A Non-Judgmental Life — Zac Poonen

Praise the Lord for his goodness to us over the last year. He Has promised to give us his word every day and I believe that we should seek to hear The Lord speak to us every day. The early Christians never had a Bible.

But they could still listen because they were dependent on the Holy Spirit. We need to be more dependent on the Holy Spirit this year. One of the first things we read in the Bible. When God created man immediately after he created him He had a whole day of fellowship with him.

That's how their life began. The first day that Adam lived on earth was a day of fellowship with God. Based on that fellowship with God. From the next day he was tested. That's what we read in the Bible.

Fellowship With God Before Testing

God created man. He had fellowship with him and he tested him. God brought you and me to new birth. If you have been born again Primarily so that you can have fellowship with him. We must develop that this year and then he will test us.

Jesus was tested in the wilderness. Throughout those 40 days in the last three testings we See. But he was tested in many many ways and I'm sure in those 30 years that he was in Jerusalem, I mean in Nazareth.

Also, he was tested in numerous situations in his home how he would react to his parents. How he would react to his irritating brothers and sisters. And is only at the end of that period of 30 years not one or two days.

That the father said I'm well pleased with you. Now I anoint you go forth in to fulfill my ministry. Many Christians would like to take a shortcut. To try and Oh God fill me anoint me the Holy Spirit.

Don't test me or anything. Just fill me the Holy Spirit and make me a mighty servant of God. You can pray that for a hundred years. Nothing will happen. Because if you fail in the test God is not going to say I'm well pleased with you.

God this Title given to God and Jeremiah. He's a God who examines our heart. Jeremiah spoke to him and said Lord you who test the righteous Jeremiah 12 the Lord says now Jeremiah says in the middle of verse 3 You examine my heart's attitude towards you.

You're a God who? Examines my heart's attitude Towards you. Do you believe God is like that? He's always examining our hearts attitude towards him while human beings around us judge us by our appearance and The way we dress and the way our position in life and all types of worthless things.

God examines our hearts attitude towards him. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. God told Samuel and One way he examines our hearts attitude towards him. And he's going to do that throughout this year Is by seeing what is our attitude to other people?

Because you know John says at the end of his life in 1 John 4 the last verse. If you say that you love God that your heart's attitude toward God is right. But your heart's attitude towards your brother is not right.

You don't love him. You're a liar. You're not a believer. You're just a plain old liar or perhaps thoroughly deceived now. I don't want to be deceived. I'll tell you that I Do not want to be deceived During my earthly life and discover when I stand before the Lord in the final day as all of us will stand.

We are approaching the coming of the Lord and the day will come and you and I will stand one by one by one Before the Lord to give an account of our life to him. I do not want to discover in that day That I fooled myself.

That I was a spiritual person because other people thought I was that or because I had a ministry or a gift or because I belong to CFC or Because I did a few good things here and there. I do not want to be deceived.

Now I would urge you To fear God and reverence him and make sure you're not deceived. And I'll tell you this I'll guarantee you that if you love the truth about yourself, you will never be deceived. Love the truth.

I've decided many years ago to wholeheartedly love the truth about myself. When I hear it from God when I hear it from other people, I say yes Lord. There is some truth there and like Tozer once said if men knew me as intimately as I know myself.

They will never spend their time praising me and appreciating me if men knew you as Intimately as you know yourself. Some of those praises that people give you may not be valid. So it's good for us to live before God's face and Allow him to examine our heart so that we're not disturbed by people's criticism and we're not excited by their praise.

Because we continue to live before God's face and that's all that matters when you know, Jesus said that the two commandments. That the primary was to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbors ourselves or as Jesus expanded it to say to love one another as he loved us and I Think it's easier to love God than to love others.

I think you'll all agree with me. Because it's easier to love someone who is perfect. I mean imagine if You know, you have a perfect neighbor who's always so kind and good. Is it difficult loving him?

That's why we find it easy to love God or we think we are loving God. He's so perfect he never does anything wrong. But when we live on earth we are surrounded by people and even this year you will discover throughout the year that you'll Meet people and even believers who let you down and who don't measure up to the way you think they should behave and then The Lord will examine my heart's attitude towards him.

