Knowing Jesus as Our Bridegroom by Sanjay Poonen & Zac Poonen — Zac Poonen

Good morning to everyone at CFC. I'm tremendously blessed to be here and Honored and just so delighted to be back. I was here in October for the conference and For my dad's 75th birthday and just a joy to be back.

I call this my home and I have tremendously warm memories of CFC obviously, this is such a privilege to be in a nice building, but First in my own home with five or ten, you know families, maybe 20 -25 people in 1975 and I was a little bit older than my young boys who are four years old at that time, a little over five to then 40 Dacosta Square and now the way and The work that the Lord is doing in CFC and the churches is a pillar and a testimony and a fire all across the world now with the internet.

Many Saturday evenings. I'm able to log in and watch over you stream this meeting. And at least wave at you, okay. But it's a tremendous joy, and I know my brothers also send their greetings. You across the world many watch you stream now and are blessed by this many watch the messages on YouTube and You all of your brothers and sisters are a blessing to many across the world who would have thought that those small seeds that were sown in 1975.

Through faithfulness of many of the brothers and sisters here is now blessing the world. So I'm just tremendously overjoyed and Happy To be called this my home. To call this my home church and for the blessing that many of you have been.

I also want to thank God for the elders. My dad brother Ian for the Newton and now by the Charles for the leadership much of the way in which you Have run the church and many of the churches that have been planted.

Our blessing to me blessing to many others who ask questions about how is the right way to to do God's work? I know my brothers as they have have Started churches in their homes and now have looked to the guidance.

Many of the elders here, so I praise God for that. I'm also delighted to be back here for the first time with my family in seven years. The last time I came I I only had a daughter and she was I think a little over one.

She doesn't remember much but now he's able to bring my two boys. And my daughter's eight and my two boys one of them Jason thinks he's more Indian than Alex. So your job if your children is to convince both of them that they're both Indian.

Alex and Alex is the older of Jason as the younger by 15 minutes. They're both twins. And I praise God that they can come and really drink of the spirit. God willing we'd like to be here more often. It's a little harder to travel and our children are young as you probably know.

But we just praise God that we could all be here and it's my hope that my children can grow up knowing the same Jesus that I saw among the brothers and sisters here. That's my prayer for them. And you know as we grow up, we often, you know, but the elders and the older brothers and that I respected.

Always told me, you know. It'll you know. You think it's easy to bring up children wait till you have your own children, right? And I know how much I'm on my knees in prayer and humility. Because as we bring up our children in a world that's increasingly getting tougher and tougher with every generation.

How much we need the fear of the Lord and how much we need that wisdom which is the beginning of as a result of fearing the Lord. So today I just wanted to share. I when brother Ian asked me to share the opening message.

I felt very humbled. I did not really feel. I felt I said I should speak after. One of the elders speak here, but he insisted so. My calling in life brothers is to really be a witness In the workplace as you know and to be that Daniel or Joseph and I've talked about that before so I'm I pray that the words that I speak today will be a blessing, especially the young people and The title of what I'd like to talk about today.

Knowing Jesus Rather Than Merely Knowing About Him

It's hopefully something that could be relevant and and applicable to many of you young people. Especially those in your teenage years 20s or 30s. And and this week as you know is the week where across the world many people think about Jesus in the context of Christmas and things of that kind and what I want to talk about today is Do you know about Jesus or do you know Jesus?

Do you know about Jesus or do you know Jesus? There's a big difference because today if you think about What's happening this week out of the seven billion people in the world? Maybe a few billion actually will say they've heard something and it's increasingly becoming more Secular even the remembering of the birth of Jesus, but then maybe there's a hundred million people who may know About Jesus because they've read the story of his birth or his death but there's going to be very few who really know Jesus and if you look at You know what the scripture says the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro across the world looking for those Who know him so and there's a good evidence of that in John chapter 6 if you turn to John chapter 6.

And you see what was in the time of Jesus. In John chapter 6 we've seen this passage many times before. But at the beginning of this story, which is the feeding of the 5 ,000 You see that there were 5 ,000 men.

