Outside Looking In — David Wilkerson

I said, are you glad to be in God's house, the Annex? Welcome, and the overflow rooms, wherever you are, in God's house this morning, we pray his blessing upon you. Go to the 15th chapter of Luke, if you will please, and leave that open on your lap.

We'll be referring to this, some passages in chapter 15 of Saint Luke, if you will please. My message this morning, outside looking in. Outside looking in. Lord, I thank you for who you are, and I thank you, Lord, that you hear the cry of men's hearts.

I thank you, Lord, that we can touch you, that you're touched with the feelings of our infirmities. But, Lord, we thank you more than anything else for the promises you've made us. Incredible promise.

Exceeding great and precious promises, the Apostle said. Exceeding great and precious promises, whereby we're made partakers of your divine nature. Lord, I thank you for your living word. We are thrilled by your word.

Lord, we're not sermon tasters. We come here to this house to learn of you. So that we can be of better service to you, so we get to know your heart. So that we can walk in the light of the gospel. That we can walk in the fullness of blessing of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray a special anointing on the word you prepared for us this morning. Let it flow from my innermost being. Let it flow as a river of living water, I pray. And Lord, as you've watered my soul with it, water the hearts and souls of those who hear it.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Outside looking in. In the 15th chapter of Luke, beginning of the 11th verse, you'll find one of the most preached about parables in the gospel. And that's the parable of the prodigal son.

The Prodigal Son Returns to the Father

Now, let me, instead of reading it all, just let me recap it for you, if you will, please. You're very familiar with it. Thousands upon thousands of sermons have been preached on this over the past many, many years.

I've preached about it many times. And one of the best known parables of all. A very wealthy man had two sons, remember. And one of them wanted his inheritance before his father died. And he said, Father, I want my money now.

And the loving father gives him his inheritance. And he takes off, the Bible said, to a far country. And according to scripture, he wasted all. He wasted on harlots. He wasted on riotous living. And as human nature is capable of, when you don't have any money, you don't have any friends.

Especially when you're in the world. And he runs out of money. He runs out of friends. And he runs out of a job. And he is left destitute. And in his destitution, he offers himself to hire at a pig farm.

And he is hired to feed the pigs. And he is so hungry, he would eat the very food he's feeding to the swine. And in that destitute condition, he remembers his father's house. And the Bible says he came to himself.

He woke up to his condition and remembered his father's house. And he says, I'll return. There's plenty in my father's house. And he sets out to his father's house, remember. And his father sees him a far off distance.

And he comes running to him. And without blaming him, without any conditions whatsoever, he's freely forgiven. His father falls on his neck, kisses him, welcomes him home. He puts a ring on his finger.

He puts a new robe on his back. And he puts new shoes on his feet. And then he instructs one of his servants to go and kill one of the fatted calves. And he said, we're going to have a feast. And so they go to feast.

He gathers the friends. Now, these evidently were good friends, the ones he fled from with his money to go to a far country. And he brings in a band or an orchestra. And they have music. And they have dancing.

And there's a great celebration, very festive occasion. The elder son comes in from the field. He's been working hard. Very faithful brother. And he hears the music. He hears the dancing. And he hears the festivities.

And he asks one of the servants, what's going on? What's happening? And one of the servants said, your wayward brother has come home. And your father's welcomed him. And they're having a party. They're celebrating.

And so this elder brother goes and looks in the window. He's outside looking in. His father sees him. And the Bible says his father came out. This is the second time the father came out. He came out first to meet his younger brother.

He comes there and freely forgives him. And the Bible said he comes out now to entreat the elder son. Because there's a seething anger in this elder brother's heart. He looks in and the father sees that look of despair.

And he comes out and entreats him. And says, come in and be glad. Your brother was lost and he's been found. Come and be glad with us. Paraphrase, let me tell you what the brother said. He said, no way.

Never. There was an anger seething in him. He said, this, my brother, takes his inheritance. You haven't even passed away. He isn't legally worthy of it. And he goes and wastes it on harlots. And he runs out of money.

