Submitted to the Righteousness of God
The sermon emphasizes the importance of submitting to God's righteousness, rather than trying to establish our own, in order to experience true joy and peace with God.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that striving to please God through our own efforts leads to a lack of joy and peace. He explains that human attempts at righteousness are insufficient and often result in failure, as we are tempted and fall short. However, through Christ's sacrifice, we are reconciled to God and can claim His promises of deliverance from temptation. Wilkerson encourages believers to reject the accusations of the enemy by affirming their identity in Christ and the completeness of His grace. Ultimately, he reminds us that true righteousness comes from submitting to God's righteousness rather than relying on our own efforts.
Text
One thing that consistently robs us of our joy and peace with God is our endless striving to please Him in our flesh. We try to please the Lord in our human power but it will never be enough. Any victories will be short-lived, and the next time we are tempted, we will fall even farther.
Satan comes to you and whispers, "What about that sin you indulged in just yesterday? You are guilty!"
You can answer, "No, I've already asked forgiveness for that. And I've asked God to keep me from doing it again. It's all under the blood."
"But you are still tempted."
"True. But my Jesus has made a way of escape for me. His Word says I will be able to bear the temptation. He will deliver me, because He promised He would" (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).
"But God still has something against you. There are still unsettled matters in your life."
When the accuser brings up an "unsettled issue," some war that still rages within you, you can answer with this passage:
"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" (Colossians 1:21-22).
You can say, "Even when I was alienated in my mind by awful, evil works, even when I was in the pits of lust, even when I was one of God's worst enemies, the Bible says He loved me. He sought me out and reconciled me to Himself. He has translated me from the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom of light and made me to be at peace with Him. He loves me!"
The Bible says when we strive, we are "trying to establish our own righteousness." "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:3). It is our flesh at work!
Sermon Outline
- I. The Problem of Striving to Please God in Our Flesh
- A. Our endless striving robs us of joy and peace with God
- B. We try to please God in our human power, but it will never be enough
- II. The Accuser's Attacks
- A. Satan whispers about past sins and guilt
- B. We can answer with the blood of Jesus and His promise of deliverance
- III. The Power of Reconciliation
- A. We can answer the accuser with the passage from Colossians 1:21-22
- B. We can declare God's love and reconciliation in our lives
- IV. The Dangers of Establishing Our Own Righteousness
- A. We are trying to establish our own righteousness, not submitting to God's
- B. Our flesh is at work when we strive to please God in our own power
Key Quotes
“You can say, 'Even when I was alienated in my mind by awful, evil works, even when I was in the pits of lust, even when I was one of God's worst enemies, the Bible says He loved me. He sought me out and reconciled me to Himself. He has translated me from the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom of light and made me to be at peace with Him. He loves me!'” — David Wilkerson
“For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3)” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must submit to God's righteousness, rather than trying to establish our own, in order to experience true joy and peace with God.
- When tempted, we can remember God's promise of deliverance and the blood of Jesus that covers our sins.
- We can overcome the accuser's attacks by declaring God's love and reconciliation in our lives.