Yield to the Spirit of God to Cast Out the Spirit of This World.
To influence the world, we must yield to the Spirit of God and cast out the spirit of the world, which requires a deep separation from its influence.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the necessity of yielding to the Spirit of God to overcome the deceptive spirit of the world. He explains that true influence over others comes from a life that is spiritually separated from worldly desires, rather than from mere physical withdrawal. The blinding influence of the world can even affect believers, preventing them from fully grasping God's teachings. By fully devoting ourselves to Christ and embracing a heavenly life, we gain the strength to selflessly serve others and effectively impact their lives.
Text
Some of my readers have already been saying, But how can we influence our fellow-men if we withdraw ourselves from them, if we are to live such an unworldly life? Let us remember, the power of this world lies in its deceit. It is a kingdom of darkness. 'The god of this world blinds the eyes, lest the light should shine into the heart.'
Satan comes as an angel of light; he can hide the spirit of the world under the garb of scriptural truth or Christian duty. It is owing to this terrible blinding influence of the world even in believers that they cannot see what God's Word teaches so clearly, that it is just they who separate themselves most entirely in spirit from the world, who will be able to influence it the most. As long as the separation ends in the desire for our own safety, it cannot obtain the object for which God calls us.
But when we yield to the Spirit of God to cast out the spirit of the world, we shall understand that the deliverance from its self-pleasing and self-seeking which entire devotion to Christ and the heavenly life give, is the very power that will fit us for sacrificing ourselves to others, and gaining power over them.
Sermon Outline
- The Power of the World
- The Blinding Influence of the World
- The Key to Influencing the World
- The Power of Devotion to Christ
- Entire devotion to Christ gives deliverance from self-pleasing
- This deliverance is the power to influence others
Key Quotes
“The god of this world blinds the eyes, lest the light should shine into the heart.” — Andrew Murray
“Satan comes as an angel of light; he can hide the spirit of the world under the garb of scriptural truth or Christian duty.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We must be willing to separate ourselves from the world in spirit in order to influence it effectively.
- Yielding to the Spirit of God is the key to gaining power over the world and influencing others.
- Entire devotion to Christ gives us the deliverance from self-pleasing and self-seeking that we need to sacrifice ourselves for others.