Jacob Generation - Slovakia Conference 2003 (Slovakian/english) — Gary Wilkerson

It is a joy that we can be with you this morning. We will pray to the Lord that He will finish the work in us that He started last night. It was so beautiful to see the great answer to God's calling and God's love last night.

How many of you were strongly beseeched last night? Amen. Say Amen. How many of you came this morning to be beseeched? How many of you are hungry for more of Jesus? And we will talk about it this morning.

The One-Thing Generation That Seeks God’s Face

Let's open the Bible to Psalm 24. We want to talk about Jacob's generation. Jacob's generation is a generation of one thing. It is a group of men and women who are totally devoted to Jesus Christ, who have no other agenda, who have no other desire, who have no other passion except Jesus Christ.

And to make Jesus become everything in their lives. Psalm 24. I am reading from verse 3. Who will go up to the Lord and who will stand in the place of his holiness? He who is of innocent hands and of a pure heart, who did not lift up his soul to vainness and did not swear falsely, he shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This is a generation of those who ask about Him, a generation of those who seek your face, God as God. If you want to be a man or a woman of God, who seeks God's face, and you want to be a part of this Jacob's generation, I ask you now to pray and ask God to anoint this message.

And anoint our ears to hear that our lives might be changed. Let's pray. Jesus, we ask you to come in power. We know we are nothing without you, but we are hungry and we are hoping for you. Our soul, our life for the living God, consuming fire, come and speak to us today.

Make us a people who have one heart, one mind, undivided, single, passionate for Jesus Christ. One thing generation. Bless these words. Let these words come from heaven. In the name of Jesus. Everybody say together Amen.

I myself am hungry to be a part of this generation. A generation that is not looking for success or popularity, but a group of servants who are not looking for anything other than Jesus Christ. And the fruit that comes from the knowledge of Him.

Many, many years ago, young men who were called to the service, when they were called to the service, they had this passion, this desire. And they repeated the words of Paul, how I would like to know Him.

That was one calling, to know Him. This morning you are hungry to know Him. Is it a calling of your soul? Does that stir you?

Is there something inside of you?

Is there a constant growing thirst and thirst for Him? But something happened in the church. People got distracted. Their attention was distracted. Servants were forced to look for something else to make a living.

They could no longer say, all my roots are in you, Lord. But instead, success became their source of joy. And that source of joy became power, or praise, or respect from people. They had the desire in their hearts to establish the kingdom, but their ambition got in the way.

So they worked hard. They began to strive in the flesh. They began to establish human goals. They created their own agendas, plans to do things. And they began to eat and move without the Spirit of God.

I was so tired in the last 10 or 15 years when it was only the outside that was happening. And I was so devoted and so led by success. And now I'm not talking about God's success, but I'm talking about world success.

About how big your church will be. That we are able to build a new building. How many people come to the meeting. But God invites new servants. A young minister. An old minister. Returning to the former desires.

Returning home to the heart of the service. Retiring from the hype. Retiring from the things that are not fulfilling. Retiring from the tradition and routine of man. And in their souls there is only one calling.

There is only one prayer on their lips. Take the whole world. You can take the whole world from me, but I want Jesus. You can take success, money from me, but I will not leave you with my Spirit. This is the calling of this generation that has only one purpose.

Give me only Jesus. I don't need anything else. I need His heart. I need His passion. I need His love for the world. I need His guidance and direction. I need His Spirit to quicken me. And then the strategies, the programs, the ambitions start to be unnecessary.

Because of His glory. His light. This passage we are reading here is about a generation called the generation of Jacob. But it is those who seek Him. Those who seek His face. When I was 19 years old, I went to a conference similar to this one.

And it was a conference that changed my life forever.

Just as our life forever.

Seeking God’s Face Rather Than His Hand

I want to speak to you, young ministers, just for a moment. Those of you who are just beginning to get into ministry and you are looking for direction. When I was a young man, I went to this conference and the elderly pastor was preaching.

And he told us, young ministers, you have to make a choice. Here is the choice. You are going to seek either God's face or you are going to seek God's hand. God's hand will hold the power. God's hand will heal the sick.

God's hand will raise up ministry. God's hand will open up doors. God's hand is also God's face. And that is the calling of the Lord that I might know Him. It is the passion of faith to see God's face.

It is the desire to be a friend of God. It is the hunger and thirst. When you say, I want more of you, Jesus. I must have Christ in fullness. He said, you have to make a choice. You choose His hand or His face.

And I was 19. I said to Jesus, Christ, I want to seek Your face. Yes, I want to see miracles. I want to do mighty works. I want to see the kingdom of God expanded. I want to be saved. But I don't want to do any of that without You going before me.

