(The Law of the Holy Spirit) Jesus Stayed Away Sin — Zac Poonen

The Law of Humility and Grace in Jesus’ Life

We've been considering this subject of the law of the Holy Spirit. And we've seen something about this law of humility. How it operated in the life of Jesus? How he received grace from the father? Because he was humble God gives his grace to the humble now.

If you've heard me, you know this but if you haven't let me show you the verse. Do you know that Jesus received grace from the father to overcome sin? You read that in Luke chapter 2 verse 40. That from the time he was a child He continued to grow and become strong increasing in wisdom.

Because the grace of God was upon him. When you say the grace of God is upon somebody he could put it in other words and say he was under grace and Romans 6 14 says when you are under grace. Sin cannot rule over you.

So when you put Luke chapter 2 verse 40 with Romans 6 14 You understand why Jesus overcame sin? Not because he was the Son of God. He had given up the privileges and rights of being a son he came as a man and Let me say this reverently That with the limitations he took upon himself.

He could not have overcome sin without the grace of God. If he had not given up Equality with God then of course he could have overcome without any problem. But then he wouldn't even be tempted, you know people who say well Jesus was God.

How could he sin? Well, I would say the Bible says in James 1 God cannot even be tempted. Do you believe Jesus was tempted? How do you equate that with James 1 which says God cannot be tempted? Was he God or not?

Of course he was seven times in the Gospels. We read people worshiped him even angels do not accept worship. But Jesus always accepted worship proving that he was God when he was on earth, but as a man he did not use the resources of God and When I saw this truth Two things happened in my life 35 years ago.

I was a thoroughly defeated born-again preacher like most people most preachers. Thoroughly defeated born-again preacher and I didn't know I wanted victory, but I didn't know how to get it. Till I saw the secret of godliness 1 Timothy 3 16.

Great is the mystery of godliness or Like the Living Bible paraphrase it. It is true That the way to live a godly life is a great secret. But the answer lies in Christ. Who came to earth as a man so I saw there is the answer That he did not use his resources as God to live this life.

It was because grace was upon him that he overcame and God gives his grace without partiality to anyone who's humble. So if I fulfill the conditions Jesus fulfilled I always live under grace. Which is the place of humility and that's what we were considering in our last session how he always took the path of humility he never sinned and Right up to the end of his life says in Hebrews chapter 2.

How did he taste that terrible death on the cross? How could he have the ability to go to the cross not the physical aspect of? You know there are martyrs who've gone to their death singing, but I'm talking about the agony of Hell how could he face it?

Hebrews 2 9 says by the grace of God again the grace of God Enabled him to taste death for us. So birth Luke 240 death Hebrews 2 9 all the way he lived under grace and that's why he never sinned and The thing that happened when I saw that truth now.

Revelation of Christ as a Man

You know you can hear it. You can understand it. But there's a lot of difference between understanding and revelation in the Old Testament you read understanding but revelation is a new covenant word revelation is from the Holy Spirit and You know like Jesus told Peter blessed are you Simon?

Because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you you got Revelation. The Pharisees who sit in the synagogues are cleverer than you Peter, but they couldn't see me. They thought I'm bilgeable. How is it you see that I am the Christ the Messiah the Son of God.

Is it because you're cleverer than them. No, is it because you know more of the Bible than them? They know the Bible ten times more than you, but you got revelation from the Holy Spirit. You saw something of me, which those people haven't seen.

It's revelation Christ being revealed to us by the Holy Spirit on that rock. Jesus said I will build my church on the revealed Christ. And I believe that many of you. Probably all of you have seen Christ revealed as God.

But it's possible that you still have not seen him as a man 100 like you without sin capable of being tempted. Like you and I are tempted. It's a great argument that theologians have. Could Jesus have fallen in temptation?

There is no temptation if it is impossible to fall then he was not tempted like me. Hebrews 2 15 4 15 is the answer. He was tempted. Exactly in like us in all areas. What does that mean when I'm tempted is there a possibility of falling.

I? Know. Was Jesus tempted like me or not? We have to get rid of our human ideas and Accept scripture. I Decided to accept scripture. I battled it for a long time because I said boy if I say this am I degrading Jesus.

