They Wandered in the Wilderness in a Solitary Way
To truly serve God, we must be content to walk alone with Him, even if it means going against human opinion and approval.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the necessity for those who fight the Lord's battles to forsake the desire for human approval and praise, warning that such motives can lead to spiritual weakness. He encourages believers to embrace the solitary path of walking closely with God, recognizing that true strength comes from divine approval rather than human sympathy. Simpson highlights the danger of confusing earthly affection with genuine brotherly love, urging Christians to find solace in God's understanding rather than in the fleeting opinions of others.
Text
A 11 who fight the Lord's battles must be content to die to the favorable opinions of men and the flattery of human praise. We cannot make an exception even in favor of the good opinions of the children of God. It is very easy for the insidious adversary to make this also an appeal to the flesh. It is all right when God sends us the approval of our fellow men; however, we must never make that approval a motive in our life. All such motives are poison and deprive us of the strength with which we are to give glory to God. Rather, we must be content with the solitary way and the lonely wilderness.
The man of God must walk alone with God.
He must be content in the realization that God knows all things. it is such a relief to the natural man within us to fall back upon human countenances and human thoughts and sympathy that we often deceive ourselves and think it "brotherly love, when, in fact, we are just resting in the earthly sympathy of some fellow worm!
Sermon Outline
- I. The Dangers of Seeking Human Approval
- A. The insidious adversary can use human praise as an appeal to the flesh
- B. Human approval can be a poison that deprives us of strength to give glory to God
- II. The Importance of Walking Alone with God
- A. The man of God must be content with the solitary way and the lonely wilderness
- B. We must be content in the realization that God knows all things
- III. The Dangers of Deception
- A. We often deceive ourselves by resting in earthly sympathy
- B. We mistake earthly sympathy for brotherly love
Key Quotes
“We cannot make an exception even in favor of the good opinions of the children of God.” — A.B. Simpson
“It is all right when God sends us the approval of our fellow men; however, we must never make that approval a motive in our life.” — A.B. Simpson
“Rather, we must be content with the solitary way and the lonely wilderness.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must be careful not to seek human approval as a motive for our actions, but rather seek to give glory to God.
- Walking alone with God allows us to be content in the realization that God knows all things.
- We must be aware of the natural man within us that often deceives us by seeking human sympathy and approval.