Lengthen Your Cords and Strengthen Your Stakes — Don Wilkerson

This message is one of the Times Square pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge P .O. Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 or calling 214 -963 -8626.

None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends.

Isaiah 54 and the Call to Expand and Deepen

I want to talk to you tonight about, the title of my message tonight, Lengthen Your Chords and Strengthen Your Stakes. Lengthen your chords and strengthen your stakes. Isaiah chapter 54, it says, Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child.

Break forth into joyful shouting, and sing aloud, you who have not prevailed. For the sons of the desolate will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent.

Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings. Spare not, and there it is, lengthen your chords and strengthen your pegs. The King James says, stakes. And I'll use the King James there. Lengthen your chords and strengthen your stakes.

Let's bow in a word of prayer. Hallelujah. Lord, how, how we rejoice tonight in your presence. We thank you for the joy that there is in your people, in your house tonight. And Lord, we just continue and ask that you would continue to minister now through your word.

Bless your people. Bless your word. Let it, Lord, give us good soil tonight. Give us good soil. Let the word penetrate into our hearts. Lord, let it change us. We want people, Lord, in this church who will strengthen their stakes, that will put their pegs deep, deep into the ground, and will be firmly rooted.

Hallelujah. Lord, thank you that you're doing this in our church. Even as we lengthen our chords, you're taking us deeper, deeper in you. And Lord, speak to us through your word tonight, in Jesus' name.

The Church’s Numerical Growth and Spiritual Weakness

Amen. Over the past two decades or so, the church has never before in modern history been so big, in one sense, and yet been so little. The church has been on one hand strong, and yet on the other hand weak.

Its chords have been lengthened, but its stakes are weaker, or weakening. Never have we had so many people in the church, with so little of the church in the people. The spiritual growth of the body of Christ today has been appalling.

The Gallup poll, and every other major poll, says that evangelical and charismatic Christianity is growing. Every major news magazine and network over the last decade or so has covered major articles on the resurgence of born-again Christianity.

There was a time, if you told somebody that you were a born-again Christian, they'd look at you and wouldn't know what you were talking about. But now, the term born-again Christian is very, very familiar in our society, or the term fundamentalist.

Everybody puts the media, and the people that don't know the church movement, they put everybody in the same category, and they will call us fundamentalists, or born-again people. And yet, with all of this growth, and this front-page coverage of evangelicalism, something is wrong.

We've stretched the tent without driving in the stakes. David Maynes, who is a speaker on a program called Chapel in the Air, a radio program, was speaking recently at a conference of a gathering of what is called the National Association of Evangelicals.

He was the keynote speaker, and he said this, Some leaders say that we are in a great revival right now. If we are, I ask, where are the tears? What's happening to the intense spirit of conviction that always marks such things, or marks a revival?

Why are the converts coming in trickles instead of wave upon waves? How come all the marriage breakups, even among the clergy? He said we are not in revival, although we may be much closer to its possibility than we realize.

If there is a big church today, then I must say that it is a big baby. It lacks depth, it lacks roots, it lacks righteousness and holiness and spiritual maturity. There's probably one thing that's worse than an un-evangelizing church, and that is to have an evangelized people that are not rooted and grounded in the Word and whose stakes have not been driven into the ground.

I believe that if Peter or Paul were to come on the scene today and look at the current state of the church, they probably would have two words for it, among other things. Probably many other words, but two words among many other words.

I believe they would probably say to the church today, grow up. Peter said it in 1 Peter 2. Like newborn babes long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it ye may grow up into salvation, or up to salvation, grow up to salvation.

Paul said it this way, Ephesians 4 .15. But speaking the truth in love, he prayed that they might grow up unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Now I want you tonight to consider some important things.

The importance of growing up unto him in all things. And we're going to talk, I'm going to talk about the church at large, but we're going to bring it down to where you and I live. As I told you, the title of my message is Lengthen Your Chords and Strengthen Your Stakes.

But the subject matter has to do with understanding the process of Christian growth in yourself and in others. If there's one thing that encourages me and we as pastors, is to hear people say to us, I'm growing.

I'm growing in the Lord. I'm growing as I'm sitting unto the Word. My life is being changed. And you see, we want a church body that is enlarging its tense, but in the process, we're also driving in the stake.

I was thinking about this on Sunday as I sat here. I looked at our church and I thought how easy it would be for us as pastors to quickly enlarge our tent and to cause this church to grow faster numerically than it is.

Because if you put, all three of us, you put our heads together and we could come up with ideas, some that we may have used in the past and some that we've known with other people, we would know how to pack this place out every time.

