The End of Self-Confidence - Zac Poonen - June 29, 2013
http://rlcfchurch.org/god-gives-the-holy-spirit-freely RLCF Summer Conference 2013 - Session 6 River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker warns against misunderstanding God's grace, cautioning that it is not a license for sin or antinomianism. He uses three Old Testament examples—the Israelites failing to enter Canaan after the Red Sea crossing, the warning in Hebrews 3 and 4, and the account in 1 Corinthians 10—to emphasize that true salvation involves not just coming out of sin's slavery, but actively entering into the Promised Land of victory. This requires faith and obedience, as failure to believe results in spiritual stagnation.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Three New Testament warnings about entering CanaanThe failure of the Israelites to enter the promised land is mentioned three times in the New Testament, reminding us that salvation involves entering a life of victory, not just coming out of Egypt.
The true gospel includes entering the restHebrews warns believers that the gospel preached to the Israelites did not profit them because of unbelief, teaching that God's rest means having the giants of sin slain in our lives.Hebrews 3:12
The third example in CorinthiansFirst Corinthians 10 points out that despite experiencing baptisms in the sea and cloud, most Israelites were laid low in the wilderness, serving as an instruction for us today.
The reason the first generation failedNumbers 14 shows that God was angry because the people did not believe He could help them conquer the land, mistakenly thinking the giants were too strong.Numbers 14:11
Confusing the old man and the fleshMany believers use unbiblical terms like 'sinful nature' and fail to distinguish between the old man and the flesh, leading to confusion over what is dead and what is not.
Water baptism and the old manRomans 6 explains that our old man was crucified with Christ so we are no longer slaves to sin, a reality pictured by the Egyptian army buried completely in the Red Sea.Romans 6:4
Conquering the giants of the fleshUnlike the Egyptian army which God destroyed instantly, the giants in Canaan represent the lusts in our flesh that we must conquer one by one with God's power.
Trusting God instead of human strengthJoshua and Caleb pleased God because of their faith that God could give them victory, unlike the ten spies who looked at their own strength and felt like grasshoppers.
Waiting for the men of war to perishGod waited 38 years in the wilderness until every last man of war—representing human self-confidence and the feeling that we can manage on our own—perished.Deuteronomy 2:14
The expert fishermen at the end of themselvesPeter and the disciples toiled all night catching nothing until the expert fisherman within them died, illustrating that God only brings the miraculous catch when self-reliance ends.
The paralyzed man at the pool of BethesdaThe man who struggled for 38 years to get into the pool of Bethesda pictures a person living under the law who only receives healing when he finally gives up trying.
Moses learning weakness in the wildernessMoses initially relied on his own eloquence and strength at age forty, requiring forty years in the wilderness to be brought down to zero before God could use him.Acts 7:22
Why God allows us to failIf God gave us victory before we reached a zero point, we would fall into the deep pit of spiritual pride, looking down on others and boasting in ourselves.
Salvation by grace so no one can boastScripture repeatedly emphasizes that salvation and victory are by grace so that no one can boast in God's presence.Ephesians 2:9
Jesus praying for Peter's faithThough Peter fell into the terrible sin of denying Jesus, Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail when he hit rock bottom, preparing him humbly for Pentecost.
There is hope for everyoneEvery failure brings us one step closer to the zero point, where we stop trusting our own strength and let Jesus keep us from falling day by day.
