God's Ways Are Different From Ours — Zac Poonen

The Difficulty of Remaining Humble After Blessing

In our last session, we saw how God created the universe with one word. It was the easiest thing for God to create the universe. As easy as it is for you to speak a sentence, God could speak a sentence and create the universe.

It's very easy for God to create the universe. What is today the most difficult thing for God to do? As I've thought about it, the most difficult thing for God to do is to keep a man or a woman humble after He has blessed them.

After He has blessed them. Because once God has blessed you in some way, spiritually or materially, we have a tendency to get puffed up. We think we are special. We have this crazy idea that God loves us more than other people.

Because we all have this tendency to compare ourselves with others. Do you know that all pride comes by comparing ourselves with other people? I often ask this question. If a child got 10 out of 100 in mathematics in a class, can he be proud?

Yes or no? Okay, all the others in the class got 5, 4, 3, 1, 0. Can he be proud? He got 10 out of 100 and he comes home and says, Mummy, I came first in the class. How can a person be proud when he gets 10 out of 100?

Because of comparison. See, you're not such a spiritual person. How did you become proud? Because you're comparing yourself with other people who have got 5 or 4 or 3 and you think you're great. Even though you only got 10 out of 100.

You see the foolishness of pride. Now, you take the same boy who got 10 out of 100, put him in another school where everybody in the class is getting 98, 99, 100. Then what happens to him? He doesn't come home excited.

He says, Mummy, I came last in the class. And suddenly he became very humble by comparison. So pride comes through comparison. Humility comes through comparison. So the devil will always make you look at other people who are not as good as you and show that you are better than them to puff you up.

Covetousness and Satan's Schemes

But when it comes to material things, he will not let you look at people who got less than you because you may be happy then. He will show you things, people who got more than you, so that you can always be jealous and covetous and want more and more.

We must not be ignorant of the tricks of Satan. So remember this, in spiritual matters, he will make you look at other people and think you are more spiritual than them. But in earthly things, he will not allow you to look at the people in the slum and say, Give thanks that you are so much better than them.

Because then you will not grumble and complain. And the devil wants you always to be covetous, wanting more. And to grumble and complain. So he will show you people who got more than you. And then you will be covetous, and you will feel jealous.

So we have to be not ignorant of Satan's schemes. So the secret of, you know, earlier we were talking about how to love Jesus. Do you remember the three things I said? One, we love him, because he first loved us.

The more you meditate on that, the more you love him. Second, the one who is forgiven more, loves more. So you must think of how much the Lord has forgiven you. Thirdly, to love God more, we've got to love money less.

So the more you move away from the love of money, the closer you'll get to the love of God. Having money is not wrong. Loving money is totally wrong. See, if you have worked hard, and you earned money, that's a good thing.

But provided you have learned to be rich towards God, who enabled you to earn all that money. Do you know that all the money you have belongs to God? I'll show you that from scripture. Don't believe anything I say if I can't show it to you from scripture.

Everything Belongs to the Lord

1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 26. 1 Corinthians 10, 26. The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything that is on this earth also belongs to the Lord. The fullness of the earth means everything on this earth.

All the trees, all the gold and silver hidden underground, all the money in all the banks in the world, it all belongs to the Lord. There's nothing on earth that belongs to any man. It's a clear verse.

Everything on earth belongs to the Lord. See, people ask me, supposing I find some currency note on the road, what should I do with it? I mean, you look around and see if somebody's dropped it, wait for a little while.

If somebody's dropped it, they'll come and pick it up. But otherwise, pick it up and put it in the offering box, because everything on earth belongs to the Lord. And remember also that what you earn from your job belongs to the Lord, first of all.

Tithing Under the Old Covenant and Giving Under the New

In the Old Testament, they did not have that understanding. So God said, you give 10 as indicating your gratitude to God for what he's done for you. And in the Old Testament, the Lord said, you give 10 to the Lord so that you can be grateful to him for what he's done for you in your life.

