Daily Transformation to Christlikeness — Zac Poonen

We are very thankful that there are many new brothers and sisters who are becoming part of our church who were not here even two years ago. And we are also thankful that children who were not old enough to understand the truths we have stood for have grown up now to the age where they can understand.

So I feel the burden nowadays to share with them and with all of us, because it's a reminder even for the older ones, of the fundamental truths we have stood for. In the early part of this year, we went through a series of studies on foundational truths.

They're all on our website, and if you're not familiar with them, I would encourage all of you to listen to them, be established in them. If you don't have a good foundation, you can't really have a strong building.

Conformed to the Image of Christ

Please remember that. And we have taught that once the foundation is laid, the superstructure of the building, that is of our life and our family and our church, must grow towards one goal. And that goal is the goal which God has destined for us.

It's called predestination. And this is our goal, the destination God has determined for us in Romans 8, verse 29, that we should be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And though we are familiar with this, there is a saying in a proverb in English, it says, familiarity breeds contempt.

That means we can become so familiar with the truth that we don't think about it seriously, that even if we hear a message like this, we say, oh, I know that, I've known that for years. Well, perhaps you know it in your mind, but your heart may not be gripped by it.

And that's often true. And that's what I want to share with you. God's goal is that we might become like Jesus Christ. And it's not something that is just going to happen. You see, a building doesn't reach the hundredth floor all of a sudden.

If you look at a building being constructed anywhere here in Bangalore, you'll find it goes floor by floor by floor by floor and finally reaches the top. It's something like that, becoming like Christ.

And then you find some buildings, like some of our bridges, just stopped for years. For years, there's no progress. And some believers are like that. And then there are some other buildings you find after a while it collapses, which means something was wrong somewhere.

Either the foundation was wrong or they were not serious about every floor they built. And that also happens to believers. So all those things are a warning to us to make sure of our destination and stick to it.

Because as we approach the end of time, you will discover that most Christians are not serious about this goal. And you may discover that most Christians, even in CFC, are not serious about the goal which once upon a time they had, which is to become like Jesus Christ more and more every day.

Daily Growth Through Trials and Surrender

Do you believe it is to be every day that we are to become more and more like Christ? It's not like that in the beginning. When we are born again, it's an up and down life. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, and up and down.

And that is normal. It's like a child learning to walk. It's walking and then falling again. An up and down experience is very common in the early part of our Christian life, in the early part of a marriage.

But it's not God's will that a marriage should be rocky, like these buses going through potholes in the road throughout our life. In the early part, it's okay. We shouldn't be discouraged. There are falls in the early part of our life when we are newly converted or newly married.

Don't get discouraged. It won't be forever. But after we've gone along for a while and it's not becoming a little smoother, then we need to sit back and maybe wait on the Lord a little bit. Maybe fast and pray and say, Lord, what's wrong?

Have I got my eyes fixed on the goal? See, when you drive a scooter or a car, you always have a destination. And you always keep that in mind. I've got to get there. You don't stop to watch some interesting things happening on the road.

You don't even stop to watch accidents because you've got to get a goal. You've got to reach a certain place by a certain time. And if you are just as serious about our Christian life as we are when we drive a scooter or a car to get somewhere, I think most of us would have made a lot more progress than we have done by now.

So all I'm trying to encourage you is, this is not to make anybody feel guilty. I hate guilt trip preaching. There's a lot of preaching which makes people feel guilty. That's not our goal in the church.

That brings condemnation. What I'm trying to do is focus the lens so that you see clearly what the goal is. And to be encouraged always to keep that before us. And we also know Romans 8 .28 which says, God makes everything work together for our good.

And that also many people misunderstand. It's one of the most misunderstood verses among Christians. They think the good is, I'll get a better job, I'll get a higher salary, or I didn't get this house but I'll get a better house.

Not at all. God may give you a job with a lower salary. You may end up marrying a girl who's not so pretty as the first one who rejected you. So God works all things for your good doesn't mean these earthly good which is for a few seconds.

