Revival Conference 2007 - Don Currin - Part 6 — Don Currin

Christ’s Judgment of Compassion and Indifference

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was a hungered, and you gave me meat, and I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, and I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me.

The Eternal Consequences of Complacency

I was sick, and you visited me. But notice in contrast to that, in verse 37,. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when shall we be a hungered, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

And he gives them the reason why. But you notice as you read on, that in verse 42, there were those that did no works. They did not, they were not sensitive to the Lord in accommodating the needs of those about them.

It says in verse 42,. For I was a hungered, and you gave me no meat, I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger, and you took me not in, naked, and you clothed me not, sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when shall we be a hungered? And he tells them when. Then shall he answer them, look at verse 45, saying, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.

And there shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal. Now, friend, listen to me. I believe that if we're indifferent and complacent, it is not a good sign that the work of God has transpired in our hearts.

And can I tell you something this morning? I believe a person that has been that way for many years without any conviction or evident chastisement of God upon their life is still under the sentence of spiritual death.

They've never been born again. Listen to what Scurgeon said. It is one of the surest marks of a lost and ruined state when we are careless and indifferent concerning God. Once again, my only problem with conferences like this is they attract people that want another spiritual high.

But it only lasts for a few days or a week, and then they go right back into their sin like a dog to its vomit and like a sow that was washed to its wallowing in the mire. And there's no grounds of assurance, friend, if that is your lifestyle.

There's no assurance that you're truly born from above. Let me close with this this morning. I want to just give you some practical ways on how you can stir yourself out of complacency. Because, friend, perhaps this is the prelude to real revival.

Removing Hindrances to Spiritual Passion

This is the beginning to real personal revival for you. How can I stir myself? I am concerned, preacher. And perhaps the very reason you're concerned this morning is because you have been birthed into God's kingdom.

If you're sitting there and you could care less, friend, it is not a good sign that Christ has saved you. But if you're in the Lord Jesus, you are concerned. And you say, preacher, what can I do to get myself back on the cutting edge of spiritual passion once again?

Let me close with this. First of all, I would encourage you to remove anything that is doubtful in your life. Anything, listen, that is causing spiritual passion to wane. Anything. Any sin, any weight, any idol, any relationship.

Whatever it is that's distracting you from Christ and causing spiritual passion to wane, part company with it. The Bible says in Acts chapter 24 and verse 16,. Herein do I exercise myself to have a conscience bored of offense between God and all men.

Can I tell you something, brethren? Spiritual passion is not self-induced. It doesn't come as a result of dragging yourself out of the bed and going through some type of physical exercise. Spiritual passion begins by doing business with God and clearing your conscience.

Because these weights and these sins can take their toll upon our life and drag us, be a spiritual drag on our walk with Jesus Christ. I'll share with you how revival began with me. Back in the late 70s, not long after I had graduated from Bible college, God began to put incredible pressure on me.

There were things that he had forgiven me for, but I had not righted the wrongs. There were some things that I needed to make restitution in. Yes, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses from all sin.

But there were some things that God said, You're not going to have a sense of my affirmation. I will not be able to use you to the extent that I desire to until you put these things right with others.

The very first thing that I had to do is go back to Bible college and admit that I cheated on examinations my first year there. I asked the president of that school to forgive me. And he did. And I asked him, I said, What do I need to do to make this thing right?

And he told me. The second thing I had to do is call the Internal Revenue Service and admit that I cheated on my tax returns. I remember the agent from the Internal Revenue Service, he was on the phone, and when I made my appeal to her, she stuttered and stammered.

She said, Well, nobody's ever done this before. And I said, Well, that's beside the point. I said, I'm calling to ask you to forgive me as a representative of the IRS. And she said, I forgive you. And I said, Now, tell me what I need to do to make this thing right.

And she did. Then in those days, I noticed something that the promise of God was yea and amen in Christ Jesus. For if we draw nine to God with clean hands and a pure heart, God will draw nine to us. Reality began to be more and more.

In my life, Christ became a reality. His presence became more real. Joy, unspeakable and full of glory. What an affirmation that it was well with my soul. It was because I was approaching Him with clean hands and a pure heart.

Remove anything doubtful in your life, anything that is causing reality to wane. Number two, listen, resolve to live for eternity. Resolve to live for eternity, brethren. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 9 and 10.

Whether we labor, whether present or absent, we may be accepted. The word there means affirm, approved by Him. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

And I tell you, in my library at home, I have over 4 ,000 volumes. A large portion of that library is the biography and autobiography of great Christians. And, friend, here's what I've noted. Those that were set apart by God from the commonwealth that God used so greatly for his glory.

Without exception, the men and women that God mightily used were people of eternity. They did not wait until tomorrow for things that needed to be put right today. You see such things in journals like Robert Mary McShane, who recorded I Love to Live on the Verge.

Brainerd said, I love to live on the brink of eternity. McShane, do you know what he would do to always keep eternity in view? He would visit regularly the sick and the dying in his congregation. He said their infirm stay as they were on the threshold of eternity was a vivid, sober reminder of how quickly he would stand before God.

And he did because he died at 29 years of age. We must live for eternity. Number three, listen, just two more. Count not your life dear unto yourself. Acts chapter 20 and verse 24. Paul said, but none of these things move.