22nd August 2021 -CFC Sunday Church Service | Being Filled With The Spirit Is The Answer -Zac Poonen
22nd August 2021 -CFC Sunday Church Service | Being Filled With The Spirit Is The Answer -Zac Poonen
Summary
The message emphasizes that being filled with the Holy Spirit is the key to Christian witness, providing the power and ability to know God and overcome temptation. The speaker contrasts this with the parable of the talents, warning that many Christians waste their lives by viewing God as a demanding master rather than recognizing His immense love. True holiness comes from understanding God's loving nature.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Praise to the LambThe congregation joins in singing hymns that celebrate the glory, victory, and eternal nature of Jesus Christ.
Adoration for Christ's sacrificeThe worship continues by reflecting on how Jesus laid aside His majesty and endured suffering to redeem humanity.
Reviewing the memory verse and introducing the messageAfter a prayer for spiritual hunger, the speaker reviews last week's promise from 1 Thessalonians and introduces the new command and today's sermon topic.
The danger of seeing God as a hard taskmasterUsing the parable of the talents, the speaker describes how viewing God as a demanding and harsh ruler causes believers to waste their lives in fear.
The two extremes of misunderstanding GodSome view God as too lenient, leading to shallow lives without victory over sin, while others see Him as a tyrant, which leads to hypocrisy.
The transformative power of being filled with the SpiritThe speaker shares his personal journey from defeat to victory through the Holy Spirit, which allowed him to finally see God as a loving Father.
God is a loving Father, not a strict masterThe speaker explains that God's commands are intended for our health and well-being, much like a loving father desires the best for his child.
The connection between our view of God and our obedienceIf we find God's commandments to be a burden, it is because we have an underlying wrong understanding of His character as a loving Father.
The Holy Spirit comes to produce the life of Jesus in usJust as the Spirit came upon Mary to produce the body of Jesus, the Spirit fills believers to form the character of Christ within them, even amidst potential misunderstanding.
Jesus as the forgiver rather than just a savior from external thingsThe speaker argues that while Jesus saves us from sin, we often mistakenly call him Savior when he is currently acting as our Forgiver for our ongoing struggles with sin.
The veil of the Old Covenant vs. the revelation of the NewReading the Bible through the lens of the Old Covenant creates a veil of commandments, but the Holy Spirit removes this veil to reveal the glory of Jesus.
Investing time wisely to win the spiritual raceJust as people invest money, Christians must intentionally invest their time in God's word and self-discipline to run the race of faith and win the prize.
Running the race with an aimLike a marathon runner, a believer must run with purpose, making progress and not remaining in the same spiritual place as before.
Making the body a slave to righteousnessTo avoid disqualification, one must discipline the body to do what is right rather than following sinful impulses.
The necessity of forgiving othersBelievers must forgive those who have hurt them, because failing to forgive prevents God from forgiving our own sins.
