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  FELLOWSHIP IN THE DYING OF JESUS DAILY
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of bearing the suffering
and dying of Jesus in our daily lives, focusing on the need to deny our
self-will, serve others, and be willing to do the 'dirty jobs' for the
sake of Christ. It highlights the transformation that comes from
choosing to die to self, experiencing the life of Jesus, and seeking to
stop sinning by putting our self-will to death.

Duration: 51:37 Topics: "Self-Denial", "Serving Others"
Scripture References: 1 Peter 4:12, Matthew 16:24, John 13:14, Philippians 3:10, 2 Corinthians 4:10, Galatians 5:17, Luke 9:23, John 13:3, 1 Peter 4:1

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of bearing the suffering and dying
of Jesus in our daily lives, focusing on the need to deny our self-will,
serve others, and be willing to do the 'dirty jobs' for the sake of
Christ. It highlights the transformation that comes from choosing to die
to self, experiencing the life of Jesus, and seeking to stop sinning by
putting our self-will to death.

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CONTENT
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I want to turn to a verse in 1 Peter, in chapter 4. Please turn in your
Bibles. 1 Peter, chapter 4, verse 12. Beloved, don't be surprised at the
fiery ordeal or trial, the fiery trial among you, which is coming upon
you for your testing, as if it was some strange thing that is happening.

But if you share in these sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so
that when his glory is revealed, you will rejoice with exaltation. If
you are reviled, that means if your people make fun of you for the name
of Christ, you are blessed. Because then the spirit of glory and of God
rests on you.

You know, in the Old Testament, if the children of Israel suffered, it
was a punishment. When God was happy with the children of Israel, they
always became wealthy and healthy, and there are plenty of crops, plenty
of money, etc. But in the New Testament, it is the exact opposite.

It says here, don't be surprised when there's a trial comes into your
midst. That's the normal way for the Christian. He says the great
example is Jesus Christ, who himself has gone ahead of us in the way of
suffering.

So don't think that the blessing of God in your life is proved by
prosperity and comfort and all that. No, it is by suffering that we come
and fulfill God's purpose. Now, when we talk about suffering,
immediately you think of cancer or heart attack or poverty.

No, no, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about suffering
because you're a Christian. You don't get cancer because you're a
Christian.

You don't get poverty because you're a Christian. But if you stand up
for Jesus Christ in your place of work, in your home with your
relatives, there is a suffering that will come to you that means people
will cause problems for you. I've had all types of problems that I've
faced in my life, which I could have avoided if I stopped following
Christ and stopped standing up for the Lord.

But I didn't want to do that. I said, Lord, I'm going to stand up for
you because you hung on a cross for me. I want to stand up for you to
the end of my life.

But if I have to suffer, I suffer. It's okay. I'm willing to accept it.

I have no problem with that. Because I saw in the New Testament that is
the way Jesus planned for us. Now, the reason I say that is, see, some
of you may be going through some trials in your life.

Don't think that is a strange thing. That's what it says here. Don't
think it is a strange thing.

Don't be surprised if it is some strange thing. Because he says in
chapter 4, 1 Peter 4, verse 1, if you suffer in the flesh, you will stop
sinning. So we need to understand that expression.

1 Peter 4, verse 1. You know, for nearly 20 years of my Christian life,
I read that verse and I never understood it. I thought suffering in the
flesh means I got to have some sickness, or go to jail, or for Christ's
sake, or those type of things. No.

You think everybody who goes to jail stops sinning? You think everybody
who becomes sick stops sinning? You think everybody who gets some type
of physical affliction stops sinning? No. But here it says if you suffer
in the flesh, you will stop sinning. So we need to understand what is
this suffering in the flesh that will make me stop sinning.

That cannot be persecution. It cannot be sickness. It cannot be
financial difficulty.

Those are all sufferings. Sickness is a suffering. Financial difficulty
is a suffering.

Opposition from relatives is a suffering. But do you overcome sin by
financial difficulty? Do you overcome sin when you get sick? No. So what
does it mean to suffer in the flesh? And then you have to see the first
part, Christ suffered in the flesh first.