And he comes back and he's wanting more money is what he wants. He's shamed our family. He's lived in sin. And he comes home and you just want me to forget it? I'm not going in. There's no party for me.

He said, you bring him back and you just freely forgive him. Then he says, and I paraphrase it again. Now look, Father, I've been faithful to you for many years. I've never hurt you. I have never wondered from you.

Everything you've commanded me to do, everything you've asked of me, I have done it. And I've never complained about it. But never once, Father, have you ever killed a fatted calf for me? Not once have you embraced me like you're embracing him.

Not once have you called my friends. You've never put in an orchestra for me. There's been no dancing. There's been no party for me. There's been no feast for me after all these years. You've given me nothing.

You haven't done anything for me. And here he comes and they're singing, they're dancing. Look at it. I'm amused. What I read in my commentaries and how scholars refer to this elder brother as a hypocrite.

And just some of the things this past week I've read that they said of him. They called him an insensitive hypocrite. He labored for his father out of duty and not love. And they call him a proud, jealous brother, evil-minded, lacking compassion.

But I beg to differ. I beg to differ. This brother, the Bible said, was faithful. He was obedient. He never hurt his father. Now those words in the Bible describe faithfulness. This older brother was very, very faithful.

And I know why he was angry. He was outside looking in. And he's seeing something he wanted all his life and couldn't obtain. Really, this putting down of his brother was just a screen to cover up the real hurt.

There was something very deep in him that was hurt and wounded. Because, you see, he never knew his father. He never knew his love. It was there, but he never really appropriated. Never knocked on the door.

Never asked for anything. He represents the Christians and says, Well, I just don't really need too much from the Lord. I just want to, you know, kind of bask in who my father is. I really don't want to put any pressure on him.

I don't want to ask anything. And he takes that as humility because he doesn't ask much. What does he see from outside looking in that wounds him and hurts him and angers him so much? His brother is getting everything he longed for.

Everything. Unmerited forgiveness. Unmerited love. He never knew what it was to have his heart dance. He never heard the music of what it means to be absolutely forgiven. Come to the Father and just say, I'm sorry, Father.

And be forgiven and be given a robe of righteousness and a ring on his finger and a party. Never knew it. You see, he labored there all the time for his father without knowing his heart. Without knowing what his father wanted to give him.

And this father could say to the boy, yes, you say, son, that I've never given you a feast. I've never killed a fatted calf. But look out in those hills now. Look at all the thousands of calves. Look at all the cattle.

Look at the donkeys. Look at the camels. Look at my wealth. I have told you and told you. It's all yours. You've been with me all this time. And I'm telling you, everything I have is yours. You've never asked.

You've never come to thrill my heart by asking. You can measure your faith by the magnitude of your request. You have never asked me anything that would challenge your faith. Many of us have such a small God because we have such small requests.

You have made God so small because you couldn't believe that God would answer the great desire of your heart. He said, ask. Largely, your joy may be fulfilled. You've never asked. He's saying to him, he's looking in the window and he says, I've never felt loved.

I've never thought my father was proud of me. I've been so faithful and tried so hard and been so obedient. But I don't enjoy acceptance and forgiveness. Oh, there are multitudes of Christians today who've been so faithful.

They work. They fast. They pray. But they have never entered in to the joy of the father's unmerited love and forgiveness, the forgiveness of Christ. They don't understand it. They always live in guilt and fear and condemnation.

They never enjoy themselves because there's always this fear of the wrath of God upon them. I've known this anger. I've been there. I've watched over the years. Nikki Cruz, gang leader, come in and get saved.

Notorious prostitutes that come in and throw their fur coat in my desk. And we take him in. And derelicts and drug addicts and pushers and murderers. And I've seen them come in. And boy, within two weeks after they saved, they are dancing in our chapel with joy.

And they're getting revelations of Jesus. And I've never heard of. I'm saying, Lord, it's not fair. And I fast. And I pray. And I don't see it. And that's what this guy said. He walks in here. He's got joy.

He's dancing. I've been saved all these years and faithful, and I've never had that. I've never had a party. I'm going to tell you to your face right now, some of you need a Holy Ghost party. Hallelujah.

