God Breaks Us In Order To Bless Us: Zac Poonen (Transcript)

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God humbled him in such a way, He reduced him to the level of an animal to eat grass and for about seven years he was like that. And God humbled him, this great mighty king began, his nails began to grow long like animals and he was eating grass, God humbled him till finally he came to his senses.

And he says this when he was restored, Daniel 4 verse 34, “At the end of that period,” let’s read verse 33 first, “the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar, he was driven away from man eating grass like cattle, his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, his hair grew like eagle’s feathers, his nails like bird’s claws,” imagine the greatest king in the world who said “I the great ruler of all nations,” God humbled him. And when He humbled him, God restored him. And it says at the end, verse 34, “I raised my eyes to heaven and I blessed the Most High for His dominion,” see the tone of his language has changed now, now he’s not even talking about himself, he’s talking about God, “His dominion is everlasting kingdom.”

All Inhabitants of Earth are Zero

And listen to this, this is a very important statement, verse 35, “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as zero.” That was the lesson he learned, “I am a zero.” And when a human being learns that lesson, there is no limit to what God can do to him.

Until we learn that lesson, God has to work on us, reducing us, reducing us, He may not do such radical things like make us lose our sense and behave like animals, but that is what He seeks to do. And He does according to His will in the host of heaven, verse 35, “and among all the inhabitants of the earth, and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?'” This is one of the most profound statements of the sovereignty and power of God in the entire Bible.

Reason Returns with Humility

Even in the New Testament you don’t find a statement like this, and it was made by a heathen king when God humbled him, and at that time my reason returned to me, verse 36. And I’ll tell you, a man’s reason returns to him when he can make that statement, in verse 35. Everybody on earth is a zero, I am a zero. And not just in a false humility.

All human beings have got a false humility, they pretend, “Oh I am nobody and I’m not important.” But deep down in their heart, if somebody else said that about them, they wouldn’t, they get upset. They say that about themselves, it’s a false humility. I want you to see a 10-minute clip before we continue.

Demonstration of Zeroes

Now I’m going to demonstrate something here. What are the things we glory in? Can you come here and stand facing them? Yeah. Most of us glory in wealth. Up, up. Where’s that mic? Okay. Wealth.

The wealthiest man in the world. Seen him? He’s number one in Forbes list of the wealthiest people. Zero in God’s eyes. Okay. What are the other things we glory in? We got another brother. Here’s a good-looking brother. Come here. Beauty. You see how handsome he is? I mean it. Zero.

Okay. What’s the other thing people glory in? Position. Okay, come brother. He’s got a very high position in the world. You don’t recognize it, he looks humble, but he’s got a very high position. Zero in God’s eyes. Okay, the next one.

He looks very clever. PhD. Education. Zero. Okay, one more. Here’s the athlete. He wins every medal in the Olympics. Sports. Zero. This guy is the one who’s really popular. The young people, old people, girls, everyone is really popular. Popularity. Zero. Okay. This is me. Preacher. Zero. He’ll represent me. Preachers, you know, people can be proud of preaching. Zero.

And there are a hundred and one other things or a million other things that represent all the other things you can be proud of. Okay. And the last, the root cause of it all is self.

Jesus Gives Value to Zeroes

Now study it carefully, see what they are, what Nebuchadnezzar understood. All the inhabitants of the earth are nothing. You know what gives value to them? Jesus. Now you see the value of all these people. You take it away, all the zeroes, you can have all those qualities and you’re still a zero.

But the moment Jesus comes in, even if it’s just one person, he’s got value more than all these other people just because Jesus is with him. You children remember that. Never forget it. One person. And when you get fellowship, one person then becomes a hundred. That’s the wonder of fellowship.

You get one more, brother, in fellowship. See what happens. And one more. And one more. And one more. Fellowship, fellowship, fellowship, where everybody recognizes they are zeroes. This is the church. This is the body of Christ. And you can be a member of the body of Christ, a functioning member, if you recognize like King Nebuchadnezzar and like Paul, that you’re a zero and that God is everything.

Keeping Jesus Number One

I hope this will be imprinted in your mind forever. And the moment you suddenly begin to think highly of yourself again, you know what happens. You’re a zero all over again. That’s why you always need to keep Jesus number one in your life in every area of your life throughout the New Year. Thank you, brother, all you zeroes, thank you very much.

And the one who preaches is also equally a zero, just like everybody else. This is the secret, my brothers and sisters. This is why Jesus pleased the Father. He took His position before the Father. Humility is not saying I’m nothing or hanging a head down or wearing torn clothes or none of all that. Humility is the recognition: God is everything.

God Chooses the Humble

You and I may have different qualities, but we are zero in His eyes. There is no limit to how much God can use anyone sitting here. God is not looking for great gifted people. There was a very big Bible school in Jerusalem run by a highly educated professor called Gamaliel in Jesus’ time. And Jesus never went to that Bible school to select even one of His disciples. They had a lot of Bible knowledge, but they had very high thoughts about themselves as well, and that was a problem.

So where does He go? He goes to the fishermen, to folks who had never finished high school, who only knew how to fish. You know what Peter, the fisherman writes about Paul’s epistles. You read that in Peter’s letter. He says, “The Apostle Paul writes so many things.” He says, “I can’t understand.” Basically, he says, “I can’t understand it.” He’s so honest. Those are the type of people the Lord chose to turn that world upside down of His time, and to start the beginning of true Christianity that had lasted 2,000 years.

Paul’s Transformation

He did not select millionaires. He did not select great scholars. He selected those who could easily come down to zero. When you are high up there, it’s difficult to come down to zero. He chose people who are way down here already. They could come down to zero pretty quickly.

And then He chose the Apostle Paul, and Paul was a man who had spent three years in a Bible school under Gamaliel. And so you know how God dealt with him? You read in Galatians. Turn with me to Galatians. Paul describes his own testimony here. He says in verse 15, Galatians 1:15, “When God set me apart from my mother’s womb, called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me.”

