Devotion to Jesus and Being God's Mouth - Zac Poonen - May 29, 2017
http://rlcf.church/sermons/devotion-jesus-being-gods-mouth River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The sermon warns that mere adherence to church roles or activities does not guarantee God's approval; true spiritual health requires maintaining one's initial, fervent love for Christ. Using the example of the church in Ephesus, the speaker emphasizes that even diligent service can become routine and lose its animating love, rendering it worthless before God. The core message is that all Christian action must spring from a pure devotion to Jesus Christ, which is the greatest commandment.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
The danger of backsliding while remaining in leadershipThe Lord held the backslidden messengers in His hand in Revelation, teaching that remaining in a position of eldership proves nothing about God's approval or disapproval.
The warning to the elder in EphesusDespite having tremendous qualities of perseverance and doctrinal purity, the church in Ephesus had left its first love, prompting a serious warning from Jesus.
Simple devotion to Christ as the tree of lifePaul expressed a godly jealousy to protect believers from being led astray from a simple, pure devotion to Christ, which is symbolized by the tree of life.
Serving the Lord with a cheerful heartUnlike the Old Covenant where external obedience was enough regardless of attitude, the New Covenant requires serving the Lord with joy and gladness.
The expulsive power of a new affectionJust as Jacob served seven years for Rachel and it felt like a few days because of his love, a supreme love for Jesus expels all other competing desires.
Slaying the self-life to access the tree of lifeA flaming sword guards the tree of life, meaning that every ambition of the self-life must be slain in order to maintain true devotion to Christ.Genesis 3:24
The danger of Balaam's teaching and JezebelOther dangers facing churches include the teaching of Balaam involving compromise and greed, and the unchecked influence of Jezebel leading bondservants astray.
The warning to Sardis and LaodiceaSardis had a name of being alive while spiritually dead, and Laodicea was lukewarm, running the risk of being spat out of the Lord's mouth.Revelation 3:1
Extracting the precious from the worthlessTo be the Lord's mouth, a believer must filter their daily conversation and extract the precious words from the worthless ones.Jeremiah 15:19
Preaching with an anointed, burning wordLike Samuel whose words did not fall to the ground, and Jesus whose words made the disciples' hearts burn, preachers should aim for anointed and impactful communication.
Serving according to the proportion of faithBelievers should not imitate others or overextend themselves, but rather function and prophesy strictly according to the measure of grace and faith God has given them.Romans 12:3–6
