Do We Follow in Their Steps?
A.W. Tozer challenges listeners to return to the power and simplicity of the gospel, warning against complacency and compromise.
A.W. Tozer challenges us to reflect on the legacy of our spiritual forebears, like A.B. Simpson, who endured great hardships and remained steadfast in their faith. He emphasizes the importance of not becoming complacent or diluted in our beliefs, urging us to remember the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Tozer recounts Simpson's struggles and miraculous healing, highlighting his dedication to spreading the gospel despite personal trials. The sermon calls for a revival of fervent faith and a commitment to uphold the true power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Ultimately, Tozer implores us to follow in the footsteps of these great men and women of faith rather than settle for mediocrity.
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Read history and see how the covenanters stood and died rather than give up to the enemy. Are we satisfied to be degenerate sons of great fathers? Consider A. B. Simpson who walked the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with cardboard in the soles of his shoes because he did not have money to buy new ones. He prayed and groaned in spirit and cried to God for people of all nations who had not heard the gospel. He prayed "Oh God, I believe Jesus Christ thy Son is the same yesterday, today and forever."
We are his descendants, but we ought to spend a day in sackcloth and ashes. At 36, Simpson was a Presbyterian preacher so sick that he said, "I feel I could fall into the grave when I have a funeral." He could not preach for months at a time because of his sickness. He went to a little camp meeting in the woods and heard a quartet sing, "No man can work like Jesus/ No man can work like Him." Simpson went off among the pine trees with that ringing in his heart: "Nobody can work like Jesus; nothing is too hard for Jesus.
No man can work like Him." The learned, stiff-necked Presbyterian threw himself down upon the pine needles and said, "If Jesus Christ is what they said He was in the song, heal me." The Lord healed him, and he lived to be 76 years old. Simpson founded a society that is now one of the largest evangelical denominations in the world, the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We are his descendants and we sing his songs. But are we going to allow ourselves to listen to that which will modify our faith, practices and beliefs, water down our gospel and dilute the power of the Holy Spirit? I, for one, am not!
Sermon Outline
- The Example of the Covenanters
- The Legacy of A.B. Simpson
- A Call to Revival
- A warning against complacency and compromise
- A call to return to the power and simplicity of the gospel
Key Quotes
“Nobody can work like Jesus; nothing is too hard for Jesus. No man can work like Him.” — A.W. Tozer
“If Jesus Christ is what they said He was in the song, heal me.” — A.W. Tozer
“We are his descendants, but we ought to spend a day in sackcloth and ashes.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be willing to allow ourselves to be modified by the truth of God's Word, even if it means changing our faith, practices, and beliefs.
- We must not compromise the gospel, but rather stand firm in its power and simplicity.
- We must rely on God and the power of prayer, just as A.B. Simpson did, to experience true revival and transformation in our lives.