By a few seconds I mean a hundred years. A hundred years is a few seconds for eternity. In eternity's time scale. So God's not making sure that these few seconds on earth we are very, very comfortable.

No, we may be like that but not God. God's interested in our long-term goal where we're going to spend all eternity that we have no regret there. I want to say to you, my dear brothers and sisters, if you're a serious Christian you will long that when you get into the Lord's presence which all of us will do one day, you will have no regret over the way you lived at least from the time you got light.

And if you've come into this church and been here for two years and heard the preaching you have got light. At least from that time. Forget all the years that were wasted before that. But that you'll have no regret over the way you lived, the choices you made in your life.

I want to live like that. I'll tell you honestly I'm not preaching what I don't practice. I seek to live by what I've preached for many, many years now. That I believe that everything God is working in my life, some of it is painful, some of it is difficult.

There are prayers that do not get answered as I want. They are answered. But God's answer may be no. God's answer may be wait. I may want something immediately and God says no. Wait. Or sometimes He just says no.

He answers it. So all of us face that. The Apostle Paul faced a no answer once. When he was sick and he didn't get healed, Timothy faced it. But God made everything work for their long-term good and that is His will for us.

And we must align ourselves with God in His purpose for our life. And God is working everything for my good on the outside. He's also working inside us by the Holy Spirit to align us with that. Because we're not aligned.

When we come in the beginning, we're not aligned. When we get aligned, we move very fast. And if progress in our Christian life is not as fast as it should be, it's because like a train every now and then going off the rails and getting stuck and then get put back on the rails again and then move forward.

But when it's on the rails, it moves really fast. But if it goes off the rails a little while, then it takes time to put it back on the rails. So we got to make sure that our mind is aligned with God in His purpose.

And I'll tell you this, like I've often said, if you listen to what I have preached here for nearly 40 years, I can guarantee you one thing, I can stake my life on it, that you will have no regret when Christ comes again.

That's for sure. You may not make as much money as you would have made otherwise. You may not be as popular with people as you could have been. But you will have no regret. And it's a question of what you want to live for.

You want to live for the temporary honor of people on earth. I finished with that long ago. Or to hear Jesus say, well done, good and faithful servant. So I want to encourage you to pray the prayer of Moses.

Numbering Our Days and Seeking Wisdom

Psalm 90, in this connection. Psalm 90, we read here in a very well-known verse that we have quoted many, many times. But always worth meditating on. Do you know that this is the only psalm written by Moses?

David was a man after God's own heart, but he slipped up seriously towards the end of his life in adultery and had a very unforgiving attitude just before he died. Many people don't know that. To me, that was as serious as his adultery.

But Moses, even though he slipped up once, it was really a small thing. He hit the rock instead of speaking to the rock. But he cared for God's people. But it's written about Moses at the end of his life.

And that's what I want to read to you before we look at Psalm 90. In Deuteronomy 34 and verse 10. That's really something. The Lord once said in another passage of scripture with Moses, I don't speak in dreams and visions, but I speak face to face.

You read that in Exodus, you read that in Numbers. With Moses, I don't speak through dreams and visions, but face to face as a man speaks to his friend. We live in a day when a lot of people glory in dreams and visions.

People speak about visions that they have seen. And I believe it's good in such a time to hear what the Lord says in Numbers 12. He says in verse 6, Numbers 12, 6. Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I'll make myself known to him in a vision or speak with him in a dream, but not so with my servant Moses.

With him, verse 8, I speak mouth to mouth openly, not in dark sayings. He beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? Do you know that it's a far greater honor and privilege for Jesus to speak to you face to face and not through a vision or a dream?

I believe that. I want the Lord to speak to me face to face. I want to be like Moses and not like the others. And I want to say to all of you here, you can be like that. Because Jesus said, greater than Moses was John the Baptist, but in the kingdom of heaven, the least one can be greater than him.

We must have faith. You can speak to Jesus face to face like a man speaks to a friend. And it's a wonderful thing to be able to do that. And that is the question I always ask people. I say, do you know the Lord?

