The Call of God - the Call to Holiness — Zac Poonen

Holiness Through the New Covenant

There was something that God could never do for people under the law. I mentioned that verse earlier in Romans 8 .3 which says, What the law could not do, God did. One of the things that the law could not do was to make us holy inside.

It could make a man holy on the outside and externally he would be alright. But the law could never do anything with the inside. And that is what God did through Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant.

And here we read in Hebrews 12 that the reason why God disciplines us, in verse 10, the last part, He disciplines us for our good, that we may partake or share His holiness. Now there is a lot of difference between my becoming holy through a technique or gritting my teeth or denying myself or taking up the cross and partaking of His holiness.

It's a lot of difference. One is what I manufacture and the other is what He gives me. I receive from Him. Now here is where a lot of Christians have gone wrong. They believe that justification is by faith but sanctification is by works.

Many years ago we hear of the Reformation and the great cry of the Reformation was justification is by faith. For hundreds of years before that most people believed justification was by works. Today we understand that any amount of works cannot forgive even one of our sins.

I don't think any of us have got any doubt on that. I hope not. We know that's got to be by faith and the blood of Jesus cleanses us. But we do believe that by works we can make ourselves holy. We need another Reformation to understand that sanctification is by faith too.

It doesn't mean we've got to do nothing. If man had to do nothing for forgiveness of sins the whole world would be forgiven. Why is it more than 90 of the world's sins are not forgiven? So faith doesn't mean man's got to do nothing.

They have to repent, they have to believe then they are forgiven. But it's not as a result of their works. In the same way here forgiveness is God's gift. Eternal life is also God's gift. And eternal life does not mean a life that never ends.

That's how many understand it. Eternal means something that never had a beginning and never ends. Who's got that life? Holy God. So eternal life is not a phrase which means I get a life that never ends.

But I get that life which never had a beginning and never had an end which means I get the life of God. And it's so clear in that well-known verse Romans 6 .23. The gift of God is eternal life. It's a gift.

I have to take it. I have to receive it. There are certain conditions to receive it but I'll never be able to manufacture it. And I believe that the reason why God kept the Israelites under the law for 1500 years was as it were to show that no matter how much you try you'll never be able to make it.

You'll never, never be able to make it. You can try and try a little harder and you'll never be able to make it and God was waiting to see how many people were honest to acknowledge that they hadn't made it.

The Tenth Commandment and the Inability of the Law

And that's why He gave ten commandments. And have you noticed? How many of you have noticed it? I never noticed it for more than 25 years of my Christian life after being born again that nine of those commandments dealt with our external life and one, the last one dealt with our inner life.

And you could keep all those nine commandments have only Him as God worship no idols and don't take the Lord's name in vain and keep the Sabbath day holy honor your father and mother don't steal, don't lie don't give their false witness and don't commit adultery don't murder and that's it.

And when it came to the tenth one don't desire don't covet don't lust nobody could keep it. But they had to be honest to acknowledge that they couldn't keep it and I feel that this was the reason I have understood why God put that tenth commandment.

He knew nobody could keep it but He wanted to see how many people would be honest enough to acknowledge it. You know the apostle Paul said in one place that according to the righteousness of the law in Philippians 3 .9 he says not 3 .9.

Philippians 3 .6 he says according to the righteousness which is in the God's law I was blameless. And in another place he says in Acts chapter 23 that verse 1 I have lived my life just listen to the testimony of this man Paul said I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God until this day.

From childhood he was an amazing man a God fearing person. From childhood he had lived with a good conscience a perfectly good conscience before God up to that day. The same man says in Philippians sorry Romans in chapter 8 chapter 7 this man who had said he has kept all the law here you see his honesty he says.

But when the law said in verse 7 the last part of Romans 7 .7 that you shall not covet you shall not lust you shall not desire after your neighbor's wife or your neighbor's daughter or your neighbor's house or your neighbor's maidservant or your neighbor's servant or property or slave or anything he said sin produced in me lusting of every type.

He couldn't keep the 10th commandment he says he discovered every type of lust. Now when we think of lust we just think of sexually dirty thoughts. But there are many other types of lust. Lust for the honor of men.

