A Spiritual Man Look in Three Directions — Zac Poonen

God's Commandments Are Not a Burden

You know, when we hear all that we heard earlier, it's easy to get discouraged and say, well, I can never live this life. Standard is too high. That's another lie of the devil. It's an absolute lie of the devil that you cannot live according to God's standards.

His commandments are not a burden. Let me give you the testimony of a man who walked with God for 65 years, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostle John. He says in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3, this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not a burden.

The devil is always telling us God's commands are a burden. It's impossible to live up to this standard, to always live from God, through God, to God. Impossible. Don't even try it, he says. It's not a burden.

In the beginning, because we are not used to that way of life, we'll find it a little bit of strain. See, anything new that you try, it'll be a bit of a difficulty in the beginning, like a little child going into the swimming pool.

He's scared to go in. He said, no, no, no, I'll drown. That's exactly how some of you may feel after you heard this message. But you see that little child, ten years later, he just loves to jump into the pool and swim effortlessly and floats on his back without even doing anything.

How did it happen? Because he went in and believed that he could do what he had seen older people doing. So, in the beginning, it's a struggle. That boy struggled, struggled in the beginning to learn how to keep himself afloat.

And in the same way, don't give up because in the beginning, you find it a little difficult to seek God's will and seek for his power and seek for his glory. But I'll tell you something. If you sow an action and you sow the same action again, it's like sowing a seed.

You keep on sowing an action, after a while, it becomes a habit. Do you remember how as a little child, your parents had to remind you every day to brush your teeth? It's become a habit now, right? I hope it's become a habit.

But it wasn't when you were a child. Somebody, you had to be reminded. You had to be reminded to have a shower and reminded to change your underclothes. Everything that you keep doing becomes a habit, even though it's difficult in the beginning.

Now, if you go to some jungle and teach a barbarian, who's never brushed his teeth in his whole life, to brush his teeth, even at the age of 35, he'll find it difficult. He may forget for a few days. But if you keep doing it, it'll become a habit.

So I want to say this way of life that I just mentioned to you earlier, can become the habit of your life. And you don't have to live in regret over the years that are wasted. Let me give you a wonderful promise, for those of us who have made a mess of our life in the past.

There are many people like that. Remember this wonderful verse, Acts 17 and verse 30. Acts chapter 17 and verse 30. It says here that God overlooks the times of ignorance. But now, he's telling us to repent.

Acts 17, verse 30. Concerning your past, I think many of you were ignorant about some of the things you heard in the last one hour. You hadn't thought about it seriously. You hadn't seen these things in scripture.

But now, after what you heard, it has become clear that this is what scripture is teaching. That God loves you so much that he's got a plan for your life. And you say, oh, I wish I'd known this earlier.

I wish I'd known this 30 years ago. What can you do about it now? Live in regret now. The years of ignorance, God overlooks. Because he knows that you can do nothing about it. He doesn't torture you by saying, why didn't you do it like this last year?

Or why didn't you do it like this 20 years ago? That's the way foolish parents talk to their children. Why didn't you do this? Why didn't you do that? Do you know that God never speaks like that? He always starts from the mess you've made.

And says, how can I fix it now? That is a wise parent. Don't go to your children and say, why did you do this? Why did you do that? That you can teach them later. But first fix the problem. That's always God's way.

God Fixes the Problem Before Teaching the Lesson

Have you noticed in Genesis chapter 3? It's a very beautiful passage. You'll be quite amazed. I know I show you some things in scripture. You've read it so many times and yet you have not seen it. So let me show you something very interesting in Genesis chapter 3.

God comes to Adam and says, Did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat? Genesis 3 .11. And Adam says, Lord, the problem is with my wife. Isn't that a very common statement many husbands make? And not only with my wife, you are the one who gave me this wife.

What to do? This is Adam, by the way. I'm not talking about your husband. I'm talking about Adam. Genesis 3 .12. The woman whom you gave me, did it? Okay. God doesn't say anything. He doesn't say anything to him.

He goes to the woman. What did you do? She's come from Adam, so she's also learned to put the blame on somebody else. Doesn't that sound familiar? Always putting the blame on somebody else. So now she puts the blame on the snake.

