Work Out What God Works In — Zac Poonen

Conformed to the Likeness of Christ

Let's turn to Philippians and chapter 2. Philippians 2 is the great chapter that tells us about the humility of Christ in coming down and becoming a man. And we are told in verse 5 to have the same attitude in ourselves which is in Christ Jesus.

See, that is the goal of the Christian. The Bible says we are predestined by God, if you are born again, to be conformed to the likeness of Christ in every area. And if you are gripped by that, you will really long to get closer and closer to that every day.

See, predestination means your destination has been predetermined. And in Romans 8 .29 we are told that that destination is total likeness to Christ. Now see, if you get into a train and have a ticket, the ticket shows Delhi as your destination.

If you have got into the right train, you should be getting closer to Delhi every hour. If you are not getting closer to Delhi every hour, what is it prove? You are on the wrong train. So if your ticket says your destination is to become like Jesus Christ, and as each year goes by, you are not becoming more like him, more compassionate, more merciful towards others, more humble, more gracious, more pure in your thoughts, in your speech, in your attitudes, more free from the love of money, and overcoming sin more and more, more good to other people, more generous with your money and your time to serve others, and expecting less and less from other people, making no demands on other people.

If you are not becoming like that, I just want to tell you, you are on the wrong train. Believe it or not, you are on the wrong train. Maybe some of you did get on the right train the day you were converted.

But it is a sad thing to say that I see many believers, even in CFC, who are going in the wrong direction. And some of those who have come more recently to CFC are moving faster. Well, that is the fulfillment of scripture.

Those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first. Many of you who have been here for many, many years are way behind some who have come much later. Dear brothers and sisters, take it seriously.

There is a destination God has put on the ticket for everyone who is converted. And it is your responsibility to make sure you are moving in that direction. I seek to examine myself in that every day, every day.

And if you do that, we don't sort of check up our lives once a year like children who study for their examinations just on the day before the exam. No, the good students are those who study every day, who do their homework every day.

You know that. A good student is one who does his homework every day. So here it says, a tremendous goal. I mean, have you taken it seriously? Verse 5. Have this attitude in yourself which was in Christ Jesus.

The attitude Jesus had towards God, the total devotion to His Father, to obey the Father at any cost, to never please Himself in anything, never to waste His time or His money or His life or anything like that.

And also to love other people, to have mercy upon people who don't have everything that He had and to have that same attitude in ourselves. And then it says, so then, beloved, you know, after describing this wonderful description of Christ from verse 5 to verse 11, how He emptied Himself and was raised up to the right hand of the Father, etc.

Working Out Salvation With Fear and Trembling

So then, so what are we supposed to do? Verse 12. So then, my beloved, just as you've always obeyed me, not only when I'm present, but much more now in my absence. It means when it doesn't matter. You see, Paul was telling the Philippians, when I'm there in your midst, that's what he's saying in that verse, you guys are really keen to obey the Lord.

And now I'm not there. You should be more keen. See, if you are more zealous and spiritual in the presence of a servant of the Lord and you're not so zealous to be pure and holy when that servant of the Lord is not there, what does that indicate?

It indicates that you don't really fear God at all. You fear man. And the fear of man is the beginning of all foolishness, just like the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom. You know, if you fear man, you'll just become more and more foolish every day.

I guarantee that. I mean, if you want to be more and more foolish every day, just live in the fear of man. Fear of man, fear of people who can hurt you and fear of people whom you want to impress, whatever it is, two types of fear.

But if you want to progress in wisdom and become wiser every day, obey the word which says in Proverbs 23, live in the fear of the Lord the whole day through. So he says, now that I'm not there with you, you should obey much more.

So what does Paul want them to obey? And here's something I want you to notice. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Do you know that the vast majority of believers don't have a clue what it means to work out their salvation?

If anybody talks about it, they say that's legalism. Was Paul a legalist? Was the Holy Spirit a legalist when he wrote that verse? Is that an Old Testament verse for people under the law? No. He's connecting it to let this attitude be in yourself, which is in Christ Jesus.

And so I want to say to you, my brothers and sisters, like Paul says, my beloved, let me tell you, that if you don't find yourself becoming more and more Christ-like in your speech, in your attitude to money, in your attitude to other people, more gracious, more overcoming sin, more pure in your thoughts, let me tell you, in plain words, it is because you are not working out your salvation with fear and trembling.