Lust for money lust for power. There are many many lusts. And he says I discovered when I heard this commandment you shall not lust. There were every type of lust he discovered in his heart and he couldn't keep it.

And yet he said I've lived with a perfectly good conscience before God it was only according to those first 9 commandments that anybody could live. And those keeping those first 9 commandments produced a man who was a good man on the outside a religious person who kept all the rules and regulations and looked pious and nice on the outside and inside his heart could be every type of lust.

And the man would be considered holy in Israel. But it's this which the law could not do. The law could not help a man to keep the 10th commandment could help him only to keep 9 commandments. And if man didn't change on the inside God's purposes would never be accomplished.

And so God gave 1500 years for man to try and keep the 10th commandment and he couldn't keep it. But there were a few like Paul very few who were honest and said Lord I'm not able to keep it. Most people are not honest.

Most people gain a testimony before men because they keep the externals of the law or commandments. And every church has got its own set of rules and regulations as to what's right and what's wrong. And we keep all that and we get a good testimony just like the Pharisees in the synagogues.

But in the midst of those Pharisees there'll be a Paul who's honest. And in the midst of all these religious Christians who sit in churches and who got a good testimony before men you may find one or two honest people who say Lord but I'm not keeping it inside.

And that's what the Lord wants. That's what the law could not do. And that's what we read in Romans 8 .3. What the law could not do, God did. And that's because Paul cried out and said oh I know I want to do this.

I want to do. I want to be pure in my heart but I can't do it the good that I wish. Verse 19. I don't do. I want to be pure but I can't. Who shall deliver me. And then he says in chapter 8 verse 2 the law of the spirit different from the law of Moses.

There was the law of Moses which couldn't do it for me. But the law of the Holy Spirit. And the law of the Holy Spirit is not a new set of rules. It is life in Christ Jesus. That's the law of the spirit.

It's clear there. What is the law of the spirit? You got the answer there. It's not a word it's not a commandment. It's not a bunch of rules and regulations. It's life. The Holy Spirit comes to make us partakers of God's holiness through giving us the life of Jesus Christ.

And that sets me free from the law of sin and death. That is what the next verse he says what the law could not do God did. And then this requirement of the law verse 4. Now you got to understand this.

You probably never understood this before Romans 8 verse 4. Now the requirement of the law which is what? You shall not desire, covet is now fulfilled inside us which could never be fulfilled in all these 1500 years which could never be fulfilled under the old covenant which could never be fulfilled by any amount of religion and getting our teeth or determination or sacrifice or anything life in Christ Jesus comes in.

And that requirement is fulfilled inside us because we respond now to the promptings of the spirit. So that's why until the Holy Spirit came this was impossible. Until the Holy Spirit came to dwell within until people were filled with the Holy Spirit within it was impossible.

But when the Holy Spirit came within man could become holy from within man could desire God's will and do God's will. The Bible says he works in us both to will and to do God's good pleasure. That's in Philippians 2.

The Fault of the Old Covenant and the Promise of the New

And the terms of the new covenant. You read in Hebrews chapter 8 very clearly he says the days are coming. You know this old covenant. I don't know whether you know that the Bible itself says that old covenant was faulty.

Now it almost sounds blasphemous to say that what God gave was faulty. But that's what it says in Hebrews 8 .7 that if that first covenant had been faultless there would have been no need for a second covenant.

There would have been no need for a new covenant. If the old covenant was ok then you say why did God make the old covenant. Did he give something and then realize it was a mistake. And produce a new model or something like that.

No he knew all along this will never make man holy. I know it but man doesn't know it. So I'll let him try. Let him try. And you know all of us when we come to Christ we go through that we try to be holy.

I hope it doesn't take 1500 years. I hope we'll learn sooner than that that we can't be holy no matter how much you try you can try. Many of us have tried. Have you succeeded? You tried to control your tongue.

You made a resolution on the 1st of January. How long did it last? Till the 6th of January perhaps or 7th. If you have a little more determination maybe till the 30th of January. That's it. No it doesn't work.

But when will we learn? That I can't make it. Some people just give up and say it's impossible. Oh these standards are unattainable. That's exactly what the devil wants you to say this is impossible. I tried I tried so many times I went to so many meetings.

