The Light of Christs Judgement Seat — Zac Poonen

The Bible as God’s Written Word

So the second verse I wanted to show you in 2nd Corinthians 5. I hope you will all be very diligent Students of the Word of God very very important. What I have said for many years. Almighty God who created us Loves us so much.

Among all the billions of books in the world. There's only one book that he wrote. Only one book That our Heavenly Father wrote For us. That's the Bible if you believe that you will read this book. More than any other book.

It's my personal testimony. For 57 years. I've read this book more than any other book in the world. I've tried to know everything in this book. And even when I was working I Used to study this book every morning as a young man.

When I was working in the naval base in Cochin And on the ship every morning, I would get up first thing. I did kneel down pray open my Bible and read it. I'd recommend it to all young people. Last thing I did before I went to bed.

Read the Bible study kneel down pray and go to bed. It protected my life as a young man from many sins. So many people say oh, I'm a young man. I'm struggling with so many sins. Try my method. Study the Word of God begin your day and end your day with God.

And see how God protects you. See how you sleep peacefully at night without your mind being filled with dirty dreams. Here is a book that will keep you from sin. Or sin will keep you away from this book you choose.

Study the Word of God. There's so much in this even today after reading it for 57 years. I discover new things. Just a few days ago. I said Lord. I want you to give me a fresh Infilling of the Holy Spirit.

I've been filled with the Holy Spirit many times but I said I want you to give me a fresh infilling and I say I'm gonna start reading Matthew chapter 1 all over again. And I want you to show me new things in the gospel of Matthew that I've never seen in 57 years.

Believe it or not He began to show me things that I never struck me before. This is an amazing book. It's not like any other book. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 11 25 Clever intelligent people cannot understand it.

If you are clever and intelligent that is a handicap. It's like being lame. You know they have these Paralympics. Olympics for paralyzed people. I'm not saying you cannot run, but recognize that your intelligence is a handicap.

Then who will understand it. Jesus said babes will understand. What is a baby have? Which clever intelligent people don't have. Is there any book in the world. Any book in the world? Which you can say only babies can understand this book.

Clever intelligent people cannot understand this book. Show me a book like that. It's only the Bible. You know why? Babies have got humility. It's clever intelligent people don't have. Rich people don't have there's a pride.

That comes with intelligence and cleverness. I'm clever. I'm intelligent. I'm not saying I'm not. And there's a I'm handicapped. But I'm going to run the race with the handicap because I want to be like a babe babes have got two things.

Which clever intelligent people don't have one is humility? So that's what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 11 25 to study the Bible what you need is not intelligence up here, but humility. The humble man will understand the Bible better than the clever man always.

If I want an interpretation of scripture, I'll go to the humble man not the clever man. If he's humble and clever fine, but if he's only clever no hope. The second thing that babies have is a helpless dependence on others.

See baby cannot do anything cannot even feed itself. Dependent on his parents, and that's the second attitude. I must have when I come to the scriptures. Lord I'm a helpless baby dependent on you. You have these two qualities.

Humility and a helpless dependence. You will understand the Bible better than Bible scholars and scholars and preachers and everybody else. But if you don't have these two and just using I find people who go to Bible college.

That's full of knowledge up there. They don't have revelation because revelation comes to babies. Those are humble. I've had many people say to me when I preach to them. Oh brother Zach. I read this so many times.

I never saw it what you explaining me now. It is so clear to me. I said brother just be humble. You'll see it yourself. You'll see many more things in scripture. So that's the thing that we have sought to Promote in our church humility.

Christ’s Humility and the Church’s Call to Humility

It says about Jesus in Philippians in chapter 2. Let me show you that before coming here. Philippians 2 three steps. Have you noticed this? Philippians 2 6 From God he became man. Jesus Christ from God.

He became man. First step of humility. Second verse 7 from man he became a slave that is lower than others. And Third from slave verse 8 he became like a criminal. Only criminals were crucified. He became a man.

He became a slave and he became like a criminal in the eyes of people. It was humility humility humility. That's why I always tell people as the three secrets of the Christian life are humility humility humility.

