'I Have No Plea but Christ'
The sermon emphasizes the importance of holiness in the life of a believer, highlighting the need to be in Christ to achieve this standard.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that every believer is called to holiness, reflecting the purity and blamelessness of God. He highlights the impossibility of achieving this standard on our own, as the law reveals our shortcomings. Instead, true holiness comes from being in Christ, whose holiness is imparted to us. Wilkerson encourages believers to embrace their identity in Christ, recognizing that they can stand uncondemned before God through Him. The central plea of every believer should be, 'I have no plea but Christ.'
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Every believer in the Church of Jesus Christ is called to be holy -- pure and blameless in God's sight. So, if you have been born again, holiness must be the cry of your heart. "God, I want to be like Jesus. I want to walk holy before you all the days of my life."
The New Testament tells us we are called to be holy "even as God is holy. How on earth are we made holy in the sight of God?
"As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy'" (1 Peter 1:15-16).
As you read the New Testament on this subject, you may be alarmed. "You mean that I am to be as holy as Jesus was? Impossible! He was spotless, perfect. How on earth could anyone live up to that standard?"
That was the very purpose of the law -- to show us that it is impossible for anyone to measure up to God's standard of holiness. Therefore, if there is none holy but the Lord, there can only be one way for us to become holy. We must be in Christ and his holiness must become our holiness.
Paul says that because Jesus, the root, is holy, then we, the branches, are also holy (see Romans 11:16). And John writes, "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). In other words, because we are in Christ, we are made holy by virtue of his holiness.
Jesus stands alone in perfect holiness and if any person is ever to stand before the heavenly father and be received by him, that person must be in Christ. Our daily prayer should be: "Lord, I have no plea but Christ. I come to you only because I am in Christ and I claim his holiness. I know I stand before you uncondemned because I am in him!"
Sermon Outline
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I
- The Call to Holiness
- Born Again and the Cry of the Heart
- The Standard of Holiness
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II
- How We Are Made Holy
- The Role of Christ in Our Holiness
- The Vine and the Branches
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III
- The Necessity of Christ
- Our Daily Prayer: No Plea but Christ
- Standing Before the Heavenly Father
Key Quotes
“God, I want to be like Jesus. I want to walk holy before you all the days of my life.” — David Wilkerson
“Lord, I have no plea but Christ. I come to you only because I am in Christ and I claim his holiness.” — David Wilkerson
“You mean that I am to be as holy as Jesus was? Impossible! He was spotless, perfect.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- Recognize the need for holiness in your life and cry out to God for it.
- Understand that holiness is not achieved through your own efforts, but through being in Christ.
- Make the daily prayer of 'Lord, I have no plea but Christ' your own, claiming his holiness and standing before God uncondemned.