God had a plan for Paul from his mother’s womb. That means before he came out of his mother’s womb, before he was born, God had a plan, “This man is going to be My greatest apostle. He’s going to write so many books of the New Testament” before he was born.

But he grew up as a Jew, persecuting Christians, killing Christians, because he was fervent in that Jewish religion. This heretic called Jesus who calls Himself the Messiah, we’ve got to eliminate these people who are proclaiming Him. That’s how he was, almost up to the age of 30.

Revelation of Jesus

Very influential man. God humbled him. And he, it says here in verse 16, “He revealed His Son in me.” This is not just that he saw the physical Jesus on the road to Damascus, but at that moment, he got a revelation inside when he was blind for three days. Inwardly, God gave him a revelation as to who Jesus really was. And then, because he had studied in the Bible school for three years, he had all that trash, that rubbish inside his head which he had accumulated in Bible school.

It says here that God sent him away to Arabia, verse 17. That’s into a desert. “I’ll teach you something in the desert, Paul, which no Bible school can teach you.” He humbled this great scholar, and after three years, verse 18, “I went to Jerusalem.” What was he doing for three years in the desert? All that rubbish in his head had to be thrown out.

The Cleverer You Are, the Longer It Takes

And the cleverer you are, the longer it takes for God to bring you down to a zero. Peter didn’t have to go three years to Arabia. He had pretty low thoughts about himself right at the beginning. And among us, there are different levels of what we think about ourselves. How many of us He has to take into some desert before He can use us, I don’t know. But you don’t have to go to a desert.

You can humble yourself where you are and recognize that I’m nothing in Almighty God’s eyes. And there’s no limit to which God can use any one of us. But He has to bring us down to that place. God is a jealous God. See what it says further down in Galatians, chapter 6, in verse 3. Something like what Nebuchadnezzar said.

Deceiving Yourself

Galatians 6 and verse 3: “If anyone,” chapter 6, verse 3, Galatians, “if anyone thinks he is something or somebody when he’s actually a zero, he’s deceiving himself.” You know the world is full of people in politics, in the entertainment world, great singers, great preachers in the Christian world, political leaders, athletes. The world is full of people who think no end of themselves and God cannot use any of them.

He has to bring them down to nothing because they’re all deceiving themselves. And I don’t know where you stand, my brother. You ask yourself where you stand. Are you a little bit like Nebuchadnezzar or a little bit like Paul? Then you can see why God’s plans which He made for your life before you were born, wonderful plans, have not been fulfilled fully. You don’t want a bare minimum Christian life that you sort of scrape into heaven by the skin of your teeth. “I made it.”

Abundant Entrance into God’s Kingdom

The Bible speaks about getting an abundant entrance into God’s kingdom, not crawling in saying somehow I made it. I don’t want to be like a dying thief who got saved in the last minute. Because I’ll tell you, okay, what did he do in his life? He killed people and made a lot of money perhaps stealing and all that type of stuff. But think that when he gets to heaven, he’s in heaven, he was in paradise the same day he died.

But think of spending years and years and years saying, “Boy, I never knew till now how much Jesus did for me.” I don’t think any of us would know how much Jesus did for us till we get to heaven. And in that day when the full glory of that work He did for us on the cross comes home to us, we’ll feel so small and we’ll think, “What did I do in return for Him?” And so that’s why we need to give our lives to Him, to become nothing so that He can be everything.

God Uses Nobodies

He takes nobody’s and does His work. I’ll tell you in my own case, I had no gift of speaking. I never took part in any public speaking in my school days or even in the military. I never felt I could be a preacher. When I was converted, all I did was hand out tracts. When I traveled in a bus or a train, I said, “Lord, this is all I can do.” I can give out tracts and tell people that Jesus died for me.

But God had to break me and humble me and give me a gift, but He had to keep me down, down, down, down. And every time I lifted myself up, because that can happen, particularly in the early days when I got a gift of preaching and I was speaking and so many people would be impressed, it went to my head.

God’s Faithfulness in Bringing Us Down

And God would do something to bring me down. He always did that, bring me down, bring me down. And I’m deeply thankful for His faithfulness in bringing me down, bring me down till I learned my lesson. Never to lift your head. And I want to say that to all of you, my brothers. I believe there’s a great need in the church, in every church throughout the world.

There are not many people who love the Lord. There are not many people who believe in victory over sin, proclaiming it. The main gospel being preached nowadays in the world is, “Do you want to go to heaven?”

The Dangerous Doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved”

“Come to Jesus, tell Him you’re a sinner, ask Him to come into your heart and you’re sealed for eternity.” Once saved, always saved. One of the biggest heresies that has sent more people to hell than any other doctrine. “Once saved, you’re always saved. You can live as you like.” It’s a dangerous doctrine.

Jesus said — let me show you so that we understand the clear gospel. Matthew chapter 7. I want to show you two passages in Matthew 7. One is Matthew 7 verse 13. “Enter through the narrow gate,” Matthew 7:13, “for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction.” So what do you learn there?

The Gate and the Way

The way to destruction has got a gate and a way. Got it? Okay. Now the way to life, the gate has got a gate, verse 14, and a way that leads to life. Unfortunately, what is being preached, this once saved, always saved teaching is, there is a gate. Period. As soon as you enter through the gate, you’re in life. There is no way.

You’re going completely against what Jesus said. There is a narrow gate, a small gate, and a narrow way that leads to life. So life is there. Here’s the gate and here’s the way. Life is not here. There’s a gate and a way that leads to life. And very few find it. Some because they’re going through the broad way and some because they think the gate alone is it. Because some evangelist fooled them. “You’ve accepted Christ, now you’re okay. For all eternity you’re okay.”

Two Types of People

And they live as they like, they live in sin, they divorce and do all types of things and say, “I’m saved, I’m born again.” Or they say, “I’m sorry Lord, forgive me.” And they live all their life like that. So at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, he said in Matthew 7, again he talks about two types of people. Both of them hear the Word of God. Now all of us are sitting here.