Do you know Jesus intimately? Do you talk to him like a friend to a friend? Do you hear him speaking to you? Jesus once said about Mary sitting at his feet and listening to his voice. That is the one thing that's needed.

Martha, all your activity is no use. I know you're doing a good thing and you're doing it for me, slogging away in the kitchen, but that is not the main thing. All the work that you do for the Lord and congratulate yourself and pat yourself on the back, the Lord will say you're disturbed and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part to listen to me.

Long for this, my brothers and sisters, to see the Lord, to hear the Lord face to face. Now turn to Psalm 90. This is a psalm written by a man who spoke to the Lord face to face, and I believe, therefore, even more than David.

It never says about David that he spoke to the Lord face to face because we read in Deuteronomy 34, there was never a prophet like Moses who spoke to the Lord face to face, not even David. So there's something about Psalm 90, which is unique compared to all the other psalms that David wrote, and he writes in Psalm 90 verse 12, Lord, teach us to number our days so that we may present to you a heart of wisdom, not so that we can stand before you on the final day and say, Lord, I sacrificed this for you and I did that for you and do you know how much I slogged for you and how much I sacrificed and how I ruined my health trying to serve you and I went to this country and I went to that village and I preached here and I preached there and I went over here and I went over here.

Lord, I did it all for you. And the Lord will say, you're careful and troubled about many things, but one thing was needful. I never wanted you to go around doing all that. I want you to just sit at my feet and be at rest and listen to me every day.

And if you had done that, you would not have been in so much unrest and you would have accomplished a lot more, not in the eyes of men, but in my eyes. I mean, in the eyes of men, Martha accomplished a lot more in that one hour cooking.

She could show the amount of food she made. What could Mary show during that one hour? In concrete terms, nothing. But Mary heard and got wisdom more than Martha. And do you know, when you hear the Lord, you may do something that nobody else will be able to do.

She anointed the feet and the body of Jesus and Jesus said, she did this for my burial ahead of time. And people who came to anoint the body of Jesus after he was buried never got the opportunity because they came on Sunday morning and found that he has risen.

The only one who got an opportunity to anoint the body of Jesus was Mary who sat at his feet and listened and listened and listened and felt a prompting. I must spend all my money and get a vial of perfume and pour it at the feet of my Lord.

And now, we discover Jesus said, this which she did is going to be proclaimed for two thousand years all over the world, wherever the gospel is preached. The amount of rice and chapatis that Martha cooked, we don't know.

That's not going to be proclaimed all over. It's going to be like that in eternity. A lot of things that we think we did for the Lord with great sacrifice will count for nothing. But if we have sat at Jesus' feet and listened and heard that word, one thing is needful.

Though in the eyes of men it may look, ah, he's wasted his life. That's what Judas Iscariot said. What a waste! But it's a great honor. It's the greatest thing you can do, to waste yourself on the Lord.

To be a worshiper. To pour out everything that which is expensive and costly which the world and like Judas Iscariot may despise. Judas Iscariot would have appreciated what Martha did. All that lovely curries and food.

But Jesus appreciated Martha. That is wisdom. Teach us, Lord, to number our days that we may acquire, present to you one day a heart of wisdom that we have acquired through years of sitting at your feet.

Such people, you can't say they do nothing. They do a lot more from an eternity standpoint. That means the little they do is gold, silver, and precious stones. Others do a lot more of work. But ultimately it's discovered to be wood, hay, and straw.

Massive structure, the whole thing burnt down when tested by fire. So, Lord, teach us to be wise as to how we spend our days. And each day is important. That is why Jesus said, If anyone will come after me let him take up his cross every day and follow me.

What did Moses say? Teach us to number each day. Each 365 days in a year to number them seven days a week. And, Lord, I want to grow in wisdom. And I have to take up my cross every day. I put the two verses together and I say that's how I get wisdom.

If I'm willing to die to myself every day in every situation morning till night I will get wisdom. And in the areas in my life during the day where I did not die to myself either in what I thought or what I said or what I did or my reaction to the way somebody treated me I did not die to myself that much is foolishness.

