Zac Poonen - God Waits for Us to Come to a Zero Point

Zac PoonenJanuary 18, 202127mWatch on YouTube

In this collectionZac Poonen379 messages

Speaker: Zac Poonen Title: God Waits for Us to Come to a Zero Point Date: 01/17/2021 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 Christian life should focus on 'being'—developing character and reflecting Christ—rather than on 'doing' or accomplishments. The speaker emphasizes that true spiritual maturity is demonstrated by a childlike innocence and helplessness, not by worldly achievements or impressive ministry. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means one's life will reflect Jesus Christ, regardless of outward ministry.

Outline

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

God is far more interested in what we are than what we doIn the world, the emphasis is on what we accomplish, but Jesus taught us to be converted and become like little children.

Be mature in your thinking, but like infants in evilFirst Corinthians 14:20 instructs believers to be mature in understanding God's ways while remaining completely incapable of evil, like a one-month-old baby.1 Corinthians 14:20

Understanding the difference between being and doing in Acts 1:8Many Christians think receiving the Holy Spirit means doing great works or preaching, but Jesus spoke about being a witness and reflecting Jesus Christ.Acts 1:8

God fills the defeated with the Spirit to produce Jesus withinGod meets us at rock bottom not to make us great preachers, but to produce Jesus in us over a period of time, just as the Spirit came upon Mary.

God's original purpose in Genesis was image, not achievementLooking back to the beginning in Genesis 1, God made man in His own image and likeness to be something, not merely to do things.

Begin your day by spending time alone with GodBefore sending man into the garden to work, God wanted unbroken fellowship, showing us we must wake up and listen to the Lord first thing every morning.

Why the Lord has to break our strong, stubborn human natureThe Lord must break us because we are too strong and self-sufficient, bringing us to the place of a helpless infant in a cradle.

Waiting until the wine runs out at CanaJesus waited at the marriage in Cana until every drop of human wine was gone before performing His first miracle in abundance.

Allowing us to fail until we return to our true callingWhen Peter went back to fishing and failed to catch a single fish, the Lord taught him that pursuing self-reliance leads to failure.

The lame man at the pool of Bethesda reaches zeroAt the pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man only after thirty-eight years of failure brought him to the absolute zero point where he had no one to help him.John 5:3–7

Beware of becoming self-sufficient after experiencing the SpiritMany who are genuinely filled with the Spirit later become proud and self-sufficient, turning from nobodies into self-important figures.

The apostle Paul remained a nobody in his own eyesPaul considered himself less than the least of all the saints right up to the end of his life, which is why God could use him faithfully.

Observe how leaders end their lives and imitate their faithHebrews 13:7 tells us to consider the conduct and the ending of those who spoke God's word, imitating the few who remained like little children.Hebrews 13:7

True brokenness prevents us from making others feel inferiorA little child in a cradle never makes anyone feel inferior, and true brokenness brings us to that same humble place where God's power rests on us.

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