The Goal of All Preaching — Zac Poonen

If we believe that God is more eager to bless us than we are to be blessed. I don't know if any of you have a doubt about that, but I want to tell you it's true. God is more eager to bless you than you are to be blessed.

God is more eager to answer your prayer than you are with your request. God is more eager that you grow spiritually than you are. God wants every one of his children to be effective and useful in his kingdom.

Growing in Wisdom Instead of Remaining Spiritually Stagnant

He doesn't want one of us to waste our earthly days. Moses prayed in Psalm 90, Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Or like another translation says, that we may one day present to you a heart of wisdom.

A heart that has learned wisdom through the days we spent on earth. I want to ask you, my brothers and sisters, have you learned some wisdom? Are you learning more and more? Wisdom is God's nature. To learn more and more and to partake more and more of that is the purpose with which God has placed us on earth.

Not just to be a witness for him to the others, but that as we witness to him, concerning him, we ourselves grow in wisdom and partaking his nature. Then we can ask ourselves, why is it that with most believers, and I'm not here to criticize anyone, I'm just making an observation, what I have seen through 47 years of being a believer, that the vast majority of believers never seem to make much progress.

And even many whom I see 20 years after they are born again, they are still good people, they are still getting 100%. Would you be happy if your son got 100 every year for 20 years in school? Yes. But not if he is sitting in the kindergarten every year and getting 100%.

That's what's happening. They are getting 100%, but they are not growing. They are in the same class. They are good brothers 20 years ago, they are good brothers today. They are good sisters 20 years ago, they are good sisters today.

But they are on the same level. And I thought of this verse in Hebrews 11, which says, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. In the KJV it says like that. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

That's not just in that verse. He rewards those who seek him with all their hearts. We speak about wholehearted believers. Even in the Old Testament, the Lord said similar words in Jeremiah chapter 29.

And he says here in verse 13, You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I want to share this with you, my brothers and sisters, that that is the reason why some find him and some don't.

And some find more and more of him and some don't. It's all a question of whether you seek him with all your heart. And the circumstances that God allows us to face in our life are the means by which he is able to determine whether we seek him with all our heart or half-heartedly.

And those little events along our life's way, where we make decisions either to seek God wholeheartedly in that situation or sort of given just some corner in our life, determine where we're going to end up 20 years from now, spiritually.

And whether we're going to have regret in eternity over the way we lived on earth or we're going to have some satisfaction as we look back over our earthly life. Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, an expression that has come to my heart this morning.

1 Corinthians 9, Paul says, I don't run without aim. Just think of that expression for a moment. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 26. Therefore I run in such a way as not without aim. I'm not running without an aim.

I've got a goal. I'm aiming for the finishing line and I'm not allowing other things to distract me. That's why that man accomplished so much in such a short life. I think he was converted when he was about 30.

Many of us, by God's grace, were converted in our teenage years. Paul didn't have that benefit. He was converted around when he was 30. And he died perhaps when he was around 67. 37 years. What a lot he accomplished.

And that person's life challenges me constantly. I've been a believer longer than him. But I haven't accomplished a fraction of what that man accomplished. And I see all the great men of God in history.

They ran with an aim. They had a single goal. Paul says in another place in Philippians 3, I pressed toward the goal. There's only one thing I do, he says. Only one thing. He didn't dabble in 10 ,000 things or even 2 things.

This is one thing I do, I'm gonna press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And I wanna say, even if you've never been like that till now, I wanna encourage you, at least the remaining years of your life, whether they are long or short, determine that you'll do only one thing.

The call with which God called you. Paul says in Philippians 3, I want to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me. Think of that expression for a moment. Christ laid hold of me with a certain purpose.

I wanna lay hold of that before I leave this earth. I was gripped by that when I was 21 years old. As I look back, I don't regret the way I've lived. If it were not for that, I would have wasted many years of my life.

And I wanna say to you, brothers and sisters, be gripped by the fact that Christ laid hold of you with a purpose. Every one of you. You are not insignificant. You may be insignificant in the eyes of your relatives, in the eyes of people who work in your office, in your neighborhood.

