The Way to Spiritual Prosperity — Zac Poonen

Diligently Seeking God and Trusting His Promises

Brothers and sisters, thank you for coming here. I'm sure many of you have Taken a lot of trouble and spent quite a bit of money to come here and even to stay here. God is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him.

That is universally true in the history of man. You will discover one day when we stand before the Lord That there was not a single human being Educated or uneducated from any country Who sought God diligently and did not find him.

Not even one. That's encouraged me through the years in the early days when I Thought I didn't know much about God, and I really didn't know. I'd never read the Bible fully till I was about 19 years old.

I mean I knew the truths in the Bible from Sunday school and all. But I Believed this that if I diligently seek God I Will find him. If I seek him with all my heart He has promised that I will find him.

So let's begin with that promise in Jeremiah chapter 29. It's always good to begin with the promises of God before we go to his commandments. When you go to the commandments you can be discouraged. If you don't know that there's a promise.

Supporting that commandment the promise is like the foundation. The commandments are like the superstructure. A Lot of Christians try to build a house without a foundation no wonder it collapses. You try to obey the commandments Without being supported by God's promises.

What happens is like a house without a foundation. No wonder it collapses, and you wonder why didn't it work? I'll tell you why it didn't work because you founded your life on your own strength and not on God's promises.

So here is a wonderful promise in Jeremiah 29, and it says there in verse 11 and I want you to take this personally. It's written in your Bible for you. When the Lord says for you in that first sentence it is for you.

I Know the plans I have for you declares the Lord make it personal. Plans for your welfare. To welfare means to give you a good Something good in your life and not for calamity. Not to create problems for you.

To give you a future a wonderful future and something to hope for. Isn't that good? But You have to call upon me and you come and pray to me and I will listen to you and You will seek me and you will definitely find me.

When you search for me. With all your heart. That's the only condition. Search for the Lord with all your heart and the example I use very often is If you're walking down a grassy road path at night and you dropped a ten cent coin there.

How long would you look searching for that ten cent coin even if you're poor. Even if you're a poor homeless person, how long would you spend searching for that ten cent coin? Not very long. It's your well, it's only ten cents and you move on.

Maybe if you're coming by that way tomorrow, you look again. Is there my ten cent here? But If you if you had drawn a hundred thousand dollars from the bank and you visited one or two other places before you went home.

And you misplaced it. You say hey, where did I leave that? How long would you spend searching for that? That's not ten cents. You would take leave from your work. Even two three days if necessary to find it go to place after place after place.

Where did I leave that money? It all depends on how much value you place on that item you're looking for. Now apply that to seeking after God. A lot of people seek for God like a ten cent coin. Oh Lord, I really want to know you.

I want to overcome. And then nothing happens in a few minutes and say well, I've got other things to do. I've got to move on. Maybe tomorrow I'd say Oh Lord, you know, it's what I said yesterday. I'm really seeking after you.

Nothing much happens in a few minutes and you move on. And God is testing you all along to see. Is this guy really is this woman really searching for me with all her heart? Or he's got a lot of other priorities in her life and in a list of a hundred priorities.

I'm about number hundred. God says He's not gonna find me. The Bible says God is a jealous God. There's there's good jealousy and bad jealousy. Bad jealousy is where you envy somebody for Something he has that you don't have or something he can do that you can't do but a good jealousy is where God says where you you say that's mine.

I don't want anybody else to have him like your child. You don't want your child to be more devoted to some stranger than to you as a father or mother. That's a good jealousy or A husband towards his wife.

He doesn't you don't want your wife to love another man. You're jealous for the love of your wife. Now those are the two pictures of father and son and a husband and wife that God also his relationship with us is like that.

As a father he wants us the exclusive love of our son for him. More than anyone else and anyone else you love must be after your love for him. If it exceeds your love for him, you're gonna have problems and which you created yourself.

It's just like a son who? Loves a stranger and the father knows that stranger is not up to any good. He's want to exploit my son for some benefit for himself. He'll do evil to my son. How you'll try to protect your son from kidnappers and evil people?

That's exactly how God tries to protect us from Satan and deceivers because they're gonna kidnap our soul. It's the same the relationship that a husband has with his wife. Is what Jesus wants to have with us.