Am I bringing him down to a sinful level? By saying oh he could have fallen. Actually, I made him more glorious. I mean if he had victory handed him on a platter and I have to battle to get victory. I'm gonna stand in heaven as a greater conqueror than him.

I said Lord I conquered something you didn't have to conquer it you got it on a platter freely. You could not have fallen. I could have and I overcame. Is it possible that you and I gonna stand as greater victors than Christ?

He said if Revelation 3 21 if you overcome as I overcame. Then you will sit with me on my throne. I mean scriptures full of it all of a sudden verses began to open up to me. Which I never saw before that I have to overcome as he overcame exactly as he overcame and it was possible.

Well anyway. Now looking back over 35 years. I've seen the fruit of that doctrine in my life in the in my family life in my four boys Who also believe it in other brothers and sisters in our church and the unity is produced in our church the victories produced in our church the transformation that has taken place in many families and In many children in our Homes in our churches and in many churches and elder brothers that today I don't it's no longer a theory to me I've proved it the fruit of it has been so positive and when I compare it with the rest a lot of Christendom.

That's arguing about theology and all that and I see the fruit. That's coming from there of strife and conflict and wayward children and all types of things. I say thank God I'm not in that type of theological argument I've seen the reality but I remember two things happened to me when I saw that Jesus was tempted exactly like me and did not sin number one I Could have no more excuse for my sin up till that time.

Always my excuse for sin was I'm human. If I get angry, I'm human if I yell at my wife, I'm human. If I slip up and have dirty thoughts after all I'm human we can't be perfect on always I had this excuse.

I Have a flesh. Until I saw that one walked on this earth with my flesh and did not sin. I had no more excuse. And the picture that came into my mind was something like this. I like to think in pictures.

The Illustration of Learning to Swim

It helps me to understand scripture better, and it helps me to explain scripture better, too. I saw of myself is think I thought of an island somewhere some remote island. Completely untouched by civilization on this earth somewhere in this planet where civilization has never reached and where.

Because it's been so cut off from the rest of humanity this island. Nobody there knows how to swim. Because from the time of Adam whoever went there to that island. They always communicated to their children if you get into the water you drown.

Yeah, so that was passed on from generation to generation to generation if you get into the water you drown. And they tried it and everybody drowned so they said okay man cannot swim and Lo and behold one day somebody from the civilized world comes there and says hey, here's a river.

Let's jump in and swim. Hey, don't get there. It's impossible for man to swim you'll drown. So what you mean. Let me show you. He's not explaining theories or theology on a blackboard. He's demonstrating.

He says now. I'll show you gets into the river and swims. And these folks are dumpstruck and when he comes back to the shore they touch him if he's got the same body. Is this specific gravity the same as the rest of our bodies there must be something he says no.

It's possible to overcome gravity. It's just I'll show you how and for the first time in thousands of years. Somebody in that island learns to swim. And he swims and if he goes to another part of the island and tell somebody hey, you know I swam.

He said you're a liar for generations. Nobody's ever swum in this island. You're saying you swam. Yeah, I'll tell you. This is the history of people saying I overcame sin by the grace of God. For generations people have said it's impossible.

Perfect peace at home impossible living without bad moods impossible. Nobody's ever swum on this island for generations. My father used to get angry my grandfather used to get it's in a generation. It's there.

Till somebody has faith that sin if you come under grace. Sin will not rule over you. It's the same faith that the Israelites needed when they came to the borders of Canaan, and they saw the Giants. God said go and kill those Giants.

Most of them said no, it's not possible two people Joshua and Caleb said yes, and they are the only ones who went in. So when I look at 600 ,000 born-again believers who say we cannot overcome sin if I find two people who say we can the other ones are right and The Old Testament says sometimes you may find only two out of six hundred thousand believers.

Who really? Demonstrate in their personal life in their home life in their church life that we can overcome sin. Not so much we can overcome sin as much as that Jesus can keep us from falling. That's a better way to put it.

So that the emphasis I remember years ago the Lord said to me that don't say you overcame sin say Jesus kept you from falling. I said no, that's more correct more accurate to say that Jesus Kept me from falling keeps us from falling.

It's one of the last promises in the epistles. Do you know that before the book of Revelation? The last epistle of Jude Is the last epistle and in the almost the last verse of Jude the promise is he can keep you from falling.