Without me knowing You. Anybody can preach sermons.

Anybody can lead congregations. But what God wants to call forth.

Is men and women of God who have this Jacob spirit. This one thing in seeking to seek Your face. I remember choosing. God, I want to seek Your face. And such a sweet spirit came. And I began to call out in my soul, tell God.

And that day something new was born in me. I've never been the best preacher. I've never been the best speaker. I've never had the best organization. I've never been the best organizer. But I have this one thing.

I want to know Jesus. I want to know God. I want to seek His face. I want to be part of this Jacob generation. And this is my prayer now. To raise up leaders. Older men and women of God who will go into His presence.

Who will be a model of what it is to be a generation of one thought. So that young people who are entering into the ministry who are early in their ministry can learn from You. This one thing. I chose to seek His face.

The time has come. When I was about to change my mind I said to myself, maybe I would rather seek His hand. Maybe it wasn't the right decision. I want to see more power. I want to see more success. I want to see more people healed.

I want to see more people saved. Sometimes I feel like I made the wrong decision. But then Jesus comes. He visits me. And I feel His presence. His touch. His love. His anointing. And the glory of the Lord who fills the place like Isaiah who saw the Lord.

He didn't just know about Him. He worked for Him. He saw the Lord. And His glory filled the temple. There was a filling. The anointing. And out of that knowledge of God out of intimacy with Jesus comes the true ministry.

A powerful ministry. His name was Leonard Ravenfield. I heard him preach one time at a ministries conference. Come and stand on this side of the room. And I will pray that God will give you a double portion.

And you who are hungry and want to know Jesus better come and stand on this side of the room. And we will pray that God will give you a heart so that you can seek Him. Almost 99 of the people in the room came and stood on this side.

They wanted the power. They wanted to be God's men. They wanted authority. And Ravenfield went there and prayed for them. And he said, God, have mercy on these men. And give them a heart so that they can seek Your face.

Because that is the path to power. And then a few men came and stood there. And they said, Jesus, I thank You for these powerful men of God who know what is most important. Who know what to seek first.

Give them the calling of their hearts. Because if they seek Your face your hand will move. Seek God's face. Seek God's face first. And then you will see how His hand moves. Then you don't have to worry about His hand moving.

Because when His face comes on stage He doesn't leave His hand at home. Many people are amazed at what God's hand does. It does this. It secures this. It builds this. Who's that? But Jesus is saying, look at that.

Seek My face. And then My hand will accompany it. My hand will be there. And it will bless you. And it will fulfill you. But first of all, there is one desire. There is one high calling. And that is to know Jesus.

When I was 19 years old, I decided to follow this path. And it is my desire that men and women who are gathered here today make the same choice. They say, God, it's about Your face. Who can have His face?

Who can know the true intimacy of Christ? John 24 gives us an insight into this. Verse 3 says, who will ascend to the Lord. Not just the hill of ministry. Not just the mountaintop of success. But the hill of glory.

The place where Moses received the glory. Who can go up into those inner places?

Who can be like Paul who was pulled out into the third heaven and saw the things of God?

Who can stand in His holy place?

Is it just busy ministers? Is it just pastors of growing churches? Is God's eye focused more on those who have greater success than the others? Or those who are called to have a service and to be successful?

No, the Bible says it clearly. Verse 4. The one who stands. Verse 4 says, it's the one with clean hands. The one with a pure heart. His hands have not been lifted up. His soul has not ascended to vainness or worship.

There's no idol of success. There's no idol of selfish desires or glory. There's no hidden agenda for anything else. I grew up in a Christian home and never got into drugs or a sinful life. But my prayers were in service.

I built my prayer from success. From selfish ambitions to get things for myself. Let me give you an example. I started a church which I started from scratch. I went to a city where I didn't know anyone.

I just knocked on the door of the university complex and I met people of my church. It took a long time, but then the church started to grow. In our first congregation there were about 100 people. In a short time the church grew to 300 -400 people.

And I looked successful in the eyes of my friends in service. But I got so busy and I invested all my energy into the external ministry that I began to forget about Jesus. I stopped looking at Christ's face.

I began to be distracted by things from outside. One day I went home from my church office and I began to worship the Lord. I sang a song which I sang in America. The Lord says, You are more beautiful than gold.

You are more wonderful than diamonds. And nothing I desire compares to you. That's a beautiful song. And I was singing it to Jesus. Nothing I desire compares to you. I felt like the world stopped me. It was like a question.

The Lord asked me, Are you sure about that? Nothing you desire compares to Jesus? And what about your ministry? What about all your activities? You spend so little time with me. You can spend hours working out strategies.