So what did Christ suffer? He didn't get cancer. And he was not wealthy,
but he was not a homeless man. He was not a homeless beggar.

He always had enough to eat and drink. So what does it mean to suffer in
the flesh? I want to ask you something. I'm sure most of you have read
this verse.

What did you understand from this verse? Supposing your son or daughter,
little boy or girl asks you, Daddy, Mommy, what does this verse mean? If
you suffer in the flesh, it will cease from sin. Supposing your little
boy or girl comes to you. He says, Daddy, Mommy, I want to stop sinning.

But he says, if I suffer in the flesh, I can stop sinning. Can you
please explain it to me? What will you tell him? What will you tell him?
I don't know, son. I don't know, my girl.

How will he feel? My daddy and mommy were so old, they read the Bible so
many times, and they don't know it. My question is, my brother, sister,
why don't you know it? Here is where I want to teach you a simple
principle, which will help you in your life. Whenever you come across
the verse in the Bible, New Testament especially, that you don't
understand, seek wholeheartedly to try and find the meaning for it,
meaning somehow or the other.

You can go through the Bible. That book is there, through the Bible. It
is in Tamil, Telugu, English.

Read there what is written about this verse. You will understand it. It
is that easy.

But don't just understand it in the head. You must experience it. So I
want to explain to you because I believe that that is the way we can
make CFC a strong church.

If everybody who comes to CFC doesn't come just to listen to a message
but says, Lord, we want to go to this church because we want to learn
how to suffer in the flesh so that we can stop sinning. That's the most
important thing for us. The most important thing for us is not to go for
a holiday or to earn more money or get a promotion.

The most important thing for us is to suffer in the flesh. How many of
you really will say that? Because it says here, if you suffer in the
flesh, you stop sinning. So that's what I'm questioning.

How many of you feel, you can honestly say to God, my number one
priority in life is to stop sinning. Then I've got other needs like I
want to take care of my family, I'm going to take care of my children, I
want to have a good job so that I can take care of my home. All that is
there.

But that is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the list. Number one. Say, Lord, my number
one desire is to stop sinning.

It's not my only request. I have other requests also. I want a good job.

I want a house to live in. I want my children to grow up in a good way.
I want them to get a good education.

All that is good, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. But number one is, I want to stop
sinning. I wish everybody who comes to CHC will have that as number one
request. And those who don't have that as number one request, I wish
they would go away from CHC.

Go somewhere else. I really mean that. Because we want to build a church
of people who have a desire to stop sinning.

Even if it takes 20 years for you to get there. Never mind. Just start
on that journey.

There is a proverb which says the journey of 1,000 miles starts with one
step. Understand that? There will be hundreds of thousands of steps in a
1,000 mile journey. But it starts with one step.

So if you will take this journey, I want to encourage you in the coming
days to take this journey. Say, Lord, teach me what it means to suffer
in the flesh. Because then it says here I will stop sinning.

Now I've spoken about this before also. But don't get tired of listening
to me a second time. You may listen to me 10, 15 times.

The important thing is not how many times you hear me on the subject.
The important thing is, have you stopped sinning? If you haven't stopped
sinning, then you need to keep on listening even a thousand times.
Because Jesus came to earth to help people to stop sinning.

As I've often said, the first promise in the Bible in the New Testament
which I never get tired of repeating is Matthew 1.21 He will call His
name Jesus because it means He will save His people from their sins. He
will help them to stop sinning. Did you know that the meaning of the
name Jesus is that He will help us to stop sinning? That's why this
verse is so important.

Okay, now I'm trying to explain it to you. Not because you must know the
answer in your head, but so that you experience it in your life. The
word flesh is used in two ways in the New Testament.

One is this physical flesh which is part of our body. You know, very
rarely it's used about that in the New Testament. In the Old Testament,
that is the only meaning of it.

Flesh in the Old Testament means our physical body. But in the New
Testament, very rarely that is the meaning. The flesh in the New
Testament means our self-will.

The stubborn self-will. And I'll show that to you from Scripture.
Galatians I'm taking a Bible study today and I hope you'll understand
it.

