Christless Pentecost - Part 1 — David Wilkerson

Christ be glorified be glorified tonight. Amen. In Mark the fifth chapter Jesus demonstrated his power over death and the devil. You see him cast the legion of demons out of the Gadarene who'd lived among the tombs.

In the same chapter. He raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead. While the whole household of people laugh at him. He astonished the crowds men marveled his power. You see him in the fifth chapter.

Jesus’ Rejection in Nazareth

Spreading his fame far and near in the sixth chapter of Mark. We find Christ coming to his own country Nazareth to visit his own people. These are his friends his family his relatives and those who know him best.

But he came to his own and his own received him not. They were offended by him. The man who had just demonstrated all power over death and the devil could do no miracles in their midst and he marveled at their unbelief.

Christ was incredulous unbelief had tied his hands, but it was in Nazareth that Jesus spoke these very profound and prophetic words and here a Prophet has no honor in his own country among his own kin and in his own house.

He said that to Jews who all their lifetime had prayed and yearned for Messiah, but when he came they cast him aside. John the Baptist the prophet who baptized him later had doubts about him. His own brothers and sisters didn't believe in him.

God's chosen people became his greatest enemy and how true that scripture a man's foes will be they have his own household. And you know today we marvel at the blindness of these people. How could they not know the Son of God?

How could the Savior of mankind walk among the men of this world and be a stranger. But we're no different. The words of Christ were so prophetic. It's possible for Jesus to get less honor in his own house among his own people than anywhere in the world because the worst kind of rejection comes from those who are supposed to love us the most and Christ keeps coming to his own again and again and his own receiving not again and again.

Christless Worship Among Spirit-Filled People

And so it is at this present time. Because I believe that Christ often in all services walks as a stranger among us as soon as he walked among the Jews. Ignored and cast aside and all they used him. They brought to him.

They're sick and afflicted to be healed. They came for the loaves and the fishes. They brought their children to be blessed. They wanted their water turned to wine and then they discarded him. They put him to an open shame.

They killed him his own people did it and We're still putting Christ afresh to an open shame we still ignore him. We still discard him and I tell you that it's possible to gather thousands of spirit-filled people in one place.

Praising and lifting up their hands and still have Christ walking among us as a stranger. Now he said where two or three are gathered my name my name there am I in the midst? But he can be in our midst as a stranger ignored unrecognized even by those who say they meet in his name.

The Jews did the same they gathered every Sabbath in the synagogue. They spoke of his name. They prophesied of his coming. They praised the father who promised to send him they spoke his name with awe and reverence.

Then when he came when he walked among them, he was unrecognized. He was a stranger. Could it be possible that in the midst of a spiritual congregation Christ walks as a stranger to those who speak his name?

To those who worship the father who sent him a stranger to those who sing his hosanna and call him Lord Lord. Yes. Absolutely, and it's happening today. And let me share with you from my heart three three ways that We spiritual so-called spiritual people and I don't like the term it suggests that others are not.

How charismatic people often are guilty of making stranger of Christ in our midst. First of all, we make Christ a stranger by giving the Holy Spirit preeminence over him. Christ and Christ alone must be the center of all our life and our worship.

The Preeminence of Christ Over the Holy Spirit

This has been God's plan from the foundation of the world. He loved his own son that he gave him his fullness even before the foundation the world before we were ever created. That they may behold my glory.

He said which thou has given me Oh God for thou has loved thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. And he is the head of the body the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead.

That in all things he might have the preeminence. For I pleased the father that in him all fullness should dwell. That in all things Christ might have the preeminence. That Means he's distinguished and spoken of above all others having first place.

Did not even the Holy Ghost be exalted before his name because the Holy Ghost leads nowhere but to the cross. The upper room must never overshadow the cross. The Blessed Holy Spirit is not the Lord. He shows us the Lord.

He brings us to the Lord. And I believe he's desperately trying to get all Pentecostals back to the cross to the cross. When the Holy Spirit alone becomes the center of our attention the church gets out of focus.

You see the Holy Spirit did come down upon Christ in the baptismal waters. And he came as a dove in the dove said this is God's beloved Son in whom he is. Well, please hear you him. Now the attention was not on the dove, but the lamb.

The dove came to exalt the Lamb of God. Christ told his disciples that Pentecost was coming. The spirit would be outpoured but for a single purpose. To give power to men and women to witness to the resurrection and the atonement of Jesus Christ.

To give power to those who had witnessed to it. It was to be a power given to all who would lift up the name of Jesus and I resent power being Turned in any other way, but to give glory to Christ. Nothing else is power.

But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you. You shall be witnesses unto me to the uttermost parts of the world. And Jesus made it very clear when the spirit comes he will not draw attention to himself.

But he will focus on my words. He will exalt me. When he the spirit of truth is come, he shall not speak of himself. He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine. He will show it unto you all things that the Father hath are mine.

