Preaching with Worms an E a Johnston Classic
E.A. Johnston emphasizes the necessity of daily seeking God's presence afresh to avoid spiritual decay and maintain a vibrant Christian walk.
In this devotional sermon, E.A. Johnston shares a powerful personal testimony about the dangers of relying on past spiritual experiences instead of daily seeking God. Using the biblical example of manna from the Old Testament, he illustrates how neglecting daily communion with God leads to spiritual decay. Johnston encourages believers to cultivate a consistent quiet time and dependence on Jesus to maintain a vibrant and faithful Christian walk.
Full Transcript
A brown book if you need it. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. Things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Let's just sing that together. Let me say this, if more Christians sat at his feet, less Christians would fall on their face. We should sit every day at his feet in the quiet time.
It's something we should do every day. Let me give you an example. I came off a week of spiritual highs.
Every day I felt like I was on top of Mount Sinai in the presence of God. I felt like I was in that cliff to the rock with God walking by me and allowing me to see his backside. You know those experiences, those spiritual highs, but what comes after the spiritual high, right? You can't stay on top of the mountain forever, right? Well, at the end of the week, I was very fatigued.
16, 17 hour days, very fatigued. I normally get up at 4.45 in the morning to have my quiet time. And that Friday morning, I was rushed.
I rushed my quiet time. I rushed to my office at work and I was in the flesh all day. I fell, I fell in my walk.
I fell in my walk, I'll say that. Well, as I was driving home, I was praying. And I said, Lord, why did that happen? Why did I fail so miserably today after being in your presence so strongly throughout the week? How did that happen, Lord? And it was as if he spoke to me.
You know how he speaks to you in a quiet place in your heart and no one else speaks to you in a quiet place here? He spoke to me and he said so clearly, he said, you cannot face today, let alone this hour on yesterday's experience of me. You must seek and meet me every day. Then a text came to me in the Old Testament so vividly, I thought about the Israelites and the manna and how God ordered them not to store up the manna because what happened when they stored up the manna? Got worms in it, didn't it? And that voice came to me again.
And that voice told me, unless you seek me afresh every day, your Christian walk will have worms in it, worms in it. And that's the problem with a lot of preaching today, it's got worms in it.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The importance of turning eyes upon Jesus daily
- The danger of relying on past spiritual experiences
- The necessity of daily quiet time with God
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II
- Personal testimony of spiritual highs and subsequent failure
- The lesson learned from rushing devotion and falling in the flesh
- God’s personal communication about daily dependence
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III
- The Old Testament example of manna and the warning against storing it
- The metaphor of worms representing spiritual decay
- The call to seek God afresh every day to avoid spiritual worms
Key Quotes
“You cannot face today, let alone this hour on yesterday's experience of me.” — E.A. Johnston
“Unless you seek me afresh every day, your Christian walk will have worms in it, worms in it.” — E.A. Johnston
“If more Christians sat at his feet, less Christians would fall on their face.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Commit to spending daily quiet time with God to maintain spiritual vitality.
- Avoid relying on past spiritual experiences; seek God fresh every day.
- Recognize and address spiritual fatigue before it leads to failure.