When the Heart Lights Go On
A.W. Tozer's sermon emphasizes the integration of spiritual, moral, and rational elements in the Christian experience to know God deeply.
The preacher delves into the concept of being corrupted, emphasizing the physical and moral harm caused by corruption, leading to decay, ruin, and destruction. The root word 'phtheiro' signifies a process of deterioration in one's inner life, often associated with moral corruption and degeneration. This corruption is depicted as a continual rotting away, affecting individuals and society. The sermon warns against the deceptive desires that lead to corruption, highlighting the importance of guarding against moral decay and striving for purity.
Text
God is concerned with the whole man and has designed that Christian experience should embrace the entire personality. The Christian faith deals not with the spiritual only but with the moral and the rational as well. The rational and moral elements in religion are the proper objects of thought and willingly yield their rich treasures to prayerful meditation. The Christian faith deals with God and man and what can be known about them and their relation one to the other. It contemplates creation, redemption, righteousness, sacred history, the destiny of mankind and the future of the world.
Such truths, once they have been revealed by divine inspiration, lie where they can be got at by the redeemed intellect and wait to be exploited by the sons of the kingdom.
Under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit the prayerful, studious believer can become a Christian philosopher, a sage, a doctor of divine things. More than that, he can become a man of God and a light to his generation. I repeat, we cannot know God by thinking alone, but we can never know Him very well without a lot of hard thinking.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The holistic nature of Christian experience - Integration of spiritual, moral, and rational aspects - Importance of the entire personality in faith
- II points: - The relationship between God and man - Understanding creation and redemption - Exploration of sacred history and destiny
- III points: - The role of divine inspiration - The believer's intellectual engagement - Becoming a light to the generation
- IV points: - The significance of prayerful meditation - The pursuit of knowledge in faith - The balance of thought and spiritual experience
Key Quotes
“God is concerned with the whole man and has designed that Christian experience should embrace the entire personality.” — A.W. Tozer
“We cannot know God by thinking alone, but we can never know Him very well without a lot of hard thinking.” — A.W. Tozer
“Under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit the prayerful, studious believer can become a Christian philosopher.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Engage in prayerful meditation to deepen your understanding of faith.
- Balance intellectual pursuits with spiritual practices to enrich your relationship with God.
- Strive to be a light in your community by sharing the knowledge and wisdom gained through faith.