Without Spot or Wrinkle
The church's rejection by the world is a path to true fulfillment, achieved through full surrender to Christ and laying down one's life.
David Wilkerson emphasizes that Christ's church will always face rejection from the world, and believers will often be reproached for their faith. He highlights that true fulfillment comes from fully surrendering to Jesus, as losing one's life for His sake leads to genuine joy and peace. Wilkerson warns against the modern tendency to preach a diluted gospel that seeks to meet only personal needs without calling for total commitment to Christ. He stresses that to be part of a church 'without spot or wrinkle,' one must lay down all sins and ambitions, embracing a life of complete surrender. Ultimately, true needs are met through self-denial and taking up the cross.
Text
Christ's church has never been approved or accepted by the world. And it never will be. If you live for Jesus, you won't have to separate yourself from other's company; they'll do it for you. All you have to do is live for him. Suddenly, you'll find yourself reproached, rejected, called evil: "Men shall hate you, and...they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake" (Luke 6:22).
Yet, Jesus adds, this is the path to true fulfillment. "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). In other words: "The only way you find meaning in life is by selling out your all for me. Then you'll find true joy, peace and satisfaction." Christ tells us, "My church is without spot or wrinkle. So, when you come to me, you must be willing to lay down all sins. You must surrender all to me, die completely to self, ungodly ambition and ego. By faith, you'll be buried with me. But I will raise you up into new life."
Think about what it means to be without spot or wrinkle. We know a spot is a stain. But what about a wrinkle? Have you ever heard the phrase, "a new wrinkle"? It means adding a new idea to an existing concept. A wrinkle, in that sense, applies to those who try to improve on the gospel. It suggests an easy way to attain heaven, without full surrender to Christ.
That's the kind of gospel that's being preached in many churches today. The sermons are aimed only at meeting people's needs. As I read Jesus' words, I see that this kind of preaching will not work. It doesn't accomplish the true work of the gospel.
Don't misunderstand: I'm not against preaching comfort and strength to God's people. As a shepherd of the Lord, I'm called to do exactly that. But if I preach only to people's needs, and ignore Christ's call to lay down our lives, then true needs will never be met. Jesus' words are clear: Our needs are met by dying to ourselves and taking up his cross
Sermon Outline
- The Church's Rejection by the World
- The Path to True Fulfillment
- The Church's Purity
- The Church is without spot or wrinkle
- This purity is achieved through full surrender to Christ
- A spot is a stain, while a wrinkle represents trying to improve on the gospel
Key Quotes
“Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” — David Wilkerson
“The only way you find meaning in life is by selling out your all for me. Then you'll find true joy, peace and satisfaction.” — David Wilkerson
“My church is without spot or wrinkle.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- To find true fulfillment, one must be willing to lay down their life for Jesus' sake.
- The church's purity is achieved through full surrender to Christ, which involves dying to oneself and taking up his cross.
- Preaching that only meets people's needs ignores Christ's call to lay down one's life and take up his cross, and therefore true needs will never be met.