Learning the Fear of God (Telugu) — Zac Poonen

When, you know, there is only one book that God has written in this world. And that is what we call the Bible. And as we all know, it contains sixty-six little books. But out of these sixty-six books, do you know which was the first book that God wrote?

It was not Genesis. The first five books in the Bible, Genesis to Deuteronomy, was written by Moses. And God revealed to Moses how he created the heaven and earth in the beginning. And what he did on the first day, second day, third day, and then Moses wrote it down.

The Book of Job and the Fear of God

So that is how we got Genesis. But that was written only 1500 years before Christ. And almost all the other books were written after that. But there was one book written before Moses lived. And that is the book of Job.

That was written maybe 500 years before Moses. Because Job may have lived even before Abraham. There are many things in that book that show that he had no knowledge of Abraham or the law or anything. So I believe that, you know, after God selected Abraham, all his dealings with man was through Abraham and Israel.

But Job was not one of Abraham's children. He lived at some other time in some other place. So, the first book in the Bible that God wrote was the book of Job. It's very clear to me. It's very clear that that is true.

So when we understand that, the God in heaven wanted to write a book for man. And what is the first sentence that he writes? The first sentence that God is writing for man. It's very important to read that.

See in Job chapter 1 verse 1, this is the first thing that God is writing. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was blameless and upright and he feared God and turned away from evil.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was blameless and upright and he feared God and turned away from evil. See, that is very similar to this verse we are thinking about in 2 Timothy 2.

Let everyone that names the name of the Lord turn away from sin. Let everyone that names the name of the Lord turn away from sin. So here, God writing the first sentence in the Bible, he is talking about a man who turned away from sin.

So here, God writing the first sentence in the Bible, he is talking about a man who turned away from sin. That is what made God's heart so happy about Job. That is what made God's heart so happy about Job.

He was a man who turned away from sin. So God says he is an upright man. And he boasts about him to Satan. And what does he tell Satan? There is a man, have you seen a man like Job, verse 8, who turns away from sin.

So I learnt something from that. So I learnt something from that. That when God writes a book about a man, he is writing about a man who turned away from sin. That when God writes a book about a man, he is writing about a man who turned away from sin.

And that is such an important thing for God that in the first eight verses, it is mentioned twice. So I learnt something about God there. That God is so proud of a man who will turn away from sin. He is so proud of him, he can boast about him to Satan.

So, I see Lord, if that is what makes you happy, then I also want to be like that. So, if you read the Bible like that, you will say the same thing. Lord, if turning away from sin is what makes you happy, then I want to be like that.

Confessing Sin Immediately

So, what is the reason why he turned away from sin? It says he feared God. Why is there so much sin in the world today? Because there is no fear of God. Why is there so much sin among believers? Because they don't fear God.

Why did Job turn away from sin? Because he feared God. Why do people get angry and not repent immediately? Because they don't fear God. Okay, we can say, accidentally I fell into anger. I didn't want to do it, but I fell.

But, do you immediately go to God and say, Lord, I am sorry? Do you immediately go to the person whom you got angry with and say, Brother, I am sorry, I lost my temper. Then I can say, you fear God. Only if that happens, you can say, why did you fear God?

Falling is not a sin, we can say it is a sin. When we learn how to walk, we fall many times. When children learn how to walk, they fall many times. They fall maybe thousand times when they learn how to walk.

All of us, how did you learn to walk? Nobody started walking from the first day. We fell and got up and fell and got up and fell and got up and finally one day, we started walking. We fell and got up and fell and got up and finally one day, we started walking.

When a mother sees her child walking, she says, how happy she is, my son is walking. Similarly, when a mother sees her child walking, she says, how happy she is, my son is walking. What do you feel if your child is still 10 years old and falling?

You won't get angry, but you will feel so sad. That is how God feels when he sees his children falling and falling and falling into sin. I will tell you why we don't get victory. Listen, because when you fall, you don't confess it immediately to God as a sin.

You get angry. Okay, that is a weakness. Why don't you confess it to God? When you don't confess it to God, you think, ah, that is not a serious thing. And you got angry with somebody, you don't go and apologize to that person.

Maybe your wife or neighbor. Or you got angry with a beggar. Should you apologize to a beggar if you got angry with him? Supposing some beggar comes to your gate and says, please give me some money. And you go and shout at him and say, get out, I don't want to see you.

Imagine, talking to a human being like that. That is not the way a Christian will talk to a beggar. You must apologize to him. Say, I am sorry for talking to you like that. If you do that, I tell you, you will get victory very quickly.

But you don't fear God. If you feared God, you won't talk like that even to a beggar. I remember, I also committed that type of sin like you. But I remember once, when I did it many years ago, the Lord said to me, supposing that man had come in a suit and a tie, will you talk like that?