And in the Old Testament, 10 was not money. It was grain. Cattle. That means God blessed their farm or their flocks and 10 of that they gave to show their gratitude to God. Because out of the 12 tribes, one tribe was told not to do any earthly work.

You must not have any fields. You must not even have a house. You must not have any flocks. Those are the Levites. They had to spend all of their time serving God in the temple. So then how will they live?

So the other 11 tribes were told, what you earn from your flock and your fields, bring 10 and give it to the Levites. So 11 tribes brought 10%. That was more than 100%. The Levites would get a share also.

And that was like today, the government charges income tax. In Israel, God was the head of the government. And the Levites were like the government servants. Today, the government servants are paid from the income tax that you pay to the government.

So God said, you pay 10 income tax. And like that, the Levites, the government servants were taken care of. But in the new covenant, God is not the head of the government. He has become our father. Do you pay income tax in your house to your father?

No. So that is why we don't believe in paying 10 to our father. Supposing you are a working son or daughter in your home, and you're not yet married. And your father is poor, and he's living with you.

Won't you take care of his needs? Not out of any law. Out of gratitude. If your parents are poor, you will give them out of gratitude. Even if your parents are rich, you may still take them a gift out of gratitude.

So God is not poor. He's not a beggar. He's the biggest richest person in the universe. You know, all these people who preach that God's work is suffering, please support God's work. They are picturing God like a beggar.

They fool believers to go and give money to them. Almost every church proclaims like that. We need money, give money, give money, give money. You know who never said that? Who is the one who never said that?

Jesus and the apostles. You never read in the gospel, anywhere in the New Testament, they're saying give me money, give me money. Jesus said, give money to the poor. That he said many times. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, give money to the poor believers in Jerusalem.

But never do you read in the New Testament, give me money, I'm serving the Lord. Or give money to these preachers. Not even once. Then we can ask, how are these preachers supposed to live? Aren't these preachers like the Levites in the Old Testament?

No, because one of the greatest preachers, the Apostle Paul, worked with his own hands. The Levites were not allowed to work. Paul worked and many servants of the Lord through these 20 centuries have worked and served the Lord.

That's how I have served the Lord for the last more than 40 years that we've had CFC. Not only me, all the other elders. We followed Paul's example. So it's very important in this area, money, that we have a good testimony.

Jesus, Paul, and Voluntary Support

But we read that some people gave money to Jesus. How did Jesus support himself? Luke 8 verse 2 and 3. Luke 8 verse 3. Joanna, the wife of Huza, Herod's steward and Susanna and many others were contributing to the support of Jesus and his disciples from their private means.

Luke 8 verse 3. He never asked them. If they voluntarily gave, he took it. The same way Paul says in Philippians 4 and verse 10. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that you have revived your concern for me.

Not because I want anything, verse 11, because I've learned to be content in whatever I have. It is in this context of money that he says in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I'm not dependent on your supporting me. Even if you don't support me, the Lord will strengthen me. But you have done well to help me in my need. And now, verse 17. I do not seek the gift, but the profit which will increase to your account.

He says, I don't need anything. But when you give me something, I think of the blessing that will come to you. So, Paul never made his need known to anyone. Do you know sometimes Paul was hungry? And sometimes he was shivering in the cold.

But he never told anybody his need. That is the testimony we have maintained in all of our churches. It's a very important testimony, because there are two masters, God and money. And we never want to become a slave of money.

Five Conditions for Giving

We don't want to push people to give money. If you come to our CFC Bangalore, on top of the offering box, we have five conditions written there. Before you put money in this box, check these things. Number one, are you born again?

A person who is not born again cannot give money for God's work. See this verse in the third epistle of John. John wrote three letters. This is the third letter. There is only one chapter there. And it says here, the people who went out preaching in the name of Jesus, verse seven, took nothing from the non-Christians.

