standard. It says very clearly in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus chapter 1 the quality of life expected in an elders home the way he's brought up his children because what it says in 1 Timothy 3 is if you can't bring up two children at home how in the world are you going to take care of hundreds of people in a church?

You're not fit to be an elder. That's what you have to say to Moses. That's what you're going to say to Samuel. So the new covenant so I'm just trying to point out but they were great prophets of the old covenant.

What they taught was 100 truth. And we read in Numbers 12 Moses was the humblest man on the face of the earth. Yeah great man of God but old covenant great men of the old covenant. And we can look and learn a lot of things from them because there are many qualities which even today people don't have.

But the new covenant is superior and if it's only in a doctrine that we talk about being different and it's not in our life then we are not at the level of the word made flesh. Every word that we proclaim must have become flesh in us.

Otherwise let me wait and not proclaim it or let me say this hasn't become reality in me yet but I'm striving to get there. That's honesty. See Jesus came with grace and truth and I've discovered in the new covenant truth is a very very important area of our life.

That means total ruthless honesty. Total honesty no pretense. Very very important and particularly in this area that I don't proclaim something which is not true in my life or if it's not true at least I must be pursuing it climbing towards it and acknowledging I've not got there yet.

You can speak about being free from anxiety definitely because it's in God's Word. But if you haven't got there you got to say I haven't reached the top of the mountain there but I'm climbing and I hope you're climbing.

In other words you should be a better today than you were five years ago in the area of anxiety otherwise you're not climbing. If you're on the same level as you were five years ago then you can't say you've made any progress.

I'm not saying you should compare yourself with what you were yesterday or last month but compare yourself with what you were say five years ago. There should be some progress. If we don't evaluate ourselves constantly there is no such thing as evaluating yourself in the old covenant.

Old Covenant Examples of Declining Glory

In fact if you read the old covenant some of those great men they ascended to great heights tremendous examples and then sank down. You take a person like Gideon. Gideon is one of the first people in the Old Testament about whom it is written the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon.

One of the first people in the Old Testament you read that. Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he asked God for a sign and he went out and God chosen to lead 300 people to defeat thousands of Midianites and he came back and he didn't want to promote his children or any such thing unlike Samuel he was better than him but he said okay I want you guys to give me all your earrings and all the gold you have.

And what did he do with that gold? You read in the book of Judges sometime. I hope you guys read the Old Testament because it's written for our instruction. With that gold he made an idol. This man the mighty man of God who defeated the Midianites went and made an idol and the Israelites went after that.

There are so many stories like that. Look at the great man David. I'm just trying to show you where old covenant people lived and it's very easy if we don't make the word flesh in our life we can end up like that.

Let me show you in 1 Kings we know that David is called a man after God's own heart even in Acts of the Apostles Acts 13 David is called a man after God sorry Acts 7 David's called a man after God's own heart and certainly he had great faith to kill Goliath.

He started out so well. Outstanding man knew the Word of God. Look at the some of the Psalms he's written. Amazing and he wrote many of them before he was 30 years old. Well many of us are older than 30.

Can you imagine writing scripture before you're 30 years old? What a devotion he had to the Lord. He would write in Psalm 27 there's only one thing I've desired from the Lord that I may sit in his presence all the days of my life to behold his beauty Psalm 27.

He says verse 4 that's the only thing he wanted. What a man he was when he started out and he would not kill Saul even when he had the opportunity. Saul was trying to kill him but he would not kill him.

He said no I will not touch him he's God's anointed. What a respect and fear he had for God's Word. I tell you when you read the examples of these men I say many of us come short we're not like that. He was an outstanding man and you read let me show you an example of how he treated one of his enemies.

You read in 2nd Samuel and there was a time when Absalom his son chased him out of Jerusalem and when he was running away from Jerusalem this is described in 2nd Samuel and chapter 15 and 16 and when it comes to chapter 16 2nd Samuel there was a descendant of Saul who was disturbed that David had replaced Saul as king.

You read in verse 5. Somebody from the family 2nd Samuel 16 5 someone from the family of Saul came and threw stones and cursed verse 5 and 6 of 2nd Samuel 16 at David because David was now being chased out of the throne by his king.

