Inward Brokenness and Outward Fruitfulness - Zac Poonen - May 27, 2017
http://rlcf.church/sermons/inward-brokenness-outward-fruitfulness River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The central message is the necessity of aligning one's inner life with one's outer actions, mirroring the balance Jesus taught. The speaker advises believers to live by their will rather than their fluctuating feelings, particularly when practicing forgiveness, which is a choice, not a feeling. True transformation requires a deep, desperate longing for inner purity that matches outward devotion.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Living in your will, not in your feelingsBelievers must refuse self-condemnation and discouragement by learning to live by their will instead of shifting feelings, such as choosing to truly forgive others.
The balance between inner and outer lifeJust as a healthy body is balanced on both sides, the Christian life requires that a person's private inner thoughts match their clean public appearance.Matthew 23:26
Seeking God with all your heartEverything begins with a deep, earnest longing to seek God and ask Him to make your private inner life as pure as your outer life.Jeremiah 29:13
Reaching the end of hypocrisySharing his personal testimony, the speaker recounts how reaching the end of himself and confessing his hypocrisy publicly led to God filling him with the Holy Spirit.
Following Jesus through daily dependenceTo live the wonderful life of Jesus, believers must be gripped by his example and rely on the Holy Spirit day by day.
Sitting at Jesus feet like MaryUsing the story of Mary and Martha, Poonen emphasizes that listening at Jesus' feet is the one necessary thing for effective service.Luke 10:39
Doing everything without grumblingBelievers are called to live without complaining so they can shine as lights in a perverse generation, working out the salvation that God produces within them.
Waiting for Lazarus to dieJust as Jesus waited for Lazarus to die before performing a miracle, God allows believers to come to the end of their own strength so they cannot take the credit.John 11:1–3
Having no confidence in the fleshTrue spiritual circumcision means cutting off all self-confidence and reliance on our own ability to live the Christian life.
Failing in our own strength at the sea of TiberiasPeter and the disciples toiled all night fishing by themselves and caught nothing until Jesus appeared at dawn and taught them that apart from Him they can do nothing.
Jesus praying for Peters faithJesus did not pray that Peter would avoid falling into temptation, but rather that his faith would not fail after hitting rock bottom.Luke 22:31
The lesson of the vine and the branchesJust as a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the tree, believers must abide in helpless dependence on Christ to produce spiritual fruit.John 15:5
The thirty-eight years at the pool of BethesdaThe man who suffered for thirty-eight years mirrors the long struggle of living under the law until coming to a complete zero point of helplessness.John 5:2–3
Why God chooses the weak and foolishGod chooses ordinary and weak people so that no human being can boast in His presence.1 Corinthians 1:26
The humbling of Moses in the wildernessAfter relying on his own strength at age forty, Moses had to spend forty years in the wilderness until he was fully humbled and ready to be used by God.
A prayer for hunger and brokennessPoonen concludes with a prayer asking God to give believers a deep hunger to die to self, stay small, and let Christ be exalted.