It's not me, Lord. It's the snake which you created, this wretched thing. And again, God doesn't say anything. This is what I like. Here a man and woman made a mess of their life, and God didn't say anything.

Okay, the snake, is it? The devil. Let's get at the devil. I like that. That even though man and woman made a mess, because the devil instigated it, and God says to the devil, you're cursed. To me, that's a tremendous encouragement.

Because I know I've made a mess of my life in my unconverted days also, like all of you. And even after we are converted, we have done so many stupid, foolish things. And we come to God and say, Lord, I did all this.

And he doesn't yell at me. He says, let's deal with the devil. And then he tells the woman, okay, I found a solution to your problem. You made a mess. I have to put you out of my presence because I can't change my laws.

But before I put you out of the garden, let me tell you, I found a solution for your problem. The woman will bear give birth to a son. Verse 15. And the son will crush the head of the devil. Do you see what God did that when his children made a mess, he didn't give them a big lecture.

He solved the problem. It's a great example to parents. When your children have made a mess, first solve the problem. And then tell them how not to repeat that mess again. It is always God's way, but that's not man's way.

We immediately, whether it's husband or wife or children, why did you do this? How many times I told you not to do it? It's not God's way. You want to learn God's way? Fix the problem first. You remember when Peter was walking on the water, coming to Jesus.

And then he turned his eyes away and he began to sink. Did the Lord give him a big lecture? How many times I told you, you must be looking at me. If he had said all that, Peter would have reached the bottom of the lake.

What did he do? He fixed the problem. He held his hand. Then he gave them the lecture. Do you learn something from these examples in scripture? That is God's way. He first fixes the problem. And then says, okay, now I'll teach you how not to make this mistake next time.

Peter, trust me next time. A great example for us to deal with our children. To fix the problem and then tell the children, next time, let's do it another way. I tell you, this is a much more, this is not psychology, this is God's word.

And in the same way, when we work with co-workers, many times when I leave Bangalore, I sometimes give some work to the brothers in the office. Can you please do this, some work in relation to the work of the Lord, before I come back.

And my last sentence to them is this. If you are not able to do it, you are not able to finish it, or something you do messes up, don't worry. The only thing serious in life is sin. Just don't sin, that's all.

The other things, if something is done or not done, is not serious. The only thing serious in life is sin. That's helped me so much to know that. It makes it more easy for me to work with my co-workers.

Because I tell them, here, listen. It doesn't bother me if you didn't do it, what I requested you to do. Don't sin, that's all. Avoid sin. The Lord is always... So, God ignores the times of the past and says, now he commands us to repent, Acts 17, 30.

Repentance, God's Glory, and Hope for the Future

He overlooks the past and says, now turn around. Repent means turn around. At least now, after you have heard this message. Seek my will. And seek my power. And when I accomplish something through you, the Lord says, give me the glory.

Not because God is so selfish that he wants to get the glory, but because he knows that if you take the glory, the devil will get you with pride and destroy you. It is for our protection that he says, don't take the glory to yourself.

Because the devil is just waiting to puff people up with pride. So, there is hope for every one of us. If we turn to God and say, Lord, I am not going to live in regret over the past. Even in the world there is a saying, don't cry over spilt milk.

It's already gone. Okay, let's be careful that we don't spill anymore. That we preserve the rest of our life. And seek to offer it to God. God's love for us is so great. He has got this wonderful plan for our life.

So, I want to share with you something further along that line. You know, when we think of our service for God, I want to show you an example from Isaiah chapter 6. We thought of three things so far. From God, through God and to God.

The Three Directions of a Spiritual Servant

So, I also want to show you, in our service for God, there are three directions in which we must look. Three directions in which we must look. If you really want to serve the Lord effectively, and every one of us, when I say serve the Lord, I am not talking about full time Christian service.

Every believer, if you are born again, has got a function in the body of Christ. Think of, is there any part of your body that has no function? Every part of our body has a function. If you are a part of the body of Christ, you got a function.

You may not know it, but you got a function. So, you are a servant of the Lord, the day you are born again. If you didn't know it till now, you know it now. Some do it full time. One in a thousand believers God calls to full time Christian service.