It's not just working out our salvation. It's working out our salvation with fear and trembling. What am I to fear and tremble at? People in the world fear and tremble at the devil and witchcraft. I don't fear and tremble at the devil at all.

And neither should you if you're a child of God. But I do fear and tremble at God's Word and at God Himself. Because the Bible says that God looks with favor at those who tremble at His Word. If you're not familiar with that verse, let me show it to you.

It's good to know what scripture says. Isaiah 66 and verse 1 and 2. You know, this verse has come home to my heart especially, because, I mean, I sort of spent the last 32 years trying to build the body of Christ, the house of God on earth in different parts of the world.

And this is the word that the Lord speaks to me. And if you're a member of the body of Christ, you should also be doing your little part to help build God's house. God's house doesn't mean a building.

But the people, to build up God's people in faith and love and goodness. And so the Lord says, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is this house that you're going to build for me? The Lord says, you puny little creature, you're trying to build my house, you're trying to build my church.

Who do you think you are? Well, He says, the whole earth is only the place where I put my foot. My hand has made all these things, verse 2. But, here's the person who can build my house. This one, the last part of verse 2, I will look, means I will look at with favor.

The one who is humble and contrite. Contrite means broken of spirit, who trembles at my word. That means one who reads something in God's word. Says, boy, I haven't taken that seriously till now. He trembles.

I mean, it's like if you have violated some law. And you find that the government or the police or the people have come to catch up with you. People tremble when a policeman stops them on the road or the income tax officer calls them up to question something or some court sends them a notice.

Somebody has filed a case against you, they tremble. Well, I mean, we may accidentally violate a lot of rules on this earth. Okay, we pay the price for it. But it's not something to fear and tremble compared to fearing and trembling God because we have violated His word.

Humility, Service, and Criticism in the Church

Do you know why many believers are absolutely useless to God in His work of building God's house? Absolutely useless. They come and sit in meetings, listen to the word. But in terms of building God's house, zero.

It's because they don't tremble at His word. God says, how can you build my house if you don't tremble at my word? You know, a lot of believers are like those who come and watch a house being constructed.

People are there, the laborers are there, struggling away, perspiring, carrying the bricks. The mason is sitting there day and night, making sure the walls are straight, etc., etc., etc. And there are these observers who stand on the road and watch and maybe pass their comments.

Oh, that wall is not too straight or that thing doesn't look good. That's the condition of 90 of born-again believers. Absolutely useless to God's kingdom. Do you know the people who've tried to tell me how to build a church and how to build this church?

Even some who've been here once and who've left us. The ones who've never built one church themselves. Not one. They've tried to tell me how to do it. I would listen to them if they had at least built one church somewhere.

But no. It's the bachelors who know how to tell married people how to bring up their children, right? They can tell married people, this is not the way to bring up your child, that's not the way to bring up your child.

Bachelors know it all. That's how it is. That is the arrogance and pride of many people. What about you? Have you found things to criticize in this church? You've done nothing for God yourself except sit in a meeting and listen to the Word and get all the benefit of people praying for you or helping you when you're in some financial need.

You've never done anything for God, but you've been very critical, right? Of this thing and that thing and this brother and that brother and this thing done in the church and that thing done in the church.

Shame on you! You will never grow in Christ-likeness in a hundred years. I can prophesy that. If you don't repent, at least keep your mouth shut. And say, I've nothing to criticize. I've done nothing for God myself.

I've never built one church myself. What can I speak against those whom the Lord has honored? Dear brothers and sisters, God looks at the humble, those who are contrite in spirit. And the more, the less we do for God, the more important we think we are.

It's like the, you know, in a tree, the branches that have the maximum fruit bend down the most. Because the weight of the fruit pulls it down. Who are the branches that stand upright? The ones that have got zero fruit.

It's like that. Parents who've got nine or ten children, they are struggling. Oh God, give us wisdom. We don't know how to bring up children. But those who've got none, oh, they know everything. Old maids who never got married, think that they can tell married people how to bring up their children.

I mean, have you heard of more stupid people than that? Do you bachelors criticize others whose children are not growing up the way you think they should? Wait till you get married. We have a tendency to be critical.

