                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                           Incapacitated By Sin!

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By David Wilkerson
July 13, 1998
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          Incapacitated - what a frightening word! It means
          "deprived of capacity or power to perform; rendered
          unfit, useless; disqualified."

          According to God's word, sin is the great
          incapacitator. It affects ministers and laymen alike -
          robbing them of all power and usefulness, leaving them
          dry and empty, and removing all ability to fulfill the
          eternal purposes of Christ.

          When the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of Christ
          and his kingdom, he outlined what Christ's true
          ministers would be like. In doing so, he defined our
          ministry in these last days. He said, in essence, "I
          want you to know the marks of the true people of God -
          those who'll be ministering just before the prince of
          peace comes to reign!"

          Isaiah begins with these words: "Behold, a king shall
          reign in righteousness..." (Isaiah 32:1). Then the
          prophet adds, "And a man shall be as an hiding place
          from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers
          of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock
          in a weary land" (verse 2).

          Some Bible scholars believe that the "man" Isaiah is
          describing here is any believer who trusts in Christ. I
          disagree. No human being can possibly be all these
          things - a sheltering cover, a satisfier of the dry
          soul, a trustworthy shadow or protector, a "great
          rock." No matter how holy or deeply committed a
          believer is, he can't be all these things to all people
          at all times.

          It's clear to me Isaiah is talking about Christ. And
          Isaiah goes on to tell us that a true servant of God
          will preach the all-sufficiency of Christ! Indeed, this
          believer shuts himself in with Jesus, trusting his Lord
          to make his soul a well-watered garden. He lives with a
          quiet confidence, his spirit at rest and full of peace.
          And he testifies: "I sat down under his shadow with
          great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He
          brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over
          me was love" (Song of Solomon 2:3-4).

          This true servant of God has no "tempest" brewing in
          his soul because of sin. On the contrary, he fully
          trusts the Holy Ghost to mortify his sins, and so his
          spirit is as free as a bird. He has no fears or
          worries, because all is clear between him and his Lord.
          And now there's a song in his heart - because Christ is
          his delight!

          Moreover, this servant knows no one can harm him -
          because he clings to the security and comfort of God's
          promise to defend the righteous. No weapon formed
          against him can prosper - because God himself rises up
          against every tongue that comes against him. God is his
          defense in a weary land!

          Now, Isaiah points out two distinguishing marks of the
          righteous servant. First, he has discernment - and
          second, he knows the voice of God distinctly: "The eyes
          of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them
          that hear shall hearken" (Isaiah 32:3).

          We see an example of this in Jesus' first encounter
          with Nathaniel. When Christ saw Nathaniel coming toward
          him, he cried: "...Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom
          is no guile!" (John 1:47). In other words: "Look,
          brothers - here comes a man who's no hypocrite. There's
          no deceit in him, no immorality. He's a clean vessel!"

          Then Jesus turned to Nathaniel and said, "...verily, I
          say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and
          the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son
          of man" (verse 51). The Greek phrasing here comes from
          a root meaning that suggests "repetitively." In other
          words, Jesus was telling Nathaniel, "God is going to
          open up to you continuing revelations. He'll reveal
          heaven to you repetitively!"

          Likewise, beloved, God makes this covenant with every
          minister of the gospel whose life is above reproach,
          with no hidden sin or dark secrets. Such a servant
          receives a continuous flow of the revelation of
          Christ's glory. And he acts as an oracle of God -
          continually receiving a fresh word from heaven!

          I'm often amazed by the fresh, anointed words I hear
          these days from a number of unknown young preachers. We
          receive scores of preaching tapes from all over the
          country, and occasionally a tape will contain such a
          message. When I hear this kind of pure vision of
          Christ, I sometimes call the minister who preached it
          and ask for more tapes.

          If the man's tapes prove he's consistent in his vision
          and message - and I discern that heaven opens to him
          repetitively - I'm often moved to invite him to preach
          at Times Square Church. In fact, that's how we got our
          associate pastor, Carter Conlon.