He's jealous for our love that we don't Share our love with somebody else and that somebody else is the devil or the world. Things that are going to harm us. There's nothing wrong in that. There's nothing wrong in you being a husband.

Desiring the love of your wife 100 You would not want a wife who says can I spend one month with another man? And you say no, okay, can I spend one day with another man. You say no. What type of husband are you out of.

365 days you won't even allow your wife to spend one day with another man. That's jealousy. It's a godly jealousy. So is there anything wrong in God Almighty who created us? Saying I want you 365 days of every year.

I Don't want you even one day. To not be with me to be interested in something else Which will ruin you. We must believe God has us are good at heart. It's very very important another verse in the New Testament in Hebrews in chapter 11.

Faith, Conscience, and Spiritual Growth

Hebrews 11 and verse 6 it says when you come to God you must believe something. The faith that you must have without faith. Hebrews 11 6. Hebrews 11 6 without faith it is impossible to please God. You can do a million things.

Help the poor. Come to church read the Bible. Pray every day. The only thing you lack is faith. Impossible to please God. But Lord I came to church. I read the Bible. I did so many good things. I helped the poor.

Sorry. Faith is fundamental. What would you again let me use the husband-wife illustration, what do you think of your wife who? Cooks your meals and takes care of the house and takes care of the children, but tells you listen.

I don't trust you. What would you say I'd rather you trust me and don't cook my food and don't take care of the house. Trust is so important. It destroys the relationship of a husband or wife. Tell each other I can't trust you.

You don't get married for someone just to cook your food and look after your children. Trust is so important in human relationships, and God says the same thing you must first of all trust me. And if you trust me, you'll trust what I say.

If I say something is not good for you. You must believe that. We're like little babies. You know that little kid takes a knife into its hand one-year-old kid, and you said mom says no. That's not good for you, and the child can't understand it screams when you take away that knife from it.

It can't understand why you're saying no. And when we are babies ignorant of God, we don't understand why God doesn't allow us to enjoy those Illegal or illicit sexual pleasures. Why can't God allow me to enjoy a little pornography?

It's exactly like that one-year-old child mom can't I have the shiny knife? With me and The mom snatches it away, and God says that'll destroy you. Do you think that child believes it? No, he thinks the mom is evil to prevent it from taking from playing with that knife.

And we think that God is so strict and not allowing us these little pleasures that we want in life. It's just like handling a knife or more than a knife playing with a bomb worse than a knife. You must believe.

It is impossible to please God because you come to God. You must believe that he exists, that's the number one thing that's interesting that the Bible says you shouldn't be an atheist. You must believe that he is.

That there is a God up there. To whom you're answerable and your conscience tells you that. You are answerable to God even a little child. Little child as soon as he comes to a little age of understanding.

It's gone. It's got a conscience that tells him. That was a lie that you told mommy. And you can see it written all over his face. That he's telling a lie. His conscience. He's got a conscience. Animals don't have it.

That conscience is what from childhood. We kill it every time we violate conscience. We've killed the conscience a little bit and by the time you're 17 or 18 years old you can tell a lie with a straight face.

Because you have killed your conscience so thoroughly it has stopped speaking. And what happens when you're born again when Christ comes in. One of the first things he does is resurrect that dead conscience and make it alive and more and more and more and more alive.

And I believe that that is one of the marks of spiritual growth. That we get more and more sensitive in our conscience. Conscience is like a weighing machine. When we are unconverted you can put one ton weight on that weighing machine and the needle doesn't even move.

But when we get converted it starts moving and gradually it gets more and more sensitive till you put one ounce upon it one gram. And it moves. That's how you know you're growing spiritually. Many people ask this question.

How do I know I'm growing spiritually? I ask you is your conscience getting more and more sensitive to bad thoughts to bitterness. The wrong attitudes to other people good you're growing spiritually. Are you in the same condition where you can still hold an unforgiving bitter thought towards somebody as you could ten years ago.

You're stagnant. You're not growing. God exists and our conscience tells us that every day. Secondly you must believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Hebrews 11 6. That if you diligently wholeheartedly seek him he will reward you.

So these are some fundamental truths about God that we must believe. If we want to move on in the Christian life, and we must never lose These truths in our life like you know you there's no time in the life when this foundation can be removed.