And that is the clearest mark that you're a million miles from humility. And a million miles from receiving the grace of God. That's why you have so many sicknesses, which will never be healed. And that's why you have so many problems.

That's why you have financial difficulties. God's grace is not there. Why? Because He sees your arrogance, your lack of mercy. Think of that. God looks at those who tremble at His word. Let this attitude be in you, which is in Christ Jesus.

It says, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. I need to tremble at every word of God that I have not obeyed. It says here, I didn't complete reading that sentence in Philippians 2 .12. It's not a complete sentence in itself.

God Works In the Believer

And that's the part of it that gives us hope. Philippians 2 .12, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Because, thank God for that because. That because was not there in the Old Testament. This is distinctively New Covenant.

Work out your salvation because it is God who works in. You got to work out what God works in. You understood that? God, who does it first? God. You work it out because God has worked something in you.

And God works in you two things. This is New Covenant. First of all, to will His good pleasure. That means you have a desire to do the perfect will of God in your life. Just by the way, you didn't produce it.

Don't be proud of that. Don't compare yourself with somebody else saying, I have a desire to do God's will and other people don't. Well, it's God who worked that in you. The first thing He does is give us a desire.

And then the second thing He does is He gives us the ability. He works in us first of all to will His good pleasure. And then to do His good pleasure. That's exactly what we read also in the New Covenant in Hebrews 8.

Where we are told in Hebrews 8 .10 it says, I will write my laws in their minds and in their hearts. To write or put God's law in my mind means He gives me the desire and the longing to do God's will.

To write or put God's law in my heart means He gives me grace to strengthen my heart to do God's will. This is the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, God did not do that. He just gave them the laws and said, go ahead and keep it.

And never gave them the ability to do it. Why? To teach them you can never do it on your own. One of the great lessons that God has to teach man is you can never do it on your own. I'll give you a command, but you first need to learn that you can't do it on your own.

That's always God's way. He gives the law and for 1500 years He taught Israel one thing, you can never make it. Have you learned it? You can't make it. But they know there are a lot of Christians today who still think they can make it without being filled with the Holy Spirit, without the power of the Holy Spirit, without seeking God earnestly every day to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

They say, yeah, I can live the Christian life. Are you going to take 1500 years to learn it like the Israelites? The sooner you learn it, the better. You know, it's like the disciples who went out fishing.

They toiled all night and caught nothing. What is the Lord trying to teach them? You can't make it. You think you're expert fishermen. Go ahead and try. You know, it's on our strong points that God has to touch us.

When Peter failed as an apostle, because he denied the Lord, he said, okay, I'm no good at being an apostle. But he said in John 21, I'm a pretty good fisherman. I'm going to go fishing. And the Lord, as it were, said to him, okay, go ahead and try.

And this expert fisherman, with all his other expert fishermen with him, caught nothing. God had to break Peter and his strong point, which was fishing. I don't know what your strong point is. But that's the area where God will break you, break your pride.

The area where you think you're so smart and capable is the area where he'll allow you to fail and bungle up things so that he shatters your pride and your ability in a certain area. Have you experienced that?

I've experienced that numerous times. I feel myself strong in certain areas, and I bungle up right there. I know that's God. He's trying to break me so that I learn this wonderful truth that without him I can do nothing.

So that he brings me to that life of perpetual dependence on him for every little thing. That's the way he wants me to live. It's a very wonderful way to live. In the beginning, we have to learn it. But over a period of time, it becomes easy.

You know, it's like a child first has to learn how to eat food. I mean, you don't have a problem eating now. You can eat blindfolded. But we learn it. Everything in life is like that. We learn something, and afterwards it becomes such a habit that we can do it anytime.

So we've got to learn to live this life of dependence on God. But God works in us to will and to do. But it's not entirely his work. That's the point. See, there are these two sides in salvation. God works in, and we've got to work it out.

Taking Responsibility Rather Than Blaming God

Now, if the attitude of Christ... Now, remember, all this has got to do with what we read in verse 5, the attitude of Christ in us. Now, that attitude of Christ has not come in us. Where do you think the failure is?