Galatians and chapter 5. Please turn with me so that you know the
reference. I hope you've got your Bible. Galatians 5 and verse 17.

Here it says the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit and the Holy
Spirit fights against the flesh. So which flesh is that? It's not your
body. The Holy Spirit is not fighting against your body.

The Bible says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The house of
the Holy Spirit. How can you fight against your body? The flesh is your
self-will.

That is what the Holy Spirit is fighting against. And if you heard me
say that a hundred times please hear it again because that is our number
one problem. Our self-will.

And if we get rid of it I'll tell you many things will happen in your
life. You will gradually stop sinning in your life. In thought, word,
deed attitude, motive.

Five things. You'll stop sinning in your thoughts. You'll stop sinning
with your words and anger.

You'll stop sinning in your deeds. You'll stop sinning in your attitudes
towards people. And you'll stop sinning in your motives where you want
to glorify God.

You'll stop sinning. Not overnight but little by little by little like
climbing a mountain every day you get nearer and nearer and nearer to
the top. It's been a wonderful journey.

I've walked that way. And I want to tell you honestly I'm not joking and
I'm not exaggerating my life is a very blessed life. I've already begun
to taste heaven even now.

And by heaven I don't mean you know golden streets and fancy houses. No.
Heaven is the presence of Jesus where he speaks and I can hear him
speaking not with these ears but better than these ears in my heart.

I can actually hear him and he's with me always. That is heaven. Heaven
is not just a physical place.

It's the presence of Jesus is what makes heaven for me. And that will
come when you stop sinning. That's the big advantage because sin is like
a veil on top of the face You can't see Jesus.

You get rid of it and you see Jesus very clearly. So self-will you've
got to think with your stubborn self-will it's always fighting against
the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is fighting against your self-will.
Cooperate with the Holy Spirit to fight against your self-will.