Many of them came you would claim that they knew about Jesus. Some of them may have been touched healed by him a few of them may have had Folks even raised from the dead and Maybe there's maybe all together with women and children maybe 8 ,000 people there 5 ,000 men maybe 8 ,000 people and Then you see through the entire book at the very end of the book of the of the chapter in John chapter 6 it starts off with maybe about 8 ,000 and Then as Jesus preaches more and more of course they get the blessing.

They get the food and Then you see in John chapters 6 it's very 6 for 66. You see as a result of this many of his disciples withdrew. And we're not walking with him anymore. These were so-called disciples who withdrew and.

And then he looked at his 12, and he says you do not want to go with them also do you and Simon Peter says Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life. Then I'm verse 70 did I myself not choose you the 12 and yet among you is a devil so even among the 8 ,000 11 only Really Wanted to know Jesus and even at that time their knowledge of Jesus was not complete.

But they only knew Jesus in the context of where they when I think about that if you think about 8 ,000 people. Out of that only 11 or 12. That's you know if you do the math. It's about 1 .5 and Think if we had a thousand people here of the eyes of Jesus of the God looks to and for and found only two people 1 .5 out of we don't have a thousand people here, maybe five six hundred, but if only one or two really know Jesus.

That's statistically what we saw even in the time of Jesus so the there will be many who you know may be in heaven and and you know maybe The Samaritan woman Nicodemus there are many others who the thief on the cross would be in paradise.

But if our only goal is to Have our sins forgiven we've heard through many many years. That partaking of divine nature is really what it could be for eternal life on this earth and Jesus said in John 17 3 this is eternal life that you would know Jesus and Increasingly my heart's desire is more and more and all of you who are especially those of your young age should be to know Jesus what does it mean that we can follow him and our life becomes more and more like him that we can look at others like Paul said follow me as I follow Jesus.

And Today we have so many who know about Jesus who even know the scriptures it's all head knowledge, but that intimacy of knowing Jesus and the intimacy is what describes if you think about how in the Old Testament God used the word know Adam knew Eve.

It was an intimacy it was a marital intimacy, and that's what the Lord wants to do in our hearts. So that we know him and this promise is true for everybody if you look at Hebrews 8 11. It says that all Shall know me all shall know me.

It's no restriction. There's no reason why the 8 ,000 couldn't have 5 ,000 plus the women children couldn't have known Jesus Couldn't have followed him, but it's a choice of their hearts so much seeks to distract us From them and we know in Matthew 7 21 and 23 if you look at that that verse those verses in Matthew 7 we've heard this also a number of different times and This will be so sad when we get to heaven.

And we see the words of Jesus saying not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of the Father is in in heaven will enter many of many who say to me on that Lord Lord did we not prophesy in your name in?

Your name we cast out demons in your name perform many miracles. And I will declare to them. I Never knew you. Depart from me those who practice lawlessness. And it'll be so sad of all we've we heard so much what we heard at CFC and many of the meetings or maybe God's given us a place where we have a ministry and we've processed prophesied in his name and even miracles and so much of that will be Cast away on the final day because they didn't know so I just thought a little bit about very briefly.

Inner Transformation and the Cleansing of the Heart

How can we? Know Jesus more, and I thought about two things That we can can reflect on one is our thoughts and our motives in the seconds and our is our actions and our reactions and We've heard so much of this, but it's good for us as especially those of you who are young and growing up.

Because if you think about the life of Jesus you hear so much about what happened the last three and a half years. Age 30 to 33 and a half, but those first 30 years Was the cleaning of the inside of the cup?

And As we get to know Jesus in the inside of our cup. So that we can be transformed. So our thinking our motives before we even are able to speak to react. I become more and more like you that should be our prayer.

We know this verse in Isaiah 55 verse 9 my thoughts are not your thoughts as the heavens from the earth. So are my thoughts different from your thoughts. So when we think about everything that is not just The way in which the carnal person might think but even the religious person might think.

To say Lord conform me to your image meaning that I have not becoming just as a religious person. But that my inner part my inner being can become spiritually connected to you. Humility how the Lord reacted on this earth not just the The washing of the feet, but he was constantly looking to go down and as I think about everything that we're surrounded by.

