Pure Heart, Pure Church - Part 2 — Leonard Ravenhill

David’s Threefold Description of Sin

He commits the horrible act of adultery. So there are three words here for sin. Blot out my transgressions. He says wash me throughly from mine iniquity. Iniquity means I'm perverted because of my transgression.

I have let sin come and have dominion over me. Against thee only have I sinned, pardon me. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. I acknowledge my transgression my sin. That's a sum total of my transgressions and mine iniquity.

The Guilt of Sin Ever Before Us

My sin is ever before me. What a price men pay for sin. Is he just being poetic? You mean he sees his sin every minute of the day? Yes he does. He looks outside of his castle and there's a young man standing on sentry duty.

And every time he sees a soldier he remembers the young captain he put to death in order that he might steal his wife. A baby cries back in the kitchen the baby of one of the girls that works for him.

When he hears the baby's cry he's haunted with the cry of the sin of the child that he brought into the world. My sin is ever before me against thee. The only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be clear when thou judgest and be justified when thou speakest.

Original Sin and Human Responsibility

I was born in sin and in sin did my mother conceive me. Now there are two theories about the sin of man. One is that we're born with sin. And if somebody says we're born with it then God sends us to hell for having it.

No he sends us to hell for not getting rid of it. Are we born with sin or is this a a get out. When somebody says David here says I was born in sin. In sin did my mother conceive me. Remember when Samuel went to anoint the sons of what was his name Jesse.

Thank you dear. Thank you dear. They all were brought up before Samuel except one. Why wasn't David brought up. Well the theory is because he was born out of wedlock and they didn't want to own him in sin did my mother conceive me.

But whichever view you take man is still a sinner. If he isn't born with sin it's soon admitted into his life anyhow. You know it's one of the tragedies I think of our day that people when you talk about holiness they're more afraid of holiness than they are of sinfulness.

The Church’s Comfort with Sin

One of the appalling things in the church and outside of it is our woeful. I would call it woeful or appalling comfort with sin. I don't often listen to PTL. But very often these nights I get. I go to bed at 10 and I get up at 12 work till 2 or 3.

And the other night just after 12 I turn on the news and it slid right into PTL. And the little boy on PTL as I call him was saying some of his wisdom. As usual. I know it's when he called people to the altar.

They were smiling. One was chewing gum. I saw no broken and contrite hearts. David here is bowed down with guilt. He's lashed with something that has a sting worse than a scorpion. There's plenty of them around here.

If you want to try a scorpion out. I've had them accidentally and they're very painful. But he's something that stings him worse than a scorpion. What is that conscience. The old Methodist used to sing a hymn.

Quicken my conscience till it feel the loathsomeness of sin. There's not much consciousness of sin anymore. The preachers have changed their vocabulary. There's not much preaching of hellfire on TV. I've heard a preacher saying two or three times.

The Loss of Prophetic Preaching

Do you know I was at the White House recently. That's the second time I've been. I thought well why admit it. Do you think Obadiah would have invited Elijah to dinner. Do you think of a Graper would have invited the Apostle Paul to dinner.

Do you think Herod would have invited John Baptist to dinner. We don't carry eternity with us preachers anymore. As far as I'm concerned we can step out of giggling in the next room and come and try to be serious.

And somehow we misfire. There is no sense of guilt around anymore. I'm sure you know this. There are no adulterers anymore. Few people having affairs. Of course. No wickedness just weakness. No iniquity just infirmity.

Conscience, Holiness, and the Softening of Sermons

Dear Lord when I read some of these old men that preached a hundred years ago let me say this. We used to go to a church in Ireland where my dear wife is from and the pulpit was on a kind of a stem and it was only small not as big as this platform.

And right behind it was the door. Now that church was about two hundred years old and I said well why do you have a door right behind a preacher. Well he needed to escape when the crowd got hostile. Now we spoon feed you.

And you think oh he's a nice preacher. He's so nice he's so smooth. He never hurts me never says anything that upsets me. Quicken my conscience till it feel the loathsomeness of sin. The background of this of course is is extremely dramatic.

Saul’s Fear and the Silence of God

It's the case of this man David. He's got into trouble. The philistines have come up to him and he's terrified. It says in Samuel 28 verse. Pardon me. 1st Samuel 28 verse 5. When Saul saw the host of the philistines he was afraid and his heart greatly trembled.

When Saul inquired of the Lord the Lord answered him not neither by dreams nor by Urim nor by prophets. Then Saul said unto his servant seek me a woman with a familiar spirit that I may consider and inquire her.

His servant said there is a woman in Endor. Saul disguised himself. Notice that he didn't go in to see you. Do you ever disguise yourself to go somewhere. Are you ever embarrassed to enter a certain place which is questionable.

Saul disguised himself and put on an arraignment. And he went with the two men and they came to the woman at night. What a lot's done at night. Men love darkness rather than light. Why. Because their deeds are evil.

Why did he disguise himself. Obviously he didn't want to be identified. Why did he go in the night time. He didn't want to be identified. He came at night and said I pray thee divine unto me by a familiar spirit and bring him up whom I shall name unto thee.

Saul and the Woman of Endor

Oh so she brought up who Samuel. When the woman saw Samuel she cried with a loud voice. I believe it is the only case in history where a genuine spirit was brought up from the other world. Every other is a fake.

But notice she put the spotlight on him. Why hast thou deceived me for thou art Saul. That must have been quite a shock. The king said unto her be not afraid for what thou sawest thou. And the woman said unto Saul I saw gods descending out of the earth.

And he said unto her what form is he of. And she said an old man cometh up and he is covered with a mantle. The prophets mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel. And he stood with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

Samuel’s Rebuke and Saul’s Distress

And Samuel said to Saul thou hast disquieted me to bring me up. And Saul answered I am so distressed. The Philistines make war against me. And God is departed from me. Samuel said whereof thou dost ask of me.