'Tears of Joy - Amen!'
A genuine visitation of the Spirit of God can be a life-changing encounter that brings security, feeling, peace, joy, and tears of joy.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the transformative power of a genuine encounter with the Spirit of God, using Blaise Pascal's profound experience as an example. Pascal's life was forever changed by a deep, personal visitation from God, which he described as 'Fire!' and filled with feelings of security, peace, and joy. Tozer argues that such experiences are not the mark of fanatics but rather the ecstatic response of those who are fully yielded to God's presence. The sermon encourages believers to embrace the possibility of divine visitation and the overwhelming joy it brings.
Text
We need not be afraid of a genuine visitation of the Spirit of God! Blaise Pascal, the famed 17th-century French scientist and philosopher, experienced in his lifetime a personal, overwhelming encounter with God that changed his life. Those who attended him at his death found a worn, creased paper in his clothing, close to his heart; apparently a reminder of what he had felt and sensed in God's very presence. In Pascal's own hand it read: From about half-past ten at night, to about half after midnight-fire! 0 God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob - not the God of philosophers or the wise. The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel. Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy-Amen!
Were these the expressions of a fanatic, an extremist?
No; it was the ecstatic utterance of a yielded man during two awesome hours in the presence of God. The astonished Pascal could only describe the visitation in one word-"Fire!"
Sermon Outline
- The Power of a Genuine Visitation of the Spirit
- Pascal's Encounter with God
- The Nature of God's Presence
- A Personal and Overwhelming Experience
- A Life-Changing Encounter with God's Presence
- Not the God of Philosophers or the Wise
- The God of Jesus Christ
- Known Only in the Ways of the Gospel
Key Quotes
“The God of Jesus Christ who can be known only in the ways of the Gospel.” — A.W. Tozer
“Security. Feeling. Peace. Joy. Tears of joy-Amen!” — A.W. Tozer
“Fire!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We can experience a genuine visitation of the Spirit of God and have our lives changed forever.
- God can be known only in the ways of the Gospel, through Jesus Christ.
- A yielded heart is necessary to experience the transformative power of God's presence.