How the Spirit Leads Us — Zac Poonen

Sanctification as God's Purpose for Humanity

God is a Trinity, and he made man in his image and his likeness. And so he made man also as a Trinity. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 23, when it speaks about making us holy, we must remember that the whole purpose with which Jesus came to earth was to make us holy, like God is holy.

He didn't come to make us rich. He didn't come to make us healthy. He didn't come to give us a large family. He didn't come to give us comfort or pleasure. He came to make us holy. In 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 23, it says here, May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you entirely.

Whenever you read the words sanctify or holy or saint in the New Testament, it always means being separated from something. Sanctification is being separated. Separated from sin, separated from the spirit of the world, separated from the spirit of the devil, etc.

So who's going to do that? It says here God does that. In the Old Testament, God only did external things for people. You see that throughout the Old Testament. You never read of God doing something inside somebody right from Genesis to Malachi.

It's one of the big differences in the Old Testament and the New Testament. He did a lot of amazing things for them externally, like splitting the Red Sea, pulling down the walls of Jericho, healing the sick, raising the dead.

These are all external things. And you look at all the miracles that God did for his people in the Old Testament, it was always on the outside. And the promise that he gave to Abraham was also, I'll give you a land on this earth and your children and your seed will always have that land.

And they have that land today. God's kept his promise. But it's related to the world and to external things. Then Jesus came. A lot of those miracles were all external. He healed the sick, he filled their boats with fish.

But every miracle was a parable. And John, the apostle, recognized that. And that's why in John's gospel he calls those miracles signs. Turning the water into wine was a picture of how God would take away our human nature and replace it with the divine nature, if he allowed him.

Then we could serve other people and bless people around us with that. And every miracle was like that. But in the New Covenant, that begins from the day of Pentecost, Jesus prepared a way for that by preaching the Sermon on the Mount, where he said, your righteousness must be more than the righteousness of the Pharisees.

That doesn't mean in quantity. That doesn't mean if they fasted twice a week, we got to fast four times a week. Or they prayed three times a day, we pray five times a day. That's quantity. Quantity doesn't make us spiritual.

If you have something carnal and you make it ten times, it's still carnal. I mean, a bag of bad apples, you get ten bags like that, it's still bad apples. It's quality. Your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees in quality.

In other words, theirs was only external, yours must be internal. That's what he said in Matthew 520. And he went on to say, they stayed away from murder, you must stay away from anger. They stayed away from adultery, you must stay away from the lust of the eyes.

They stayed away from telling lies when they swore their hand on a Bible or something. But you must stay away from telling lies anytime. You don't have to swear or sign a statement on a court document to speak the truth.

You speak the truth all the time, etc., etc. And they said they would pray, but they'd want people to see it. But you must pray without wanting the people to see. You see how everything in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus put it inside.

So for the Old Testament people, if the law, the Ten Commandments was the great thing. I mean, if you go to any Jewish person in the Old Testament and ask you, what is the great thing for you? He said the law, the Ten Commandments.

Now, if someone were to ask you as a Christian, what is the great thing for you? What's the great passage of Scripture for you? The answer should be the Sermon on the Mount. But is that all? For the Jews, the Ten Commandments.

For Christians, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7. And the great work that the devil has done is there are very, very few Christians who value the Sermon on the Mount. Whereas among the Jews, everybody valued the Ten Commandments.

They were taught from childhood to value the Ten Commandments. Whereas Christians are taught from childhood perhaps to read the Bible, go to meetings. Is it all good? Pray, witness. They're all external.

I'm not saying they're wrong. But you remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees, the trouble with you people is you clean the outside of the cup. And anyone who spends his life cleaning the outside of the cup will definitely end up as a Pharisee.

So if you spend your life trying to look good on the outside and doing all the external things that Christians are supposed to do, the chances are at the end of your life you'll just be a very good Pharisee.

The Internal Life of the New Covenant

We have to see this difference which is almost not preached anywhere. The main difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is that was external, this was internal. There the sacrifices were on the outside, everybody could see it.