To see Whether I can receive that person in the same way that Christ received me. That's all. Jesus never asks us to do anything that he did not do himself. That's a great comfort to me. He never you know the military we were taught that if you're an officer You must never ask your soldier to go somewhere where you're scared to go.

You may never ask him to do a task that you're scared to do and Jesus is the captain of our salvation. Never asks us to do what he hasn't done himself. If he asks you to love an unlovely person It's because he loved an unlovely person like you.

He never asked us to do something. He hasn't done himself. Unless you are so proud and conceited to think that you're such a lovely creature whom Jesus loved. No, I'm not. I Know Jesus loved me in my sin when I had no interest in him.

And He says receive and when I when Christ first received me way back 50 years at all I'm sure there were a million things wrong in my life, which hadn't all changed. I mean even now there's so many things still.

That need to be rectified in my life of selfishness and hidden pride, and I don't know what else there is. But he still he receives. We often say that he rejoices over us with shouts of joy. Not because we are perfect.

It's like a mother who's rejoicing over a child who is not perfect in many ways. He's got sicknesses, but rejoices that the child is there. Hates those sicknesses and tries his best to get rid of those sicknesses, but loves the child.

That's how God loves every one of us and He examines our hearts attitude towards others in our watch night service on first 31st December I was sharing that in the coming year I We need to be more disciplined in our life.

Many people never become holy because they are not disciplined. They are filled with the Holy Spirit, but they are not disciplined. We need to be disciplined. I said in the way we use our time. Many Christians most Christians have wasted their time.

If you look back over 2009 You will see so many hours wasted. And I suggested that you spend 15 minutes a day at least Studying the Bible with our verse-by-verse Bible study 15 minutes. It's not a long time.

But if you discipline yourself, and I'll tell you you will never do it unless you discipline yourself. I would I believe I would have had no ministry today if I hadn't disciplined myself to study the word.

Is it possible that some of you? That God had a fantastic ministry for you today. But he cannot fulfill it because he saw in your past life. You were just too lazy to study his word. You just came faithfully to the meeting to hear his word, which is good.

Dear brothers and sisters never say oh, I don't have a gift. Maybe that is one reason it is also possible. That you never discipline yourself any amount of prayer will not Replace the need for discipline, you know sometimes children come to me and say uncle Zach, please pray for me.

I've got an examination coming up next week. I said did you study for it? If you didn't study for it any amount of prayer. I pray for you now. It's not gonna help you. I Mean, it's like a farmer Who during seeing seed sowing time does not so any seed he sleeps and is lazy.

While all the other farmers are busy sowing seed. He doesn't water anything in his garden and then at harvest time. He comes in the brother Zach. Please pray that I'll have a wonderful harvest like these other people.

I see you're not gonna get it. No matter how much I pray. You're not gonna get a harvest because in the time when you should have been sowing seed you were sleeping. How could God do that he led to violate all his rules and laws.

So if we don't sow the seed and then we pray that God will give us a harvest it won't happen. So I tell children if you don't study how if you study hard. We certainly pray that God will bless your you and give you a supernatural ability when you do the examination.

But if you don't study hard, you're just lazy. You're not gonna get in the same thing you see if we don't discipline ourselves in the use of our time and say Oh God fill me with the Holy Spirit and all the wonderful fantastic spiritual prayers.

We pray. What is the result of that in the last year is it possible that the missing factor was discipline. Discipline in the use of your time that you don't waste your time so much of time is wasted in unnecessary gossip and All types of things which I don't produce any profit.

Discipline in Time, Money, and Bodily Habits

And I said the second area we must discipline ourselves in the way we use our money. That is a very very important area. I believe there are so few prophets in the world because very few are faithful with money.

Jesus said that that if you are unfaithful with right to unrighteous mammon God will never give you the true riches. So when you don't have true riches from God the riches of becoming more Christlike and Revelation on his word and anointing of the Holy Spirit don't say God didn't give it to me.

Consider the past. You know, we always like to put the blame on God. He didn't give me a gift. He didn't give me the anointing. It's like Adam saying you gave me this wife what to do. You gave me a wife who gave me the fruit.

Man has got that tendency from day one of his creation. Put the blame on God. The examined the question paper was too tough instead of saying I didn't study hard. How is it? Other people got 90 You got 30

It's tough for everybody. All human beings are the same. How is it? Some people overcome certain sins and you don't. How is it? Some people overcome anger and you don't you say no. No, his temperament is different.