And it's hardly even minutes in prayer. The time you spend on your energy tells you what your priorities are. And so I told him, Nothing I desire compares to you. But my life signaled a different message to him.

And the message was this, Jesus, you are important to me, but not as important as my church. Not as important as me building this up. And it broke my heart. And I told Jesus Christ, Lord, it hurts me.

Please forgive me God. I don't want that to compare to you. I don't want that to overshine you.

Yes, I want to be fruitful in ministry. But two years ago,.

I set my face like Flint to seek your face. And I got off the track. And I've been distracted by many things. And I think this one thing is what I really need for me. And nothing would compare to you.

And I felt so refreshed. I felt the return of the Lord. I got the guitar again. I sang the song again. And then there's the last part of the song.

And nothing I do.

And nothing I desire compares to you. And the Holy Spirit stopped me. He said, there's something else I want to talk to you about. What about your family? You love your children. You love your wife. You enjoy your vacation time.

But the song was this. Nothing compares to God. But my family began to compare to God. And I started putting them all at the same level. And God wants us to love our family. But not compared to how we love Him.

And so I repented again. Jesus, I'm sorry. Forgive me, God. I didn't know that it was in my heart that I would cry again. And I sang the song again. And there's nothing I desire compares to you. He stopped me again.

He said this. I said, I watched the football game. What did you do in the evening? I watched the second football game. What did you do on Monday night? I watched Monday night football. That's a lot of time, isn't it?

That's a lot of time. And the Lord said to me, it's comparing to me. It's beginning to compare to me. And so I repented again. Jesus, forgive me. There's a desire. It's not a wrong desire. But it should be a small desire compared to you.

And probably it was half an hour that I sang this one song. And every time I sang this song, nothing compares to you. And again and again the Lord stopped me. Because I found many things in my life that were being lifted up.

That were being exalted. Not evil things by themselves. Not sinful things. But things that compared. Things that I raised up. And the one who rises up, if you're going up to the place of Jesus, if you're going to know Christ more, then you can't have another agenda, another plan without Him first.

He has to be your all-in-all.

Removing Every Rival Priority for the King of Glory

Lift up your heads. And be lifted up to everlasting doors. And the King of Glory shall come in.

There's something that has to be lifted up first. There's something that has to be moved out of the way.

There's something that has to be moved out of the way. Certain things have to be moved to the side. Otherwise, God is like a door. He hinders it. When David called to know this one thing, he wrote about this generation that's going to seek the face of God.

And he gives them this warning and this encouragement. First, something has to be lifted up. Something has to be moved out of the way. Get the doors out of the way.

I think the part of it.

That you're seeking in the face and then it says, the King of Glory will come in. Did you hear me here this morning? The King of Glory, Jesus Christ, the Living God, the Holy One, the Most High, God's Anointed, His blessing, His hand, His presence, His power, His authority, He is.

Amen. And everybody knows that when everything is removed from the way, the obstacles are removed. When we run from sin, when we run from worship, that the King of Glory might come in. We are hungry. We are thirsty.

Not just for ministry, not just for our own agenda, but for the King of Glory to come in and fill His church with God's Spirit. For it to be a fresh touch. For it to be a new anointing. For it to be the Holy Fire.

For more of Jesus. Lift everything out. Remove everything away. We have no other agenda. It is so easy to create an agenda. I had a plan. I had an idea every day. I had a scheme according to which I worked.

A new idea, a new plan came to my mind. And when I started doing all the ideas that came to my head, I would be so busy that I did not have time for Jesus. That sounds ridiculous, but that describes many in this place.

When we run from a multitude of ideas, physical ideas, visions and dreams of your own, you wonder why you are so weary, so stressed. You wonder why you are so busy. You get angry at people, at the church, because they do not help you enough.

They do not have a vision. But the truth is that you are the one who does not have a vision. Yes, you have ideas, you have plans, you have programs, but the vision has to be of Jesus. This is a generation of one thing that does not seek anything else.

Missions, Intercession, and Discipleship Under Christ’s Supremacy

The church I grew up in, there were many guest speakers. Do you know what it is like when a guest speaker comes to your church? There are missionaries who come to speak. There are evangelists who come to speak.

People from the Bible Society. Have you ever noticed anything about the guest speakers in your church? Whatever they are preaching about, or whatever ministry they are involved in, they always try to convince you that what they are doing is the most important thing on God's heart.

And as a young man, I was often confused, someone came to me and spoke about intercessory prayer. And he said, intercessory prayer is the greatest thing on God's heart. So I said, who am I to give my heart and give my life?