Faithful Christians Outside the Joy of Forgiveness

I've seen pastors have labored faithfully with little churches and medium-sized churches. I get letters from all over the United States. And they're faithful. They're praying men. They're good men. And after 20 years, hardly anybody is being saved, even though they pray.

And they have so much. They're being tested and tried. A young man comes in down the road somewhere, just been saved from drugs. Suddenly, he's got a thousand people. And then he's outside looking in, and he said, Oh, God, why'd you pass me by?

I was faithful. I've seen it over and over again. Come on, folks. You be honest now. Have you ever gone to the Lord in, I mean, utter honesty and said, Lord, I'm not happy. I'm not very happy. I don't have the joy like I see others.

Everybody around me looks like they're so together. They have such knowledge of you. They are. I have been in the church. I've been faithful. And sometimes I can't even remember what the pastor preached last week.

I don't feel like I'm growing. I don't feel like I know you like I should. And I honestly have to tell you, Lord, that I don't have the joy and victory in my soul. I'm forgiven. I know that. But something's missing.

I sometimes feel so dumb. I feel so spiritually stupid where everybody around me has such spiritual knowledge. Oh, come on now. There are times I wonder if I'm doing anything for the Lord. Lord, I want to enjoy you.

I want peace. I want joy. I want fulfillment. I want fullness. I see others have it. Why not me? This father reaches out to his eldest son. And he said, son, you have always been with me. Look at verse 31.

I want you to see it in red because Jesus said it. Jesus is the one talking here. And he said unto him, son, now whatever with me, say it out loud if you have King James. And all that I have is thine.

Again, all that I have is thine. Who's he talking about? This is our Lord, our heavenly father. And we are, most of us are the eldest son. Look, I've never used drugs. I've never had a cigarette in my mouth.

I've never been with a prostitute. My wife said, thank God. Oh, folks, I've got a whole catalog of things I never did. I remember one time my son, one of my sons come and he said, dad, you know, I hear Nikki and all these drug addicts and everybody clapping their hands and praising the Lord.

I need to go out and get a testimony. See, I've never done those things. I don't know the dregs of sin. All I've known all my life since I was called to preach at eight years of age, I don't remember a day that my heart wasn't for the Lord.

In my lifetime, I don't remember a day that my heart didn't reach out to him. Even in my childhood, I don't remember a day. But you see, there's a loving rebuke and a challenge of the father in this response.

It's a rebuke and a challenge. In other words, he's saying it was there all the time. Everything that I have is yours. You see, which is the worst sin? Misappropriating the wealth of the father and all that belongs to us.

Misappropriating it like the prodigal or not appropriating it at all because of ignorance or sloth. Most of us never appropriate the riches of God in Christ Jesus because we are ignorant of it. It's not because we're lazy.

It's because we hear it and it doesn't register with us and we are not appropriating it by faith. It's there. Everything that God has has been entrusted to Christ. You see, there's another brother. He's my brother.

That's Jesus Christ, the Lord. He's the only begotten son. We are adopted. He gave all of his riches to his own son, the only begotten. That was his own, so to speak, flesh and blood. And he gave it to his own.

We were adopted and as we were adopted, the father made us heirs and joint heirs with his son Jesus. So that everything God gave to Jesus, he has given to us. Everything that is in Christ is ours. His peace, his joy.

You can have the Mercedes. You can have the estate. You can have the bonds and stocks. You can have all of that because those are not the riches referred to here. That's not the wealth. None of that brings satisfaction.

You say, well, try me. Well, there's enough testimonies in the world to tell you that those who have all these things have not found the true riches. They are only in Christ Jesus. And let me tell you the two greatest riches of all.

The two greatest riches is peace with God and joy in the Holy Ghost. Peace with God and joy in the Holy Ghost. You give me those two things and you can have the whole world, except my wife and kids and grandkids.

Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou has laid up for them that fear thee, which you have wrought for those that trust in thee before the sons of man. Again, how great is thy goodness or thy wealth, which you have laid up for them that fear thee.