Even if you build more floors on top of this the foundation has to be there. The foundation is important. And our relationship with God must be like that. The reason why a lot of Marriages are unhappy is because this foundation in them the two people's relationship with God is weak.

The best way to have a good marriage is for husband and wife to have a good relationship with God. To have Christ in between them to have Christ as first in their life. That's what makes our relationship.

My wife, and I've been married for 50 years. But I never wanted to be first in her life, and I told her she'll never be first in my life. Christ will be first. You'll always be second and I wanted to be second to.

That's why I married life's been very happy. That's why God's given us grace to bring about children following the Lord. Because each other we were not first in each other's lives. Christ was first and always between us.

That was Jesus Christ. It's like Christ living in your home. The many things you won't say. To your wife if Christ is there right there listening to you. The many things you won't say to your husband if Christ is there listening to you long.

Christ’s Cross and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

For Jesus Christ to be in your home always. Let me show you another verse in John chapter 7. John 7. It's the only time in the Bible where we see Jesus. I mean there's another place where he cried out, but that was on the cross.

But in his preaching there was only one time when he cried out. Later on on the cross when he was hanging he said cried out my God my God. Why have you forsaken me? That's when he was hanging there for our sin.

But we never understand the agony he went through there, but when he preached He would not cry out normally. He his voice was always very gentle and gracious, but one time he cried out John 7 37 he cried out to everybody saying If anyone is thirsty Come to me and drink.

And if you really believe in me. The promise of scripture will be fulfilled in your life. From your innermost being rivers of living water will flow out to bless multitudes. You know how rivers bless multitudes and This he spoke about the Holy Spirit.

Whom those who believed in him? would receive. And listen to this. The Holy Spirit was not yet given. Because Jesus was not yet glorified. Do you know when the Holy Spirit was given for mankind to dwell in man?

Only after Jesus died and rose again. And 50 days later on the day of Pentecost 10 days after Jesus ascended up to heaven. The Holy Spirit came and filled those first hundred and twenty people within.

But you may say weren't people in the Old Testament anointed with the Holy Spirit David and the prophets. Yes, but their anointing was on top. You know something like this you pour the Holy Spirit you pour water on top of this jar it doesn't go inside because it's closed on top and Man's heart or spirit was closed like that because of sin.

Sin blocked the door to our heart that even when God poured the Holy Spirit on Moses or Elijah or Elisha the wonderful men even John the Baptist it could not go inside because of sin. And all the blood of bulls and goats that they sacrificed could not open that door.

But the water flowed outside and flowed and blessed. Millions. John the Baptist was a blessing to thousands of people. Moses. He blessed millions of people. You know he would hit a rock and two million people would get water.

But that is the Holy Spirit flowing over him and becoming rivers of living water, but not inside because of sin. And that sin could be removed only when Jesus died and Took the punishment for our sin, which is not death, but hell.

You know very well that if you have sinned God doesn't punish you by killing you everybody dies. He punishes you by sending you to hell. And if Jesus did not suffer hell on the cross then my punishment has not been paid.

Physical death. Like if you have a debt of 1 billion dollars, and you pay 1 cent for it that doesn't clear your debt. So when you die You're paying 1 cent for your 1 billion dollar debt. Your 1 billion dollar debt of sin can be cleared only if you go to hell.

So Jesus paid 1 cent by dying on the cross that did not pay for your sin. He had to experience hell the full 1 billion dollar debt. And that's what he experienced on the cross. You know what hell is it's not just a place of fire and worms.

It's a place you have completely forsaken by God is the only place in the universe where God is not there everywhere else God is there. Everywhere on earth God is there even in unbelievers homes. God is there because he's watching over the whole thing.

But in hell God is not there, and that's what makes hell hell. And the presence of God who's the source of all blessing is withdrawn and the agony that people suffer there for all eternity is Undescribable.

That's why Jesus pictured it like worms and fire and all types of pictures he used but It's very difficult to understand what it is to be forsaken by God. No one is on earth is first forsaken completely.

There's a mercy of God upon this earth. Which there is a goodness the Bible says God makes the Sun to rise on the good people and the evil people. He makes the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Because God is good. Terrorists. They have good health who gives them that help not the devil. They get married and they have children who blesses them with children. Children are the gift of God. Terrorists have children.

