God's Promises For Those Who Love Him — Zac Poonen

Pressing On to Become Like Christ

Our goal in life, as Christians, is what's written in front of that pulpit, to press on to perfection, which means to become like Jesus Christ. And that is a promise God gives us in his word, that he'll do it.

But yet, many do not make much progress in that direction. And so we have to ask ourselves why, and it is obvious. Because the reason is, God is not giving them grace. It's impossible to become like Christ if we don't get grace from God.

As long as we don't receive grace, sin will have dominion over us. There's no doubt about it. But if we do get grace, then no sin will have dominion over us. So we need to begin with that. And that's why when Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount, we turn to Matthew chapter 5 and verse 3.

The very first thing he said was, the people who are really blessed, in fact that's the first step to the Sermon on the Mount, are those who are poor in spirit. Or, as you've heard me quote the Amplified Bible, it says, those who consider themselves insignificant, or those who rate themselves as insignificant.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That means if you're poor in spirit, you keep on possessing more and more and more. You will definitely press on to perfection, and become more Christ-like every year, and people will see it.

Becoming Insignificant Before God

If we continue to rate ourselves as insignificant before God, so during the conference, you remember, I got all those brothers to stand with zeros in front of them. Whatever their abilities, earthly abilities or spiritual abilities, they are zero.

And if you remember, I also mentioned the story of what Jesus said in Luke chapter 19, if you turn there for a moment, Luke's Gospel and chapter 19. He said about a nobleman, verse 12, who was going to a far country to receive a kingdom, that's Jesus Christ.

And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas each. Sorry, ten minas, one mina to each person. And he told them, do some business with this. So, one mina is like about three months salary. Whatever your three months salary is, that's one mina.

So that's what they got. And the Lord said, do business with this. Until I come back, invest this in some good way, and get some profit. So when he came back, he asked them, what did you do with what I gave you?

And the way the Lord will ask us when he comes back, what did you do with the money I gave you, the time I gave you, the gifts I gave you, the facilities I gave you, the church I gave you, and so many things, what did you do with it?

Now you know there's one man who did nothing. He, verse 20, he just wrapped it up and kept it. He produced absolutely nothing. He just took advantage of all of God's goodness and gifts and fellowship in the church, and all that God gave him, and did absolutely nothing for the Lord.

There are believers like that. I hope there's nobody here like that, who just takes advantage of everything that God gives them, and does nothing in return for the Lord. And it says that the Lord cast him out.

But look at the other, there are two others mentioned there. One man, verse 16, said, Master, your mina has made ten minas more. And another man came and said, verse 18, your mina has made five minas more.

And maybe there were others, because there were ten of them, maybe somebody made two, somebody made three, somebody made four. But the thought that came to me is, how is it this man with five didn't make ten?

In the same country, in the same place, one man made ten, another man made five. It's like, you know, the story which Jesus said about the six types of ground on which the seed is sown. There's the ground which is like a road.

When nothing happens, the birds take it away. Then there's another type of ground, where it doesn't go deep. And then there's a third type of ground, where the thorns come up and choke it, where the word doesn't produce fruit, because when the persecution comes, they give up.

And then there are three types of good ground also. One produced thirtyfold, one produced sixtyfold, one produced a hundredfold. So, even among believers, not all are the same category. Some get thirty percent, some sixty percent, some a hundred percent.

Jesus said that. Not all believers are the same. So here also, one got five, another got ten. And in the same way, in that story, why did some produce thirty, some produce sixty, some produce a hundred?

I believe it's got to do with whether you rate yourself as insignificant. Those who are poor in spirit produce more fruit. Those who are poor in spirit produce more from what God has given them. Ten minas.

So, in other words, this man who got five minas, he rated himself as zero. Again and again and again, and his one mina became two, three, four, five. And once it became five, just like it happens to some of us, he begins to think, oh, I'm somebody.

I'm somebody in the church now. I'm not an ordinary insignificant person in the church like I was when I first came. I'm somebody a little important. I'm recognized by others. He's no longer a zero. Maybe he becomes a one, two, three, whatever he becomes.

A little big in the head, and all production stops. That is the reason. If he had remained a zero, he could have gone on and produced ten. The other guy, he produced five. He said, well, it's all of God.

