Focused Faith
The sermon emphasizes the importance of having a 'focused faith' that is rooted in the principle of coming to God in Christ to experience His delight and pleasure.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the concept of 'focused faith,' explaining that our relationship with God is rooted in our unity with Christ, which allows us to experience the same love from the Father that Jesus does. He challenges believers to prioritize faith over feelings, asserting that God's delight in us is not contingent on our actions or emotions but on our faith in Christ. Wilkerson warns against the dangers of unbelief and encourages believers to rest in the assurance of their acceptance in Christ, which leads to true peace and freedom from striving. He highlights that true faith results in a state of rest, where we recognize our position in Christ as accepted and loved by God.
Text
Jesus prayed to the Father: "All mine are thine, and thine are mine; I am glorified in them" (John 17:10). "The love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them" (verse 26).
Jesus makes it very clear: When we are one with Him, we enjoy the very same love of the Father that He enjoys. God delights in us as much as He does in His own Son.
The Bible also tells us God is our Father, just as He is Christ's Father. Jesus testified: "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (John 20:17).
So, how hard are you striving to please God? Do you go through seasons in which you feel you are delighting Him? And do you have "low" seasons when you feel you are displeasing Him?
Beloved, you have to put facts ahead of your feelings. And the fact is, God's pleasure in you has nothing to do with your strivings, intensity, good intentions or actions. No, it all has to do with your faith.
I believe God wants us to have what I call a "focused faith" that says, "All your faith may be focused on the principle that if you wish to stand holy before God, you must come to Him in Christ."
The writer of Hebrews warns against having ". . . an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12). This is an issue of faith! When we move away from the foundational doctrine of being accepted by God through Christ, we are turning back to the law, the flesh and spiritual bondage!
"We which have believed do enter into rest . . . For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his" (4:3, 10). Scripture makes it clear: The evidence of faith is rest.
The only way to bring your striving, sweating, troubled soul into peace is to convince yourself, "I am in Christ and I am accepted by God. He delights in me, regardless of whether I am up or down. No matter how I feel, I know my position in Christ--that I am seated with Him in heavenly places!"
Sermon Outline
- I. The Father's Love
- A. Jesus' prayer in John 17:10
- B. The love of the Father in us
- II. God's Pleasure in Us
- A. Not based on our strivings or actions
- B. Based on our faith in Christ
- III. The Importance of Focused Faith
- A. Coming to God in Christ
- B. Avoiding an evil heart of unbelief
- IV. The Evidence of Faith
- A. Rest in Christ
- B. Ceasing from our own works
Key Quotes
“God delights in us as much as He does in His own Son.” — David Wilkerson
“The evidence of faith is rest.” — David Wilkerson
“I am in Christ and I am accepted by God. He delights in me, regardless of whether I am up or down.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must put facts ahead of our feelings and recognize that God's pleasure in us is based on our faith in Christ, not our strivings or actions.
- We can bring our troubled soul into peace by convincing ourselves of our position in Christ and being accepted by God.
- We must avoid an evil heart of unbelief and instead come to God in Christ to stand holy before Him.