You may live in a little hut. It doesn't make a difference. Jesus lived in a very small little house in Nazareth. But He was not insignificant. He was the most significant person on earth. And I want you to know that you are significant in God's purposes.

And don't let anybody devalue your importance. And don't devalue it yourself. God's got a purpose for you. He laid hold of you in Christ with a purpose. But He can't do it without your cooperation. If God could make us spiritual.

Please listen to this. If God could make us spiritual without our cooperation, what do you think would be the result today? We would all be like Jesus today. Every single one of us sitting here. And I'll prove that to you from the planets.

Think of Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, all these planets. They all obey God perfectly. And not just for one or two years. I mean we find it difficult to obey God for one year. They've been obeying God split-second obedience for thousands and thousands of years.

How did they do that? Because God gave them no choice. Mercury and Venus and Saturn and all don't have a choice. Shall I obey God or not obey God? That's why they... You know like robots and things that automatically programmed.

God could have made Adam like that. He could have made you like that. Where you don't have a will. Like Saturn and Neptune and Uranus and all these planets, you just go around doing God's will. God didn't want that.

Who wants a robot at home? You fathers. Would you have children or robots? Which would you prefer? Robots are obedient. Children are disobedient. Which would you prefer? Tell me. I'd prefer children any day.

I had four sons. They were not always obedient as they grew up. But I'd prefer them any day to four obedient robots. And that's how God is. Because in our heart we still see a little bit of the father heart of God.

He said, even if my children are disobedient, I want children. I don't want robots. I don't want millions of planets and stars. I'd rather have one son who chooses me voluntarily. Who chooses me above everything that I have created.

And he made one like that, Adam. And sent him into the garden to test only one thing. Will you choose me above everything I have created? I mean, the test could have even been Adam going to the garden and don't touch any tree.

Just pass. And prove that you love me. Even that he should have been willing to do. Sure, Jesus was like that. When he was tested at the end of 40 days. He was hungry, about to die. And the devil says, turn the stones into bread.

And Jesus says, no. I'd rather die than disobey God. My father has not permitted me to turn stones into bread. But you'll die. You haven't eaten for 40 days. I'm ready to die. My father is everything to me.

That is the exact opposite of Adam. Adam was only told not to touch one tree. And God made it attractive to test him. Whether he would choose God above the most attractive thing in the world. I have a feeling that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the most attractive tree in that garden.

God made it like that to test him. Will you choose me above the most attractive thing I have created? Whether it be a tree or a woman or a man or money or a job or a house. Anything. Adam said, no. Eve said, no.

What do you say? That's the test that faces us everyday. You will seek me. And you will find me. When you search for me with all your heart. When I am more important to you than the most beautiful things I have created which you have opportunity to get.

Choosing What Is Profitable for Eternity

Not just evil things. Paul lived at a higher level than just rejecting evil. Let me show you a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 12. All things are lawful for me but not all things are profitable.

All things are lawful for me but I will not be mastered by anything. You know, when Paul says all things are lawful for me that's different from some sinner saying everything is lawful for me. Everything in the world is not lawful.

But Paul had forsaken everything sinful that he knew to be sinful. Such a man could say among all the things I have chosen now which I have rejected all sinful things everything is lawful. But still I don't choose everything that's lawful.

You see the first choice all of us have to make is the choice between what is lawful and unlawful what is righteous and unrighteous. That's the baby level, Christian baby level choice. As soon as you are born again you have to discern between good and evil.

That is, is this God's will? Or this is not God's will? I choose between good and evil. This is good, this is evil. I reject evil. That itself is pretty good if you reach that standard where you have rejected everything that's unlawful and you consistently reject everything that's unlawful in your life and choose only what's lawful.

But the spiritual man makes one more choice. That's the point. Among this list of lawful things having rejected everything unlawful he says now everything that I do is lawful within that I'm making a further choice he says.

Out of all the things that are lawful for me only 5 is profitable is edifying is going to glorify God. I have time in my life only to do 5 among all the lawful things on earth and I choose those. He selects out of all the lawful things the only things he has time for in the light of eternity.

