Principles of God's Kingdom — Zac Poonen

So we are first going to have a dedication of two children, and then we'll continue after that. You want to turn first of all to Malakai in chapter 2. In Malakai 2, verse 15, it reads slightly differently in different translations.

It says here, didn't he make you one? In the middle of that verse. And why did he make you one? Because he was seeking a godly offspring. That's the middle of Malakai 2, verse 15. The middle of that verse.

Raising Godly Offspring Through Marriage

Why did he make you one? Because he wanted a godly offspring. So, God's purpose in making a husband and wife one is to produce a godly offspring. Not just children, but godly children. So it's very important to remember that.

That God hasn't united husbands and wives just to become one. Just to be husband and wife. Not just to have children, but to have godly children. And that's where we really need the help of the Holy Spirit.

To give us grace, to be able to, in an evil world where everything around us is evil, to have wisdom, to teach our children God's ways in a world that lies, the Bible says the world lies in the power of the evil one.

And to help our children to overcome that power as they grow up. Who can do that? All our cleverness won't help. We can educate our children, feed our children, clothe our children, but to give God what he wants, a godly offspring, that every one of our children will become godly.

Do you think God will give us a command like that and not give us the power? Do you think God will tell us to do something and not give us the ability to do it? It's impossible. God's word is the word of his grace, which means if there is a single command in scripture, you can be absolutely sure that he will give you the grace to keep it.

You can be sure of that, without any doubt. So that's why when we read something like this, we know that, yeah, if God wants a godly offspring from me and my wife, he will definitely give me the power for it and the grace for it.

And when we say, Lord, I believe you'll give me the power and the grace to raise up all my children as godly. You know what the Lord will say to you? My son, my daughter, according to your faith, be it unto you.

But if there are some who say, oh, children are all different, we can't expect them all to be the same. Some will turn out badly. God will say, according to your faith, be it unto you. You believe the giants of Canaan are more powerful than almighty God.

You will never enter the land. You believe that the evil in the world is more powerful to influence your children than the power of almighty God. You will never get godly offspring. But if you say, Lord, I believe.

What power can stand against you if you told me that that's why you united us as one? To give us godly offspring? Well, it shall be so. You know, when we read a command in scripture or a promise in scripture, our duty is only to say Amen.

It will be so. That's an expression of faith. And I'll tell you one thing. When we stand before the Lord, it's good to know it now. You know, it's good to know how to do a mathematics problem before the examination, not after the examination is over.

The examination will be over when we stand before Christ on the final day. And in that day, we will discover that some people who had real problem children but trusted God, produced godly offspring because they trusted him.

And those who kept on blaming circumstances and children and evil in the world and said it's not possible, it did not happen. And you'll discover in that day, it had nothing to do with the children. It had nothing to do with the evil circumstances.

It had to do with how much you had faith that an almighty God is more powerful than all the giants of Canaan and all the evil in the world. And if a husband and wife, let me tell you this, if a husband and wife unite in prayer, Jesus said, if two of you agree concerning anything, it will be granted by my father in heaven.

We need to have more faith, brothers and sisters. It's not enough just to come to the meetings and to hear good things and have our external life a little improved. And we think we are a little better than other Christians and say, oh, we hear wonderful truths here.

It's not enough. It's not according to your knowledge, be it unto you, it's according to your faith. And if you have faith, Jesus said, even if there's a mountain in your way, it can be removed. Let's have faith for that.

Some of you who have problems or who may have problems in the days to come with some of your children. It's like a mountain. Let's say, Lord, you said you're seeking a godly offspring. Why did you make us one, Lord?

Why did you make me and my wife one? The answer is you're seeking a godly offspring. Then fulfill it in my life. I believe you'll do it. So let's have faith. You know, sometimes we read that beautiful story in Matthew 17.

Let me turn you there. Matthew 17 and verse 14. Matthew 17, verse 14. From out of the crowd, a man came up to Jesus. Put yourself there. You fathers and mothers, put yourself there. A woman came up to Jesus.