I'm a zero. He went on to produce six, seven, eight, nine, ten. And if the master had come a little later, he'd have produced a hundred. So, it all depends on whether I rate myself as insignificant continuously, not just for a period.

Most people, when they come initially, do rate themselves as insignificant because there are nobody in the church. Nobody knows them. Nobody cares for them. And they say, oh, I'm really a zero. But after a while, when you begin to be respected or you've accomplished something, and maybe people recognize you and people appreciate you and praise you, that's when we can get a little giddy with praise.

And then we no longer consider ourselves as zero like we did in the beginning. And then all progress stops. So, if you wonder why in your early Christian life, from the time you were born again, you really made progress for a while, and then it suddenly stopped.

It's like this five-miner guy. It stopped. When it could have gone on. It can go on endlessly till the Lord comes for every one of us. And I'll tell you why endlessly. Because to become like Jesus Christ is a fantastic height.

And we can keep on progressing endlessly if we will be poor in spirit, which is recognize ourselves always as zero. Like you've heard me say many times, it's easy for God to bless you, but it's difficult for God to keep you humble after he has blessed you.

Prosperity, Pride, and Satan's Schemes

He may have blessed you in many ways. Maybe, I think many of you have been blessed materially. When you came to the church, you were probably a very poor person. I know numerous people in CFC Bangalore, who were very, very rock-bottom poor when they came to CFC.

And they have prospered immensely in their work, their earnings, their business. And there are some, very few, who have remained humble even after God has prospered them. But most of the others, it has gone to their head.

They thought their smartness and their capability, or they thought, oh, I sought God's kingdom first. And that's why God has given me all these crazy ideas that the devil puts into their head. Like you saw in that slide I showed of the demons whispering things, telling you what a wonderful guy you are, and it goes to their head.

And they stop becoming zeros. That's the aim of the devil. Puff you up so that he doesn't have to hinder you, God himself will hinder you. See, the devil knows that if he can get God to hinder you, that's the best way.

Then he doesn't have to worry about you. He doesn't have to hinder you anymore because God himself will hinder you. And the devil knows that all I got to do is put a little high thoughts into this guy's head, and then I can leave him alone and go and work on some other people.

Don't be ignorant of Satan's schemes. I want to encourage you, my brothers, no matter how much you have progressed materially, or you're a clever person, maybe you've done well in your profession, or you got fantastic degrees, which you didn't expect, or you prospered amazingly in your business or your work and earned a lot of money, or built a house and you're living comfortably, which you never expected would happen, please remain as a zero.

And recognize that, like the Bible says, are you all familiar with this very important verse? 1 Corinthians 4, verse 7. A verse that those who have this temptation to be puffed up should always ask themselves.

I ask this to myself many times, I'll tell you before God, I ask this question to myself many times. Who regards you as superior? Who considers you as a superior Christian? Maybe you yourself do. And if you are like that, ask yourself, what have you got that you did not receive?

I ask myself that question many times. What have I got that I did not receive? Health or intelligence or understanding or any spiritual gift or progress or anything. What have I got, which I produced myself?

Even your intelligence, which enabled you to get a good job, you didn't produce it, brother, sister. You were born with it. God gave it to you in your mother's womb. Be humble and thank God for it. And don't ever look down on someone else who's not as clever as you.

That's the thing that hinders spiritual progress. What have you got that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, how can you boast as if you did not receive it? Like the illustration I've used, if somebody else made a cake, and you pass it around, and they say, Oh, brother, you made a fantastic cake.

And you say, Yeah. Just shrug your shoulders and don't say straight away, That wasn't me. I'm only distributing it. Somebody else produced it. That's the attitude we must have about everything you have.

And particularly if you do something good and accomplish something, there are people who will come and appreciate it and praise you. And then it goes to your head. I've seen people, it has gone to their head and they've gone down after that.

I watch the spiritual progress of so many people around, not just here, but in all our churches. And I've seen elders also. They do really well up to a point and then go down. And I can notice the point at which they go down.

It has gone well in their ministry and in their labors as an elder. And then the graph goes down. And they don't seem to come up again. Very few people repent and come back up. Most of them keep going down because they continue to be better than others.