It's so easy for us to be puffed up, but to be to be in that spirit of humility. We're constantly every day as we think about the different things that come to cross our path and for those of you Who are working you know how hard this is because in the workplace and maybe in college or even in school?

We're taught a different system. It's all about being lifted up even in the church things that can be Given prominence of our gifting, but you see how Jesus sought out the the humble of the earth the needy.

He did not have time for the rich and the famous Holiness. I Think about how when Jesus was able to speak at Matthew 7 About lust of the eyes and things of that kind and then still be able to speak with purity To the Samaritan woman in a public setting not a single form of lust or or when he talks about having just an evil thought being equivalent to to to murder and Then our attitude to money.

When Jesus said that foxes of holes and birds of nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. All of these things that our motives and our thoughts can be purified. So that we become increasingly More like Jesus and knowing Jesus, and how would he react in a situation that we're faced with?

And my prayer is that for every one of us brothers and sisters who are young That we would get transformed so that that inner cup of ours could be could be cleansed and we know what it is to be like Jesus in an intimate fashion and then when we think about Our actions and our reactions when our thoughts and our motives are right.

And we've been cleaning the inside of the cup for 30 years like Jesus Did when he gets time for us to actually to actually speak or to actually have an action? Then the fruits of the Spirit can become him can have been a bad can become a parent.

And I see that in the love life of Jesus how we see about him being anointed at age 30 and the the Holy Spirit attended dependent descended on him and The fruits of the Spirit later on we've seen Galatians 5 is 20 to the fruits fruits of Spirit our love joy and peace.

And the love it's so easy for us to think about the love being something that just shows the kindness. But I see the balance in Jesus and the way in which he showed both kindness and severity and many of us will never really understand that until we have children and initially physical children or Spiritual children that the Lord may entrust us with to know that it's so easy for me To rebuke or to discipline my child out of anger.

But it takes so much more For me to be able to pray that that I would be in no spirit of anger when I discipline my sons or my daughter and That I would show the life of Jesus. I show the character of Jesus and you see that how Jesus and all of his his actions Show that kindness and severity even with Peter when he talked about that Verse that we just read in John chapter 6 the same Peter that he could then rebuke saying get behind me Satan.

And we see that that also in in the way in which Jesus exhibited the other fruits the Spirit. I think about joy and So much of what we go through in our life. When we ask ourselves, how can we be anointed with that joy every single day?

It's very very very easy when we read Hebrews 1 verse 9. It's it's knowing Jesus in the way in which he hated iniquity and loved righteousness so that every single day his life had that oil of gladness and When Paul says follow me like I follow Christ he can then say in Philippians 4 Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice and that can be our testimony brothers and sisters.

Where even though things may not be going our way if we can have that inner joy from loving righteousness and hating iniquity. Then everything that comes our way that could be sorrow even in the midst of things we are rejoicing and.

And I'm praising God that that the Lord is able to do a work in us. So that we're transformed increasingly To that heavenly nature of rejoicing always and peace you think about peace. So much was going on as we know in the boat when that Big storm is going on you see that the life of Jesus being peaceful and asleep.

And I think about the various different things that might happen, especially those of us who are in the workplace. You think about the stress that comes across your way when perhaps the people who disagree with you.

Or who might be politically conniving against you or you might have a boss who's not necessarily Very supportive of you all of these are things that can get us stressed and in today's generation There's so much more stress than ever before but if we can have that peace knowing that God's got complete control.

And that's the peace that Jesus had with the father. So that nothing that could come his way Really perturbed him. I Prayed that that would be the calling that we're all called to that love joy and peace.

Could be something that we know more and more about in Jesus. So when Paul said like I talked about in 1st Corinthians 11 1 follow me as I follow Christ I see so many pillars of that now today in the churches as they've been raised up it was so blessed for me when I came here in October to hear many of the testimonies from the various different churches the 50 -60 odd churches and to know that many of them can say to the next generation.

Follow me as I follow Jesus just the same way that Paul did and that's my prayer. That for every one of you who are in your 20s and your 30s and your 40s. The older brothers are getting older as they get 60s and 70s of the Lord Terry's as we enter 2015.