Therefore sigh to you that he shall take of mine and he will reveal it to you. He will show you my glory my power my kingdom. He will remind you of all my words. The primary work of the Holy Spirit is not fellowship.

It is not ecstasy. It's not to teach you an unlearned tongue. The spirit has come to exalt Christ to bring all mankind to the truth that Christ alone is Lord. Is not joy. It is not peace. It's not comfort is not truth.

Christ is the spirit guides us to him who is all-in-all. The spirit did not bleed and die. Christ did. Christ alone is the Redeemer. Christ alone is the advocate. If you tell me the Holy Ghost is your advocate you are wrong.

You're on scripture. Christ is the advocate and the Holy Ghost comes to make that real to the world. It's not enough to say that the spirit is bringing us closer to each other. He's got to bring us closer to Christ and we often speak of the Holy Ghost ten times to one over Christ.

We talk about a baptism above an atonement. Now there's nothing wrong in trying to get people quote baptized with the Holy Ghost. Well, you better understand what we're promoting. We are promoting Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit because a Baptism of the Holy Ghost is a baptism of the love of Jesus Christ.

It's a baptism of Christ fullness. That anybody who speaks with tongues Has got to know it's a gift simply to help us glorify Jesus all the more and if it's used any other way, it's wrong. It didn't come just to make us better buddies.

He sent the Holy Ghost to fire our souls over lost humanity. To get us out in the highways and hedges to the unsaved to shake up our lazy Lifestyles and get us back to doing his work. And I believe the Holy Spirit will withdraw even from charismatics the moment men tried to exalt me above the Son of God.

He will not permit his power to be abused by those who want only the gift and not Christ to give up. The Holy Ghost is given by Christ. He goes meeting. I refuse. We went to a Holy Ghost meeting tonight.

Is that where anybody speak with tongues? Is that where people are being simply healed or where saints are jumping for joy? Where the people are prophesying or more much more than that folks. It's where Christ is being exalted where his holiness is piercing the soul where many women fall before a holy throne of God and say Oh is me.

Sanctify me cleanse me. Oh Lord. The moving of the Holy Spirit as a moving closer to Christ, it's a deepening in Christ. It's a greater submission to his lordship. And if you're going to speak of the spirit you're going to say be exalted our Lord Jesus.

Prayer Rather Than Praise

Secondly Christ has made a stranger when people praise him, but will not pray to him. We praise a Christ to whom we will not pray. We pray to Christ we become a praising people, but not a praying people.

For many of God's people charismatic people included the prayer closets a relic of the past. Why ask God for what he's already given. Why ask God for what he's already promised. I hear it say just get a promise and claim it go after it.

We don't want Christ anymore. We want only what he offers us. We want to escape from pain and suffering. We want our troubles to vanish. We're so caught up in our escape from pain. We need the true meaning to cross.

This is a generation to refuse crosses and losses. We don't want Gethsemane, we don't want to sweat drops of blood. We don't want any nights of agony. They're suffering Jesus anymore. We don't know him first once confessed his sins now it confesses.

It's right. Davis would serve Jesus would love him and serve him if he offered us nothing, but himself. No healing no success. No prosperity. No worldly blessing. No miracles. No sighs. No wonders. What if once again we had to take joyfully the sporting of our goods?

Our house is bankrupt. What if instead of the clear sailing and problem-free living we so desire we face shipwreck fears within and fightings without. What if instead of painless living we suffer cruel mocking stoning bloodshed being sawn asunder?

What if instead of our beautiful homes and cars we had to wonder about in deserts and sheepskins hiding in can dens and caves? What if like Stephen we had to be stoned? And like James had to be killed like Paul shipwrecked.

And what if instead of prosperity? We were destitute afflicted and tormented and the only better thing offered for us was Christ. So the Lord himself said it's possible to do many mighty works in his name to cast out demons to heal the sick and still not Know him.

It doesn't matter how much you pray in the formula in the name of Jesus. Doesn't matter how many people you heal in his name. It matters not how many demons you can scatter in the thought of his name.

It matters not how many great things you accomplish in his name. What really matters is do you really know a few of God's people pray anymore? We're too busy working for Jesus to talk to him. Ministers especially and all this is the grief of my heart and my travels.

Ministers Too Busy to Pray

Ministers are becoming too busy to do kingdom business so busy doing kingdom work. There's no time left to pray. You see Christ come into the shadows. Standing outside the office door and he says to the pastor man of God.

Can I have an hour, please? Not now Lord. I've got a counseling session. I've got to try save a marriage. Again the spirit calls man of God and I have an hour with you. Not now Lord. I'm meeting with my architect and building committee for your new church will be busy till midnight.

Again the Lord calls what about tomorrow may I have even one day with you now? Not now Lord. I have no time. I'm leaving for South Africa for missions conference. Very soon Lord, not just now souls are dying.