A man came up to Jesus and falling on his knees before said, Lord, please have mercy on my son. Please have mercy on my daughter. For he behaves like a lunatic. He behaves like a worldly person. He's growing up ungodly.

He's spiritually very ill. He often does a lot of stupid things. I brought him to your disciples. They could do nothing for him. I come to you and Jesus said, bring him to me. Verse 17, last part. Bring him here to me.

Have you heard that? You got more than one child? Bring them here to me. I say, Lord, I bring them before you. The child didn't have any faith. It's the father who had faith. It's a mother who can have faith.

It doesn't matter if the children don't have. Such a great example of a father who had a needy child. Took him to this church, that church, to all the brothers and sisters. Nothing could do for them. He brought him to Jesus.

And in a moment, what a word it says. The boy was cured at once. According to your faith, be it unto you. We can read books on bringing up children. You know, many people have asked me to write a book.

Brother Zach, you've written many books. There are very few people who have godly children. Why don't you write a book about bringing up children? I said, no, I won't write that. Because it had nothing to do with me.

It was God. 100%. What will I write in a book? God did it all in spite of my mistakes and my failures. We would just fall on our knees, my wife and I, and say, Lord, do something for our children. That's all.

That's the end of the book. It's all these techniques. There are so many people who write books just to make money. You can read all the techniques and all the books on parenting and everything else in the world.

I'll tell you, there's nothing superior to the Bible. Bring your child before Jesus. From a very young age. Hold that child up before Jesus, father and mother, and say, Lord, let this child grow up to love you, fear you, to be another generation of witnesses for you in this ungodly world.

Yeah, it says all must prophesy. I'll tell you what I prayed for my own children. Lord, I pray that all my children will prophesy. I have 14 grandchildren, 8 grandsons and 6 granddaughters. You know what I pray for them?

I never pray they'll be great in the world or they'll be rich. I pray, Lord, that's the third generation. I want all of them to prophesy. That's what I pray. I don't know what you pray for your children, grandchildren.

That's what I pray. Honestly, so many mornings I get up and I pray that. What else to pray for? I don't care if they live in a small house. It doesn't interest me. I'm thinking of eternity. I'm thinking of they're doing something for Jesus who died for them, gave his life for them.

If God provides them with other things, that's extra. Praise the Lord. But that's not the main thing. That there'll be witnesses in their generation. Pray for that, my brothers and sisters. I'll tell you something.

God does not listen to the words we speak from our mouth. I can say the most spiritual things. You heard me say this. You can say the most spiritual things to God with your mouth, but he looks at the heart.

And if deep down in your heart, that is not what you desire for your children, but you desire something else, God will answer that prayer. And what you desire deep down in your heart for your children may be something else.

Then that's what you'll get. But if deep down in your heart, your desire is that your children, and if you have grandchildren, start praying for them from the time they are small. They'll grow up to be witnesses to the Lord, a godly generation for him.

Generation after generation, wherever they live on the face of the earth, I can tell you in Jesus' name, God will answer your prayer. Is it possible that a man can bring a child to Jesus when he was on earth?

A desperate need, and say, Lord, I can do nothing for my son. Your disciples can do nothing. Can you do something? And Jesus said in another passage, it says, if you can believe, don't say to me if I can, if you can believe, it will be done.

Sometimes we say that to the Lord, Lord, if you can, it's very interesting, in Mark Gospel, same passage, he came to Jesus and said, if you can do something, and Jesus said, if you can, believe. And that's what the Lord says.

If you can believe, all things are possible. I believe that with all my heart. We live in a generation where the only, they use that verse only to make money. Oh, if I can believe, I can get a better house, a better car, and healthy.

I'll tell you honestly, I'm not interested in house, car, or even health. I want to spend my days, if I live to be a hundred years old, I want to be a witness for Christ, till my dying day or till the Lord calls me home, if I'm raptured.