And we see plenty of examples of this in our home life somebody gets
upset over something and husband or wife gets angry about something
because they have become inconvenienced a little bit or the husband
didn't care to help the wife or the wife did not make food in time for
the husband or some silly earthly thing and one person loses the temper
and then the other person loses the temper and it's a clash, clash,
clash that's not good I want to tell you it can stop it has stopped in
my home many many years ago and when it stops you begin to put have a
taste of heaven in your home so pursue it don't get discouraged if you
don't reach there in one or two years say Lord I am going to get there
and you will get there I tell you you'll get there if you say Lord I
want you to teach me the Lord says you have to put your self will to
death your biggest problem is your self will see for example we love our
physical health so much that if a doctor comes and tells you you've got
cancer and I've got to cut your body and take out some important part of
your body you know sometimes men and women they have cancer in one part
of their body and that's a very important part of their body and the
doctor says I have to cut it off and you say oh no that's a very
important part of my body you've got to cut it off doctor says you've
got to cut it off because it's not cancer otherwise you'll die will you
agree to let the doctor cut off that very important part of your body or
would you rather die I'm sure every one of you will go to the doctor and
say yes cut it off I want to live but it's a big loss to cut off an
important part of your body you have to suffer this pain costs a lot of
money to get an operation but you're willing to do all that because you
want to live a little longer on the earth imagine if you had that type
of desire to overcome sin Lord my life is dishonoring you because so
much of sin in my life my whole life is dishonoring you you died to save
me from sin and I'm taking sin so lightly please forgive me help me,
give me the part of the Holy Spirit to put my self will to death the
next time I'm tempted I pray that you give me grace to put my self will
to death and you work at this my dear brother, sister work at this I
guarantee you one day your life will become heavenly heaven will be the
atmosphere of your home your children will be drawn to Jesus Christ it's
not just reading the bible and having family prayer at home that's very
good but it's showing by your life, husband and father and mother
showing by their life how we bear with one another's weaknesses we don't
yell and scream at each other we are patient with one another patient
with our children too so in all this there's a self-assertiveness in us
I want to assert myself that is how all human beings are born you see
that in a little child that's why fathers clash, fathers and mothers
clash with their children because the children want to do something
they're stubborn it's like that story of a child who the father said he
was standing up first but he shouldn't be sitting down, the father said
sit down maybe it was dinner table or something sit down, sit down he
didn't sit down the father said I'm going to punish you now, sit down
and he sat down and he said but daddy he said I'm still standing up
inside what are you going to do about that that is stubbornness but so
many children like that, many wives are like that, many husbands are
like that they want to stand for what they stand for and they are
willing to fight for it be like a dead person, dead person as one who
has given up his life in 2nd Corinthians 4 we read an expression please
turn to 2nd Corinthians and chapter 4 Paul is telling us the secret of
how we can have the life of Jesus in us you know in the Old Testament we
could not have the life of Jesus, we could only have God's blessing the
Lord said if you obey me I will bless you nobody in the Old Testament
could call God daddy he was not daddy to even Abraham or Moses or David
or anybody he was their God Jesus was the one who first came and said
call God your daddy because I'm going to die and once the Holy Spirit
comes and dwells in you God will become your father so here is an
expression we read that first of all Christ coming into our heart 2nd
Corinthians 4 when we were unconverted we were in verse 3 the gospel was
hidden and we were perishing but then because the God of the world verse
4 blinded our minds so we could not see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ but one day we were born again verse 6 like God in
Genesis 1 he said let there be light the same thing happened in your
life one day one day in the darkness of your heart God said let there be
light don't think that you were the one who formed it God loved you my
brother sister God loves you that's why you're sitting here today God
loves you and that is why one day he said inside your heart let there be
light and light came into your heart and you could see Jesus in your
heart you saw the gospel the good news in your heart so it says in verse
6 the glory of God the grace of Christ came into your life but now you
have to grow spiritually spiritually like in Genesis chapter 1 after God
said light the second day he did something else the third day he did
something else and the fourth day he did something else and the fifth
day he did something else and the whole creation was completed and God
said very good I want to tell you in Jesus name that's what God wants to
do with every one of you the first day is over he has said let there be
light come into your heart like it says in verse 6 let there be light
and the light is coming to your heart and you're born again now don't
stop there there's a second day third day, fourth day, fifth day, sixth
day and at the end of the sixth day God will look at you and you'll be