God is a good God. He gives good gifts to everyone. But his most important gift of salvation is only for those who receive him. But what I'm trying to say is there is the blessing of God even upon the worst people on earth atheists experience the blessing of God in their life, but there's one place where God is absent completely and that's hell and That's what Jesus experienced when he cried out my God my God.

Why have you forsaken me I? Keep teaching this everywhere. I go because not a lot of people don't understand it. The price that Jesus paid you know when I understood the first I wept and wept and wept and wept and wept.

I Said Lord. I want to hate sin with all my heart, and that's the time I began to hate sin. I'll tell you before that I was born again and all that but I never hated sin till I really understood. The price Jesus paid for my sin then we begin to love him more.

Many of us treat sin so lightly. I'll tell you why. Because you did you have not understood fully the price Jesus paid. For every word of anger that comes out of your mouth for every filthy thought that you allow to enter into your heart not what?

You're tempted with but which you enjoy and relish. For every minute of pornography that you watch or every second that you watch Jesus died. Suffering eternal hell on the cross being forsaken by his father.

So that you might not be cleansed and then you take advantage of that death of Jesus and keep on sinning. What do you think God should do to you or me? He Really experienced hell, but it was over in not in three after three days in the grave.

No no no in three hours and The proof of that is when he was when he cried out my God my God. Why have you forsaken me at 12 noon up to 3 p .m.. In the afternoon there was darkness on the earth the earth there was an earthquake and What happened all of creation was recognizing the creator of the universe had come in human form and Was bearing the sin of mankind and I don't know what Jesus went through in those three hours.

I don't think I'll ever understand. Until one day I see him face to face. Then I will know the price he paid for my sin. But I want to know it now because I wanted to make me hate sin with all my heart.

I want to hate the smallest bad thought. One bad word that comes out of my mouth one rude Word one rude word if I speak to another person. I want to repent and Recognize what Jesus paid for that rude word he had to hang on the cross for me.

At the end of you know he's cried out my God my God. It was the only time in all eternity in all eternity. There was only one time That Jesus called his father God. He never called him God he always called him father Throughout his earthly life.

It was father father father father. For all eternity it was father, but one time in his life He said God. Because at that moment on the cross He was standing not before his father. He was hanging before the judge of all the universe.

He was judged as a sinner. Though he had never sinned my sin was there. I want to make it personal you make it personal. My sin was put upon him. And he took it voluntarily Even though I hated him. I did everything in my life to displease him.

I Couldn't care less for him. I rebelled against him. He forgave me so many times yet I took advantage of him, but he said it's okay I'll take your sin. And he took it and then he was standing before God the judge Of the universe and the judge of the universe said if there's sin there I don't care if it is my own son.

You've got to go to hell For eternity and what Jesus experienced in those three hours Was eternal hell you and I cannot experience eternal hell in three hours, but Jesus was infinite God and Because he was infinite He could experience hell Even in a few moments eternity he could experience eternal hell in a few moments and So what Jesus experienced in three hours on the cross?

Was eternal hell the punishment that billions and billions of human beings are Going to experience in eternity in hell. Because they rejected Christ To save them from that to save me from that I make it personal he experienced it that I might never have to spend one moment separated from God either on this earth or in eternity and At the end of the three hours.

How do I know the debt was paid? How do I know I get a certificate? You know somebody's paid my debt of Billions of dollars, and I say hey show me the receipt. I can't be sure till I get the receipt. You say you paid my debt, but show me the receipt and here's the receipt At the end of the three hours.

He said Jesus said father once again Into your hands I commit my spirit. That one word father Makes me aware. I got my receipt. My debt has been paid. I've been forgiven my forgiveness did not come at the resurrection the moment the debt was paid my Receipt was in my hand.

And I said father. Once again, it was the father relationship. I thank God for that Sentence it comes only once in the Gospels, but it's so important to know that That he was no longer standing before the judge of the universe the price had been paid in three hours and now It was the father-son relationship again, and that's what Blesses my heart.

