Wisdom for Our Days on Earth — Zac Poonen

Human Prosperity and the Search for Worth

There are two things in my heart. One is I feel that as There's a lot of prosperity in India now Which we never experienced 20 years ago. A lot of people are making a lot of money. There's a lot of corruption, but there are many of us and many in our country who still are left out and Go through a lot of struggles trying to make ends meet.

We come to the church and even in the church maybe. You're not very well-known. You don't have any prominence. So one of the things we want to Want every one of us to know Is that if you have given your life to Christ You're tremendously valuable to God.

A sense of our worth To God even if people don't appreciate us or value us Is very very important as a foundation for our Christian life. In the world people have worth and value before others because either they are very big people or they come from big families or rich families or have a lot of money or Their photos are in the papers regularly film stars politicians and all types of people.

But most of us are not in that category. 99 of us were not even famous in Christian circles and It's very easy to lose that sense of worth to think. Well, what am I worth and I want to tell you you're worth the tremendous lot to God.

How do we evaluate the worth of anything? It's not by its size or Anything like that, you know a small Diamond that you can hardly see. Just fits in your the palm of your hand is worth much more sometimes than a building.

Because it's the price you pay for something that Determines its value not what it looks like. You know, I've heard of some paintings That are sold for 12 million dollars. I look at it and say I wouldn't give five rupees for that.

It's such a useless Painting. I mean some children can draw something better than that. Why in the world they pay 12 million dollars for that I don't understand. I still I've never been able to understand Why they pay so much money.

But it's valuable and they have to keep it under lock and key with security guards and all that that useless looking painting. Because they paid 12 million dollars for it. Now there's a parable there.

The Precious Blood of Christ Defines Our Worth

Why does that man take so much care for something because he feels he's got a lot of value and Ultimately I want to say brothers and sisters. It's not what people think of you. I may think that painting is worth only five or ten rupees.

But that guy's got a sense of worth and he's paid so many millions of dollars for it. It's the same way when people look at us. It's not what they think we are worth. What was the price paid for you? That's the thing that we must always remember never forget.

So let's read this verse in case you're not familiar with it. You know unfortunately we have People watching so much television nowadays that they don't read the Bible. They are more familiar with film stars than the teaching of Scripture even Christians and If you don't read the scriptures, then of course you will always have feelings of low worth and discouragement etc.

It says in 1 Peter chapter 1 That we were purchased. The word redeemed is a religious word, but all it means is purchased. Jesus purchased us you we sing in songs about being redeemed. Christ is our Redeemer Redemption it just means we were purchased and in the olden days a Couple of hundred years ago in different places.

They used to have slave markets where they sold slaves. Just like you sell furniture and they were auctioned. What are you going to pay for this slave and different people would quote a price? We were purchased and it says in 1 Peter 1 in verse 18 We were redeemed or purchased not with silver and gold which can perish.

But with the precious blood of Christ. If you believe that the precious blood of Christ which he shed on the cross. The blood of one who lived all his life without sinning and who was pleasing to God.

That that was worth more than all the silver and the gold in the world. Then you know what your worth is. I Know I was purchased with that blood. I may not look very attractive man's eyes. It doesn't matter.

I mean Today a lot of people in Christendom know me but 40 years ago 35 years ago. I was pretty despised and it didn't matter to me. I was just as worth then as I am now my value hasn't increased just because a lot of people know me not at all.

Because that doesn't add to my value to the question what I was purchased with. I was purchased with the blood of Christ and If you believe that you were purchased from the slave market of sin. By the blood of Christ, that's your worth and I want to urge you my brothers and sisters never to forget it.

Don't worry how you look or what people think about you or how clever you are or what rank you get in your class. We are precious. One of the things I look forward to when I come back to see CFC is our flowers and I don't mean these empty things here.

I mean these children. These are our flowers. See how quietly they sit. I've never seen it in any other church where people sit quiet children sit quietly listening for two hours. Those are the flowers that we value.

Not the things of earth that perish. So that's how Christ values us purchased with his blood and that's why we are precious to him. And that's why it's so important to make sure That you're not just a Christian because you were born in a Christian family.