And such a man can say at the end of his life like Paul said I fought a good fight. I think that fight was not only against sin it's great if we keep fighting against sin and we should but he was also fighting against the temptation to do a whole lot of lawful things which are not profitable.

The temptation to be occupied with so many things which are not evil but which would hinder him from accomplishing God's will for his life. I'm not saying that Paul wouldn't go on a picnic or go to sleep and take rest.

No, these things are necessary. We need to relax, we need a little bit of clean entertainment. That's all needed for our bodies because we are not disembodied spirits. We've got a body and we've got to take care of it.

I'm not saying Paul wouldn't eat ice cream if it were available. But what I'm saying is he knew that he didn't have time in one life to dabble in so many things. Most of us don't realize that. We have only one life and I tell you as I grow older it becomes more and more clear to me.

Time is running out. Time is short. And I don't have time to dabble in so many things. I don't have time to know all about everything that's happening in the world. I have to concentrate. I have to finish the work God gave me to do before I leave this earth.

Paul had that sense. He was gripped by that. What about you? Do you feel God has got a plan for you that there's a work for Jesus that no one on earth can do but you? If you don't do it, you'll miss out on something.

God's work will still be done. But somebody else will do what you should have done. And somebody else will get the crown that you should have got. My own conviction as I read Luke chapter 6 is that Judas Iscariot was as wholehearted as Peter, James or John on the day he was chosen.

Because it says there in Luke chapter 6 that Jesus prayed all night and sought the Father. Whom should I choose from my multitude of disciples to be my apostles? And the Father gave him twelve names. God doesn't make a mistake.

And we can't accuse God of selecting a crook just to betray Jesus. Don't accuse God of something like that. No. He was wholehearted and there's proof of that. It says in Luke chapter 6 Judas became a traitor.

He wasn't a traitor to start with. So clear. He became a traitor. It says that in Luke chapter 6. So here was a man whom God had chosen to be an apostle of Jesus just like Peter, James or John. Do you think God would have had a plan for Judas Iscariot?

I believe that. But he never fulfilled it. He was the cleverest of the apostles. I have no doubt about that. I think he had the sharpest brain of all the twelve. The others were mostly fishermen and even Matthew was not as clever as Judas.

And the proof that Judas was clever was that he could live for three and a half years with those people day and night and they never discovered he was a crook. Don't you have to be sharp to live three and a half years with people and they don't discover you're a crook?

He was really sharp. And my personal conviction, it's my opinion was that God's plan was that he should write the epistles but he missed it. God selected somebody else. I know the apostles threw lots and choose somebody but God selected Paul to do that job.

There's a verse in Revelation chapter 3 which says when the Lord is writing to the church in Philadelphia which is one of the best of the seven churches undoubtedly to the elder who is the best of the seven elders.

Now if he said this to a half-altered elder it would be different. This is the best messenger of all the seven churches. What does he tell the best of those seven leaders? Many good things. And then he tells him in verse 11 Revelation 3 .11 I'm coming quickly hold fast to what you have so that no one takes your crown.

Crown is a reward that God's gonna give in eternity. How can somebody else take a crown reserved for me? I'll tell you there was a crown reserved for Judas. Paul got it. In other words Paul got his own crown for the ministry God called him for.

In addition he got Judas's too. That's my guess. Otherwise what does that verse mean? Can somebody take my crown? Sure. See if God has called me to do a particular job. I mean he saved me when I was 19 and God said okay I'm gonna give you say 50 or 70 years whatever length of time God's planned for me to do a particular job for me on earth and I've got a crown for you.

He doesn't tell me all that. It's written in scripture. That's how I know. And I play the fool and I take it easy and relax and do my own thing and live to make money. Of course I'm a good believer. I go to church I give money for God's work and don't go into any great sin or anything.

But I'm not gripped by God having a plan for my life. When I say God has a plan for my life I'm not talking about full time Christian work. My guess is my opinion again is that 90 of people in Christian work in India today are not in God's will.

They got into Christian work because they didn't get any other job. They couldn't get admission to good colleges so they went to a Bible college. This is not God's work. 90 of the people I've met are like that.

