Preparation for Being Filled With the Spirit — Zac Poonen

Jesus’ Pattern of Teaching: Line Upon Line

There is a verse in Isaiah 28, which I want you to see. Jesus was the best teacher that walked on this earth. And there was a pattern that he followed in teaching. And as I have sought to follow Jesus' pattern in teaching and preaching, I have not tried to follow anybody else.

No American, no anybody else is my example. No Pentecostal preacher is my example. I was in another country where one Pentecostal man asked me a question. Brother Zach, why don't you keep saying Hallelujah in the middle of your message frequently?

I said because Jesus is my example. He didn't say blessed are the poor in spirit, Hallelujah. Anyone thirst, come to me, Hallelujah. Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, Hallelujah. He never said it once in any of his messages.

Peter on the day of Pentecost when he preached, he didn't say Hallelujah every sentence. I said my example is Jesus and the apostles, not all these other preachers. People ask me why don't you take a mic and walk up and down.

I said because I can't imagine Jesus running up and down and saying blessed are the poor in spirit. So, I am an imitator only of Jesus. There is a particular pattern he followed in teaching. That is the best way for every person who preaches God's word.

Isaiah 28 verse 9 and 10. To whom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he interpret the message? Those who are just weaned from the milk, just taken from the breast. That means little babies. How does he teach them?

Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there. Line upon line upon line, that's how it says in English. Like that verse 11, he will speak to the people. So, there was a particular pattern by which Jesus taught.

Even in the old testament it was like that. And I want to explain this to you. Let's turn first to the old testament law, then we will go to the new testament. In Exodus chapter 20, here you see how about this line upon line, line upon line is there.

The Ten Commandments and the Sin of Coveting

Here we read about 10 commandments. And as you read it, you will find that man without the help of the Holy Spirit can keep 9 of those commandments. And as you read it, you will find that man without the help of the Holy Spirit can keep 9 of those commandments.

Any non-christian, any atheist can keep 9 commandments. So listen carefully. First is, I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other gods but me, verse 2 and 3. Second is, I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other gods but me, verse 2 and 3.

Because it's external. Second, you shall not make an idol, verse 4. That also, if you want to keep it, anybody can keep it, you don't need the power of the Holy Spirit. So many nominal Christians will keep that.

Number 3, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, verse 7. That also we can keep without the power of the Holy Spirit. And Saturday, verse 8, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

That means one day you take rest and think about God. That also you can keep without the Holy Spirit's help. Then number 5, honour your father and mother, verse 12. We can keep it. Honour your father and mother.

There are so many Hindus who do that. Sometimes I think the Hindus do it better than the Christians. Verse 13, you shall not murder, so many people can do that. You shall not commit adultery, many people do that.

You shall not steal, many do that. And number 9, you shall not bear false witness. That means when you go to court, you must speak the truth. When you go to court, you must speak the truth. You should not bear false witness.

Anyone can keep these 9 commandments if they want to. Now we come to the 10th commandment. You shall not desire your neighbour's house in your heart. He has a bigger house than me, I wish I could have that.

He has a bigger house than me, I wish I could have that. You must not have that desire. Or your neighbour's wife. That person has got a very pretty wife, I wish my wife could be like that. Or she is such a hard working wife, I wish I had a wife like that.

Or she is such a good cook, I wish my wife could cook like that. She is such a good cook, I wish my wife could cook like that. But you should not have that desire. It does not mean that you should not touch, you should not desire in your heart.

You should not desire anything that belongs to your neighbour. Your neighbour's daughter. Every girl who walks on the road is your neighbour's daughter. You should not desire her. You must not look and lust for her.

Nobody could keep it. Nine commandments anybody can keep. Tenth commandment nobody could keep. It's important to understand that. So, you see, even Jesus understood that. You read Mark chapter 10. And one rich young ruler came to Jesus.