Today you make sacrifices on the inside which nobody can see. You know how guilty the Jews were if they didn't make those sacrifices? Every Christian who does not make internal sacrifices is guilty. And the reason why we don't become spiritual is because we haven't understood this difference that in the New Covenant it's internal.

You say well doesn't the external matter? It certainly does but it begins from the inside. Jesus said in the Old Covenant the spirit is upon people but in the New Covenant from the innermost being the rivers will flow.

Whereas in the Old Covenant the river flowed but it's something we poured on somebody's head and the river flowed like that but now it would be from the innermost being. David in Psalm 51 when he confessed his sin he said Lord you decide truth in the innermost being.

He couldn't have that. He acknowledged the best I can do is okay don't commit adultery again I did it I'm sorry I'll not do it again but Lord I know David was a man after God's own heart he knew that even if he never committed adultery again with another woman for the rest of his life it still wouldn't satisfy God.

A lot of Christians are very happy when they think God is satisfied because I don't commit adultery. I don't murder I don't steal. I go to the meetings I read the Bible they make a list of 10 external things they've done and they think they have pleased God which means they don't even have the light which David had 3 ,000 years ago that God's not satisfied with all those external things.

I want to ask you my brothers and sisters many of you have heard me for many years does your inner hidden Christianity match the outward impression that you give to people as to how holy a person you are?

We do give people an impression we're holy if you come regularly to the meetings you carry a Bible pay attention you come to a church which preaches holiness. Boy our repetition for holiness really goes up.

But it may not be true in our inner life. May not be true in our thoughts. It may not be true in the words we speak at home to our family members. It may not be true in the way you handle money. It may not be true in the way you work in your office or behave in a bus or a train.

See those are the areas of a life nobody sees. And to me I'll tell you honestly those areas are much much more important than coming to a meeting or even reading the Bible. It's more important to obey the Bible than to read it.

It's no use reading it every day if you obey it only once in a while. So who can make me holy inside it says your God will do it but he'll never do anything. I don't allow him. He'll do it but he said let me do it.

You allow me. It's like you go to a surgeon and the surgeon says I can remove that cancer completely from inside you. But you got to let me cut you open and operate you. And you say no that's too painful or I don't trust you.

But then you die of your cancer. That's all. And he's willing to do it free. You can't do it yourself. You can't cut yourself open and remove the cancer. It's something like that God says I'll do it. But you got to let me.

You got to say Lord come into this area of my life and cut out this cancer this thing that I'm attached to. Anything that you're attached to. I'll tell you you cannot sanctify yourself. Learn that lesson the old testament.

They spent 1500 years to try and sanctify themselves. They couldn't do. You want to spend another 20 30 years trying to prove that. You also can't. I don't want if people have tried for 1500 years and failed and I also tried for a few years and failed.

And I don't want to imagine that I can make myself holy because I can't. I can only open the door to let God come and make me holy. God come and cut out things in my life which are actually ruining me.

Renouncing Sinful Attachments

Some time ago I told you a little parable that C .S. Lewis says in one of his books of a man who wanted to be holy. But he had this chameleon this ugly lizard sitting on his shoulder. It's a picture of a lust.

Whatever lust is ruling your life. It could be anger. It could be bitterness. It could be illegal sex. It could be anything. It's this filthy lizard chameleon sitting there and they are good friends. This man and here's an angel standing in front of him and saying you know you've got to get rid of that.

Will you let me take it off you. This chameleon whispers in his ear and says no. No no I won't. I'll behave myself in future please. I like to be with you. You know you and I are good friends. We've been friends from childhood.

You want to get rid of me now. And he he's in a struggle. You know the struggle you face when you're tempted. You want to do what's right. But there's something else in you which says no I'd like to enjoy this even though you know it's filthy.

You enjoy it. You keep this dirty animal. And yet at the same time you hear that other voice saying yeah I want to get rid of it. But this is the struggle this man went through. Then he told the angel why don't you just pull it off.

Why without asking me. He says no I can't do it. That's the point I want you to know I cannot do it till you give me permission. Because that would be violating your free will. You know why. We are not more holy than we are right now.

Because certain areas we have not given permission to God to come in and take over. We've not allowed them to operate certain areas of our body. We've not allowed him to take away that ugly thing. And here's the struggle goes on between this chameleon and sticking with this man and his angel.