perfect and so everyday God wants to do something in your life that's
what I want to show you and he calls this Christ living in us as a
treasure verse 7 and so in order for you to experience the life of
Christ what does he do? he doesn't just make you rich no it says here in
verse 8 we are afflicted crushed, not crushed but afflicted perplexed we
don't know the right way persecuted God doesn't forsake us we are struck
down but we are not destroyed always, you see it says there people may
afflict us but God doesn't allow us to be crushed, forsaken there may be
situations where we are really perplexed not knowing what to do but we
don't give up in despair and then there will be persecution but God
doesn't forsake us we are struck down but not destroyed what do we do?
in all these situations here's the expression I want you to understand
always carrying in my body the dying of Jesus that is the same as
suffering in the flesh we read in 1 Peter 4 1 this is a bible study you
will understand something that will change your life the dying of Jesus
what do I have to do with it? I have to carry it in my body not the
death of Jesus on the cross no there he died alone for the sins of the
world and you and I have no part in that and I am talking about
something else the daily dying of Jesus not only the daily the hourly
constantly always always means 24 7 7 days a week 24 hours a day that's
the meaning of always verse 10 carrying the dying of Jesus in our body
because that way the life of Jesus will be manifesting in us carrying
the dying of Jesus in our body is the same as suffering in the flesh
because Jesus said Luke chapter 9 Luke's gospel chapter 9 and verse 23
well known verse we preach it often in CFC very rarely preached in other
churches if anyone Luke 9 23 anyone if anyone wants to come after me
what should he do he must say no to himself self want something you say
no and say yes to Jesus take up your cross daily that is say no again
the same thing put yourself to death and follow me so there we read that
you cannot follow Jesus without putting yourself life to death that is
your self will so whenever your self will comes up in a reaction in some
situation that's the time we have to carry the dying of Jesus in your
body which is also called suffering in the flesh carry the dying of
Jesus suffer in the flesh and say ok I am going to give up my will it
could be something like you are tempted to watch pornography on your
phone or on the computer great desire and you say no I am not going to
please myself I am going to carry the dying of Jesus I am going to
suffer in the flesh and you do that again and again and again you know
what will happen to you you will gradually reflect the light of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ little by little Christ will
become your life and the end result of that is your husband and wife
your home life will be like a little heaven on earth and your children
will be immensely blessed that is God's will so this looks like a heavy
message but it's not when I think of you know your children go to school
and some of those schools are it's a good school they give them some
tough work to do homework because examinations are tough but you don't
take your children out of those tough schools and say no I will send you
to some corporation school they won't give you so much homework how many
of you will send your child to a corporation school where they hardly
learn anything why do you send your children to a school where such
difficult subjects they have to study why because you know that's the
way they can come up in life and get a good job it's exactly the same in
the Christian life some of you take it very easy in your Christian life
you do what you like whenever you feel like I've met people in CFC who
have not read the bible for many days would you send your child to
school without having done homework for many days I remember one brother
who was in CFC he's left now and I'm not surprised that he fell away he
told me brothers I don't have time to read the bible I said 24 hours a
day you don't have time to spend 15 minutes on the bible are you so busy
something is wrong if you want to make time you can make it after
putting the children to bed spend half an hour on the bible the day's
work is over you have finished the day's work spend half an hour on the
bible take these little disciplines in your life say no to yourself
yourself says go to sleep now you're tired but you say no to yourself I
must spend a little time reading the bible today I'm going to suffer in
the flesh say no to myself in two or three years you'll become a saint
but you have to keep at it you have to keep consistently that's just one
example we get a lot of opportunities to say no to ourselves throughout
the day especially at home in our place of work if you've got a
difficult boss or you've got a difficult wife or a difficult husband
plenty of opportunity to say no to myself like saying lord I'm going to
put that to death and I want to bow down and die to myself I often used
to take this attitude when I faced temptations in different places. Now
what would I do if I were a dead man now somebody insulted me okay how
will a dead man react that's how I know how to die to myself I'm giving
you practical instruction and I want to carry in my body the dying of
Jesus. Now that looks like a very depressing message death to self death
to self but I'll tell you something when Jesus died there was a
resurrection three days later there was a resurrection from the dead
what a tremendous thing that was and Paul says I want to experience the
power of his resurrection now in my life turn with me to Philippians in
chapter 3 Philippians in chapter 3 he says in verse 10 I want to know
the Lord and I want to know the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death.