There's no guarantee that we'll see the end of 2015. And I asked myself Lord if you've given me only one more year to live on this earth How can I know more of you? Not just know about you, but to know you know, you know how you would react in a particular situation.

How can I become more and more conformed to your nature so that I can also say to my children? Follow me as I follow Jesus, so I know Jesus and they see that in me. And I could say that's the same to whoever the Lord's put in our midst to spiritually look after and and That is really what the Lord's calling every one of you to and I'd ask you especially those of you are young that the Lord would Grip you with that grip you with that word.

So that you can be a witness in the workplace or in college. So people can see in you That life of Jesus and remember it's sort of like, you know for 90 to 10 90 of the time is going to be cleaning the inside of that cup.

That's the 30 years of Jesus. And then comes 10 the three years three and a half years where he was public. So 90 of that is going to be the work the Lord does inside our hearts to make us more and more Like him and then when he gives us the opportunity to speak or give us the opportunity To to in some way take an action.

We are able to be bold. So I just want to encourage everyone here brothers and sisters. You are a pillar the CFC is a pillar. I am so Overjoyed every time I come here To drink of the spirit. I pray that that same thing could be something that my children can also Can also breathe and drink off because it's blessed my heart.

I can't tell you the number of different times. Where when I think about how should I react in a different situation? Not just the first 18 years of my life here. But the many many decades after that that I've been able to drink of the spirit of CFC has blessed me tremendously the the spirit of humility I learned from the brothers and sisters here and that is really what I pray will be My North Pole so to speak for the rest of the days of my life.

And also the the North Pole for my children, thank you very much for the blessing you are to many of us. Amen. It's very easy.

To think that we know the Lord when we don't know him. Think of all those people Jesus said in the last day. There's many. Not one or two many means say 10 ,000 preachers or maybe a hundred thousand who preached for 2 ,000 years.

Stand before the Lord and said Lord, you know what all we did for you. We've traveled here. Preached we did miracles. We laid hands on people healed in the name of Jesus. And there were millions of people who admired these preachers and said wow what great men of God.

And what a shock all those millions of believers will get in the final day. When Jesus turns around and says to them I Never knew you and the proof that I never knew you was. There was sin in your life, did you get that?

Matthew 7 many will say to me verse 22 Prophesied in your name I cast out demons. I Did many miracles and they could also say Lord, do you know how many millions of people admired us as men of God. When they saw the miracles we were not like other preachers who didn't do miracles.

We had television programs That were broadcast around the world in many languages and Lord, do you know how many people we reached with our miracles? And what is the Lord's reply to them. Is he impressed by all the money they spent on Television programs and going here going there.

No human beings are impressed with all that. You see our mind has been so Influenced by the movies. You don't realize how much Hollywood and Bollywood have influenced your mind. To think of you know preachers who look like film stars.

Great crowds. These are the things that impress us. Jesus is not impressed by all that. If you want to think like Jesus read the scriptures. The more you think like Jesus you can say, you know him. So today when I see people doing miracles and all that I say I'm not impressed.

I say I want to know what's your attitude to sin. Matthew 7 22. They say we did all this we did miracles. We cast out demons. I will say to them This is actually gonna happen. You're actually gonna see this when Jesus comes.

This is what you're gonna see. He will turn around to these hundred thousand preachers and say I Never knew you. Because there was sin in your life. And the fact that you had sin in your life Proves that I never knew you.

Depart from me. It's not just for a few days. Depart from me forever. You who practice sin. Lawlessness means disobedience to God God's Word you disobey that that's lawlessness. You're not talking about falling into sin.

No. Almost every believer may trip and fall but there's a difference between falling and practicing. You who practice that means You take pornography so lightly. It's not the occasional fall you take it so lightly you take sin anger you take Bitterness and unforgiving sin so lightly you do it and you say oh, it's okay.

I Can keep going that way. You practice lawlessness. I'm not saying this to anybody to condemn you. There's no condemnation in Christ Jesus. But beware of people who teach you That once you accepted Christ, you're safe for all eternity.

That doctrine one saved always saved. You will discover has sent more people to hell than almost any other doctrine. Do you know what the Bible says. I'll read it to you from Scripture. Turn to me to Hebrews and Chapter 3 and verse 14.