Meditating on the Cross and Scripture

You know I never understood all this when I first accepted Christ. But one of the things that the Lord taught me when I was born again at the age of 19 I was born again 60 years ago, and I was 19 years old and one of the first things the Lord began to impress upon me was meditate on the cross of Jesus Christ.

I Was in the Navy and a lot of time. I was alone on a ship out in the high seas and There was not a single other believer on the whole ship. There'd be 200 people and I was the only believer and they'd all be playing cards and drinking and when they're not on duty and Because I was an officer I had a room to myself on that ship and I could be there and study the Bible and the Lord said meditate on the cross.

And that's what I did from the beginning. That's what I slowly began to and it's not suddenly it took me many years to understand what I've just told you in the last few minutes. But it changed my life, and I wish it'll change yours.

There's nothing that can make you love Jesus as much as Knowing how much he loved you. Absolutely nothing. No sermon can make you love Jesus as much as the revelation in your heart. As to how much he loved you and that the proof of that love is seen on the cross.

And I didn't know all this theology. You know I came from an Orthodox Church, and I didn't hadn't heard much of these things. But then I attended Brethren Assembly where I didn't hear much of this either.

But I thank God that the Lord drove me to the scriptures the all the it's in the Bible. Everything I've understood in my Christian life is from the Bible. And I saw this in the scriptures. I never read it in a single book or heard it in any tape.

About Jesus being forsaken as a punishment paid for my price. I've never heard it. I mean I've heard hundreds of Internet messages, but I never heard a single person speaking about this. I never read a book on it.

I said amazing the most important truth of all hardly anybody's written anything on anything on it. I said Lord. I'm gonna proclaim it wherever I go. And even get people get bored listening to the same thing for a hundred time.

I'm gonna say it because it hasn't sunk deep enough in your heart. How do I know it's sunk deep in even in your heart when you stop sinning? When you stop sinning I know. Now they've got it. Till then they were only listening.

They understood it in their mind. It didn't sink into their heart. Do you know a lot of truths that we hear? Only go to our mind. It's got to go down from there into a heart. We'll be a grip with it, and then it'll change our life.

Don't let it stay there, and it's like when it's in your mind. It's like you eat wonderful food, and you keep it in your mouth. What are you gonna do with it. You'll spit it out out for a while. That's exactly what happens.

You hear something in the meeting, and you think you got it. You ask him. You ask the person next week. What did you hear? Oh, I sort of forgot brother. It was only in your mouth. But the food that got digested in your stomach you know where that is.

That's in your body. It got converted into blood and flesh and bones. So you must meditate on the Word of God. There's no word which says if you read the Word of God. You'll be blessed. No. Meditate on the Word of God and whatever you do will be blessed.

Psalm 1 and Spiritual Prosperity

Psalm 1. Very important Psalm. That's why it's put us number one Psalm. How do you like this promise? Whatever you do will prosper. You like it. Whatever you do will prosper. I Love that. You mean Lord, whatever I do will prosper.

Yes. Here it is. How blessed is the man start from verse 1. Who does not walk? According to the advice of wicked people. Who does not stand in the midst of? Sinners. Standing along the direction. They're going.

Who does not sit in the seat of people making fun of God or fun of others. But he spends his time Delighting in the law of God, and what does he do with that when he reads it? He meditates on it day and night.

You can't read the Bible day and night. That's impossible. Maybe read the Bible 15 minutes. Yeah. That's enough if you meditate on it for the next 23 hours and 45 minutes. 15 minutes of reading the Bible is enough if you meditate on that thereafter.

Spend a little time meditating on that as soon as you read it. And then whenever it comes to your mind some verse Lord help me to remember it. Some people when they read the Bible in the morning one verse that strikes them.

They write it on a piece of paper and keep it in their pocket. Take it out once in a while during the day while they're at work somewhere. Meditate on it. It can change your life if you meditate if you only read.

You'll get almost nothing. Whatever he does will prosper. For whom those who meditate on God's Word because then God shows them how to trust him and what they should do and what they shouldn't do. And He'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water always yielding fruit in season.

His leaf does not wither means he doesn't get anxious and dried up. Whatever he does will prosper. Here's the promise. Whatever he does he will prosper. If I were a Christian businessman, and that was the job God gave me to do I Would pray that I said Lord whatever I do must prosper not that it'll make me a millionaire.