I came forward I came to the altar I prayed and people laid hands on me. And all types of things happened. But I'm still defeated. I speak in tongues but I can't control my tongue. Yeah that's there's something faulty in that covenant but finding fault with it per se.

God says now the days are coming and I'll make a new covenant. And in this new covenant it says it's not going to be like the old covenant verse 9 because they could not did not continue in that covenant the last part of verse 9.

But this is the covenant verse 10. What is it? And notice this the old covenant was thou shalt thou shalt thou shalt not thou shalt. That's the old covenant terms. And you go to any church they've got their unwritten thou shalt thou shalt not touch not taste not handle not dress codes what we're to have in our house.

How big our house should be how small it should be. It's all. It's not written down anywhere. We're very careful that we don't get caught for these things. So we don't write it down. But it's there unwritten laws by which we assess our own holiness and our own spirituality.

And worst of all that we assess other people's spirituality and holiness. Unwritten laws multitudes of them we haven't learned what God tried to teach the Israelites for 1500 years that you just cannot make people holy like that you can get them looking nice on the outside.

Sure you can build a home where all the children look nice dress nice behave properly to the visitors and get up in the morning and read their Bibles. And the horses need and trim. You haven't made them holy.

No it's an inner thing. It's not external. And we can easily be fooled by all these external things. And I tell you very often we want our children to live godly lives because we want honor in the church.

Oh look how good my children are. And when they do something bad we're not worried that the name of Jesus dishonored. Oh my name is what do people say. Because they've broken some unwritten law in this church they dressed in a particular way by which commandment number 5 ,614 says you should not do that.

They violated that law. And that's the thing. And God's all the time looking in the midst of all these Pharisees who have a good testimony in the church. For one Paul who says Lord there's such a lot of lusting in my heart for the honor of man always seeking my own wretched man that I am.

Will you deliver me. And the Lord says yes deliverance. Sure. But it's not in thou shalt and thou shalt not. And thou shalt and thou shalt not. See the contrast here in verse 10 I will I will I will you see the difference in Hebrews 8 .10.

I will put my laws into your minds. I will write them on their hearts and I will be their God. That's the new covenant. But when will we learn it that God has to do a work inside us. So many of us look nice on the outside.

You heard that story of the little boy who was asked to sit down and wouldn't sit down. And when the dad took the stick finally sat down and said by daddy inside I'm still standing up. That's what the law could do.

There was a stick which made that fellow sit down or dress in a particular way because he could be excommunicated. That's a pretty heavy stick if you didn't do a particular thing. If you didn't behave in a particular way if you didn't speak in a particular way.

Ok you managed to get them to dress that way and speak that way and read the bible in the mornings and pray half an hour and do everything. But what about inside. They love Jesus with all their hearts.

It's all for the honor of men. The law could not do it. And God's looking in this crowd of religious holy people for one man, one woman who will be honest and say Lord it's not inside. You know the thoughts in my mind and what all goes on in my heart.

You know how I speak in private. You know the things in my life which other people don't know. And that's the man and woman God leads to a holy life. That's the man and woman in whom God writes his laws in their heart and in their mind.

That's the number one thing God is looking for a man or a woman who will be honest like Paul to say I can't make it no matter how much I try. Lord you do it in me. That's what the Lord was trying to teach when he when those disciples went fishing all night.

Coming to the End of Self-Reliance

And the Lord knew right from the beginning that they were never going to get any fish. Why did he allow them to struggle. I don't know if they went at 6 o 'clock in the evening till 5 o 'clock next morning 11 hours struggling, struggling.

It's like those 1500 years of law trying, trying this side, that side that end of the lake of Galilee this end, that end, the other end. It was like those 1500 years they just couldn't make it. And who said Jesus didn't have a sense of humor.

He comes in the morning. He says well have you fellas caught any fish. He knew they didn't have. They said no. Ok he says have you come to an end of yourselves. Yes you are ready to go home. Yes ready to give up.

Yes. Ok now you are ready to have victory now you are ready to have what I can do for you. Put your net on the right side. And it says they got such a catch. They have never caught so many fish in all their life.

That is the new covenant. That's what he was trying to teach them. But he says you got to come to an end of yourself first. And you know what God is waiting for. He is waiting for people to come to an end of themselves.