He's waiting patiently. And finally he decides yeah I've decided I'm gonna get rid of this lust. He can't do it himself. So he tells the angel okay. He closes his eyes and braces himself for the pain there will be because this chap is clinging tightly to his shoulder and the angel pulls it away.

And the chameleon tears his flesh. It's pretty painful. I'll tell you it is painful to give up a lust because you've enjoyed it for so many years. This deeply rooted the claws are inside and he tears it away in this pain.

And the man screams in pain. And then the angel throws that chameleon down on the ground and suddenly it transforms itself into a strong white horse. And he says now you don't have to walk. You can ride.

You can go faster. It's a very true parable. That thing which appears to give you so much pleasure which you're so reluctant to give up. It could be a bitterness against somebody. It could be a dirty habit that your conscience tells you is wrong.

It's bad. Jesus would not do that. But you hear that voice and you don't listen to it. The chameleon says no no I'll behave. It'll never behave. It'll leave you. It'll just let your its claws go deeper and deeper into you.

That's all I hope one day you will say what that man said. Shut your eyes brace yourself for the pain and say Lord take it away. I allow you to come and take it away and it'll cause you pain. There's a suffering in the flesh.

The bible says which one peter four verse one and two says the one who suffers in the flesh stops sinning. If I don't want to suffer in the flesh I don't stop sinning. It's not possible. See that's why we are reluctant.

There's a suffering. The opposite of suffering is pleasure. I want to get that pleasure. So I avoid the suffering. And so I remain in sin. But if I decide that Lord I'm willing to suffer you know after a while this wound will heal which the chameleon made.

It'll take some time then you won't even remember it. Ask people who have given up some bad habits which ruled them for many years. Ask them today do you feel the struggle now. Not at all. I struggled in the beginning but it's gone now and I'm so happy.

It's gone and I'm so free. And that thing which I kept for so long in my life hindered me from moving faster in the Christian life because that is the thing that got converted into a horse. Do you know that every lust that you conquer speeds you on in the Christian life really is true.

It's very true. And that thing which you allow to rule in your life is what's hindering you from moving forward in full speed. So God is the one who sanctifies. And it says here that he wants to sanctify us completely.

1 Thessalonians 5 23. Completely means totally every part of our being. And then he tells us what totally means spirit soul and body without blame. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now in our past life we have done many things wrong that deserve blame in our spirit soul and body.

But God wants to do a work in us that from now on our spirit soul and body will be without blame. You know we don't have to be afraid of that. It's like saying supposing. A doctor says listen I'm going to examine you and treat you so you'll be healthy in your eyes and healthy in your ears and healthy in your stomach and healthy in your heart and healthy in your nerves and healthy in your liver and healthy in your kidney and your hands and legs will be strong.

Are you going to be scared of that. No hey. And he said I'm not even going to charge you for it. I said that's wonderful. I wouldn't be afraid of that. I say hey tell me what to do. I really want to be healthy.

Is there a single person sitting here who doesn't want to be entirely healthy. Or do you want to be healthy only 90 percent. I don't think there's any human being unless he's mad or something who wants to be healthy just 90 percent.

Are you happy with 99 percent health. Are you afraid of 100 percent health. There was a question that Jesus asked the man who was lying for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. It's a very funny question.

You know what he asked him. You read in John 5. Do you want to get well. Imagine a man 38 years paralyzed. Is there a need for such a question. There is because when he gets healthy he can't beg anymore.

A lot of people who make a lot of money with their infirmity with their leprosy will go around. And if they get healed they won't get so much money. Certainly spiritually. It's true. But the Lord asks you.

You may have been enslaved to something just like that man at Bethesda for 38 years. And the Lord asks you you really want to get healthy if you're not interested. So if he had said no Lord actually I thought I got used to this way of life.

He said fine. And he'd have walked off. That's what often happens. The Lord says that's fine. You stay there where you are. But you could have risen much higher many years ago. He wants to sanctify you entirely.

I love this verse. He wants to make separate me from everything evil in my body in my soul and my spirit. And as a by-product not the main product as a by-product you'll be healthy in your body too.