The remaining 999 are servants of God in their secular job, earn their living and are also servants of God. Okay, Isaiah chapter 6. The first direction in which we must look is upwards. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty, exalted.

That is the first vision we need to see in these difficult days. Never lose a vision that God is on the throne. There is a lovely song, because God is still on the throne and he will remember his own.

Though trials may press us and burdens oppress us, he will never forsake his own. God is still on the throne. So, remember this in difficult times. And the future, I might as well tell you, as we approach the coming of the Lord, it's going to be very difficult.

There are many indications around us that the coming of the Lord is near. The amount of sexual evil that's taking place in the world, perversion, men getting married to men, women getting married to women and being considered married couples, and that's spreading.

The rampant divorces among Christians. These are all indications that the world is going headlong into disaster. I'll tell you what the next sexual perversion is. It started with normal relationship with men and women.

Then it went into adultery with other women. Then the next perversion was with the same sex, men and men, women with women. Do you know what the next step downwards is? Human beings with animals. Sex with animals.

You wait and see. One day a man and dog will be married together. You don't realize the depth to which the devil is leading people astray. That's just in the area of morals and all the evil that our younger generation is growing up having to face.

That's why I say to parents, be very, very careful to instruct your children in the principles of God's word so that they can be preserved in these evil days. The other thing, Jesus said there'll be wars and rumors of wars.

Do you know that in the Bible, in case you did not know, that there are two places on earth where there are going to be a lot of wars just before the coming of Christ, according to scripture. One scripture was written more than 2 ,000 years ago, 2 ,300 years ago, in the book of Zechariah.

It says in Zechariah chapter 14, in verse 2, I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. Jerusalem is going to be a center of controversy for many nations. Listen, this is not from today's newspaper.

This is from 2 ,500 years ago, at a time when Jerusalem was in ruins. Nobody even, most people didn't even know the existence of that city. And the Lord says, a day is coming, I'll gather all nations and then, verse 3, the Lord will come forth from heaven.

And, you know, it says how He will descend and His feet, verse 4, will descend on the Mount of Olives. He's talking about the second coming of the Lord. He went up from the Mount of Olives. When He comes back, His feet will come on the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14, 4.

But before that, the thing that's going to happen before that is, Jerusalem is going to be a center of controversy. People from all nations are going to concentrate on fighting about Jerusalem. Who's going to occupy Jerusalem?

Do you see that happening? Particularly in the last 30 -40 years. And the second place in the world where there's going to be war is mentioned in Revelation. And in Revelation, we read in chapter 9, twice in Revelation this comes out.

When the angel blows a trumpet, Revelation 9, 14, the sixth angel sounded the trumpet and there was a voice that said, Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. And they were released.

And the armies of the horsemen was 200 million, verse 16. Great number of soldiers fighting around the river Euphrates. Do you know where the river Euphrates is? It flows to the center of Iraq. So instead of saying Euphrates, you could say Iraq.

So Iraq is the second place mentioned in scripture in relation to the last days. Jerusalem and Iraq. And that's mentioned again in Revelation 16, where we are also told about the great day of the war.

Verse 12, the angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates and the water was dried up and the way was prepared for the kings to come and fight a battle. So when I read scripture, I say, Now, 20 years ago, nobody thought about Iraq as a place of war.

60 years ago, nobody thought about Jerusalem as a place of war. But today, it's in the papers every day. Which two places? Jerusalem and Iraq. It's written in the Bible 2 ,000 years ago. When I read that, I don't get worried.

I get excited. My Lord is coming back. The time is near. This is not the time to live for myself. This is not the time to live for pleasure and money. This is the time to rededicate my life to Christ in the few more days that are left.

See, I'm 76 now, nearly, in another month. And I say, Lord, I want you to give me health. I want to be alive when you come. I want to keep healthy. I don't want to eat junk food. I want to keep healthy so that I can be alive till you come.

And be maximum used to you on this earth. Because there are very few true servants of God on the earth. Most people have compromised. They have gone after money. Gone after pleasure. Divorced their wives and married.