People are sick and tired of this religion that gives them a good name before people sick and tired of trying to raise our children to get a good name in the church. Say Lord I couldn't care less what they think of my children.

I want my children to be free and to love you with all their hearts and to grow up to live for the glory of God. I don't care what X, Y or Z talks about them. It will make a lot of difference and your children will be happier.

Children too. I will tell you that ask yourself how many things how many decisions you make concerning what you dress what you have in your home what you buy and how you dress your children. And so many things.

The back of your mind you got this. What are people in my church going to say. It's not the glory of God. You know you go to a house and there is maybe you got an expensive painting there. And then when you come in there you may have to explain.

You know. Well suddenly somebody gave me this. What. For. I never asked any questions. Is this is this feeling. That's some rule number 6065 or something like that. You must not have anything like that in your house.

Who said that is there a verse like that. It's revelation chapter 23. Let's turn to revelation. Chapter 23 found it big chapter many many verses. The biggest chapter in the bible. All types of rules and regulations that have come up in 2000 years to make people holy.

It doesn't work. Jesus has come to set us free to make us partakers of his holiness. That holiness you know in Ephesians chapter 4 it speaks about in verse 22 24 sorry Ephesians 4 24 the holiness of truth in a paraphrase of that verse.

In Philip's paraphrase of that verse it says the holiness which is no illusion. And I believe that's what God wants to give us a holiness which is not an illusion which is not put on which is genuine from deep within that the law can never do it.

A million rules and regulations can never do it. But when the law of the spirit takes over life in Christ Jesus it's a holiness which makes a man free cheerful happy. And there's no strain in it. For a lot of people their holiness is a constant strain to live this life.

It's always a strain when you are trying to impress people I see that Jesus warned his disciples about three types of leaven. I don't have time to show you all those verses. You can look up a concordance and find it the leaven of the Pharisees the leaven of the Sadducees and the leaven of the Herodians.

Hypocrisy, Religious Performance, and the Leaven of the Pharisees

And these were the characteristics of these people. The Pharisees were people who had all their doctrines absolutely right. Jesus said in Matthew 23 verse 2 and 3 everything that the Pharisees say to you do it.

You know he said that? How could he ever say that if their doctrines were wrong? He told his disciples to do every single thing which the Pharisees taught. All that they say unto you do. They were the fundamentalists the evangelicals of that day.

And then you have the second group which are the Sadducees. They were the liberals you know people who didn't believe in the resurrection and miracles and angels and spirits and visions and all these things.

This is all nonsense. They were humanists. They were people who didn't believe in the supernatural. We have that category of Christians today too liberals. And then you have the Herodians who had links with Herod the political the right wing people who are in touch with political leaders and also supposed to be religious but very worldly like Herod.

So you have worldly Christians liberal Christians and fundamental Christians. Now when you see these three groups Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians the fundamentalists, the liberals and the worldly people whom did Jesus criticize the most?

Have you noticed that? You hardly ever see him confronting the Herodians and very rarely the Sadducees. Most of his criticism was of the Pharisees who had all their doctrines right. And that's got a message for us.

And the one thing which Jesus said to his disciples was beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Jesus spoke more against hypocrisy than he spoke against murder adultery, worshipping idols honoring father and mother keeping the Sabbath every commandment more than all of them he spoke about hypocrisy.

Jesus emphasized certain things which are never found in the ten commandments. He said this is the sin you need to be careful of. And a hypocrite is a Greek word which means an actor. If you went to Greece 2000 years ago and spoke of a hypocrite they'd understand that, hypocrite means an actor on the stage you have hypocrites who are acting.

And Jesus was saying to his disciples don't be actors. What does an actor do? Here is a man who is acting like say some biblical movie John the Baptist and when he comes on the stage he is a very holy man speaking God's word.

And after the movie recording for the day is over he goes back to his home maybe living with his fifth wife for a drunkard and a gambler and completely different life. And the next time when the movie starts they start recording the movie again back again, he is back to John the Baptist again.

This is the life of an actor. He is one thing in the movie and another thing at home. That's what Jesus was saying. You shouldn't have a double life don't be one thing before people and another thing somewhere else.