And that's what you stressed in our church. The greatest brothers and sisters in our church. Are those who are most humble who don't think much about themselves? But who value others they are the most spiritual and the most blessed.

And People who don't boast about their abilities we don't promote great singers and great preachers. We want humble people. Who don't get offended? We're not seeking position or honor. We have three brothers at least I think sitting in this church.

Who were once elders in this church and when they ceased to be elders? Did they get offended and go away? No. Show me a church anywhere. Where a pastor was removed from pastorate and he's still sitting there as an ordinary brother.

I'd like to see one. Let me know if there's anyone you find like that. But even one pastor was removed from being a pastor, and he still sits there as a ordinary brother. You will not find it. Because they love that position so much, and this is not the only place you come to India.

I'll show you other brothers who were elders. Because we have taught our elders are ordinary brothers. They don't seek position. I'll give you an example from my own life. I Have four sons in our home.

I Always sat at the head of the table. When my children were there they sat around. Today all my children are married. I go to their homes. I never sit at the head of the table. Because I'm not the head of that home.

Even though I'm their father even if they asked me to sit there. I don't sit there. I sit on the side. In my home at mealtime. I always prayed another or I asked somebody to pray. I was the head. Today I go to my children's homes.

They decide who's going to pray at the meal if they asked me to pray I pray sometimes. They may ask their wife or children to pray. I'm not offended. Not at all. I Say what are these things? I'm an ordinary brother all my life.

That's why I refuse to take a title from anything once some College in America Sent me a letter saying Brother Zach you have served the Lord so long and we've been so blessed. So one of the big Christian colleges in America.

We'd like to give you an honorary doctorate. Imagine being called. Dr. Zach Poonen. Wow. I Threw it in the trash. I said no. I'm not interested till the end of my life. I'll be brother Zach. That's all.

You know these young children who call me uncle Zach uncle Zach. I say I'll allow you to call me uncle Zach up to the age of 15. After that you call me brother Zach, okay, I don't want to be your uncle for eternity.

I want to be your brother. Yeah. Humility humility humility, that's what we have taught and I thank God that we have wonderful brothers like that who are examples people who come in Clean the toilets in our church building early in the morning before anybody knows about it and Quietly clean and go back to their homes and this Sunday morning and Sunday morning the people come the toilet is clean.

Nobody knows who did it. I? Love that. I said Lord. This is the type of people we want to build. We are building people for eternity. We are building Christians. You know so many churches. I've asked different churches.

I say what is the distinctive thing in your church. Some people say water baptism. Some people say we speak in tongues unless you speak in tongues. We don't believe and some people say baptism in the Holy Spirit and so many different things.

I'll tell you what we want to say about our church. That we love one another. That's the main thing not that we believe in tongues or we believe in healing or we believe in water baptism. We love one another.

With the love of God in our hearts we care for one another. We'll help one another. But you're not a club in clubs also. They help one another, but we love Jesus first. A Church that loves Jesus and loves one another that's what we wanted to be.

Christ’s Death and Freedom from Self-Seeking

So second Corinthians 5 I told you I'd show you the other verse. We already looked at this verse. Christ died that I might never live for myself. 2nd Corinthians 5 and verse 4 15 he died that we should never live for ourselves, please remember this verse.

The other side of the coin Christ died for our sins the other side is Christ died that I might never live for myself. And if you're living for yourself, you're frustrating the purpose of Christ's death.

I'll tell you you think that if you live for the Lord you'll suffer. My father was a very God-fearing man. He was born again before I was born. So he brought up in a good brought us up in a good way sent us to a good Sunday school from childhood.

But he never understood. He was very happy when I you know he sent me to join the Navy and said I want you to go to the top of the Navy. But then one day when I decided to leave my job, I told him dad I'm not going to go to stop the Navy.

I'm going to serve the Lord. He was happy. He said oh if you're serving the Lord, that's great. He was very happy when I left my job, and I did not join any organization. I was going to serve the Lord.

He saw me struggling with poverty. He was happy. But Then we started building the church. I Gave up all my international ministry and started meeting with four or five people in Bangalore just to build Local church.