I remember when I was in that position, I remember with embarrassment, I look back on the past when I would promote a meeting. I remember we used to brainstorm and we used to think, who can we get in?

We would spend half an hour talking about name people that we could get in. Somebody that would draw the crowd. Somebody that would help to fill up the event. We wanted to bring in a name rather than getting on our knees and calling upon the name of the Lord.

And I'm sure we could put our heads together and come up with ways we could stretch the tent as it were. A friend of mine recently came back from a third world country. He told me he went there to minister in a tent crusade.

A pastor there who had been trained by American missionaries. And he said the first night the pastor got up and he said, alright, we want you to go out and bring people in now. And he said, this is what we're going to do.

Whoever brings the most people this week, you're going to get $100. That's the first prize. The second prize is $50 and the third prize is $25. My friend said, he was sitting on the platform and put his head down.

He said, oh, what have I got myself into? Can you imagine, $100 in that third world country is a lot of money. Well, we're not going to give out $100 here, but you know there's a lot of crazy ideas. You can fill the house.

The Law of the Harvest and Mature Spiritual Fruit

We've been through that. We've been through that before. It's not enough just to stretch the tent. You've got to drive in the stakes. In that regard, the first thing, go with me to Mark chapter 4, verse 28.

This verse, the Lord seemed to jump out at me this week and it was the basis of this message. One of the first things that we need to understand about driving in the stake or understanding the need for spiritual growth is to understand the law of the harvest.

This verse came to me all week long. I had to pray and said, Lord, what are you trying to say to me through this? Mark 4, verse 28 in the King James says, For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

Now, the law of the harvest is the purpose or goal of the harvest and that is to see growth in the seed and to see the end result come about and that is to produce the full corn in the ear. And that is what God is looking for in a people and in a church.

The full corn in the ear. I believe that the New American Standard I like it better, what does it say? The New American Standard says the mature grain, the mature that's the point, that's the idea the mature grain in the ear.

Now, in this verse the earth speaks of the believer, the heart and as in natural laws so in spiritual laws you see the husbandman plans to reap he expects a harvest and the harvest is this first the blade which we might also call the stalk and then the ear or the head and after that the full corn in the ear or the full corn kernel and you see God expects to see in us the full corn in the ear that's what he's looking for the harvest is not just the blade it's not just the ear but it is the mature grain in the ear.

Paul told the church at Corinth that they were to be enriched. He said you're enriched in everything to all bountifulness and he goes on and he speaks about wanting to see in his people a harvest of righteousness.

Listen to what he says in 2 Corinthians 10 and 9 or 9 -10 it says now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

The harvest of righteousness. Oh that's the harvest that we want to see more than look out and see every seat filled. We want to look out and see every heart filled with righteousness. Norman Grubb said this when the divine owner takes possession of a property he has a two fold objective intense cultivation and abounding fruitfulness.

In other words God expects growth and progress and fruit from his plantings. And it's not an option. It's a commandment. Oh what fearful words what words of warning Jesus gave to his disciples if they did not grow and bear fruit.

There's probably no more encouraging word yet solemn word than what Jesus said in John 15. Listen to it. He said I am the vine ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth fruit.

That's an encouraging word he said for without me you can do nothing. But then he goes on and this is the part that's often never quoted never preached about. And it's the scary part it says if a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered.

And men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. The message to the church at large is very clear. The message to you and I is this grow or burn bear or burn bear fruit or be a cast away.

The owner of the vineyard expects progress and the maturing of his planting now. God does not expect us to be perfect but he does expect that we grow now. The tragedy of the planting is that many are blades that ought to be a full corn.

Excuse me many are blades who ought to be an ear and some are ears that should be full corn. But even worse than that is to discover that we have a church or a people today who do not even believe it's necessary to bear fruit.

I don't know if you know it or not but there is a controversy that's going on among certain evangelicals and fundamentalists. It's regarding this matter of whether Christians are required to bear fruit and walk in holiness.

A preacher by the name of John MacArthur has written a book in which he is calling Calvinist and fundamentalist into question over this issue of whether a Christian must walk holy or not. The book is entitled very simply the gospel according to Jesus Christ.

Now John MacArthur is anti charismatic. He's anti Pentecostal and he's wrong on that. But he's right about the gospel according to Jesus Christ. And this is a book that is shaking up many churches today many Calvinist many fundamentalist.

And let me just read to you an excerpt from what John MacArthur said. He said one segment of evangelicalism has even begun to propound the doctrine that conversion to Christ involves no spiritual commitment whatsoever.

Those who hold this view of the gospel teach that scriptures promise salvation to anyone who simply believes simply believes the facts about Christ and they claim to have eternal life. There need be no turning from sin no resulting change in lifestyle no commitment not even a willingness to yield to Christ lordship.

