Words of Encouragement -- Santosh Poonen & David Lane -- September 26, 2021
http://rlcf.church River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The message emphasizes that God desires people to come to heaven through repentance, not just to reach a destination. Drawing parallels from David's low points and Lazarus's burial, the speaker encourages listeners not to give up when spiritual processes feel slow or difficult. True faith requires persistent asking, and believers must trust God through the entire process of sanctification, recognizing that the final identification of who we are comes only from Christ.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Why Jesus does not return immediatelyGod delays His return not because He wants people to be lost, but because He desires a people who have learned to please Him rather than themselves.
Our ambition to please ChristPaul states that his ambition whether present or absent is to please the Lord, following the example of Jesus who never pleased Himself.Romans 15:3
God building from our lowest pointsJust as God used David's lowest point and failure to establish an altar, God often waits for our lowest moments to pick us up and use us.
Waiting until the fourth day like LazarusLike Jesus waiting for Lazarus to be four days in the grave, God may let situations reach a seemingly hopeless point before He answers, but we must never give up.
The process of unwinding grave clothesWhen Jesus brings someone to life, there is still a process of removing the grave clothes of past struggles just as a believer faces battles after being born again.
The power of honesty before GodGod loves honesty, and the moment we stop trying to hide our sin and come clean like the thief on the cross, God can start working.
Defined only by our Heavenly FatherBelievers are new creations in Christ and should not glorify their past sin; only the Father gets to identify who we are as His children.
Jesus praying that our faith does not failEven when Satan sifts us like wheat, Jesus prays that our faith will not fail, because God can deal with our failures if we maintain our fundamental faith in Him.
There is no pit deeper than God's loveNo matter how far we have fallen, God's love is deeper still, and He will not snuff out a bruised reed if we look up to Him in faith.