He's got nothing to do with temperament. Even Jesus was tempted in all points as we are and so is that other brother? He's also tempted to be angry and jealous and bitter, but he isn't. Because he really seeks to take up the cross.

So don't put the blame on God. I Would encourage you in this coming year to take a lot of the blame on yourself. Don't blame your wife. Don't blame God. Don't blame your husband and you'll find a lot more progress.

So in this area of money, if you are disciplined in the area of money, you'll find tremendous progress in this year. Don't waste your money on unnecessary purchases and Don't waste your money on things that you don't need.

Be wise in the use of it. The third thing I said is be disciplined they use in the way you disciplined in your bodily Habits eating especially. I think we'll all be healthier if we eat a little less this year and We'll all be spiritually healthier if we are a little more careful with the use of our tongue this year.

It's discipline. That means I feel like eating something and I say no, I'm not gonna eat it. I Feel like saying something and I say no, I'm not gonna say that's discipline. But when you say no, I'm gonna eat it because I feel like it.

I'm gonna say it because I feel like it. 2009 will find you worse than at the 2010 at the end of it will find you worse than you were at the end of 2009. I've got to tell you the truth. You want to be a better person?

Do you want to become more Christlike? You need discipline. That's in our relationship with God. So I want to share a little bit in our relationship with others. You see love God. That's the vertical and to love one another is the horizontal.

The Good Samaritan and the Sin of Doing Nothing

So God examines our hearts attitude towards him. There was a man who once when Jesus said that he said you got to love your neighbors yourself, you know. It turned to Luke chapter 10. Well, this is where Jesus quoted these two verses.

When somebody asked him in verse 25, what shall I do to inherit eternal life and Jesus said what's written in the law? How does it read? Is he you got the Bible? Why do you ask me? It's written in the Bible.

You see? Yeah, I know the answer. You got to love the Lord your God Luke 10 and verse 27 with all your heart with all your soul and all your strength and With all your mind and you must love your neighbor as yourself.

And he said that's right. It's written in the Bible. You answered correctly do this and you will live but He was a true child of Adam. Just like us wanting to justify himself. You know what a tremendous lust.

I call it a lust. There is in all of us.

To justify Ourselves, we're okay.

Wanting to justify himself just think of that phrase. And see if you're ever guilty of it in your life in your relationship with other people wanting to justify yourself. Jesus once turned to the Pharisees and said to them in Luke 16 verse 15 You are those who justify yourself before men, but that which is great in the eyes of man is an abomination to God.

Luke 16 15 so I learned from that that if I try to justify myself before men I May convince them but God thinks I'm an abomination. And just in case you want to compare scripture with scripture There was something that God called an abomination in the Old Testament.

You know what it was. He told the Israelites in the wilderness. When you go out to the toilet, they didn't have toilets there go out outside the camp take a spade with you. Dig a ground and when you're finished cover it up.

Otherwise, the Lord will see an abomination. That's the abomination we are when we justify ourselves before men. I Never in my life want to justify myself before men because It makes me a stinking abomination before God.

I'd rather those people think wrong of me. Then God think I'm an abomination. So he wanting to justify himself the moment you begin to justify yourself you begin to say I'm alright you know, I'm trying to keep those Commandments, but My problem is who's my neighbor?

That's why he asked him. I said Jesus said, okay. I'll tell you who is your neighbor and remember he was speaking to a brotherhood of Israeli people who were all descendants of Abraham. We must not look at the nation of Israel like the nation of India.

No. The nation of Israel is not a picture of a nation on the earth today. It's a picture of the church. Which is called the Israel of God in Galatians 6. It's a picture of the church. So when you read this story, you're thinking not of some stranger but of a brother.

Because everybody in Israel were brothers in the story of the rich man and Lazarus the Lazarus the beggar sitting outside his gate was his brother. Not just any odd beggar that you find anywhere on the streets.

If you don't bear that in mind when you read the Gospels, you can have all types of wrong ideas in your mind. So Jesus replied there was a man going down from Jerusalem Jericho he was a son of Abraham and Unfortunately, he fell among robbers and they stripped him and beat him and went away leaving him half-dead.

And there was a priest going down the road when he saw him. He passed by the other side. This is what I call the sin of doing nothing. The sin of doing nothing. Now many people do not know there is a sin in doing nothing.