I said and my dad said to me you've got such a tremendous gift of preaching. You can be like Billy Graham go around the world. Why are you sitting here with four six people and building the church? I said dad I'm not called to be like Billy Graham.

I'm called to build the church. He couldn't understand it you know not everybody has light on the church even though he was a very God-fearing man and. And he died when my oldest son was about 12 years old and My youngest was maybe three or so and he told me.

He said how are you going to educate these children when they go to college? You sit here. You don't take any money from anyone. You know it's very expensive to educate children in college nowadays must think about all these things.

I I said dad If I don't seek the kingdom of God first now. Even this hundred rupees. I'm paying for school fees I will not be able to pay, but if I seek God's kingdom first and his righteousness and live for that.

You think my father in heaven will make my children suffer that he will not allow them to be educated. Do you believe that is a father up in heaven? Many people don't believe that they have a heavenly father.

Theoretically they believe that. But they don't believe that he loves them more than earthly fathers. You know once Jesus said if you being evil Matthew chapter 7 know how to give good things to your children.

How many of you fathers are interested in feeding your children? How much you sacrifice? What are you guys making so much money in? Dubai and Sharjah for it's not for yourselves. I know it's not for yourself.

It's for your children. You spend lakhs educating them. You want a house build a house for them and so that they can live in Carolina and so many things you do and You think you're a better father than God?

You got to be crazy. You're an unbeliever. I have a father in heaven. Who is a million times better than any of you fathers who care for your children? I told my dad I Believe if I seek the kingdom of God first God will take care of my children.

He never lived to see it. He died before they went to college. My oldest son was in seventh standard my when my father died and went to heaven. But many years later. Six seven years later when my son first son finished School he got a scholarship to study in college.

I Didn't organize that. I didn't give anybody any bribe or any such thing. I don't believe in bribes. And like that each one of my sons I'm not saying education is the main thing. I'd have been very happy if they went as missionaries to North India and God is my witness.

I would have been equally happy. But you can't go as a missionary unless God calls you. I came out to serve the Lord because God called me. So I would have been quite happy if my children God called them, oh that would be the greatest honor.

But what I say is God cares for us and I find so many believers don't believe that God cares for you if you live for him and not for yourself. You'll be amazed to see how God cares for your children. I Can say that today?

My oldest Son is now 47 years old. And my youngest one is about 39 or 38 of them and God is taking care of them. Not only education. He's given them good wives and so many things. It's not because I was carefully scheming and planning.

It's because I decided one thing Christ died for my sins. I'll confess my sin to him secondly Christ died that I might never live for myself or for my children, I Will live for God. And let me be a living testimony at the end of my life.

That if you live for God, he'll take care of your family. I want you to be a testimony like that. That at the end of your life. People will say this man lived for God. God took care of his family. What a fantastic testimony.

That is I'm not asking you to go into full-time work. Like I am that is I had a calling. But whatever you do live keep your secular job, but don't live for your job. Don't live for a Dubai visa live for God and he'll give you the best in everything.

You'll never be disappointed if he takes away something like Ishmael. It is what is bad for you and You give up an Isaac if it's good for you. He'll give it back to you. You know when brother Bucksing who was a godliest man I met in India proposed my wife to me as for marriage.

Because she was a medical doctor and I was a servant of the Lord with no bank account no salary no income. What do you think her father said? Naturally what I would say as a father I will never let you marry a man who has no income and no salary and how is he going to take care of you?

That's what her father said and I agree with that. So I said Okay, if it is God's will God will work it out. Her father was a believer. So I Said God can speak to him. And in three months God spoke to him without meeting me and he told her yeah, you can marry him.

Who can do that tell me I didn't go and convince him. I don't worry. I'll take care of your daughter and No, no, no. No, I didn't even meet him. I never wrote a letter to him. I Wrote a letter to God.

I have a father in heaven. It's amazing what God will do for you. I can tell you testimony after testimony after testimony. Of what God will do for you. We must prove him when you get into a tough situation prove him and You will see that he never lets you down.