I mean he wouldn't have dared to do that if David was sitting on the throne but he saw David being chased out by his son and he said he says to him get out get out verse 7 you worthless fellow. Can you imagine what a bitterness he had held in his heart against David for so long and he kept it inside but now he saw he's being chased out by his son and he said yeah you deserve it and when Abishai 2nd Samuel 16 9 told David let me go and cut off his head right now.

Abishai was David's general. King said not at all see what he says in verse 10. It's a lesson we can learn. If the Lord has I would say allowed him to curse David who am I to say why are you cursing me.

He had such a understanding of the sovereignty of God over people's speech that he said that man cannot curse me unless God has allowed it. I mean he expresses as if the Lord told him well law doesn't tell the language in the old covenant is not always accurate.

What he means is the Lord has allowed him to curse me and I'm not gonna fight him and so he said let him go and later on when he comes back after Absalom is killed you read further down in one of the later chapters that Shimei comes to him and says oh please forgive me and say I'm very sorry because now he sees 2nd Samuel in chapter 19 David was restored as king then Shimei knew that David has come back as king.

Now what's gonna happen to me. I'm the one who cursed him so 2nd Samuel 19 Shimei verse 16 runs up to him and he comes to meet him and and says to him in verse 19 Shimei the guy who cursed the king oh please don't consider me guilty.

I'm sorry that I cursed you. I know I sinned verse 20 and Abishai again Shimei should be put to death for cursing the Lord's anointed like he did again. David says in verse 22 what have I got to do with you.

No he's not my enemy. I don't want anybody to be put to death today. And the king said to Shimei you shall not die man after God's own heart. Now years later he the time 2nd Samuel 1 Kings chapter 2. The time drew near for David to die and he called Solomon and gave him his last charge.

This is some very very important things he has to commit to Solomon before Solomon takes over the throne. He says I want to tell you some very important things Solomon and see how well it starts. Keep the charge of the Lord.

1 Kings chapter 2 verse 2 and 3. I'm going away now be strong. Show yourself as a man. Verse 3. Keep the charge of the Lord. 1 Kings chapter 2 verse 3. Walk in his ways of the Lord. Keep his commandments and his ordinance his testimonies according to the law of Moses.

Then you will succeed in all that you do. And wherever you turn then the Lord can fulfill his promise. Which he spoke concerning me that if my sons walk in my ways they shall not like a man to be in throne of Israel.

Wonderful. Up till that point. And now you see what he says. You know Joab. Joab was actually David's nephew. His sister Zeruiah's son was the general of his army. But I mean he was very loyal to David and in loyalty to David.

He killed some of David's enemies like the two commanders Abner and Amasa who had come to fight against David. I mean as his as a bodyguard of David. He killed him. But David said no. He shed the blood of war at the time of peace.

And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist. So don't let verse 6 last part. Don't let his gray hair go down to hell in peace. This is a guy who was defending David when he killed those people.

Don't let his gray hair go down in peace. What sort of a leader was David killing the guy who defended him from people who tried to kill David. Then he says there's one more man I want to talk to you about at his verse 6 Shimei.

You remember that's the guy we just talked about who had cursed David. Come and asked God's forgiveness. And both time. David said forgiven forgiven. And but he's kept it in his heart all these. I know I don't know how many years after Shimei cursed him.

This is this incident where he dies. But he's kept it in his heart. That guy I can never forgive him. This is old covenant brothers. Old covenant of a man who started off as God's own heart as a man after God's own heart.

And he says you remember he cursed me because Solomon was there. Not was not there to hear what David had told him that I've forgiven you and told him to go. He said I yeah. I told him. Where's verse 8.

Second King. 1 Kings chapter 2. Verse 8. When he came down to me at the Jordan the last part of her said I swore to him by the Lord. I will not put him to death. And I will keep my word because I swore it to the Lord.

I will not kill him. Ah but Solomon it is not you who made that promise. So you can do what you like. Right. You're a wise man. Don't let his gray hair go down to shield without blood. Let him go down to shield with blood to help you see how the man out to God's own heart and did his life.