I need it in Africa and oh there you have it. I had a minister tell me recently who has time to pray. A minister of a great church two weeks ago said David. I haven't prayed in two years. I rather one year.

I've had meditation. I've had devotion, but I haven't prayed and that's why I became a frustrated building contractor. We have time to visit to build to travel to vacation to attend meetings for recreation.

Reading counseling visitation, but no time to pray. Teachers who do not pray become promoters. When they lose touch with God, they lose touch with their people in their needs. Preachers who don't pray have egos that spin out of control.

They want their own way. They substitute sweat for unction. They get whipped up like a circus horse running in circles. Advances to do that pray become stars. Storytellers, they lack humility. So the manipulate the crowds to emotional gimmicks.

The preaching becomes a contradiction at the very center of their hearts. Preachers who don't pray don't even know what the times are saying. They preach the headlines, but they don't preach the mind of the Holy Ghost.

Preachers who do not pray have no power over the rulers of darkness. They don't even know that this battle is going on. They're on the sidelines playing with some earthly pet project. They're not in the Holy Ghost battle because only praying men touch God.

I'll tell you there'll be less and less clapping as I go on. Pastors have cried this. Oh, I've heard it all over the country. How many pastors cry this. Oh God. Where can I find an evangelist who doesn't care about money?

One who's not promoting something. One who can bring heaven down and make Christ real. Oh God, give me at least one man. One praying man to bring my congregation to its knees. God. Give us one evangelist be gated to keep the unction on anyone who doesn't pray.

The shame of this generation is that we have too many talented men and only a few who touch him. God in prayer. Praying in the congregation. Percent for getting prayers back in our public schools. 100

But that's not the problem. Not at all, that's not God's problem. His problem is to get prayer back in our homes. His problem is to get preachers to pray. To get Christians to pray. His own chosen people to pray and I say you're a phony.

You're a phony if you fight for school prayers and you neglect your secret closet of praying all over the country promoting it. But unless you have a dynamic prayer with Jesus Christ, it's nothing but sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

Making Time to Seek Christ

It means nothing. Do we pray. Oh, yes, we pray when we need something when and we've got this formula down pat in the name of Jesus. But all we seem to need Jesus for is to counter sign a petition check before the throne of God.

Just count us on a check in the name of Jesus. You know, I'm wearing appearing people say this is such a busy fast-paced generation. We don't have time to pray today. No, it's not a lack of time. It's a lack of desire.

You'll make time for what you really want to do. Look look at those Christian brothers on the racquetball court. Concentrating serious hours and hours on the racquetball court. There's a nobody's got a coke in hand and he's got sandwiches powder.

He's going to watch three hours of Cowboy time. These are the men who tell me they have no time to pray. She spends her time at Tupperware. She's got baby showers going. Tomorrow she goes shopping the afternoon.

She's got a see what's going to happen to Laura on TV. She tells me she has no time to pray. Young people in America wasting their time playing Pac-man Galaxy war goofing off board reckless looking for action.

Time to pray. Major, I want you to listen to it and I have the mind of God now. Instead of playing around and goofing off. If you would spend even one day seeking Christ in prayer out of the month. If it's been just one hour a day seeking the face of Jesus your life would become a powerful force for Christ.

He would begin to show you a dying world. He could even lay a nation on your heart. He could raise you up and make your life really count. He could take you out of this restlessness of this world. He could set your soul on fire and you know, he could use you but you don't pray.

You don't talk to him. How can he get through to you? Oh God somehow get this generation on its knees. Break it not just the Lord's Prayer, but a Holy Ghost communion. You say you have no time to pray yet the very Son of God who has the care of all the multiplied Universes he has the time to pray for you.

He takes the time to intercede before the throne of God. He prays you say you have no time. He does we're working so feverishly for Christ. We ignore in his name, but we will not pray. We'll sing in a choir, but we won't pray.

We'll visit the sick and the prisoners, but we won't pray. We will counsel to hurt me. We'll stay up all night to comfort a friend. We won't pray. We'll fight corruption, but we won't pray. We'll crusade for morality.

But we won't pray. We'll stand up against nuclear armaments, but we won't pray. We can sit here for two hours praising God. But we won't go home and pray. We'll attend crusades and seminars go from meeting to meeting lift our hands and sing and shout and praise the Lord.

But we don't pray. And probably because we don't believe it works. It's a bunch of words running out of our mouth. It's not just a bunch of words. I'm so chicken-tired of people just saying words. No wonder the devil is sapping the spiritual strength of this generation because prayers a bloody battleground.

Prayer as Spiritual Warfare

Prayer is a bloody battleground. It's where the victory is really won. It's where you die. You're part of the final conflict of the ages. Now God doesn't need prayer. You can't get God any more interested in us than he already is.