And exactly the same thing I desire for all my children and grandchildren, I urge you, if you have been gripped by the message in CFC, that should be your desire, for your children, that they will come under the government of God in their lives.

May it be so. May none of our children, I'm not just interested that our children should not go to hell, that our children should be baptized. I'm not at all happy, if the children are baptized, so what?

Simon the magician was baptized and he went to hell. They must be bold, flaming witnesses, spiritual witnesses for Christ in their generation. Let's make them the burden of our heart. We know you're a sincere Christian, if that is the burden of your heart for your children, then you know you're a sincere Christian.

I've often said, what you desire for your children, deep down in your heart, that shows what you really desire. If you desire that they should be great in the world, that is really your desire, even though you may have this religious Christian whitewash.

And if it is like that, ask God to change your heart, and show you the things that are eternal, valuable. To me, when I say, this is what I seek for my children, other people are seeking something great in the earth, it's like, in an earthly sense, it's like I'm collecting real money, and those people are collecting, you know, the games they have with paper money.

This is the real thing, to live for God, so that for millions of years in eternity, you and your children and grandchildren will be able to rejoice, that you live for the right thing, instead of wasting your lives on earth.

May God bless you. So we're going to pray for two children, the closest to heaven that we see on earth, is what you just saw on the pulpit, not me, those children. It's the closest to heaven, you can see on this earth.

Praise the Lord, that we can see such examples on earth, that we can follow. Those who have no high thoughts about themselves, those who don't pretend to be something they are not, they are just themselves.

It's easy to fellowship with brothers and sisters who don't pretend to be spiritual, who are just themselves. If they are five years old, they don't pretend to be 25. Isn't it good? Brothers and sisters who don't pretend to be up here spiritually, when they are here spiritually.

I always tell people, don't pretend to be spiritual, just be yourself, and we'll get along fine. It's very difficult to fellowship with anybody who is pretending, using language, words, praying in a certain way to impress.

I shrink away from such people. It's almost impossible for me to fellowship with them. That's one of the great things we can learn from children. Be natural. Be yourself. We cannot become great men and women of God overnight.

It takes time. And the child understands. It's not a grown man. It's a little baby. It'll grow up. And little by little, it grows and we see it's growing. That's how it is to be spiritually. Don't ever try to impress, if you want to grow spiritually, if you want to be part of God's kingdom.

Humility and Sincerity in Spiritual Growth

Okay, now we're going to go through the verses that we memorize. We won't be doing all the verses every time. For a couple of months, we'll go through all the verses and then we'll just do the new ones.

So today we'll go through all of them. First, we started on the 8th of March. Sin shall not be master over you. Let's say it together. Sin shall not be master over you. For you're not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6 .14. Make it personal. Sin shall not be master over me. For I am not under law, but under grace. Romans 6 .14. Okay, the next verse. That was a promise. Now we go to commandments. Say it together.

Jesus said, He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him. John 14 .21. Okay, go to the next verse. Let's say it together.

It's a promise again. God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8 .28. Let's claim that promise. It's God's promise for all those who love Him.

The next one. A commandment. Let's say it together. Jesus said, Every careless word that people speak they shall give an account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.

Are you going to be justified or condemned by the words that you spoke last week at home to your husband, to your wife? Will you be justified or will you be condemned? Every word. Okay. Let's take it seriously this week and in the weeks to come.

I believe these words. This is one of the verses which is one of the least, least believed by Christians around the world. I am absolutely convinced 99 .9 of Christians do not believe that every careless word they speak God is going to make them account for it.

No. The amount of careless words I've heard Christians speak it's obvious they don't believe this verse at all. We want to be different in CFC. Dear brothers and sisters, believe it. It's true. I often tell people, You will thank me in the day of judgment that I told you the whole truth.

The whole truth is every careless word. You'll be justified or condemned by what you speak. Ask God for power. I know you can control every part of your body except your tongue. The Bible says that. Ask God for power.