Be very, very careful. Especially if God has gifted you in some way or used you in some way. What I keep telling people, keep your face in the dust. And if somebody rebukes you, accept it. You know what it says in the Psalms, Let the righteous man smite me.

That's like that man anointing me with oil in my head. What a wonderful gift that is. Somebody slapped me. Somebody rebuked me strongly. A righteous man. That is like his anointing you on your head and laying hands on you and praying for you.

That's what the Psalmist said. Let him keep doing it. That will keep me in the place where I can keep on receiving God's blessing. So, it is to such people that the promises in the Bible are made. Very often we may try to claim a promise which is not for us.

That's like trying to cash a check which is not in your name. That's a dangerous thing to try and put somebody else's check into your account. You would never do that in earthly matters. But if you try to claim a promise which is not meant for you, it doesn't work.

That's the main reason why a lot of people wonder, Why isn't this working for me? Why isn't that promise working for me? For example, this verse that we just read a little while ago, which I have often quoted, We know that God causes everything to work for good.

Romans 8 .28, favorite verse. But for whom? Whose name is that check written for? The check says, what is the amount to be paid? Everything to work for good. What a fantastic promise that is. Everything to work for good.

But hang on, see who is paid to whom. Maybe not your name. Those who love God more than everything else. Do you do that? Do you love God more than your job, and more than your relatives, and more than position and honor, and the praise of men and everything?

Do you love God supremely? And those who are called according to His purpose. That means those who only aim in life is to fulfill God's purpose. The check is written in that name. And you present it to the bank of heaven and it is not cashed.

Something happened to you, it did not work for your good. Go back and read that check again. It was not in your name. That's why it didn't work for your good. So, you may wonder why that thing didn't work for my good.

I'll tell you, because the check is not in your name. But anyone can have that check if they say, Lord, I'm going to love you more than everything else. Those are the people who are really blessed, I'll tell you this.

Those who say, Lord, I'm going to love you more than everything else. They may not make a lot of money, but everything will work for their good. Every single thing. They will not have a complaint about one thing in their life.

I want to say to you in Jesus' name. If you have a complaint about one event in your life, or you have a complaint against one person in your life, one person anywhere in the world, who you say did this to me or did that to me, you have a complaint.

That means something happened to you which was not for your good. That's why you complained. Will you ever complain about something good that happens? If your boss is unrighteous and fires you from your job, you complain.

But if he gives you a double promotion in your job, you won't complain. We never complain about something good that happens to us. So, whenever you have a complaint about anything or anyone, it's because something bad happens.

Why did it happen? Go back and look at the check. It's not in your name. You didn't love God. You didn't want to fulfill His purpose. Then why blame that brother? Why blame him for harming you? It's not him.

It's you. You didn't love God. You were not interested in fulfilling His purpose, and things did not work for your good, and you blame some other person, or you blame some circumstance, or you blame your unconverted boss in your office.

It's got nothing to do with anybody in the world. It's got to do with you. I thank God for the day in my life when I realized that, that what happens to me in this world does not depend on a single other human being.

It does not depend on any person. It depends entirely on me. It's an amazing life. Nobody else in the world can say that except those who love God. Can anybody in the world go around saying, Nobody can harm me.

Nobody can do any evil to me. Nobody can make anything happen to me that will work out bad for me. You think anybody in the world can say that? Jesus could say it. And those who love God, and who say, Lord, I only want to fulfill your purpose in my life, they can say it.

I have no complaint against anyone in the world because whatever they do is working for my good. Now just stop for a moment, and ask yourself, these are things we have said a hundred times in this church, but why do we need to say it again?

Because some of you haven't understood it. It's like in a kindergarten class, if they still don't know how to spell a word, you have to repeat it. If they still don't know how to learn addition, you have to repeat it, repeat it, repeat it, till you have understood addition.

You would never have got out of those lower classes if you hadn't understood addition. You'd be sitting there. So there are some things that need to be repeated till we have understood it, that nobody can harm you if you decide that you're going to love God, and you're going to live according to His purpose, and that your goal in life is Romans 8 .29, to become like Jesus Christ.

God's Protection for Those Who Pursue His Purpose

Not to become a millionaire, not to live in comfort, not even to have perfect health, but to become like Jesus Christ. That's my goal, and everything will work for my good. Turn with me to 1 Peter. It's wonderful to know these promises.