That's why there's no anointing on them. There's no power in them. There's no fire in their life. Because God doesn't anoint people whom he has not called who go into something which they went into third rate useless type of people very often in God's work.

Why is that? Jesus never called an unemployed person to be an apostle. Show me in the scriptures they're all working people who are faithful in their secular job. God said leave that come and serve me.

But that's not what we see in India today unfortunately. But what I say is if I play the fool like that and don't do what God wants me to do. And if you do like that I come to the end of my life and I get and I die.

And I'll go to heaven. Sure my conscience is clear but I'm not going to get the crown God had for me. Does that mean that that particular ministry which God planned for me to do will not be done? Oh no.

If Judas Iscariot was supposed to write Ephesians God says you don't do it. I'll get somebody else to do it and he'll get your crown. So I want to say God's work will still be done. God's work is not going to be hindered because you play the fool and don't do what he wants you to do.

I'm just saying somebody else will do it but it would have been what you should have done. Think when you finally stand before the Lord and the Lord plays you a video tape not of how you lived but says here's a video tape how you should have lived.

Here's a video tape of what I wanted to do through you what I wanted to accomplish through you. And I sit there and watch that video tape and I say what a fool I was to make those empty choices on earth which had no value in eternity.

How am I going to feel that day? Many people ask tell me this Brezhnev you're one of those almost the only person who I hear keep saying you'll have regret in eternity. You'll have regret in eternity.

Won't you have regret? When you discover somebody else took your crown? When you discover that all your life's work is burnt up in wood hay and straw in the fire and you're saved. Sure some people think if I'm saved and go to heaven I won't have any regret.

I tell you it's not true. The Bible says some people are going to be saved 1 Corinthians 3 .15 but all their life's work will be burnt because they didn't do what God wanted them to do. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Paul said I don't run without an aim. I have an aim and I'm going for that. I want to turn to 1 Timothy and chapter 1 where Paul writing to Timothy says here is the thing here is the goal. We all of our preaching is to lead people to this goal he says.

The Goal of All Preaching: Love From a Pure Heart

And I want to tell you that goal is not Christian work or evangelism or being a pastor. That's specific ministry. God calls different people to different things. I think he calls only 1 1 of Christian work of believers to full time Christian ministry.

99 of God's people are not to be in full time Christian ministry. That was true in the 1st century and it's true in the 21st century. And look around and see there is less than 1 of Christians in full time ministry.

So when we talk about having a goal we are not talking about full time ministry. Lot of people in full time ministry have a lot more time than many of you folks have who have got a secular job to do. But I want to say do you think God has got no purpose for this other 99

He's got a purpose for 100 of his believers of his children. What is the goal? And if you keep this as your goal I'll tell you ministry will flow out of you automatically. I found that true more than 40 years of full time Christian work.

Ministry is not a strain. It flows out when you got the right goal. When you make ministry your goal I want to be a great preacher. I want to be this or that. And it's a strain. But if that's not your goal but your goal is I want to be like Jesus.

I want to be like Jesus in my life. Ministry flows out automatically. And to clarify you know like when we talk about white light it's split up into 7 colors. White consists of violet, indigo, blue, so on.

But in the same way when we talk about becoming like Jesus we need to split that up and be more specific. What does it consist of? Everybody in the world all Christians talk about wanting to be like Jesus.

But we want to be more specific. And Paul says here the goal of our instruction 1 Timothy 1 .5 the whole point of everything that we are teaching. In other words all my preaching all my teaching is directing people towards one goal.

I don't run without aim. This is the goal. This is the aim. This is what we should all aim for love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Just think of those 4 things mentioned there.

Love is the ultimate goal from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Love from a pure heart love from a good conscience and love from a sincere faith. So I just want to look at these first of all a good conscience.

Maintaining a Good Conscience Before God and People

Let's begin with that because that's where we all have to begin. The first thing a sinner needs when he comes to God is to get his conscience clear. And to get our conscience clear means it doesn't mean I have to confess all the sins I have committed in my life.