No, but because he is poor and his clothes are torn, you talk to him like that. I really wept before God. I said, Lord, I am such a sinner. I don't know how to respect human beings. How can you give me victory when I don't respect human beings?

Please help me, Lord. Never in my life to speak rudely even to a beggar. If you fear God, you will respect all human beings. There is no use shouting hallelujah and singing praises to God, if you don't know how to speak to people.

The Tongue and the Image of God

See, James chapter 3, the third chapter of the letter written by James, talks about how we use our tongue. I will tell you something. The maximum sins that Christians commit are with their eyes and their tongue.

I don't know anything about your life. But I can tell you, most of the sins you commit are with your eyes and with your tongue. I have seen that with believers. I saw it in my own life. And I know that all human beings are the same.

So, if you don't take seriously the sins of the eyes and the tongue, God will see that you are not serious about departing from evil. You can come to these meetings and say, Yeah, that was a good subject we discussed in the meeting.

And you can just be stirred for a few days and then go away and live the same old life. See what it says in James 3, verse 8, No one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. See, with that tongue we bless the Lord and with that same tongue we curse men who are made in the likeness of God.

See, with that tongue we bless the Lord and with that same tongue we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. It says, men are made in the likeness of God. Even unconverted people. They are not children of God.

But they all got a conscience. And that conscience proves that they are made in the likeness of God. If you shout at a dog or a cat, that's okay. You are permitted to get angry at a dog or a cat. Because they are not made in the image of God.

But even a poor beggar, he is made in the image of God. Because he's got a conscience. His conscience He may be wearing poor torn clothes. But he's a person made in the image of God. So, we have to speak to the one made in the image of God with the same way we speak to God.

It says, if you bless the Lord, learn to bless your human beings also. And supposing you didn't do it to one human being, you must go before God and say, God, I'm sorry for what I did. It takes time to get a degree.

It takes time to get victory over sin. Many times the Lord had to speak to me and correct me. See, sometimes I take my scooter to the petrol bunk. And that small boy may accidentally spill something on my pant.

Maybe some oil or some petrol. And then I speak to him rudely. And then as I go away, the Lord speaks to me. Is that how Jesus would speak to a little boy who made a mistake? And sometimes I have to stop my scooter and say, Lord, please forgive me.

Because I fear God. I know the way I speak to that little boy one day I'll have to give an account to God when I stand before him. The way I speak to the beggar who comes to the gate one day I have to give an account to God.

The way I speak to my wife every day, one day I have to give an account to God. The way I speak to neighbors, my children, to everybody. It says Job feared God and turned away from evil. So, it's the fear of the Lord that makes us turn away from sin.

So when we read a command like depart from evil, you cannot do it unless you fear God. And that is a secret thing between us and God whether we fear him or not. Why are we so careful not to sin in the presence of other people?

Have you heard anybody shouting at his wife in the church meeting? No, I've never heard it. In the church meeting everybody looks so holy. No husband shouts at the wife, no wife shouts at each other. You go to some unbelievers club, there also you don't find husband and wife shouting at each other.

Because we are concerned about our testimony before men. What does the fear of God mean? Fear of God means that I'm always aware that the Lord is there. Wherever I go, the Lord is there. For example, supposing you and your wife are having a big fight at home and suddenly you hear somebody knock at the door.

You stop everything. And this brother comes to visit you. You say, I hope he didn't hear what I said. And he comes and sits there and you're talking so nicely to your wife now and she's talking so nicely to you.

Why? Because one brother is sitting there. Then he says goodbye and goes away. And again the fight starts. Why? Because now only God is there. Who cares for God? Now only Jesus is there. Who cares for him?

Before that, one brother was there. You have to be careful. This is the proof that we fear a man more than we fear God. We are so careful to keep our testimony before men. And we don't care about our testimony before God.

Keeping the Lord Always Before Us

So, I'm not condemning you. I'm not condemning any of you. I'm not throwing stones at you. I was like that myself. But God helped me to fear him more than I fear people. So, I'm telling you that you can also be delivered like I was delivered.

I was also in the same pit that you were. Where we fear man more than we fear God. But God pulled me out of that. All I'm saying is God can pull you also out. If you want it. See, it says about Jesus.

In Psalm 16, how he lived his earthly life. Psalm 16 and verse 8. I have set the Lord continually before me because he's at my right hand. And I will not be shaken. How is it I will not? Not only I won't fall I won't even be shaken.

How? Because the Lord is always in front of me. I've always kept the Lord in front of me. Do you know this is referring to Jesus Christ? It was written by David. But he's writing about Christ. You can see that in Acts chapter 2.

