How to Be Sure That You Are Making Spiritual Progress — Zac Poonen — June 17, 2023
https://rlcf.church/media/sermons/how-to-be-sure-you-are-making-spiritual-progress 2023 Mid-Year Global Online Meeting River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
Spiritual progress is fundamentally measured by the growth in love—specifically, love for Christ, love for fellow believers, and love for enemies. The speaker emphasizes that true love must manifest in good works, as mere verbal declarations are empty. Furthermore, genuine discipleship is proven not by how the world perceives us, but by the depth of our love for one another, suggesting that God's family becomes our primary allegiance.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Stimulating one another to love and good worksHebrews 10:24 calls believers to seriously think about how to stir one another up to love Christ and others, proving that love through tangible good works.
The new commandment to love one anotherJesus gave a new commandment in John 13 to love one another as He has loved us, which serves as the primary witness to the world that we are His disciples.John 13:34–35
Seeing the seriousness of sin at the crossTrue spiritual growth requires a firm start rooted in personal repentance, recognizing that our sin dishonored our Creator and sent Jesus to the cross.
The first condition of discipleship: Loving Christ supremelyJesus states in Luke 14:26 that anyone who wants to be His disciple must love Him so intensely that all human relationships appear like hate by comparison.
The second condition: Carrying your cross dailyDiscipleship requires taking up an inner, hidden cross every single day, saying no to self and yes to Jesus in every circumstance.
The third condition: Forsaking all possessionsTo be a disciple, a believer must hold all material things loosely in a joint account with Jesus, possessing nothing as exclusively their own.
Living in light of Christ's soon returnBelievers must assemble together and live expectantly, ensuring they have the extra vessel of oil representing a genuine, hidden private life with the Holy Spirit.
The danger of secret sin and pornographyBelievers who indulge in secret sins like pornography while maintaining a good public testimony risk spiritual ruin and deception.
Confidence or shame at the appearing of ChristFirst John 2:28 reveals that when Christ appears, believers will either have bold confidence or shrink away in shame because of unsettled sin.
Being filled with the Spirit and practicing thanksgivingBeing filled with the Holy Spirit is evidenced by a constant spirit of thanksgiving, marital submission, godly parenting, and mutual fellowship.
Avoiding legalism and exercising mercyBelievers pursuing holiness must guard against becoming rigid and legalistic, remembering to judge themselves severely while showing mercy to others.
The necessity of daily Bible reading and meditationJust as physical food is never skipped, believers must make it a non-negotiable rule to read and meditate on God's word every single day.