The Throne of Grace and Help in Temptation

So If you turn to Hebrews in chapter 5 it says about Jesus verse 7 where chapter 4 15 it says he was tempted, but he did not sin and Therefore we're 16. We can also go to this throne of grace. They could not get grace in the Old Testament.

So that we can receive mercy and grace in the help of us to help us in our time of need. You if you've heard me, you know, I've often pointed out the distinction between mercy and grace. Mercy is dealing with our past life.

Forgiveness grace is dealing with power to overcome sin. Mercy we can say is a part of grace, but grace is a lot more than that. So if Jesus got grace to overcome we can also go to the throne of grace.

It says therefore let's also go to the throne of grace and get the same grace that Jesus God. That's the meaning of verse 16 if Jesus could not sin. Therefore let's also go to that throne of grace and say hey, there's no partiality with you father.

Give me what you gave Jesus the same grace to overcome. The father says sure come to the place of humility. Like Jesus was always and I'll give you the same grace. How long shall I have it as long as you stay in the place of humility perpetually?

I? Remember when I was seeking for the baptism in the Holy Spirit when I was 23 years old. And I didn't know anything about it. I I was in an assembly where they Only studied the Bible like we study chemistry books.

We analyzed it and all that but we had no power in our life and I Said Lord there's something missing in my life. I Know the scriptures, but I don't have power. I'm born again I'm baptized in water, but something is missing and people told me if you want power you got to go to the Pentecostal Church.

There was no charismatic movement those days 1963 so I went to some Pentecostal Church and all I saw was a lot of noise and emotion and I Saw the pastors there loved money more than anybody else and I came back to my room.

I was just 23 years old. I knelt down before God and I said Lord. I do not want what they have. I Want what Peter got on the day of Pentecost? What Peter James and John got on the day of Pentecost and if it takes me 10 years to get that I'll wait 10 years.

But I don't want any cheap counterfeit. I'm thankful that I did not reject the baptism the Holy Spirit just because I saw a counterfeit and And that's what stood me in good stead and I began to see God and God met with me, but I want to mention here in Hebrews 5.

Hebrews 5:7 and Jesus’ Godly Fear

It says about Jesus in the days of his flesh. Have you ever? Meditated on this verse. Here's another verse at which there's a stoplight you got to stop and the way to find out whether you've understood this verse is If some younger Christian came to you and asked you can you please explain Hebrews 5 7 to me 7 to me?

How would you explain it if you cannot explain it? You have not understood it in the days of his flesh. He offered up prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears. To the one who was able to save him from death and he was hurt because of his godly fear.

Okay, when let's go step-by-step in the days of his flesh means During the 33 years that he was on earth. Not on the last day when he was on earth, but in the days of His flesh speaking about the entire period of 33 years.

What did he do? He prayed. Supplication means specific request. Prayer is general. Supplication is specific. He prayed and he made specific request. He wasn't asking for money. He wasn't asking for any earthly blessing.

He was asking to be saved from death. Now. There are two types of death. The Bible speaks about physical death and Spiritual death. James one says sin when it is finished brings forth death. That's spiritual death.

Which death was Jesus praying that he would escape. I Can't imagine him praying to be saved from physical death. Because there are thousands of martyrs through the ages who've gone singing to physical death and Jesus was no coward.

He'd be willing to go through a thousand Calvaries for you and me. But there was another death that Jesus shrank from Spiritual death he shrank from the very smell of it. We are so familiar with sin that we don't shrink from sin so easily.

You know, you can lose your temper with somebody and your fellowship with God is broken immediately. But you can carry on like that sometimes for a whole day without confessing it. There are husbands and wives who clash with each other.

They don't set it right for two or three days sometimes. But they seem to be okay. Their fellowship with God is completely broken, but they seem to carry on very well and I'm reminded of people who live in the slums.

I Mean I've been seen slums in different countries and I see that people who live in the slums are quite used to living with filth and muck and rats and rodents and cockroaches and all types of things and all types of filth in their house and in their Gutters outside and they're quite happy.

Now you and I would not be happy to live in that type of condition. They're happy. That's how it is and when people can Commit any sin let it be any little thing and it breaks their fellowship with God and they can live comfortably.