They know the sin of doing something. Where you hurt somebody or harm somebody or speak evil now this guy never spoke evil of him. He never Kicked him. He never spat on him. He never spoke evil of him.

He just ignored him and went on. Then there was a Levite. Jesus spoke about these people who are supposed to know the scriptures better than anybody else and I suppose that applies to us. Perhaps there's I wonder if there are people in Bangalore who know the scriptures as well as we do.

Well, then this applies to us. You see a brother who has been beaten up by the devil. Or a sister who's been beaten up by the devil and in your attitude towards that person God examines your heart. This is what the Lord was saying.

That my attitude to my brother or sister is going to really reveal to me if I want to see it my heart's attitude towards God. Now I want to say dear brothers and sisters if you watch this if you watch this diligently During this year.

I can give you in writing. You will be a more Christlike person by 31st December this year. That's up to you and Then they did this guy also passed by on the other side and he was probably busy meditating on scripture or preparing for the sermon he had got to preach in the temple and probably inwardly Judge this man saying why in the world is he going from Jerusalem to Jericho?

He should be going towards Jerusalem. The meeting is there. Why is he going somewhere else? Do you judge people who don't come to the meeting? A lot of us do. You should be going to the meeting. Why is he going to Jericho?

Why is he going somewhere else? None of my business. I don't go for my relatives weddings when there's a meeting in CFC. But I never judge another person who does that because my convictions are for myself.

It's not for a single other person. Do you judge someone who doesn't do what you do? Or does who doesn't have the same sense of priority that you have? Okay, he decides to go from Jerusalem to Jericho.

Well, I'm going to Jerusalem for the meeting. It's none of my business. It's none of my business. Well, you deserve it that you had an accident because you should have been going to the meeting not Going away from it.

It's so easy. It is self-righteousness. That makes me feel I'm holy. I'm going to the right place. This guy's going the wrong direction and he deserves it be careful of that and Then there was this Samaritan.

Compassion Across Doctrinal and Social Boundaries

Now. I want you to understand the Samaritans were people whom the Jews had nothing to do with. Samaria was captured 700 years before Christ by the king of Assyria read that in the Old Testament and he came and captured the northern part of Israel was just called Israel the southern part was called Judah and He sent the Assyrians into Samaria and there was a lot of mixed marriages.

You know and you know how in India we know people despise mixed marriages. We like to keep our tribe pure. So the Jews despise the Samaritans, so they say ah, they're all mixed. They're not pure Jews like us.

They're a mixed race. And so, you know that I mean the Jews were so despised Samaritans so much they wouldn't even walk through Samaritan they go right round and take the long walk and they say I won't have nothing to do with going through these People and here was a group of people who were despised you know this could apply to Christians whom you despise and other denominations perhaps and that Samaritan Came by he wasn't probably going to a meeting and I don't know which way he was going whether he was going to a Jericho or Jerusalem.

But he was on a journey and he saw this man. And he never knew the Bible as much as this priest and the Levite. But he felt compassion. Now remember this is not a picture of some man lying on a road in India.

It's a picture of a brother whom you see in need. Spiritual need perhaps who's failed or done something wrong slipped up beaten up by the devil. Young man, perhaps who slipped up and fell into bad company.

Unfortunately, your children are not like that. You say well parents didn't bring him up, right? I Brought up my children, right? That guy didn't bring his children up, right? What to do? He's got to suffer.

That's the attitude of the Pharisee. Not Jesus attitude or he's of a mixed race. You won't have much to do with him. But this man he had compassion. Bandaged up his wounds poured oil and wine on him. Why did he do it?

He was a total stranger. He was not even you know, pure descendant of Abraham. He was mixed with a Syrian blood in him the Samaritan. He put him on his beast and took him to a little hotel and took care of him and Then he gave him two days wages to the innkeeper.

Two denarii means two days wages. He took out his own money and said will you please take care of this man? I don't know what's happened to him and I'll be coming this way again. If you spend more I'll repay you but please help this man and Jesus said now all these three people verse 36.

Who do you think was a real neighbor who proved to be a neighbor who loved his neighbor? To the man who fell into the robbers hands and he said the one who showed mercy towards him. As God has been merciful to us.

