Fear

The fear of the Lord is the foundational foundation of Christian wisdom and spiritual maturity, comparable to learning the alphabet before advancing to higher learning. Speaker Zac Poonen contrasts the apostles, who learned reverence for God for 30 years before encountering grace, with modern Christians who hear only about grace and forgiveness from childhood, resulting in a shallow faith that lacks power and victory over sin. True forgiveness from God is meant to deepen our fear and reverence of Him, not to enable casual disobedience.

The message encourages the congregation to cast all burdens, guilt, and shame onto the Lord, emphasizing that God desires to take control of our lives. It reminds the listeners that God is faithful, perfect in His ways, and that they should rejoice because He has done mighty things and continues to do so.

The central message is the necessity of growing in the fear of the Lord, which is presented as the beginning of wisdom and the fountain of life. The speaker emphasizes that this fear is not merely a feeling but a deep awareness of God's presence, which is crucial for living in the new covenant. He suggests that signs of growth include adopting childlike humility and maintaining a constant awareness of the Lord's presence, much like a dove leaving a place of quarreling.

Sunil Poonen challenges Christians to shift their focus from what God can do for them to what they can do for God and His church. Drawing from David's burden to build the house of the Lord, he calls believers to prioritize building a holy, humble, and united church community—characterized by hunger for God, humility, and service to one another—rather than being consumed with personal advancement and comfort. This new foundation at NCCF requires each member, regardless of tenure, to embrace the vision of becoming a peculiar people purified for God's glory.

The central message is that true Christian love, founded on God's prior love, casts out fear. The speaker warns against building one's life or love for others on the shaky foundation of receiving love from people, as this leads to partiality and collapse. Instead, believers must build on the unshakable foundation of God's love, which results in a life free from fear, and must be careful to discern true gospel teaching from false doctrines.

The sermon emphasizes that knowing God as Father is not dependent on physical lineage, but rather on adopting a heart of care, like that of a father or mother. The speaker draws examples from Paul's pastoral care and Jesus's reactions to acts of faith, concluding that the core requirement for believers is to maintain daily, unwavering faith that God cares for them personally, even amidst life's storms.

When faced with overwhelming fear, the response should be to seek God through fasting, prayer, and gathering believers together. The speaker emphasizes that faith and fear are opposites, and to strengthen faith, one must confess God's power, recall God's past faithfulness, and boldly claim God's promises. Ultimately, when problems arise, the believer's role is simply to present the issue to God without trying to dictate the solution.

The central message urges believers to maintain spiritual alertness and hope, especially when facing difficult circumstances. The speaker warns against falling into self-pity, comparing it to quicksand, and instead encourages focusing on the realities of the world and the certainty of Christ's return. He concludes by emphasizing that when signs of the end times appear, believers must 'straighten up and lift up your heads' because redemption is near.

The speaker urges the congregation to prioritize beholding the delightfulness of the Lord over worldly pursuits like money or career advancement. He emphasizes that true spiritual life comes from dependence on the Holy Spirit, not just attending services. The core message is to focus on knowing God's love and desiring to see Jesus clearly when He returns, stripping away all earthly distractions.

The central message is that true devotion to Christ is not merely an academic pursuit of knowledge, but rather a deep, personal enjoyment and intimacy with Jesus. The speaker challenges the tendency to treat knowing Christ as a subject to be studied, urging instead a focus on the sweet, desirable experience of His presence. He suggests that the Song of Solomon offers a better model for this heart-level devotion than intellectual study.

The speaker addresses the fear of hell, assuring the congregation that those in Christ are secure from condemnation. However, his primary concern is a 'healthy fear'—a reverential dread of failing to follow Christ closely when he returns. He emphasizes that true discipleship means following Jesus wherever he leads, even into difficult, painful, or uncomfortable circumstances, lest one be left behind at the final moment.

The sermon uses Jeremiah 17:7-8 to illustrate that true strength and blessing come from trusting in the Lord, symbolized by a tree planted by water. The speaker emphasizes that this 'water' represents the Holy Spirit, which must be sought deeply and persistently, even when spiritual life feels dry. The core message is a challenge to believers to move beyond mere attendance to cultivate a deep, unseen root system connected to the Holy Spirit to maintain constant freshness and fruitfulness.