Mark 10, 17. He asked Jesus, how can I get eternal life? Today, we would say repent, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and give your life to Him. But this was before the day of Pentecost. When men were under the law.

So, the answer to that question is. Verse 19. Keep the commandments. Now, see which all commandments Jesus says. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't bear false witness. Don't cheat.

Honor your father and mother. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Lord, what about number 10? Why didn't you mention don't desire your neighbor's wife? Why didn't he mention that? Because Jesus knew nobody can keep it. He knew nobody is keeping it.

So, why mention it? So, hearing only up to number 9. He said, I've kept all these commandments. From my childhood. If Jesus had said number 10 also. He could not have said, I've kept it. This is one example of how most Christians read the word of God so carelessly.

See, brother Zach, I never saw that till you showed it to me. There's no angel from heaven who came and showed me this. I just read the Bible carefully. I wanted the Bible to go through me more than me go through the Bible.

This is one example. You know, some people say, Oh, God has given brother Zach a gift. That's why he can preach like that. It is true, I agree. But I also believe another thing. God would never have given me this gift if he had seen me reading the Bible carelessly.

Because he saw me reading the Bible carefully, he said, Oh, I can entrust him with the ministry. I want to tell all of you young people, if almighty God sees any of you studying the Bible carefully, 10 -15 years from now, you will have a mighty ministry.

God will give you the gift. But if he sees you careless in reading the Bible, he will not give you a gift. So don't excuse yourself saying, No, I can't do that, because God gave him the gift, he didn't give it to me.

Do you know that God never encourages laziness? You know what God told Adam when he sinned? In Genesis 3. By the sweat of your brow, you will earn your bread. There is bread of life here in this book.

Do you know how to get it? By the sweat of your brow, as you study it, you will get it. By the sweat of your brow, as you study it, you will get it. 2 Timothy 2 .6 The hard working farmer is the first one to receive his share of the crops.

Listen to what I am saying. The Lord will give you understanding. What is he saying? The hard working farmer who perspires gets the crop. The lazy farmer who is just sleeping most of the time and listening to music all the time, he will never get a crop.

Careful Bible Study Before Ministry

The great tragedy of CFC churches is we don't have enough young people who are studying the word of God day and night. Before you get married, you must know the scriptures. After you get married, you don't have so much time.

All the scriptures I know, I got before I got married. So, I am talking to you young people. Before you get married, study the word of God. Don't waste your time in useless pursuits. Some people think keeping on listening to music is a great thing.

It's not good if you neglect the word of God. And if you read a book or listen to a message, make sure it is a book or a message that drives you to scripture. Don't listen to entertaining Christian messages.

People ask me, what type of authors do you like to read? Authors that will drive me closer to the word of God. So, that is how we can know scripture. So, nine commandments everybody could keep. See, Paul Philippians 3.

He says verse 6 the last part According to the righteousness which is in the law, I am not condemned. He is talking about the ten commandments. Oh! So, Paul, you mean you could keep all the ten commandments?

You are saying you are blameless? Paul says, no, wait a minute. Please read what I said in Romans chapter 7 also. Then you will understand what I mean by I am blameless. He says in Romans 7 the last part of verse 7 I would not have known about coveting unless the law in the tenth commandment said you shall not covet.

He is talking about the tenth commandment. I did not even know that lusting is a sin. But when I read that tenth commandment I saw that is also a sin. And then what did I discover? I found in verse 8 inside my heart all types of lusts inside my heart.

Before I read the commandment I thought I was a holy man. Up to number nine commandment I said I am a holy man. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 I am a holy man. Then I read number ten you shall not desire. And I found it says all types of lusts in my heart.

Not only my neighbor's wife this is Paul my neighbor's daughter and the other girl who was walking down the street Lord! There is all types of lusts in my heart. This is the apostle Paul speaking. What did he do about it?