They are like people who are living in a slum quite comfortable. But a person who's come from extreme hygienic surroundings. You'd find it very difficult to live in such surroundings. It's amazing. And I said that's Jesus came from this perfect hygienic surround hygienic atmosphere of heaven to this wretched slum called the earth.

And he couldn't tolerate break of fellowship with the father even for one fraction of a second. There was a revulsion in him. In that sense temptation was more difficult for him than for us. We're used to living in the slum.

But here's someone who's come from perfect hygienic surroundings. It was such a tremendous and he prayed father Don't let me ever have even a smell of this filth in me. I don't want the you know how you sit around people are smoking and the smell of cigarettes on your clothes, even though you were not smoking and how.

If you're in a room where there's some type of filthy Smell it can get on even your clothes. Jesus didn't even want that even if he didn't touch it. I don't want any of that. He shrank from it from the smell of sin.

That is the death He prayed to be saved from. That's the only death he feared. He never feared physical death and the Bible says he was heard and That proves doubly that he was not is not referring to physical death because he was not saved from physical death.

So when it says he was heard you know that it was from that death, which is the smell of sin that he was saved from and Now comes the question Why was he saved from physical death? He prayed he knew that he could not save himself.

That's another thing you need to see in this verse. Even Jesus In the days of his flesh on earth. He could not save himself from sin. Why. Because he had taken him upon himself the limitations of man.

Just like you and I cannot save ourselves from sin. No matter how hard you try Jesus recognized that that's why he prayed. We don't recognize that that's why we don't pray so much. How did he pray it says he prayed with loud crying and tears.

I Know you'll pray with loud crying and tears if your child is sick and the doctors have given up all hope of the child survival. Sure, we'll all pray with loud. Oh Lord, please heal my child. But how many will pray or you young wives will pray if your Husband is seriously injured and about to die and you're in danger of being a penniless widow.

Boy, you'll really pray with loud crying and tears. Extreme situations like that, but how many would pray with loud crying and tears to avoid the smell of sin? I Mean to just offer a general prayer. Yeah, Lord, I think it'll be a good idea.

If you can give me a victory over anger, I'm not talking about that type of prayer. Or you know this lust is bothering me a bit see if you can help me out a little bit from there. That's not how you pray when your child is dying.

Jesus prayed with loud crying and tears father in any provocation. I Never want to. Not only I don't want to lose my temper and say something bad. I don't want to have anger in my heart not for a second because the Bible says if the lamb Had one blemish in it.

It could not be a fit sacrifice for sin. And he loved us so much that He wanted to be Absolutely without blemish. Can you imagine how it is? You and I know how difficult it is to live free from sin in thought word deed attitude motive for one day 24 hours.

Jesus lived like that for 33 and a half years as a man. And the only way he managed it was Because he prayed father keep me keep me. I don't care what price I have to pay. Keep me from sin in my words.

In my actions in my look in my thoughts in my attitudes to people in My motives with which I do things. I want to be totally free from sin. Every single moment of every single day for 33 and a half years that was the only thing he was interested in.

It didn't matter like I said whether somebody gave him a bed to sleep in he could go out and sleep under the trees. But he didn't want to sin. It didn't matter if somebody called him the devil forget it.

That's not important. I don't want to sin. You see we've got other things which are more important for us. We want a little comfort. We don't want anybody to hurt us or harm us or call us the devil or anything like that other things are more important.

But not for Jesus the only thing important for him was I don't want to sin in any area. And that's why he prayed with such Desperation. I want to ask you all my dear brothers and sisters many of you talk about holiness and Believe that you belong to churches that emphasize holiness, etc.

Can you think of one time in your life? When you prayed with loud crying in tears that you might never sin. Once Jesus was praying that all the time. Do you see why we're defeated? We've we have grown up in a society that's lazy laid-back and We want everything offered to us on a platter.

Yeah, we'd like if somebody can just lay his hands on our head and just give us victory like that or the power of the Holy Spirit we like it, but this root of loud crying and tears. Oh We don't want to go that way.

Well, I'll tell you if Jesus went that way and you think you're going to get it some easier path. You're not gonna get it. He said follow me with loud crying in tears. And I believe that's why he would often go out into the wilderness.

