======================================================================== NEW COVENANT - THE ROOT OF SIN - PART 6 by Zac Poonen ======================================================================== Summary: The most important thing in the Christian life is listening to God and depending on Him, not doing things for Him. Duration: 9:38 Topics: "Faith And Obedience", "Dependence On God" Scripture References: Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 10:38-42, John 15:5, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 2:8-9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon emphasizes the importance of listening to God and depending on Him in faith rather than relying on our own understanding or works. It contrasts a life of independence from God with a life of dependence on Him, highlighting the significance of faith and obedience. The speaker shares personal experiences and insights on how to live a life that is centered on God's will and direction, laying aside self-centered desires and embracing a posture of continual prayer and dependence on the Lord. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You know, a lot of people think in the world today that the most important thing is to run around doing something or the other for God. It's not true. You may think that I'm traveling a lot here and there and going and doing so many things. It's not true really. Most of the time I spend listening. Whatever I'm doing. If I'm sitting at a computer, I'm listening. If I'm reading the Bible, I'm listening. If I'm traveling in a plane or bus, I try to listen. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm listening. I never want to give up that habit. Somebody invites me somewhere and I listen. Not to them, but to God. Lord, do you want me to go? I have no choice. You tell me to go, I go. You tell me no, don't go. I'm quite happy to sit here all my life. The most important thing to do is to listen. The axe has to be laid to the root of this wanting to do things on my own. That's the root of sin. I want to do it on my own. I know what's right. I know what's evil. I don't need to depend on God. It's a life of independence of God. And the other is a life of dependence on God. So the question is not whether a man is good or bad. You know, a lot of people think, such a good man, why doesn't he go to heaven? Is he depending on God? Or is he just a good person like Martha, doing a lot of good things? No, the Christian life is a life of faith. Faith means dependence upon God and that is the most important thing that you can do. You know, once the people came to Jesus and told him in John chapter 6, what can we do to do the works of God? That's a very, Luke 6 and here in verse 28. They said to him, what shall we do so that we may work the works of God? Boy, what a question. Isn't that a good question to ask the Lord? All of you, what do you think? What shall we do to do the works of God? How many of you would like to do the works of God? I would like to do it. What shall we do to do the works of God? And Jesus said, this is the work of God that you believe. Believe in him, believe in Jesus. From that will flow all other works. It's like a branch saying to the tree, what shall I do, oh tree, that I shall produce wonderful apples. Just depend on me. Don't have all these high thoughts about yourself, just depend on me. Very simple, the Christian life. You know, and once you learn that secret, you don't get pushed around by other people. You probably don't know, but many, many Christian leaders and preachers have tried to push me into this ministry and that ministry. Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that? Brother Zach, you're so imbalanced. Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you? You can say what you like. I know my calling from God and I'll do it. And I give them an example. I said, supposing you go to the kidneys, you know, we have two kidneys in the back of our body. Supposing you go to the kidneys and say, why are you fellas just always purity, purity, purity, purity, always purifying the bloodstream and just watching the bloodstream, bloodstream. Even the 101 other things in the body like eating food, chewing the food, digesting food, you're only purifying the bloodstream, purifying the bloodstream. The kidneys will say, is that all you got to say? Okay, goodbye. I'm going to continue purifying the bloodstream. You know why? They know their calling in the body. When we listen. The ax to be laid to the root means, self is not in the center, deciding what I shall do and what I shall not do. That's the difference between Martha and Mary. Martha says, I decide what to do. I'm going to go in the kitchen and make something for the Lord. Mary says, I don't know what to do. I'll sit at the Lord's feet and ask him what to do. It looks like laziness, but that is the most greatest work that you can ever do. And that's the way to accomplish the most on this earth. When I was a young Christian, I looked around at a lot of Christian ministries. I knew the Lord had called me to serve him, and I wanted to do it the right way. And I saw great preachers going here and there and becoming very famous. And I said, no, that doesn't impress me. I don't want that. Then I saw just about two or three in my life I met. Brothers who were much older than me, very much older than me. As I looked at their life and read about their life, I found they would pray and wait on the Lord and then go to a place and there'd be a church there. And then they'd pray and wait on the Lord and go to another place and there'd be a church there. And then they'd pray and wait on the Lord and go to another place and there'd be a church there. And I said, boy, that's the way to do it. But as these other great preachers, they would preach and preach and preach for 50 years, there wouldn't be a single church anywhere. They'd just preach sermons here and there and collect a lot of money, became very famous. But where's the church you planted, brother? Oh, no, that's not my calling. You couldn't make Paul go to that type of ministry. So I saw the secret of some of these men. I watched one man particularly very closely in my younger days, was he would wait on the Lord to listen, listen. What does the Lord tell me to do? And I want to say to you, if you want to live the most useful life you can ever live on the face of the earth, let the axe go to the root of this tree where you think you know best what you should do with your life. Where you want your own way. Where you want self to be in the center, deciding this, that, and the other. You may not do anything bad, but you'll waste your life. Like Martha. You can spend all your life in the kitchen, serving the Lord, and at the end of your life, when you stand before the Lord and say, huh, you were worried and bothered about so many things in your earthly life, I wasn't interested in any of those things you did. Can you imagine the shock you'll get, but Lord, I did so many things for you. Imagine Martha going and saying, Lord, do you know the number of chapatis I made there for all of you? I'm not interested. Have you learned the secret of dependence on the Lord? The axe has to be laid to this root of this independence of God. The tree of knowledge of good and evil speaks of a life of independence of God. And there are people independent of God who live very good lives. Because they've got a conscience. They don't cheat. I knew one atheist who never told lies. He was very honest and upright, but he was an absolute atheist. He was more upright than many who call themselves Christians. The thing is not good or evil. The thing is, do you live in dependence on God or independence of God? How is your life? That's why Jesus said you need to pray always. I don't mean kneeling down and going through the ritual of prayer. I'm saying, how can you pray always? Is that difficult? Supposing I were to say to you, you must breathe always. You say, I've got to breathe always? You mean I can't even take a rest from that? No, you can't. Is that a strain? No. That's exactly how prayer always is supposed to be. It's to become so natural that you just depend all the time on the Lord. All the time. It becomes a way of life after some time. It's almost effortless. Have you seen some of these expert swimmers? They just lie down on their back on a river and they don't sink. They just know the art of just lying down there and you try to do the same thing and you sink. You say, how in the world is this guy just lying there? They've learned some technique of just lying down there on their back and they just float around almost effortless. It's like that. Praying always is really like that. A way of life where we're depending on the Lord all the time. The axe is laid to the root of this independent spirit. That is what the New Covenant is all about. So we saw two things in our last I mean we saw what turning around from was to be in our last session and we saw a little bit about laying the axe to the root of the problem now. The reason I've spent time on all this is because unless you deal with it like this you're really not going to be able to enter into a New Covenant life. We'll think more about that on Sunday. Let's pray. Let's bow our heads before God. And as I've often said Jesus said, the words that I speak unto you are spirit and life. The fleshly understanding of it will profit you nothing. Let the Holy Spirit apply it to your spirit. Heavenly Father we pray that the word will bring forth fruit in our hearts. Not just understanding in our minds. Thank you. In Jesus name. Amen. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/ZQpKPvATRGg.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/new-covenant-the-root-of-sin-part-6/ ========================================================================