The Obedience Of Faith And Love – Zac Poonen
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Summary
The speaker urges believers to obey God's commandments as readily as they would follow a doctor's prescription for a cure. He emphasizes that the promise of sitting with Christ on the throne in eternity is conditional upon overcoming, which is an individual responsibility. True overcoming requires actively fighting daily battles against sin, unlike the misconception that Jesus never struggled.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
What is the promise of Revelation 3:21?Jesus promises that those who overcome just as He overcame will sit with Him on His throne in eternity.Revelation 3:21
Did Jesus have to fight and overcome?Unlike the idea that Jesus floated through life without temptation because He was God, the real Jesus fought a real battle against temptation as our example.
The three stages of Christ's humilityPhilippians 2 explains that Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a man, a servant, and a criminal, facing temptation every day for thirty-three and a half years.Philippians 2:6–9
True humility is total obedience to GodHumility is not merely how we act before people on the outside, but whether we obey God in secret and in our daily lives.
What does the Lord require?In Deuteronomy 10, Moses reminded Israel that God's laws and commandments were commanded strictly for their own good.Deuteronomy 10:12–13
Asking in Jesus' name to keep His commandmentsJohn 14:14 must be read in context with verse 15 and 16, where asking in His name means asking for the Holy Spirit to help us keep His commands.John 14:14–16
Commands like putting away anger and anxietyGod's word commands us to put away all anger and refrain from anxiety, which Jesus repeated three times because He knew how easily we ignore it.Ephesians 4:31
The Obedience of Faith in RomansThe entire book of Romans is bracketed by the phrase 'the obedience of faith,' shifting believers away from Old Covenant fear and selfishness.Romans 1:5
Why you do something matters more than what you doAt the final judgment, God will test not only what we did, but why we did it—evaluating whether our obedience came from a heart that loves Him.
You cannot serve God and moneyWhile earning money responsibly is taught in Scripture, loving and serving money as a master pulls the heart away from God.Matthew 6:24
The only commandment with an 'if possible' clauseRomans 12:16 is the only place in Scripture with an 'if possible' clause regarding peace, because being at peace depends partly on other people.Romans 12:16
Why God gave us the BibleSecond Timothy explains that Scripture is given for teaching, reproof, correction, and training so the man of God can be completely equipped.2 Timothy 3:16–17
The blessing of meditating on God's wordPsalm 1 describes the blessed person as one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night, prospering in all they do.