I started seeking his face and praying. And the next month, there would be another guest speaker. He talked about world missions. He talked about the needs around the world. And about places that needed God.

About pagan nations that didn't necessarily need missionaries. And they said, this is the most important thing on God's heart. We need to save the lost. I said, that's a good message. I'm tired of all that praying.

I want to do something for God. And so I wanted to become a missionary. And the next month, we had somebody come to our church. And he talked about discipleship. And he said, many people can go to foreign lands and preach to lost people.

But if you don't disciple them or you don't see them closer to the Lord, they go back to the world. So the most important thing on God's heart is discipleship. I said, that's it. That's what I wanted to give my heart to.

I want to be the one who makes a disciple. I want to have a small group of people around me and teach them the Bible. And my heart was always changing. Because they were always talking about that this or that is important to God.

But God has something else in store. He made it very clear what the one thing of His heart is. God has a passion as well. God has a desire as well. God has a spiritual ambition. And it's not just that the world would be warm.

And it's not just that the church would be involved in intercessions.

And it's not just that the church would be involved in intercessions. And that this discipleship would take place. But what is on the Father's heart? That His Son, Christ Jesus, that His Son, Christ Jesus, that His Son have first place.

That He might be supreme over all. That all things be summed up in Christ. That all things be around Christ. And if you want to know what is most important to God.

And if you want to know what is most important to us.

And if you really want to be a man after God. And if you really want to be a man after God. Then the Father's heart goes to His Son, Christ Jesus. Then the Father's heart goes to His Son, Christ Jesus.

He wants everything to be surrounded by His Son. He wants His Son to have the highest priority over everything else. This is God's desire. One day I was reading from the Old Testament. I was reading from the Old Testament.

I was reading about the last days. When there was the building of the temple.

And when the building was built.

And when the building was built. And when the building was built They began to lift their hands. And they began to cry out, love, love Him. Because they understood that it was God's love. Because they understood that it was God's love.

And when the work was finished And that catched up. In your life, in your family, in your church. Not only the starting stone, but the last stone. Not only the beginning, but the end. Alpha and Omega.

From first to last. There should be Jesus Christ. Every knee bowing Every tongue confessing With all my heart That Jesus Christ is Lord. All of a sudden I saw this picture of my church with me in heaven.

All of a sudden I saw this picture of my church with me in heaven. And he began to put the last stone on it. Or the last touch. It was exalted to the places where Jesus lives.

And the whole heaven was shouting, grace, grace to it.

And the whole heaven was shouting, grace, grace to it. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And all of a sudden I heard these strange voices. I looked around. And I saw people from my church. And they were saying something different.

They were saying intercession, intercession. Evangelism, evangelism. Discipleship, discipleship. They didn't get it. They didn't know what it was all about. They weren't telling Jesus Christ. Because they had been trained To see something else first.

To receive the laws first. To say your prayers first. To be a disciple first. All of those things are good. But when you stand before Jesus in heaven. You are not going to be shouting, glory to the Holy Spirit.

You are not going to be shouting, glory to the Holy Spirit. You are going to be shouting, this is Jesus. And He wants to be first in your heart. Not just when you stand before Him in heaven. But here, right now His will be done on earth As it is in heaven.

And the Father's will in heaven. And we would be shouting, Christ, Christ. No other message, no other desire. No other passion. Generation of one thing. Let me finish with a couple of illustrations. The first is Mary of Bethany.

Mary of Bethany and the Good Work of Pouring Everything Out

You don't have to open the Bible there. But it is in Mark, chapter 14. Jesus comes to the house of Simon the little one. And Mary of Bethany walks into that house. All the men who were there They were talking about their plans, their agendas.

They were all changing. They were asking Jesus about the theological things. But there was a young woman. And she took the vase with the perfume she had. And we know that the vase was worth A year's salary.

Many church historians confirm That the woman was really an orphan. So here is this little girl Who has no parents. Probably that was her life's heritage. Something her mother and father left her. It could have been her future.

It represented her security. It wasn't just a cheap perfume. It represented her whole life. And there she broke it open. Others could say She just wasted it on Jesus. But she kneeled to his feet. And tears were in her eyes.

And she took that precious vase All her life. All her security. All her hopes for the future. She was a little orphan girl. And she breaks it. And it pours out. And she breaks it with her tears. She says, Jesus.

It's all about you. I don't need anything else. I don't need security. I don't need it. Because if I have you I have everything. So she poured it all out. I love this story of Mary of Bethany. The Lord told me one day.

That's your model of ministry. To pour it all out for Jesus. And when the Lord first told me that It didn't like that. You want to be like Mary of Bethany. She's a woman. She's feminine. She's walking around with perfume.