When Jesus told Peter come out of that boat and walk on the water. You think he would sink? You think Jesus will tell him to do something that will make him sink and drown impossible my dear brothers and sisters.

Be a living testimony in your life. That there's a God in heaven who can be trusted who can be obeyed and that is the greatest inheritance you can give to your children. That's what I give to my children a faith in a living God.

I tell them the stories. I tell my children the stories of what God did for me. They know it and that's what gives them faith. Do you know that is better than giving them a million dirhams? You think a million dirhams can solve all the problems in life.

You're crazy. Even a billion dirhams will not solve every problem, but faith in God. If you can give to your children Faith in a loving father in heaven that is the greatest inheritance. You can give to your children.

Not even education. So live for him. Okay. Now we go to the second verse. I want to show you 2nd Corinthians 5 Verse 9 and 10 in verse 10. It says we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

The Judgment Seat of Christ and the Record of Our Lives

There's no doubt about it. Everybody's sitting here. You better face up to the fact that One day you will stand at the judgment seat of Christ. Nobody is going to escape children. It's going to happen to you, too.

You are going to stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ when he comes and me and what's going to happen there? Everyone will be rewarded. Do you know there's rewards in heaven? How will you be rewarded not according to the number of meetings you attended?

No. Not according to the amount of money you put in the offering box, no. According to the deeds you did in your body whether good or bad. The bad people get a reward which is a punishment and the good people get a reward which is something good but We say how does God?

Remember all the millions of things you have done. And all the billions of people that are in the world from the time of Adam. You mean God's got all that in his mind every single thing that every man did and thought and all that no.

You know where it is. It's in your memory. When God raises up a man from the dead in the final day, he'll raise people up from the day. He'll come back in his body his memory will be there and Memory is like a videotape.

The day you were born your memory videotape started running. Recording everything you said. Everything you did. Every thought you had. Every good or bad attitude you had towards people. It's all on that tape.

And it's running today, it's been running from the day you were born recording everything. Because I'm our Ability to recover that information is not so good. We think it's not there. It is there your ability to recover that memory is bad.

Look for example as I grow older I'm 76 now. I can't remember so well. Like I could when I was 30. But that doesn't mean my memory is. Recording is there still there only. I can't access that Memory so easily the recording head has got older.

So it can't sort of access the information, but the information is there in the hard disk completely. The only thing as we grow older accessing is a little difficult, but one day when Christ comes back.

What does he have to do. This videotape of our memory. The Lord has just got to press a rewind button. Goes back to zero and starts playing your life. In the day of judgment you stand before the Lord.

He'll press the rewind button of your memory and from the time you were born. It'll be seen on the screen for all the all the world to see all that you did all the things that you did in secret which your mummy and daddy never knew about or Which your husband and wife never knew about all the things you did in secret all the little pictures you saw on your computer.

Good or bad. It's all going to be there for the whole world to see you better think about it now and Everything you said to people all the unrighteous financial dealings. It's all going to come on the screen.

I'm not telling you stories. This it's not only written here you turn to Revelation chapter 20. And I'll show you what it says there. Revelation chapter 20 was 13 12 first Revelation 2012. I saw the dead the great the small.

Standing before the throne and the books were opened. The books means the scrolls in our head memory books and The book of life and the dead were judged from the things which are written in their own books.

That means in the. You know in those days in John when he wrote Revelation books were not like this. This type of bound books is all after printing was discovered in 1400s. If you've seen these old pictures The Bible was written on a parchment.

It's like a scroll. The old books were scrolls. If you wanted to go to the next stage you turn the scroll and it'll move. The whole thing was one scroll rolled up in two bars. That's how books were in those days and the closest to that that we have today is a videotape.

Where one round round here and you wind it back. The old books were like that. So the real meaning of this verse is the scrolls were opened and rewound to the beginning. The tape was rewound to the beginning.

To the beginning and they were judged exactly according to what is recorded on the tape. Very important to know that 2nd Corinthians 5 and 10 we will be rewarded according to so think of that. You know, sometimes I use my imagination.