That is impossible because our memory is not so good that we can remember all the things that we did in our life. The prodigal son when he came back to his father he didn't spend 10 hours listing all the sins he committed.

He said father I have sinned. Dad said come. So I am not talking about confessing all the sins you have committed. I mean if there are some really prominent sins that come to your mind confess them maybe 3 or 4 or 10.

But we don't have to confess all our sins. Anything that is particularly bothering your memory. Confess it finish with it. But the blood of Jesus cleanses us now. The point is this a lot of people who when they first come to Christ and confess their sin and get a good conscience unfortunately don't maintain a good conscience throughout their life.

They start with a good conscience. And I know lots and lots of believers who had a very good conscience when they started. But after some time they develop bitternesses. They sit in a church they won't talk to somebody.

They've got some wrong attitudes towards someone. It's terrible. I mean it wasn't like that the day they were converted. The day they were converted they were so ready to go and ask anybody's forgiveness and so ready to confess everything.

They were so delighted that Jesus died for a wretch like me. Hey Lord I'll do anything. Let's see them 10 years later. And they've got all these bitternesses. Somebody hurt them and they won't forget that somebody cheated them and someone they don't like.

It's terrible isn't it. It's amazing what the devil accomplishes with so many of God's children messes up their life. So good conscience is not something you just start with way back in the beginning.

It's something we have to maintain everyday. Paul said in Acts 24 16 I do my best to maintain a good conscience always in two directions towards God and towards men. That means if I've hurt God for example I had a dirty thought that was a sin towards God not towards men.

I don't have to confess it to men. I immediately clear it. In other words if you have a dirty thought tomorrow morning don't wait till the evening to confess it immediately. You know why many believers don't get victory over dirty lustful thoughts.

I'll tell you they don't confess it immediately. I mean if they were caught in adultery they confess it. But that proves nothing because they were caught. I mean if a thief is caught by the police and he says I'm really sorry for having stolen.

You don't know whether the guy is really sorry or not. He was caught. He was sorry for being caught. But we don't know whether he is sorry for stealing sorry about stealing. I don't know whether he is really sorry about that.

And so when you're caught in a sin and you feel so bad about it oh how terrible. It doesn't mean that you're really sorry or you have repented. That's where God tests you. He tests you when you have sinned and not a soul knows about it.

Not even your wife knows about it. It was in your thoughts. And God says let me see whether this person fears me enough to confess a sin which nobody saw nobody knew and nobody will ever find out. Those are the areas where God finds out whether you fear Him or not.

And I'll tell you the vast majority of Christians do not fear God. And that's why they don't become wise. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It's the ABC of wisdom. It's like in the kindergarten they teach you the ABC.

Now if you don't study ABC you can't study history. You can't study geography you can't study physics, chemistry. You can study nothing. You got to start with ABC. And so when it says the fear of the Lord is the ABC of wisdom.

It means if you don't start with the fear of the Lord you're never going to be wise in the things of God. And the fear of the Lord is tested. Let me tell you in those areas in your life where you sin and nobody knows about it and nobody will ever know about it.

You'll never get caught in your whole life. The vast majority of people don't have the fear of God. I mean in the world we can understand it. The sad thing is a lot of believers don't have the fear of God.

And to seek God with all my heart means you shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. You see, think of two believers born again on the same day attending the same church. Ok same opportunities listening to the same messages having the same amount of free time maybe in the same job ten years later.

Why is one way ahead of the other. Spiritually it's true, I've seen it before my eyes. It's because that one person as soon as he sinned would confess it. Oh Lord I'm sorry, that was a dirty thought. That's evil.

Or it may be a bitter thought against somebody some bitterness against someone who did you some harm. Oh Lord, I don't want that. I want to get rid of it. That person by battling it seeking for the help of the Holy Spirit and grace from God becomes an overcomer.

The other guy says, hey, nobody's catching me. It's just my thoughts. You see him ten years later sluggish, bitter, sour hard to get along with easily offended. And the other guy is becoming spiritual, wholehearted with a radiance in his face and effective for God.

