I the Lord, the First, and With the Last
The sermon emphasizes the importance of knowing Christ as a living Person rather than depending on experiences or a static condition of sanctification.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the importance of relying on Christ as a living Person rather than merely on the experience of holiness. He warns that many believers become disillusioned when they face trials and temptations after initially feeling delivered from sin, leading them to doubt their experiences. This cycle of failure can cause them to abandon their pursuit of holiness, ultimately resulting in a worse state than before. Simpson calls for a deeper understanding of sanctification that centers on a relationship with Jesus, asking for His heart, faith, and life. The message encourages believers to seek Christ continually rather than relying solely on past experiences.
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Thousands of people get stranded after they have embarked on the great voyage of holiness because they have depended upon the experience rather than on the Author of it. They had supposed that they were thoroughly and permanently delivered from all sin, and in the ecstasy of their first experience they imagined that they never would be tried and tempted as before. When, therefore, they step out into the actual facts of Christian life and find themselves failing and falling, they are astonished and perplexed, and they conclude that they must have been mistaken in their experience.
Then they make a new attempt at the same thing, and again fall, until at last, worn out with the experiment, they conclude that the experience is a delusion, or at least that it was never intended for them.
Thus they fall back into the old way, and their last state is worse than the first. Men and women today need to know not sanctification as a state but Christ as a living Person. Lord Jesus, give me Thy heart, Thy faith, Thy life, Thyself.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Knowing Christ
- The Reality of Christian Life
- The Call to Know Christ as a Living Person
- Failing and Falling in the Christian Life
- The Need for a Deeper Understanding of Christ
Key Quotes
“Men and women today need to know not sanctification as a state but Christ as a living Person.” — A.B. Simpson
“Lord Jesus, give me Thy heart, Thy faith, Thy life, Thyself.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- You should continually seek a deeper understanding and relationship with Christ in order to avoid depending on your experiences.
- You should not give up or become discouraged when you fail or fall in the Christian life, but rather seek to learn from your mistakes and continue to seek a deeper understanding and relationship with Christ.
- You should prioritize knowing Christ as a living Person over seeking a static condition of sanctification.