You want to be like John and Peter. They were called the sons of thunder. They were the powerful men. Let them be my model. He said, no, she's your model. We need more Mary of Bethany. Because there's one thing the Lord desires.

She wanted to pour it all out for Jesus. And it's the same Mary. When Jesus came to her home. Her older sister Martha Was busy about many things. She was busy about many, many things.

As a matter of fact.

She was troubled. She was troubled. But she was worried. She was worried. She was fearful. She was uncertain. She had a lot of anxiety. She was so busy.

Because she was missing the one thing needed.

You're in this building today. And your life is full of fear. You're afraid of the future. You're anxious. There's no peace in your heart. You're always worried about your church. You're worried about your future.

You're worried about success. Then you have that Martha spirit. She was troubled about many things. She comes in to Jesus. And she says, Mary is doing nothing. She's not working. But Jesus disagrees. Because she's doing a good work.

Most of us when we think of good works We think of preaching. We think of building ministries. Of writing books. We think of doing great works for God. But Jesus says to Mary and Martha This is a good work.

To break your heart open before Jesus. To sit at Jesus' feet. To sit before Him. And Jesus not only calls this a good work. But Mary has found And I want you to find today. There's one thing. There's one thing that is needful.

There's one thing that we have to do So that we might be saved. So that we might be saved. All of this is born out of this intimacy. It's an all-consuming pursuit. And sometimes I'm afraid To give my heart to Jesus.

I'm afraid that if I do that.

He'll keep me in a secret closet. He'll allow me to have wonderful prayer times.

He'll allow me to have wonderful prayer times.

I'll be a sweet worshipper of Jesus.

I'll be a sweet worshipper of Jesus.

But I won't.

And that's a deception. But that's a lie. That's a lie from the pit of hell. Because the most successful ministry. The greatest men and women of God Are great men and women of God. Because they have a great knowledge of Jesus.

Because they have a great knowledge of Jesus. Please, let's stand together. I don't want to invite you today. But there are people in this place today.

That you will meet.

That have given your heart to many things. You're troubled over many things.

You're stressed out over many things.

But you've been missing that one thing. I wonder what you'll do today. I want you to imagine That you have in your hands All your future All your hopes and dreams. Your security, your security Your plans, your ambitions All that you have.

I want you to picture taking that.

And bringing it before Jesus Breaking it And saying, Jesus, break my heart. Break my heart once again. Give me a chaste touch from you, Jesus. Return me to this one thing. Desire. Almost every one of you Remember this one thing.

You had it at one point in your life But it's gone. Repent of that. Take that bottle With all those things in it And come to the front here. Come to the front here. And let's break it before Jesus. Let's break it before Jesus.

Let's say, Jesus, I give you everything. Lord, I have nothing And I'll need Jesus more. But there are people here today Desperate people Who have forgotten that God names names every day. And you need to make that record, God.

Returning to the One Thing: A Call to Seek Jesus

Come out of your seat right now. Right now where you are In that one thing.

Just begin to worship Him Lift your hands to Him Just call on His name. He's been longing for you He's been waiting for you He's seen your busyness.

And now He's saying to you I'm so blessed that you've chosen the one thing Make this your life Just one thing Say that to Jesus One thing I desire One thing I seek That I might know you.

Jesus, cry out for that refreshing now, would you?

Use your own words. Tell Him out loud now. How desperate you are for Him. Jesus, we're desperate. We're hungry for you, Jesus. We're thirsty for you, God. We want you now more than ever. Come, Jesus, come.

Thank you, Jesus. Give all to you, Jesus. Hallelujah. Just wait on Him now. He wants this intimate moment with you.

You can speak it out loud or you can be quiet.

But He wants a moment of your time To set your face like flint to Him. Jesus, Jesus.

Fit your desire to be this Jacob generation. I invite you to pray this prayer out loud with me.

Repeat this out loud. Dear Jesus I've been distracted I've been busy And this morning I heard something And it reminds me Say it out loud It reminds me Of my hunger And my thirst For you, Jesus I'm sorry, Lord That I've missed you.

And I'm coming back I'm coming back To this one thing That I might know you I choose To seek your face. And then I trust Your hand Will accompany. But it's your face I seek Forever Make this My one thing desire Give me the heart of Mary That I'd live my life With this one thing that is needful.

And that's you, Savior. That's you, my Lord That's you, my friend That's you, my lover. I love you, Jesus.

And I thank you, Jesus That you're putting in my heart A greater desire A greater desire Than I've ever had And I just thank Him Thank you, Jesus Bless you, Jesus Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. Let's sing this song together.