It all comes in one package I cannot have a resurrection without a death
my self will has to die then I will experience the resurrected life of
Jesus I'm telling you from my personal experience I'll tell you one of
the blessings that came from this I used to be a person who was
frequently discouraged for many years after being born again for nearly
16 years discouraged, discouraged discouraged, discouraged very often
something go wrong and discouraged I want to tell you before God that
has gone from my life completely because God did something I say Lord I
want to suffer in the flesh I want to have this dying of Jesus all the
time in me and so the life of Jesus comes forth the resurrection comes
out so this power of resurrection turn back to 2nd Corinthians 4 I'm
showing you the greatest secret in the Christian life it will transform
all your lives, your family life and everything will change if you learn
the secret 2nd Corinthians 4 10 always carrying the dying of Jesus in me
so that the life of Jesus will be manifested in my mortal body. Do you
want the life of Jesus to be manifested in your body? That every day in
your home you'll be like Jesus living in the home Jesus life manifested
through your body, your eyes will look with people with purity your
tongue will speak with love always may be firm but will be firm in love
in the heart there will be purity and there will be a general humility
about your whole life, the life of Jesus but I have to bear in my body
the dying of Jesus in order to have the life of Jesus there so in the
difference that's why God takes us through trials why does he take us
through trials so that in that trial I can die to myself and every death
will be a resurrection so if I want the resurrection life of Jesus and I
say Lord give me the resurrection life of Jesus he says ok then I have
to take you into situations where you have to die to yourself. Are you
willing? I remember the day when I said yes Lord.