          Such servants are straightforward and simple in their
          walk with God, and their lives are open books. They're
          devoted to their wives and families. And they don't
          give even a hint of ambition. Instead, they happily
          pastor small congregations, spending many of their
          waking hours alone in prayer.

          These men don't waste time on foolish games or
          pastimes. They don't fritter away the hours watching
          TV, surfing the internet or being hooked on sports.
          Their very presence is full of God's Spirit. And
          revelations of Christ flow out of them like rivers of
          life!

          Our church is also staffed by godly elders. Often when
          I hear these men teach, I shake my head in awe,
          wondering, "Where did these servants get such
          incredible revelations of the glory, power and
          sufficiency of Christ? They have no theological
          training. Yet they're teaching pure, holy streams of
          revelation!"

          Like Nathaniel, these are servants in whom there is no
          guile, no secret habit, no unforsaken sin. Therefore,
          they can see, hear and discern God's voice to them.
          They aren't deceived - and so they recognize their
          Lord's heartbeat clearly!

          I've laid out to you Isaiah's description of godly
          last-days ministers. Now let's consider what Isaiah
          says about the incapacitated servant of God - the one
          who renders himself useless to Christ's flock because
          he harbors a besetting sin. Such a person is marked by
          these three characteristics:

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                         1. A Loss of Discernment.

                      -------------------------------

          The incapacitated servant has his "spiritual eyes"
          dimmed. Although Isaiah was prophesying in this chapter
          about the good that comes to ministers when the Lord
          revives them, the men he addressed were still deaf and
          blind to the things of God.

          Matthew tells us, "If thine eye be evil, thy whole body
          shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that
          is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
          (Matthew 6:23). Scripture makes it plain: Hidden sins
          are "works of darkness." And we know from God's word
          that light has no communion with darkness. His light
          will not operate in the darkened chambers of unforsaken
          sin.

          Peter tells us Christ "...preached unto the spirits in
          prison; which sometime were disobedient..." (1 Peter
          3:19-20). It was disobedience that cast these souls
          into a prison of darkness. Likewise today, every
          willful act of disobedience causes the light of
          discernment within us to darken. Over time our
          perception of truth becomes distorted, and our "open
          heaven" grows clouded.

          The Lord suffers greatly whenever hidden sin brings
          gross darkness upon our souls. And nothing grieves him
          more than when we resist and reject his warnings and
          convictions. Consider these tragic cases, as described
          in two letters we received:

             * A Christian wife wrote, "My husband has given
               himself over completely to internet pornography.
               Now I've filed for divorce, and he doesn't even
               care.

               "We were happily married for twenty-five years
               before all this happened. I couldn't understand
               why he spent so much time shut up in his room with
               his computer. Then one day I walked in - and I was
               shocked by the ugly filth I saw on the screen.

               "He became obsessed. His personality changed, and
               a meanness came over him. I knew he was addicted.
               When I threatened to leave, he agreed to get rid
               of the computer. Yet that only lasted about three
               months. Then he brought another one home, saying,
               'I can't help it. This time, the computer stays.
               I'm going to do as I please.'"

          This woman says she filed for divorce because she no
          longer knows the man she married. He now walks in
          darkness - feeding his soul on the dregs of hell!

             * A pastor's wife wrote, "My husband once worked
               with you, Brother David. He was such a good man, a
               true shepherd. He loved to teach, and he had great
               compassion on those trapped in sin. He ministered
               to alcoholics and addicts, taking in people from
               the streets. He was so kind and considerate.

               "But then he began to flirt with pornography.
               Within months, I saw him change into another man.
               He became addicted, bringing home pornographic
               videos. One day he told me he would leave me if I
               didn't watch them with him. I did this
               reluctantly. But after two weeks, I realized I was
               being seduced by the videos. Immediately, I
               repented before God.

               "Yet my husband went deeper and deeper into a
               gloomy darkness. Doubts about God's faithfulness
               flooded his mind, and he became disgusted with the
               ministry. All of his fruit dried up. At that
               point, he began to justify sin. His music tastes
               changed, as well as his choice of clothes.
               Everything was in disorder."