In here, both these types of people could be there. Right here, in this hall. Every one of us is hearing. If you’ve got good ears, you’re hearing. And if you’ve got a good mind, you’re understanding what I’m saying. Now you can hear verse 24, 7:24, and act on it. That means you do what you hear. Such a man is a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and slammed against the house. It did not fall. It stood for eternity. But then there are others.

Hearing but Not Obeying

Verse 26, these are not the people who don’t go to church and don’t read the Bible. Those who speak against Christ, no. They hear the words. Where do they hear it? Where do they hear the words of Jesus? In the Bible? And in church meetings, they didn’t go to temples and mosques, no. They don’t hear the word of Jesus there. These are Christians who hear these words of Mine reading the Bible. The only thing is they don’t obey them.

Jesus says, Luke 9:23, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him take up his cross every day and follow Me.” They hear it. They hear it ten times. They have no interest in dying to themselves every day. No. “I accepted Christ 25 years ago and my eternity was sealed that day. I got my passport. I’m on my way to heaven.”

The Foolish Man’s House

“My sins are all forgiven. I’m on my way to heaven.” They don’t obey what Jesus said. They’re like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rains fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against the house and great was its fall. Do you think that man went to heaven?

Is that how we describe a man who went to heaven? The house fell, crashed, but he went to heaven. No. And what is He talking about? Verse 24, “these words of Mine.” Verse 26, “these words of Mine,” particularly Matthew 5, 6, and 7.

God’s Plan for Joseph

We read many cases even in the Old Testament of God had a plan. For example, God had a great plan for Joseph. It’s one of the first people that we can read off in Scripture who God used. When he was a young boy of 17, let me show you that, Genesis chapter 37. He was his father’s favorite and the father loved him and made him a very colored tunic in Genesis 37:3. And then this is what I want you to see.

Well, he had that and probably boasted about the wonderful dress he had and how much the father loved him more than he loved all the others. Seventeen years old, he had a dream and the dream was he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field and “my sheaf rose up,” verse 7, “and all your sheaves bowed down to mine.” When you get a dream like that, you shouldn’t talk to anybody about it.

Joseph’s Boasting

If you talked about it, it shows you’re making yourself important and all those 10 brothers are older than him. Then he says, “I had another dream,” and verse 9, then now it is not only the older brothers. He says, “I had the sun and the moon and the 11 stars were bowing down to me.” That means “my father and mother and brothers are also bowing down to me.”

He was a boaster. The many good things we see in Joseph’s life is uprightness in the house of Potiphar. But we see a boasting here which led to his downfall. God had to reduce him to zero before He could use him. He used him for many years, 70, 80 years, but He had to reduce them to zero and how did He do that? He got him sold as a slave and put him 13 years in a prison.

Reducing Joseph to Zero

I don’t know what type of conditions he endured in that prison. And when he was reduced to a zero, God said, “Okay, now you’re fit to fulfill My purpose for your life.” We got to learn from these examples.

Let me tell you about his father Jacob. God had a plan for Jacob and he was a very shrewd person. He knew how to cheat his brother, Esau his birth rights. How did Jacob become the man he was, became family? He had to run away from his father’s home, from Isaac’s home, to his father-in-law’s house, to his grandfather’s house, Laban’s house. I’m sorry, his mother’s brother’s, his uncle’s house. And there he was told to look after the sheep and there he did something clever and tried to get a lot of the sheep for himself. And he tricked his uncle Laban and became very rich and then he hears that Esau is coming to kill him.

Jacob’s Cleverness

Now here’s a man who had cheated his brother of the birthright by giving him some soup, cheated Laban of his sheep. He looked very clever. He looked like a simple person but he was very sharp and clever, like many human beings. God had a plan for him but he could not fulfill that plan until one day we read in Genesis 32:24, “Jacob was left alone.”

And God came down and wrestled with him and he would not yield. It was a symbolic way in which God was trying to tell Jacob, “I’m trying to bring you down but you’re not allowing Me to bring you down.” That could be a word that the Lord is saying to some of you here. “I’m arranging so many circumstances in your life to bring you down but you refuse to come down, you refuse to be broken. You’re still the strong, stubborn person you’ve always been, thinking more highly of yourself than about everybody else.”

Jacob Becomes Israel

Okay? So what does He do? verse 25: He dislocated Jacob’s thigh and he was a lame man from that day onwards. Then He said, “Your name will now be Israel,” verse 28. Look at these amazing words. “You have striven with God and with men and you have prevailed.” Only when he was broken, God said, “Now your name will be Israel, a prince of God.” It’s the same lesson there.

I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 is the great chapter of people who experienced tremendous miracles in their life. Noah saved his family when the whole world was destroyed. Abraham became the father of a great nation by obeying God.

We read about Moses in… split open the Red Sea, verse 29. Split open the sea, mighty man of God. Joshua, verse 30, pulled down the walls of Jericho. And there were people who, verse 33, “shut the mouths of lions” and “raised people from the dead,” verse 35. You see miracles. It’s a chapter of miracles.

Jacob’s Miracle

And in the midst of that chapter of miracles, you see this miracle. Have you noticed it? Verse 21, “Jacob, he leaned on the top of his staff and gave some promises to his son.” What’s the great miracle? That is the greatest miracle in Hebrews chapter 11. That God taught a man not to lean on himself. That staff was a picture. He had to lean on the staff the day God broke him, broke his thigh. His thigh was dislocated.

And for the rest of his life — he was a young man. I mean, those days people lived up to the age of 170, 180 and all. Jacob was a very young man compared to the length of life people lived those days.

Moses’ Humbling

Can you see a young man, 25 years old, walking with a staff? How humbling it is for him. “Lord, I’m only 25 years old and I have to walk with a staff.” And that staff was symbolizing “I have to lean upon God for everything.” Think of Moses. You know the story at the age of 40, he was the ruler in Egypt. Mighty prince, almost ready to become the next Pharaoh.

