We Have Each Turned to His Own Way — David Wilkerson

We Have Turned to Our Own Way

We have turned every one to his own way. Isaiah 53 6 are we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. On my way up here on my bus coming from Texas. It took two days to drive up here, and I had two beautiful days.

With the Holy Spirit opening up the 14th chapter of Mark. And it's wonderful when you see a chapter and you read it read it. And you don't see it and then said the Holy Spirit just opens it up to you.

And I want to share it, and I know that I preach this in divine order in this powerful chapter. We've got a betrayal by Judas. We've got a denial by Peter, and we'll have a forsaking by all the disciples.

Three Failures of Christ's Closest Followers

We have three tragic stories in one chapter of how very Close followers of Jesus failed him at the midnight hour. These three stories are not given to us just to tell a story. These three stories are being repeated in the Church of Jesus Christ.

They're being repeated here because the Spirit of Judas is in this house tonight. The Spirit of Peter is here and this forsaking spirit is in this house tonight. And I want God to use this chapter and the revelation of his spirit to show us how we've all turned every man to his own way.

Judas and the Danger of Turning From Christ

All right, we have first of all the story of Judas. And how he turned to his own way. Here's the question I want to ask you now, how can a man that was one of Christ's chosen disciples a member of his inner circle.

Ended up betraying his own Lord. The Bible says he called his 12. That includes Judas. He called him and gave them power and authority. Over all demons and to cure diseases and he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Now you've got to understand that that Judas had received an anointing. That he was sent forth to heal the sick and cast out devils and he did just that. Judas was a preacher of the gospel of the kingdom.

Judas had been called by the master. He was one of his inner circle. He was a disciple an apostle the Lord Jesus Christ. He had caused demon powers to flee. This man had heard Christ teach the multitudes.

But remember what Jesus said they have eyes to see but they don't see. They have ears to hear but they don't hear. But it's given unto you Judas Peter James John is given to you to understand. So his eyes were not blind.

His ears were not heavy. He saw and he heard and he understood. Jesus had said it's given to you to understand what I say. He had heard him speak of the rich man at Lazarus. He'd heard the master cry out beware of covetousness.

Think of the parables this man heard Jesus teach the prodigal son the rich young ruler the wicked husbandmen. He was there when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem when people were taking palms and singing Hosanna.

He was there. He was there when Christ fed the 4 ,000. He was there when Christ fed the 5 ,000. He was there when Jesus walked on the water. He was there when Jesus said be still wind and wave and to command over the forces of nature.

He was there. He walked and he talked with God in the flesh. Judas in spite of all this turned to his own way. There was something wrong in this disciple. In the midst of all this he was changing as a human being.

He was changing as a minister of the gospel. There was something Debauching his inner man. There was something eating away at this man's spirit. Now Jesus knew Judas had a problem when he called him because Jesus knew our things.

He read their minds when he called them. He saw them under the tree. He saw them at their nets. Jesus knew what was in their hearts and their minds. Jesus knew he had a secret lust in him when he called him.

But you see Jesus is willing that no man's in Paris. He was not preordained that Judas should fall. He was not called as a devil because the Bible pinpoints the very time the devil entered his heart. He was not called as a devil.

He was not a devil to start with. This was a miracle working minister of the gospel of Christ. Judas started out with a very sincere heart. He was mightily used of God. But he came a demon-possessed man.

Could you see Judas had one? Besetting sin he had a secret lust that he wouldn't let go now for Judas. It was the love of money. It was the love of silver. Lust for silver lust for gold. And on one black horrible day of infamy Judas makes a fatal decision.

He gave himself over to his lust. And I want you to listen to how cold and calculating this man has become now this one had been annoying to this one. Who had been casting out devils and healing the sick?

Listen to this now. It seems incredible the same man. Then Judas Iscariot went under the chief priest and he said unto them. What would you give me if I deliver him to you. And they agreed to 30 pieces of silver and from that?

Time on. Judas sought an opportunity to betray him now. I've read a lot of books that say they tried to justify Judas's acts and saying well he thought that The kingdom was going to be set up on earth.

So he thought he'd put Christ under pressure and betray him so he'd have to display his power. Oh, no, there it is. It's cold and calculate. What do you give me? What's he worth if I deliver him to you?