Prayer, Conscience, and Immediate Confession

Have you read in the scriptures how he'd go out into the wilderness? Like somebody said as Tourists when they come to a new town, they'll find out what the tourist attractions are. When Jesus came to a new town He'd look around for where's the nearest wilderness?

Where he could get alone with his father and cry out and you know, I I sought the Lord about that. I say Lord I live in a city where the nearest wilderness is Maybe a hundred miles away. How in the world can I have this loud crying and tears?

I don't want to disturb my wife and neighbors and everybody else with my loud crying and tears. They'll call the police or something if I Do that and I learned Something which really blessed me. That I could pray with loud crying and tears without opening my mouth.

I Could have a cry in my heart Which was really loud. And tears are okay. There's no sound in that and Really cry out to God for help. Lord, I never want to sin. Or pray like that when I did slip up in the beginning is like that in the beginning we slip up and I Cannot think of the number of nights.

I wet my pillow with my tears because I said Lord I'm defeated today. I sinned I Slipped up there. I spoke one word, which is not right and Lord in that sermon, I preached a little bit of that was not really of you.

It was me coming out in that. There's hardly a sermon I preach which I don't go home and judge myself for many many years. Because I want to offer the best to God. I don't want to offer anything third-rate to God.

I In the same way with sin Most of my precious times are late at night before going to sleep or early morning when I can get alone with God and Really, let God search my heart. Let his searchlight scan me and in the beginning before we cry out for victory we cry out for having fallen and Slipped up in areas where other Christians wouldn't even think that's serious.

And God sees we really mean business now. We're not talking about gross sins, which other people recognize as sin. We are thinking about those little little teeny-weeny things which other people don't even bother about and then the Lord sees that you're really serious and That is the proof That we fear him.

I told you earlier that one of the proofs that we The spirit of the fear of the Lord is upon us is that we don't judge by what our eyes see or our ears hear. Here is another proof of the fear of God. It says Jesus prayers were heard Because he feared there was a godly fear about him.

And that's another proof that I fear God that I have a tremendous revulsion to sin. I Have a desire to immediately set right When I have slipped up somewhere. It's a proof that if you're God The Apostle Paul had it.

He says in Acts 24 and verse 16 in a testimony before King Felix. He says Acts 24 verse 16 in view of this. I do my best. I Do my best. To always maintain a blameless conscience before God and Before men that is one of the secrets of Paul's life.

And I the Lord showed me that more than 30 years ago that I could have that type of life if I Did my best? To keep my conscience blameless. Now that's easier than overcoming sin. To keep the conscience blameless means as soon as you fall you immediately set it, right.

Of course a higher level than that is that you don't fall at all. But if you do fall the next best level is to immediately set it, right? I Slipped up and immediately set it right in other words. I don't wait till the evening to pull out the thorns from my feet.

Some people say before you go to bed at night confess all your sins. That's like saying if you accumulated thorns in your feet during the day. At night just check up your feet and pull out all the thorns.

You do that or do you pull them out immediately? I mean in India We have a lot of mosquitoes and sometimes they come and sit on our hands. Do you wait till all the mosquitoes come till the evening and then drive them off one by one or do you drive them off?

As soon as they come and sit on your hand. I drive them out as soon as they come even one comes and sits on it I take it off. Is that our attitude to sin? That immediately I slipped up. Apologize to God and to men and I'll tell you it's more difficult to apologize to men Than to God one would think it is easier.

Tell me is it easier To stand before someone whose standard is absolute like God or before a fellow sinner like yourself. I don't think it's much more difficult to stand before God. Why is it then I find it easier to confess my sin to God and find it so difficult to confess it to my wife or husband or my brother.

Why is that I'll tell you. Because I'm fooling myself when I think I'm confessing to God. I'm confessing to myself. I Think Lord forgive me. I Didn't go before God. I just said it to myself. If I really came before a holy God, I'd be in fear and trembling that I violated his law.

But it's so casual the way we ask God for forgiveness. Oh Lord. I'm sorry slipped up there. But we find it so difficult to go to a human being and say I am sorry that was my mistake. Please tell me how I can set it, right?

That's not the way people confess. They say well brother if you think I hurt you, I'm sorry. In other words, I don't think I've hurt you. But if you you're so stupid enough to think I hurt you. Well, okay.