Those things they say amount to human works which corrupt grace and have nothing to do with faith. The fallout of such thinking is a deviant doctrine or a deficient doctrine of salvation. It is justification without sanctification and its impact on the church has been catastrophic.

The community of professing believers is populated with people who have bought into a system that encourages shallow and ineffective faith. Many sincerely believe that they are saved but are utterly barren in any verifying fruits in their lives.

He goes on. He said Jesus gives us this somber warning. And he quotes from Matthew. Not everyone who says to me lord lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.

That's the only qualification many will say to me on that day lord lord did we not prophesy in your name. And in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles. And then I will declare to them.

I never knew you depart from me. You who practice lawlessness. John MacArthur goes on. Pardon me for this quote. Long quote. He said. Clearly no past experience not even prophesying casting out demons or doing signs and wonders can be viewed as evidence of salvation apart from a life of obedience.

Contemporary Christians have been conditioned to believe that because they recited a prayer signed on a dotted line walked an aisle spoke in tongues were slain in the spirit or had some other experience that they are saved and should never question their salvation.

He said. I have attended evangelism seminars where counselors were taught to tell converts that any doubt about their salvation is satanic and should be dismissed. It is a widely held misconception that anyone who questions whether he's saved is challenging the integrity of God's Word.

What misguided thinking. That is because scripture encourages us to examine ourselves to determine if we are in the faith. Amen and unquote. And I say amen and amen again this is what this church teaches.

You know you know what I was thinking. You know what. Some of you have been saved from being saved. You've been saved from being saved that way. You've been saved from that kind of thinking and that kind of teaching that left you with a false peace and thinking that righteousness and holy living was not necessary.

And if it was necessary it was not obtainable. Now we are to be a people and a church that both lengthens our cord and strengthens our stakes. We are to grow outwardly as well as inwardly numerically as well as spiritually.

Growing from Spiritual Infancy to Maturity

Now the question that's important for you tonight is this to ask yourself am I growing spiritually. You see there are some who are still blades when they ought to be the full corn. Would Paul have to describe you or write to you as he did to the church of Corinth.

And he said. And I brethren could not speak to you as spiritual men but as to men of flesh as babes in Christ. And then he goes on to point the reason that they were still babes. He said for you're still in the flesh because there's jealousy and strife that are among you.

And that happened to be the particular problem in the Corinth church. There were petty divisions and differences and jealousies between them. And that may not may or may not be the reason that you are still a babe.

But whatever the reason if you're still a babe then the word of the Lord to you tonight is grow grow. Go on and grow up and drive in the stakes. I remember we were a family of five and you know there's one thing about being in a little larger family is that you get out of line.

Not only do your parents get after you but your brothers and sisters get after you. And I remember the line all the time was grow up. Behave yourself. Grow up. I won't tell you who told me that a lot of times.

Why didn't you grow up. But you know I've seen some behavior in churches not this church of course. But I've seen some behavior of people and there's something inside me wants to say and God helps me not to say it.

But there's something inside me wants to look at that and says why didn't you grow up. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 11 he says when I was a child I used to speak as a child think as a child, reason as a child.

But when I became a man I did away with childish things. Has God been speaking to you about putting away some childish things. You know we have three children and two of our three children had the hardest time getting rid of their security blanket.

And I remember with my son he he held on and that thing got so worn and tattered that my wife had to keep cutting it down and he kept getting smaller and smaller and finally he just gave it up. Well we had more difficulty with one of our other daughters and I won't say who she is but she's the one that has blonde hair and that you see more in this church than the other one and she just didn't want to give up.

She just didn't want to give up her security blanket. She slept with that and at one point my wife took it away from her and she made such a fuss that she fortunately she didn't throw it away in the garbage.

She hid it somewhere and she made such a fuss that she gave it back to her. And I tried in my own way. I tried to shame her and I said look at you. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You're just a big baby.

You still got that security blanket. You know what she did to me one day. My family is always after me because I buy two or three newspapers a day and always have newspapers. And I'm sitting there you know reading the newspaper one day.

And and she looks over at me. She says daddy. She said you know something. You got your own security blanket. I said what are you talking about. She said your newspaper. You got to have a newspaper all the time.

What are you going to do with a kid like that. A lot of Christians have security blankets. A lot of Christians have things that they hold on to childish things that they hold on to that they're not willing to get up, give up toys or whatever.

You know the problem of not growing up is this. You see if you're still on a milk diet it may be time to go on to meat and grow into the next stage of your spiritual growth. And it may mean putting away some childish things.