          I remember this pastor as being a wonderful servant of
          the Lord. But today, after years of indulging his lust,
          he has divorced his wife and married a wicked woman -
          and he's deeply involved in the occult. Yet he
          justifies it all! As I think of him now, I recall
          Isaiah's warning: "Woe unto them that call evil good,
          and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
          for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
          bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20).

          The apostle Paul makes a horrifying statement directed
          to those who walk "in the vanity of their mind"
          (Ephesians 4:17). Such people justify their sin, no
          longer seeking deliverance from it. Paul says of them:
          "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated
          from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
          them, because of the blindness of their heart" (verse
          18).

          How did these become so dark and blinded? They fell
          under a judicial blindness that comes upon all who give
          themselves over to sin: "Who being past feeling have
          given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
          uncleanness with greediness" (verse 19).

          There's nothing more sad and pitiful than a minister
          who's been blinded by God - a man afraid to name sin
          because he clings to his own, who calls good evil and
          evil good, who's blinded to the times, who preaches
          nothing but a permissive grace.

          John Owen, the Puritan writer, spells out the tragic
          result: "A man under the power of some predominant lust
          is under false security and does not discern coming
          perilous times, and he does not discharge his duty as a
          watchman."

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                             2. Deafness to the
                               Voice of God.

                      -------------------------------

          Isaiah faithfully prophesied to Israel that the "ears
          of them that hear" would one day be opened. But sadly,
          his listeners had shut their ears to God's voice. They
          wanted to hold onto their bosom sins!

          "...when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye
          did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did
          choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus
          saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but
          ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink,
          but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall
          rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed.

          "Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but
          ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for
          vexation of spirit. And ye shall leave your name for a
          curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee,
          and call his servants by another name" (Isaiah
          65:12-15).

          How tragic it is to refuse to hear the loving warnings
          of the Holy Spirit. Whenever we shut our ears to God's
          command to mortify the sins of our flesh, we're doomed
          to experience every kind of sorrow and pain.

          Please understand - I'm not talking about a servant of
          God who's overtaken by a sin he hates. Nor am I talking
          about the believer who won't allow himself any rest
          until the Holy Ghost sets him free. I heartily agree
          with John Owen, who wrote, "Never in the history of man
          has God turned away from a man surprised by sin, who
          cries against it night and day, who has made no peace
          with it."

          Rather, I'm talking about the believer who has learned
          to love his sin - who has laid his head in the lap of a
          Delilah. Such a person has calloused his conscience.
          And so now, whenever he tries to speak God's word, he
          does so deceitfully.

          I know many preachers who are like this. They cover the
          altar with their tears, crying and groaning - but they
          continue to cheat on their wives. God warns them, "I
          won't accept the tears of a hypocrite. First stop your
          adulterous treachery!" (see Malachi 2:15).

          The servant who continues his sinful ways will indeed
          hear voices - but none of these voices will be God's.
          Instead, that person will be given over to delusion: "I
          also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
          fears upon them; because when I called, none did
          answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did
          evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I
          delighted not" (Isaiah 66:4).

          What an awful thing it is when God no longer speaks!
          Saul found himself in this sorrowful, terrifying
          condition. Here was a once gifted, Spirit-led man of
          God who had ended up totally cut off from God's voice.
          Scripture tells us that in Saul's last days, he "...was
          afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul
          enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not,
          neither by dreams...nor by prophets" (1 Samuel 28:5-6).

          Over the years, I've welcomed into my office
          evangelists who at one time were mightily used of God.
          You would probably know most of them by name. But when
          I met them in their later years, they were fallen men -
          eaten up by controlling lusts!

          These men sat before me with blank expressions - empty
          shells with the word "Ichabod" written on their
          foreheads: "The glory of God has departed!" What had
          happened to them? They spent their later years lounging
          in front of television - and so they hadn't received a
          fresh word from God in years. They were unable to
          preach even an old message. And when they were with me,
          they couldn't even offer up a prayer.

