In Need of a Physician
The sermon emphasizes the need for spiritual restoration and refreshment for those in ministry, particularly pastors who are exhausted and depleted.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the struggles faced by pastors who, despite appearing pious and strong, often hide their own exhaustion and need for spiritual healing. He reflects on the pressures of ministry that can lead to a depletion of one's own spiritual resources, leaving them in need of a 'physician' to restore their souls. Tozer calls for divine intervention to refresh and renew weary pastors, reminding them that they too require care and restoration amidst their responsibilities.
Text
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads my beside the still waters. He restores my soul.... --Psalm 23:1-3
Human nature being what it is, the man of God may soon adopt an air of constant piety and try to appear what the public thinks he is. The fixed smile and hollow tones of the professional cleric are too well known to require further mention.
All this show of godliness, by the squeeze of circumstances and through no fault of the man himself, may become a front behind which the man hides, a plaintive, secretly discouraged and lonely soul. Here is no hypocrisy, no intentional double living, no actual desire to deceive. The man has been mastered by the circumstances. He has been made the keeper of other people's vineyards but his own vineyard has not been kept. So many demands have been made upon him that they have long ago exhausted his supply. He has been compelled to minister to others while he himself is in desperate need of a physician. God Tells the Man Who Cares, 115.
"Lord, I pray for pastors everywhere today who are indeed exhausted and depleted. The task is so overwhelming and the demands so extreme. Come today with a fresh breath of Your Spirit to refresh, renew, and restore. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Shepherd's Care
- The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
- He makes me to lie down in green pastures
- He leads me beside the still waters
Key Quotes
“He has been made the keeper of other people's vineyards but his own vineyard has not been kept.” — A.W. Tozer
“He has been compelled to minister to others while he himself is in desperate need of a physician.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should pray for pastors and those in ministry to be refreshed, renewed, and restored by the Spirit.
- Ministry can be overwhelming, and it's essential to prioritize our own spiritual well-being.
- We should not be afraid to acknowledge our own needs and limitations in ministry.