Heaven: Undistracted Devotion to Jesus - Santosh Poonen - March 4, 2018
http://rlcfchurch.org/heaven-undistracted-devotion-to-jesus River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker urges listeners to live each moment with the urgency of knowing life is fleeting, drawing parallels to the fool who builds big plans for tomorrow. He emphasizes that true devotion means prioritizing pleasing God alone, much like Jesus was guided only by the Father's command rather than the demands of people. Ultimately, the goal of life and ministry should be to focus on pleasing God and preparing for heaven.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Thinking about heaven and those who have passed onAnticipating the passing of a family member and reflecting on Billy Graham's long life brings heaven to the forefront of the speaker's mind.
Living every moment in preparedness for eternityThe speaker is inspired to live each day with the mindset that he could be called home at any moment, avoiding procrastination in serving God.
A missionary's quote on passing through this world onceQuoting a missionary who resolved to do any good deed immediately because we pass through this world only once and never repeat a moment.
Learning to say no and following the Father's calendarUnlike running in frantic panic, Jesus lived at rest by taking direction exclusively from the Father, which requires learning to say no to people's demands.
Experiencing the undistracted devotion of heaven todayThe speaker reflects on the pure way those in heaven behold Jesus and desires to cultivate that same undistracted focus in this life right now.
Eternity begins at the new birthEternal life and our union with Christ began the moment we were born again, and our awareness and experience of that eternity should grow on earth.
The liberty of the new covenant in Second CorinthiansUnder the new covenant, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us gives us the liberty to behold the face and glory of God directly.
Praying for the Holy Spirit to behold JesusBeyond speaking in tongues or gaining victory over sin, the ultimate reason to hunger for the Holy Spirit is to behold Jesus more undistractedly.
Seeing Jesus only on the Mount of TransfigurationWhen the Father declared Jesus as His beloved Son, the disciples lifted their eyes and saw no one except Jesus alone.Matthew 17:8
Blinding and deafening ourselves to the worldTrue devotion to Jesus requires consciously blinding and deafening ourselves to the opinions, criticisms, and pressures of this world.
The story of the deaf frogA frog succeeded in escaping a deep well because it was deaf and misinterpreted the discouraging shouts of others as cheers of encouragement.
The voice of truth against the giant's threatsJust as David answered Goliaths taunts with the name of the Lord, believers must listen to the voice of truth rather than the accusations of temptation.
Surrendering our desire for personal credit and identityThe speaker confesses that his early desire to overcome sin was tainted by wanting personal credit and a separate identity alongside Jesus.
Christ is coming back for His glorious churchJesus is not returning for individuals in an isolated way, but to present to Himself a holy church without spot or wrinkle.Ephesians 5:27
Transforming our vile estate into His gloryOur true contribution to the body of Christ is our vile, humble state, which He transforms to conform to the body of His glory.Philippians 3:20
