Saying Goodbye to the Rut
To break free from spiritual stagnation, we must trust in God, obey the truth, and seek His presence.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the importance of generosity and trust in God, warning against the dangers of covetousness and spiritual stagnation. He encourages believers to break free from the rut of routine by embracing faith and obedience, rather than seeking superficial solutions. Tozer reminds us that true happiness in Jesus comes from trusting and obeying Him, and that we possess all we need in Christ, including the power of prayer and the joy of His presence. He calls for a return to the essentials of faith, urging the church to rely on God rather than worldly distractions.
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Jesus gives the story of the man who was covetous and lost his soul. So do not be covetous--be generous. Do not be stingy, but be free with your money. Do not be afraid--thank the Lord, trust Him and put fear away. These are examples of the constituted means of faith and obedience. We sing this and do not know we are singing it: "Trust and obey, for there"s no other way/ To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey." We sing that, but we have sung it so long that we might as well sing Mother Goose rhymes, because we do not know what we are singing. Some of us are down in a spiritual rut, the old routine.
Nothing has any taste to it.
Some churches try to handle that by pandering to the situation, bringing in every kind of weird claptrap in order to get some of the poor half-dead people to get a little taste again. We have God. We have Christ. We have truth. We have a world needing help. We have the saints, and we have the power of prayer. We have the joy of obedience and we have the sweet wonder of His presence. We have the joy of Christian song. We have all this and we do not need garbage. We have God. All we have to do is trust in His Son Jesus Christ and obey the truth, and the Lord will manifest Himself, show Himself through the lattice.
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Covetousness
- The Means of Faith and Obedience
- The Rut of Spiritual Routine
- The Power of God's Presence
- God's power and presence
- The joy of obedience
- The joy of Christian song
Key Quotes
“We have God. We have Christ. We have truth. We have a world needing help. We have the saints, and we have the power of prayer. We have the joy of obedience and we have the sweet wonder of His presence.” — A.W. Tozer
“We have all this and we do not need garbage.” — A.W. Tozer
“All we have to do is trust in His Son Jesus Christ and obey the truth, and the Lord will manifest Himself, show Himself through the lattice.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Trust in God's provision and generosity, rather than being covetous.
- Seek God's presence through prayer and obedience, and experience the joy of His presence.
- Avoid seeking spiritual nourishment in worldly things, but instead, seek it in God's truth and presence.