But wherever I died to myself I would have got wisdom. Teach us to number our days that we may get wisdom. You won't find many churches that keep on emphasizing taking up the cross putting self to death.

And you will see the result in eternity. Like I've said to more than one person I say you may think my message is hard but when you stand before the Lord you'll turn around and thank me that you made something out of your life instead of wasting it like people who listen to other preachers who just tickle their ears and said things to make them happy.

I'm willing to wait. I don't want any appreciation now. But I know what I'm speaking because I've heard the Lord. The Apostle Paul is a great example. I'll tell you why. Because there are only two people in scripture who said follow me.

One was Jesus and the other was Paul. Nobody else dared to say such a thing. Follow me as I follow Christ. Even today very few people would dare to say it. Follow my example as I follow Christ. It's not that Paul was perfect.

Jesus was perfect. Paul was not perfect. He slipped up now and then. But he got up immediately and he walked in Jesus' footsteps. And the result was see what he says about his own testimony in 2 Corinthians 4.

The Daily Cross and the Life of Jesus

After many years of walking in Jesus' footsteps. I think he wrote this maybe about 25 years at least after he became a Christian. 25 to 30 years after he became a Christian. Maybe when he was close to 60.

He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4 we don't get discouraged. First verse. We don't lose heart. We don't lose heart because the light of God verse 6 is shown in our hearts to show us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

That's what he was looking at. The face of Jesus. Like Moses he spoke to Jesus face to face. I'm saying this my brothers and sisters to say that you and I can have that same experience. And it's true God has allowed us to be verse 8 afflicted not crushed perplexed but not despairing persecuted, misunderstood, struck down but we are not destroyed and we don't give up we don't get discouraged.

That means he went through a lot of opposition, misunderstanding. He was a radical Christian and radical Christians are very misunderstood by others because others are not radical and they don't understand why this crazy guy is doing things like this.

But he felt this was taking up the cross. Okay. People afflict me, I have to die. I go through perplexing situations verse 8 I have to just die and say okay Lord whenever you make the way clear I'll accept it.

I don't have a demand Lord you must make everything clear for me. No, I'm willing to be perplexed. That's also part of dying to self. Are you perplexed today about something? Do you have some demand? Oh God you better make things clear to me.

No brother, die. God will make it clear at the right time. Don't go to God with demands but submission. Are you persecuted? He said I must die. Verse 10 Always caring about the dying of Jesus in my body.

That's not being crucified for the sins of the world. What is the dying of Jesus mentioned in 2nd Corinthians 4 .10? It is that daily cross which Jesus spoke about. Always. Always. Morning till night.

Whether I'm perplexed Okay. I die and say Lord you give me clarity later on. I'm afflicted. Persecuted. Struck down. Fine. I have to just die. And the purpose is that when I die this wonderful life of Jesus verse 10 will automatically be manifested in our body because if we die with him we will definitely live with him.

That's not our business. Our business is to die. You know that the Bible says there's not a single place in the Bible where it says Jesus raised himself from the dead. He says in John 10 I have power to lay my life down and I have power to raise it again.

Jesus said that. He had power for two things. To give himself to death and to come out of the grave with his own power. That's the interesting thing you must see in John 10. I don't have time to show you the verse.

Look it up sometime. But he did not use that second power. He used only the first one. I have power to lay down my life and when people took him he said whom do you seek? They said Jesus of Nazareth. He said that's me.

Don't trouble these disciples of mine. Let them go. Take me. He chose it. To lay down his life. The Father raised him up. You must let God raise you up. You don't have to raise yourself up. You know there are times in the past where I said Lord these guys have misunderstood me completely.

Aren't you going to help them to know? The Lord says no. Do you want to be vindicated? Jesus says before I'm vindicated they still call me a homosexual and say that I was married to Mary Magdalene and they say all types of people they say I was not the son of God some people say I was a prophet some people say I was a deceiver and the Lord says I don't worry about it.

