Wakeful Walking
The sermon emphasizes the importance of having a morally and spiritually awakened soul, which is characterized by a deep connection with God.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the transformative power of spiritual awakening, contrasting the vibrant life of an awakened soul with the mediocrity of spiritually slumbering believers. He illustrates how some individuals, through divine intervention, become shining lights in the world, while others remain content to support these awakened souls from a distance, often celebrating their lives posthumously without embracing the same commitment. Tozer calls for a genuine awakening among Christians, urging them to seek a closer relationship with God rather than merely admiring those who have fully surrendered to Him. The sermon challenges believers to move beyond intellectual acknowledgment of faith and to actively pursue a deeper spiritual life. Ultimately, it is about becoming morally and spiritually awake to experience the fullness of God's presence.
Text
Of course, people resent any word reflecting on them, but every once in a while there appears an awakened soul. Some way or another this person got awake. Somehow God Almighty wakened him or her, whether by the crowing of the rooster or by the braying of Balaam's donkey. This person ceases to be mediocre and somnolent and becomes a blazing, shining light. And then the sleeping saints pay to have him or her come and do their work for them. They send people like this out to South Africa or the Far East to do their work for them.
Meanwhile they stay home and sleep spiritually, and earn the money, because they are intellectually and physically awake to send them. When one of these people dies, they write the story of his or her life and may even go so far as to take up a collection to put up a little library in the person's memory. They could call it the "Awakened Saint Memorial." But they are very careful not to be awakened themselves. They are careful and perfectly happy to talk about how wonderful Robert Jaffray was, but they will not pay Jaffray's price.
They can talk endlessly about wonderful Dr. A. B. Simpson, but they will not go Simpson's way. They are careful not to follow the person whose life they write about and whose memorial they erect. But this is what Christianity is all about: the wakened soul, the morally and spiritually wakened. God, who seems so far away, suddenly becomes close. God who had been all out of focus, a blur, now is seen to be the Son of Righteousness in clear sight, with healing in His wings.
Sermon Outline
- The Awakened Soul
- The Sleeping Saints
- The Price of Being Awakened
- The cost of true spirituality
- The willingness to follow Jesus
Key Quotes
“God, who seems so far away, suddenly becomes close.” — A.W. Tozer
“God who had been all out of focus, a blur, now is seen to be the Son of Righteousness in clear sight, with healing in His wings.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize the importance of spiritual awakening and be willing to pay the price of true spirituality.
- Avoid spiritual complacency and strive for a deeper connection with God.
- Be willing to follow Jesus and be transformed by His love and power.