One thing in the church and another thing at home. One thing before people and another thing inwardly. This is what he said. This is like 11. Now when a person gets real holiness he is no longer an actor.

What he is in the church he is at home. What he is outside he is inside. And then there is no strain. It's a strain when we have to act like something else. Now if I were to act all the time like a cat well I can manage for some time perhaps.

But it would be a tremendous strain if I had to do it all the time. I mean if you told me to act like a cat just for 2 hours on Sunday morning I could manage it but throughout the week would be very difficult.

So if I am told to act holy just for 2 hours on Sunday morning I can manage it but to be throughout the week boy that's a strain. But if you tell a cat to act like a cat oh it's no problem at all. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday year after year you ask the cat is it a strain to act like a cat.

Oh no it's my nature. Why is holiness a strain. Because we are acting we haven't partaken of God's holiness. We have got a holiness with rules and regulations. And since we are afraid of being rejected by men we make sure that we never get do anything too far.

That would be get us thrown out of a church. And like someone said most people live by only one commandment which is thou shall not get caught no matter what you do thou shall not get caught. If you keep that commandment you are ok.

That's how a lot of Christians are living. It's not holiness. It's not the new covenant Jesus has come to give us when it says freedom when the sun shall set you free you shall be free. Indeed I believe this freedom and liberty is one of the most misunderstood things in areas where people speak about the Holy Spirit the Bible says where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.

Liberty From Sin Through the Holy Spirit

What liberty. Some people think it's liberty to dance and shout and yell and raise our hands and clap. I'm not against any of these things. I'm happy to dance before the Lord and shout and clap and lift my hands and everything.

But that's not liberty because I can do those things without the Holy Spirit. But there is another liberty which no other spirit can give you. And that's liberty from sin. That's the liberty. And that's the freedom.

Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty from sin. Now there are many things the Holy Spirit does for us. He gives us the spirit of praise. He gives us psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in our heart that we can make melody to the Lord.

But among and maybe he helps us to shout and praise the Lord too. But of all the things that the Holy Spirit does why did. Why does the word call him the Holy Spirit. Now when you go to many places where people speak about the Holy Spirit you think the correct name should be noisy spirit.

Is he a noisy spirit. I got filled with a noisy spirit. And boy my life became different in the meeting. Ok. That's fine. If you got filled with a noisy spirit you begin to raise your hands and shout and praise all that fine.

But if you got filled with a holy spirit what should have happened. You know what should have happened. Something inside you should have become holy. And if that hasn't happened any amount of noise is no substitute for that partakers of his holiness.

Why are Christians afraid of holiness. Why are Christians afraid of the word perfection. The Bible says let us press on to perfection. I believe it goes back to. You know the devil has given us a wrong concept of God.

That's why. Now if I were to ask you are you afraid of words like this. Are you scared of that perfect health. Oh are you afraid of that hygiene. Hygienic conditions. Perfect hygienic conditions. Why aren't we scared.

Why are you scared of the opposite sickness filth. Now do you know holiness means health. Do you know holiness means hygiene. Spiritual hygiene spiritual health. Perfect health means perfection. What do we want for ourselves.

Do you want a little bit of sickness or no sickness. We all say we want no sickness. Why do we allow a little bit of sin to remain in our life. You think that's going to do you some good. That's where the devil has fooled us.

We think that little sin is so enjoyable. And we don't realize what we are missing. I remember a parable I read in a book many years ago just a parable. And you can understand it. There was this man who had a a pet some type of ugly chameleon like a lizard.

Surrendering Sin and Receiving God’s Holiness

One of these horrible garden lizards sitting on his shoulder clutching on to him. It was his pet. And here was this angel standing in front of him and saying shall I tear this away from you. You see this is a picture of some little sinful habit we have got which we just want to keep not ugly things like adultery or murder.

It may be a little love of money. It may be that sweet sin of gossiping and talking about people behind their back something that we like to keep. And this lizard suddenly whispers no no no I will behave myself.

Don't let him take me away from you. You know you and I have been good friends for so many years. And he stays there. And this man is in a struggle. He knows this is bad but he doesn't know what to do.

The angel says shall I take him off. And he shuts his eyes and says why don't you take him away without my permission. And the angel says no I will not do it till you permit me. And he is struggling struggling with this.