Why are you worried about it? Leave it. In the day when I come back the Lord says and I'm vindicated I'll vindicate you as well. Are you willing to wait for that? I say sure. Why should I be vindicated before Jesus is vindicated?

That is arrogance and pride. No. I'm willing to bear the dying of Jesus and be quiet. It's very difficult to keep our mouth shut. And he says we are constantly delivered verse 11 to death again so that the life of Jesus will be manifested in us and not only in us when death works in us life will work in you Corinthians.

How is that? I mean I can understand my dying to self and life of Jesus coming forth in me but how in the world can it come in somebody else? Because when life comes in me like the cup filled up it overflows and the overflow valve of the heart is the mouth and when Paul's heart was filled with the life of Jesus it overflowed through his mouth to the Corinthians and the Philippians and the Thessalonians and the Galatians and to all the churches he planted and life began to work in them.

So it's a wonderful thing when we allow death to work in us. It not only produces the life of Jesus in us but it overflows to bless other people. Do you want to live a life like that? That's what God told Abraham.

I will bless you number one and the overflow you'll bless all the families of the earth. Galatians 3 .14 says that promise God gave to Abraham is for us through the Holy Spirit. So that's how the Holy Spirit works.

And what is the result? This is what I wanted to come to. Therefore because of all this because the life of Jesus is just bubbling forth in me and blessing other people. Therefore we don't get discouraged.

Verse 16 Though our outer man is decaying You know when Paul was writing this at the age of 60 he had traveled so much his body had been worn out and his body was worn out much more than any of us because his travel was very tough.

He didn't have comfortable journeys but the body wears out and you can't. He could have lived comfortably in Tarsus and his body may not have worn out so soon. But he says the outer man is decaying. I don't know what all problems he had in his physical body I'm sure there are many.

He doesn't talk much about it. But he says there's one thing. I can't do anything about that. God's not going to make me at the age of 60 have the strength of a 30 year old. The outer man will decay. God has allowed it.

But the inner man is being renewed. That means becoming more like Christ. And here's the best part of it. Day by day. That means every day he was becoming a little more like Christ. Now for many Christians that's a verse to quote.

The outer man is decaying but the inner man is renewed day by day. Brother is it true or is it just quoting a verse? Paul was not quoting a verse. He was giving a testimony. And there's a lot of difference between quoting a verse and giving a testimony.

Outer man is decaying is automatic. You don't have to do anything about it. But for the inner man to be renewed day by day, I'll tell you we have to listen to God every day. Every day. And we must take up the cross every day.

I won't give you a list of 10 things, just 2 things. Listen to God every day. By every day I mean the whole day. Take up the cross every day. I guarantee there's no partiality with God. What God did for Jesus he'll do for us.

What God did for Paul he'll do for you and me. You will become more Christ like day by day. And your wife, your husband, your children will recognize it. Your brothers and sisters will recognize it. The people closest to us will see it.

It's a wonderful thing. I'll show you why I say these 2 things every day. Let me show you 2 verses. Proverbs and chapter 8. Please remember these 2 things. My dear brothers, I plead with you to get a heart of wisdom before we end our life.

Moses did not say teach us to number our years or our months. What did he say? Teach us to number our days. Teach us to number each day of the week. Proverbs and chapter 8 in verse 34. Blessed is the man who listens to me.

It's the same thing that Jesus told Martha about Mary. Watching daily. That's the point. Daily. Watching daily at my gates. Who listens to me every day. If you have a servant, a faithful servant, a servant lady, every day she comes and says, Madam, what am I to do today?

She's a good servant. You tell her what to do. And like the Living Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4 .2, the most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to do. A good servant is not one who comes home and does whatever she feels like.

Listens. What do you want me to do today? That's what a faithful steward is. 1 Corinthians 4 .2. Lists who does exactly what his master tells him to do. Blessed is the man who listens to me watching daily.

Because verse 20, 35, he will find life. So that's one thing daily. And that's what Jesus did also himself as we read in Isaiah chapter 50. Isaiah 50 and verse 4. The Lord has given me the tongue of a disciple so that I may know how to sustain a weary person with a word.

