Zac Poonen - What It Means To Love God Supremely

Zac PoonenDecember 21, 202029mWatch on YouTube

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Speaker: Zac Poonen Title: What It Means To Love God Supremely Date: December 20, 2020 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The central message is that true love for God, which must be comprehensive, is impossible to achieve on one's own effort. Drawing parallels from Jesus' miracles and Peter's fishing experience, the speaker emphasizes that one must reach a 'zero point' of personal inability before God can work abundantly. This spiritual discipline requires overcoming competing loves—namely, the love of self, money, and pleasure—to fully dedicate oneself to God.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

The supreme command to love GodThe law given through Moses summarizes God's expectation in a single sentence: to love the Lord with all your heart, which naturally flows into loving others.

Acknowledging that we cannot do it on our ownJust like a branch needs sap from a tree, we must recognize that humanly speaking, loving God with all our heart is an impossible command.

Coming to the zero pointJesus waits for us to come to a zero point of complete helplessness before He steps in to work in abundance, just as He did with the wine at Cana and Peter's fishing.

Aiming for zero defect in loveInspired by a car factory aiming for zero defects, a child of God should aim for zero defect in their love for God and others.

Three competing loves that dethrone GodSecond Timothy 3 warns against lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure, which compete to take over the throne where God alone should sit.2 Timothy 3:4

Fasting and disciplining the bodyFasting in relation to food and other legitimate areas acts as a reminder that physical desires do not control us and that God is everything.

Making the body your slavePaul disciplined his body to make it do what it should do rather than what it wants to do, lest he be disqualified.1 Corinthians 9:27

Minimum versus maximum ChristianityWhile God supplies things to enjoy, minimum Christians seek the bare minimum to get to heaven, whereas maximum Christians want God to get the maximum out of their one earthly life.

A form of godliness without power in the last daysSecond Timothy 3 describes difficult times where believers hold to a form of godliness while being lovers of self, money, and pleasure because the inner power of the Spirit is missing.

Peeling back the layers like an onionSelf, money, and pleasure are like onions with deep hidden layers that must be continually dealt with over a lifetime of walking with God.

Living strictly within the Father's willJesus lived entirely within His Father's will and plan, finishing the work given to Him without seeking personal vacations or distractions.

God's prearranged plan for every believerJust as God had a detailed plan fulfilled in Jesus' life, He has prearranged plans for every believer so they can finish their course and glorify Him.Psalm 139:14–17

Pressing on so you will not wish you had given Him moreWhen we see the Savior face to face, we will wish we had given Him more, urging us to give everything and press on from this point forward.

Satisfying God's heart through supreme loveThe ultimate goal is to satisfy God's heart by loving Him supremely, loving all people without hate, and hearing Him say well done.

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Zac Poonen - What It Means To Love God Supremely

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