That means if a non-Christian gave them some money, they say, no, thank you. We don't want it. It's a great privilege to support God's work, but only his children have that privilege. So the first condition there is, are you a child of God?

Are you born again? If not, put your money back into your pocket. Don't put it here. Second, are you in debt to somebody? Jesus said, give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's. That means if you owe some tax to Caesar, go and pay Caesar.

Don't put it in the offering box. Or if you borrowed money from that person, and you put money in the box, it's not your money. That is that person's money. That person can say, God, how can he give you my money?

He should return my debt. God doesn't want Caesar's money or anybody else's money. If you are in debt, don't put money in the offering box. Give it to that person. I want to clarify something. To take a loan for a house is not a debt.

You take a loan from a bank to build a house. Why is it not a debt? See, if you take a weighing balance, one side is a house, the other is a bank loan. Equal. Or take a loan to buy a car. There's no debt.

If you die, the bank will take the house. There's no debt. Because if you die, the bank will take the car and your loan will be paid off. So that's not a debt. But if you borrow money from people for some other thing, you're in debt to that person.

So people ask me, should I give that person or should I give to God? But if you give to God, you're giving that person's money. God doesn't want other people's money. But people say, but I also owe God money.

No, no, no. You don't owe God any money. If you give to God, you must give joyfully. Not like a debt. So that's the second thing. If you're in debt, don't give. The third thing, Jesus said, if when you come with your offering, you remember somebody has got something against you.

And he got something against you because you hurt him. Because you hurt him. Don't put the offering there. Go to him. Settle it. Then come and put your offering. So that's the third condition. Has somebody got something against you because you did some harm to him?

Don't put your money here. Go and settle it with him. And number four. See, there's a verse in 1 Timothy 5, 8. That if you don't take care of your family, you're worse than an unbeliever. So, if your children are in need.

They don't have enough food. Or they don't have proper clothes. Or you don't have money to educate them. Take care of them. I'm not talking about buying a car for each of them. I'm not talking about things like that.

I'm saying if they have need of food, clothing or education. Don't put money in the box. Take care of your children. Don't let your children grow up and say, we could never get proper education because daddy gave his money to God.

Don't let your children grow up and say, we could never get proper education because daddy gave his money to God. We had to wear torn clothes because daddy gave his money to God. Your children will turn against God.

So, be right there. Take care of your children. And number five. One thing I want to say. Take care of your children doesn't mean you pay a dowry for your daughter. That's not a need. Take care of your children doesn't mean you pay a dowry for your daughter.

No. God is 100 against dowry. You're disobeying God when you get dowry. Let me clarify. It's right to give your daughter an equal inheritance with your sons. That is okay. When you die or whenever you write a will, that's okay.

But not to buy a husband. Don't buy a husband with dowry. That's not going to be a very happy marriage. Fifth condition is, don't do business with God. Don't give thinking that you will get a reward from God.

Give saying, Lord, I don't want anything back, this is for you. So these are the five conditions. So some people come and they see all that, and they don't put anything and go away. See these are like filters, one, two, three, four, five filters.

A Church That Depends on God Rather Than Fundraising

So somebody asked me once, Brother Zach, with all these filters, does anybody put anything in the box at all? Do you get any money? I said, we have followed this principle for 41 years. And if you go to our website, you'll see this financial, our financial policy, that everyone in the world also can read it, that we are not looking for money from anywhere in the world.

We never send a report of our work anywhere. You know, for many years now, we have sent out a weekly message called Word for the Weak. No, we have sent a message from the Word of God for many years, and there are thousands of people around the world who get it.

We never send a report to all of them of what we are doing, because Jesus never gave a report to people of what he was doing. The apostles never sent reports to all the churches what they were doing. Among the apostles and elders, they shared among themselves what the Lord is doing.

But we don't advertise it, because advertising makes like asking people for money. So, we are a unique church like that. For 41 years, in all our nearly 75 churches, we have never taken an offering in any church.