Hebrews 3 14. Even if you don't remember any other verse on this subject remember this one. When people tell you once saved always saved Hebrews 3 14 we have become partakers of Christ if write that in capital I capital F if We hold fast The beginning it's not one saved always saved if we hold fast that one saved of our assurance firm until the end or We can say if we do not hold fast the beginning of our assurance from until the end.

We are not made partakers of Christ. I don't think Language can be simpler and plainer than that. Who is the one who has come and said? No, it doesn't really mean that I Know God has said don't eat of this tree, but it doesn't really mean that you can take a little bit of the tree.

It'll be okay. Who said that? That is the first lie that man heard. And that liar the devil has been continuing through all these years to tell people Sin is not serious. It's not serious. It's not serious.

Don't worry. There are very very few churches in the world Today that teach that sin is serious. Why does the Lord say I never knew you because you practice sin. It's not because you don't know the Bible.

There are many people in heaven Who don't know the Bible? Do you know that you think the thief on the cross knows the Bible? If he had read the Bible, he wouldn't be murdering and killing people. He didn't read the Bible, but he turned from sin.

So let's try and understand. What does it mean to know the Lord? So that's the first thing you need to see. I never knew you. Because there's sin in your life and all the meetings you attended all the miracles you did all the sermons you preached count for zero.

If you don't know him. Because that is serving, you know serving serving serving. What about some believer who knows a lot, but who does not have cannot prophesy. Cannot do miracles cannot cast out demons.

Many of you are like that. You don't go around preaching or casting out demons or healing the sick. What about you? There's no hope for you just because you can't do that. What is the relationship the Lord wants with us.

Knowing Jesus as the Bridegroom

Supposing you have a wife who cannot cook for nuts, but what I mean by that is pretty useless cook. I'm sure there are some wives like that. Even after many years of marriage, they're pretty useless. But you got a servant woman at home, you're a rich person who can employ servants who cooks first-class food.

Who's the one you're devoted to if you're a good husband? To the one who cooks your food or the one who cannot cook. Maybe she cannot even keep the home tidy. But she loves you. Don't you want a wife like that or do you want a dobie and a cook?

What do you get married for. Who's the one who which husband marries in order to Get a cook and a washerwoman. You think Jesus is marrying someone because he wants a good cook who can preach well. Or who can do service for him.

He's got millions of angels. Will do anything for him. They're like millions of servants. But he's got only one bride. That's the message of the gospel. In the Old Testament There's a relationship between a man and a woman.

That is called knowing. Adam knew his wife. He did not know other women. The relationship with a man and a wife is called knowing. A man knows his wife. He doesn't know his servant. Knowing that is another type knowing just in the head.

When Jesus speaks about knowing the Lord. It's that intimate relationship in the Song of Solomon. You read about the bride. I would encourage you sometime to read the Song of Solomon. And you read about two women there two groups of women.

One is the bride and The other is called the daughters of Jerusalem. They are not daughters of Babylon. No, no, no. They are daughters of Jerusalem. Song of Solomon chapter 1 right at the beginning it comes.

Verse 5 I am black the bar bride says but lovely. O daughters of Jerusalem. But the king does not bring the daughters of Jerusalem Into his banqueting hall in chapter 2 verse 5. It says he has brought me the bride says into his banqueting hall and His banner over me is love.

And many times she speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem. O daughters of Jerusalem. See this one. Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 10. My beloved is dazzling and ruddy is the bride speaking about a bridegroom.

Outstanding among 10 ,000 and. The last part of verse 16. O daughters of Jerusalem. This is my beloved. This is my friend. He's not your beloved. You serve him. You daughters of Jerusalem may do so many things for him.

You may even be more good-looking than him. Maybe you have a servant woman at home who's more good-looking than your wife. So what? Are you gonna fall in love with your servant woman because she's more attractive than your wife.

You know what we read in the beginning. The bride says I'm black. But lovely in my king's eyes. Do you know what the Lord is looking for. He's not looking for you to preach or cast out demons. Or to do miracles.

He's looking for you to love him and. To show that love by hating what he hated. Sin by hating what he hung on the cross for what he died for. What he shed every drop of his blood for not to make us prophesy.