That's not apology. That's not the way to apologize the part of way to apologize. Somebody is I am sorry. That was my mistake. I'm sorry that I did that or said that now, please tell me how I can set it, right?

That's a real apology. And I tell you there are very very few Christians even among husbands and wives who apologize like that. We stand too much on our dignity. Yeah, sorry. Just like you tell little children say sorry to your brother.

Okay, sorry. That's how a lot of believers also apologize. No different. It's getting over an obligation there's absolutely no conviction that I've grieved God I violated his laws. I Do my best to keep my conscience clear before God and men.

And I say Lord I never in my life Want to violate my conscience because I know what price I'll pay for that. It won't be money. It'll be something much worse than that I will lose the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Remaining Filled With the Holy Spirit

Many people have asked me this question. How can I continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit once I'm baptized in the Holy Spirit? How can I remain filled with the Holy Spirit all the time? I said, I'll give you I won't give you 20 rules.

I'll just tell you two things keep these two things in mind and you'll always be filled with the Holy Spirit. One. Keep your conscience always clear before God and men acts 24 16. Immediate confession.

As soon as it happens as soon as you're aware of it not as soon as it happens because you may not be aware. But as soon as you're aware That you violated God's law you set it right with God and with man if you find that you've been unrighteous and money matters the earliest opportunity you seek to give it back and the second is Always humble yourself go down go down.

There is a spirit the spirit of Lucifer is the one that seeks to go up and up and up right from the time He was created. And the opposite of that is the spirit of Jesus Christ who went down and down and down and down and there are basically only these two spirits operating in the world and unfortunately operating in the church people with a spirit of wanting to go up and push other people down and Exalt themselves and stand up and say I'm right and you're wrong and and then you have those of the spirit of Christ who refuse to fight and Who will humble themselves and be willing to take the blame even for things they didn't do.

That's a completely different spirit. So I say if you want to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit keep a good conscience number one and always go down and humble yourself just two little rules and The spirit of God because water always flows to the lowest place.

Remember that it never flows up to the mountain. It flows down to the deep valley and the deeper you are and humbling yourself The spirit of God will just come flowing down upon you. God gives grace to the humble.

These are such simple rules. So Jesus prayed with loud crying and tears. I want to move on in Hebrews 5. It says this was the proof of his godly fear. Why does it say that Jesus prayers were always heard.

Here's the answer in Hebrews 5 7 Did you notice that? He was heard because he had this godly fear and the thing that came to my heart was What God did for Jesus he will do for me. He will hear my prayers too if he sees in me the same godly fear there was in Jesus a Revulsion to even the smell of sin.

Save me father. I don't want even the smell of death on me and when God sees That you're like that Your prayers are heard. You know, it is my conviction after having observed believers in many countries in many places that 90 of prayers that believers pray are never on they never get a reply they never get an answer and They comfort themselves by saying perhaps that was not the will of God.

That's a very easy way out of it. I Mean a heathen could pray to an idol like that. Imagine a non-christian going in bowing before his idol and Praying for something. Oh My god, give me this he's praying to this brass statue.

Please give it to me. I want this desperately. I want a promotion my job and maybe a week later. He gets his promotion, you know these things happen coincidences and accidents and he goes before his God and say Great you answered my prayer.

Or he prays for something else priests pray for my child once whose needs to be healed. And the child is not healed he dies and he says that was not the will of God. I accept it. What is the difference between that and what most Christians pray it's almost exactly the same.

Well, if it doesn't work, of course, it's not my fault. I'm perfectly okay, maybe it was not God's will. If it works, ah, yes God answered my prayer. You ask yourself if this is not the philosophy you have.

For prayer when it is answered when it's not answered. It's a very convenient doctrine never found in Scripture. Where do you find Jesus saying that this is because we refuse to take the blame and Say, of course, the fault is not with me.

I'm a perfect Christian. It was not God's will. Instead of saying something's wrong with me. Maybe I don't have godly fear. Jesus prayers were hurt because he had a godly fear according to Hebrews 5 7 and maybe I don't Have that godly fear and that's why my prayers are not hurt.

God will do for me what he did for Jesus, but not if I don't fulfill the same conditions. If my aim in life is to make money instead of it's saying I do my best to keep my conscience clear I say I do my best to make as much money as possible in the world.