Coming to Christ as a Sinner

But that you've given your life consciously to Jesus Christ. That you came to him as a sinner. I remember some years ago. I met a person in another country and he was not sure whether he was saved and I said the trouble with you is You are coming to Jesus Christ as a Christian.

And I want to tell you the bad news that Christ did not die for Christians. He was shocked. I said he died for sinners. The whole Bible says Jesus Christ died for sinners not for Christians. So you come to Christ as a Christian.

I'm sorry, he won't accept you. You come to Christ as a sinner. He said come welcome. He came to save sinners. So I say if you come to him as a sinner He'll save you but if you think well I'm better than the Muslims and I'm better than the Hindus and I'm better than the Atheists.

I'm a Christian. I go to church. You'll never be accepted and that's the reason so many people have an uncertainty about their relationship with God. But come to him as a sinner. Who were the people whom Christ? rejected on earth.

Religious people who knew the Bible who went to the synagogues preached and prayed and studied and fasted and gave money to God and he rejected them because they were they felt they'd be accepted because of their religious knowledge and activity.

And who are the ones he accepted a Poor sinful woman who was caught in adultery. Jesus said I don't condemn you because she was honest about her sin. That's it. He didn't say oh well adultery is not serious.

He never said that he said I don't want you to ever sin again. What a strong word that is. That's a balance in the gospel. I don't condemn you for what you have done in the past, but don't do it again.

That's the word of the Lord to all of us. And he whom did he accept a murderer who probably never did anything right in his life. Hanging on the cross in the last minute. Everybody thought he was going to hell, but Jesus had hope for him.

So what we learn is that the way God looks at us is so different from the way man looks at us. In the Old Testament God is called the God of the fatherless and the widows and the strangers and the aliens.

That means those who are on the fringes of society. You know widows are not in the center of society. Hardly anybody cares for a widow. Orphans fatherless. They're on the fringes of society the strangers in a country.

Who are not citizens? Who are immigrants. They're on the fringes of society. Those are the ones God says he's the God of those people the God of those who are despised by others those who are not valued by others to give them a sense of worth and It's very very important that in this church We give such people a sense of worth.

That we don't hang around with the well-known and the famous and the rich, but everybody's equal. Because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. In that early church the first century church that Paul had established in Corinth Paul says to them in 1 Corinthians 1 26, you know your calling brothers that according to a human Evaluation according to the flesh means according to human evaluation.

Not many of you are mighty. Not many of you are from noble families. You know, that's another thing a lot of people boast about. What family have you come from. The part of the country I come from a lot of people boast about that the family I come from somebody once.

Was mentioning that to me and asked me which family I was from. I said I was from the family that got kicked out of Eden by God many thousands of years ago. Adam. Adam's family and that's why Jesus saved me.

I don't have anything else to boast about. Come to God like that. He'll accept you not many noble. God has chosen the foolish things of the world. He has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong.

He has chosen the base things of the world and those who have despised. God has chosen. So that and the things that are considered nothing on the earth so that he might bring to nothing people who think they are so big.

So that and the whole purpose is that no one can boast before God. On earth, there's a lot of things we can boast about like I said our family our position our wealth our accomplishments and The name we have attained etc, etc.

Humility Before Christ Alone

Even in Christian circles a lot of preachers who boast because they are famous and accepted but the picture God has given me in our in my mind is. You know human beings are like trees to use a picture some are huge big trees some are small little plants and big ones and different different sizes according to their fame and their wealth and their Position and accomplishments, etc but when a person comes to Christ the Lord takes an axe and cuts it all down to ground level and Once all those trees are cut down to ground level.

Which is the big one? Nobody only Christ stands there in the midst as the only one who's worthy and that's why when we get up to heaven we will. We won't be looking around for Paul and Peter. But we'll sing that song which they sing thou alone art worthy Lord Jesus thou alone art worthy.

I often use my imagination to picture that day when I shall stand in heaven with my Savior it'll be millions and millions of people around me and Nobody will care or know who's that woman is in that day or Peeler or Paul.

Everybody's attention will be focused on Jesus and say Lord thou alone art worthy. If it were not for you, we wouldn't be here. It was your blood that purchased us. And so it's very important that we value everyone in the church Irrespective of what their weaknesses or limitations may be.