First of all this Man beaten up is a picture of you and me beaten up on the road going away from God and Jesus came. Picked us up and he says now you treat other people the same way and Jesus said Stop justifying yourself.

Just go and do the same thing dear brothers and sisters. I'm not talking about social work. The first commandment is not love your neighbor as yourself. All people who spend that time doing social work.

They think the first commandment is love your neighbor as yourself. It is not. That is to put head down and feet up. The first commandment is love God love Jesus with all your heart soul and strength and mind.

Then from there flows a love for others. The world will admire you if you don't love Jesus, but just love your neighbors yourself. You may get a Nobel Prize or bar a threat now or something like that.

But if you love Jesus first with all your heart and seek to be a witness for him, it's very unlikely. You'll get a Nobel Prize. Even if you do good to others because you do good in the name of Jesus and you're primarily interested in a person's spiritual welfare not in his Physical welfare.

I often think of the story of the prodigal son. If you had done social work and help that prodigal son and when he's with the pigs Just give him food and money and food and money. What would you have done?

You'd have eased your conscience. I'm such a good man I'm helping this poor boy who's at the level of the pigs. But you'd have hindered God's purposes for him made sure he never went back to his father's house.

I've seen a lot of social work. All it accomplishes is prevent people from going into God's kingdom. Because for such people the first commandment is love your neighbors yourself. It's not Love God with all your heart soul and strength in mind but since we Already know the first commandment is love God with all your heart soul strength in mind and study the scriptures and pray and do all those spiritual things we need to hear the other side more, you know our Vehicle has gone off to the other side of the road.

That our attitude to other human beings Can be very critical and judgmental and we can think I'm better than all those people. I'm sure this priest in Levi Felt I'm so much better than this Samaritan guys wrong doctrine and mixed race and.

But I've got the right doctrine and I'm doing what is right and I'm going to the meetings regularly and yet Jesus picked up This Samaritan to be the hero in this story. I want to ask you even if you don't agree with somebody's doctrine, maybe the Samaritans doctrine is Bad and if his doctrine is bad his life should be worse than ours.

What shall I do when I find a Samaritan whose doctrine is not as good as mine, but his life is better than mine. What should I do? Do you know the number of criticisms I've got from converted Roman Catholics for appreciating Mother Teresa?

I don't care what they say. I still appreciate Mother Teresa a hundred times more than those converted Roman Catholics. With those converted Roman Catholics only go around giving tracts to others. And condemn them.

Mother Teresa has taught me something about how to care for all the poor beggars in India. I don't go to have a doctrine. I don't go to an automobile shop to buy toothpaste. No I go to a toothpaste shop to buy toothpaste and I go to an automobile shop to get spare parts for a scooter or car.

So I don't go to Mother Teresa for a doctrine. You know, we go to a person to see something in one area. Maybe she can teach me nothing about doctrine. Maybe in your eyes. She's a Samaritan and You're the Levite and the priest.

Going to the meetings reading the Bible. But the person beaten down on the road is that poor Samaritan who does something for that person while we just ignore it because we're Going to the meeting even if he can't do anything for that beaten person at least let's have a good attitude.

Towards the Samaritan who's helping that person. Can't we do that? Instead of being critical and think we are so spiritual. We are super spiritual and righteous. Some of the biggest Pharisees I have met on the face of the earth.

Are people who do nothing for the poor. But who are regular in the meeting singing songs and praising the Lord. I don't want you to get a surprise the day of judgment. That's why I share my heart with you.

I'm not asking you to go into social work. No, I Told you that. But let's remember. Let's start with our attitude to people in this church. In your home first, you know, they're different circles. Jesus said you must be my witnesses first in Jerusalem.

Beginning With Christlike Conduct at Home and in Church

Why. Because that's where you are right now. And then in a bigger circle Judea then Samaria and then the outermost parts of the earth. So you got to be witnesses Samaritans to he mentioned that. But must start in Jerusalem.

That means to me Jerusalem is my home and Then once I'm a witness to the Lord that means my husband and my my wife and my children can testify about my life in my home first and Especially the servants who work in my home.

We've had servants work in our home. And I'm very very interested to know the testimony of those servants about me. Yeah. About me and my wife now we treated them. I thank God that one of them was converted from Hinduism is now the wife of one of the elders in one of our churches.