He didn't say we are all human we will do that. Many believers are like that. What did he say? He says in verse 24 I am a wretched man. How will I be free from this? How many of you say that when you find that you are lusting in your heart?

You lusted after somebody and you weep at night and say Oh God! What a wretched man I am. Or you girls may not have so much temptation with sexual lust. But you can have other desires. You want what that person has.

I wish I were as pretty as that girl. Or that girl found a good husband and I wish I got a husband like that. Oh wretched man that I am. The person who says that will get the answer. He says in chapter 8 verse 2 The law of the Holy Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free.

Not the ten commandments. That is the law of Moses. That could not set me free. But the law of the Holy Spirit What is the law of the Holy Spirit? It is not 500 commandments. It is not even one commandment.

The law of the Spirit it says here in verse 2 is the life in Christ Jesus. That life came inside and set me free from this lust. So you see, you read Romans it is step by step by step. Line up online, line up online.

It says chapter 1 Dirty sinners in the world. Chapter 2 The religious sinners who think they are better. Chapter 3 All are sin. Chapter 4 We need not only forgiveness but we need to be justified by faith.

Chapter 5 Line up online, line up online. We have peace with God. Now the grace of God can reign in my life. Chapter 6 Verse 14, sin shall not rule over you. See, he has gone from forgiveness to justification to victory over sin.

And then he comes to Romans 7 I am such a legalistic type of man still. I want to be free from that. I want to be free from this coveting. How shall I be free? Line up online. Holy Spirit. So when does he come to the Holy Spirit?

Not in chapter 1. Not in 2 3 4 5 6 7. No. Only in 8 he says. So when does the Lord reveal that to him? When he says oh God I am such a wretched sinner. How can I be free? The Lord says through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and Victory Over Sin

Now today most people want the Holy Spirit because they want to speak in tongues. Oh some people say I got a shock in my body when the Holy Spirit filled me. What is the use of speaking in tongues and getting an electric shock if you still lust after women?

Paul was not seeking for those things. There is no mention of tongues or electric shock in any of these things. The whole law of the Spirit was life in Christ Jesus and it set me free from sin. So when I teach God's word I also try to go line upon line upon line upon line.

Some people just talk about the Holy Spirit straight away in chapter 1. See it is no use giving a medicine to a person who is not sure he is sick. He will throw it away. He won't value it. It is a very expensive medicine.

I will give it to you free. But if you are not sure you are sick you will forget to take it. See some of you got serious problems with blood pressure and all. Diabetes and things like that. And the doctor says you must take this tablet everyday.

You will never forget because you know this is a serious sickness. So first you have to be convinced about your sickness then you will take the medicine. And that is the tragedy today in Christian preaching straight away they talk about the power of the Holy Spirit.

They put what should come last right at the beginning. What should come in chapter 8 they say in chapter 1. But you are telling people who don't have a sense of need about the solution to that sickness.

That's why I read that verse in Isaiah 28 line upon line upon line. And then he says now I know the power of the Holy Spirit. What is the result? Romans 8 3. What the law could not do because of the weakness of the flesh.

What was it the law could not do? The law could help you to keep nine commandments. The law could not help you to keep the tenth commandment. That is what he is writing here. The law said you shall not lust that the law could not help me.

That God did. He sent his own son who died on the cross for us gave us the Holy Spirit so that verse 4 this requirement of the law what is that? What is mentioned in verse 4 is the requirement of the law.

That is you shall not lust you shall not covet. You shall not lust after your neighbor's daughter your neighbor's wife or anything that's your neighbor. That is the requirement of the law. This is what the law asks you to do.

The requirement of the law can be fulfilled within us. The important part of Romans 8 4 is the word within us. The word that is said within us. Outside I could keep all the nine commandments but inside I could not keep it.

But now when I decide not to walk according to the flesh but through the power of the Holy Spirit it's fulfilled inside me. What does this phrase mean? I do not walk according to the flesh. That is explained in Galatians 5 24 as the flesh is crucified.