Many years ago We had a picnic I Think it was in Barragatta somewhere. We went as of church. We were much smaller than many many years ago. This was and Maybe 20 30 years ago. And I remember different families were asked if they would like to do an item some sort of skit or song to Just have a little good fun together there.

So we did a skit my wife and I and our four children and the skit was this. I asked one of my children to act as a retarded child who couldn't speak properly and Then we were sitting the skit was we were sitting and discussing.

What shall we do for this church picnic and Then somebody suggested we'll sing a song all of us as a family. I said, okay, let's practice count your blessings name them one by one and And so all of us would sing count your blessing correctly according to the tune but this little retarded boy would mix up the whole thing and say all types of syllables and confuse the whole thing and Then the other boys would say dad.

We got to tell him to shut up. Otherwise, he'll spoil the whole skit. You know, we're singing so well, and he's saying on a mile now to add something or the other and messing up the whole thing so I said Okay If we don't know how to include a Weak child in our family along with us.

Then we are the ones who are retarded not him if we are intelligent. We know how to include him also and make him feel valuable in the family. I Mean he was born like that what to do. It's not his fault.

So I said now we're gonna sing and we're gonna make sure we include him. So I told him okay now We are gonna sing at the end of each sentence, okay. You're gonna sing all by yourself because you have very valuable the rest of us will all sing together.

But at the end of each sentence, you're gonna sing and all you have to say is la la la la la. That's that's he can do that, right? La la la la. Okay. But by the way, you know, some of these folks are retarded.

They've got good musical sense, even though they can't speak words and all properly. I've noticed that so we sang Count your blessings name them one by one. La la la la count your blessings. See what God has done.

La la la la I said doesn't that sound much more wonderful than when we were singing alone without him. And then I said the whole purpose of this kid is to say that in our church. Nobody is considered retarded.

Except the one who thinks too much of himself and Who cannot accept others and who makes other people feel small that guy is really retarded. We we don't despise him. We just feel sorry for him. That's how it must be because Jesus Christ Values everyone who is he died for the whole world?

The Value of One Soul

He once said what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? And from that I learned that the whole world in God's eyes is not worth as much as one soul. That's so important to understand this dear friends dear brothers and sisters.

This is the value of one soul to Jesus Christ our Lord, and that's the Christ we proclaim in this church. I've often said this India has not rejected Jesus Christ. India has rejected the Christ that they have seen in many Christians and that Christ I've also rejected.

Because those Christians are not behaving like Christ. They're not living like Christ their whole attitude to people and to things and everything else is not the attitude Jesus had and that's the Christ that many Hindus and non-christians have seen and they reject it.

You know when I witness to non-christians whether it's in a bus or a train or anywhere. I Tell them the first thing I want to say to you my dear friend is that 95 of Christians you have met in your life are not Christians.

That's my introduction to the gospel. It's unfortunate that we have to say that but I believe it. I was like that myself for 19 years. I was born in a good Christian family, but I was not a Christian.

I Was a name my name was Christian man. I went to church had read the Bible and prayed but inwardly Christ did not come in. It was a name. And I want to ask all of you here I don't want to take it for granted that just because you come to CFC, of course, you must be born again.

Are you really born again? Do you have you had a birth in your life? Just like you were physically born. And you know the difference when a child is born still born means dead soon as it's born. It's dead and Then we what a joy there is in a living child.

That's born. I want to ask you whether you've had that type of experience in your life where Christ came into your life and You came into a new life, you know, just like a little baby Comes out of its mother's womb in that dark surroundings.

It's lived for nine months. Wondering if there's anything better than this all water around me can. Dark dark then suddenly it comes out into a world and says wow. What a world this is compared to the one I was living in for nine months.

Did you have an experience like that? That is new birth where we lived in darkness and discouragement and failure and Christ came in and Things became different. I said wow I'm a citizen of heaven now.

The New Birth and Assurance of Salvation

And I want to say to you my dear brothers and sisters. I love you all my I believe I have a responsibility for you as one of your elders. To ensure that if you come to this church, at least, you know, I can't force you to give your life to Christ.

But at least you know that you are not a Christian because you were born in a Christian family. No, I Often tell people you go into a hospital. And look at all those newborn babies, you know any hospital here and so many newborn babies.