Let me ask you. Do you think he had forgiven shimmy I. He said he had twice. He said he wouldn't kill him. But he said Solomon you didn't make that promise. You won't kill him. I won't kill him. According to the letter of the law.

You know people sometimes argue yeah. I said I won't do it. But you do it. Was there his last words. You know people talk about the last words of a person before he dies. Here is last words. Don't let that man escape.

Kill him. Next sentence. First. And David died. Can that happen to a man after God's own heart. Yeah. The Bible says if you don't forgive others Jesus said you will not be forgiven. Very clear in Matthew chapter 6.

It's one of the things he said in the middle of this Muslim number on Matthew 6 14 15. If you do not forgive others your father will not forgive your transgressions. Clear. Heaven and earth will pass away.

The words of Jesus will not pass away. Now my question is what's David forgiven. Do you think he had forgiven Jimmy. I not at all. It's pretty clear. Was he forgiven himself. The Word of Jesus fulfilled there or not.

Did Jesus speak when he was on earth. He called himself the son of who son of David. We would think you should be ashamed to be known as the son of a man who took revenge on his deathbed. It's amazing.

He's called himself a son of David. And do you believe David is in heaven. I'm not God. I'm not here to judge but I say I believe he is because I can't imagine that there are so many references to David in the New Testament.

And no even in the book of Revelation where he's called Judah. Jesus is called in Revelation 5 5. The root of David has power. Come to open the seven seals. David comes in the book of Revelation. So what is the answer.

The answer is this. He was under the old covenant. A lot of things were permitted under the old covenant. Divorce was permitted under the old covenant. So he was forgiven because it was a new covenant condition in Matthew 6.

If you don't forgive others you will not be forgiven today. If someone dies like that today a so-called believer would given his life to Christ may be filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues and serving the Lord full-time.

And man after God's own heart. But he can't forgive someone. He just keeps it in his heart and is even in his deathbed. He can't forgive you. Ask me. I have no doubt that such a man will go to hell even if he was filled to the spirit even if he served the Lord for 50 years like David.

I'm just trying to show you the tremendous difference in standard in the new covenant from your covenant. New covenant is very clear. Your Matthew 6 14 if your Heavenly Father will forgive you only if you forgive others.

That's why he taught us daily to pray. Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven others. Why do I say daily. Because he taught us to pray in that prayer for our daily bread not weekly bread. Give us this day our daily bread.

Which means even though if you don't repeat that daily prayer daily this must be the spirit of our prayer every day. The spirit of my prayer every day must be Lord. I depend on you my food. And next thing is forgive me my sins just like I have forgiven others.

And then Jesus amplified that saying you know what that means. That means if you don't forgive others God will not forgive you. Because you're praying forgive me. Exactly like I have forgiven that guy there.

But you haven't forgiven that guy there. Then God won't forgive you. You're asking God to forgive you forgive you in the same way you're forgiven that person. I believe heaven and earth. And possibly that would will not.

Possibly you know a lot of people talk about the new covenant. But I've seen even in CFC churches people have not seen the seriousness and the importance of a new covenant. The word has to become flesh.

And where it does not become flesh we must repent the old covenant. They would repent in dust and ashes. We don't know to put dust and ashes. But we must cry out to God. Weep on our pillow at night. Do any of you weep on your pillow at night.

Have you ever done it. I've done it numerous times in my younger days when I wanted to overcome and I was defeated and defeated during the day I slipped up and somebody usually my thoughts of anger or something.

Night is the time to think about all that and say Lord I'm so sorry I dishonored you today. You know the Bible says blessed are those who mourn. Matthew 5 4 we they'll be strengthened. The word comfort in the New Testament always means strength.

Why don't you get strength to overcome some sin in your life. I'll tell you you don't weep you sin and you take it lightly. Ah I'm sorry Lord please forgive me. You know when you do it tomorrow. Yeah I may do it tomorrow.

But I'll go to the Lord be forgiven. I doubt if you ever in your life come to a life of victory you miss out on something so important an inheritance. God laid out laid up for you. When a father writes a will supposing your father was a very wealthy man and he wrote you and wrote out all the details of his wealth and put your name in that will.