Is it that God has failed in not working it in your life? Or is it perhaps that you have failed in not working out what God worked in? Where do you think the failure is? I hope you realize it's in you.

You know, when Adam failed in the Garden of Eden, he put the blame on God. Have you noticed that? Lord, it's true I ate this, but it's because of the wife you gave me. Don't forget that. See how very subtly he put the blame on God.

And you perhaps don't realize that very subtly you may put the blame on God. Is it possible that God may have wanted some of you here at least to be teachers of his word? And you are not. And you put the blame on God and say, well, he didn't give me a gift.

He gave Brother Zach a gift. Why didn't he give you a gift? Perhaps because you were so lazy to study his word. I don't believe that I would ever have been teaching the word today if I hadn't spent years studying the word.

By the sweat of your brow, you will earn your bread. There's no other way. There's no other way to know the scriptures except by the sweat of your brow. Now if some farmer lies down lazily and says, oh, I'm going to get a crop, he's going to get nothing at harvest time.

And his neighbor gets a fantastic harvest and says, God blessed him. God didn't bless him. God would have blessed you just as much if you had worked hard. Now I'm just trying to say how we can put the blame on God and miss out.

I believe that many, many Christians, many of you sitting here, I mean, I'm sorry to have to say this to you, but I hope it will challenge you at least to do something with the rest of your life. You can't do anything with the years gone by.

But the rest of your life, don't put the blame on God like Adam and saying, you never gave me a gift. Consider the possibility that you've been too lazy to seek God. In prayer, you've been too lazy to read the word of God.

Maybe you've been too lazy to obey the little things God's been telling you. In Hebrews 5 and verse 11, the Holy Spirit says, concerning Him, we have much to say concerning Jesus, who became a man like us.

That's the point. He's talking in verse 7 about Jesus in the days of His flesh offered up prayers, supplications, etc. Concerning this Jesus, we have so much to say to you, but it's very hard to explain.

Do you believe that there are certain things about Jesus which are very hard to explain? That means you won't be able to understand it. You won't be able to understand it not because you're not intelligent.

Peter was less intelligent than I would say almost all of us here. Paul may have been more intelligent, but not Peter. Peter, James, John, Andrew, they were all fishermen. They're not very educated. They probably never finished high school.

So, I would say that it's got nothing to do with intelligence. It's got to do with receptivity and obedience to God's Word. Concerning Him, we have much to say, but it's hard to explain because you have become dull of hearing.

Dull of hearing in your conscience. That's what He means. Not physical ears. Our physical ears may be very good. How do we become dull of hearing in our conscience? That means when God tells you something in your conscience, you tell your conscience, shut up, I don't want to listen to you.

I'm going to do it in any case. And you violate your conscience and do what God was trying to tell you not to do. Or God told you in your conscience to go and apologize to somebody and you say, no, no, no, no, no, no.

And after some time, you don't hear that voice anymore. And you feel happy. It's not troubling me anymore. It's not troubling you anymore because it's dead. You killed it. That's why it's not speaking anymore.

Don't think God's not speaking. You killed the voice of conscience. And He says you've become dull of hearing. And then He says, listen to this, verse 12. Hebrews 5, 12. By this time, you should have become teachers of the word.

But you're not. Why are you not teachers of the word by now? Because you're dull of hearing. God's trying to say something to you and you won't listen. Or you don't do it immediately. You know, I've noticed through the years, there are two types of obediences.

There are some people who as soon as they hear something from God, they do it at once. Jesus was like that. Paul was like that. As soon as they are convicted. And I've really sought to be like that. Lord, to do it immediately.

I wasn't like that in the beginning. But I've really sought to be like that because I know that's the secret of the Christian life. And there are others who obey, but they think about it and wait and wait and wait and wait and...

Finally, they do it. You know, it was like that with me in the beginning when I was considering water baptism. I belonged to a church that believed in sprinkling infants and I was sprinkled as an infant.

So, I didn't feel there was a need for another baptism. I read the word, studied the word, and I saw it was there, but still for one and a half years I didn't obey God. After I was born again. And all those one and a half years, I felt as if I knelt down to pray, God would say, why should I listen to you when you are not listening to me?

Why should I listen to you when you are not listening to me? Do you feel that God is possibly saying that to you? Water baptism is very easy. You don't have to pay a price to be baptized. You can be very eager to be baptized and don't think you are a great person because you got baptized.