That word laid up actually means hoarded. God said, I've hoarded up all of these, all of this wealth. And I want to tell you something. Our heavenly father is not a miser. Did you hear me? He's not covetous.

He did not build up all of this wealth. He did not hoard this wealth for his own use. Saying to this other brother, all of this time, look at all this, all this, all that, everything I've ever done all my life.

I'm not trying to build a nest egg. This is not for me. It's for you. Understand that. Everything that God did in sending Jesus, all the riches of God that have been placed in him are for us. They were not even for Christ himself.

He said, this is for you. It is all for you. It's all for me. No, we live so far beneath our privileges and the promises of God. And the father said, all of this is yours. You know what this is? This elder brother's thing.

Yeah, it's mine after you die. It's legally not mine till you die. And the father saying, no, it is here now. Folks, I'll tell you something. I don't want. I thank God for heaven and I'm going to be in heaven.

I want my heaven now. I want everything Jesus said is mine. I want it now. I want heaven to go to heaven in. I want power with God so I can drive the devil out of my house, my life. I want the power of the Holy Ghost.

Jesus said, all things are yours. Paul the apostle said, all things are yours. All things that are in Christ are mine. Victory, power, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. I want it all now. I want it now. I don't wait to get to heaven to have peace.

We sing it beyond the Jordan. Someday all will be glory then. And so we live in such spiritual poverty like this young man perhaps went right back in the fields and never did take advantage of it. I wonder if he ever did have a feast.

I wonder if he ever did take his father's challenge. It's all yours. Claim it. Now, folks, the people who preach the name and claim it had an idea. They just had the wrong emphasis. They were emphasizing material things.

The Bible says you name it and you claim it in the spirit and it's yours. Want a feast. I want my heart to dance. And I want to tell you something. If we really laid hold of what God said, you would not come dragging into Times Square Church on Sunday morning or any other time trying to have somebody pick you up.

You would have been in a secret closet saying, Lord, you said it's mine. I'm not going to church until I have joy, until I have peace and confidence that my God is not mad at me, that I'm under the blood, that the blood of Jesus Christ, one of the greatest riches of all, is mine.

I will not let my flesh condemn me. I will not let the devil condemn me. I'm going to the house of God with a shout and the joy of the Holy Ghost in my soul. I'm going to look in the mirror at my long face and dance in the Holy Ghost.

I want a feast. You can live with fear and guilt and condemnation all you want. I say no. My father said everything that is in Jesus is mine. I want it now. I want it right now. I want it. I want every promise in the book.

If I doubt one promise, it means I doubt them all. Because under the law, if you failed at one point in the law, you failed at all. If you don't believe every promise is yours, you can't believe one of them is yours.

I believe them all and I want them all. How long are you going to stand out there looking in? I'll tell you what. If we would walk in to the feast and say, Lord, I'm not going to let... The Bible says that the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

There's a war raging sometime when evil thoughts are injected by the enemy. And the devil does that to make you feel unworthy and cheated. And that you're not worthy to come into that room and have the dancing and the rejoicing and the Lord trying to rob you.

But my Bible says the Holy Ghost in you is stronger, is stronger, is greater than all of those arguments of the flesh. I will not let the flesh rob me of my inheritance. It's mine now. Glory to God. Rise above it now.

And if we would lay hold of the promises of God, we would come into this church every time and there would be such a joy and there would be such a shout. Listen, there should be such joy in this house.

There should be such praise and worship that everyone comes in are swept away. There should be such a sound of overcoming joy in the Holy Ghost. There should be such a feast here. There should be a Holy Ghost party that everybody walks in the door and says, wow, what's going on here?

There's something different here. These people believe what the Bible says. These people are walking in the promises. Years ago when the Jesus movement broke out, I was in California. And I wanted to know what's going on.

They were having these great big, you know, where they would sing like they had up in upstate New York, Woodstock. They had these all over the country. And I told you I got a motorcycle, a leather jacket and helmet and I'd go to those festivals as a spy to see what those kids were into.