          Jeremiah says of such men: "But they obeyed not,
          neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff,
          that they might not hear, nor receive instruction"
          (Jeremiah 17:23). "...they have hardened their necks,
          that they might not hear my words" (19:15).

                      -------------------------------

                          3. Distortion of Truth.

                      -------------------------------

          Isaiah speaks of Christ healing the stammering tongue
          (see Isaiah 33:19). The Hebrew word for "stammer" in
          this passage means "a defective utterance." This is the
          voice of uncertainty and hesitation - one that speaks a
          word without power or any ring of truth.

          Listen to the prophet's solemn words on this subject:
          "The vile person will speak villainy, and his heart
          will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy..." (32:6).
          The Hebrew word for "villainy" here means "foolishness,
          a wicked crime." It comes from the word "nabal," which
          means "dolt, fool."

          Isaiah is telling us, "Only a wicked, doltish man
          attempts to deliver God's word while indulging in sin.
          His words come out as utter foolishness!" Such a man
          commits "...utter error against the Lord, to make empty
          the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of
          the thirsty to fail" (same verse). His own error ends
          up misleading others!

          I grieve over the hundreds of letters we receive from
          Christians across this nation who say, "I get a knot in
          my stomach just thinking about going to church. My
          pastor's sermons are so shallow and unfulfilling.
          Nothing I hear challenges me or provokes me to
          holiness." Why is this so? It's because the word the
          pastor preaches isn't anointed truth!

          I'm convinced that one particular sin, more than any
          other, causes such blatant distortion of truth. It is
          the sin of unbelief. And this sin is rampant in many
          ministries today.

          God calls the sin of unbelief "going back to Egypt":
          "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help...but they
          look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the
          Lord!" (31:1). "Woe to the rebellious children...that
          take counsel, but not of me...that walk to go down into
          Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth..." (30:1-2).

          Isaiah was dumbfounded at seeing many of Israel's
          leaders mount their horses and gallop to Egypt to try
          to get counsel on national policy and security. These
          were the same men who told the prophet they had no time
          to seek the Lord or consult with him. But God didn't
          take their actions lightly. He called it all rebellion
          - and he pronounced woe upon them!

          Today, nothing has changed. Multitudes of Christians
          crisscross the country attending seminars and
          conventions with a "Go to Egypt" mentality. They're
          networking, strategizing, borrowing worldly methods,
          getting flesh-inspired counsel. In short, they're
          looking for any new thing that might excite them.

          But the praying servant who trusts God wholly knows he
          has no time for Egyptian concepts. The only place he
          runs to is his secret closet. And that's where he gets
          his counsel - on his knees!

                      -------------------------------

                            Now Let Me Give You
                              The Good News!

                      -------------------------------

          The Lord has given us a wonderful example of his power
          to revive and heal his blind and deaf servants. The
          example is found in the book of Haggai.

          The Lord sent two men on a mission to rebuild the
          fallen temple in Jerusalem. These two men were
          Zerubbabel and the high priest, Joshua - two godly
          leaders who obeyed the Lord and carried out his work
          with zeal and faithfulness.

          But at first they had to labor against heavy
          opposition. Groups of backslidden, idolatrous Jews and
          jealous Samaritans opposed the work, trying everything
          to prevent it. Finally, these groups succeeded in
          getting Cyrus to rule against the two men's mission.
          After that, Zerubbabel and Joshua grew weary of the
          struggle - of being opposed, slandered and misjudged.
          So, for the next sixteen years, the work of God
          stopped.

          Yet Zerubbabel and Joshua never received a mandate from
          God to retire. The Bible doesn't record any edict from
          Cyrus actually revoking their permission to build. So
          their work shouldn't have missed a beat. The fact is,
          God still had all the power necessary to help them go
          forward.