And how does he do it? Isaiah 50 verse 4. He wakes me up every morning. Again, daily. Daily to listen. This is referring to Jesus. To listen. And then he says, because the Lord has opened my ear, verse 5, to listen, I was not disobedient.

I didn't turn back. Even people smite me, strike me on my back and pluck the beard verse 6 from my beard or spit on me verse 6. It makes no difference because verse 7, the Lord helps me and I'm not disgraced.

I've set my face like a flint to obey what God spoke to me in the morning. Isn't that wonderful? That's talking about taking up the cross during the day. Because his ear was open in the morning. His inner ear.

Speak Lord, your servant is listening. I've often said this when we get out of bed. That should be our attitude right from the time we get out of bed throughout the day. Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

What are you trying to say to me? What are you trying to say to me through life situations and through things that I see and things that happen? What are you trying to say to me through the word? I want to hear you.

I want to listen to you. Jesus walked that way. So that's number one. The one thing that we must do every day. To listen. And I told you the other thing we have to do is to take up the cross every day.

To die to ourself. Luke 9 .23, if anyone will follow me, let him take up his cross every day and follow me. Just two things and this business of every day. I want you to see this verse about Jesus when we grow in likeness to Jesus every day.

It says in Luke chapter 2 and verse 40 about how Jesus grew every day with this attitude of listening to the Father and taking up the cross. The result was Luke 2 .40 The child continued to grow and become strong, Jesus.

Increasing in wisdom and the grace of God was on him. That's how he grew in wisdom. Connect that with what Moses said. Teach us to number each day so that we grow in wisdom. So that at the end of our life, after many days, we can present to God a heart that has acquired wisdom day by day by day by day.

By listening and by dying. Luke chapter 2 .40 Increasing in wisdom day by day. Again repeated in verse 52. Same chapter. Jesus kept on increasing in wisdom. This is how Jesus grew. He never did miracles.

These are days in Nazareth long before he was baptized in River Jordan. Never preached a sermon. Never cast out a demon. What was his preparation for ministry? Thirty years of listening. Thirty years of dying to self.

Thirty years of daily growing in wisdom and then at the end of it, the Father said, I'm well pleased with you. Go out and serve me. And he did more in three and a half years than others can do in thousands of years.

That's the path to follow Jesus and to become like him is to be listening to the Lord every day morning till night. Taking up the cross the whole day. Never feeling sorry for ourselves. If you feel self pity, it proves one thing.

Self has not died. If you're going around looking for sympathy from other people, a dead man doesn't look for sympathy from others. You go to a funeral, that guy's not lying there and saying, I hope you all feel sorry for me, dead here.

No. He's finished with your opinions. Are you waiting for people to feel sorry for you? You want to tell your tales of woe to somebody? Brother, die. Die. I remember years ago, I think it was nearly 40 years ago, I was visiting a church in England where I was asked to speak and I was staying with the pastor of that church.

He was a godly man. And he was telling me how before we went to the meeting, he said, oh, Brother Zak, the people in this church are like this and like that and they're saying this and doing this to me.

And I just said, so what? Years later, he spoke in a meeting and I heard him say, there was a man from India who came to my house many years ago and when I told him all my problems, he just said, so what?

And that was the most liberating word I ever heard. I've never forgotten it. It just set me free. And he never forgot it. I said, what? You have to die, that's all. That's all. It's a wonderful thing.

So what? Have you been crucified yet? Have they spat on your face yet? Have they called you a devil yet? Have they whipped you and nailed you to a cross? No? So what? Forget it. He grew in wisdom. And then we could come to that place which Paul finally came to that every day he had become a little more like Jesus.

Pursuing the Character of Christ

I'll tell you honestly, I'm not ashamed to say that is my goal. I have no interest in being the greatest preacher or the Bible teacher or travel countries or even plant churches. My passion in life is to become a little more like Jesus every day and that others can see it.

A little more of that grace and a little more of that truth. A little more of that kindness and a little more of that severity that marks the character of God. A little more of that goodness and complete freedom from partiality.