Self-Centeredness Leads to Hell
Summary of a Sermon by Zac Poonen
We are created for God’s glory, will, and pleasure. Unfortunately, we tend to worship ourselves instead of centering our lives on Christ. We want honor, respect, and praise, to the point that we may hate someone just for being rude to us (Matthew 3:10, Revelation 4:11).
The parable of the prodigal son starts with the younger son asking, “Father, give me…”, and ends with the older son claiming, “[You] never gave me…” (Luke 15:11-32). Both were focused on their own desires.
The Lord’s prayer, in contrast, is the perfect example of God-centered prayer. It starts with asking for God’s name to be holy, His kingdom to arrive, and His will to be done as in heaven—joyfully, immediately, and completely. Then we request necessities so that we can do His will, such as food, sickness cured, sins forgiven, and deliverance from evil.
Our focus should be centered on God: honoring His name, wishing for His Kingdom’s arrival, and following His will. The center should not be our health and prosperity, the defeat of our enemies, a glorious ministry, or getting into heaven.
Many of us feel entitled to God’s blessing, particularly when we think we have served Him well. We are like the older brother in the parable; he felt entitled to his father’s goodwill and was mad when his father treated his younger brother well. Aren’t we similar? We take pleasure in bad things happening to our enemies and not to us, even if we have openly expressed forgiveness to them (Luke 15:29).
We deserve hell. God grants our requests out of mercy for us; we did not earn them. Imitate the younger brother’s attitude of gratitude toward his father that he portrayed at the end of the parable (Luke 15:18-19).
To be clear, God doesn’t need us to do anything for Him. Serving God is an honor and privilege, a demonstration of gratitude for His love and mercy. We should focus on what He has done for us, like writing our names in the book of life, and not what we’ve done for Him.
Therefore, don’t be self-centered. Instead, center on and follow Christ. Let Christ sit on the throne of your life.
Summary of a sermon by Zac Poonen, “The Root of Sin Is Self-Centeredness”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2reOpzJl8fI
The parable of the prodigal son starts with the younger son asking, “Father, give me…”, and ends with the older son claiming, “[You] never gave me…” (Luke 15:11-32). Both were focused on their own desires.
The Lord’s prayer, in contrast, is the perfect example of God-centered prayer. It starts with asking for God’s name to be holy, His kingdom to arrive, and His will to be done as in heaven—joyfully, immediately, and completely. Then we request necessities so that we can do His will, such as food, sickness cured, sins forgiven, and deliverance from evil.
Our focus should be centered on God: honoring His name, wishing for His Kingdom’s arrival, and following His will. The center should not be our health and prosperity, the defeat of our enemies, a glorious ministry, or getting into heaven.
Many of us feel entitled to God’s blessing, particularly when we think we have served Him well. We are like the older brother in the parable; he felt entitled to his father’s goodwill and was mad when his father treated his younger brother well. Aren’t we similar? We take pleasure in bad things happening to our enemies and not to us, even if we have openly expressed forgiveness to them (Luke 15:29).
We deserve hell. God grants our requests out of mercy for us; we did not earn them. Imitate the younger brother’s attitude of gratitude toward his father that he portrayed at the end of the parable (Luke 15:18-19).
To be clear, God doesn’t need us to do anything for Him. Serving God is an honor and privilege, a demonstration of gratitude for His love and mercy. We should focus on what He has done for us, like writing our names in the book of life, and not what we’ve done for Him.
Therefore, don’t be self-centered. Instead, center on and follow Christ. Let Christ sit on the throne of your life.
Summary of a sermon by Zac Poonen, “The Root of Sin Is Self-Centeredness”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2reOpzJl8fI