New Covenant - the Shadow and Reality - Part 4 — Zac Poonen

Sanctification Through Christ Alone

The same thing with sanctification. It says Christ is my sanctification. I Cannot be what God wants me to be even if I try for a thousand years. They tried for 1 ,500 years under the law. They couldn't make it.

Learning to Live Under the New Covenant

I don't want to try again. I don't even try want to try for one day. I Tried in my life for many years Because nobody explained to me the new covenant when I was a young believer. I Assurance of my salvation when I was 19 years old.

I wish somebody had drilled into my head Zach. You're a new covenant believer. Now here is what the new test new covenant teaches. This is the life you can live. Nobody told me that. Nobody told me that for years.

I had to learn it all myself. You guys are privileged you can hear things and you can come into a life Which I never had as a young person look at young people today six-year-olds operating computers.

I Didn't know how to operate a computer even when I was 40, you know, what privileges young people have today. I think spiritually also sustain. Spiritually also is the same. You can learn and come into a life Which your father and mother never knew because you hear certain things you have opportunities.

It's true. You know what those of us who are older. Don't you think that you had some privileges that your parents didn't have? Who never heard the things you heard your parents were probably not saved, but you are.

So Every generation has greater opportunities and I want to say to you young people Right from the time you're young seek to enter into this new covenant life. Listen carefully. Don't swallow everything.

Don't brainwash your mind with old covenant songs that will keep you living a defeated life. Sanctification. Becoming holier and holier. It's Christ. It's entirely Christ that can make me holy. I can't.

Sanctification and Redemption as Christ's Work

I can struggle for a thousand years. I'll never be more patient. I'll still be irritable. But if I allow Jesus to write his laws in my mind in my heart like the new covenant says he'll do it. He say you stop trying to do it.

Just allow me to do it. Of course. I have to allow him. But he's got to do it in me. It's really wonderful. And then finally redemption. That's when Christ comes again. That's also Entirely his work. I'm not gonna jump up and be raptured.

He's gonna pull me out. I'm sure you all agree there. The if you're trying to jump up and be raptured when Christ comes again, no, it won't happen. You can't go high enough. You can go six inches. He's got to take you all the way up to heaven.

Your redemption is going to be entirely his. Let me turn you back to Galatians 4 before I move on it says here. In Galatians 4 we were reading there Verse 20 25 this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem.

The Heavenly Jerusalem and the Present Earthly Conflict

That's why I don't waste my time thinking about the present Jerusalem or the present Israel. I'm no fan of the present Jerusalem or the present Israel because I believe what the Holy Spirit says. I'm not hugging the photograph.

I'm hugging Jesus the real person. That old covenant corresponds to the present Jerusalem, which is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above a heavenly Jerusalem written in Revelation 21 that is free and She's our mother.

I say the same thing so. That's why I'm not taken up with a lot of things that go on in Christendom today. Where people are worried about the Jewish Arab conflict and all that. How that may have some?

Concentrating Spiritual Warfare on Sin and the Devil

Warning about the end times, but I'm not particularly on anybody's side. I'm on the side of Jesus. Against the devil, that's all. I'm not on any other side against my sin. You know it's wonderful when you have when you concentrate your firing on only certain enemies your sin and the devil.

I Decided years ago that I would stop firing at other people. You know I did that foolishly like many of you do. You know anger with other people saying things against other people backbiting gossiping.

I did every single thing that you also have done. And I found in all those years. I was defeated because all my bullets were being wasted on not the real enemies. I Had no bullets to fire the real enemies.

The real enemies were the devil and the demons and my sins and I decided to concentrate and reserve my bullets for my sins and the devil and The demons you know what's the result. The result has been that I overcame sin by God.

God helped me to overcome and God delivered me from all fear of the devil to the place where the devil is afraid of me now and the demons are afraid Of me. You want to come there? I'll give you a little bit of advice.

Stop firing those bullets with your tongue. And other people especially behind their back. Concentrate your fire on the devil and the demons and sin only at least from today and Tell me six months later come and tell me if that hasn't made a difference in your life if you stick at it.

It will. It'll make a world of difference in six months. You'll be a different person. You just have to concentrate your fire on the right place. That's how it was with Jesus. When the Pharisees called him prince of devils.

Following Jesus' Example of Forgiveness

He didn't take them to court for defamation. You know what he said, you know, I'm an ordinary man. Have you spoken against me? You're forgiven. Want to follow Jesus? When they spat on him and killed him.

He said well, I'm an ordinary man. You're forgiven father. Forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. What a way to live. The only thing he wanted to conquer was not his earthly enemies. He died with many earthly enemies.

The whole of Jerusalem shouted crucify him the holiest man that lived on earth. They killed him. Now, I'll tell you this if you live a holy life you won't have many friends. Because the world is going in the opposite direction.

Holiness, Discipleship, and Opposition

So if you want friends, you better not live a holy life. If you want to get on in the world, I'll tell you don't be a Christian. Just be one of these worldly compromising Christians and there are plenty of them in the world.

Don't be a disciple of Jesus because you'll never be you'll never get on in this world. You won't even get on in the Christian world. Because the Christian world will oppose you because you expose its error.

The Christian world today is exactly like the Jewish world in Jesus time. Completely off-track. The Pharisees had no clue about the true God. A man heathen man like Cornelius had more Understanding of the true God another centurion.

Faith Beyond Religious Knowledge

We don't know his name. Jesus said when he heard that centurion's confession, he said in all of Israel. All of Israel all these scholars and people have gone through Bible school and everything else. There is not a single person.

Who's got as much faith as this? Non-jewish person who's probably worshipped Roman gods and Has some other. I don't know what the Roman Scriptures were. He read doesn't have a clue about the Old Testament doesn't know who Moses is or Elijah or many of these people.

Never read the Old Testament doesn't know anything about the true God, but that's got guys got more faith. How is that possible? Do you think my brother sister that some of us who think we know the Bible so much.

That Jesus would say that about some Hindu today. That that person is more God-fearing than this guy who is coming to CFC and reading the Bible. I'll tell you that sure. There are Christians who take each other to court nowadays there are Hindus who would never do that.

What do you think Jesus would say? I think it would be a crime if Jesus took such Christians to heaven and sent those Hindus to hell. Don't you think so? It's very unrighteous. We're gonna get a lot of surprises when we stand before the Lord.

Don't think that God is going to give us a doctrinal examination paper. How many persons in the Godhead? Who died for your sins. Did Jesus rise from the dead. We think that if we get hundred in the question doctrinal question.

Oh, you can go to heaven. It's got nothing like that. You.