It says in James, It's easier to tame a lion than to tame the tongue. Only God can do it. But he can. I sought for this for years. I said, Lord, I will never give up till I can control my tongue. It's not enough even to speak in unknown tongues.

I want to control my mother tongue. I can tell you, if you seek God earnestly, he will do it. Don't say this giant of Canaan is too strong. No. God can bring him down. Put him under your feet that you can be more than a conqueror.

Okay, next verse, A promise. It's a good promise for what we just considered. Say it together. The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? There are three separate statements.

Say it again. The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? You know, this is the verse I like people to speak. Just like it says in Hebrews 13, 6. We must boldly say it. It's the only verse in the Bible where it says we must boldly say this.

You look through the Bible and see if there's any other verse where the Holy Spirit says we must boldly say it. I think this is the only one. So let's say it boldly, which means loudly, okay? The Lord is my helper.

I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? I'm past 75. I can say it like that. All of you fellows should be shouting it. We should be able to shake this roof. Okay, Hebrews 13, 6. The next verse. This is a commandment.

We go alternately promise, commandment, promise, commandment like the two legs. We walk on. Let's say it together. If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. Another verse that I think more than, at least more than 90 of Christians do not believe. They think you can ignore it.

You know there are some people who do something wrong to somebody. Now examine your own heart. See if it's true. And then they feel it's too humbling to go and apologize. Maybe to your wife. How can you apologize?

So instead of that, they just act nice and say isn't it great and just everything's going nice and they act like that, the matter is not settled. Because there's an act that you did that you never asked forgiveness for.

You can act nice and behave and talk about nice things and say we have wonderful fellowship, but there remains there in history a record, something you have not settled. You know it's like if you borrowed 10 ,000 rupees from somebody and then you haven't done anything about it for a number of months and one day you say, hi, isn't it great that we are great friends and never talk about the debt.

You think that's right? It's exactly like that. What about that debt? So trying to make up for some wrong that I did by just being nice. The Bible teaches you can't do that with sin. That is a false teaching of many religions.

That you've done a lot of sins, no need to ask forgiveness, just do a lot of good things. It's a weighing balance. The good things outweigh the bad things. God will take you to heaven. That is a lie. The same thing applies in our relationships.

You've done something or one thing wrong. You cannot rectify it by 10 ,000 good things. That wrong must be apologized for. You think all Christians believe that? I wish they did. We'd have a better quality of Christianity on this earth.

That's one reason why we started CFC 40 years ago. We said we can't change the whole country. We can't change all the Christians in the world. We can't change all the Christians in Bangalore. We can't change all the Christians even in a small area.

But at least a few. Maybe a drop in an ocean. But we're going to make that one drop as pure as possible. So keep that in mind. Matthew 6, 14 and 15. Okay, we go to the next verse. A promise. Let's say it together.

God is faithful. Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation will also provide a way of escape. So that you'll be able to endure it. Which means overcome it. So we can look forward to the future and say for the next and till the end of my life.

Till the end of my life. Tomorrow, next week, next year. However long I live. I will never face even one trial. Or one temptation. That is too strong for me to overcome. No trial that will be too heavy for me.

That will make me collapse and grumble and complain. Impossible. Every trial I'll be able to overcome and say praise the Lord. God is on the throne. My sins are all forgiven. The devil's been defeated.

Christ is coming back. Hallelujah. That's what we'll be able to say in whatever situation. Even when we're sick or dying or imprisoned or persecuted or about to be beheaded. Fine. Jesus Christ is Lord.

I tell you it's a wonderful life. There's nothing like the Christian faith on the face of the earth. There's absolutely nothing to equal it. There's nothing like God's word. The fantastic promises. The fantastic commandments.

I've been reading the Bible for 55 years. I get excited reading it even now. I mean when I read these verses I say wow. It's exciting. Does it excite you? You know if God's word excites you you'll be able to stir other people with it.