It's very good to use our imagination in our olden days. We used our imagination for filthy things. Why not use your imagination for something good now? So I sometimes shut my eyes and use my imagination and imagine the judgment seat of Christ has come.

Christ has returned. And I'm standing before him. My turn has come. Zak Poonen. I stand before him. Okay, and God presses the rewind button and the whole world is going to see my life from the time I was born.

My record is not perfect. No human beings record is perfect. We have all done so many wrong things some worse than others. Thoughts everything even the thoughts are going to be recorded and everybody sees.

Everything that went through my life. And I imagine how am I going to feel you feel like running away? From there supposing it happened right now. You'd want to run away from this all. You think about it now.

Is that a solution for all the bad things we did? Yes. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To wipe out that part of the tape erase.

That section of the hard disk erase that part of the Tape by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it's blotted out. So when the tape is played that bad thing that you did. You know what date and time you did it so and so date, and you know the tape is coming to that date.

Say hey, and you see it's blank. Praise God. That terrible thing I did on that date is not there. Isn't it good? The blood of Jesus Christ has blotted it out. And then you think of the next date coming up when you did something else.

And it's blank because you confessed it. The blood of Jesus has cleansed it. Make sure you confess your sins now. So that that thing is blotted out. So some people say this is great, and I can continue to sin even now and Confess and the blood of Jesus will blot it out, right?

But in the final day when people see so many blank spots on your tape. They'll be wondering what is this guy doing? Blank spot after blank spot of the black spot. That's going to be embarrassing too even if the details are not mentioned.

Because they'll know that. Something that was not good. In the early part of our life, there may be a lot of blank spots, but as we get Grow closer to the Lord. There should be less and less of these blank spots.

I Want to come to a life where. Zero blank spots. Lord. Hardly anything to be erased. Maybe an occasional thought or accidentally an occasional rude word so rare. Then you then you know you're growing in the Lord that conscious sin is becoming less and less and less and less and less wonderful.

But that day is coming. So how shall we live when we know that such and such a day is coming? Okay, turn back to 2nd Corinthians 5 Verse 9. We therefore because this day is coming therefore We have as our ambition.

The Ambition to Please God

Ambition is a great word. Many of you. When you were young you had an ambition. To study and get a job to particular line. You wanted to be an engineer or an accountant or a teacher or a nurse something you had an ambition.

Good, you had an ambition to come to the UAE and it was fulfilled good. What a lot of money you are willing to spend to fulfill that ambition. Oh. Here's another ambition, which is the greatest ambition of all.

Whether at home or absent means whether I am in heaven or Absent from heaven on this earth. It makes no difference at home or absent means my home is in heaven. Whether I'm in heaven or on earth absent from heaven.

My ambition is the same. What is that to be pleasing? To my God. That means everything in life. I have an ambition. Like worldly people have ambitions. I have an ambition. I'll tell you honestly. I have had this ambition for many years.

To be pleasing to God. I haven't always succeeded. Because I'm learning. You know, you learn with the computer and you make mistakes. You learn to ride a cycle and you fall down. But over a period you learn and then you learn like that.

The Christian life also is a learning process and you learn and you make less and less mistakes. So My ambition is to please him and I that should be your ambition if you want to be ready for the judgment seat of Christ.

Make this your ambition that you want to please him in everything. You want to please him you want to please God. And I'll tell you something if you want to please God, let me give you one solution for that one condition rather Galatians chapter 1 in Galatians chapter 1 and verse 10.

Please turn with me to Galatians chapter 1 verse 10. Galatians 1 10 says the last part if I try to please men I Cannot be a servant of Christ. If you try to please one human being. You will not be able to please God.

Resisting the Desire to Please People

Remember that Eve sinned Because she wanted her mouth was watering for that fruit. The devil said to this through the serpent you will be like God. That's what he himself was wanted to be. Lucifer wanted to be God and he became the devil now.

He tempted Eve you eat this you'll be like God. You read Genesis 3. And he said wow, I'll be like God. Okay, I want to eat it. But the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2 Eve was deceived. That she could be like God.

She didn't become like God she became like the devil Adam it says in 1 Timothy 2 was not deceived. How did Adam sin? So I tell you. Now picture this in your mind. Eve comes and offers the fruit to Adam.