1 Peter 3 verse 13. 1 Peter 3 verse 13 is somewhat like Romans 8 .28. Many people know Romans 8 .28, but they don't know 1 Peter 3 .13. Very similar promise. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 13.

Who can harm you if you're zealous for what is good? And the good thing is to love God and fulfill His purpose. If you're zealous for that, who in the world can harm you? Do you think your boss can fire you from your job if you are determined to love God and called according to His purpose?

No. God will remove that boss before He fires you. Yes, God is on the side of His people. It's amazing what He will do to support those who fear Him. He works strongly on behalf of those who reverence Him.

As He supported Jesus, He will support us. That is the message we get from Jesus came in a flesh like ours. And if you love Him and you want to follow Him, He will do that for you. Turn to John's Gospel chapter 12.

It's a verse we read during the conference in John 12 and verse 26. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. John 12 26. It's earlier there in verse 24. He speaks about a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies.

If anyone serves me, verse 26, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. I told you that in the conference. If I'm on the cross, my servant will be on the cross. If I'm in the grave, my servant will be in the grave.

If I am slapped and insulted and called the devil, my servant will also face me there. But what is the result? My father will honor him, verse 26. See the end of that. You may go all the way that Jesus went, but my father will honor him.

What a promise! You want God to honor you? I tell you, I want God to honor me. Definitely. Well, the Lord says just be willing to be where I was and keep your mouth shut when people call you the devil.

I mean, if you can't keep your mouth shut just when your husband is angry with you or your wife is angry with you, where in the world are we going to keep our mouth shut when somebody calls us prince of devils?

Where I am, there my servant will also be. Jesus kept his mouth shut when they slapped him and they called him the devil. He never wanted to take revenge on a single person. He didn't say to the people on the cross, when he was hanging on the cross, wait till I come back and I'll teach you fellows a lesson.

No. And after his resurrection, this is the best part of it, after his resurrection, you and I would have been tremendously tempted if we were there to stand before Annas and Caiaphas and say, hey, you fellows tried to kill me.

See, what God did, you couldn't kill me. Annas, who do you think you are? And the devil could have said, okay, go and do that at least to bring some repentance in their life. No. The Bible says, Jesus did not appear before a single unbeliever after his resurrection.

What an example. That means when people have treated you badly and it goes well with you, you don't go and stand before them and boast and say, see, you tried to harm me but see where I am now. There's a great lust in our flesh to do that.

That's what we got to mortify and put to death. No. I don't even want to prove to those people that God has blessed me. Do you have a great desire to prove to people that God has blessed you? Especially those who hurt you, especially maybe to some of your unconverted relatives, you want to prove that God has blessed you.

You're not like Jesus. Jesus had no desire to go before the Pharisees after his resurrection and say, see, I'm alive. Learn from that. Learn from that. There are many things we can learn. Why did the Father do that for Jesus?

Honoring God and Receiving His Honor

There's a promise in the Old Testament. I'd like to give these promises to you because there are promises that we can claim. 1 Samuel chapter 2. It's a well-known promise. You've heard me quote it many times but for some of you who don't know where it is, if you don't know where a verse is in the Bible, get into the habit of underlining it so that you can find it easily.

1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 30. In the middle of that verse, those who honor me, towards the end of that verse, I will honor. Just that phrase. Those who honor me, I will honor. And if you don't honor God in your life and in your home and in your office and in your different situations, the opposite, there's only one other thing you do.

Then you're despising him. There's no middle category. There's no category of those who don't honor him and don't despise him. No. There are only two categories. Those who honor God and those who despise him and whether you like it or not, you're in one of those categories.

In your home, you either honor God or despise him. You either, in your office, you either honor God or despise him. Only two categories and you can decide which category you're in. I always want to be in the category of those who honor God because God will honor me.

I want God to honor me. I don't want the empty honor of men. It's garbage. The honor of men is fit for the trash can. But God to honor me. It's amazing what God will do for those who honor him like that.

Amazing. Look at the New Testament promise. Matthew 6 and verse 33. Seek first his kingdom. All well-known promises we quoted many times. And his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Now let's understand. What does it mean? What does it mean to seek God's kingdom first? Because if I do that, it says everything I need on earth will be added to me. That means what I need to eat. Verse 3.