So much of chaos among Christian preachers. There are a few here and there who are serving the Lord. You can be among them. Be faithful to the Lord in these last days. Keep your eyes, number one, looking up.

Isaiah says, I saw the Lord high and lifted up in the year that King Uzziah died. You know, King Uzziah was a very good man. But a time came in his life where he became proud. You read that in the book of Kings and Chronicles.

And he became a leper. God punished him and made him a leper. And he died as a leper. And it says here, in the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah thought, boy, what a, such a man. I thought he was going to be such a wonderful man because God was using him.

And the way he ended up. That's the way I look at stories of preachers and pastors who started so well and they ended up in a mess. And that's happening more and more around us. Young people who sincerely started out to serve God have now been gripped by what they call the prosperity gospel.

They found a quick way to make money by preaching. They've gone down. They've become lepers. You may not call them lepers. You may call them prosperous millionaires. I call them lepers. They missed out on God's will for their life.

They could have been, maybe they would have been poor, but they could have been devoted servants of God, but they became spiritual lepers. And in the year that that leper died, Isaiah thought, Lord, what all is happening to a man who I thought was a faithful servant of yours has become a leper.

And the Lord says, look at me. And I want to say to you, you'll be disappointed with many things that you see in Christendom around you today. See the Lord high and lifted up. Very, very important to have that upward look every single day.

God is still on the throne and he will remember his own. Though trials may press us and burdens distress us, he will never forsake his own. His promise is true. He'll be faithful to you. God is still on the throne.

It's a wonderful chorus worth learning. So that's the first thing. And when he looked at and saw the Lord on the throne, he saw the angels, the seraphim. Isaiah 6, verse 2. And the main thing the seraphims are talking is about the holiness of God.

The Holiness of God and Reverence in Worship

Holy, holy, holy. Isaiah 6, 3 is the Lord of hosts. And that's what we need to see when we look at the Lord. That he's absolutely holy. He cannot bear sin. No sin can stand in his presence. And I need to see the Lord like this.

That I belong to this God who is holy, holy, holy. I don't care how other Christians are living. I don't care how people in good churches are doing. But I see the Lord full of holiness. And that's got to be true in my life.

And that's got to be true to all to whom I preach. I have to point them to the Lord who is holy, holy, holy. And the seraphims cover their faces. And cover their feet. These are seraphims who never committed any sin.

And yet they cover that face. There's such reverence. I tell you we don't find that type of reverence today among Christians. The Christians who lived a hundred years ago had more reverence for God than today.

I see some of the songs being written by so-called today's Christian songwriters. All shallow, sentimental songs written by half-converted cowboys who in the olden days sang, wrote love songs to their girlfriends.

Now they are converted and they sing love songs to Jesus. Hold me close, never let me go. They sang it to their girlfriends then. Now they are singing it to Jesus. This is the type of shallow, empty songs and there are dumb Christians singing it.

I banned such songs from my church. I said let's have some songs that have reverence for God, for His holiness. Jesus is not some buddy of mine that I put my arm around. He is Almighty God whom I need to...

When John the Apostle saw Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, he was flat on his face. That's the way we need to see Jesus today. That reverence for the Lord is gone. We think friendship with the Lord means slap Him on the back and say, Hi Lord.

That's not the way. There needs to be a reverence. The angels, they don't slap God on the back and say hi. They cover their faces and that respect, when that respect goes from your life, you can be sure you are a backslider.

Seeing Our Own Sin in God's Light

The upward vision. God who is holy and the next thing, the next vision is once we see the Lord holy, immediately we will see our own sin. Isaiah looks inward. I, verse 5, am a man of unclean lips. I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

That will be the result. You know that you have seen the Lord. When you see, immediately you see yourself. Don't look at yourself first. You will get discouraged. You have to look at the Lord first. Looking at the Lord, then you see the corruption in your own heart and be honest about it.

Acknowledge it. I am a man of unclean lips. He was the holiest man on earth at that time. Isaiah. Paul was the holiest man on earth in his time, I think. He said, I am the chief of sinners. How does a holy man say, I am the chief of sinners?

I will tell you how. When you are far away from God, God is light. When you are far away from Him, there are a lot of spots in you. You don't even see it because it's dark. But the closer you come to God, you say, Hey, I see something I didn't see before.