To me health in the body is not the main product of Christianity. It's a by-product. You know it's like these big factories that make cars and with some of the other stuff they make something called by-products.

They don't establish the factory to make that. But with all the leftover stuff after making cars they make something else. So it's like that even your body can be healthy. But it says here that further in verse 24 the one who has called you is faithful and he will do it again.

Old Covenant and New Covenant Contrasted

The emphasis is on he will do it. So these are. Let's see the two main differences between the old covenant and the new covenant. One the old covenant was all external. The new covenant is primarily internal cleaning the inside of the cup.

That leads to the outside being clean. That's why I say even if you make a person dress in a holy way but you haven't changed. Say a woman was dressed immodestly. Even if you say well you got to dress modestly when you come to church.

Okay you've done it. You haven't changed her heart. I want to change her heart where she realizes that to dress immodestly is not becoming for a daughter of God. Then you've really accomplished something.

But if you just I mean if people are children in our home we got to force them because they are under law. They don't know what's good for them. But we hope that those girls will grow up to recognize that as a daughter of God I must dress modestly.

Some will never realize that what to do. We can't do anything. Even Jesus did not succeed in changing everybody. Now we won't succeed in changing everybody. But we concentrate on the inside. I say the inside doesn't go.

The inside is not blameless. The outside being blameless is just not worth anything. So that's the first thing. And the second thing is that in the difference between old covenant new covenant is the old covenant.

You got to do it yourself. In the new covenant God says I'll do it. God will sanctify you. God will bring it to pass. Let me show you again Hebrews chapter 8. Hebrews 8 is the New Testament equivalent of Exodus 20.

And those of you who have heard me before you know that Exodus 20 is the 10 commandments 10 of them. Hebrews 8 are the three distinctives of the new covenant. They're not commandments. The three features of the new covenant the old covenant 10 commandments and the 10 commandments were basically every one of them was thou shalt or thou shalt not every one of them.

You must do this or you must not do this. All 10 were like that. You must not commit adultery. You must honor your father and mother. You must not murder you must keep the sabbath. And you must not take the name the lord your God in vain etc.

In the new covenant notice this difference which I just told you it's not. You must not. You must notice in first covenant he says in verse 7 was faulty. So that's why he needed a second. And the new covenant is described in verses 10 to 12 and it is I will I will notice that I will not.

They should not verse 11 but they shall not. You know the difference between you should not and you will not if you're a sensible person and I say you'll never go licking the floor with the tongue with your tongue.

Right. I don't have to say to you. You should not. Maybe to a baby you got to say you should not lick the floor with your tongue for grown-up people sitting here. I don't say you should not lick the floor with your tongue.

I say you will not lick the floor with your tongue. You know the difference. Because you don't want to do it. The baby doesn't have that distinction. You go and lick anything. Then you have to tell a baby you should not.

So a baby is the picture of somebody who's under the law. But here it says it doesn't say you should not. You you will you will not. And you will know me. All will know me. Then you know the difference between saying you should know me and you will know me a lot of difference.

And then it says again I will I will. So all those verses. I hope you see this distinction in all three verses that the Lord is saying I will do this. And you automatically will do what you want. What I want you to do.

I wish you could see this. I want to say to you. That's why the word faith comes so often in the New Testament. Faith means I depend on God to do it for me. Okay. I depend on God to do it for me. Or to say God is more eager to do it for me than I am to do it myself.

Faith, Ezekiel's Promise, and the Holy Spirit

Let me show you an Old Testament verse Ezekiel and chapter 36. This is speaking about the new covenant. It didn't happen in Ezekiel's day. Ezekiel was prophesying 500 years before the day of Pentecost saying a future day is coming.

When this will happen to God's people we're living in that day we should be excited. It's like you know to use another illustration of old covenant and new covenant. It's like a prisoner who's been so many years in prison.

And then the time of his imprisonment he was put 15 years in prison. The 15 years running out. Another week he's going to be out. Can you imagine how excited he is. Hey another week I'm going to be out.

