A. W. Tozer - Tozer Speaks: Volume Two: 128 Compelling & Authoritative Teachings of A.W. Tozer

Tozer Speaks

128 Compelling and Authoritative Teachings of A.W. Tozer

VOLUME TWO

Tozer Speaks

128 Compelling and Authoritative Teachings of A.W. Tozer

VOLUME TWO

Book 5 Twelve Sermons in Peters First Epistle

Book 6 Twelve Messages on Well-Known and Favorite Bible Texts

Book 7 Twelve Sermons Relating to the Life and Ministry of the Christian Church

Book 8 Ten Sermons on the Voices of God Calling Man

Compiled by Gerald B. Smith

A division of Zur Ltd.

Tozer Speaks, Volume Two

ISBN: 978-1-60066-293-5

1994 by Zur Ltd.

First WingSpread Publishers Edition 2010

All rights reserved

Scripture taken from
The Holy Bible: King James Version.

Cover Design by Viscul Media Design, Inc.

Tozer Speaks previously published as The Tozer Pulpit in two volumes.

Book 5 previously published as The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 5 and as I Call It Heresy!

Book 6 previously published as The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 6 and as
Who Put Jesus on the Cross?

Book 7 previously published as The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 7 and as
Tragedy in the Church

Book 8 previously published as The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 8 and as
Echoes from Eden

Contents

Twelve Sermons in Peters First Epistle

Dr. Keith M. Bailey, the Home Secretary of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, once gave this reference to the prophetic nature of the ministry of Dr. A. W. Tozer in his lifetime:

Some aspects of the gift of prophecythose relating to the giving of the Holy Scripturesapparently ceased when the scriptural canon was completed.

The gift of prophecy itself, however, has not died out. The gift of prophecy is still needed in our midst because it is the anointed ability to speak to the present need of mens hearts.

It is possible to trace prophecy throughout the Old and New Testaments as a major thrust designed to speak to the contemporary human needGods anointed message for the need of the hour.

I think A. W. Tozer was a prophet. He could see far beyond most men in his generation. He was able to discern and analyze that which was decaying the church at its heart. In the prophetic sense, he was courageous in speaking to that truth with anointed ability and power.

The more I study revival the more I am convinced that the gift of prophecy must be exercised among us if there is to be a real and lasting revival in the church. We need anointed men who are not afraid to speak to the need of the church because revival is the renewal of the people of God first of all.

We think this analysis of the contemporary prophetic gift is a proper setting for the twelve Tozer sermons in First Peter presented in this book. The sermons were among those preached by Dr. Tozer during his long pastorate in Chicago, Illinois.

The Publisher

The Apostolic Voice: The Wonder of Inspiration!

The word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 1 Peter 1:23, 25

There are Christians among us today who seem to feel that their spiritual lives would have been greatly helped if they could have had voice-to-voice and person-to-person counsel from our Lord or from the Apostle Peter or Paul.

I know it is fair to say that if one of the apostles or any of the great early fathers of the church could return to this world from their yesteryear, there would not be room to contain the crowds that would rush in.

If it were known that St. Augustine or Chrysostom or Francis of Assisi or Knox or Luther or any of the great who have lived were to be present to speak, we would all give our closest attention and listen as though we were hearing indeed a very word from God.

Under the circumstances, we cannot hope to hear from men of God who centuries ago completed their ministries and went to be with the Lord. The voices of the great saints and mighty warriors of yesterday can no longer be heard in this twentieth century.

However, there is good news for those who are anxious to hear a word from the Lord! If we have a mind to listen, we may still hear the voice of an apostle for we are dealing with the words written by the man, Peter. He was indeed a great saint, even though we may not consider him the greatest of the apostles. I think it is safe to say that he was the second of the apostles, Paul alone, perhaps, having a higher place than the man, Peter.

So, as we look into his message, Peter will be speaking to us, even though it is through an interpreter.

Often our missionaries have told us of difficult times they have had with interpreters. The expression of the missionary may go in one way and come out with a different sense to the hearer, and I think when we expound the scriptures, we are often guilty of being imperfect interpreters. I shall do the best I can to catch the spirit of the man, Peter, and to determine what God is trying to say to us and to reduce the interference to a minimum.

Now, I suppose more people would like me if I were to declare that I preach the Bible and nothing but the Bible. I attempt to do that, but honesty compels me to say that the best I can do is to preach the Bible as I understand it. I trust that through your prayers and the Spirit of Christ my understanding may be right. If you pray and if I yield and trust, perhaps what we get from First Peter will indeed be approximately what Peter would say if he were here in person. We will stay as close as we can to the Word of the Living God.

The man Peter had a reputation for being first because he was a most impetuous man. He was either the first or among the very first in almost everything that took place and that touched him while he was alive.

For this reason, I suppose that Peter would have made a wonderful American! He usually opened his mouth and talked before he thought and that is a characteristic of many of us. He rushed to do what he had to doand that is also characteristic of us.

From the record of the Gospels, it appears that Peter may have been the first, or at least among the very first, to become a disciple of John the Baptist. He was among the first disciples who turned to Jesus when John the Baptist pointed and said, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.

Peter was the first apostle called by our Lord to follow Him. I believe that Peter was the first convert for he was the first man to say, Thou art the Son of the Living God,

Peter was among the very first to see our Lord after He had risen from the dead. There are those who insist that Peter was the first, believing that the Lord Jesus appeared to no one else until after a meeting with His beloved friend, Peter.

Also, remember that Peter was the first of the New Testament preachers. It is quite in keeping with the temperament of this man that when the Holy Spirit had come at Pentecost and there was opportunity for someone to stand and speak the Truth, Peter should be the man to do it.

I think there is no profound theological reason back of this. I think it is a matter of temperament and disposition. When 120 persons are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and it falls to the lot of one of them to leap up and express the wonder of what has just happened, it would be normal for the man Peter to be the one. So, he got to his feet and poured out that great sermon recorded in the second chapter of the Book of Actsthe great sermon that converted 3,000 persons!