And you come still closer to God, still closer to God. And you begin to see all types of sins in your heart which you never discovered before. That's what happens in the light of God. Till then, Isaiah was seeing problems in other people.

Yeah. You see in chapter 5, he says in verse 8, Woe unto those who are accumulating property. Woe unto those who are getting drunk. Verse 11. And many, many cases of woe unto them, woe unto them, woe unto them.

But when he saw God, he said, woe unto me. You won't have time to criticize others when you come into God's presence. You'll see yourself. Woe is me, for I am an unclean man. I want to ask you, my dear brothers and sisters, have you got a vision of yourself like that?

Are you pretty proud of the things you think you are doing for God? You really need to come into God's presence. Very few people live in God's presence. And that's why their ministry is so shallow. Very early in my life, I was challenged by the life of Elijah when he stood before King Ahab.

Suddenly appears in 1 Kings 17 before King Ahab and says, you know what Elijah said? As the Lord God lives, before whom I stand. I said, that was enough for me. I said, Lord, all my life, I want to be a servant of God like that.

As the Lord God lives, before whom I stand. That's all. King Ahab or anybody makes no difference. I stand before the Lord. I don't seek to please a single man on the earth anymore. When you stand before the Lord, you will never seek to please men.

That's why Elijah was so bold. So when he stood before the Lord, Isaiah saw himself. Paul saw himself. And he said, I feel I am the worst sinner in the whole world. I am the least of all the saints, Paul says.

There can be not even an atom of pride in you. Or thinking that you are better than others. When you stand before the Lord. Your face will be in the dust. And God's grace will pour upon you like a river.

Because he gives grace to the humble. You don't need to struggle to be humble. You just got to live in God's presence. As the Lord God lives before us. So the first look is upward. And as you look upward at the holiness of the Holy Almighty God.

Automatically you will see your own need. And you will see inside you. And when you see that, confess it. Confess it to God. And say, Lord I see my corruption. I see my selfishness. I remember times in my life.

When suddenly I get a revelation. And the Lord says, that was absolutely selfish. What you did just now. And I say, Lord I am sorry. My face is in the dust. And I say, Lord you are right. That was a selfish action.

It wasn't a great sin in the eyes of others. There was a selfish element in what I did. And I want to get rid of it. You see that? Or sometimes a little subtle pride. And the Lord says, You were a little proud of that.

Confess it. Selfishness and pride. Are two sins that cling very close to the best of us. And if you are not getting light on your selfishness and pride in your life. It is one proof that you are far away from God.

I will tell you my testimony. The closer I have come to God in my life. The more I have discovered layers of selfishness and pride in me. That I have to peel off like an onion. Layer and layer of. I say, Lord there is so much of selfishness.

So much of pride unconsciously there. Which I didn't even realize. Consciously I think I am trying to be unselfish. Trying to serve other people. I am trying to be humble. But the Lord shows me. Yeah there are things other people don't see.

Which I see. Do you want to live before my face? I say yes. The more I look at him. And see holy, holy, holy. I see my need. Live like that in these days. That will be the way you will be ready for God's Christ coming.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit and a Cleansed Tongue

And when he says that. Immediately. One of the angels takes a coal. Verse 6. From the altar. Verse 6. And touches Isaiah's mouth and says. Your sin is forgiven. And you are cleansed. And the fire. The fire from God's altar.

Touches his mouth. I like that. Cleansed. And baptized in fire. That's what happens when I see the glory of God. And I see my own need. And I confess it. I see upward. I see inward. The fire from God's altar comes and cleanses my sin.

And baptizes my tongue. The fire of the Holy Spirit. I have learned to value the fire of the Holy Spirit on my tongue. Do you know by the way that was the first thing that happened when the early disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Many people say when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit they spoke in tongues. No, no, no. Wait, wait, wait. That is Acts 2 .4. But what happened in Acts 2 .3. The tongue of fire came on their heads.

And I said when I sought God. When I seek God for the power of the Holy Spirit. What I seek for is not speaking in tongues. What I seek God is for the tongue of fire. A tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit.