That's the difference between the old covenant and new covenant. The old covenant is a prison because you stole you killed people. You committed adultery. They put you in prison in prison. You don't steal.

You don't commit adultery. You don't murder anybody. That's law. You know lock you up in 10 commandments like a 10 walled house. You can't escape. And you say I don't do this. I don't do this. I don't do this.

Why. Because you're in a prison. Naturally you can't do all those things. But when you're released and you still don't do all those things then you know you're coming to the new covenant. So this this was like a prophecy.

The day is coming when all your fellows will be released from the law. Law is like a prison. You'll be released from that. And if you don't come under grace you'll do things worse than the unbeliever.

But if you do come under grace your standard will be higher than even when you were in prison. So he says here the day is coming. Verse 25 Ezekiel 36. Verse 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you. You'll be clean and cleanse you from your filthiness.

Notice this. This is so different from Old Testament. You know this is not Old Testament. Because he's speaking about an inward cleansing which was not promised in the old covenant. And he says I will do this.

It's something similar to the Lord saying to the Egyptians Israel Israelites in Egypt I will deliver you from the land of Egypt. They couldn't do it themselves but that was external. And he said I will bring you into the land of Canaan.

They couldn't do it themselves. But it didn't happen because they didn't even trust God for that. And so just like when God said I will bring you into Canaan. And 600 ,000 people never got into Canaan because they didn't believe.

God said I'll do it. And they say no. I'm not sure whether you can do it. Two people believed and entered in the same thing happens today. God can say I will do this for you. We read that in Hebrews 8.

But it may not happen in your life. Or it may happen only partially. For example the Lord says to you I will deliver you from Satan's power out of Egypt. I'll deliver you. I'll forgive you all your sins.

You say Lord I believe that and you're forgiven. Then he says I will bring you into Canaan. I'll bring you into a life of victory. And you don't get that part. So that's what happened to those Israelites in the Old Testament.

They believed one part they didn't believe the other part. The part they believed they got the benefit of the part they didn't believe they didn't get it. So when the Lord says I will please remember it doesn't happen automatically.

You have to take it by faith. It's like if somebody gives you a check here it could be a check for a hundred thousand rupees that you keep it inside your Bible and look at it every day. You're not going to be rich.

You've got to take it to a bank and cash it credit it to your account. Then it becomes yours. The promises in scripture are like that the multitudes of checks inside here they lie there. You admire it.

You got to go and say Lord that's for me. You said you'll do it do it. You said you will not remember my sins anymore. I believe it. You don't remember it now Lord. You also said in the same passage in Hebrews 8 that you will write your laws in my mind and heart.

You'll make give me a desire to do God's will. You'll give me the ability to do God's will in every area of my life. Do it. Okay. Here it says I will put a new heart. That's his job. I will put a new spirit within you.

That means he'll change my corrupt spirit. And then I will take away the heart of stone. It's all I will. I will I will I will. That means it's new covenant prophecy. I will give you a heart of soft heart.

And then on top of that after giving me a new spirit he says I will put my Holy Spirit within you. It never happened till the day of Pentecost. Till the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was upon. People never came within.

That's why Samson had power on the outside to tear lions to pieces. But the lion of lust inside he didn't have power. If the spirit came within him he would have power to tear that lion too. So the answer is the Holy Spirit.

Remember this. The great word in the Old Testament was law. The great word in the New Testament is the Holy Spirit. If you honor the Holy Spirit if you value the Holy Spirit if you seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit baptize the Holy Spirit.

Immerse the Holy Spirit. Walk in the Spirit live in the Spirit. You've got the answer. The whole secret of the apostles their life and their ministry was the Holy Spirit. And I fear that many of us have heard so much about the Holy Spirit still don't value the Holy Spirit sufficiently.

And that is the reason why our life is so shallow. God did not intend any one of us to live without the power of the Holy Spirit. But the thing is you can I mean electricity is available but you may not use electricity.

You miss to light a lamp and live at home. That's your choice. It's like that the Holy Spirit's available. But you may not want. You see I so I accepted Christ. My sins are forgiven and you accept the substandard defeated life.

When God wants you to be an overcomer. I will put my spirit within you. And now listen to this wonderful phrase. I wonder if there's a phrase like this in the entire Bible. What happens when the Spirit is put within us.