And God arranges a circumstance that he has to go away to the wilderness and live for 40 years working for his father-in-law. And it says he looked after — they were not his own sheep. He spent 40 years looking after his father-in-law’s sheep. I mean, living with your wife’s father in the same house even for one year is a problem. Can you imagine if you had lived 40 years, any of you stayed with your wife’s father in the same house for even one year?

Moses’ Transformation

It humbled this great mighty man who was ready to be Pharaoh, till one day when God says, “I want you to be My prophet.” He says, “No, I can’t even speak.” This man can’t speak. You read in Acts chapter 7, he was mighty in words at the age of 40. How did God reduce this mighty speaker to the place where he says, “I can’t speak”? And it was not false humility.

And the Lord says, “No, you have to go.” He says, “No, Lord, I can’t speak.” “You have to go.” “No, I can’t speak.” “You have to speak.” “No, I can’t.” Finally, God relented. “Okay, Aaron will speak for you.”

God’s Use of the Broken

And ever thereafter, Aaron was the one who spoke for Moses. And then God says, “Now there is no limit, Moses, to which I can use you. I’ll use you to split the Red Sea, I’ll use you to bring manna down from heaven for 40 years every day.” What are the miracles? “I’ll make you bring water out of a rock.” But he had to be broken first.

It’s the same lesson throughout Scripture, whether it’s Paul being sent to the wilderness, or Moses being sent to the wilderness to live with his father-in-law for 40 years, or Jacob had to live with his father-in-law for 20 years. It’s amazing how many people God made them live with their in-laws for so long to bring them down to zero.

Because there’s nothing so humbling as a man had to depend on his wife’s father for support. Have any of you experienced that? That you can’t earn your own living, you have to depend on your wife’s father supporting you financially, not for one or two years, year after year after year.

Jesus’ Humbling

Boy, if there’s anything that can humble you, that’s it. That’s how God humbled these men who we think of as great men, the Israel, Jacob who became Israel and Moses, the great prophet. God had to do a work in them, and those who resisted that work, and this principle is the same in the New Testament too.

Do you feel that Jesus had to be broken? Or had to be, there was no stubbornness in Jesus, He was obedient to the Father from day one. But He had to walk the way of humility, and I believe the way the Father treated Him was to make Him live 30 years, many of those years in submission to imperfect parents.

Joseph and Mary were not perfect, as you heard in that video, and Jesus had to obey them. I can imagine some situations where Joseph and Mary thought this is the best thing to do, and Jesus, 12 years old with much superior wisdom, knows that there is a much better way than what Joseph and Mary were saying. And they say, “Jesus, do this,” He does it in the way they tell Him, even though He knows in His mind there’s a 10 times better way than that.

Jesus’ Example of Humility

That is humility. Obey your parents; children, obey your parents. That’s how Jesus was trained, and I can imagine numerous situations where, in that home, where, as I said in that video, you see Joseph and Mary fighting, they did fight, of course, like every unconverted, they were not born again. They argued and fought, and Jesus saw that, and if He disrespected them, He would have sinned.

Because you’re not supposed to disrespect your parents, and this quarreling parents tell Jesus to do something, He does it. That’s really humbling, and He took that position of lowliness, and that is our example. And then He had a problem with His relatives, you know, it says in, John chapter 7, rather, it says His brothers did not believe in Him. He had four brothers and two sisters, younger to Him, you read that in the Gospel of Mark, and they did not believe in Him.

Jesus’ Brothers’ Unbelief

I mean, Mary knew this, this is the Son of God. She knew… she was a virgin when He was born. And don’t you think she would have told the other children, “You know, this is the Son of God.” They said, “Rubbish, don’t tell us stories, mom, we know. He’s just like us, look at Him, He looks just like us.” They would have mocked Him, made fun of Him, laughed at Him, irritated Him.

And I know how it is with young people, when they find one very upright, well behaved boy, even in a school, and they gang up on him and irritate him, and he doesn’t get irritated, then they take it as a challenge. “Let’s see who can irritate him, and really get him worked up and angry,” and I can imagine they tried that with Jesus, and He never got angry.

And that infuriated them. They would have hit Him, and you know what children are like? And if He retaliated once, He would have sinned, and He could not have been our savior.

Meditating on Jesus’ Life

I spent many years meditating on the thirty years of Jesus’ life. The three and a half years are written in detail. I say, “Lord, I’m not called to do miracles and feed the five thousand, and that’s not my calling.” But there’s one area I can follow You. I can’t walk on water or preach fantastic sermons like You did. Sermon on the Mount, who can equal that? I don’t even try.

But Lord, there’s one area where I can follow You, and that is the way You lived at home, as a carpenter. And supporting — Joseph had probably died by the time Jesus was maybe fifteen years old, so for the next fifteen years, Jesus was the head of the home.

Jesus’ Simple Home Life

I mean, He had to earn living for His mother, His six siblings, eight people in the home. They’re not a big home, a small home. They probably all slept in the same room on the floor. I know how it is. I’ve been to a lot of my ministry among poor villages in India, and I’ve been to homes where there’s one room, which is bedroom, sitting room, everything. Just one room. That’s everything, right there. Simple people. Jesus lived in a very simple home.

God ordained it like that, so that He could be an example for us. And I’ve often thought about how He must have faced all that irritation from his younger brothers. Why do I meditate on it?

Following Jesus’ Example

Because Jesus said, “Follow Me.” And I say, “Lord, how can I follow?” And when I see how He faced all that irritation from others and did not yield, I say, “Lord, I believe You can give me the strength in the same way.” When I’m opposed, particularly as a servant of the Lord, preaching things that irritate others, and which expose their sin, and denounce the hypocrisy of preachers, well, when they speak against me, I must keep quiet. I learned it from Jesus, who kept quiet. He would not open His mouth.

When He was reviled, it says He did not revile again, but committed His cause to Him that judges righteously. That was not just on the last day when He was whipped by Pilate’s men. No, it happened for 30 years in His home, where His brothers irritated Him, long before He was whipped by Pilate’s men.

