God Has Provided Something Better for Us - Zac Poonen - May 26, 2018
http://rlcfchurch.org/sermons/god-has-provided-something-better-for-us http://rlcfchurch.org/conferences/family-conference-2018 River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker contrasts the limited access to God in the Old Covenant with the direct access available in the New Covenant. He warns that believers are often cheated by the devil, allowing worldly things like money to become more important than their spiritual relationship with God. True understanding of the New Covenant means living out the reality of God's work in one's life, rather than just knowing the verses intellectually.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Living under a completely different covenantGod deals with people in an entirely different way today under the New Covenant compared to the Old Testament.
Being robbed of our spiritual inheritanceMany believers allow the devil to cheat them of their spiritual inheritance like hearing God clearly and overcoming sin.
Greater than John the BaptistJesus declared that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet born of women, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven can have a higher life and greater access to God.Matthew 11:11
Come and see what God has doneThe New Covenant is not just about knowing verses intellectually, but being a living witness of the work God has accomplished inside us.
Faith is essential in every covenantFaith is not exclusive to the New Covenant; without faith it is impossible to please God, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The persistent widow and the helpless ChristianJesus used the parable of the persistent widow to show that believers must be desperate and cry out day and night for justice against the enemy.
Asking for spiritual bread to bless othersThe second parable of prayer teaches that we must recognize our own inability and demonstrate shameless persistence to get what we need from God to help others.
The Heavenly Father gives the Holy SpiritGod gives the Holy Spirit, His gifts, and His fruit as much as we need to those who ask Him with shameless persistence.
God has provided something better for usAlthough Old Testament saints gained approval through faith, God has provided something better for New Covenant believers.
Running the race with our eyes on JesusLeaving behind the external miracles of the Old Testament, we are called to run the race with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus as our forerunner.Hebrews 12:1–2
Following an example instead of a book of lawsJust as learning to swim requires following someone rather than just reading a manual, the New Covenant gives us Jesus as a living example to follow.
The true purpose of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is given primarily to show us the glory of Jesus and to make us like Him in character, fruit, and ministry.
Never pleasing oneselfThe Holy Spirit reveals the inner attitude of Jesus, showing us that He never pleased Himself and came not to do His own will.
Living without a thought for one's own welfareFollowing Jesus means living without a thought for our own welfare, seeking only what glorifies God, which leads to the most joyful and abundant life.Isaiah 53:8