Many preachers are not able to stir others because they themselves are not excited by God's word. It's a profession for them. They have to get up and say something and preach something. May it never be for anybody who stands in this pulpit.

I pray that anybody who stands here will even if he can't speak English properly at least he'll be excited about God's word. That's the main thing. Okay. Now a new verse for today. This is a promise. Sorry a commandment.

We had a promise last time. Now the commandment is Is that easy or difficult? In everything give thanks. Give thanks is easy. But when you add the word everything that's tough. But if the previous verse is true that God will never allow me to be tested beyond my ability to be tried then we can be absolutely sure we can give thanks for everything.

And if the other verse we read earlier that God causes everything to work for my good. If something's working for your good can you give thanks for it or not? If your boss called you to the office and say hey I've just decided to double your salary.

What are you gonna do? Give thanks or not? That was something good. Do you look at everything that God will cause everything to work for your good? I believe it. I believed it. I'll tell you something.

When you serve the Lord like I've tried to. I mean I've been serving the Lord full time for nearly half a century, 50 years. And many people. I've been a target of the devil for years. And my family too.

And many people have tried to do me harm. But nobody has succeeded in doing harm to me in all my life. Everything has worked for my good. I can testify to that at the age of 75. Every single thing that's happened in my life.

Every evil thing that people try to do to me worked for my good and will continue to work for my good till Jesus comes. I hope that will be your testimony. And that as you look back over your past and see the evil things that people did to you and see the good that God brought out of it.

That gives you hope for the future. That should be our testimony. Everybody. I'm not happy with just 10 -20 people here believing that. Every single one of us. Just like I wanted all my children to be disciples of Jesus.

I want all of us to believe this. And to live like this. Let's say it together. In everything give thanks. For this is God's will for you. In Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5 .18. Say it again. In everything give thanks.

For this is God's will for you. In Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5 .18. There are many areas where we don't know God's will. This is about the only verse in the Bible where it specifically says This is God's will for you.

In Christ Jesus. You search the Bible. You may not find another verse like this where it says this is God's will for you. I mean everything in the Bible is God's will for us but here's a particular thing says this is God's will for you because some people say that's impossible.

What do you mean give thanks and everything? This is God's will for you. So next time, you know some people come to me and say Brother Zach, can you please help me find God's will in this area? And I say hang on.

Shall we start with doing God's will in the areas where he's already shown you what his will is? Then move on to other areas. Number one. In everything give thanks. This is God's will. There's no doubt about it.

So even if I don't know God's will in 10 ,000 areas there's one area I do know God's will. Sometimes when you're confused about something Lord, I don't know whom to marry, which job to take, where shall I go in this particular situation.

I don't know God's will. But Lord, I know one area where I know God's will and I'll do that. In everything give thanks. Why not act like that in future? Instead of hanging your head and say Oh, I don't know brother.

What is God's will? Let's lift up our heads. God is the lifter of our head. It's a wonderful verse in the Old Testament where it says, Oh Lord, you're the lifter of my head. I believe that. We must always have our head lifted up.

Okay. Thank God for these verses. Let's just bow for a moment of silence and think about this verse. In everything give thanks. What are you thinking about? In everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Just think for a moment and see if there's any area right now that you can remember. Any matter for which you're not giving thanks but you've got a spirit of complaining. Even if it's a difficult area or problem say Lord, I want to give thanks.

Thank you Lord. We believe your promises are true. We want to live by your commandments and claim your promises. In Jesus name, Amen. Okay. It's wonderful that we are going to Scripture first every Sunday because there's nothing to beat God's word.

Man's word can never equal God's word. I hope you will learn to appreciate God's words more than my words. Many people write to me, Oh Brother Jayak, your words are such a blessing. See, I hope God's word is a greater blessing.

Never put a man's word above God's word. I never do it. I've been blessed by many godly men whom I've heard and many godly men whom I've read. But never do I put any of those writings above God's word.