Verse 24. Acts 2 verse 24. God raised up Jesus again. God raised up Jesus again. In verse 25. David says about this Jesus. I was always beholding the presence of the Lord because he's at my right hand.

I will not be shaken. So, that verse is referring to the Lord Jesus. How did he live on the earth? Always the Father was in front. So, he was never shaken. And you know brothers and sisters you and I can live like that.

Lord, I always want to live recognizing you are there. Whether that brother comes to my house or goes away from my house makes no difference. You are always there. Have you seen this verse hanging in some houses?

Christ is the head of this house. The silent listener to every conversation. I have seen it in many houses. But when you listen to the way they are talking they don't believe that he is the silent listener.

Do you believe the Lord is the silent listener to all the conversations? That is the mark of a man who fears God. Job feared God therefore he turned away from evil. So, that is a great help to turn away from evil.

David's Warning About Losing the Fear of God

David once said these words Psalm 34. Verse 11. Do you know when David wrote this? He was maybe 28 years old. He became king when he was 30. It says here in the beginning of this psalm that he wrote this when he was pretending to be mad as it is written in 1 Samuel 21.

He was only about 28 years old then. He was not yet the king. 28 year old young man. What is he saying? Verse 9. Fear the Lord you his saints there is no lack for those who fear him. Verse 11. Come you children listen to me I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

What a wonderful thing when a 28 year old young man can tell other younger ones come I will teach you the fear of the Lord. He had already killed Goliath. He had killed a lion he had killed a bear all that.

He does not say I will teach you how to fight with enemies. I want to teach you how to fear the Lord. But the sad thing is that David did not live like that when he grew up. When you see a young 28 year old man so whole hearted when you see a young 28 year old man so whole hearted for God fearing God and telling other young people let's fear God and you see that young man afterwards God blesses him and blesses him and his ministry becomes wider then he becomes very well known like David then he becomes 52 years old and he falls into adultery with another man's wife called Bathsheba and kills her husband and marries him same man when he was 28 years old he was telling people how to fear the Lord.

That has happened to many many young people. I have known they were so zealous when they were young they feared God as they grew up. God blessed them gave them responsibility and it went to their heads.

They became proud. They fall into adultery. They fall into all types of other things. What happened? The ministry is very big. David was very famous man that fame and honor made him proud and he falls into adultery.

Fame and honor made a man fall into adultery. I know so many preachers to whom that has happened. They would never have done it when they were 28 years old. They do it when they are 52 because now they are big and famous.

So it is very dangerous thing when God blesses you many people when they are young they are so poor. They are so close to God as they grow. God blesses them. They got a house and a car and their head becomes big.

They think I have become somebody now and they become useless. God's word is never in their mouth because they have stopped fearing God. That is the great tragedy in India and everywhere. So dear brothers and sisters I want to urge you during these three days you pray that God will teach you one thing.

Listen to the Holy Spirit telling you this Psalm 34 11. Come I will teach you the fear of the Lord and say Lord teach me the fear of the Lord. Teach me to turn away from every evil as soon as I come near it.

Don't go near it. Just like if you are walking in a cliff stay away from the edge of the cliff as much as possible. You don't want to fall. You must stay away from anything that tempts us like that. That is the mark of the fear of the Lord.

Job feared God and turned away from evil. So remember that is the first sentence that God wrote in a book when he wrote a book for man. First book first sentence. There was a man who feared God and turned away from evil.

And what does he boast about to Satan. He doesn't say have you seen Job. What a great preacher he is. See even if I am a great preacher God will not say have you seen how well Jack Poonam can preach. You may say that God doesn't say that God wants to see whether I fear him.

Job has got so much money. He doesn't say see how rich he is. One thing he boasts to Satan. See how that man fears me and turns away from me. Sometimes you say oh brother I don't have any gift to serve the Lord.

I am so poor I cannot even invite a servant of the Lord to my house. It doesn't matter. Brother, sister God is not looking for how well you can preach or whether you can invite somebody to your house.

He is only seeing one thing. Do you fear him and turn away from evil. See what Job says even though he was an old man. See in chapter 31 you remember Job had grown up children who were living in their own houses.

I think he must have been 65 -70 years old 65 years old and see what he says. Chapter 31 verse 1. I have made a covenant with my eyes. How can I gaze at a virgin. Job was a married man. He knew that he can be tempted to look at other women are 60 year old men tempted to look at other women are married men tempted to look at other pretty women are preachers tempted to look at pretty women.

Every man is tempted. But what does a man who fears God do. He is careful with his eyes. He fears God and he turns away from evil. That's how Job lived. He didn't say oh I am an old man. I can't be tempted.

Those are the people who fall. Somebody said like this temptation is like a fire. Even if you are 100 years old it can burn. You don't say I am old. I cannot be tempted. There are many things we have to turn our eyes away from.