And I would go into medical tents and pray and minister to a lot of kids. But then the Jesus revival broke out. And in Southern California, a group of these drug addicted kids really got saved. And they put a big tent right in Anaheim.

They put up a big tent. And I'd go over the tent because thousands of kids were coming in. They had baptismal services in the ocean. And hundreds of kids all over the beach getting baptized. But folks, the thing that was so exciting, you couldn't believe the music, the sound.

There was such a sound of joy. And I'd go over to that tent. They had a group called Love Song. Just a bunch of converted drug addicts with the guitars and singing the praises of God. But even before the preaching, they were getting saved left and right because they had claimed their inheritance.

These kids, there was no deep doctrine. There was nothing else but a love for Jesus. And they knew their sins were forgiven. They were walking in the glory of it and at peace. They would hold hands with one another all over it.

The love of God filled that house everywhere. And I would sit in the back and say, oh God, that's what I want. I'm outside looking in. And that's the way it ought to be in this house. There should never be a time you come in here without bringing your joy with you.

And I've come to a place in my life. I said, Lord, my years are numbered now. And I'm not going to spend my time in the agony of fear. Because fear has torment. I want to enjoy Jesus. I want to enjoy my relationship.

I want to enjoy my walk in the Holy Ghost. You say, all right, Brother Dave, I'm with you. All I have is yours, he said, and I want it. How do I get it? How do I get this into my heart? Turn to Matthew 7, 7, please.

Asking, Seeking, and Knocking for the Father's Gifts

Matthew 7th chapter. Starting to read in verse 7, chapter 7. This is how you get it. It's yours. So what do you do? Ask, it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.

For everyone, how many? Everyone that asketh, receiveth. And he that seeketh, findeth. And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. For what man is there of you, whom if his son asked bread, would he give him a stone?

If he asked a fish, would he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children. Read it. How much more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give? What good things to them that ask it?

What are those good things? The older son said, you gave me no fatted calf. His father was not a tightwad. His father could say, look over those hills, and that is yours. But you've never asked. The Bible says, Jesus said, verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Up to now, you've asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy might be fulfilled. I used to think when it says, up to now, you've asked nothing in my name, that up to then they had not used the name of Jesus.

But what the Lord is really saying, you really never asked me anything worthy of me. You've never asked anything large enough, that needed faith of such magnitude, that would bless and honor me. You see, God is honored when we ask largely.

God is, the larger you ask of His blessing, of fullness. And I go to the Lord and pray, I want to know you like I've never known you before. I want to know you, I want to sense your presence in my life as never before.

I want a revelation of your word, I want to go deeper than I've ever been. I don't want to be just to my ankles. You said there are waters to swim in, and I want to swim. I want it. You have to ask for it.

Ask, and you shall receive. Keep knocking, and that is prayer. That is the seeking of God in prayer. Lately, I don't think you'd want to be around when I'm praying. You'd want to rush in to see if I'd lost my mind or something.

You would hear a shout at the top of my voice, screaming. Not in anger, but in joy, crying out, God, I see it. I see it, and I'm asking for it right now. I'm asking for the joy of the Lord like I've ever known.

I want the joy of God, now with the peace of God, every waking hour, every day of the week, all year long. I want it. Even in my trials. Even if there's death. Whatever there is that I go through, I want joy in the morning.

I want confidence in you. I want everything that is in Jesus that's been promised to me, I want it. I claim it. They said, now, after you've asked, you need patience that you may receive it. He said, well, I've asked over and over again, but I still haven't received.

Seeking the Kingdom Rather Than Material Blessings

In closing, let me give you quickly three things that have to happen. First of all, he said, ask and seek and you shall find. But what are we told to seek? He said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then all these things shall be added unto you.

He said, don't focus on your own needs. Don't focus on these things. He said, that's Gentile faith. The Gentiles asked that, but he said, you're the New Jerusalem type. And he said, you just seek my kingdom.

You seek my kingdom. Paul wrote, for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. In other words, it's not physical things, but it's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. He said, seek my kingdom.

What is his kingdom? The kingdom of God, Romans 14, 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. He said, if you will seek righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, the true riches that are in Christ Jesus, you just go your way.