It may be more difficult to obey something like go and ask forgiveness from your husband or wife or from your son or daughter whom you hurt or from your neighbor or from that other person whom you don't like or go and set that matter right and give back that money you took wrongfully from your office or somewhere.

That will be more difficult than water baptism. But that's where God tests you. And if you don't obey, I'll tell you that, your hearing level will drop a little bit. You won't become completely deaf to God's voice.

It will just drop a little bit. Wait for the next time when you still don't listen to something, it will drop some more. Finally, you just can hardly hear anything. The Bible says that the Apostle John, when he was on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation chapter 1, you read there, he heard the Lord's voice in Revelation 1 like a trumpet.

Can you imagine if somebody blew a trumpet here and you put your ear and say, what was that? That person will be really dull of hearing, right? Many of us say we can't hear God's voice. How is it John heard it like a trumpet?

And you say, what is that, Lord? It's the same thing. Dull of hearing. Most Christians that I know, believers are dull of hearing. They don't hear God's voice. They hear a message through a man. I've heard many messages from men that have challenged me.

But as time has gone on, I'll tell you honestly, very few nowadays. Very few. I remember in the olden days, I used to hear messages that challenged me. But nowadays, rarely do I hear a message that I can say, that was from God.

That speaks to my heart. Christendom is drifting. It's rare to hear a message nowadays that's from God. We are coming to the days of famine mentioned in Amos chapter 8 verse 11 and 12. Well, men will wander here and there to hear a prophetic word from the Lord.

They won't hear it. They'll go from this conference to that conference. There are multitudes of conferences these days. Revival conferences and all types of conferences. But a word from the Lord that brings conviction of sin.

Conviction Must Lead to Deliverance

And not only conviction of sin. See, some people think that if somebody preaches a thundering, fiery sermon convicting everybody of sin, that's a great thing. No, it is not. It must bring deliverance from sin.

Then you've accomplished something. I mean, if a surgeon tells a person, I'm using an illustration. You got cancer in your stomach. And he takes this person to the operating theater, cuts him open and says, See, here it is.

Go out now. What sort of surgeon is that? He's exposed the sin completely. And sends him home with his stomach cut open with the cancer exposed. I wouldn't want to go to such a surgeon. But a lot of preachers are like that.

And they think they are following in the footsteps of John the Baptist and the great revivalists. Thundering away against sin, sin, sin, sin. This, that and the other. And there are particularly young people who are foolish enough to think that these are prophets.

A good prophet not only exposes the sin, but shows the solution. Not only points out sin very clearly, but gives the person hope that he can be delivered from it completely. That's a good surgeon. Removes the cancer.

Stitches up the stomach. Gives the person a sedative. Painkiller. Speaks a kind word into the person's ear. Then sends him out. So he goes out of the operating theater not depressed. Not depressed and gloomy.

Feeling good for nothing. But with hope. That's how we should go away when we hear God's word. You know that this verse teaches us that we could have been teachers, but instead of being able to teach others, we need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of the oracles of God.

I have a great longing that I shall hear God more clearly when He speaks to me directly than when He speaks to me through another human being. Did you hear that? I want to hear God more clearly when He speaks to me directly to my heart than when He speaks to me through another human being.

I thank God for all the people through whom God has spoken to me. And now and then I really hear a word that God speaks to me through a person. And sometimes in personal conversation it has happened. It's not only always from a pulpit.

Sometimes it's some young brother testifying in some conference in Tamil Nadu. I get a word from my heart. That person doesn't even know that God used him to speak to me. Probably it's a good thing he doesn't know.

But God has spoken to me. But I'm thankful for such occasions where they are very rare. But to hear God speaking to me every day that's more important. Like the manna that fell from heaven every day. My dear brothers and sisters, long for that.

Hearing God’s Word Daily

It will change your life completely. Man shall not live by bread alone. How often do you eat your food? Daily? Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. Daily.

The manna fell daily. Yeah. That's how we are to receive it. And we need to have this goal that I'm able to hear God's voice more clearly when he speaks directly than through another. I'm always excited when I hear God speaking to me through a dream or in the middle of the night something when I'm asleep.