Hebrews 5 12 and 13 Paul said this. For though by this time you ought to be teachers. You have need again for somebody to teach you elementary principles of the oracles of God. And you have come to need milk and not solid food.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness. For he is a babe. And oh how accurately these words describe the church today. Not accustomed to the word of righteousness.

It means they know nothing of the teaching of righteousness. They know nothing about how to discern what is right and what is wrong. And the very first thing and sign of a growing Christian is that you begin to exercise discernment to recognize sin in yourself and in others.

Hebrews 5 14 says. But solid food strong meat is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. And you'll never grow until you're accustomed. And you receive the word of righteousness.

And you practice it. And you lay down sin and you lay down evil practices. That is first. That's fundamental. That's basic. That's where it begins. But you know there's some other things that the scripture gives us regarding this matter of our growth our Christian growth.

Four Characteristics of Spiritual Progress

You see once you know how to distinguish righteousness. And by the way some of you may have turned me off at this point and say well thank God he's not talking about me. He's not talking about me because I know how to distinguish between good and evil.

I love the word of righteousness. I love strong meat. I go to the Bible class. I buy all the tapes. I listen to them over and over again. But be careful. Be very careful. Luke 12 48 says. And from everyone who has been given much.

I like it when you are ahead of me. I like it when you know the word. Did you hear what you're saying to yourself. And from everyone who has been given much much shall be required him that knows how to quote the verse before the pastor is finished to whom they entrusted much of him they will ask all the more.

You see once you know how to distinguish between righteousness and unrighteousness and you're no longer practicing sin then God requires you to move on to the next stage of Christian growth. And that is what I believe is choosing between the better and the best from living for your wants to living for your needs.

Let me share with you just maybe three or four characteristics of spiritual progress in righteousness. For example here's one of them. Job says it. You will grow stronger. Job 17 9 he says. Nevertheless the righteous will hold to their ways.

And those with clean hands will grow stronger and stronger. Now please listen to me. I want you to get this. The first consideration of a newborn soul is choosing between darkness and light and between heaven and hell.

But the next stage of spiritual growth brings us to choosing between heaven and earth and between the better and the best. Psalms 84 7 puts it this way. They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.

You see if you're still fluctuating between good and evil between victory and defeat. And one week you're in victory and the next week you're in defeat. One week you're overcoming that sin. The next week it's overcoming you.

Then you are still a babe. But the scripture says this the righteous will hold to their ways. In other words if God has brought you to a certain point the righteous hold to that they hold. And they say I ain't going back.

They hold to their ways. And those with clean hands will grow stronger and stronger. Hallelujah. Now I'm not talking about sinless perfection. The strong may sin but they do not practice sin. And they do not make a practice of falling.

And they hold to their ways. Hallelujah. Secondly another characteristic of spiritual growth is that you will go from individualism to cooperation and involvement in the body of Christ. Listen to Psalms 92 and 12 it says the righteous will flourish like a palm tree.

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. You see the palm tree stands alone and it's a good characteristic. The palm tree is able to dig into adverse situations and stand when a storm comes it will blow and it will go like this but it will always come back up again.

And that's a good description. As a Christian we are to be a palm tree. But basically you see a palm tree it stands out there alone. But you see the cedar is different. The cedar tree grows in the forest and the tallest trees grow in cooperation with each other not by being loners or lone rangers or isolated from the body.

And that's why we say to you if you are a lone ranger then you're going to get yourself in trouble. You need the body of Christ. Don't just be a palm tree but ask God that you will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.

Hallelujah. And we want a whole church full of cedars of Lebanon. And then thirdly another characteristic of growth in righteousness is that more and more things will be brought into the light. Proverbs 4 18 says.

But the path of righteousness is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter and brighter until the day dawn. I had one fellow told me he said you know what God's doing with it. He said I feel like an onion and God peeled.

You know he peeled off the first layer and he said I thought that was it but then I realized that there was another layer under that and he kept peeling. And that's what a one who is growing in the Lord walks in the light brings more and more into the light.

You know I needed to share something with you and I really prayed and I had it in my notes back here in another page and I skipped it. But I guess I just feel that I should share a little personal testimony.

And here's the way I have it listed. I'll just tell you the way it is to trigger it in my mind it's called Wilkerson Car Problem. Wilkerson Car Problem. David has shared in a past message about how he liked automobiles and God dealt with him about automobiles.

Well he's not the only Wilkerson that had that problem. I think we inherited it from our father my mother she was here she'd say well you inherited it from your dad but I don't want to blame it on my dad.

I've been enough counseling to know you can't blame it on your parents so I have to take full responsibility for it. But David said he liked cars. Well I liked cars too and um and my father used to have what is called car fever.