Or a billionaire. A lot of billionaires have a lot of other problems, but Whatever I do will prosper in the sense that it'll go well with me in my life in my business in my family. I Had rather have one God-fearing child than a billion dollars.

I'll tell you that any day. That's how I value God-fearing children. Will you be happy if you earn a billion dollars and your children are wayward? You don't realize what what's going to value in eternity.

Your billion dollars was trash in eternity. But if you have brought up God-fearing children That'll bless you and bless many others while they're on earth. So what do you mean by whatever he does will prosper.

You've got to understand what true spiritual prosperity is. So I believe this and so since I'm called to be a preacher, and that's what I've been doing for nearly 50 more than 55 years I Say Lord When I preach God's Word, I don't care where it is which by which country or wherever it is.

I don't care whether it is when I'm Tired or when I'm exhausted or when I'm fresh it doesn't make a difference when I preach God's Word my word must prosper. Spiritually, I mean it must bless people. I don't want ever in my life to preach one prayer sermon that Doesn't bless people.

Whether personally or on the internet. Whatever he does will prosper. I want to believe that because As far as I know I do not walk according to the advice of wicked people. No a lot of people give me advice.

I don't listen to it. They tell me to violate laws, and they tell me to cheat and tell lies, and I say sorry I won't do it. I remember once when some religious people took me to court in India. Because they were unhappy with my exposing their wrong teachings and My lawyer said one day we don't have to come to court today.

Your wife is a doctor. Just get a certificate that you're got a fever or something and don't come. I Said I'm sorry. I don't tell lies. I'll come even though it's inconvenient. And that guy was surprised.

But later on one of the Persons in that lawyer's office said to me you know Mr.. Poonen You're the first true Christian. That our lawyer's office ever met so far because I wouldn't even tell a lie for a small thing like that.

I will not walk according to the advice of wicked people and I will not stand in the path of people standing in line to commit sin or Sitting in the seat of people who make fun. Make fun of God or make fun of other people.

You know there are a lot of people who make fun of others. In a way that they would not like anybody to make fun of themselves. The Bible says treat others in. The way you want to be treated yourself.

Sometimes you make fun of your wife in a rude way publicly. Would you like her to make fun of you like that? And don't do it. I'm not talking about a healthy joke or something which is understood, but I'm talking about making fun.

There's such a bad habit. Which is even found among Christians a habit of making fun of in other way in a way that hurts others. We want to make fun of somebody. I'll tell you who you should make fun of yourself.

Some stupid thing that you did somewhere. Yeah explain that let people laugh at it. I do that sometimes. Yeah, by the way. I have done a few stupid things in my life. But don't sit in the seat of scoffers.

Don't ever do that you young people don't join others and making fun of your teacher or fun of somebody. God will not bless that that's a human being created by God. Don't make fun of homeless people.

Don't make fun of somebody who is awkward who's got some physical disability or speech disability or. So many things you know children sometimes make fun of others in school. We got to teach our children.

Do you think Jesus would make fun of that lame boy the way he walks or that other person who can't speak properly. No? You want I'm trying to get to the place where whatever you do will prosper. That's what I'm trying to get you well begin with.

Don't make fun of others. Don't sit in the seat of scoffers and Instead of doing all those things it says here. Delight in the law of the Lord not just read it. You know how you delight in ice cream. I think all people delight in ice cream delight.

It's not oh do I have to eat this. You give a chocolate to a child is it mom do I have to eat this? It's not like that you delight in it delight in the law of the Lord. Have you come to that place? It doesn't initially doesn't come.

You know it's like you get a child to eat Vegetables or broccoli or something. I know mom I don't like that give me a chocolate or ice cream instead in the beginning. But you know that to tell you honestly even the doctors will tell you that Vegetables do good for you a lot more good than ice cream and chocolate does in case you didn't know so When a person comes to maturity in their way of thinking.

They realize hey This is what does good for me, and that doesn't so let me eat more vegetables in my life and Gradually believe it or not you'll come to the place where you enjoy eating vegetables. Yeah.

When you realize its value so Which says here delight in the law of the Lord in the beginning when you read the Bible you don't delight in it you do It as a ritual. Oh, I have to go through this. It's like studying for some examination, okay?