And there He committed Himself to His father. That was His preparation for His ministry. So it’s not only with Moses and Jacob and Paul, Jesus too.

God’s Preparation and Approval

There was a training before He had a ministry, a training where He was humbled and tested for years, not one or two tests, for years and years and years and years. And then one day, the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” at the baptism. I remember many, many times I said to the Lord, “Lord, Father in heaven, Lord Jesus, can You say about me, ‘This is My Servant in whom I am well pleased?'”

That was not just in the moment that the Father said it. It was after observing His conduct for 30 years. He didn’t give Him that certificate after three years. His school and college course took 30 years. Then the Father gave Him the certificate. “I am well pleased with You.”

And then He had a ministry. There’s no other way for us to go, brothers. Some of us think that, “Oh, we’ve understood some truths, I read the Bible now and I heard a few messages, and I can speak a little bit, and I’m going to lead a church now, and I’m going to build the body of Christ.”

The Way of Being Broken and Humbled

What are you going to build? It’ll be a Babylonian church, until God breaks you. I believe God has got great plans for every single person sitting here, young or old. But there is no other way other than the way of being broken and humbled, because God gives His grace only to the humble. And we all think we are humble, but we’re not. God has to show us, and He suddenly reveals to us our pride in some particular situation.

And if God has not revealed this pride to you, I would say He has never spoken to you at all. I find God is revealing to me my pride constantly. And He’ll have to keep on showing that to me constantly until I have fully become like Jesus Christ.

Becoming Like Christ

And I gladly acknowledge I have not yet become like Christ. I want to be, but I’m not yet like Him. 1 John chapter 3. First epistle of John chapter 3, verse 2, “Beloved, now we are children of God.” That’s sure. We have received Christ as our Savior. We are born again. We are children of God, but it has not yet appeared what we will be.

What is that future thing we are going to be? “When He appears, we will be like Him.” We’re going to be like Jesus one day, totally in our personality. There’ll be not an atom of pride left in us one day.

Purifying Ourselves

There’ll be not one atom of arrogance or jealousy or bitterness or unforgivingness or anything contrary to the Spirit of Christ. Not even one atom. We will be completely like Christ one day, but we are not yet there. We will be like Him only when He appears a second time, verse 2, “when we see Him.” So what are we to do from now till then? Just sit and wait? No!

If you have this hope, verse 3, that you’re going to be like Him one day, what should you be doing? Not sit around doing nothing. “Purify yourself till you reach His level of purity.” Are you doing that, my brother? That is my question.

Purifying from Pride

Primarily in the area of humility, are you purifying yourself from all the pride and arrogance that you’ve got from Adam, our forefather, which Satan injected into him, the poison of pride? The worst sin we have is not watching internet pornography. That’s a terrible evil, but pride is worse than that. We have to purify ourselves.

I can’t say, “Lord, You make me like that.” It says you’ve got to purify yourself. I’ve got to humble myself. Purify yourself. See what it says in 1 Peter 5 and verse 6, 1 Peter 5:6? “Humble yourself.” Don’t ask God to humble you. You’ve got to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.

Humbling Ourselves in Circumstances

That means when God arranges some circumstance in your life, you humble yourself. When you’re falsely accused, keep your mouth shut. When somebody’s angry with you, keep your mouth shut. You know, I used to ride a scooter in India. I couldn’t afford a car, so I rode a scooter. For 42 years I rode a scooter in India.

And there are no traffic rules in India. We are not under law. False grace. Do what you like. So there are a lot of accidental collisions and all. And whenever there’s a collision, who is right?

The Law in India

The law in India is whoever shouts the loudest on the street, he’s right. So this is what happened. I’ve seen so many times, two scooters will collide and there’ll be a yelling going on, each trying to show he’s louder than the other. I come back after 10 minutes, they are still at it in the middle of the road. So I said, what shall I do when somebody, even if it’s not my fault, and people are careless and come and hit my scooter, I decided as soon as it happens, even if it’s 100% that person’s fault, I say, “I’m sorry, sir.”

Oh, he says, “Sure.” He forgives me and lets me go. He knows it is false, but I humbled myself before him and he’s delighted.

Eliminating Fights by Humbling Ourselves

Do you know that human beings are tremendously delighted when they see somebody else humbling themselves before them? You can eliminate many fights and quarrels if you humble yourself before your wife, before others. I’m not saying tell a lie. I don’t have to tell a lie. “I am sorry. I’m not perfect.”

So I’m ready to humble myself anywhere. And I’ve learned that God gives His grace to the humble. And I’ve been a tremendous recipient of God’s grace through the years that has made my life supremely happy, delivered me from discouragement, which I was a slave to for 16 years, completely gone from my life, freed me from anxiety to which I was a slave for many years, given me 55 years of a happy married life with my wife, where home is like a little bit of heaven on earth.

Apologizing to Others

I don’t tolerate my wife. I enjoy my wife. She’s not perfect. Nobody’s perfect. I’m not perfect. But we’ve learned to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. And the same with my co-workers. I have apologized to people who are younger than my youngest son. If I made a mistake, I remember once back in Bangalore when something went wrong with the recording of the message and I went up to the young boy, young man, I was probably 17 or 18, controlling the thing.

And I said, “Hey, you should be more careful.” I spoke something very strongly to him. And afterwards I was told by somebody else that was not his fault at all.

No Hesitation in Apologizing

It was something to do with someone else and the equipment. I went immediately to him and I put my arm around him and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m really sorry that I misunderstood you. Please forgive me.” I’m ready to do that to anybody. I’m ready to do that to a little child because I’m not perfect. I have absolutely no hesitation in apologizing to any Tom, Dick or Harry or anybody because I’m acknowledging that I’m not perfect.

I could have done it wrong. Maybe I misunderstood something. And my life as a result has been supremely happy. I’m a very happy man. I sleep peacefully at night. I don’t toss around at night thinking about what somebody did or what somebody is going to do.

