Resigned Into God's Care
True freedom from fear comes from totally resigning our lives into the hands of the Lord, trusting in his power, wisdom, and mercy.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of resigning our lives into God's care as a means to find true freedom from fear. He highlights Jesus' warning about the distress and fear that will grip many, contrasting it with the peace that comes from trusting in God's promises. By fully surrendering to God's will, believers can rest assured that He will provide and protect them, just as Jesus exemplified through His own resignation to the Father at the cross. Wilkerson encourages followers to trust in God's power to keep them safe, as demonstrated by the apostle Paul's assurance in 2 Timothy 1:12.
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Jesus said, "...upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity...men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26). Christ is warning us, "Without hope in me, multitudes of people are literally going to die of fright!"
For Jesus' followers, however, those who trust in God's promises to preserve his children, there is glorious freedom from all fear. In fact, all who come under the lordship of Christ never need to fear again, if they'll just lay hold of the following secret: True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord.
Resigning ourselves into God's care is an act of faith. It means putting ourselves completely under his power, wisdom and mercy, being led and preserved according to his will alone. If we do this, the God of the universe promises to be totally responsible for us, to feed, clothe and shelter us, and to guard our hearts from all evil.
Jesus provided the ultimate example of this kind of holy resignation when he went to the cross. Just before he gave up his spirit, he cried aloud, "...Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit..." (Luke 23:46).
Christ literally placed the keeping of both his life and his eternal future in the custody of the Father. And in doing so, he placed the souls of every one of his sheep into the Father's hands.
You may wonder, "But didn't Jesus say he had the power both to lay down his life and to take it up again?" (See John 10:18.) Since he had the power to "take up his life again," why did he resign it into God's hand to be preserved? The answer is obvious: Jesus did it to set an example for all of his sheep to follow!
If we are being asked to trust our lives to someone, then we have to know that this Someone has the power to keep us from all danger, threats and violence. The apostle Paul writes, "...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).
Sermon Outline
- True Freedom from Fear
- Jesus' Example of Resignation
- Trust and Assurance
- The Power of the One We Trust
- The Apostle Paul's Assurance
Key Quotes
“Without hope in me, multitudes of people are literally going to die of fright!” — David Wilkerson
“True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord.” — David Wilkerson
“...Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit...” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must learn to trust in God's power and sovereignty, even in the face of uncertainty and danger.
- Resigning our lives into God's care is an act of faith that requires us to let go of our fears and doubts.
- By trusting in God, we can experience glorious freedom from all fear and anxiety.