Eat, drink, clothe myself. The necessities of life. He's not saying that he'll make you a millionaire or give you a fancy house. He's saying the necessities of life will be added to you no matter what happens in the world around you.

People around you may be starving because of famine. You will not starve. People around you may be jobless. You will not be without a job because you seek his kingdom first. And his righteousness. So we need to ask ourselves what does that mean?

We have our own ideas. For many years I also had my own ideas of what seeking God's kingdom meant. I thought it was preaching the gospel or something like that. But most of us don't have much opportunity to preach the gospel.

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit

Okay, let's go to Romans 14, 17. What is the kingdom of God which we have to seek first in our life? Here is the Bible's answer. What should I seek first in my life if I want all my earthly necessities, food, clothing, shelter, job, education for my children, jobs for my children, everything to be added to me, what should I seek first?

Here it is. Romans 14, 17. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. Don't get taken up with eating and drinking. Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So what should I seek first in my life?

Righteousness, peace and joy. The moment any unrighteousness comes into my life or into what I'm looking at, I turn away from it because I'm seeking righteousness. The moment I lose peace in my heart and peace in my heart can be lost because I have a wrong attitude towards somebody, very quickly you keep a wrong attitude towards someone, even for ten seconds your heart is at, if you've got a sensitive consciousness, you'll tell you, you're in unrest, you're not at peace.

Or if you're the type of people who are going around creating trouble for others, you can't be at peace with everybody. It says as much as it lies in you, be at peace with all men. In other words, if the other person doesn't want peace, you can't do anything about it.

But in your heart, you must desire peace with all men. Peace does not mean fellowship. Some people go to an extreme. We must have fellowship with all believers. I don't believe that. I cannot have fellowship with an unrighteous believer.

If there's unrighteousness life, what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? I'm sorry, I can't have fellowship with them. So, peace is different from fellowship. There are very few people we can have fellowship with.

Jesus had fellowship with very few people. But peace, in our heart, we must have 24 hours a day. In Colossians 3, you know, verse 15, it says, peace is the referee that blows the whistle when you've committed a foul.

It's a paraphrase. Peace is the referee. The whistle is blown when you've committed a foul. Stop. Stop the game. Set it right. In other words, search what did you do wrong, confess it, cleanse it, continue with the game.

You've rectified the foul. Always keep peace in my heart. I'm only speaking what I'm practicing. God is my witness that this is how I've sought to live for a long time. Other people can't convict me of sin.

I don't listen to them. But the Holy Spirit does. And I listen to Him. If He convicts me, and I have unrest in my heart, I stop. I'll tell you honestly, every time I'm sick, I slide down in my bed and say, Lord, what are you trying to tell me?

I know that sickness is not the perfect will of God. Definitely not. He may allow us to have it so that we can sympathize with other people who are sick. But it is not God's perfect will. Sometimes that may be the reason.

I want you to sympathize with other people who are sick and you're not sympathetic enough. Okay, thank you Lord for helping me to be sick and to learn that lesson. But sometimes, it is a discipline because of some sin in my life.

Sickness, Sin, and the Limits of Judgment

See John chapter 5. So I take it seriously. Small sickness, big sickness. I go to God and say, Lord, what are you trying to tell me? Is it just to sympathize with others? Or are you trying to tell me something's wrong in my life?

John chapter 5, we read that Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda where there were many sick people. Verse 3. And He healed one man. He told him, verse 8, pick up your bed and walk. He was immediately healed.

Later on, Jesus met him and told him, verse 14. Afterwards, Jesus met him in the temple and said, see now you've been healed. Now don't go and sin again. Because your first sin happened because of sin.

First sickness came because of sin. Your paralysis came because of sin. How many people believe that a paralysis can come because of sin? Doctors will find some human cause for it, but Jesus said it was sin.

Now don't sin again, like you did previously, because something worse than paralysis can come to you next time. What do you learn from that? Some sicknesses are due to sin. But not all sicknesses. As we read in John chapter 9, when Jesus met a blind man, the disciples asked him, John 9 verse 1 and 2, is this man sinned or is it his father's sin that he's born blind?

