Just a Huckster
The sermon warns against using God for personal gain and encourages a humble desire to know God Himself.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the danger of using Jesus for personal gain, warning against preachers who seek fame and recognition rather than a genuine relationship with God. He reflects on Philippians 3:13-14, urging believers to forget past ambitions and press toward the true goal of knowing Christ. Tozer calls for a deep hunger for God, rather than a desire for success or status, highlighting the importance of humility and the need for God to increase while we decrease. He warns that those who treat the faith as a means to an end will ultimately face judgment. The sermon serves as a reminder to seek God for His own sake, not for what He can provide.
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Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 3:13-14
Some young preacher will study until he has to get thick glasses to take care of his failing eyesight because he has an idea he wants to become a famous preacher. He wants to use Jesus Christ to make him a famous preacher. He's just a huckster buying and selling and getting gain. They will ordain him and he will be known as Reverend and if he writes a book, they will make him a doctor. And he will be known as Doctor; but he's still a huckster buying and selling and getting gain. And when the Lord comes back, He will drive him out of the temple along with the other cattle.
We can use the Lord for anything--or try to use Him. But what I'm preaching and what Paul taught and what was brought down through the years and what gave breath to the modern missionary movement that you and I know about and belong to was just the opposite: "O, God, we don't want anything You have, we want You." That's the cry of a soul on its way up. Success and the Christian, 29.
"Lord, give us that hunger to know You; deliver us from the pride that makes us want to use You. Let me pray today with John, 'He must increase, but I must decrease.' Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Using God for Personal Gain
- The True Cry of the Soul
- The Prayer of Humility
- Letting God Increase
- Decreasing Self
Key Quotes
“We can use the Lord for anything--or try to use Him.” — A.W. Tozer
“O, God, we don't want anything You have, we want You.” — A.W. Tozer
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be careful not to use God for personal gain or to achieve fame and success.
- A humble desire to know God Himself is the opposite of using Him for personal gain.
- We must pray with humility, saying 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'