This is mind-boggling. It's mind-boggling how a man who'd cast out devils who killed the sick who had heard all this unbelievable teaching. From the very lips of God himself. Because Christ was God in the flesh.

How unbelievable and What is even more incredible? Even after he had given himself over to his lust the Lord speaks to him one last time. It's at the Passover, it's the Last Supper. And Jesus looks at cost the table at all of his disciples.

He said I tell you tonight one of you. One of you at this table is going to betray me. He's a dip at his hands with me in the dish the same so betrayed me then Jesus. Then Judas looked at the master and said Is it I.

And Jesus said unto him you've said it. Thou sayest it is what he said. You said it. What would you have done if Jesus would have looked right. Look you right in that this is God looking in his eyes. He said you are the man.

What's happened to this man? What happened in this man that he could look in the very eyes of God himself. Then entered Satan into Judas one of the twelve. One of the great men of God. Satan entered his heart.

He had not entered to that point. Do you understand that Satan entered that man at the communion table? At a worship service. Surrounded by holy men of God. And what was the real sin of Judas? It goes beyond the love of money.

And it was not the kiss in the garden. In fact it was not even the fact that he turned him over to the High priest and to the mob because that was prophesied. If Judas had not done it another would have done it that was prophesied.

Judas did not have to be the man. And it was not the kiss and it's not so much the betrayal. Here's the real sin of Judas. Judas grew hard in the midst of so much light. Who could have had as much light and opportunity as Jesus Judas had.

How can a man get hard? How can a man sell his soul to the devil when he is hearing the gospel coming from the lips of God himself? Well, the Spirit of Almighty God is moving. Well, he sees miracles. He saw the dead raised.

He saw the dumb talk. He saw the ears unstopped. He saw the blind eyes opened. He saw the Son of God. Take control of nature itself. He was there when he saw the multitudes being fed. He was one who picked up a basket.

He had one of those baskets loaded down. With the bread and the meat three years now turning to his own way turning hard. The Spirit of Judas is still in the church of Jesus Christ today. And it's happening in the inner circle now more and more it's happening to some of the best servants of God.

Covetousness, Idolatry, and the Spirit of Judas

In the tragic that we in America today. Have probably more preaching coming at us than any generation. We have more light being shed on our society. Twelve thousand times a day. Hear it now twelve thousand times a day.

The gospel is preached on radio in America twelve thousand sermons a day. Turn on the television you get Billy Graham. You get all robbers. You get PTA get sent over the club. You get all the local shows you get it.

You get it coming and you get it going. Some of you people sitting here tonight have heard enough gospel to save China. Oh, it's happening to ministers. Even those are in healing Crusades. It's happening to associate pastors.

It's happening to choir members. It's happening to deacons. It's happening to those who are in the inner circle who will do anything for Christ. They'll do anything for God all they've been active for him.

They have been in the house of God and what an awesome warning Jesus gave many many will come to me on that day. Saying Lord Lord, have we not cast out devils? Have we not healed the sick in your name?

Have we not done mighty works and Jesus was a depart from me your work of iniquity. I never knew you. He didn't say a small segment of society. He said a whole segment. He said many many and when the Lord says many many you've got to believe it's a lot.

Judas permitted this little idol. He had to get out of control. Now it would have been different. To my thinking had been different when Jesus said to Judas thou art the man. And Judas knew he had a secret lust in him.

It would have been different of Judas would have knelt before the master and said master. It's true. I have betrayal in my heart. I have a lust in my heart. I'm about to sell you out. And I don't know where it's come from.

I don't know what's happened. I'm overwhelmed. Oh Jesus reach out touch me help me deliver me. There's a difference. David said this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and delivered him from all of his sins.

What is your secret lust? What is that idol? In your life. It can be sports. I Know a lot of young people are going to go straight to hell because at one time they had a love for Jesus. It was so on fire and now they've been so wrapped up in their sports.

They have no time for God. They have no time for the church. They have no time for the Bible their sports and push crates right out the door. Not only young people a lot of men I know they have no time for Jesus.

You can't get him 15 minutes in the secret closet to pray, but they'll spend all day long watching one football game after another. They have all kinds of time to go here go there spend any kind of money on their sports and on their hunting.

