Victors or Victims
The Spirit-filled life is a life of struggle and warfare with the devil, but it holds the promise of complete victory through Christ.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that the Christian journey is fraught with challenges, particularly for those striving for a deeper relationship with Christ. He warns that the Spirit-filled life is often marked by struggle and spiritual warfare, rather than peace and comfort. Tozer highlights that retreating into a complacent Christian existence is exactly what Satan desires, as it stunts spiritual growth and renders believers ineffective. He encourages Christians to embrace the fight against their own nature and the forces of darkness, asserting that true victory lies in following the example of Christ. Ultimately, Tozer calls for a rejection of compromise in favor of a vibrant, active faith.
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If Satan opposes the new convert he opposes still more bitterly the Christian who is pressing on toward a higher life in Christ. The Spirit-filled life is not, as many suppose, a life of peace and quiet pleasure. It is likely to be something quite the opposite. Viewed one way it is a pilgrimage through a robber-infested forest; viewed another, it is a grim warfare with the devil. Always there is struggle, and sometimes there is a pitched battle with our own nature where the lines are so confused that it is all but impossible to locate the enemy or to tell which impulse is of the Spirit and which of the flesh.
There is complete victory for us if we will but take the way of the triumphant Christ, but that is not what we are considering now.
My point here is that if we want to escape the struggle we have but to draw back and accept the currently accepted low-keyed Christian life as the normal one. That is all Satan wants. That will ground our power, stunt our growth and render us harmless to the kingdom of darkness. Compromise will take the pressure off. Satan will not bother a man who has quit fighting. But the cost of quitting will be a life of peaceful stagnation. We sons of eternity just cannot afford such a thing.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of the Spirit-Filled Life
- The Consequences of Compromise
- The Cost of Quitting
- A Life of Peaceful Stagnation
- A Life Unworthy of Sons of Eternity
- Harmlessness to the Kingdom of Darkness
Key Quotes
“The Spirit-filled life is not, as many suppose, a life of peace and quiet pleasure.” — A.W. Tozer
“If we want to escape the struggle we have but to draw back and accept the currently accepted low-keyed Christian life as the normal one.” — A.W. Tozer
“We sons of eternity just cannot afford such a thing.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be willing to face the struggle of the Spirit-filled life in order to experience power and growth.
- Compromising with Satan will only lead to a life of peaceful stagnation, which is unworthy of sons of eternity.
- We must choose to live a life of faith and trust in Christ, even when the road ahead seems uncertain and difficult.