I will make you walk in my statutes. And automatically you will be very careful to observe all my ordinances. You will be my people and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your uncleanness.

Verse 29. And I will multiply your grain and I multiply the fruit of the tree. Verse 30. And what will you do. Verse 31. You'll remember your old evil ways. And you will loathe yourself when you think of your old ways.

How you dishonored God. It's a mark of a man a wholehearted man. He loathes himself like Paul. He says oh wretched man that I am like Isaiah he says lord I'm a man of unclean lips. And now listen to this.

You listen to all these wonderful promises. One more thing verse 37 I will let the house of Israel that's the church today. Ask me to do this for them. I'm waiting for my people to ask me to do this for them.

They don't ask me. They don't get it. Did you know that you know there are a thousand things that God has for you that you won't get if you don't ask for it. See what Jesus himself said in Luke chapter 11.

In Luke chapter 11 Jesus said in verse 13 your heavenly father knows everything you need but still he waits for you to ask for it. Luke 11 13 if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children.

How much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to all his children. No how much more will the heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to all his children. No how much more will the heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to all who need the Holy Spirit.

No all those who ask him that's a law so I say to you verse 9 ask and it will be given to you. What if you don't ask it won't be given to you. Seek, and you'll find. What if you don't seek? You won't find.

Knock, and it'll be open to you. What if you don't knock? It will not be open. For everyone who asks, receives. This is a principle in the Christian life. God says, there it is, but you have to ask and say, Lord, I want it.

Seeking and Valuing the Holy Spirit

Why is that? I'll tell you why. Because I have observed even in human nature, you never value anything that you get free. Have you noticed that in your life? Anything that you get free, supposing we give you a free book, it may cost 25 rupees.

We sometimes give books out like that to visitors. I don't know what they do with it. You give out tracts. You stand out here and give out free tracts to everybody who comes here along the road. You go 100 yards down the road, you'll see most of them thrown on the wayside.

That's why I don't give it out like that. They don't value something free. But if a man goes to a shop and buys a diamond or something expensive, you won't find him throwing it on the wayside. We value what we have paid a price for.

And that is why God wants to see how much value you place on the Holy Spirit. Look at these people who, when they try to get a plot of land from the BDA or something like that, what a lot of pains they go through.

They go here, they go there, they consult a lawyer, they get the document, they get the document verified, they go running to the office back and forth and back and forth. What a lot of pains to get a plot of land.

You wouldn't do that to buy a newspaper. I'll tell you this, if you had sought the Holy Spirit like you sought for a plot of property, you would have been filled with the Holy Spirit long, long ago. But God sees you value some plot of land more than you value the Holy Spirit.

You say, okay, you'll get the land, you won't get the Spirit. Do you know that the Holy Spirit is more valuable than any plot of property you can ever get? Even prime property, MG Road or anywhere. And when you value the Holy Spirit is more than anything else in your life, I guarantee God will fill you with it.

When you say, Lord, I don't care how long it takes, I don't care and I'm not going to get satisfied with somebody saying, just take it by faith. I'm not going to be satisfied with somebody who says, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're okay.

No, I say, God, you must fill me and give me victory in my life. You must sanctify me, spirit, soul, and body. And I've got to ask you for it. And you know, Jesus used examples of the Holy Spirit to be, you saw that once in the Gospel of John.

Water as a Picture of the Holy Spirit

In John, Jesus is a master at using pictures to illustrate truths. John chapter 3, chapter 4 and chapter 7, these three chapters, he used the picture of water. In John chapter 3, he said, you've got to be born of water and the Holy Spirit.

John 3 verse 5. Water was just a symbol or a picture of the Holy Spirit. It's like the water that washes us. That's the first thing that the water does. It cleanses us. And that's what he was speaking about here.

The first function of water is to cleanse us thoroughly. Now, we need it once to be born of water, and then we need to constantly be cleansed all the time, every day. And that's why Jesus said in John 13, you know, when he was washing the disciples' feet, he said, you know, he came to Peter and Peter said in John 13, verse 8, you're never going to wash me.