They help me. And any brother who helped me to find God's word understand it better. That's the one I appreciate. So today I wanted you to turn to Mark's Gospel in chapter 9. Mark chapter 9. I want to speak to you a little bit about the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God as God's Government

I've spoken about it before but I want to make it clear to everyone here especially those who are new. It's an expression that comes many hundred times many times anyway in the Scriptures. And here in Mark 9 .1 Jesus said some amazing words to people who are standing there in front of him.

He said, truly I say to you. Why does he say truly? Because he knew some people wouldn't believe it. Some of those who are standing here right now will not taste death. That means they will not die until they see the Kingdom of God coming with power.

Now many Christians have tried to interpret that verse and say well the Kingdom of God is still to come Jesus hasn't come. So what does that verse mean? Maybe he's talking about spiritual death. You think all those people standing there were doing all that analysis?

No. They were simple Jewish people and they heard Jesus say some of you standing here will not die till the Kingdom of God comes with power. If you were standing there what would you believe? You'd say great.

I'm not going to die. Maybe some here will die some of the older people but I won't die till I see the Kingdom of God come. That's exactly the meaning. That's how I would understand it and Jesus wasn't talking in riddles and parables.

Some of you will not die until you see the Kingdom of God come with power. I believe it. I believe a number of people who are listening to Jesus at that time did not die till they saw the Kingdom of God come with power and we know that none of them are living today.

They all died long ago. So what did this Kingdom of God coming with power mean? It does not refer to that day when Jesus comes and sets up his kingdom on earth and the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord and the Kingdom of God will cover the whole earth.

It's not referring to that day. It must be something else. Kingdom is a word which is in the first century. Every country was a kingdom because every country had a king. Today the kingdoms in the world are just a few.

Most countries in the world don't have a king. So the word today is government. We don't say the kingdom of India. The government of India. So it is the government of God when the Bible says seek the kingdom of God first.

I used to think for years that that meant missionary work or preaching the gospel. But when I understood that kingdom today means government that means I must have the government of God in my life. That means I must let God govern my life.

Kingdom of God is righteousness. That means when I work, whether I am at home, I must let the principles of God's kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, run everything in my life. If you go to work in the midst of so many unbelievers in your office or factory, you are under the government of God.

You do things in a different way. You don't fight or quarrel and stand on people's shoulders, push them down to get a promotion. No, no, no. You don't do all that. You live by the principles of God's kingdom.

You are upright. You won't tell lies. You won't cheat. You won't try to make money in wrong ways. You don't have any black money. Everything is white. You are upright. You are clear about everything in your life.

Because God is ruling and controlling you, not only outwardly but even in your thoughts. This is the government of God. When it says the government of God coming with power, and when I hear that word power, I am reminded of Acts 1.

Power. In Acts 1, Jesus said, Acts 1 and verse 8, You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come. And earlier than that, after the resurrection, Acts 1 verse 3, He presented himself alive after his suffering on the cross by many convincing proofs and appeared to his disciples for 40 days.

And what did he speak in those 40 days? The government of God. That was his subject. 40 days. Telling them about the kingdom or the government of God. And then he said, Now that I have told you for 40 days about the government of God, don't leave Jerusalem.

Wait for what the Father has promised. What is that? The power. Verse 8. That will come upon you. The kingdom of God coming with power. So you see the connection. So the kingdom of God came with power onto this earth on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled those 120 waiting people.

And the external manifestations of wind and fire were only a little indication of something that was happening in the hearts of these 120. The government of God came upon them. All their differences and fighting with each other disappeared.

They were like 120 pieces of iron. All separate, separate pieces of iron. Put in the furnace and came out as one solid piece of iron. That is the church. And the fire of God melts our individual ambitions and desires and aims and makes us one.

And Christ is the head. It's interesting if you turn back in Matthew chapter 3. You know John the Baptist was the one who came as a forerunner for Christ. And God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way.