          Yet Cyrus' verbal warnings gave Zerubbabel and Joshua
          an excuse to break off their work. And soon they
          focused their energies on their own personal comfort.
          They thought only about providing for themselves -
          houses, lands, families, careers. That's when they
          broke off all sacrificial ministry. They thought they
          no longer had to bear a cross or to carry the burden of
          the Lord.

          In such times, Satan always shows up providing a
          perverted theology to support a compromising lifestyle.
          The doctrine in this case was: "It's not God's time
          yet. The word from Cyrus has made that clear. The Lord
          will let us know when the time is right to build.
          Meanwhile, let's build up our estates. We need to enjoy
          our religion!"

          Simply put, the people of Israel - including these two
          godly men - were guilty of blatant unbelief. They lost
          all their confidence in God to direct and support them!

          I see the same spirit of unbelief at work today.
          Preachers have told me very bluntly, "I'm counting the
          days till I retire. I've had it with people! I don't
          want to put up with their stuff anymore. As soon as my
          retirement date comes, I'm out of here!"

          No! May this never be the attitude of any true servant
          of God! The Holy Ghost is a quickening Spirit - and if
          you're living and ministering in the Spirit, then the
          older you get and the longer you minister, the stronger
          you'll grow through it all. The work of God ought to
          become more exciting to you with every passing year!

          Yet Zerubbabel and Joshua grew increasingly deaf and
          blind. They'd become sin-disabled, incapacitated
          servants who looked after only their own interests.
          Without question, God was saddened and displeased with
          them. But he was not finished with these men!

          Likewise, beloved, you may fit the description Isaiah
          gives of an incapacitated servant. You may be badgered
          by a besetting sin that won't loosen its grip on your
          life. But God sees your heart - and if you have even a
          sigh of mourning left in you, God can revive you and
          restore to you all that the cankerworm has eaten. He
          isn't through with you. In fact, your best days may be
          ahead!

                      -------------------------------

                         If You Want to Be Revived,
                        Restored and Delivered, God
                       Will Send You a Final Warning
                            - Wed to A Promise!

                      -------------------------------

          Thank God for the prophet Haggai. Here was a man of God
          living in victory - someone who had the mind of God,
          who walked in grace, and who had heaven open to him. He
          came on the scene and gave Zerubbabel and Joshua this
          warning: "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your
          cieled houses, and this [God's] house lie waste? Now
          therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your
          ways" (Haggai 1:4-5).

          This was a call to quit focusing on self - not only
          self-comfort, but also self-despair. Haggai was saying,
          "Forget the past! It's time to rise up out of your
          lethargy. In spite of all your sinning, God wants you
          to take up his work where you left off. Now, pick up
          your instruments of labor and regain your confidence in
          the Lord. Go back to your secret closet of prayer -
          back to trusting God to deliver you from your sin. Soon
          you'll hear his voice again!"

          Scripture says, "The Lord stirred up the spirit of
          Zerubbabel...and the spirit of Joshua...and the spirit
          of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did
          work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God"
          (verse 14). Then God gave them this promise: "Consider
          now from this day and upward...from this day will I
          bless you" (2:18-19).

          Zerubbabel and Joshua were once again walking in faith
          and righteousness. And now the prophet brought them the
          best word of all: God was going to take down the
          obstacle that nearly destroyed them! "Who art thou, O
          great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a
          plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof
          with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it"
          (Zechariah 4:7).

          Dear saint, this is what your present trial is all
          about. God is going to stir your heart once again - and
          you'll see the completion of your call! The Holy Spirit
          is going to destroy every stronghold in your life - not
          through your strength, but through his. Then you'll
          finish the course God has laid out before you. And,
          like Zechariah, you'll do it shouting, "Grace, grace!
          God has been merciful and faithful to me!"

          You'll have his anointing daily, till your very last
          breath. And you'll go out with a crown of righteousness
          on your head!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

          This material is solely for personal use and is not to
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          on its web page. You are free to download, copy, print
          and distribute this material, so long as you do not
          post it on a different Internet site. You may, however,
          link this site to reference these messages.

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