24 hours. Where I never lose my temper. Where I never say anything rude to anybody. Where I never get angry. Where I am never complaining and murmuring. That is a tongue of fire. A lot of people who speak in tongues.

Don't have a tongue of fire. Many people they go to their own church and speak in tongues Sunday morning. In other tongues and come home and shout at their wife with their mother tongue. What sort of tongue is that?

Other tongues in the church and mother tongue they are shouting and yelling at home. I say first ask the Holy Spirit to control your mother tongue. Before you speak in other tongues. That is a tongue of fire.

Acts chapter 2 verse 3. The tongue of fire. Then Acts chapter 2 verse 4. Other tongues. I told the Lord. I said Lord you have given me the gift of tongues. But I will not believe that is genuine. If you don't control my mother tongue.

And I was passionate to God. Because I used to get angry. I have said rude words to so many people. To my wife and to others. And I said Lord I am a man of unclean lips. I admitted it. And the Lord touched my tongue with a fire from the altar.

He will do it for you. If you will acknowledge your sin. And say Lord give me a tongue of fire. And then that tongue can be used by God. Not only in the pulpit. You may never sit in the pulpit. You can speak to a person on a cell phone and pass the fire on to him.

You can write an email. And pass the fire on to him. Because you allowed God to touch your heart and tongue. With a fire from heaven. So you look up and you look inward. And the third direction we have to look is outward.

Looking Outward to the Needy

A spiritual man looks up. Looks inward. Sees his own sin. And then outward. The Lord says. Go. Verse 9. I heard a voice saying. Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And I said Lord I am ready. And the Lord says.

Now you are ready. Now that you have seen me. Now that you have seen yourself. Now you are ready. Now go. Look outward and see. People living in sin. The hearts of the people. Verse 10. Are insensitive.

Their ears are dull. Their eyes are dim. Verse 10. See the need outside. And that's what the Lord does. Once you see his glory. And you see your own need. The next thing the Lord will show you is. The needy people around you.

Who need a word from God. That has to come through you. To bless them. To lift them up. To deliver them from their bondage. People around you. You don't have to go to the other side of the world. In the place where Isaiah was.

He says there are people around you. Who are insensitive to sin. Their ears are dull. They don't hear the prophetic word. Isaiah you got to go to them. And give them my prophetic word. That will draw them back to me.

Why can't God do that for you? In the olden days. It was one Isaiah. One Jeremiah. But on the day of Pentecost. You remember Peter got up. And said. But in the last days. I will pour out my spirit. On all flesh.

And my sons. And my daughters will prophesy. Not the occasional Isaiah. Or the occasional Elijah. Like it was in the old testament. But all my sons and daughters. Will prophesy. I will put my fire. Upon all my sons and daughters.

On their tongue. If they will first look up. And see my glory. And my holiness. And then look inward. And see their own sin. And confess it. Don't blame other people. Let me touch their lips with my fire.

Then I will show them the need around. I will send them. To one needy person. After another. What a tremendous thing it is. You know. A few weeks ago. I got an email. Which brought me to tears. One sister wrote.

I have never met her. I don't know where she lives or who she is. An email that said. Brother Zach. I have been listening to you on the internet. On YouTube. And through what I heard. I and my children.

Have been saved from committing suicide. We were pretty fed up with our life. I wept. I said Lord. What a wonderful thing it is. That those people didn't go to hell. I don't even know who they are. But that you could take a few words.

That I spoke somewhere. And reach out to some needy soul. In the other part of the world. And save them from suicide. What greater work. Can I do for you. If I accumulate a million rupees. Is that something.

To save a family. From going to hell. My brother sister. Live your life on earth. In a worthwhile way. Don't calculate your life. In terms of. How much you have earned. Or how much you have given. Don't evaluate your life.

In terms of what you got. But what you have given. Not by what we get. But by what we give. Evaluate the worth. Of the life you live. I remember another time. When I was prompted. To visit a home. Just one day.

Prompted to visit a home. In Bangalore. And there was a family. Ready to commit suicide. Because steeped in debt. And they were saved. I have gone on. From there. Born again. I remember another time. When I was just prompted.