What is your lust? It can't be the almighty dollar just like Judas. Well, how many that men and women are going to be in hell? Who for the sake of the almighty dollar have lost their soul. Some of you men sitting here right now.

That dollar squeezing Christ right out of your life. Now a man has a right to a living wage. You have an obligation to care for your family and you should care that concern. But not to the point that you become possessed with it and there's an obsession for getting ahead in life.

And the spirit of covetousness takes over you and you have to want more and more. And some of you dear wives are going to drive your husband to the grave because you want more and more because everybody else.

Has it you want it and you never satisfied with what we have. We're never satisfied. I don't care what we get. We're never satisfied. We're greedy. We have a spirit of covetousness on us. That's the spirit of Judas.

What till the prophet of man have he gained the whole world and lose his own soul. And that's what I have against this preaching of success. And generally you're going to stop and think about this because if success is good.

More of it is better and all of it is best and where are you going to stop. Because if you stop you break down your theology and You have to go for the whole world you have to go for the whole ball of wax and that's where you go after it.

And success becomes your idol. I think it's abomination in the sight of God. It could be a secret sin. Something God's been talking to you about week after week and month after month. There's a love affair.

There's fornication. There's a sexual lust in you. There's another kind of lust that's in you and God's been dealing with you time and time again and All outside just like Judas you go through all the motions and nobody can tell it.

Nobody can tell it at all. And yet that thing is eating away at you and there's an inner corruption. Now it's one thing when you see it admit it and fall on your knees and say oh god I'm aware of this thing in my life.

Oh God, I despise it. I hate it and you call upon the name of the Lord and you walk softly. You walk tenderly before the Lord and you know your weakness, you know, you're fairly. And you tremble at your sin.

And you call upon his name for deliverance. That's one thing because I promise you if you keep holding on and you keep believing God's gonna bring you out and set you free but if you learn to live with it and you play with it and flirt with it and you begin to just say well I Have to live with it.

Oh, no, you don't live with it. I'll finally overpower you and one day you will sell your very soul for that sin that you don't lay down that idol. That's in your life. And I tell you I have come here tonight under the anointing of the Holy Ghost to say the Holy Spirit is putting his finger On all sin in our lives.

It must go it must be forsaken. If you do not you open your soul to demon possession. You will get a hard heart and you will hear the words that Jesus said to Judas. Well to that man That betrays me. Better he were never born.

Oh Friend better you died in childbirth. Better you died in the crib. Than to go along all these years sitting under Holy Ghost preaching. Covering the altar the Lord with your tears and then mistreating your wife or cheating on your husband or your wife.

Or killing this secret sinner this adultery of this fornication your life or whatever. That is the love of money the love of other things pressing in on you. He said you cover my altar with tears, but he said I'm not listening to you anymore.

I've shut my ears to you. Folks there is not one man not woman in this building. Not one of us here that can look Christ right in the eye and say I am guiltless. I am guiltless I Tell you I spent so much of my time on my knees before the Lord.

It was the great Alexander white the great Scottish Presbyterian preacher. He said He said of all people he was one of the greatest preachers ever lived. I love his books. He said there's no greater sinner than Alexander white he said if people only knew my heart and How that man wept over his weakness how that man cried and wept every time I looked in the mirror.

And if you want to quit judging people, just take a good honest. Look at yourself. Take a good honest. Look at yourself and I'm not putting you down. I'm not trying to be condescending and say well, I preached to you from a point of supernatural.

Some kind of victory. No, I'm of the flesh and this this treasures and earthen vessels. But one thing I know he's given me a broken heart over my sin. And that's what God wants out of you. Unless you commit the sin of Judas and you go hard right in the middle of the Holy Ghost conviction.

You go hard in the midst of Holy Ghost preaching. Well, the Spirit of God is moving everywhere you sit down and hard your heart because you won't lay your sin down. This was the sin of Judas. That's what makes you betrayer Jesus Christ.

If you're going to go to hell over this move to Africa move to China, you have a better chance. God said I have more tolerance for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than I will for you. He said well to you Capernaum won't you Corson if the mighty works that I've done in your midst if they heard my teaching Sodom would have repented better to have been a homosexual in Sodom trying to rape those angels.

