Shrinking From Doing God's Will.
The sermon emphasizes the importance of living up to the spirit life and co-operating with the Holy Spirit to overcome defeat and do God's will.
Watchman Nee emphasizes the importance of not shrinking from God's will, explaining that hesitation can lead to spiritual defeat and a lack of divine power in our lives. He illustrates how the enemy seeks to dull our conscience and provide excuses that keep us from fulfilling God's desires. By living fully in the spirit and cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we can experience God's power to accomplish His will. Nee uses examples from Jesus' life to demonstrate how He remained committed to God's will despite external pressures and personal relationships. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to act decisively in obedience to God to unlock His power in their lives.
Text
When you find yourself defeated, you may ask what is the meaning of the interference of the enemy? Why cannot the stream of the power of God go on? You think it is this and that, and deal with it, but there is no change. Then, after asking God for light, you discover that you were shrinking from what you know you ought to do. How can the Holy Spirit work when you thus cease from co-operation? A little hesitation will push you below the point. Then you say, "Lord, I am going to do what Thou dost desire!" Then the power of God comes in, and all goes well.
The enemy will endeavour to hide from you the fact that you are in a lower plane, by dulling the conscience and giving all sorts of excuses to account for what is going on, until you are in such a state as to be almost powerless. Then he inflicts his suffering, and you have the greatest difficulty in getting on your feet again. Live up to the hilt of the spirit life to which God has brought you, then you will have the power of God to do the will of God at the highest point God seeks from you.
See a few more examples of how Christ walked in the will of God:
John iv. 34 shows the Spirit of God guiding the Lord at the well, when, in answer to the disciples who were anxiously inquiring about His food, He said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me..." In John vii. 3, 6, His brethren said to Him, "Depart from hence...Jesus saith to them, My time is not yet come, but your time is alway ready." Here is the restraining power of the Spirit, so that He is not moved by His brethren.
Again in John xi. 5, 6, we read, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When He had heard therefore that he was sick He abode two days still in the same place where he was." His were spiritual bonds. It was God's will first. Though misjudged by those He loved, He did not move. How did He know God's will? He was never moved from outside; never moved by a family taunt, by sarcasm and unbelief; never moved even by the calls of love. He was in spiritual bonds to do God's will.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Problem of Defeat
- A. The interference of the enemy
- B. The stream of God's power hindered
- II. The Cause of Defeat
- A. Shrinking from doing God's will
- B. Ceasing from co-operation with the Holy Spirit
- III. The Consequences of Defeat
- A. Being in a lower plane
- B. Dulling of conscience and excuses
- IV. The Solution to Defeat
- A. Living up to the spirit life
- B. Having the power of God to do God's will
Key Quotes
“My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me...” — Watchman Nee
“My time is not yet come, but your time is alway ready.” — Watchman Nee
“He was in spiritual bonds to do God's will.” — Watchman Nee
Application Points
- We must be willing to co-operate with the Holy Spirit to overcome defeat and do God's will.
- Living up to the spirit life gives us the power of God to do God's will and helps us to overcome defeat.
- We must not be moved by external factors, but rather be in spiritual bonds to God to know His will.