That means I take up the cross and put the flesh to death. That means not according to the flesh. I put the flesh to death. How do I do it? By the power of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8 13 If the last part If by the power of the Spirit you put to death the dead deeds of the body you will live.

Why did God give this revelation of the Holy Spirit at last? Because Paul was in a place of need. And when you are so fed up of your sin let you cry out O wretched man when will I be delivered from this dirty halls?

God will give you a revelation. It won't be just listening to a message. I remember when my eyes were opened that I don't have to live defeated by my sin. I don't have to be defeated by my anger or my lust or anything.

The law of the Holy Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free. So I don't say I got victory over sin. I say Jesus keeps me from falling. My flesh is still weak. Anytime my flesh pulls me down like the law of gravity.

See there is a law of gravity here. If I leave it it falls. Anywhere in the world it will fall. But now see it's not falling. Why? Not because this book has got some power. The law of life in my body is keeping this book from falling.

That is the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ keeps me from falling. So the book cannot boast saying I don't fall. The book can say Zach's life keeps me from falling. And so that's what I also say.

I don't say I don't fall into sin. No, I say Jesus keeps me from falling. This is the secret of victory over sin. But that is not the first message you need to hear. You need to hear about sin. You need to see the horribleness of sin.

You must see how helpless you are to overcome it. And when you come to the end of yourself and you are fed up with your life, when you are fed up with your defeated life, that's why I'm preaching this in the last message.

Jesus’ Pattern in John 7 and the Promise of the Spirit

That's how Jesus also taught it. John chapter 7. In John chapter 7 we read that Jesus went to the feast in Jerusalem. It was a time where John 7 verse 2 the feast of the Jews, the feast of booths was at hand.

And that was for a number of days. And he talked to different people all those days. Line upon line, line upon line, line upon line. Romans 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7. Then on the last day John 7, 37 he comes to chapter 8.

Now on the last day after you all have heard me all these days, do you have a thirst? Do you have a thirst for the type of life I just spoke about? Then come to me. You cannot live this life by yourself.

Come to me. Believe in me. That is the same as drinking from me. He says in verse 37 it's like drinking. Faith is like drinking. Drinking is the first thing we learn in our lives. The first thing we learn in our lives is how to drink, or breathe.

Both are a picture of receiving the Holy Spirit. Breathing, as soon as a baby comes out of the womb it breathes. It has never breathed till then. It breathes. That is like Jesus breathed on his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit.

And the next thing the baby does is drink milk. So Jesus said come to me and drink. You don't have to be a mature saint to breathe or drink. The day a baby is born it breathes and it drinks. The day you are born again you can receive the Holy Spirit.

If you have a need and then over a period of time verse 38 from inside like a cup you know filled from inside the rivers will flow and bless thousands of people. Not from outside like in the Old Testament you read in the Old Testament the Spirit was upon this person upon that person upon this person.

But the Spirit was never inside any person. That came on the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples John 14 verse 16 First of all he said verse 15 If you love me keep my commandments. What is his commandment?

If you look with lust at a woman you have sinned. If you get angry and tell somebody something you can go to hell. Love your enemies. Forgive everybody who hurt you. When you do something good don't let anybody know it.

Your commandments Lord how in the world shall I keep it? I love you but how to keep your commandments? I am a wretched man. Lord says I will tell you. I will ask the Father verse 16. He will give you a helper.

A helper for what? Not a helper to make me speak in tongues. A helper to keep the commandments. To keep all the commandments in Matthew 5, 6 and 7. Today so many people speak about Holy Spirit talk about the life of Christ life of Christ.

It's all a deception because I don't see them obeying Matthew 5, 6 and 7. They lose their temper at home with their wives. They lust in their heart and they say Holy Spirit life of Christ. Oh nonsense!

Because they have not come to the place of saying Oh wretched man that I am how shall I keep these commandments? So don't believe in all this deception going on in Christianity today. You look in their life.