Then to sit in a Holy Ghost church and hold on to your sins and go hard. God said I'm more tolerance for the Sodomites of Sodom than for you. God gave me a concept of hell. Weeks ago wasn't a vision just I'm seeing glimpses of it.

The Judgment of Persistent Sin

If you and I as human beings sinner if you died and went to hell with your carnal human mind. You couldn't understand hell there'd be no torment that you could comprehend. But just as sure as the Christian gets a new glorified body.

You're going to get a new body called a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction. And this vessel of wrath is going to have a mind in it that is going to have full knowledge. It's going to be expanded. The Christians in the kingdom of God are going to have a mind that Understands the glory of God the purity of God the holiness and righteousness.

We are going to understand the Lord said everyone's going to know me equally. Well, you're all going to know me. My walls can be written in your heart. You won't have to ask you will have a revelation.

You will understand eternity. You will understand the glory is never-ending. You'll understand eternal life, but the man the sinner that goes to hell is going to have an expanded consciousness. This is the one that never dies and sinner when you die and go to hell and you who claim to be Christians and you persist in holding on to your sins and you won't let the Holy Ghost work in your life and deal with and Bring you to a place of victory.

Oh I Get so tired of hearing sinner say well, I'll take my chance. I'll did die and take my chance not if you knew what was waiting for you. Not if you knew what hell was because when you go to hell the first thing you get is a conscious Expanded consciousness that you're going to be able to understand the righteousness of Jesus.

You're going to understand the fullness of the gospel. You're going to understand what heaven means but more than that you are going to understand what eternal damnation means. Your mind is going to grasp the endlessness of your judgment and wrath.

That soul that is in hell. That soul that's in hell is going to understand that this Abandonment from God. This rejection that I've been given is never ending. You in your carnal human mind can't understand eternity now.

You can't understand that God had no beginning and God has no end and don't try to stretch your mind. You could lose it. Don't stretch your mind. You can't understand of it in hell. You'll understand it.

The first thing you'll know is how endless and How hopeless your condition is. You have a mind that comprehends it. And I'm asking God to give you a mind to comprehend right now the love of Jesus Christ.

Then he comes to you with this message like he has in the 14th chapter of Mark. And he says to every one of you that have walked with God every one of you tasted to the Holy Ghost. Don't trample the cross don't do despite to the grace of Jesus Christ.

Confess and be forsaken be forgiven and forsake your sins. The Holy Ghost is saying to everyone in this building every Christian and every sinner in this building come right before you leave this building.

If you do nothing else cross the line and say Oh God want you to help me hate my sin. I want to lay it down. Every Minister every Christian worker and if you don't God's about to expose it anyhow. God's just sent a whole flock of divine birds going to fly in the window and carry it to the four winds.

I believe that every man or woman of God That doesn't deal with the sin in their lives. It's going to be exposed before Jesus comes. Don't be exposed be sure your sin will find you out. First it's going to find you and then your family.

And the whole world and everybody's going to know. He said he's going to reveal all the secrets of men's hearts and lives. Now We come to the second story. This is the story of Peter. Peter turned to his own way.

Peter's Pride and the Need to Know Christ

Who could imagine this great man of faith would deny his Lord? Peter walked on water. He'd been on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was ready to build three tabernacles. Tabernacles all by himself. He had boasted that he would never fail the Lord though all others fail you Lord not I.

And Jesus tried to warn Peter that he was a proud man. He tried to warn him that he was unteachable. I Tell you Peter this is Jesus speaking. I tell you Peter. Before this night is over. You will deny me three times.

What would you have done? If Jesus came to you sad-eyed. It just tapped you At the heart and he said You're gonna let me down. Your faith is headed for shipwreck. You've got problems in your life. There's something wrong Peter.

You're proud Peter was angered by it. Peter should have broken down. He should have fallen at the feet of Jesus with a broken heart and so Master, you know all things. Do you see something in me that I don't know?

Am I blind to something? Can that be true of me Jesus? I wasn't aware of it or master. He should have grabbed his feet and said master reveal it help me lay your hands upon me. Bring me out of it, but no Peter's a proud man of faith.

He knows it all he's unteachable. But Peter spoke even the more earnestly and he said master if I should die with you, I will never deny you. If you ever heard these people have this supernatural faith all figured out.