Don't have to extract God like he was some miser waiting for the highest bidder I'm willing to give than we are to receive. I think the perverted view of prayer. It's pagan. To think that we have to win something out of God.

Folks the only man who tried to wrestle with God for the rest of his life. We don't mess with God. We wrestle with the giant on ourselves. We wrestle with self. No wonder the devil fights you when you go to pray.

The Holy Ghost waits until the glamour is gone. He waits until the half-heartedness gone until the pride is gone. Until you quit demanding selfishly. Until you're ready to lay down that secret sin in your life.

And that's where our wrestling comes in. I believe God will talk. That the devil will throw hell at any man who says I'm going to pray and seek the face of God. The devil's not afraid of power hungry saints.

But he trembles at the sound of a praying saint woman has touched God. I believe the devil fears a praying man or woman more than all the religious activities in the world combined. And because we neglect prayer we we neglect his word.

Returning to the Word of God

We wear our Bible we wear our Bibles like a hat or a purse. It's a nice leather accessory to bring to the crusade. We wear it didn't need a parish church army of Psychiatrists and psychologists and family counselors.

We didn't need that. I'm not against it, but there was time we didn't need it. Because people were students of the Bible they had the sword in their hands and no demon or devil could withstand their power.

There was a time God's people had no tapes. No library of self-help books. No retreats. No specialized seminars. But they had the word hidden in their heart and the word was the lamp to their feet. Now we have all these special effects.

We've got the specialist and yet we've got more despair and depression and fear and anxiety than in all of history. Why. Because through our neglected prayer and the Word of God, we're lost we become spiritual sluggers.

Unwilling to go into the secret closet and dig out the solution. They got the truth. We want some teacher to hand it out and spoon it out to us. And if is if there's anything needed in the charismatic movement, but I didn't come here to set anybody straight.

I'm preaching to myself. These are things I've been dealing with me and I tell you we need a revival of Bible study honors to goodness. Bible study. Ten years ago. I had a millionaire friend who went bankrupt.

He lost his mansion and In a way, he got mad at me and I don't know why he began to talk about me. I lost touch with him for ten years two weeks ago. He showed up at my front porch. Big man put a bear hug around me said David.

I love you. I'm sorry. God has touched me. Oh, he was just filled with the Spirit of God and I said Who was the preacher and where was the revival? He said David no preacher. No revival three months ago.

I got so desperate. I'd lost everything God told me if I'd get into the word I'd find the answer for the past three months I've been nothing but reading the Word of God. God has restored my spirit and so I'm making all my wrongs, right?

Purity Over Spiritual Power

You're the last one I have to see it was through the Word of God. Thirdly Christ has made a stranger in our midst when we want his power more than his purity. We want his power. More than his purity was a friend of brother Ravenhill.

He was Englishman a director of the Pentecostal League of Prayer. And at one time he challenged the large congregation on this matter of purity and power. He said I want everybody that wants power to line up to my right and everybody that wants purity line up to my left.

They lined up ten to one for Peter told the council Jerusalem what God did at the house of Cornelius. He said God gave them the Holy Ghost even as he did to us killed by faith. Now Jesus died to break the power of sin and to deliver us from guilt and he wants to raise up a holy pure body.

He said who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify and himself a special people. Who is the man that has the power the sick and raise the dead? It's not the one who can best talk in tongues or prophesy.

It's not the one who draws the biggest crowds and builds the greatest church. No, it's the righteous man for the righteous or as bold as a lion. Who is it that has the boldness the scripture says enter the holy of holies?

Holiness and the Coming Purging of the Church

Only those whose bodies are washed with pure water having the heart sprinkled by the blood of Christ from an evil conscience. The prophet Malachi prophesied of a supernatural purging that's going to come to the house of God before Jesus comes now if you prophecy.

I Don't know much about prophecy, but I know Prophecy when I see it, I'm not called a prophecy preacher. But nothing could be clearer than this prophecy of Malachi that before Jesus comes there's going to be a general purging in the church.

He said the Lord whom you seek Shall suddenly come to his temple. Who can withstand the day of his coming? Who shall stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire like fuller soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.

He shall purify the sons of Levi. And purge them of silver and gold that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Now this is a dual prophecy speaking of both his first and second coming.

He's going to come again suddenly as a thief in the night. But before that happens the prophet said God is going to purify his church for the coming of the Lord. It's a church triumphing from material things this rich and increased with briefly blood.

Loving recreation minded consumed with sparks and politics and power but he coping. Filled with fear and anxiety satisfied only with health and happiness. My Bible said he's coming back for an overcoming church with that spot with that wrinkled one whose Affections are on things above and not on things of this world with clean hands and pure hearts people are looking for his coming.

People with the new Jerusalem state of mind a new Jerusalem state of mind. Please turn your tape over for the remainder of this message.