Into Arabia
Pleasing Christ and having a servant's heart is the key to true fulfillment and satisfaction in ministry.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that true servitude to Christ requires a heart free from the desire for human approval. He reflects on the apostle Paul's journey, highlighting how Paul, despite his past as a persecutor, received his calling directly from Jesus rather than from men. Wilkerson points out that Paul sought revelation in solitude, away from the influence of others, demonstrating the importance of being emptied of self to fully embrace Christ's teachings. The sermon encourages believers to focus on pleasing Christ above all else, assuring that divine approval is far more fulfilling than human applause.
Text
If I seek to please man, I simply cannot be a servant of Christ. If my heart is motivated by the approval of others--if that's my mindset, influencing the way I live--my loyalties will be divided. I'll always be striving to please someone other than Jesus.
A few years after the apostle Paul was converted, he went to the church in Jerusalem to try and join the disciples there. "But they were...afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26).
The apostles knew Paul's reputation as a persecutor. "[I] was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea which were in Christ: but they had heard only, that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed" (Galatians 1:22-23).
Barnabas helped the apostles get over their fear of Paul, and they offered him fellowship. But Paul decided to itinerate among the Gentiles. Indeed, Paul is careful to describe his calling very clearly. He states that it came "not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead" (1:1).
He then adds emphatically: "I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I nether received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.... I conferred not with flesh and blood" (1:11-12, 16).
What Paul is saying here applies to all who desire to have the mind of Christ: "I didn't have to read books or borrow men's methods to get what I have. I received my message, my ministry and my anointing on my knees." In Galatians 1:17, Paul points out that, "I went into Arabia." He's saying, in other words: "I didn't get my revelation of Christ from the saints in Jerusalem. Instead, I went into Arabia, to the desert, to have Christ revealed to me. I spent precious time there, being emptied of self, hearing and being taught by the Holy Spirit."
Paul was not some proud, arrogant, lone-ranger preacher. We know he had a servant's heart. He had emptied himself of self ambition, and had found total satisfaction in Christ.
When your mind is set on pleasing Christ, you will never need the applause and approval of men.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Dangers of Seeking Man's Approval
- A. Divided loyalties
- B. Striving to please others
- II. Paul's Experience in Jerusalem
- A. Fear and rejection
- B. Barnabas' intervention
- III. The Source of Paul's Ministry
- A. Not from men, but from Jesus Christ
- B. Received through revelation, not human teaching
- IV. The Importance of Emptiness and Humility
- A. Emptied of self ambition
- B. Filled with the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“I didn't have to read books or borrow men's methods to get what I have. I received my message, my ministry and my anointing on my knees.” — David Wilkerson
“When your mind is set on pleasing Christ, you will never need the applause and approval of men.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must prioritize pleasing Christ over seeking human approval and applause.
- Humility and emptiness of self ambition are essential for a servant's heart and effective ministry.
- Our ministry and anointing come from God, not from human teaching or methods.