Finishing God’s Plan

No. I’ve forgiven everybody. Dear brothers, I want to say that if you choose this way, there is no limit to what God can do through you before you leave this earth and meet Him face to face.

My only desire is that when I meet Him face to face that I finish the plan God had for me. I believe that before I was born, God made a plan for my life. And that’s true of all of you. Psalm 139.

Psalm 139 and verse 16. He’s talking in verse 13 about “how you wove me in my mother’s womb.” “You formed my inward parts and wove me in my mother’s womb.” And then verse 16, “in my unformed substance,” that is in my mother’s womb, when I was a little embryo in my mother’s womb, at that time itself, “in your book,” in your book means in Your mind, in God’s mind, “the days that were ordained for me were all written down.”

God’s Plan Before Birth

But even before my first day on earth, that’s what it says there, before I was born, all the days I’m supposed to live on the earth and all that I’m supposed to do with my earthly life was written in God’s mind. It’s an amazing verse. And my response to that should be throughout my life to say like he said in verse 24, so 23-24, “Search me, O God, know my heart. See if there’s any hurtful way in me,” verse 24, “and lead me in the everlasting way.” And others, “help me fulfill Your plan.”

Or is the Living Bible paraphrased, I have that written down on a piece of, on a bit of board and I keep it in front of me on my table. The living Bible paraphrases that verse which says, “Lord, point out anything in me that’s making You sad.” Lord, point out anything in me that is making You sad.

I keep that in front of me. Every day when I sit at my table I see that. “Lord, point out anything in me that makes You sad.” Anything. Not that makes you angry. God’s not angry with me.

Setting Things Right

But sometimes He’s sad about my attitude to something or something I said to the way I said something to someone. “Lord, point it out to me. I’ll immediately set it right. I’ll write a letter or call up that person or go to that person personally and I’ll set it right. Anything that’s making You sad.” Pray that prayer.

And so Jesus at the end of His life said in John 17, you know we all want to glorify God on earth. I believe every one of you here wants to glorify God. I’ll tell you how you can glorify God. Read John 17 verse 4. This is how Jesus glorified God. Not by doing miracles and walking on the water.

Glorifying God by Finishing His Work

No. “I glorified You on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do.” Had He traveled to China and Africa and England and America? No. He hardly ever traveled outside that small little nation of Israel all His life. You don’t have to travel the world to accomplish God’s will. So many people say “I want to travel here and do God’s work here and God’s work there.” I have no such lust.

I want to finish the work God gave me to do. And my Savior lived in such a small country all His life. He never even took a holiday to Rome.

No Holidays for Jesus

After a hard, full years of work, hard work, He could have said “let Me take a one week holiday to Rome.” You know how preachers like to take a holiday here and a holiday there. If anybody deserved a holiday it was Jesus. In the midst of His three years of work, He never took a holiday to visit some other country. He wouldn’t have sinned if He went to Rome. He wouldn’t have sinned in any part of the world.

But He said “I have to finish My work. If I take a one week holiday in Rome, I’ll miss out on what My Father wants Me to do in Israel during that one week.” He was so committed. And I said “Lord I want to be committed to You like that. That not one day of my life is my own to do what I like.” “I finished the work.”

That’s how He finished the work God gave Him to do. He had one single goal in life. “My Father sent Me on earth to do a certain work.” Thirty years of that was in home, part of it as a carpenter and learning things there. He lived an ordinary life.

Jesus Was Acquainted With Sickness

Isaiah 53 verse 4 says Jesus was sick. He had to be sick, otherwise He cannot be tempted like us. Aren’t you tempted when you’re sick? The Bible says in Hebrews 4:16 He was tempted in all points as we are. And sickness is a major area of temptation. Sickness is not due to sin. I mean if a thorn went into Jesus’ foot it would have poked Him. But that’s not because He was a sinner. That’s because the world is under the judgment of God.

So Isaiah 53 verse 4 says “He was acquainted with sickness.” And the translators did not have the boldness to put sickness there, so they translated it as griefs. But when that verse is quoted in Matthew chapter 8 it is called sickness. He took our sicknesses. So even that He was acquainted with. He finished the plan that the Father had for Him.

God’s Plan Before Birth

And I want to say to every one of you before you were born God made a plan. And I’ve been very gripped by that in my own life. About a little over 30 years ago I was riding my two-wheel scooter type of something smaller than a scooter called a moped. And I was crossing a railway level crossing and there was a new guide. You know it’s not operated mechanically. It’s not operated automatically there.

It’s mechanically they lift up one bar and then you go and then they lift up the other bar. That’s how we cross railway crossings in India. So this man I was right there with my scooter in front. He lifted this bar. Before I reached the other bar he lowered it. And without realizing I went bang against it and I was thrown off my scooter and fell on the railway line.

A Near-Death Experience

My hip. I got a crack in my skull and I was unconscious there. I don’t know how long. Anyway somebody picked me up before the train came and my life was saved. When I got home this is what I said to the Lord immediately. I could have died there. This is 37 years ago. No, 31 years ago.

And I said “Lord, I have not finished saying ‘thank you’ to You for dying for me on the cross.” That’s exactly what I said. My life from the time I was converted is saying thank You Lord Jesus for dying for me. I’ve not finished it. I’m still only at PHA.

Passion to Finish God’s Plan

How can You take away my life now? I have to finish the sentence. I said “Lord I have not finished saying thank you to You. Thank You for sparing my life.” And He spared my life for another 31 years. I have no desire to live long on this earth. But I have a tremendous passion to finish everything that God had in His mind before I was born. This is my plan for Zac Poonen. This is the day he is to be born and this is the day I hope it is when Christ comes again. When his life on earth will be over. This is what he has to do here, here, here, here, this year, this year. This is where he’s got to travel.

God Plans Every Day

This is what he’s got to go here and preach here and do this and do this and do this. And even my time in the Navy I believe God would plan that. He’s got to be trained there. He’s got to learn some lessons there and then I’ll call him out to My service. And like that different places he has to go. I believe that every day of my life was planned by God in His mind.

