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How Our Joy Can Be Full - Part 5
Zac Poonen

Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
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This sermon emphasizes the concept of surrendering to Jesus, who purchased us with His blood on the cross, and the need to fully yield our bodies, minds, and ambitions to Him. It highlights the seriousness of sin, comparing it to a deadly disease like AIDS, and stresses the importance of repentance and seeking forgiveness from Jesus, our advocate. The message focuses on living a Christlike life by treating others as we would want to be treated, as taught in Matthew 7:12, encapsulating the essence of the entire Bible.
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What would you think of a man who sold his house, got the money, and still refuses to move out of his house? Would you do that? Would any of you do that? Somebody buys your house, he gives you a good payment for it, double the price in the market, and instead of being thankful, you sit there and say, I will not move out of my house. That's what a lot of Christians are doing. The Bible says Jesus purchased us, our body, our soul, our spirit, on the cross of Calvary, completely with his blood. How much is that? How many millions of rupees is that blood worth? He purchased it, and he said, I want to take possession. I want to take possession of your body, your eyes, your tongue, your hands, your money, your life, your ambitions, everything. He said, no, I'm not going to move out. I'm going to read whatever I like. I'm going to look whatever I like. I'm going to watch internet pornography. I'm going to speak what I like. I'm going to use my money as I like. I don't want to move out. I'm owner here. Hey, it's been purchased, man. You were bought with a price, the Bible says. Now I can understand people who are ignorant of this. I'm not talking about non-Christians. They don't even know that Jesus Christ purchased, that the sale deed was signed. Now if a man doesn't know that his house was bought and paid for and sale deed signed, okay, then of course you can't blame him. But what about us who are sitting here? We say we believe that Christ purchased us. Have you moved out? Have you handed over the body to him? Have you handed over your mind to him? Have you handed over ambitions to him? That's Christianity. Don't sin. My little children, I'm writing to you this letter to teach you not to sin. Take sin seriously. It's worse than any sickness you got. Think if you got a blood test and tomorrow the report comes out that you have got AIDS. Would you sleep peacefully? You'd hide it from everybody, sure, that I can understand. But would you sleep peacefully? And supposing there was a total cure for it in some place in North India, would you travel there to get the cure? Or would you say, oh, that's too far, I'm just going to go there. I tell you, you'll take a flight. You'll save all your money and go there because AIDS is so terrible. Shall I tell you that sin is worse than AIDS? Shall I tell you that Jesus did not die for AIDS, he died for sin? People can have AIDS and go to heaven. I know people like that. They got it in their unconverted days, then after that they repented and they went to heaven. They never got cured, but they went to heaven. So AIDS cannot send anybody to hell, but sin can send people to hell, which is worse than little children. I'm writing to you that you may not sin. And this is John, towards the end of his life, 65 years, he's been telling people, don't sin, don't sin, don't sin. You go to John and say, John, we've heard that for 65 years. Don't you have any other message? No, because everybody else, all these antichrists are not preaching it. Jesus preached it. And he says, if I'm the only witness left on this earth in this first century, John says, I'll preach it till I die. That's what I say too. I will preach till the end of my life. Even if I'm the only preacher left preaching it, my little children don't sin. It was your sin that nailed Jesus to the cross, not the nails, your sin. What is sin? Sin is anything that is unchristlike in your life. If you want a definition, you say, how do I know what's unchristlike? Read the Bible. Your conscience will tell you. Do you do to other people what you don't want other people to do to you? That's sin. Jesus said in Matthew 7, 12, do unto others as you want other people to do to you. Do you want other people to gossip about you? No, but don't gossip about them. Do you want other people to cheat you? No, then don't cheat them. Do unto others as you want them to do to you. When you violate that, you sin. You know what Jesus said in Matthew 7, 12? If you don't know that verse, though some here may not know it, but I'd like to show it to you. It's not everything, but I think it's a good law to think of. Matthew 7, verse 12. In everything, in everything, in everything in your life, treat people the same way you want them to treat you. For this is the message of the whole Bible. Those are Jesus' words. That expression, law and the prophets, is an expression for the Old Testament, which was the only Bible they had those days. The law and the prophets is an expression for the Old Testament Bible. So let me read it to you. This is the message of the whole Bible. And I say the same thing today. This is the message of the whole Bible. Treat people the same way you want them to treat you. Or as the message Bible says, ask yourself what you want people to do for you. Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do that for them. Ask yourself, what do I want people to do for me? Certain such a thing? Okay, you jump up and do that first for them. Boy, can you imagine what your life will be like if you live by that one verse? There are 31,175 verses in the Bible. And out of all that, if you live by just one. Can you imagine what will happen to your life? My little children, these things I'm writing to you that you may not see. That's why I'm writing this letter. Then he goes on in 1 John 2, 1 say, but I realize that some of you are not wholehearted. And even those who are wholehearted, sometimes they can be careless and they can sin. Then what do you do? Believers also fall into sin. Then they must immediately repent and go to their advocates. Because as soon as you commit a sin, the prosecutor, the prosecutor by the way is not the devil. The devil has got no right to prosecute me. The prosecutor in the court is the law of God. Which is perfect. The devil is a bigger sinner than me. How can he prosecute me? He's an accuser. He's not a prosecutor. The prosecutor in the court is the law of God. And the law of God watches and says, there, he's sent. I must quickly go to the advocate. It's a court scene. God the Father is the judge. The law of God is accusing, prosecuting me. And it's true. I've done something wrong. I've got to go to the advocate. We have an advocate with the Father. This advocate is on my side. Do you know the advocate Jesus is on your side? Do you know that Jesus is not a prosecutor? How many of you know that? That God is not a prosecutor. That Jesus is not a prosecutor. You don't have to be afraid of the judge. You don't have to be afraid of Jesus. It's the law of God that's prosecuting you. Your conscience in which a little bit of that law is written is prosecuting you. Forget the devil. Your own conscience is telling you what you said was rude. What you did to that person was wrong. Jesus would not do that. Jesus would not speak like that the way you spoke. Who's telling you that? Not the devil. Your conscience. The prosecutor. Run to the advocate. Say, Lord Jesus.
How Our Joy Can Be Full - Part 5
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Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.