Consumed With Christ
A life consumed with Christ is characterized by an all-inclusive love that surpasses earthly affections, leading to a deeper intimacy with God and a more passionate prayer life.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the necessity of having an all-consuming love for Christ that surpasses all earthly attachments. He explains that true discipleship requires a fervent devotion to Jesus, where our prayers and time in the Word are driven by love rather than need. This passionate love would transform our relationship with God, making prayer a joyful expression of gratitude rather than a list of requests. Wilkerson challenges believers to seek a deeper understanding of Christ, moving beyond self-centered prayers to a desire to know Him intimately. Ultimately, he calls for a heart that is ablaze with love for Jesus, leading to a more profound and fulfilling spiritual life.
Text
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:26
The Greek word for hate means "to love less by comparison." Jesus is calling us to have a love for Him that is so all-inclusive, fervent and absolute that all our earthly affections cannot come close. If we had that red-hot, all-consuming, intense and joyous love for Christ, we would not need outlines, diagrams and instructions telling us how to pray; we would pray because our hearts would be on fire with love for Him. We would not grow bored trying to fill up an hour praying ambiguously for needs all over the world; Christ would be the object of our prayers, and our prayer time would be precious.
We would spend hours behind closed doors, expressing the overflowing admiration and sweet love that flood our hearts for Him. Reading His Word would never be a burden; we wouldn't need formulas on how to finish the Bible in a year. If we loved Jesus passionately, we would be drawn magnetically to His Word to learn more about Him. And we would not become bogged down with endless genealogies and end-time speculations. We would want only to know Him better-to see more of His beauty and glory so that we could become more like Him. Think about it: Do we know what it is like to come into His sweet presence and ask nothing? To reach out to Him only because we are grateful that He loves us so completely?
We have become selfish and self-centered in our prayers: "GIVE US, MEET US, HELP US, BLESS US, USE US, PROTECT US" All this may be scriptural, but the focus remains on us. We go to His Word for answers to our problems, for guidance and comfort, and this also is right and commendable. But where is the love-motivated soul who searches the Scriptures diligently, who wants only to discover more and more about his beloved Lord?
Sermon Outline
- The All-Inclusive Love of Christ
- The Consequences of a Consumed Heart
- The Selfishness of Our Prayers
- We focus on our needs and desires
- We forget the love-motivated soul who seeks God
Key Quotes
“If we had that red-hot, all-consuming, intense and joyous love for Christ, we would not need outlines, diagrams and instructions telling us how to pray;” — David Wilkerson
“We would not grow bored trying to fill up an hour praying ambiguously for needs all over the world;” — David Wilkerson
“We would spend hours behind closed doors, expressing the overflowing admiration and sweet love that flood our hearts for Him.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must cultivate a love-motivated soul in our relationship with God, seeking to know and love Him more deeply.
- A life consumed with Christ will lead to a more passionate and intimate prayer life, where we seek to express our love and admiration for Him.
- We must prioritize knowing God's beauty and glory, rather than just seeking answers to our problems or guidance and comfort.