None of our elders get any payment. And God has met all our needs. When we put up a building, we don't go to a bank for money. See, because in many of our village churches, we have to put up a building, because all those Hindus and all will not give us their houses to have a church meeting.

So, we have to put up a building. But we never ask people for money. Where we get, we build. If we don't have, we don't build. So, I am saying, we need to know these principles that if we want to build a New Testament church, we depend only upon God.

God's Ways Are Higher Than Human Ways

We are not proud of it. God is a good God. That is what we are trying to proclaim. God's ways are not man's ways. See, Isaiah 55. Now, many people listen to these ways we do our God's work and they can't understand why we do it like this.

I say, because we follow Jesus. I told you, if you compare yourself with somebody better than you, you will always remain humble. So, we don't compare ourselves with other churches. We don't say we are better than other churches.

If we get 10%, we don't look at other people who get 5 and 4%. We look at the one who got 100%, Jesus Christ. We don't look at other Christians or other churches. We do things differently. Because we follow Jesus.

And we say, we still have not become like him. We want to be more like him. We want to be like him in our attitude to money. We want to be like him in the way we speak. In the way we handle money. In the way we look at women.

With purity, just like Jesus looked at them. In the way we look at Pharisees. Denouncing Pharisees, just like Jesus did. In the way we look at sinful women or men with compassion, saying, God forgives you.

So, we want to have the same attitude Jesus had towards people, towards things, towards everything. And that requires a big change in our way of thinking. See this verse, Isaiah 55, verse 8 and 9. My thoughts are not your thoughts.

Neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. And we say, Lord, what is the difference between your ways and my ways? Our ways and your ways. The Lord says in verse 9, as high as the heaven is above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.

And my thoughts than your thoughts. So, when many Christians hear about the way how we handle money in our church. Or how we handle money, our policy on money. And they say, hey, this is very different from what we have seen in other churches.

Because in every church, they're always asking us to give money. But yours is different. You don't ever ask for it. Is it because you've got a lot of millionaires in your church? No, we've got poor people in our church.

But we've got a rich heavenly father. And we tell him our needs. And his thoughts are different from the thoughts of most Christians. So, we don't do it like other Christians do. We do it the way Jesus did it.

I never see Jesus telling anybody his financial need. Or any earthly need. I never hear Jesus complaining about something. And so, we must make our ways like his ways. And that is so much higher than other people.

And that is the only type of church I want to be in. I never want to be a part of a church where they are interested in money. Because the closer you get to money, the further away you are from God. And the more you talk about money, the more you drift away from God.

That is why I will never sit in a church that's always talking about money. Where they talk about God. And about becoming like Jesus. This is a very important principle. There are people who wonder, why are we not growing spiritually?

Because you are sitting in a church which is more interested in your money than making you like Jesus Christ. It's like saying, why are my children getting 10 in mathematics? Because you put them in some corporation school where the teacher never comes.

Why do you put your children in good schools? Because you want them to get a good education. If somebody is sick, why do you put them in a good hospital? We choose a good school. We choose a good hospital.

But we choose not a good church. They say, my father used to go to this church. Grandfather also. Do you send your child to the same school your grandfather went to? If your mother is sick, do you send them to the hospital your grandmother was taken to?

There are better schools today, better hospitals today. And there are better churches. But why are we careful about hospital and school? But not about church. Listen to the truth. You value good education for your children.

You value good medical treatment for your loved ones. But you don't value obedience to God's word when you go to a church. That's why you don't check, is this church obeying God's word? You go to a hospital and everything is dirty and you say, no, I don't want to put my loved one in this hospital.

If you go to a hospital and the condition is very bad, then you will not let your loved ones in. And this is the reason why many people do not grow. That's why we have to think the way God thinks. That's why he has given us the Holy Spirit.

