New Covenant - Superior to the Law - Part 5 — Zac Poonen

God's Disappointment With Spiritual Immaturity

Not angry, but is he disappointed? A good father is not angry with his son who is sitting in the first standard even though he's 25 years old. He's disappointed. He's why my son so mentally retarded. He's 25 years old.

He's sitting with these six-year-olds in the first standard. You'd be disappointed. And I wouldn't blame you for being disappointed if your son is 25 years old and sitting in first standard still. Do you know how disappointed God is?

Does that disturb you? Or Are you like those children who wouldn't care less? Yeah, what's it? Well, what does it matter if dad and mom that pass or fail? It's okay. I play marbles. I'm good at marbles.

Don't forget that. You know how many marbles I won yesterday. Is that why you send children to school for to play marbles and win marbles? And that's what a lot of a lot of people say to God, you know Lord.

How many meetings I've been to in my life? It's like winning marbles. What about the really important things like mathematics and science? What do you get in that? That's what's important in school and the important things in life are like that so in Hebrews chapter 8 it says.

The Old Covenant and Spiritual Immaturity

When this old covenant could not make man to this place of perfection. He sort of remained perpetually in kindergarten. We can say that the law could never lead a man outside of kindergarten. It was like a school where there was only one class Kindergarten whether you're 5 years old or 50 years old you sit in the kindergarten.

That was the law. God says the laws couldn't do that. Why did God keep it like that to teach man? Something and also because until there was one human being who had the Holy Spirit within him. Because he lived a perfect life.

Nobody else could have the Holy Spirit within. You know why that that's why nobody in the Old Testament would have the Holy Spirit inside until Jesus came and Had the Holy Spirit inside because the Holy Spirit is so holy That he could not come even inside.

The Spirit's Presence Under the Old and New Covenants

John the Baptist When it says he was filled with the Spirit in the mother's womb is the Old Testament experience of being filled which is an external thing. We can say he was clothed. That's Old Testament fullness of the Spirit.

There's a difference in New Testament fullness of the Spirit, which is within. Remember this everything in the Old Covenant was outside everything in the New Covenant is inside. Everything. Old Covenant was outside temple, New Covenant is inside temple.

Old Covenant is outside murder, New Covenant is inside murder. Which is called anger. Old Covenant is outside adultery, New Covenant is inside adultery. Avoid it. Everything Old Covenant, New Covenant is inside.

Old Testament sacrifices are outside, New Covenant sacrifices are inside. Secret. Nobody can see so the Holy Spirit's fullness also in the Old Testament is only on the outside nothing on the inside. Samson was filled with the Holy Spirit.

He could deal with lions on the outside but he couldn't deal with lions on the inside. So the law could not do anything about the man's inside. And the reason being man's inside was filthy with sin. And until Jesus shed his blood on the cross and ascended to heaven man's heart could not become clean.

The Inability of Old Testament Sacrifices to Cleanse the Heart

They shed the blood of bulls and goats as a picture of the blood of Christ. But that couldn't make anybody's heart clean. No that's why even though a man like Elijah's heart was not clean. You remember David saying in Psalm 25 Oh Lord please don't remember the sins of my youth.

Now David was chosen probably was 18 or 19 years old. What are the sins he committed before he was 18 19 years old. What are the sins you committed before you were 18 19 years old. But David did some things like that.

And when he became a wholehearted man of God he said Oh Lord I'm reminded of those sins I did when I was 16 17 18. Please don't remember them against me says in Psalm 25. He doesn't tell us what they are.

Thank God he doesn't. I don't want to know them. I don't want to know about anybody's sins. Do you have a curiosity to know other people's sins. Are you a Roman Catholic priest or something to find out about other people's sins.

I'm not. I'm not interested knowing anybody's sins. Knowing my own is enough. I don't need to know anybody else's. Yeah I don't have a curiosity. I don't need to know what David's in. But I know he was a sinner.

And he he couldn't have the Holy Spirit within. He says in Psalm 51 you desire reality in the innermost being truth in the innermost being. And I don't have it. But when Jesus came shed his blood died on the cross went up to the Father.

Cleansing Through Christ and the Indwelling Spirit

We could now be cleansed. And when the vessel is cleansed so perfectly by the blood of Christ Holy Spirit could come with him. That's why on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit could come within and fill this vessel.

There was 120 vessels that was different from John the Baptist fullness or Samson's fullness or Gideon's fullness. It was something from within. You remember Jesus said in the New Covenant if you thirst and you come to me and drink out of your where innermost being rivers of living water will flow.

John 738. In the Old Testament it was on the outside. You know it's like God poured a ton of water on somebody and it flowed out through him to other people. But Jesus said to the woman of Samaria I'm gonna put a little spring inside you.

That's just gonna keep bubbling up and it'll become like a river. So the Holy Spirit couldn't do that until Jesus came and died. And Jesus demonstrated by his life the first human being that walked on the earth and showed man how God wanted Adam to live.

And how no human being from the time of Adam till Christ had ever lived like that. But when Jesus came God was so happy. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And now you know what the Bible says.

Living as Jesus Lived Through the New Covenant

1 John 2 6 I like the Living Bible had a phrase of this if anyone says he's a Christian he must live as Jesus lived. Anyone who says he's a Christian should live as Jesus lived. That's impossible to tell somebody in the Old Testament to do that.

That's why you don't find such verses in the Old Testament. Have you ever heard any preacher other than me preach this verse. I'd like to meet such a person who actually specifically spells out for example how to be free from the love of money how to be free from anger and lust and things like that.

Practically not just in a general vague hazy type of way you have to walk as Jesus walked. If you say you abide in Christ. What a standard. How do you look at that verse. John Wesley when he read that verse he didn't get discouraged.

Oh boy what a burden I had to walk like Jesus walked. He know you can look at the same verse in two different ways. Oh I have to walk like Jesus walk and get depressed. But John Wesley it was exact opposite.

You know you can read scripture in two ways. The Bible says if you don't turn to the Holy Spirit like having a veil on the Bible. When you turn to the Holy Spirit the veil is taken away. You understand it.

God's Word Empowers Obedience

So the veil was taken away. And John Wesley read that verses. Boy this is fantastic. That means God will give me the power to walk as Jesus walked. Boy how exciting that is. That's how he saw it. But he saw that every word that God spoke would have a power in it.

You remember in Genesis 1 God said let there be light. What happened. Did nothing happen. Something happened when God said let the earth bring forth trees. Something happened because the earth responded.

There's such a tremendous power in God's Word that when I read a verse like this he who says he abides in Christ must walk as he walked. I say Lord like the earth submitted. I want to submit to that verse.

Or I read another verse like 1 John chapter 4 and verse 17 as Jesus is so am I in this world. I submit to that. And something happens. I mean the earth can't say I struggled and I produced these trees.

No. God said let the trees come forth. It came forth. What can the earth glory about it. And you can't glory if you walk as Jesus walk. God says it. And he'll do it in your life. You've got to just submit.