Zac Poonen - The Church Must Guard Her Connection To Christ (NCCF)
Preached by Zac Poonen at New Covenant Christian Fellowship (NCCF) on February 10, 2013 in San Jose, CA
Summary
The sermon emphasizes that the Christian life must reflect a continuous, upward trajectory of growth, like the sun's path, rather than settling for substandard spiritual experiences. True church fellowship is not about mutual care, but about each member maintaining a primary, deep, and active relationship with God. The speaker argues that a weak horizontal fellowship often stems from a neglected vertical relationship with the Lord.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Why are most Christians satisfied with a substandard life?Many believers look around at others, accept a mediocre spiritual experience, and settle for a quality of fellowship that falls short of God's promises.
Old Testament examples of holding on in faithAbraham and characters like Joshua and Caleb trusted God's specific promises against all odds, demonstrating the steadfast faith lacking in most believers today.
Living a life where sin does not ruleGod's New Testament promise ensures that true believers never face a trial beyond their ability to bear, backed by His faithful grace.
A church is not a social clubCaring for one another is not the primary function of a church; rather, each member must maintain a living, individual fellowship with God.
The two arms of the crossJust like the vertical arm of a cross is much longer than the horizontal, loving God with all our heart must always take precedence over loving our neighbor.
Created to rule, not to be a slaveMan was originally created to subdue and rule, but sin reduced humanity to slavery until Christ and the Holy Spirit delivered them from defeat.
Jesus was not disturbed by departing crowdsJesus prioritized His relationship with the Father over keeping large crowds, letting people walk away when His hard teachings offended them.
Beware of preaching another JesusMany modern messages offer prosperity and avoid the offense of the cross, effectively bowing the knee to the devil to gain earthly things.
Eating the flesh and drinking the bloodJesus declared that true spiritual life requires participating inwardly in His death and life, a difficult statement that caused many disciples to stumble.John 6:53–55
Spirituality is a matter of the heartTrying to understand spiritual things purely on an intellectual level fails because true understanding comes through the Holy Spirit giving revelation to babes.
Christ made unto us wisdom and righteousnessJust as human righteousness cannot save us, human cleverness cannot comprehend God; Christ must become our wisdom as well.
The Tabernacle pattern of Soul and SpiritGod dwells in the most holy place of our spirit, not merely in the outer court of our human soul or intellect.
Why Jesus spoke in parablesParables hide the mysteries of the kingdom from the proud and clever while revealing them to humble disciples whose hearts are tender toward sin.Matthew 13:10–11
The danger of intellectual and experiential wealthJust as it is hard for a rich person to enter God's kingdom, pride in human ability, knowledge, or experience hinders spiritual progress.
The inner agony of being forsaken by the FatherJesus's true suffering on the cross was the temporary break in fellowship with the Father, which is the ultimate definition of hell.John 16:32
Doing our best to keep a clear conscienceFollowing the apostle Paul's example, believers must prioritize keeping their conscience entirely clean before God and man above all outward ministry tasks.Acts 24:16
Connected directly to the head like a pianist's fingersTrue church fellowship happens organically when each member maintains a perfect, direct connection to Christ the Head rather than relying on artificial human togetherness.
