- Home
- Speakers
- David Wilkerson
- A Heart To Know Him
David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.
Download
Sermon Summary
David Wilkerson emphasizes God's promise to give us a new heart that desires to know Him and obey His commands. He highlights the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, who not only teaches us about God's nature but also empowers us to overcome sin and live a life reflective of Christ. Wilkerson reassures believers that God is merciful and patient, providing the strength needed to fulfill His demands. He encourages listeners to rely on the Holy Spirit in times of temptation and to fully surrender to God's promises for a new life. Ultimately, through faith in Christ, we become new creations, leaving behind our old selves.
A Heart to Know Him
God has sworn by an oath to give us a new heart—one that is inclined to obey. “I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7). “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). God promises us not only to give us a new heart, but to write on our hearts his commands. In other words, he promises to cause us to know him. Again, the Holy Spirit is the one who accomplishes this work in us. He teaches us about the Father’s nature and way—and in the process, he transforms us into Christ’s divine image. Our Lord has sworn a sovereign oath to be merciful to us in our struggles against sin. And until full victory comes, he will be patient and loving with us, never casting us aside. He promises, “No matter what I demand of you, I will supply you with all the power you need to accomplish it. I won’t ask anything of you for which I have not made provision.” Today, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead—and which enabled him to fulfill God’s law through a perfect, sinless life—now abides in us. God’s own Spirit is alive in us, providing all power over every work the enemy tries to bring against us. When the enemy comes flooding into your soul, enticing you toward an old lust, call upon the Holy Ghost. Listen to his every whisper, and obey his every command. Don’t shut him out. If you are prepared to do whatever he empowers you to do, he won’t withhold his word from you. You can move out of the old life and into the new in a single leap. It happens when you see how impossible it is for you to overcome sin by your own human efforts. It dawns on you that a faithful God has sworn to give the Holy Ghost to all believers who ask, and that he will accomplish in you what the Lord has promised by oath. So, finally, you abandon yourself totally to God and his promises. You believe he will perform what he has promised. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
David Wilkerson (1931 - 2011). American Pentecostal pastor, evangelist, and author born in Hammond, Indiana. Raised in a family of preachers, he was baptized with the Holy Spirit at eight and began preaching at 14. Ordained in 1952 after studying at Central Bible College, he pastored small churches in Pennsylvania. In 1958, moved by a Life Magazine article about New York gang violence, he started a street ministry, founding Teen Challenge to help addicts and troubled youth. His book "The Cross and the Switchblade," co-authored in 1962, became a bestseller, chronicling his work with gang members like Nicky Cruz. In 1987, he founded Times Square Church in New York City, serving a diverse congregation until his death. Wilkerson wrote over 30 books, including "The Vision," and was known for bold prophecies and a focus on holiness. Married to Gwen since 1953, they had four children. He died in a car accident in Texas. His ministry emphasized compassion for the lost and reliance on God. Wilkerson’s work transformed countless lives globally. His legacy endures through Teen Challenge and Times Square Church.