Can you look at that baby those babies that are all born yesterday and tell me which is a Hindu which is a Muslim? Which is a Christian which is an atheist? Can you tell me? No. None of them are any of those things but they grow up in homes and One of those child grows up to be a Christian another grows up to be a Muslim another grows up to be a Hindu another Grows up to be an atheist.

It's training. From their parents. That's it what are they when they're born into the world just little children and Then but they have a nature in them. You don't have to teach a child to tell a lie.

Every child in the world tells lies whether they are Christian parents or Muslim parents or Hindu parents or anything. They they fight they quarrel. They're selfish they grab. You don't see any difference.

You go to the kindergarten. In a school and can you look at all the children playing there and tell me who's a Christian? It's very difficult to say it's all they're saying. They're all fighting and quarreling and yelling and everything else.

It's not birth that makes any of us any religion a Time must come in our life and we make a choice. I made that choice when I was nearly 20 years old 19 and a half. I said Lord Jesus I Give my life to you.

I want you to come into my life. That was not to become a preacher. It was to become a Christian. That's what changed the direction of my life. And I want all of you to be absolutely sure that that's happened your life.

And as I said don't come to Christ as a Christian come as a sinner say Lord. There's nothing good in me. I'm a sinner, but you died for all my sins on the cross. It's like a man who's got a debt of Say 1 billion 1 ,000 million rupees a hundred crore rupees.

I said wonders how in the world can I pay this debt? He's scared to meet that creditor whom he owes his money if he sees him. He goes the other way till one day some wealthy man who loves him pays that 1 billion rupees debt.

Gets the receipt from him and gives it to him and says you don't have to be scared of him anymore. Your debt is paid. That's what Jesus did on the cross. But if I act as though no, I don't have any debt.

I'm alright. Then you won't be forgiven. But if I can come to him and say Lord I had a tremendous debt from the time I was a child all I've done is displeased you and done wrong to you. But I thank you that Jesus died for me for a sinner like me and paid my debt completely on the cross.

It says in Colossians 2 verse 14. He tore up. That's a certificate of debt of mine and set me free. That's why we say praise the Lord. That's why we're happy. That's why we sing from our heart and Christ has come in and God has declared us righteous.

Justification and the Race of Christian Discipleship

There's a word in the Bible. It's called justified. That means he's declared me righteous and now I know this is all elementary stuff. But we have children growing up here. Who have not heard that elementary stuff?

And sometimes we are preaching to all the grown-ups who have been here many years and these children have never heard the simple gospel. That you come to Jesus as a sinner. Christ died for you. And there are new people who come to this church.

Who hear about holiness and they never attain to it because they've not come to the starting line. You know, you cannot join a marathon race. If you don't come to the starting line. You cannot join the hundred meters race.

If you don't come to the starting line, that's true in the Olympics. It's a true in a school athletics program. So the question is you can't join the race in the middle. The question is have you come to the starting line?

Have all of you come to the starting line? That's so important. We want everybody here. I've often said this. Everybody who comes to this church. I must see you in heaven one day. All the children that are here.

We don't want one of them to be lost. I don't want my children are all born again. They're going to heaven, but I don't want just my children. I've got many children. Somebody asked me once brother Zack you got four sons in America now, when are you going to migrate yourself?

I said, I got 4 ,000 children in India. What do you mean migrate there? Are all of them saved? Are all of you really Gonna meet me in heaven. Sure. The question is not have you overcome sin? There may be habits in our life that we take a long time to overcome.

My question is do you hate it? That's the question or do you enjoy it. A Pig can fall into the muck and a cat can fall into the muck. The difference is one enjoys it and lives stays around there and Paddles around in the muck the cat jumps out immediately.

We can never say that a cat will never fall into dirty water. But I can tell you one thing if it falls it jumps out immediately and it licks itself clean immediately. Not because it was trained. You don't have to train a cat.

It was born that way. No mother cat trains its kitten saying you can't be like pigs. You must be clean and When you're born again One mark is you automatically just like that cat has a desire to be clean that little kitten.