He has been struggling with it for years keeping this pet. And then finally he says ok tear it off. And the angel pulls it and there is a shredding of his flesh and his pain. And the angel takes that ugly lizard and casts it on the ground and in a moment it is transformed into a beautiful horse.

And then he tells him now you don't have to walk anymore you can ride on this horse and you can move towards the kingdom much faster. And then he thinks how many years I have wasted keeping this wretched little thing when I could have made so much progress if only I knew what I would have got in exchange.

You don't realize that that wretched thing which you are clinging on to if you could only give it up or let God take it away from you. What would replace it in your life where you could have been today if you had dealt radically with sin in your life if you had asked the Holy Spirit to deal radically with sin in your life, any sin that you identify that wretched lizard that you are protecting.

Why is it we are afraid of holiness. Because the devil has told us that it is like some difficult task to be done, it is not like hell. Why is it when we when someone is sick in our home we want to take that person to the best hospital in town which has the highest standards of hygiene and the highest standards of treatment where this loved one of mine can be quickly brought back to health.

Why don't we when it comes to spiritual things seek for a church that preaches holiness in the same way. Why is it that when it comes to physical health and hygiene we won't go to a dirty hospital that's got low standards and where people get sick.

But when it comes to spiritual hygiene we seem to choose that, we are afraid of hell, we are afraid of holiness because the devil has told us that it is something bad and I believe one of the first things and if I succeed in doing this I have done my task this evening if the Holy Spirit can do this, if he can remove from our minds this wrong concept of holiness as a bunch of rules and regulations and as such a difficult hard thing and can transform our understanding of holiness as God's own nature.

It's equivalent to perfect physical health. And the only person who can say he is afraid of holiness should be the one who is afraid of perfect physical health. And we also need to see that sin is exactly like sickness.

It's like getting leprosy. You got one more sin. That's like getting cancer. You got another sin in your life. You got tuberculosis as well and you got some other sin. You got AIDS. Now who wants all this?

If you saw that your son or daughter had these sicknesses and you took that child to a doctor. Would you want that child to be totally free from all those sicknesses. Or would you want him. Would you tell the doctor well let him have one or two to keep him humble.

You know sometimes we think well that sin is just to keep me humble. Why don't you pray like this Lord give me a little leprosy so it will keep me humble. It's much better to have leprosy than sin. I will tell you that one day when you get into the presence of the Lord you will discover that it's better to discover it now sin is like sickness.

Holiness is like health and God wants us to be healthy. Just like any father wants all his children to be healthy. We don't even want them to have a cold. We don't want them to have a headache. How many of you want your children to have a headache.

Now headache is not a serious thing, it's not going to kill them. But how many of you want your children to have it. We say oh that's a small thing. But it's a sin. And your conscience tells you it's a sin.

The Tongue as a Test of Genuine Holiness

In the olden days before all these gadgets came out in the medical field with which to detect sickness. In the olden days when a doctor used to go to a house say a hundred years ago the first thing that when someone was sick they came to the patient.

You know what they'd ask them to do. Show me your tongue. That's how they detect whether a person is sick. Now I want to ask you the same thing this evening show me your tongue. It's a biblical requirement.

I want to turn you to James James chapter 1 verse 26. James 1 verse 26 it says if anyone thinks his religion is so spiritual or holy and he cannot bridle his tongue. Now listen to this. If you think you're a spiritual person, you're a holy person and you cannot control your tongue.

Here's what the bible, the holy spirit giving you a description of yourself you're deceiving your own heart and your christianity is worth zero. How many of you believe that if you cannot control your tongue all your christianity is worth zero.

No matter how many meetings you go to no matter how much you read the bible in the mornings no matter how holily you dress no matter how zealous you are in religious works no matter how much you wave your hands and sing and clap and shout and even speak in other tongues.

If you cannot control your tongue when you speak in your mother tongue your christianity is worth zero. I would encourage you if you're serious about holiness to begin with your tongue. If you don't begin there.

If you're not serious about that all your life your christianity will be worth zero. You can look down on that woman who wears a mini skirt or who paints up her face like a film star. You can look down on that brother who's got a long hair and say well I thank god I'm not like him.