I know how people in the world would be. They would be very eager to find out which bank is that other money in my father distributed his money in so many banks. I must locate all those banks and get all that money.

I don't want one cent of it to go to somebody else. I don't want some bank to cheat me of one cent of what my father worked so hard and gave it to me in his will. Well I'll tell you what our Heavenly Father has written for us in our will.

No sin will rule over you. If you don't experience that you should be seeking. Why is it. Why is it Lord. This is my inheritance. This is new covenant. And yet in the Old Testament we see some outstanding examples.

David was a man who saw somebody's pretty wife not only lusted after her committed adultery with her killed her husband married him married the woman. And one year later when the child is born he's still not convicted till Nathan the Prophet comes and says you're the man.

Then he writes Psalm 51. And I believe him really resent but he still couldn't get over his unforgiving attitude. There are many things we see in these men who they were old covenant. There are areas in their life that we can follow outstanding examples in certain areas but not in every area.

Like I don't know what type of relationship Moses had with his wife. All I read is he fought with her somewhere. And what type of relationship Samuel had with his wife. And how he allowed his sons to take bribes and he didn't even know it.

Can you imagine an elder brother his sons taking bribes and he doesn't even know it. Or his sons miss me his children misbehaving somewhere. And he doesn't even know it now. That's how it was with some of these men in the Old Testament.

Earthly and Heavenly Covenants

But it's not permitted in the New Testament. The standard is so much higher like heaven above the earth. And that's not an exaggeration. You know how much higher the heaven is above the earth. The people of Israel were promised an earthly kingdom in the land of Canaan and God gave it to them to us.

God has promised the kingdom of heaven. So the difference between the new covenant and the old covenant must be difference between heaven and earth. They were an earthly people. We are heavenly people.

So we have to behave like they fought for earthly wealth. Got excited when they got a lot of earthly wealth. We fight for heavenly wealth. The heavenly wealth is the nature of Christ. We had to fight to get more and more of it in our life.

Our enemies are in our flesh. You know many of the Psalms that you read. It's amazing. Lord don't spare my enemies and smite their. Let smash the heads of their children with rocks. You read songs like that.

How do you interpret it when you read those songs in the New Covenant. Yeah this is how I interpret it. Lord those wretched lusts in my flesh. And the small little ones that come out of those little children of those lusts.

I want to smash their head with rocks. I don't. I don't want any trace of those lusts in any part of my life. That's how I read those songs. I don't have any earthly enemies then I mean they may consider me that might their enemy.

But I have no enemies. And if they consider me my enemy my duty is to love them. My duty is to forgive every person who has ever hurt me at any time my life. And I can stand before God today and say that is true.

You think in 82 years people haven't hurt me. I mean the number of people who have hurt me from for my stand for Christ every one of them I can stand before Almighty God my father and say Lord you know I have forgiven every single one of them.

I do not wish evil for any of them. Those are all them who are alive. If I see them today I'll be very friendly with them. I cannot have fellowship with them. Oh no no no no no. There's a difference between forgiveness and fellowship.

I have to forgive everyone. Everyone believers unbelievers who have hurt me without an exception. But when it comes to fellowship I don't like to be more spiritual than Jesus. I obey what the Bible says in Luke 17.

The New Testament is very realistic. Luke 17 verse 3. Mm-hmm. Be on your guard. If your brother ah now he's not talking about an unbeliever. I've an unbeliever since just forgiven. Say hi and bye. But if your brother sins rebuke him now you may not feel free to rebuke him because he's not willing to receive it.

Then forget it. Don't say anything. But don't forgive him until he repents. Have you read that the same Jesus who said forgive those who have hurt. You says here if it's your brother forgive him till he repents.

And if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times in a day he comes to you and says I repent forgive him seven times. Because here it's a question of fellowship. He's not your brother forgive him.

If you don't forgive him God won't forgive you. But here is the question of fellowship. There can be no fellowship without repentance. So you have a heart of forgiveness even to this person he's a brother.