Many things on television. Many things on the computer. Many things on these boards. You find on the road side. You see some magazines some pages. Nobody is seeing you. You are sitting alone looking at those pictures.

You are sitting alone at the computer not alone. Jesus is always sitting next to you and he is watching where all you are going on the computer. If you fear God you say Lord. You are sitting next to me.

I want you to approve of every site I go to on the computer. I am looking through this book. Lord you are sitting next to me. Nobody else is in the room only you and me. I want you to approve of what I read.

It's a mark. I am a man who fears God. What did we read in Psalm 16. I have set the Lord always before me. Then I won't. Not only I won't fall. I won't even be shaken. See dear brothers and sisters this is the main reason why many brothers lose the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

Do you know that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit. It says in Acts chapter 10 Acts of the Apostles chapter 10 that as a result of the anointing of the Holy Spirit you see three things. See these three things in Jesus life because he was anointed with the Holy Spirit.

Verse 38. Jesus of Nazareth. God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and power. And now see three things. Number one he went about doing good wherever he went. When you are anointed with the Holy Spirit you will go around doing good.

You will never do harm to anybody. Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life because your head is anointed with oil and your cup runs over like it says in Psalm 23. It runs over with goodness and mercy.

It runs over with goodness and mercy. So when Jesus was anointed his cup overflowed with goodness wherever he went he was just good to people. When you are anointed with the Holy Spirit you will do good to other people and you will never do harm even to your enemy.

You will never speak evil of people. You will do good even with your mouth. Then number two he delivered people who were oppressed by the devil. There are people oppressed by the devil all around us in your office you are surrounded by people who are oppressed by the devil.

If you go to the different people in your office just ask them are you happy in your home. 99 of them will say we are not happy. Somebody who is married for one week or something will say I am very happy.

But after one week they are not happy. Everybody has got problems. They are oppressed by the devil and God has kept you there to help them. They are like people in chains to the devil and Jesus has anointed you to break those chains everywhere.

So many people even Christians are oppressed by the devil. I get so many many letters from young people married people suffering oppressed by the devil. It's terrible. They all look very nice on the outside but they are oppressed by the devil.

Even people sitting here I believe many of you have problems in your home. What a wonderful thing it is to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to set people free. Third thing. God was with him. I say Lord that's what I want.

He was filled with the Holy Spirit and God was with him. That's what we all need. And as soon as you fall you immediately confess it. God will still be with you. The anointing of the Holy Spirit will still be with you.

But you don't confess it. You will gradually lose the anointing. God won't be with you. If you blame other people for your sin. Like Adam blamed Eve for her sin. So God left him. Dear brothers and sisters please note this as one mark of the fear of God.

Immediate Confession and Sensitivity to Sin

As soon as you sin Lord I am sorry. That's my fault. I know he provoked me he got angry with me. But I am a child of God. I should not have spoken like he said. I am not worried about his sin. I see my own sin.

I see my own sin. I will tell you something. You don't have to confess the sins of other people. You know how children are. You see two of them fighting. You ask one boy what happened. He will immediately confess the sin of the other person.

He did that he did this. He said this. We must confess our own sin. Lord. I don't care what he did. I have done something wrong. Then you will never lose the anointing. God will be with you. So just develop this habit.

As soon as you sin immediately confess it to God. Not after 5 minutes. As soon as you are aware within 2 seconds and at the earliest opportunity go to the person you hurt and say I am sorry. I tell you you will be one of the happiest people on the earth.

And God will be happy with you. Because he sees you as a person who fears him and turns away from evil. And it won't happen as I said in one day. You don't go from kindergarten to college in one day little by little little by little.

One day you will be in college. Sure. Say Lord I want to become more and more sensitive to sin so that my reaction to sin will be something like this. Just like I am touching a very hot boiling vessel.

I accidentally touch it immediately. My hand. I say Lord I want my reaction to sin to be like that. Just like we may accidentally touch something. I don't know whether you have sometimes got an electric shock accidentally from a plug.

Yeah. I have sometimes got that. How quickly. That must be our reaction to sin. I keep my finger there. I will die that electricity. And you keep your finger there on sin. It will kill you more than electricity.

Why not pray this prayer. Don't think you are too senior to pray this prayer. I pray this prayer. I say Lord I want my reaction to sin to be like this. Just like my accidentally touching some hot place or accidentally touching some electric point.

Immediate. Not after 5 seconds or 15 seconds. Immediate. And even if it doesn't happen in one year Lord I want to come to the place quickly where it is like that. That's the meaning of this verse. Anyone who names the name of Christ turn away from evil.

And that comes by fearing God. So we need to ask God to give us the Holy Spirit to teach us to fear Him.