Have you overcome anger? Can you honestly say that? Have you stopped lusting with your mind? Are you free from the love of money? Do you speak the truth? If you are not doing these things brother you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you don't do these things you need the life of Christ. Not talk about it and preach about it but manifest it. It says about Jesus in him was life and the life was the light of man. John 1 .4. See this light.

It doesn't make any noise. The life of Jesus is like that. You are not preaching preaching preaching. It's a life without any noise. It's manifested in you and you will know it. You don't have to talk about it.

The light doesn't talk. If we talk it is to help other people to come to that light. But you must have a thirst and come to Jesus. Then when the Holy Spirit has come Verse 17 The world cannot receive him.

But now Verse 17. Read this carefully. Now he is abiding with you but in that day he will be inside you. Do you see the difference? Now he is with you but in that day he will be in you. That is the day of Pentecost.

And from inside the rivers of living water will flow. So why did Jesus speak about this on the last day of the feast? Why did he speak about the Holy Spirit on the last day before he went to the cross?

Why didn't he talk about it on the first day? Because it's line upon line line upon line. Just like Paul. Romans 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7. Romans 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 7, 8. Jesus preached and finally he spoke about.

This is the pattern I have been following for 40 years. I learned it from Jesus. And that's why in the Acts of the Apostles. After preaching for three and a half years in Acts 1. You must wait in Jerusalem.

Now you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not many days from now verse 5 you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. You turn to another passage Luke 24. He told them Luke 24, 49. You must stay in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.

When did he say that? Not on the first day. Just before he went up. He was doing line upon line upon line upon line. The last thing was you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And that is not to everybody.

To those who had a sense of need in their life. These disciples had heard for three and a half years. And they had a sense of need. This is how we have taught in CFC churches for so many years. But until you come to a place of need.

The Sermon on the Mount Creates a Sense of Need

What shall we preach? We shall preach Matthew 5, Matthew 6, Matthew 7. You shall not lust. You shall not get angry. You shall not love money. You are not to be anxious. You are not to be afraid. You must not judge others.

You must not let other people know what good you do. You must always speak the truth. You must do good to those who do evil to you. And you say Lord, how can I do this? You read Matthew 5, Matthew 6, and you come to the end and say How can I do this?

And yet the Lord says in Matthew 7. Finally Matthew 7, 7 Ask Ask Seek. And if you being evil verse 11 know how to give good gifts to your children. Matthew 7, 11. Don't you think your Holy Spirit the Father will give good things to those who ask Him?

What is that good thing we have to ask the Father for? Read Luke chapter 11 verse 13. It's the same verse. If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

The problem with a lot of preaching about the Holy Spirit and the life of Jesus nowadays in many churches is preaching to people who are not thirsty. People are not saying Oh wretched man I am defeated.

They put Romans 8 where Romans 1 should be. Romans 8 comes after Romans 7, 24. On the last day of the feast He said if you thirst come to Me. On the last day of His life on earth He said if you love Me keep My commandments.

For three and a half years He just preached commandments commandments, commandments. And then He said Have you learnt now that you can't keep it? No, I am praying to the Father. He will send the Holy Spirit.

He will help you to keep these commandments. And Paul experienced it. And so he could say Praise God. The law of the Holy Spirit. The life in Christ Jesus. Like I said has set me free from this law of gravity that is pulling me down into sin, sin, sin.

Not me. The life of Jesus Christ. Not ten commandments. The law. Not of the law of Moses. The law of the Spirit. What does the law of Moses do? The law of Moses condemned me. The law of the Spirit lifted me up.

Life in Christ Jesus keeps me from falling. My dear brothers and sisters. This is what I have experienced. This is what number of brothers have experienced. Only when they came to Romans 7, 24 saying oh wretched man I am.