You could have been like that if you had been a little more sensitive in your conscience and not only toward God but toward men. I've given this prescription for all people who want to overcome anger.

And I don't think the prescription has failed. Many of you, if you're honest will admit that you haven't been able to overcome anger even after many years of being a believer. Even after being baptized in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues it appears as though the Holy Spirit cannot control your mother tongue.

Sad, isn't it? It's true of a lot of people who speak in other tongues they can't control their mother tongue. I see, I wonder whether that is the Holy Spirit. What type of spirit is it? Which controls you and makes you speak in other tongues but cannot control your mother tongue.

I would have put a big question mark on that. Sure. I know when I got baptized in the Holy Spirit one of the things that happened in my life my mother tongue began to get under control more and more. Not all of a sudden as I yielded more and more and more I found I got a control over my tongue.

And that is a mark of spiritual growth. You know in the olden days way back a hundred years ago if you went to a doctor and you said you had fever or were sick. You were sick, you know what he'd say? Stick out your tongue, let me have a look at it.

I'll tell you he could look at a tongue and say whether you're sick or not. It's the same spiritually. Let me see your tongue. Tell me how you use it at home. I'll tell you whether you're spiritual or not.

It's like giving a recording of your speech when people who don't know you all the time if you're a recorder working all the time that is a pretty good indication of whether you're spiritual or not. Now here's a prescription every time you get angry with someone sinful anger I mean and you realize afterwards that was wrong.

I'm not asking you to go by my standards, your own conscience tells you that was wrong. It was rude it was evil it was un-Christ. Like go confess it to God. Say Lord that was wrong. That was sinful anger.

That was not righteous indignation or anger. That was sinful anger. I confess it. Please forgive me. And here's the difficult part. Go to the person you got angry with. Not tomorrow, the same day not even in the evening as early as possible.

If the person is not there make a phone call and say I'm sorry for the way I spoke, please forgive me. Okay. Maybe six hours later you get angry again with the same person. Does that happen? Does it happen in your home sometimes?

Do the same thing again. It's so shameful to go to the same person again six hours later and say I'm sorry. Is it shameful? You'll never get victory over anger. 25 years later you'll still be struggling.

You won't take the prescription. There are people who are given a prescription by a doctor, they don't take it and they say doctor I'm not healed, you'll never be healed. I told you to take it three times a day and you took it once in six days.

How are you going to be healed? Take this prescription and tell me in one year whether you're not delivered. I guarantee you'll be delivered. You won't be delivered tomorrow because the pit is so deep in which you've sunk.

But do it do what Paul says. I keep my conscience clear toward God and toward man always. That's a clear conscience. Second thing mentioned here is a sincere faith. Faith. I'm not talking about faith for bigger houses and bigger cars.

Jesus never came and said I'll give you a bigger chariot if you trust me or I'll give you a bigger house if you trust me or a better job. Where do we find that? That's Old Testament. Deuteronomy 28 it says you obey me and I'll prosper you and I'll give you a lot of money and I'll make sure your enemies don't defeat you etc etc.

But we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus not in earthly places. Ephesians 1 .3 Moses said I'll bless you in earth. God says I'll bless you in earthly places.

In Canaan people haven't made that shift from the old covenant to the new covenant. That's why they're occupied with all these earthly things. Does that mean God doesn't care for our earthly things? He certainly does.

I've proved Him in over 40 years. If I seek God's kingdom first whatever is necessary for me He adds on to me. Do you know who's a rich man? Here's the definition of a rich man. Not a person who's got a large bank account.

Because if that's the case God is not rich. He doesn't have a big bank account. Not a man who's got a lot of money in his wallet. God doesn't even have a wallet. God is the richest person in the universe even financially.

The mark of a rich person let me show you from scripture is Revelation chapter 3 verse 17. You say I'm rich. I have become wealthy. I have need of nothing. Did you get that? The mark of a rich wealthy person is I don't need anything.

God says that He doesn't have a bank account. He doesn't have a wallet. He says I need nothing. And if you are a person who says God has given me enough for me I need nothing. You are a rich man, you are the richest man in Bangalore.