It's got in its brain a desire to be clean. It's a nature. Just like the little pig has got it. No desire to be clean. It's the same way When you're really born again, you begin to have a desire to be free from sin.

It may take you a while to learn that to be free from it. My question is are you battling it? Are you battling it? Are you battling sin every day in your life? And Once we have got established on that The next thing we need to consider.

From the Foundation of Salvation to the Superstructure of Life

As I said, there are two things one is our foundation. The other is the superstructure. Building has got two parts foundation superstructure. A tree has got two parts roots and the upper part of the tree.

So what I was talking so far is the foundation the roots. It's very very important that our foundation is solid then we come to the upper part of our life as to how we're going to live the rest of our life now that we have Been forgiven.

Am I going to spend the rest of my life? Saying ah I've got a wonderful friend who keeps on praying paying my debt. He paid my debt of 1 ,000 million rupees the other day. So I can keep on getting into debt.

Let me keep on Borrowing and borrowing this good friend of mine will always come and clear my debt. Would you do that? To someone who spent a lot of his own money to pay your debt. I Don't think we do that to a human Friend who cleared our debt and say well, I'm just gonna take advantage of him.

Make him keep on paying my debt, but that's is that your attitude to Jesus Christ? Now I'm talking about the superstructure. Do you say well, oh Forgiveness of sin is so easy. It doesn't matter. If I sin now once in a while you may feel like that, but if that is your constant attitude It doesn't really matter if I sin.

Then my brother sister I have to say to you I seriously doubt Whether you're really become a child of God whether you're born again, I don't think so that the change of nature has not come in. I mean if a cat says oh Well, it doesn't matter if I get dirty I Say then you're a pig acting like a cat.

No, you're not really changed. As I said the test is not whether you've overcome your anger and your sexual lust and things like that. The thing is do you hate it? Do you confess it to God as soon as you have fallen?

Do you get out of that dirty water like the cat and lick yourself clean immediately? How long does it take for a cat to get out of the dirty water? It's fallen into doesn't take five minutes. Doesn't even take one minute.

It's immediate. As soon as you're aware that you have sinned do you immediately come back to God and say Lord? Forgive me cleanse me. I'm sorry. I took Advantage of your goodness to me. But I got into debt again, please forgive me.

He'll forgive you. He'll clear your debt. But don't take advantage of his goodness. That's all I say and So we need to know how we have to live the rest of our life, which God has given us. See Jesus did not purchase us just to go to heaven when we die a lot of Christians think like that.

Now if the only purpose with which Christ died was to populate heaven. Then the best thing he could have done to us was to kill us as soon as we are born again, right? As soon as we are born again kill this fellow.

He'll go to heaven straight away. But why doesn't why he doesn't do that? He allows us to he's allowed me to live for 51 years 53 years since I'm he first saved me. What for. So that I could talk to others and tell others about his goodness.

And show forth in my life the values of heaven. And that's why he's kept you alive brother sister. So that your life can glorify Christ on earth the way you live the way you speak the way you deal with human beings if you can show in a world where people value things and Use people if we can show we value people and only use things.

It's the reverse. You know human beings as they are away from God. They Value material things and make use of people for their own ends. But when Christ comes into our life, we use material things. But we value people.

Does that happen in your life? It's one of the things that. It's one of the things that happened to me when Christ took possession of my inner life and So there's a prayer I want you to it's a prayer, you know from Psalm 90.

Numbering Our Days and Seeking Wisdom

Psalm 90 by the way is the only Psalm that Moses wrote. Most of the Psalms are written by David but Psalm 90 is a sound that Moses wrote and he there's a little prayer. Here is a beautiful prayer. He says Lord Teach me to number my days.

That means let me not think I'm going to live on earth forever. I'm going to live on earth only for a limited period of time. Psalm 90 and verse 12 teach us to number our days so that We can apply our hearts towards wisdom.

That means so that I can live on earth in a wise way and a wise the way to wisdom Is to acknowledge that we don't have it that we only God can give us wisdom. What is the best way to live on this earth?

Sometimes even some non-christians Have got a little understanding of that, you know 300 years before Christ came to earth. There was a man in ancient Greece called Socrates. He was known for his wisdom.