My only duty is to wait on Him and find out what it is. That’s why I don’t make my own plans. I say, “Father, You show me.” I get so many invitations. I say, “Father, what do You want me to do? You want me to accept it?”

Rejecting Invitations for God’s Plan

So many I just reject because I have no freedom from the Lord to go there. Some people say, “Brother Zac, come here. I’ll give you so much money.” I’m not interested in your money. I don’t need money. I can live without your money. Because I live a very simple life. So I don’t need much to live on. And I don’t need any help from anyone.

My Father takes care of me. But I want to fulfill God’s plan. If I go somewhere where God did not plan for me, I’ll be missing out on what I was supposed to that day.

Mary Chose the Good Part

That is why it’s so important to hear God speaking. Why did the Lord say about Martha, about Mary, when she was sitting at feet listening and Martha was busy cooking. Who was she cooking for? She was cooking for Jesus and the twelve disciples. What a hospitable woman. But Jesus told her, “You’re worried about so many things, Martha. I’m not interested in your food. Look at Mary. She’s sitting here listening to My word. It is a million times more important than food. I didn’t come here to eat. I came here to share something with you. One thing is needful.”

Luke 10:42 – One Thing Is Needful

I remember as a very young man, I don’t know whether you all know that verse, Luke 10:42. When Jesus came to the house in Bethany, Mary and Martha welcomed Him, Luke 10:38. And immediately, the hospitable woman that Martha was, she rushed into the kitchen. Thirteen people had come to my house, Jesus and twelve disciples. I must make something good for them. What a sacrificial attitude.

And Mary, Jesus was teaching, the disciples were sitting there, Mary sat there, listening, listening. And Martha was getting irritated that Mary was not helping her. She comes and says, “Lord,” verse 30, “don’t You care? My sister’s left me alone to do all the serving alone. Tell her to help me.” And instead of rebuking Mary, Jesus said, “Martha, you’re worried about so many things. I’m not interested in your food.

Sitting at Jesus’ Feet

I appreciate your hospitality and all, but really there’s only one thing necessary. And Mary has chosen that good part. That was to sit at My feet and listen to what I am telling you to do.”

Many years ago, as a young man, I think soon after I was converted, maybe 1960 or something, the Lord spoke that word to me. “There’s one thing you need in your life. Sit at My feet and listen to Me every day. And you will accomplish something with your life.” Many years later, about 20, 30 years later, I asked the Lord once on my birthday, “Lord, have You got a word for me?” The Lord said the same thing I told you so many years ago.

“One thing is needful.” So I’ve never forgotten that. So when I wake up in the morning, it says in Isaiah chapter 50, I want to wake up like this, the way Jesus woke up in the morning.

Isaiah 50:4 – Waking Up to Listen

You know how Jesus woke up in the morning, what He did when He woke up first thing in the morning? It says in Isaiah 50, it’s wonderful. It says in the middle of Isaiah 50 verse 4, Isaiah chapter 50 and verse 4, in the middle of that. It’s a prophetic reference to Jesus that the Father wakes Me up morning by morning and He wakes up My ear, My inner ear to listen as a disciple. Disciple means “Father, what do You want Me to do?” Don’t you read in the Gospels how Jesus would early in the morning get up and go towards the wilderness to listen?

I said, “Lord, that’s what I want to do,” and that’s what I do now when I wake up in the morning before I get out of bed. I said, “Father, You open my ear now. I’ve woken up, my eyes are open, but I want my inner ear to be open too. What are You speaking to me? I want to be like Mary, not like Martha, rushing out immediately and doing this, that and the other. I want to listen.

Waking Up in the Night

Even my wife is still sleeping. I want to hear. What are You saying to me?” It’s the best thing to do if you wake up in the middle of the night. “Father, why am I awake? Is there something You want to tell me?” And before you get out of bed in the morning, the Lord has woken you up. He’s got something for you to do. “Lord, help me to finish Your work today. I don’t want Your plan for the whole next 10 years. What am I supposed to do today, day by day by day? Guide me, even if I don’t hear a voice from heaven or anything.

Glorifying God by Finishing His Work

Guide my steps, even unconsciously. Bring me in touch with those people whom I’m supposed to help. Teach me what I need to do, what I need to learn. Sometimes it may be a little accident. You fall down and hurt yourself. Lord, thank You. What have I got to learn from that?” So, if you live like that, when you come to the end of your life, you’ll be able to say like Jesus, “I have glorified God by finishing the work He gave me to do.”

How do we, we all want to glorify God. Do you want to glorify God? You’ll say yes. Well, John 17:4, we read it just now.

Not Traveling But Finishing God’s Work

“I glorified You by finishing the work You gave Me to do.” And He did not travel to China, He did not travel to Africa, He did not travel outside Israel. Hardly any, one or two small places He went, that’s about it. But He finished the work God gave Him to do. Don’t think that the person who’s traveled the most has done God’s greatest work. No, you may have never gone outside your hometown.

For thirty years He was in Nazareth and He finished what He was supposed to do in thirty years. Then He moved on to other things that the Father wanted Him. We need to look at Jesus’ life and say, “This is how I am to live,” but God has to break that pride in us. That thinks I can do this for God and I can do that for God. I’ll tell you, you can do nothing for God. That’s going to last for eternity.

Paul Finished the Course

If you do what He tells you to do, it will last for eternity. It’s not just Jesus. Look at what Paul said in, I’ll close with this, 2 Timothy chapter 4.

Paul says, 2 Timothy 4:7, in the middle of that, “I have finished the course, I fought a good fight, I finished the course, I’ve kept the faith.” I have finished God’s plan for my life. And when I read that, I said, “Lord, how did that happen? You lived the perfect life on earth in Nazareth from day one.”

Paul’s Wasted Years

But Paul, thirty years he was fighting against Christians. That was not your plan. God’s plan for Paul was not he should be fighting Christians for thirty years. He was an unconverted, godless man for thirty years with religion, but no God. And fighting against the people of God, Christians, for thirty years. How in the world did he complete God’s plan for his life?