Cancer, I've had people you and your family have cancer brother David. I don't allow my house. Last time my wife was six. She got seventeen thousand cards and letters from all over the world. And finally I had to quit.

Letting her read the mad my secretaries. Most of my just said I can't let her read them because one out of three were condemning her or me. Trying to tell her she had a lack of faith or sin in her life.

Or she had a grudge in her life and that cancer had been allowed. You couldn't reach drug addicts bill a day, but you can't keep your wife from cancer. Hmm. Vicious see these people always vicious. Those vicious because they have it all figured out and they'd say I know my rights and that's what Jesus had tried to tell Peter.

I'm going to suffer. I'm going to suffer and I'm going to die. Peter said no, you're not in other words. If you don't know your rights Lord, I'll claim them for you. Oh we have we. Now Lord, you're going to confess it and you're going to get it.

Yes. I don't want anything negative. No anything negative you ever heard of negative or positive confession, let me give you the world's number one negative confession curse God and die Job's wife, but she still got the blessings of Job anyhow.

Sarah laughed at God and she still got her baby. You see III quit the faith game a long time ago. I don't play that game. Now you have it now you don't as if Jesus tiptoes around behind you. I caught you.

I knew if I waited long enough, you'd say the wrong thing. You don't get it now. It's all over. I can't serve it God like that. Look, Job. Job's wife had lost ten kids. How would you like to stand in front of ten caskets?

Her husband had elephant asses. That means his loins were dried and there was no future children in his loins as she far she could see at that time. And she was angry. She was confused and God couldn't show her that this was a heavenly drama that her husband was caught up in and so He was patient.

She came through it. You can get you can get so down. You'll say things. Oh, I remember when my wife was in To you last year. My wife was in a psychiatric ward for six weeks and my other daughter had cancer.

And I heard all these things coming at me from people where there's a lack of faith. They're this sin in your life and and folks I'd lost my mind if the Lord hadn't revealed something to me. You see he said even though you don't believe I remain faithful.

You see Lord showed me something. I've got a 17 year old son and behind our house is a big wooded area. Suppose my son Greg was walking back there and He gets caught in an old abandoned bear trap and he's bleeding.

He goes dad help. I Don't stand there and analyze the quality or quantity of his faith and so I wonder if he believes I'll come. I don't go up to my boy in that bear trap bleeding and hurting and say Derek Greg, do you believe I'm going to open that bear trap repeat after me three times daddy I believe you're gonna open that bear trap.

I'm not trying to be facetious, but you know what? I go to that bear trap because I'm his father. He's my son and he called and I heard him and I love him. I answer because I love him. God answers his love for us Peter though.

He you know, I don't care if everybody else doesn't have faith. Or how proud that makes people. Here is Peter with this kind of spirit and he's saying master.

I'm killing you if I have to tell you again and again.

He said he spoke even more vehemently more earnestly. Not I if everybody else fails not I then who is the first to fail when the crisis came? Brother Peter now. This proud Unteachable spirit is I as I see it is the number one problem in the Church of Jesus Christ right now.

This is the number one problem. We've got congregations now that will not take teaching that are becoming vicious. That will gossip about their preachers without any fear. There was a time people knew that the ground could swallow up and open them open up and swallow them if they gossips about the man of God.

I Am shocked at the viciousness. I see all over the country today people are willing to just. I mean The pastor gets up just as Jesus did. Before his disciple. The pastor before his disciples after all you're his disciples.

Belonging to the Lord, but he's your shepherd and he stands up and he's saying you've got pride. You've got a problem. There's something needs to be dealt with not me. Peter thought the Lord had to be talking about somebody else.

I'm Peter. I'm the rock pastors, I I Don't go to many churches anymore. I haven't been churches to preach but I've been sitting out in the audience a lot of times and I in. I've been preaching for 25 years and I have never in my life seen such spiritual pride.

And unteachable miss in so many congregations today so much so that when a church is without a pastor. There are many deacons who believe they've been anointed and they take over. I'm the one church waited a year before they got a pastor till every deacon got Up there and gonna pastor.

The flock is in that judgment hall. And they said don't you know this man. He says no and the sin of Peter was not in swearing. Peter swore. But that was not his sin. And it wasn't so much that he that he Was there with a spirit of rejection.