He had tremendous wisdom and he in Giving answers to problems and things like that he's a very simple man a man who obeyed all the laws of his country and Known for his wisdom. And somebody once came to him and asked him How did you become so wise.

He said that's very simple. He said all of us in the world know nothing, but I'm one of those who know that I know nothing. All the others think that they know something. That's the big difference. So when the day comes in your life When you acknowledge Lord when comes to divine wisdom, I know nothing.

I Making money and getting out in the world and all that type of stuff, but when it comes to things of God, I'm just zero. Then you'll get wisdom. You come to him and say Lord. That's how we must approach the Bible.

So teach us Lord To live on earth in such a way to recognize that we're not gonna live here forever. You know, there was a man who came once to John Wesley who John Wesley was one of the greatest servants of God who lived in the 18th century.

For 300 years ago or 250 years ago and somebody I told him After he'd been a wholehearted Christian for many years told John Wesley supposing you knew That you're gonna die. Tomorrow, how would you live the rest of today?

Isn't that a good question? Supposing you knew you're gonna die tomorrow. How would you live the rest of today? He said I'm gonna live exactly the same way. I plan to live. I don't have to change a single thing.

Here was a man who was always ready to meet God. He didn't have to say oh boy. I've got to go and confess to that chap something I hurt him and I've got to return that money. I stole from someone or He didn't have to do anything.

He was his conscience was always clear. What a way to live. I mean there may be earthly things that we have to settle if we knew that we're gonna die tomorrow. That's Something secondary we are talking about our spiritual relationship with God.

Living with a Clear Conscience

Jesus one said concerning his second coming. It's in the Gospel of Luke. He said when I come you should not have to go down to the house. If you're on the rooftop, and if you're out in the fields or today those days they worked in the fields today He would say if you're in the office You shouldn't have to come back home.

What is the meaning of that? That when Christ comes suddenly Nobody should have to say we shouldn't have to say Oh Lord. Hang on. I didn't apologize to my wife before I went to the office this morning.

Let me go back and settle that or let me go down From the rooftop downstairs to settle some matter. I must always be ready. Whether I'm on the rooftop of the house whether I'm in office. My conscience is always clear.

I have nothing. Nobody and when the Lord comes to take me home that shouldn't be somebody on earth to say Lord you can't take him. This guy owes me some money. How can you take him to heaven tell him to pay back his debt and then you can take him.

I Don't want anybody to be able to say that. I want to be always ready to go. But if I've hurt somebody I've apologized to that person. If I've cheated somebody I have returned that money. And I've tried my best to live with a good conscience not a perfect life.

But with a good conscience that means as soon as I do something wrong, I've settled it. Teach me to apply my heart to wisdom. Supposing you knew that you had only one more year to live. How would you live the rest of this one year?

Okay, you would settle all your earthly matters. That's good. But how would you spend the rest of your time? What would your conversation be at home? What would you be talking about? Would you still be talking about the most useless things that you talk about now?

If you had only one more month to live teach us to number our days. Lord our days are so few. We don't realize it. We are more careful with our money than with our time. Even rich people don't waste their money.

Poor people don't waste their money, but wastage of time. Wow. The number of things we spend our days in useless wastage of time. Because we don't realize the time is as valuable as money. I'm thankful that I've come to realize it a little bit and You know in the Old Testament the days when Moses was teaching people He could only give them instructions.

This man who wrote this Lord teach me to number my days. Moses says so that I can have wisdom, but what could Moses teach people? He could only give them instructions. But today we have somebody better than Moses as our leader Jesus Christ.

Following the Example of Jesus Christ

He didn't come here to give us instructions. He lived a life and Showed us how to spend our time. Some time ago I Read a little article you probably heard it too referring to the life of Jesus Christ the effect of one single life on this earth.

One solitary life. Let me read it to you. He's referring to Christ. Compare that with yourself. He was born in a small unknown village In a very small country. He was born the son of a very poor Village woman.

He grew up in another small village Where he worked only as a carpenter until he was 30 years old and Then for the next three years He was a traveling preacher. You know the world doesn't value carpenters or traveling preachers.

He never wrote a book. He never held any public office. He never had a family. He never owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited any big city in the world. He never traveled more than 300 kilometers From his hometown at any time in his life.