I'll take care of all these things. I'll take care of your kids. I'll take care of your finances, all these things. I know what you need. I'll take care of it. I'll fix your messes. I'll do everything out there.

You just focus on what is great, my riches. You go after my riches. I'll take care of it. Folks, I hardly ever mention finances, and we need, this ministry requires millions of dollars. Not just this, but the World Childless Ministries, millions of dollars.

But I don't pray about that much anymore, hardly mention it. Because I've seen that if I just focus on His righteousness in me, understanding it and being hold of it and appropriating it and seeking His peace and praying for it, believing for it, and the joy of the Holy Ghost.

I've seen Him move in supernatural ways like I've never seen it in my whole lifetime. It's a wonderful way to walk. Secondly, lust in the heart hinders all prayer. And if you have a war raging, if God has a controversy with you because of some besetting sin that has not been forsaken, you can forget trying to obtain His riches or appropriate anything.

Scripture said you have not because you ask not. And when you do ask, you don't receive it because you ask amiss or in error that you may consume it upon your own lust. He's talking about a believer who has a lust problem raging in his heart.

And he goes to the Lord and says, Oh God, I want peace, I want Your joy. And they don't get it because he won't give it to a heart that is unrepentant. He won't give it to a heart. Now, I'm telling you, if you have a sin in your life, you have a raging battle.

The Bible said there's a battle inside, the conscience is at war and you're at war with this sin. There's no peace. You're afraid of exposure. Folks, those who live in sin live in terror. There's a terror to it.

And then there are many people go, like the Scripture says in the Old Testament, the man says, I have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart. That's a false peace. If you want the peace that passes all understanding, if you really want the true riches of God, you will come to Jesus and say, Lord, I don't want this sin in my life.

And I'll tell you, you'll find all the mercy and grace that you ever need. The Lord is there. You pray the Holy Ghost come and through the power of the Holy Ghost give you dominion that he will mortify everything in the flesh that is unlike Jesus so that you can clear the deck, so that you can come to the house of God with a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man.

And then you lay hold of the riches of God. There'll be peace like a river. Oh, there's such peace that the Lord has in store for you if you just lay your sin down and come to the Holy Ghost for power.

Faith That Appropriates God's Promises

Finally, nothing can be appropriated without faith. Would you go in closing to James, the first chapter of James? If you get to Hebrews, go one more chapter and one more book. Right after Hebrews for our new converts.

James, the first chapter. We're going to close in just a minute. Starting at verse five. If any of you lack wisdom, chapter one of James, verse five. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that give it to all men liberally and upbraideth not it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. But let not that man think that he shall receive what? Anything from the Lord. Absolutely nothing can be received without faith that is unwavering.

That means that every question has been settled. I've gone to the word of God. I see it. I accept it. There are no ifs, ands, and buts. That is mine. I lay hold of it in Jesus name. And I'll wait patiently till it happens in my life.

And folks, the peace of God doesn't come like a thunderbolt. The joy of the Holy Ghost doesn't. Well, sometimes it can hit you like a thunderbolt. But these things just automatically begin to express themselves in our lives.

You just, you wake up one day and say, I have peace. And though you may not be, folks, I'm not talking about doing a jitterbug and saying, hey, I've got joy. I like to see a lot of people dancing are miserable.

It's the heart. The heart dances. There's something there that says all is well with my soul. And there is a joy because you know God's taken everything out of your hands and he's got everything under control.

You don't have to worry about anything. Glory be to God. But ask in faith. Last scripture. And I want you to stand. Get Romans 4. Turn to Romans 4 and then stand up, please. Verse 20. Twenty two. He staggered.

Speaking of Abraham, he staggered not at the promise of God through one belief. But was what? Strong in faith, giving glory to God. Folks, just believe and praise him until it happens. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform.

Therefore, it was imputed or given him credit is what it is. The credit was given to him for righteousness. Therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now, it was not written for his sake alone, but it was that it was imputed to him.

But for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses were raised again for our justifications. Look at me now.