And those who try to get a shortcut to Romans 8 from Romans 1. They get frustrated. They babble something and say I have spoken in tongues. What is the use of saying all that if you are still defeated by sin.

You know that I am not against speaking in tongues. I have spoken in tongues for 40 years. But that is not the mark of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Holy Spirit's mark is He sets me free from the law of sin.

The other is a gift God gives. Gift of preaching. Gift of speaking in tongues. Gift of casting out demons. Praying for the sick. We have experienced all that. That is not the main thing. That is to serve other people.

And all of us won't have all these gifts. But all of us can have the same life. You may never have to speak in tongues in your life. Jesus never spoke in tongues. Great men of God. John Wesley, D .L. Moody never spoke in tongues.

But they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were delivered from the power of sin. That is the main thing. That's what we need to understand. Some of you who have been seeking God for the power of the Holy Spirit I will tell you what you should do Before you do all that.

Examining Christ’s Commands and the Need for Grace

Read the commandments. Take time. Don't be in a hurry. Read the commandments. Read through the gospels. Jesus has taught them to do everything I have commanded. Read Matthew 5. Matthew 6. Seriously. Or Here is one commandment.

Matthew 12, 36. It's one of those commandments most Christians don't take seriously. I say to you Every careless word men shall speak they shall give an account in the day of judgment. I say oh my God how many careless words I have spoken.

How many careless words I have spoken against other believers. How much gossip I have been involved in. He and she and I are together. Most husbands they sin when they are talking to their wives. They sin, sin, sin because if this is my wife I can tell her everything.

They say you know this person is like this and that person is like this and the other person is like this. Every careless word you speak you will give an account in the day of judgment. That is not a message of condemnation.

The Old Testament was condemnation. In the New Testament when we preach it it is to bring you to a place of need where you will cry out wretched man that I am. It is to convince you that you can never live this life without the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is to make you cry out for grace. Here is another message we have preached for 40 years. Jesus came in our flesh. The secret of godliness. 1 Timothy 3 .16. He was tempted exactly like us. Hebrews 4 .15 and He did not sin because He had the power of the Spirit.

That is how He did not fall and I can follow in His footsteps. Hebrews 4 .15. Jesus was tempted like us but He did not sin. And you say so what? That says in the next verse. So what? Therefore let us also come to the same throne of grace which Jesus came to.

And when we come to the throne of grace we need to first of all get something that Jesus did not need Mercy. Mercy is because we have sinned so much. Jesus never sinned. There was no sin in Him at all.

So He did not need mercy. But we all need mercy. We need mercy till the end of our lives because we will discover small areas of sin which we did not know before. Sin in us is like an onion. You peel off peel off.

There is still something inside and as we discover it we repent of it. We need mercy mercy. But we are not always peeling off the first layer of the onion. No we should be making the onion thinner and thinner and thinner.

Like the children of Israel killed one giant after the other in the land of Canaan. They were not always fighting with the same giant for ten years. You are not supposed to be fighting with the same sin.

You kill it and move on and go to the next giant. And it may take you many years to occupy the whole land of Canaan. But if you work at it you can get there. But we need mercy after we get mercy. Mercy is for the past.

Now we need grace for the future. After we get mercy verse 16 we come to get grace but it is through the Holy Spirit. You don't need the Holy Spirit for mercy. No they had mercy in the Old Testament without the Holy Spirit.

The blood of Jesus takes care of our mercy. But for grace I need the Holy Spirit. So the blood of Jesus for my past and the Holy Spirit for the future. Mercy for the past. Grace for the future. In my time of need.

What is my time of need. Not when I don't have enough money to buy a refrigerator or something. Jesus never had a refrigerator. But time of need according to verse 15 is when we are tempted. Like he was tempted whenever you read the Bible read it in its context.

I told you how the devil quotes half a verse your time of need is not when you are sick and not when you are financially poor. Your time of need is not when you are financially poor or when you are not when you are sick.