Truth Revelations
Growing in grace and knowledge of God requires humility, openness to new truth, and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the challenge of receiving new truths amidst the clutter of old beliefs and misconceptions, which can hinder spiritual growth. He reassures that God understands our limitations and that even the apostles needed divine intervention to grasp new revelations. Tozer encourages humility and childlike faith, reminding us that the Holy Spirit is our Teacher, guiding us to deeper truths. He highlights that salvation does not require perfect understanding, but a willingness to learn and grow in communion with God. Ultimately, God favors those who approach Him with humility, revealing profound truths to them.
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That we must often receive new truth into minds already cluttered up with old truths, half-truths and scraps of downright error, and fit it into the total in such a way that it will appear right and ?feel? right to the heart, makes it extremely difficult for us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The camel may squeeze through the eye of the needle and be well on his way before some of us can rid ourselves of our hindrances and get our minds clear for the free reception of God?s unadulterated truth.
Lest the bare statement of the facts tend to discourage someone, let us look at the other side of the question. Undoubtedly God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. We should not berate ourselves too much for this weakness.
Even an apostle had to have a vision from heaven to free him from some of his old misconceptions and open his heart to a new order of truth (Acts 10:9-16). And we should remember that it does not take a perfect understanding of all truth to save a man and bring him into communion with God. Furthermore, God has sent us a Teacher in the person of the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15). If we humble ourselves and come to God as little children, He will reveal His Son in us and favor us with revelations of spiritual truth unknown to the wise and the prudent (Matthew 11:25-27).
Sermon Outline
- The Difficulty of Growing in Grace
- God Understands Our Weakness
- The Holy Spirit as Our Teacher
- He reveals spiritual truth to us
- Humility is key to revelation
Key Quotes
“The camel may squeeze through the eye of the needle and be well on his way before some of us can rid ourselves of our hindrances and get our minds clear for the free reception of God?s unadulterated truth.” — A.W. Tozer
“If we humble ourselves and come to God as little children, He will reveal His Son in us and favor us with revelations of spiritual truth unknown to the wise and the prudent.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- You must be willing to humble yourself and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit in order to grow in grace and knowledge of God.
- Removing hindrances and obstacles is essential to receiving new truth and spiritual growth.
- It does not take a perfect understanding of all truth to be saved and brought into communion with God.