And my mother would say when dad got car fever it meant that he was ready to trade his car that you know leave him alone. There's not a thing you can say about it. He's going to go he's going to get that car and we always dad always drove nice cars and so so did I.

And um my current car has 48 ,000 miles on it. That's the most I've ever driven a car in my life which is a testimony because every year I trade my car whether it needed it or not. It used to be a joke.

My wife would joke with me sometimes and said you know the windshield wipers aren't working and I'd say oh time to trade the car and I'd sell it to some of the other staff. When I was directing a teen challenge I remember I looked out on the parking lot one day and there were four of my cars in the parking lot.

One staff owned this one another staff owned that one. Another owned that one. I had one of my staff moved to Texas and he called me a few weeks ago. He said you know I was talking to my wife and we figured are you about ready to sell your car.

Because they always know they can get a good deal from me and I you know I justified and said well I'm blessing the staff. And you know every year I trade my car. Well you know the Lord dealt me with me about that and you know it's an error.

You might call it a childish thing or whatever just an error in my life that I have to be careful of. And in fact in the garage where I park my car there's another guy that has an Acura Honda and every time he pulls out I got to turn my back like this you know because that spirit comes on me and I wasn't going to share this tonight until I got my consumer's report in the mail today and it says on the front page how to make your car drive 150 ,000 miles.

I got to go home and read it tonight. But you see that was something that the Lord brought to light. And as you walk in the light he will bring more and more things to the light. Maybe things childish things or other things whatever it is.

But a characteristic of a growing Christian is that the light shines brighter and brighter. And when it does it puts a spotlight on you and you say God I'm willing I'm willing to deal with that. Fourthly your growth and righteousness will be apparent to others.

1 Timothy 4 15. Be diligent in these matters. Give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress. Everyone may see your progress. Okay let me go on. In this matter of spiritual growth it's important to learn how to react to others who are growing or not growing especially not growing.

Encouraging Believers at Different Stages of Growth

You see there are some of God's plants that are still babes or blades. They ought to be grown stalks or grown men. It's a problem not only of the Christian who is not growing as he or she should but it can be a problem in our attitude towards each other.

You see there are some who are babes by choice and others are babes by birth. And let me explain that. You see some Christians are babes because they refuse to grow or they're still holding on to some toy or some sin or some habit or whatever it is they refuse to grow.

They need instruction to be provoked to righteousness. But you see some people are babes because they are babes. They're babes because they've just been born. I remember counseling. Two young men came into my office one time to be counseled when I was directing Teen Challenge and I was in charge of discipline.

Two young men did exactly the same thing and I had another staff member with me and I remember the first young man I rebuked him. I came down hard on him. The next fella came in and I was completely the opposite.

I was compassionate. I encouraged him and when they left the staff member turned to me. He said I don't understand that. They both did the same thing. I said yeah. But one of them should have known better to whom much is given much is required.

The other was a babe. And you know in Mark 9 John said to Jesus there's somebody ministering and casting out demons and they don't belong to us and they're not doing it the way we're doing it. And we told them to stop and Jesus said don't hinder him for he who is not against me is for us.

And whosoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble it would be better for him if with a heavy millstone hung around his neck he had been cast into the sea. The point is this if you're strong you have a duty to the weak.

And we must understand that there are some who are babes by birth and they need our encouragement. Romans 14 1 says now except the one who is weak in faith but for the purpose of but not for the purpose of passing judgment on their opinions.

Romans 15 1 says now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Or here's another good one. 1 Thessalonians 5 14 says. And we urge you brethren admonish the ruling encourage the faint hearted help the weak and be patient with all men.

And the Lord showed me something this week. The Lord dealt with me about a certain situation and the Lord said to me that my tendency sometime with some people is that when they have a problem that I say to them fix it grow up fix it.

You got a problem fix it. When the Lord wanted to say to me no you help them fix it. You encourage them you go along beside them. My wife and I were in a restaurant this week and we looked over and there was a young couple that came in with a child and we looked over at them and we turned to each other at the very same time and looked at each other and said what happened to us.

How did we get so old so fast. I guess we were looking at that young couple and their child with envy. I guess in a way I don't know but I said how did we get to so old so fast. And I got to thinking about my age.

And I'm not the oldest pastor as you know on the staff. Let me put it this way. David is in the neighborhood of 50 but it's an old neighborhood and I'm in the neighborhood of 40 but it's an old neighborhood but you know there is.

I was thanking God for my age believe it or not. And I was thanking the Lord because you know there's one thing about being the age that I am is that I don't make some of the same dumb stupid mistakes that I used to make.