We Who Were Dead Have Been Made Alive - Santosh Poonen - August 4, 2019
http://rlcfchurch.org/we-dead-made-alive River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker emphasizes that Christianity should reject the rigid formality of traditional religion, reflecting instead the loving and compassionate nature of God as revealed by Jesus. He encourages the congregation to treat church gatherings like a family home, valuing the effort of all members, especially children, to speak God's Word. The message concludes by urging believers to return to foundational truths, using 1 Timothy 3:16, to understand the 'mystery of godliness' through dedicated study.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
God created mankind with a unique purposeUnlike the rest of creation, human beings were explicitly made in God's image and likeness with a specific purpose and calling to rule over the earth.
The crown waiting for you in heavenGod has a crown with your name on it in heaven, and whether you receive it depends on holding fast to what He has given you so the devil cannot steal it.
Adam and Eve destroyed that purpose through sinAdam and Eve listened to the serpent's lie and disobeyed God's command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing spiritual death upon all mankind.
Our conscience is like a radio with dead batteriesGod placed a conscience inside us to communicate with us, but sin left us spiritually dead and unable to hear His voice.
The limitations of Old Testament sacrificesThe animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant could temporarily appease God's anger against sin, but they could not make the worshipper's conscience perfect or restore spiritual life.
Self-improvement cannot save a dead manAll human efforts at self-improvement are as hopeless as a dead person trying to bring themselves back to life; only God can infuse supernatural life.Romans 3:23
Saved by grace through faithSalvation is the free gift of God where He replaces our dead spiritual batteries with live ones by His grace, not through our own works.
Made alive together with ChristWhen we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive together with Christ and forgave all our sins.Colossians 2:13
How a sensitive conscience proves spiritual lifeJust as a living body reacts to a thorn in the foot, a spiritually alive person has a sensitive conscience that feels conviction over sin and wrong attitudes.
You must be born againReligious external appearances are not enough; the inner person must experience a second birth through the Spirit to have a working conscience.
Dealing with the thorns of sin in our livesIgnoring the pricking of our conscience leads to spiritual gangrene, and the only way to remove the thorn is through repentance, confession, and making things right.
The critical necessity of forgiving othersHolding bitterness or refusing to forgive others blocks God from forgiving us and keeps a harmful thorn in our own souls.
Predestined to be conformed to Christ's imageGod's ultimate purpose for those He called is to glorify them by imparting His very own divine nature, conforming them to the image of His Son.
The warning and the secret to receiving God's lifeJesus is coming back quickly, so we must hold fast to what we have, coming to God with the humility and spiritual hunger of a little child to receive His life.