I'm willing to choose every day to die to myself I don't care how many
situations and I tell you it didn't happen overnight over a period of
time the life of Jesus began to come forth from me and that's how other
people come to Christ and other people come to the Lord and churches are
planted it's not me, it's got nothing to do with me, it's the life of
Jesus it can come forth through you but you have to choose to die to
yourself in practical terms that means that when you're provoked by
somebody in your office or in your place of work or anywhere that's the
time to say Lord please give me grace now give me grace to die get up
your cross and follow him so let me come back to this dying of Jesus why
is it called the dying of Jesus? it's not referring to the cross of
Calvary because that there he died for the sins of the world and you and
I have no part in that there is another dying of Jesus which most
Christians know nothing about it is this daily taking of the cross long
before he went out for his public ministry at the age of 30 every day in
those 30 years, every day, in all situations when tempted by his younger
brothers younger sisters other people in Nazareth he decided to die to
his own will he never did his own will he did the will of his father,
father what do you want me to do here how do you want me to react to
this person who is talking like this to me how should I react to this
person who is doing this to me and the father would tell him die die,
die, die to yourself respond like a dead man how will a dead man react
to this situation he will keep quiet, he won't do anything I say lord I
want that and what will happen when you choose that the reward God gives
to every person who chooses the dying of Jesus is the life of Jesus now
you see it's not just when other people irritate us or provoke us it's
also in some practical situations in the church it can be very tempting
to take coming to church and to the meetings in a very lazy casual way I
believe there are people who go to work six days a week or five days a
week much more seriously than the way they come to CFC on Sunday morning
you won't casually stroll into your office half an hour late you won't
even get five minutes late even if your traveling time is much longer
than it takes to travel to CFC why is it we take coming to church on
time such a casual way because oh there I'm getting money if I don't
come on time I'll lose money you don't come to church on time you don't
lose any money so that is the reason supposing we offered 500 rupees to
every person who came on time don't you think dependence would be much
more timely I tell you the love of money is very deeply rooted in
everyone you ask yourself would you come on time if somebody offered you
money give me 100 rupees come on time we'll give you 100 rupees but when
the lord says come on time because I'm here at the meeting if I want to
bless you you take it casually my dear brother sister are you a
christian are you really a christian if you take that attitude that once
a week you can't deny yourself and not just come to church but pay
attention in every song that we sing like I told you the other day Jesus
said where two or three are gathered together I'm in the midst so when
you sing sing as unto him lord we lift your name on high okay when you
sing a song like that lord we lift your name on high who are you talking
to you just sing it or do you recognize Jesus Christ is present in that
hall and you're talking to him lord lift your name on high when you're
talking to your brother there you call him by name and you say something
to him you're looking at him and you're telling him this something talk
to Jesus like that when you sing a song take my life and let it be talk
to Jesus recognize the presence of Christ in your meeting talk to him
develop that habit when you come to church on Sunday gradually it will
become your habit throughout the day I talk to Jesus all the time
something or the other it's a wonderful life dear brother sister develop
this habit and the lord will always prompt you to say no to yourself you
see that's a miserable life not at all it was a miserable life for me in
the olden days when I did what I wanted I can say before god my life is
a supremely happy life I've never been happier in my whole life as I am
now that is what the life of Jesus will do for you to solve many of your
problems in your home it will help you to bring up your children in
godly ways the life of Jesus and the only way to get it is by bearing
the dying of Jesus in other words every day of Jesus life he died to
himself that's why it's called the dying of Jesus for 30 years he said
no to himself no to himself, no to himself 33 and a half years finally
in Gethsemane the greatest temptation of all he said no to himself and
died for our sins that is called the way of the cross that's the way
that Jesus went that's called the dying of Jesus because he did it every
day in his life, he does not ask us to do what he never did himself when
he says pick up the cross every day, follow me he did that himself and
we want to raise a church of people in CFC who are seeking to do that
every day of their life, it also refers to certain practical things,
turn with me to John chapter 13, in John chapter 13 Jesus took a bucket
of water and began to wash the disciples feet we read in verse 3 and 4,
now you know in those days in rich people's homes they had slaves and
whenever guests were invited for dinner slave would stand at the door
with a bucket of water to wash people's feet because they wore slippers
chappals those days, not shoes, and the roads were all dusty, their feet
were very full of dust when they came in and the slave would wash their
feet so that then they could go for dinner with clean feet so this day
because it was the last supper the Lord had told the owner of the house
I don't want any slave there because I don't want anybody to interfere,
only 12 disciples are invited but the man kept the bucket of water there
but he didn't keep a slave because Jesus said no slaves and so they all
came in all the 12 disciples knew what the procedure is, somebody has to
wash our feet before we have our dinner and everybody's thinking who's
going to do that no slave here and Peter says I'm the leader, I'm not
going to wash people's feet John says I'm an influential man, I know the
high priest I'm not going to wash people's feet Matthew says I'm a
chartered accountant, I don't wash people's feet everybody had an excuse
everyone so Jesus says I'm the only one here who has no excuse, so he
picked up the bucket and sat down and washed one by one, even Judas
Iscariot's feet he washed it you know what he said after that see turn
with me to John's Gospel chapter 13 verse 14 if I the Lord and teacher
washed your feet, you must wash one another's feet now try to understand
the words of Jesus what did he mean now in some churches they do that
the Pope does that sometimes make people take off their shoes and socks
their feet are perfectly clean what are you going to wash nothing to
wash those days the feet was dirty so it's not a ritual that we wash
people's feet the meaning is there's a dirty job to be done in those
days the dirty job was people's feet were dirty, somebody has to do the
dirty job and Jesus died to himself took the bucket and did that dirty
job and he said verse John 13-14 if I washed your feet, you should wash
one another's feet, to paraphrase it my dear disciples Jesus saying, if
I was willing to do the dirtiest job of all for you you must be willing
to do dirty jobs for one another die to your dignity and your self will
do the dirty jobs clean the toilets I will never preach what I've not
done, I've done it in CFC and I'm ready to do it even now I'm glad to do
something that will make life easier for other people look for some job
you can do sweep the floor clean up after the service is over there's so
many ways you can do this washing of the feet doing some think of it,
Lord what can I do to wash people's feet here? I don't want to come here
to church just listen to a message and go away I want to wash people's
feet I want to do something for this church that has done so much for me
I want to volunteer to do the dirty jobs it may not be cleaning the
toilets or cleaning the floor after service maybe something else, go and
ask the elders go and offer yourself say, not very sure what I can do I
don't want to make a nuisance of myself but I'm ready to do whatever you
tell me to do or names are being collected nowadays for different jobs,
go and volunteer go and tell them I'm willing to do the dirtiest job,
tell me what to do if I don't know how to do it please teach me and I'll
do it and I won't do it just once in a while I'll do it every single
Sunday my dear brothers dive to your false idea of your own dignity and
all this rubbish Jesus made himself a servant of everyone dive to that
self-will bear the dying of Jesus in you and your life will become
supremely happy, I tell you from my own experience and God bless you
let's pray I want to ask you to please pray, Lord please show me what I
can do to build the body of Christ here I don't want to be just a
passive member sitting here listening to messages and warming the chair
and going home I want to do something Lord for you to serve these people
who have served me everybody here you know in the human body every part
does some function and if you want to be a part of CFC, the body of
Christ you must do something some way in which you have to serve the
body, every member of the human body serves the body in some way you ask
yourself in what way you are serving the body and go to the elders go to
one of the senior brothers and say how can I help serve the body it will
mean some inconvenience be willing for that say Lord I want to bear the
dying of Jesus in me God will help you let us pray Heavenly Father I
believe there are many sincere brothers and sisters sitting here today
eagerly longing to do your will sometimes they don't know what your will
is, help us all Lord to understand what it means to suffer in the flesh,
say no to our self will bear the dying of Jesus to deny our self, just
like you denied yourself Lord Jesus please help everyone of us to go
this way, this is not a depressing message it's the message of victory
and triumph, where we make sure that the devil himself is under our feet
pray it to be true in everyone of our lives Lord, encourage us we pray
strengthen us and build your church strong, in CFC we pray in Jesus name
Amen Thank you very much

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/Dzezej_KuJ0.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/fellowship-in-the-dying-of-jesus-daily/
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