The central message is that knowing the Father frees us from fear, as stated in John 14:18, which says that perfect love casts out fear. The speaker emphasizes that true security and relationship with God, rather than wealth or earthly power, is the source of freedom from fear, particularly the fear of God's punishment. Believers have a direct, immediate connection to God through Christ, unlike previous covenants, allowing them to approach the Father directly.

The central message is that Christians must live in a constant, moment-by-moment dependence on God, mirroring the life of a branch connected to a tree. This continuous connection, facilitated by the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant, is what allows believers to bear fruit. Furthermore, true strength in the last days comes not from personal effort or good works, but from resting entirely on the imputed righteousness of Christ, which defeats the devil's accusations of guilt.

The speaker argues that a truly confident faith is not merely professed on Sundays but must be lived out daily, even when facing real-life struggles like financial worry or illness. He suggests that the secret to this confidence is found in becoming a servant, referencing 1 Timothy 3:13. Crucially, he emphasizes that God does not evaluate service based on worldly qualifications or experience, but on a deeper commitment.

The central message revolves around John 17:23, emphasizing that the world will know God's love for believers through the way God loves them, mirroring the love God showed Jesus. This truth—that the Father loves the believer as much as He loved Jesus—is presented as the 'Keystone' of Christian life, providing stability during trials and temptations. Believers are encouraged to grasp this reality to maintain peace and resist the devil's attempts to shake their faith.

The central message is that many believers are content with merely being forgiven (the gospel of forgiveness) but have missed the 'overcoming life,' which involves partaking in the glory of Christ. To move beyond a defeated Christian life, one must repent—not just from sin's punishment, but from complacency and lethargy—and actively seek God with all their heart, as taught by Jeremiah 29:13.

The sermon emphasizes that a genuine fear of God—understood not as terror, but as a deep desire not to grieve or disobey Him—is the antidote to sin. Before Christ, humanity was characterized by a lack of fear of God, leading to sin and moral decay. Believers must actively walk in the light by confessing sins daily to God and making amends to others, recognizing that this continuous process cleanses them and keeps them from falling into old patterns of sin.

The speaker argues that contrary to human expectation, the longer one walks with Jesus Christ, the more helpless and dependent they should feel, a state revealed to 'babes' rather than the wise. He warns Christians against relying on their own strength, noting that sustained spiritual life can become burdensome if one is following an 'other Jesus.' True rest and discipleship come from returning to a childlike dependence on Christ.

The speaker emphasizes that in the New Covenant, prophecy is not meant to direct people with specific commands, unlike in the Old Testament. Instead, it serves to prepare the church for the future, revealing things that are to come. He encourages the congregation to remain attentive to the Word of God, recognizing that the Holy Spirit guides the church in preparation for the days ahead.

The sermon emphasizes the need for continuous praise, acknowledging God's goodness and faithfulness in all circumstances. A central theme is the call for personal consecration, urging listeners to allow the Holy Spirit to burn away self-centered ways and distractions. The speaker stresses that true spiritual power and grace for the coming fight come through individual surrender and prayer.

The central message encourages believers to guard their hearts diligently, as they are the source of life. The speaker contrasts worrying about future concerns with choosing to praise God regardless of circumstances, citing examples like Joshua and Caleb and Paul in prison. Ultimately, true confidence comes not from planning one's own life, but from trusting in the Father in heaven who controls all circumstances, aiming to be a delight to God amidst complaint.

The speaker emphasizes that God desires our love above all else, contrasting this with mere obedience. He explains that God's mysteries are not for the wise or intelligent, but for those who pursue Him with passion. While salvation and basic ordinances are clear, certain aspects, like the mystery of lawlessness or the transformation at the resurrection, are divine mysteries that require diligent searching and pursuit.

The central message is that true faith is not merely believing in God's existence or expecting miracles, but rather believing that God is who He says He is—the 'I Am'—and that He is in control of every circumstance. This profound trust allows believers to remain at rest and not be thrown into unrest by worldly events or misunderstandings. The speaker contrasts this deep faith with superficial interpretations, such as the prosperity gospel.