Living from the Spirit and Not the Soul
A Zac Poonen Sermon Summary
We have spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). Our soul includes our intellect.
Many believers focus on their intellect (Acts 17:21), but if our brain power alone is sufficient to know God, Pharisees with deep knowledge of the Bible would have accepted Christ (John 5:39). The intelligent can be misled by their knowledge and grow unwilling to seek God with humility.
Intellect is important. For example, we need to love God with all our soul as well (Matthew 22:37), but our intellect by itself cannot transform us into the worshippers God seeks.
Christ taught us how God seeks those who worship Him in the spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Let’s try to understand what this means.
We worship God in the spirit because God is Spirit. And we need the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of truth) in us to guide and change us so we can know and worship Him (John 4:24).
The Holy Spirit reveals to us our sins. Like Job, when we see our iniquities and inadequacies, we despise ourselves, repent, fall on our knees, and worship God (Job 42:6, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
We should let the Holy Spirit flow from us like rivers of living water, glorifying the Heavenly Father (John 14:15-17, 7:38-39).
Worshipping God in truth implies we should have honesty and integrity in our worship. The person who prays to God should be the same person during the rest of the day. Christians should follow God in their everyday life. This is more important and difficult than public ministry.
So, do not be controlled by selfish desires or become jealous of one another and form cliques to fight with one another (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Do not let transient worldly things take us over (Job 1:20-21).
Learn from Abraham. He worshipped God such that he was willing to offer to God that which was most precious to him—his son Isaac. He desired nothing more than God (Genesis 22).
In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed. He admitted His preference but still followed His Father’s will, not His (John 6:38, Matthew 26:36-46).
To worship God truthfully and honestly, we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him every day (Luke 9:23).
In conclusion, let the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, guide you to worship God in your spirit. In your everyday life, follow Christ. That is how we live from the spirit and not the soul.
Summarized a sermon by Zac Poonen:
https://youtu.be/rsJs3F8VeGM
Many believers focus on their intellect (Acts 17:21), but if our brain power alone is sufficient to know God, Pharisees with deep knowledge of the Bible would have accepted Christ (John 5:39). The intelligent can be misled by their knowledge and grow unwilling to seek God with humility.
Intellect is important. For example, we need to love God with all our soul as well (Matthew 22:37), but our intellect by itself cannot transform us into the worshippers God seeks.
Christ taught us how God seeks those who worship Him in the spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Let’s try to understand what this means.
We worship God in the spirit because God is Spirit. And we need the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of truth) in us to guide and change us so we can know and worship Him (John 4:24).
The Holy Spirit reveals to us our sins. Like Job, when we see our iniquities and inadequacies, we despise ourselves, repent, fall on our knees, and worship God (Job 42:6, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
We should let the Holy Spirit flow from us like rivers of living water, glorifying the Heavenly Father (John 14:15-17, 7:38-39).
Worshipping God in truth implies we should have honesty and integrity in our worship. The person who prays to God should be the same person during the rest of the day. Christians should follow God in their everyday life. This is more important and difficult than public ministry.
So, do not be controlled by selfish desires or become jealous of one another and form cliques to fight with one another (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Do not let transient worldly things take us over (Job 1:20-21).
Learn from Abraham. He worshipped God such that he was willing to offer to God that which was most precious to him—his son Isaac. He desired nothing more than God (Genesis 22).
In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed. He admitted His preference but still followed His Father’s will, not His (John 6:38, Matthew 26:36-46).
To worship God truthfully and honestly, we need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him every day (Luke 9:23).
In conclusion, let the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, guide you to worship God in your spirit. In your everyday life, follow Christ. That is how we live from the spirit and not the soul.
Summarized a sermon by Zac Poonen:
https://youtu.be/rsJs3F8VeGM