Christ did not die to make us prophesy. He died to save us from our sin. He died to save you from those sins that you may still be practicing and which you take so lightly. Don't think you can make up for that by attending a lot of meetings or putting money in the offering box.

No Jesus is not a beggar waiting for will you put some money in my offering box? There are many churches that disgrace my Savior by Making him look like a beggar. Give some money. Give some money. He's hard up.

He's not hard up. All the silver and the gold in the world is his. He doesn't want your money. He wants your love. He's not like these Indian marriages where people look how much money does her father have.

How much money does his father have? You think Jesus is looking like that? How much money does this child of mine. How much will he put into the offering box. What a disgrace that so many churches proclaim with Jesus like that it's an insult.

I feel hurt because he's my Savior. He's my friend. And they're insulting him. That's why we proclaim so strongly. This is my beloved. This is my friend. He's altogether lovely. You need to understand what the Lord expects from you my dear brothers and sisters.

That is the proof that you know him. Otherwise, you know about him. Yeah, he did all this and he's today. Also. I hear preachers saying he's doing this doing that the other you know, I'm amazed at so many Believers.

Discerning Spectacle, Miracles, and Religious Performance

Who watch these Christian TV preachers? Who present a show that TV program is a show. You know, they spend many hours. They've got Expert people who know how to catch people's attention on television.

They're not converted people all these experts who produce the program. They just know how to get people's attention. You know, have you noticed this? They'll show this preacher and then they've got about 10 -20 cameras on all the audience or maybe a hundred of them and big audiences and Each one is they've got a big group of people watching all this.

Who's the one who's shedding a tear and immediately they'll focus on that person. While this fellow's preaching or who's laughing how they focus on that person. This is all television gimmicks. Can you imagine Jesus getting TV people to Focus on that guy there.

He's crying and that one there is laughing. Do you think such preachers know Jesus and I'm surprised at the number of stupid believers who sit and admire this Oh great woman of God great man of God. I have no time for them because I Watched all of them.

I took one year. I I Got cable TV for one whole year to I don't have it now and don't watch TV. To watch these television preachers to see what they are teaching my country just a lot of rubbish. It makes me angry makes me just as angry as Jesus was when he went into the temple and drove out those money changers.

Because I care For the 1 ,000 million people in my country. I care for them that they should not have a wrong Impression of Jesus and these people are giving a wrong impression of Jesus. As a beggar asking for money as a magician who's doing all types of tricks.

I'll tell you what. I actually saw when you think magician and these so-called healers are magicians. I actually saw a Christian preacher on not on TV, but on the internet and Someone known to some of you here Who called a woman to come up.

I'm praying for healing now and he said I think your both your hands are not the same length. I'm gonna pray that they will be straightened. Lift them up. You see both hands are not the same length. Can you see it?

Now I'm gonna pray for you. Wow. They became the same length. You wouldn't believe it. I actually saw it. I Think I can even find it now on YouTube that clip and there were comments there underneath. By people ridiculing this is this healing in the name of Jesus.

This is what's happening my brothers. That's what I mean by they are not even magicians. They are cheap tricksters. I'm not surprised that the Lord will say to all of them Depart from me. I know People who were once in CFC who admire such preachers why they don't know the Lord.

They know about Jesus. If you read Song of Solomon, you see that The bride has a passion to be with her bridegroom it says in Chapter 5. Song of Solomon chapter 5. The daughters of Jerusalem knew about the bridegroom the bride knew him.

And I pray that it's really the longing of my heart this morning as we enter a new year also in a few days. That all of you will move on from knowing about Jesus To knowing him. I know most of you are not daughters of Babylon.

Because you've been in CFC long enough. But I want to be honest. I Don't know whether you all belong to the bride. I Believe your daughters of Jerusalem. All right. But are you the bride? Are you taken up with Jesus himself or with what he can do for you?

If you're taken up with what Jesus can do for you, then Jesus is like the servant woman if you're taken up with him himself. He's your bride. Remember a servant woman can probably do more than a wife.

Maybe she's a better cook. There are many servant women who can keep the house cleaner than your wife cook better than your wife. So what? Jesus is not looking for a good cook. He's not looking for someone who can preach.