And Jesus said, not this man, not his parents. He's not blind because of that. So that's the balance in scripture. Some sicknesses are due to sin, John chapter 5. Some sicknesses, John chapter 9, are not due to sin.

That's why we should not judge other people. When another person is sick, don't try to judge him unless you become like Job's friends who go and tell him, oh well, it's because of sickness. Your sickness is because of sin.

Your sons died because of some sins they may have committed against God. No, no, no, no. What? You know the sin of those three friends of Job? They were sitting on God's throne saying, this is why you are sick.

This is why your children died. I'm not here to say that. People ask me, I say, I don't know why you're sick. And where somebody goes after he dies, people ask me sometimes. I say, don't ask me. I'm not God.

God is the one who decides. I can only preach the laws of God on earth that those who live in sin will die and God will resist the proud till the end of their life God will resist them. But he gives grace to the humble.

I can only proclaim the laws of God, but I'm not here to decide where somebody's gone when he died. I don't know. People ask me, where did Mahatma Gandhi go? I said, I'm not his judge. God is his judge.

I don't know whether secretly on the last day of his life he repented and accepted Christ whom he always spoke about. I don't know. For example, the thief on the cross. He accepted Christ at the last moment.

If anybody had not known that, they'd have said, that guy would have definitely gone to hell, but he didn't. He went to paradise that day. Teaching us, don't judge anybody as to where they are gone. As long as they are alive, warn them.

Once they are dead, leave it to God to decide and he will decide perfectly. If you go around giving your opinion, you're acting like God. Some people we know definitely because their life has been so outstanding that you can say definitely where they have gone we can say without a doubt.

Those who have gone into God's kingdom. But some people who are on the borderline, I don't know. And I don't even try to give an opinion. Even if they claim to be believers, they don't give an opinion.

One thing we know, God honors those who honor him. God gives grace to the humble. He resists the proud. Those are unchanging laws of God. Those who seek his kingdom first, that is righteousness, peace and the third thing is joy in the Holy Spirit.

I must seek to have a life where I'm always righteous and if I slip into unrighteousness immediately confess it and if I lose my peace, immediately ask God, why have I lost my peace, Lord? And believe me, the Lord will show you every single time the Lord has shown me why I lost my peace.

And I said it right and the peace comes back. That's how I seek God's kingdom first. Or if I lose my joy sometime, I say, Lord, why have I lost my joy here? Something's happened. And the Lord will show me why I lost my joy.

When I confess it, joy comes back. One of the easiest ways to miss out on this is by having the habit of justifying yourself. You know what justifying yourself is? Whatever anybody tells you to correct you, you always have an excuse.

No, no, no. It was not like that. Like Adam. Did you eat of the tree? No, no, no. My wife gave it. Always some excuse. And Jesus said to the Pharisees, listen to this verse, Luke 16 and verse 15. Luke 16 verse 15.

You are those who justify yourselves before men. That means you prove that you are right. They tell you you're wrong and you argue against them. And you prove that you're right. You know, I told you during the conference how there are some people, you know, I took the example of the elder in Laodicea.

The apostle John who was a man of God writes to him and says, you elder brother, you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked spiritually. And what is the reaction of that elder brother?

He says, I heard that the opinions of men must be thrown into the trash can. So the opinion of John I throw in the trash can. Who's going to be the loser? You take the opinion of a man of God like John and put in the trash can.

You will go into the trash can. That's where God will put you. It's not like some worldly person or some unbeliever saying something. That is fit for the trash can. But when a man of God says something and you justify yourself.

No, I'm not saying that if the information was wrong you can correct it. Brother, that information is not correct. Here is actually what happened. That's okay. But to justify yourself and say, no, no, no, this is why I did it and that's why I did it.

And you know all the time your heart is saying you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong. But you justify yourself. That is to be a Pharisee. And Jesus said such people are, verse 15, detestable in the sight of God.

Detestable in the sight of God. You know, when I read a verse like that, it's like a unflushed toilet. Like some of these toilets in bus stops in different villages. When the bus stops you go to the toilet and you don't even feel like entering it.

That's what it means to be detestable in the sight of God. Picture it like that. Detestable in the sight of God. What is the man who justifies himself? No, no, no. It's because of this, it's because of that.