And the Holy Spirit changes our way of thinking. For more than 50 years. To learn to think the way Jesus thinks. To love like Jesus. To be firm like Jesus. To say to sinners, I don't condemn you, God forgives you.

And when people make money in the name of religion, to take a whip and chase them out of the church. That is Jesus. Who had grace and truth. Who was loving and strict. God's ways are not our ways. He doesn't work the way we think it should be done.

Weakness, Trials, and the Power of Christ

For example, we thought about, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But before he can give us that strength, he has to make us weak. Many of us don't understand, why is God taking us through so many trials?

He is taking us through trials to make us weak. Then only his power can come inside you. See, when people say, oh brother, I lose my temper so easily. I get angry. I get angry so quickly because I am so weak.

Tell me honestly. Are weak people get angry or strong people get angry? See, you take an angry man who is admitted in a hospital. And first day he is yelling at the nurses and angry with everything. You see him after a week.

He has become a little weaker. And he doesn't have much strength to shout at the nurses now. And one more week. He has become very weak now. Now he doesn't get angry at all. When was he getting angry?

When he was strong. So don't say, I am so weak brother, I get angry so easily. That's a lie. Say, brother, I am so strong, I am angry. God has to make you weak. Then only he can manifest his power inside you.

And I will show you many examples of that. Jesus once heard that Lazarus, his friend was sick. Very close friend. Supposing you hear that your close relative is seriously sick. What do you do? You will get a ticket immediately and go.

Lazarus and the Necessity of Spiritual Death

Listen to this. John 11 verse 6. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed two more days in the same place. It's like you are hearing, my mother is seriously sick. I think I will wait here two more days.

Is this God's way? Is this man's way? No. Jesus waited. And I think he stayed more than two days. Because by the time he reached Lazarus's place, he was already dead for four days. They said, don't open the tomb.

He is dead for four days. He heard the message when he was sick. But he went only after he was dead for four days. What is the spiritual lesson there? Lazarus has to die. There is a spiritual lesson here.

God can manifest his power in you only after you die. Spiritually. So Jesus waits. Lazarus can still move around so I have to wait. He can still lift his hand and all, I have to wait. Now he is dead. Just to make sure he is dead, let's wait another four days.

Maybe only a coma, don't know. Four days means he is really dead. But inside the grave buried, definitely dead. Now I can go and manifest my power. Now, there is a spiritual lesson here. For you and me.

As long as we think I can do something for the Lord, Jesus has to wait. He is still very confident in himself. He thinks he can get victory over sin just by a little more determination. And the next day you are weaker and Jesus says, no, not yet.

He is not fully dead yet. He has to become weak and completely dead to yourself. I have no strength. You know in the church we speak a lot about dying to self. And that's the meaning of taking up the cross every day.

Dying to self. And a lot of us hear it. And we think we are dead. But we are not really dead. In the conference in Bangalore, I was telling a story that I heard. That they were acting a drama of Jesus dying on the cross.

So there was one man hanging there on the cross. And these other fellows were supposed to spit at him and all that. Only pretend to spit and so on. But one man really spat at him. And this man on the cross said, wait till I come down from the cross.

I will teach you a lesson. That is how many believers die. They haven't really died. They are just pretending to hang there, I have died to myself. Somebody provokes them and you discover suddenly that they haven't died.

God has to wait till we are really willing to die to ourselves. So many times when somebody comes and tells me, brother this person has done this to me. My question is, how will a dead man react to that?

You act like that. That is the meaning of dying with Jesus. See Romans chapter 6. Verse 6. Your old man was crucified with Christ. So what should we do? Verse 11. Consider yourself to be dead. Consider yourself to be dead.

Because God has crucified you on the cross with Christ. So in the early days when I was trying to understand this. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I must die first. Otherwise I am doing it in my own strength and I will fail.

I want to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Not through my determination. We saw in the case of Lazarus, Christ will come only after you die fully. This is the way I used to picture it.