And the Lord showed me that in His great mercy, He overlooks times of ignorance. And Paul learned that in his own life, and so he taught that to others. He turned to that verse in Acts of the Apostles.

God Overlooks Times of Ignorance

He says in Acts of the Apostles, in chapter 17 and verse 30, it’s one of my favorite verses. Acts of the Apostles, chapter 17 and verse 30. It’s what Paul said in Athens, in Greece, when he was there. “God has overlooked the times of ignorance.” Praise God. Thirty years he lived in ignorance, God said, “Forget it. I overlooked that.” That means “I blotted out. I don’t consider it.” Praise the Lord.

There have been times of ignorance in my life, even after I was converted, in your life. Here’s the good news. Don’t sit in sorrow and regret over it. God has overlooked it. It’s a time of ignorance. Perhaps your time of ignorance has lasted till today.

Repentance

Maybe it’s only today that you realize that God’s got a plan for your life. Then all of your days till today, God says, “I overlook it. Forget it. Start today.” What should you do from today? Repent. That’s what it says here. Times of ignorance, I overlook. But now I’m demanding, repent means turn around. The best definition of repentance, I found it in the military. When you go for a parade, there’s a command called “about turn.” About turn means you’re facing one direction, you turn right around and face the opposite direction.

Turning Around Completely

I was facing the world, my self-life, my own interests, and God was behind me. One day I turned right around. That’s repentance. Some people turn only halfway. Instead of about turn, they do a right turn or a left turn. That’s why their life is wasted.

You’ve got to do an about turn, completely turning around from your goal and aims in life to say, “Lord, I want Your plan in my life.” You do that and you will accomplish something in your life, even if you get converted late in life.

So I saw that even though Paul wasted 30 years of his life, humanly speaking, God had made an allowance for that. He said, “I overlook it. I knew this guy would only repent at the age of 30. Okay.

God’s Plan for Paul

So My plan for him started at the age of 30 and he finished My plan for his life.” It’s a wonderful thing about God. I don’t know when God’s plan for my life started, but I know that after I was born again, for 16 years, I just was a backslider. Most of it. I was preaching, but I hadn’t seriously taken overcoming sin seriously. But boy, the last 48 years have been completely different.

It’s been pretty close to heaven on earth. God filled me with the Holy Spirit. He said, “I’ve overlooked the times of your ignorance and I want you to fulfill My plan for your life.” I want to say that as an encouragement to all of you. Is God taking you through circumstances in your life to break you? It could be a difficult wife.

God’s Ways of Breaking Us

It could be difficult in-laws. It could be difficult boss. It could be difficult circumstances. It could be financial pressures. There’s so many different ways God has to break the strength of man. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, it was by making him behave like an animal.

I don’t think God would do such radical things with you and me, but that’s because that guy thought he was the emperor of the whole earth. Such people have to be humbled pretty thoroughly. We’re not such big people and God needs to do less to humble us. But whatever He’s doing in your life to humble you, with difficult people perhaps, who misunderstand you and criticize you, falsely accuse you, I’ve gone through all of that.

I remember once I said to the Lord, I said, “Lord, I don’t think I’ll ever be crucified because they don’t crucify people nowadays. But every other thing that You went through on earth, will You please give me the privilege of going through all that in my life?

Walking in Jesus’ Footsteps

At least once, everything You’ve tasted on earth, I want to walk really in Your footsteps.” And I remember once when Christians took me to court because of what I stood for the Lord. They were disturbed that I exposed their own doctrines. They took me to court and wanted to imprison me for 16 years. I was scared because they had bribed the magistrate to fulfill their desire.

My lawyer told me that they had bribed the magistrate. I was scared. I’ll tell you honestly, I was scared. I was about 53 years old or so then, just quite some time ago. And as I stepped into the court really full of fear, the Lord spoke to my heart. Remember, the Lord said, “I also was taken by religious people to a court one day. So you’ll see My footsteps here, walk in My footsteps.”

Faith and Love

I felt so encouraged that day. The Lord said, “My footsteps are the footsteps of faith and love. Faith in a heavenly Father who cares for every detail of what is happening to you right now. He’s got it all under control. Don’t be afraid. And love for your accusers. Both.” So it was in the military. It was left, right, left, right. Here it was faith, love, faith, love, faith, love all the way. I said, “Lord, I’m going to do that.” So I walked in supremely happy.

Standing Before the Magistrate

In the courts in India, you’re not allowed to sit here in courts. The person who’s accused can sit there. I had to stand for one hour. And I stood there and that magistrate who had taken a bribe to punish me, saw me, supremely happy. There were others there with handcuffs and all that he brought from the prison. And I think he never saw such a happy person standing in front of him.

And he felt so guilty. He looked at me and then for the next one hour he looked down all the time. You wouldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t lift up his look. He felt guilty that he had taken a bribe to punish someone who he thought was a crook. And here’s a happy person standing in front of him.

God’s Deliverance

And he called my lawyer after about one hour and said, “Please don’t bring him to the court again. Please settle this case outside the court somewhere. Don’t bring him in front of me.” It was amazing. And at the end of that one hour, my accusers walked past me. I grabbed their hand and said, “God bless you.”

I found Jesus’ footsteps of faith and love. “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” And God delivered me in a wonderful way. I never spent one day in any prison. God is amazing. And He’ll do amazing things for you, my brothers.

Fulfilling God’s Plan

Dear brothers, if you say, “Lord, I want to fulfill Your plan for my life. I wasted many years. But at least from now on, I want to fulfill Your plan for your life. I humble myself under Your mighty hand.” Take it seriously from today. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, what a wonderful thing that despite all our failures, you have such a wonderful plan for all of our lives. You overlooked our times of ignorance. Praise You. Praise You. And now You have called us to repent, to turn around, and to do Your will. Help us, each one here, Lord. Let no one sitting here miss out on Your plan for their life. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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