Says darling you got to eat this. This is really fantastic. And I'm imagining a conversation. And he says listen Eve do you remember God told us not to eat this? Oh Forget it Adam. This is good. No, I don't want to eat it.

If you don't eat it, I'm not going to be happy with you. Okay, you know how sometimes wives can speak and. Then he said Adam says, okay for the sake of peace in the home. I will do it. Give it to me. Stupid fellow.

To please his wife for the sake of peace in the home. He displeased God. Now you all laugh at that and all of you who laughed you husbands who laughed. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever done that to please your wife and displease God for the sake of peace at home?

Never do it. That peace is not a lasting peace. It disappears like that and you'll never build a godly home if you're seeking to please your wife or your husband. See, I'm gonna please God. You remember how Job's wife came and told him.

Look at all this suffering is God. You're serving our ten children are killed all our business is gone ruined and Now on top of that you got sick you got leprosy. What type of God is this curse God and commit suicide?

Any of you think you got a bad wife. Be thankful your wife is not like Job's wife. She was much worse. Job said you foolish woman. You're talking like a foolish woman. This is God can do anything. I accept it.

He does good. I bow down and accept him. You know how because he took that stand God honored him and his wife. I Believe his wife changed. How do I know that? Because at the end of the book of Job she again had ten children.

Her first ten children died and The same woman in her old age Had ten more children. You see Job's children are already grown up and set up in their own homes. Job's wife must have been a pretty old woman.

Maybe I'm 100 years old. I don't know. I think Job was about 130 when all that happened to him. God blessed her with children. Ten children you honor God. God will honor you. Don't seek to please your wife.

Don't seek to please your husband. Don't seek to please any man. Don't seek to please your children. Never never help your children out by doing something unrighteous. Sometimes you get an opportunity to teach your children that I remember when my children were studying for ICSC exam 10th standard in Bangalore many years ago.

The difficult subject for my children was always Hindi because we don't speak it at all. They'd get good marks and everything else, but Hindi will bring that average down. So they study study study. They still can't get my good marks in Hindi.

They just about pass. So during that time the rumor went around. The Hindi paper is available. If you pay a certain amount of money, I said good opportunity to teach my children something. So I called my son who was doing and I called all my children and said listen.

I want to tell you something if somebody Gives me that Hindi paper free. I will not show it to you Children. I will not show it because that's not the way I want you to pass. And because I don't show it to you, you fail.

I will say praise the Lord. I will accept that. Because to me my aim in life is not to make you pass examinations here. But to pass an examination before God one day. And if I don't teach you those right values now.

You will grow up to be a crook. You will not follow Jesus. And you will fail in the final examination at the judgment seat of Christ. This is not the final examination. What you call ICS exam is only a monthly exam.

Final examination is coming when Christ comes back. Never seek to please your children. Never seek to please your wife. Please God and you will bless your wife. You'll bless your children never. I've never sought to please people in my church.

I'll tell you that I Have spoken strong words to my closest fellow elders. Because I love them. Supposing I'm a doctor a Cancer specialist and one of my elders comes to me brother Zach. Can you check up and I take a scan and I find he's got serious cancer.

What will I do? Oh, he's my friend. I don't want to disturb him. Well, I say, okay. It's okay. You're perfectly. All right. What type of deceiver am I? If I'm faithful to him, I'll tell him You got cancer brother.

It's exactly what I do As a elder brother to my fellow elders. I speak the truth. I Learned from Jesus Who turned round to Peter and said get behind me Satan? You are interested in your own interests not in God's interests.

I haven't spoken such strong language To any of my elders. I'll tell you why because I don't love them so much as Jesus loved them. Only one who loves strongly Can speak like that get behind me said my love for my fellow elders is less.

I speak strong words, but not as strong words as Jesus but I Will not seek to please man because the moment I seek to please man. It says in Galatians 1 I cannot be the servant of Christ. So I give you one advice From 2nd Corinthians 5 we are going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ one day so Make sure That you never seek to please any human being.