Zac Poonen - The Proof of Genuine Humility
Speaker: Zac Poonen Title: The Proof of Genuine Humility Date: 03/21/2021 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 true godliness and humility are found by modeling oneself after Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate example. The speaker emphasizes that understanding scripture requires going to the
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Going deeper than a superficial readingWhen we read commands like loving our enemies, we must not look at them superficially but meditate on them deeply to understand their true meaning.
Jesus as our living dictionary and exampleJesus is the living word and the ultimate example of how to live out scripture, such as forgiving enemies without necessarily having to fellowship with them.
The spirit of the antichrist and following Christ in the fleshThe second letter of John warns against deceivers who deny that Jesus came in the flesh, which is the antichrist spirit that claims following Christ's example is impossible.
Learning from Jesus rather than seeking intellectual impressivenessOur aim should not be to impress intellectuals with clever interpretations, but to help needy people by learning gentleness and humility directly from Jesus.Matthew 11:29
A command to the humble to seek more humilityZephaniah commands the humble of the earth to keep seeking for more humility, recognizing that there is never an end to learning it from Jesus.Zephaniah 2:3
The twofold test for tracking progress in humilityBecause human feelings and external opinions can be deceiving, we need a reliable twofold test to see if we are genuinely progressing in humility.
First test: receiving more grace to overcome sinGod gives grace to the humble, and the proof of receiving more grace is that sins like grumbling, complaining, and dirty thoughts gradually lose their power over us.1 Peter 5:5
Second test: finding rest in your soulJesus promised that learning humility from Him brings rest to our souls, meaning there will be no constant panic or unrest about circumstances.
Fearing that we might miss out on God's restHebrews warns us to be afraid of missing out on the promise of entering into God's rest through spiritual study that fails to connect us with Christ's humble heart.
Never disappointing the Lord through willfulness or fearConcluding with the sentiment of an old hymn, the speaker prays that believers may rest in God's mighty love and never disappoint Him through fear or willfulness.