The thing that you and I don't really understand when Peter said I don't know the man. He was telling the truth. He said I don't know him. I tell you now, I don't know him. Now technically he may have been lying, but spiritually he was telling the truth.

Because he'd been so busy working with Jesus working for Jesus. He missed the opportunity get to know him. They didn't know him out of Christians. You don't know him. All day, they love the miracles. God wants you to know him.

No, Paul said that I might know him. I Passed in which is something I thought I had one of my greatest griefs if I can preach them. We'll preach this way too, and I say it in love one of my greatest griefs is that I meet so few ministers.

And evangelist who really know him. Was a busy man. Building buildings building churches and running and running and running. I talked to a pastor a few months ago of a large large assembly of God Church.

We're out to eat he said David. I haven't prayed in a year. Oh, yeah, he had devotions every day. He read his Bible every day, but he really didn't see God. I hear pastors talking about getting that prime property, and I think of all these buildings, and I'm not against buildings.

I'm not against expansion but oh. There's so much running. There's so much busyness. That was the sin of Peter. Then he got so busy working for his master. He robbed himself of the opportunity of really understanding and knowing his Lord.

And when God began to shake my life and begin to deal with me He showed me how far away. I was from really knowing and understanding. And that's why tonight's my last crusade for four or five months. Now I know pastors can't do that.

But I remember talking to a dear pastor of a very very large church with thousands of members less than a year ago and he was so tired and weary and Pushing and building and I said, please take a month off.

You've got all those associate pastors. They can do without you and I met with the deacons. I said sure let him go and I go to him. I said go off for a month and shut yourself in with God refresh yourself and get to know him stand in your pulpit now.

With a thus saith the Lord so everybody in the house is moved to God. Folks I'm not putting the ministry down. I love these ministers, but I spent 20 years running. Building. My altars were filled. I had as many as a thousand a night at the altars.

I built in three years five million dollars worth of buildings and headquarters big staff. Running all over the world and then one day God came to me. He said I'm gonna strip you down. You've been gone and you've been working for me, but you don't even know me.

Not me and God shut it all down on me. And he's made time. And if you really love him, he'll make time you'll make time. Come on, not just pastors, but every one of us in this building right now. This is the sin of Peter.

We get to the place where we know it all we don't need to be tired anymore. We walk with God so long we've been ministers. I know ministers of the bit of the minister for 30 and 40 years that are just repeating their old sermons.

I hadn't have anything fashion years the spirit would begin to move in our hearts again that he would draw us. Don't even know the man. Now we come to This third group and here's where the congregation is moving away from the platform to you now.

The Disciples Forsake Jesus

They all forsook him and fled. They all forsook him in effect. Do you understand that even beloved John Bartholomew Matthew? They all forsook him and fled. They all turned to their own way. Isaiah said we hid our faces from him.

We esteemed him not. In other words, we really didn't Give him credit for who he was. We didn't acknowledge him for who he really was. You see the mob coming into the garden and they're leading their master away now and it just.

It just blew the minds of these disciples because these men that were dragging Jesus away for the same man that Jesus Had driven out of the temple with cat in nine tails. Did students let him call him snakes and vipers and they ran in fear?

These are the same kind of people tried to cook for him off a cliff and Jesus had disappeared from their midst. And now Jesus is saying let it happen when Peter cuts off the high priest here Malchus area says let alone and if you read it in The original Greek said just let this happen.

Let it happen. And Jesus let it happen. He was carried away like a common criminal and the disciples are saying why didn't he call down that Legion? Why doesn't he grab a cat in nine tail and call him snakes and drive away?

Why doesn't he disappear again? Is either their their master appeared weak now. He had told them this night all of you shall be confused because of me. Y 'all gonna be scattered like sheep. Gonna smite the shepherd.

The shepherds gonna be smitten tonight. And they didn't understand it all they saw now. Everything was caving in. He was just a man now. You say if I had been there I would have acknowledged him. I would have esteemed him right.

I would have known he was a son of God. I would have never forsaken him. Oh, no, everyone including me everyone in this building every pastor behind me. We would have all done the same thing because we are still doing it now.

You look at that man being carried away that Man who rode the donkey that man was not even a purse that man with nothing but the clothes on his back. That dear man who's being carried away by the mob that's God that's God they're taking God away.