This is the way I pictured it in my mind. Somebody gets angry with me or provokes me in some way. I say here I am lying as a dead man. I am lying as a dead man here. Somebody comes and shouts at me. What is the reaction in that man?

If he is really dead, not pretending to be dead. No reaction. That is what it means to reckon yourself dead to Satan. This is what it means to die in sin. Not only when somebody criticizes you. When somebody praises you.

And says some very good thing about you. You don't get puffed up. Because you go to this dead man. You are such a wonderful man. You are a great man of God. It is a wonderful thing to be dead to the world.

Carrying the Dying of Jesus and Manifesting His Life

Alive unto Christ. That was not possible in the old covenant. It is possible in the new covenant. The Holy Spirit helped Jesus to die. The Holy Spirit will help me to die. To die to myself in every situation.

Why did Jesus say take up the cross every day? Because every day we are facing some temptation. People praise us or criticize us. The praise can puff us up with pride. And the criticism can make us angry.

For everything we need to die. It is not only every day. Second Corinthians 4. It says. We must always carry about in our body the dying of Jesus. Second Corinthians 4 .10. Always carrying in our body the dying of Jesus.

So that the life of Jesus will be seen in our body. Why always? Not just once a day. Always means throughout the day I can be tempted by so many people. I would keep asking myself. How will a dead man react to this?

How will a dead man react to this? How will a dead man react to this? He will not be affected. This is the meaning of reckon yourself dead. Romans 6 .11. This is the meaning of always carrying in our body the dying of Jesus.

What is the reward you will get? The same verse. The life of Jesus will come forth in you. The Bible says if you die with him you will live with him. Then you ask yourself this question. In some situations why is the life of Jesus not being manifested in you?

Answer Second Corinthians 4 .10. You are not dying with Jesus at that time. That is why your own life comes forth. Not the life of Jesus. Your life is the life of the flesh. The life of Adam. I will give you one example and finish.

Jesus' Lack of Complaint at the Mount of Olives

John's Gospel 7. We read here that Jesus came and preached in the temple one day. He was preaching the whole day. At the end of the day. Remember this is in Jerusalem. Jesus' home was in Capernaum which is about 100 km away.

Now he is in Jerusalem. He is preaching there. It says at the end of the day. John 7 .53 last verse. Everybody went to their own house. But where was Jesus' house? 100 km away. Nobody asked him where are you staying tonight?

Nobody asked him where are you staying tonight? Lord please come to my house. Imagine all those people who were blessed by the message. Never asked him where he is staying that night. You know. How ungrateful they were for the blessing they got.

So what did Jesus do? He didn't complain. It says in verse 1. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. This is one sentence. Everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. I am sure.

If somebody had asked Jesus to come to his house. He would have gone to that house. When he went to Emmaus. And the two people said come to our house. He went. But here nobody called him. Looks around.

Everybody is gone. What shall I do? Praise God. It's not raining. I can go and sleep under the trees. No complaint. Perfectly happy. Next morning. Verse 2. He comes to the temple. And all the people came.

Sat down. And nobody asked him. By the way Lord where did you stay last night? Can you imagine? The ungratefulness of these people. And he also does not mention anything. You know how sometimes we like to make people feel bad.

By saying. Last night I was sleeping under the trees. In the Mount of Olives. There are preachers like that. Who give little hints. He never said a word. Why? He died to himself. A dead man does not complain.

If somebody does not show him any. If they do not treat me well. What does it matter? This is how Jesus lived. And people called him Beelzebul. Prince of devils. He said forgiven. To bear the dying of Jesus means.

That is the way I go. And. If I die like that. Say Lord I want to be like a dead man. If people do not invite me to their home. I just go and sleep under the trees. Or railway station or somewhere. But I will not complain.

Because I have died. Then you will be able to experience. Christ strengthen me. I can do everything. Let us pray. Heavenly Father. Help us to be gripped by these truths. So that we can really experience the strengthening of Christ.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.