But he starts speaking about fellowship. And I'll tell you why. I say that because in Matthew 18 when you compare scripture with scripture he tells you how to deal with a brother who sins. This is written in a small way in Luke 17 is amplified in Matthew 18.

When you compare scripture with scripture you get the truth. Matthew 18 15. Same words as in Luke 17. What is it. We read in Luke 17 if your brother sins. Luke 17 3 if your brother sins think of those four words in Luke 17 3.

If your brother sins if he repents forgive him. Now. Matthew 18 is the same thing. Verse 15. If your brother sins it's amplified here tell him you know there it says rebuke him. Here it says go and show him his fault.

In private. Don't publicize it. Go and talk to him in private. He's not talking about strangers. If it is Jesus was crucified not by his brothers he's crucified by strangers. As soon as he was crucified he said father forgive them.

And that's exactly what we must do when somebody crucifies us or hurts us or does wrong to us. Whoever it is father forgive him immediately. There should be no delay. We follow Jesus example. And that is the worst crime ever committed on the earth.

The crucifixion of Jesus. Any sin that anybody commits against you is 1 of the crucifixion of Jesus. You've got to forgive him immediately. But if it's a brother tell him what you did was wrong because his fellowship with God is broken.

It's like your hand being fractured. He's a part of your body. What do you do if your right hand is fractured. If it's somebody else's and you can forget it. But this is your hand. He's part of your body.

Your brother he has sinned is your right hand is fractured. What do you do. You can't ignore it won't fix it. Go to a doctor put a splint. That's what he says. Here go and speak to him fix the problem.

And when it's fixed the hand is working. Okay. You're one your brother. But if he doesn't listen to you then what. This hand which has got a will of its own refuses to put a splint on it or get it fixed.

Then take one or two with you and say hey we got to get this fixed. Man you're a part of the body and explain to him that what is done was wrong. And if he still doesn't listen verse 17 he does still doesn't want to get fixed.

Then tell it to the whole church. Tell it to the whole body. This hand of mine refuses to get fixed. It's broken the bone. Right. He's become useless. Now treat him like he doesn't even listen to the church to treat him like a heathen.

Treat him like an unbeliever. You come to a point in your relationship with the person who's a believer. You know you cannot forgive him. He's not repented. You get two or three people to speak to him still does not repent.

You tell it to the larger body of the church. He still does not repent. As far as you're concerned he's an unbeliever. I have nothing more to do with him. This is new covenant. I've seen very very few people who understand everything in the new covenant.

You only have some word like oh I just love everybody. I'd like to see one of these people who talk about always love everybody. Build a real church. Never. You know who builds churches. People like Paul who when he found that in the church in Corinth there was a man who was committing sexual sin with his stepmother.

He said in 1 Corinthians 5 about this man. I'm surprised that you guys have not kicked him out of the church. And you're proud and you're not mourning over the sin that is in your midst. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 2 this terrible thing that is there.

And he says in this Paul says I was not there with you all. But in my spirit I have already judged him. Paul. You're supposed to judge people. Yes because I God used me to plant that church in Corinth.

God used me to appoint the elders in that church. So other people may not have any right to do anything there. But I do. I have a right to judge them. Just like a father has to judge between his children when there's a fight between them.

That's not the place to use the word judge. Not. He says I judged him. And so in the spirit verse 4 and power of the Lord Jesus. And I have decided verse 5. Listen to this to hand him over to Satan. Not that he should be lost eternally.

No. Hand him over to Satan so that he'll get some sickness in his body some serious sickness in his body that will make him repent. So that he will repent and be saved. His ultimate goal is that I should be saved.

This broken hand of mine must be fixed. Is a part of the body. But it's not guaranteed if the guy doesn't repent. No but Paul wants him to be saved. But he's very strict. You know there are just examples.

I'm trying to show you how the new covenant is such a high standard. And we must not take it lightly when we say we are a new covenant Church the standards of holiness that God expects of us. And where people don't maintain those standards of holiness we've got to treat them exactly like the Bible says.

But if it is not a someone not a part of our body I don't care what he does. He comes and crucifies me. I forgive him father forgive him. Whatever he does must be forgiven immediately. Then I pray father forgive me as I've forgiven him.