And I never talk about it. I mean, a lot of people think when they get a dream from God they want to testify about it. I ask the Lord, Lord, why do you speak to me in dreams? He said, because I can't speak to you when you're awake.

You're too busy. Oh. So it's not such a great thing when God speaks to you in a dream. I discovered that. It's sort of second best. That I'm so busy doing other things during the day that he can't speak to me that he has to wait until I'm fast asleep and then he talks to me.

I say, Lord, I don't want it to be like that. I want you to be able to speak to me when I'm awake. Don't think dreams and visions are the greatest thing. The greatest thing is when God speaks to you face to face.

That's heart to heart. Let me show you that verse too. I like to show you everything from Scripture so that your faith doesn't rest on the wisdom of men but on the word of God. Numbers chapter 11. In case you don't know this verse.

It's very important, particularly in our day when a lot of people are talking about dreams and visions and thinking that that is the greater way than when God speaks to the heart. It's not. Let me tell you this.

If somebody tells you that he had a dream and a vision God spoke to him and you say God spoke to your heart you are superior to that person. I want you to know that so that you don't get fooled. Numbers chapter 12.

Numbers chapter 12 we read about Miriam and Aaron criticizing Moses. And whenever a person criticizes someone else it says here in the last part of verse 2 there are five words there. You see the last five words of verse 2?

And the Lord heard it. Please remember that. Whenever you speak about someone remember that. And the Lord heard it. Moses didn't hear it. No. It was backbiting. When you backbite somebody nobody hears it but the Lord hears it.

And He takes it pretty seriously. Particularly if you speak about someone like Moses. Suddenly the Lord said come here I want to talk to you. And then He called in the last part of verse 5 He called Aaron and Miriam and when they both came forward He said now listen to me.

Now read these words carefully. If there is a prophet among you and it's a great thing to be a prophet I will make myself known to him in a vision and in a dream. Great. But Moses is more than a prophet.

He is so faithful in my house that I don't waste my time speaking to him in dark sayings and dreams and visions. I speak to him mouth to mouth verse 8 openly not in dark sayings not in the middle of the night in a dream or a vision but when he is awake heart to heart.

So which is greater? You got God Himself saying that when I speak to a person's heart directly it's superior to his getting a dream or a vision. Listen to what God is trying to say to you. So we come back to Philippians chapter 2 God is at work in you and we got to work it out.

The Holy Spirit’s Work Within the Believer

And God works whenever we read in the Bible and you never read this in the Old Testament God is at work in you it's always the Holy Spirit. When it speaks about God working things outside of us that is our Father in heaven working all things together for my good.

If I love God and I'm called according to His purpose God makes everything work together for good. Those are outward circumstances. But whenever it says God works in you like here that's the Holy Spirit.

God's put His Holy Spirit in us and I'll tell you this if you don't seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit continuously you will not know this working inside. You will not know this hearing of God's voice inside.

Conscience is a good guide. Conscience is what every man has. Atheists have it. Ungodly sinners have it. Every child in the world is born with a conscience. It's what distinguishes man from the animals.

A conscience. That even the barbarians in the jungle have got a conscience. And conscience is not a perfect guide towards God because a barbarian in a jungle can cut off somebody's head with a good conscience.

Because his conscience has been educated by his surroundings. And he's seen his father and uncle cut off people's heads he'll say, oh that's okay. They can commit adultery with a good conscience. So conscience is influenced a lot by our surroundings.

How we were brought up. I mean, if your parents told you that cheating in an examination was okay then you probably could do that with a good conscience. But another child who's taught by his parents that cheating in an examination is not okay his conscience disturbs him when he cheats.

So conscience is not a perfect guide. It has been influenced by what your parents taught you by your surroundings, by your circumstances perhaps by your friends. Your friends, some friends say, oh there's nothing wrong in taking drugs.

Okay, you take it with a good conscience. But when a person is born again when Christ comes into his heart when the Holy Spirit comes in you know, he repairs this conscience. A conscience is like a weighing machine that is spoiled.

You put one ton on it the needle hardly moves. Maybe just a flicker if you put one ton on it. When you're born again God wants to repair that conscience so that it's not sins weighing one ton that disturb you but gradually it gets better and better and better and better.