During This Time, Let Patience Do A Perfect Work In You - Zac Poonen
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Summary
The central message is that believers must align their lives with God's ultimate purpose, which is to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. This requires loving God supremely above all earthly attachments, such as money, career, or family. The speaker emphasizes that enduring trials, as seen in James 1:2, is how God works all things together for the good of those who hold this supreme devotion to Him.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
What is God's ultimate purpose in everything that happens to us?God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, which is to make us like Christ.Romans 8:28–29
Loving God supremely above all elseTo claim Romans 8:28, we must love God more than parents, loved ones, jobs, or money, leaving no idols in our lives.
Treating trials as a midterm examinationTimes of testing, such as a pandemic, serve as midterm examinations to reveal whether we truly live in the New Covenant or are merely deceiving ourselves.
Finding our joy in the Lord, not in circumstancesWe are commanded to rejoice in the Lord always, finding our stability in Him even when our external circumstances and comforts are shattered.Philippians 4:4
The testing of your faith produces patienceEncountering various trials tests our faith in God's presence and works patience and endurance in our impatient human nature.
God will not test us beyond our abilityGod is faithful and ensures we are never tested beyond our ability, providing sufficient grace for however long the trial lasts.1 Corinthians 10:13
Learning from the patience of Noah in the arkJust as Noah endured a long lockdown inside the ark not knowing when it would end, God remembers us and cares for us in our current confinement.
Love is patient, kind, and contentTrue love—the primary characteristic of the New Covenant—is infinitely patient and kind, enabling us to live contentedly with one another in tight situations.1 Corinthians 13:3–4
God is at work inside us and outside usGod works outside us to manage our circumstances and inside us through the Holy Spirit to give us the desire and power to do His good pleasure.Philippians 2:13
Do everything without grumbling and complainingWe must work out our salvation day by day by refusing to grumble or dispute, proving ourselves blameless in a crooked generation.
Depending on the Holy Spirit's grace each dayLiving as victorious overcomers and shining as lights in a complaining world is impossible without relying on the daily grace of the Holy Spirit.