Because we said Lord if it doesn't work in our home, it's no use giving it out to others. As I've often said if you have a CD player that doesn't work in your own home. Would you give it as a gift to somebody else?

It may look very nice. Otherwise tell him honestly, this is a gift for you, but it doesn't work. So when you a gospel that does not work in your own home. Why you want to give that gospel and attract to other people otherwise tell them here's a track.

It doesn't work in my own home. I hope it'll help you. It's crazy. That we would never give a CD player that doesn't work in our own home as a gift to others give to other people a Gospel that has not worked in our own home.

Do you know the number of preachers? Who have divorced their wives were standing up today before television cameras and telling people giving things that has not worked in their own home. They should shut their mouth and go and repent.

I've seen a lot of people who come here to India from America. And as I wish these people have never crossed these oceans and come here they come because they got a lot of money. What are they got to say are they leading people to godliness a Corrupting India's Christianity with pushing people down and teaching people prosperity and all that and they should be teaching people godliness.

Dear brothers and sisters. We are living in a time of compromise Corruption and we need to be balanced in our Christianity. So let's keep this in mind Lord. What does it mean? To love my neighbor as myself.

I start in my own home and I ask myself What do what is my husband and my wife think about my Christianity? Is it going to be better in 2010 than 2009 or is it just gonna be more meetings? Am I going to go with the Levite and the priest go reading my Bible and ignoring my wife and the children and all that in the home.

You want to hear God speak to you. Well, God says be my witness in your home first of all. Don't try to fool other people that you're a wonderful Christian if you're not a good Christian at home Jerusalem first.

Then the next circle is our local church. You should belong to a local church. If you still don't belong to a local church. You better hurry up and become a part of a local church. Many people don't like to be a part of a local church because It brings responsibility.

They treat a church like a restaurant. You know you go to a restaurant. You don't have to wash the clothes. You don't don't have to wash the plates. You don't have to do anything. Just don't have to cook the food.

Just eat give some money and go away. A lot of people go to church like that come eat the spiritual food put some money in the offering box or put nothing go away. But there are others who recognize the church as a home.

Well, I have to sweep the floor. I have to clean the toilets. I've got to do so many things. I'm part of the home. Many people don't want that responsibility and I can guarantee that such people will never grow.

Those who treat churches like restaurants never grow spiritually. We're building rest a family not restaurants. So first a local home Jerusalem, then the local church in other words. What do the do I have a right attitude to every single brother and sister in this local church?

I'm not worried about their attitude towards me. That's not my business. What is my attitude towards them and some of them are unlovely just like you were when Christ accepted you. Some of them are so stubborn.

Exactly not as stubborn as you were when Christ accepted you. Some of them are so inconsiderate and selfish not as inconsiderate and selfish as you were in God's eyes when Christ accepted you. All he's saying is receive them like I received you.

That's all he's saying. Is he asking us to do anything less than he did for us? No. Oh I can't forgive what that person did. Well, you know that God couldn't forgive what you did. But he still forgave you even gave his son to die for you to forgive you.

I Tell you I believe that the Christianity of many Bible-believing fundamentalist Christians is not Christianity at all. It's just religion. With a lot of Bible study and Bible knowledge, but does not change their hot attitude year after year after year after year.

There is keep on increasing in Bible knowledge and oozing with Bible knowledge. Not becoming more spiritual and I want to make sure dear brothers and sisters this year does not become a failure for you as past years.

I want to encourage you to take it seriously and say Lord. I want to be Christ like Not more Pharisee like this year. I Want to be more like you and you're going to examine my heart's attitude towards you by my attitude towards other people first my Home and then my local church and then gradually we can go to the outermost parts of the world.

Sure. But don't think that your Christianity is tested by your corresponding with somebody in America or Australia and say Oh, we have a wonderful time corresponding. It means nothing if you are not good in your own home.

It's a deception. Everybody can have a wonderful time with people whom they meet once in a while. You know, you had a wonderful time in a conference with people you meet once in a while. You have no problem with them.

But it's the people you live with whom you meet with regularly in your church in your home first and so I want to urge you my brothers start with your home this year and Then start next circle is the local church.

Make sure you have a very good relationship this year with everybody in your home and then you treat everybody in your home. The way Jesus treated you. That's all the way Jesus treated you all these years.