Richard Owen Roberts 2 - Broken Before the Throne 2010 — Richard Owen Roberts

Indeed, you're forced to acknowledge that, generally speaking, revivals are increasingly rare. And long ago, a rather foolish but well-educated idiot wrote a book entitled Primitive Traits of Revival, and in that book he tried to prove that the reason why revivals are increasingly scarce is because the populace is becoming better educated and no longer stirred by the raw emotionalism of revival.

Well, Pastor Dan, I think we know where that fellow is. You've spoken briefly about that. The education of people has had nothing to do with the diminishing of the frequency of revival, something a whole lot more fundamental than that.

Revival Requires Humility Before God

Most of us have memorized 2 Chronicles 7 .14, and we can sing it, and often do. Some of you have preached upon it, as I have, with frequency, sometimes a single sermon, sometimes eight or ten sermons in a row on 2 Chronicles 7 .14.

But everything breaks down, really, in the first of the four things that we are called upon to do, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves. That we're not willing to do. That has not happened.

So what's the sense of talking about the rest? I'll tell you what's wrong with the prayer movement. The prayer movement is a prideful movement asking God to do what is guaranteed He will not do. He will not come and heal the land until the people of God humble themselves.

And that's tough, really. What is more difficult than humbling yourself? And how do you know, even, whether you've made a speck of progress in this area? I've taken that to be a very serious word. I believe that God hates pride, and He distances Himself from the proud in heart.

We are told in Scripture that God holds the proud in heart at arm's length. And it's wise, once in a while at least, to sit down and ask, how long is God's arm? And of course there is no answer. Because as God Himself is infinite, so is His arm.

We can just take it as a given that anyone who is proud in heart is held an infinite distance away from God. Personally, I haven't seen anything yet in all my travels and opportunities of ministry that indicates that we're even near the matter of revival.

One of our brothers at the table tonight, when we were eating together, mentioned that in a conversation with Henry Blackaby, he had stated that the next revival will begin in the prison and among businessmen.

Curious kind of a thought. Last week, on Wednesday, I had lunch with one of the employees of the Awana movement. Perhaps your church has Awana group in it, and it's a good movement. But they have an unusual ministry that it appears that a lot of people haven't heard of.

They've got the ministry that has several parts to it, but one of the parts is called Malachi Dance. This is not well publicized, very little in truth known about it. But this dear fellow said to me, for a very long time, the most dangerous place in America was Angola prison in Louisiana, where there were practically daily murders taking place among the prisoners.

Riots, time after time after time. Then they got a new warden who, reasoning things out, said, it's absurd to teach morality to people who don't know there's a God big enough to order them around. If this prison is going to change, it's got to come from the prisoners learning about the God of the Bible.

And I was told just a few days ago, there are 5 ,000 prisoners at Angola. About 85 of whom are inmates for life with no possibility of parole. Out of that 5 ,000, 2 ,000 are in Bible studies together.

I don't know any city in America that has 40 of its people studying the Bible every day. I don't know of any church that has 40 of its people in the Word of God. It's not far-fetched to suppose there is the possibility of revival beginning in prison.

Now why? Those men are desperate. Are you desperate? Let me ask this row. Are you desperate for God? You don't look like it. Is anybody here desperate for God? Recently, Maggie and I took on an additional responsibility.

At a time we were sure we didn't need another responsibility because we weren't keeping up with the responsibilities we already had. But our church lost its pastor, so they said, will you become interim pastor?

Now you can imagine what a lousy interim pastor you've got when he's gone half the time. But nonetheless, we've done what we could. I made just about three conditions in accepting the responsibility. And one of them was the leadership team had to embrace the urgent necessity of turning the church into a house of prayer.

And I made it crystal clear. That means every member of this church committed to pray together at least once a week in a serious corporate prayer meeting. Well, we're a long ways from achieving that. But we've reached maybe 40 or so now who are attending the prayer meeting.

Now the last Sunday we were there, I read to the group Psalm 107. Four times in Psalm 107 it talks about the situation getting so desperate. Let me interrupt and say that's one of those historical psalms.

106 is a major historical psalm. 107 is also historical. Four times in the course of that psalm it talks about the increase of difficulties, the tragic situation in which the people of God were finding themselves.

And when it got bad enough, they cried unto the Lord. I don't hear that. Most of the places where I go, you can't even hear the prayer. Now I remember, Maggie remembers when our first child was born. We were living in an apartment.

And there was an elderly man who owned the building and who lived right beneath us. And every time that baby opened his mouth, we were afraid that we would be put out. When a baby cries, everybody in the world almost seems to know that the babies cry.

Now what kind of a cry is it when you've got 100 people in the room and 70 of the people who pray can't be heard? I experienced that this afternoon. Granted, I sat in the back, but this doesn't look like a very big room.

We haven't learned how to cry. On every prayer meeting in our church, when I'm present, I have to plead with the people. Please, please speak your prayer so that it can be heard. I grant you God can hear the unspoken prayer, but I can't.

And what's the sense of a prayer meeting where you can't participate because you haven't the foggiest notion what people are saying? Crying unto the Lord, it not only makes us aware of the velocity that is involved, but it certainly speaks of the urgency.

When a child begins to wail, you can say to yourself, Why, that child was just fed 45 minutes ago. I am not going to get up and feed it again. You've got to be a whole lot more resolute than any mother I ever knew to let that child wail and wail and wail.

But now, back to the prison. Why is it that 40 of the prisoners in the worst prison in the nation are crying unto God? I told you a huge percentage of them are lifers. They'll never get out. There's a desperation there, a brokenness that's still needed in us and in our praying together, as well as in our own closets.

But I've suggested that there's this critical problem of humility. You can't pray in a fashion that guarantees you're heard by God if there's no humility. And what does one do? Does one make a resolution?

From now on, I am determined. From now on, I'm going to be humble. Well, I've done that a good many times. And it helps a little. While you're remembering the resolution, it doesn't take long to forget the resolution, but while you're remembering it, it helps.

Then it finally dawned on me. Pride is maintained by comparison. So, big, hulky guy with muscles blossoming out of every portion of his body says, I got to feel good about myself. I know just what to do.

Mr. Roberts is standing up front. I'll go stand next to him. Well, of course, you can find little runts like me everywhere. And you can build your ego by comparison. The pretty girl likes to have around her some pretty plain girls because she sure looks good in the midst of those wilted flowers.

And, of course, it does the ego of the plain girl good because she's the most beautiful girl in our school, and she likes me. But you think of it. We maintain and develop our pride by comparing ourselves with others.

And no matter how wretched your circumstance, it's almost guaranteed that you can find somebody who looks worse than you do in at least some realm. And it gradually dawned on me there's only one effective way to deal with pride and to bring at least a measure of humility into the life, and that's to stop comparing myself with my fellow humans and to allow only one comparison, myself and Christ.

I'm not suggesting this is a little magic formula that automatically reduces you to humility because even though you've set your mind to compare yourself only with Christ, there'll be times when you'll find that little runt and stand next to it and feel puffed up.

Pride in the Church Is Exposed by Comparison

Now, this is particularly true in church life. I haven't spent much of my life in the pastorate most of my life. I've been an itinerant. But during the relatively few years I spent in the pastorate, I always felt it was important to attend whatever ministerial fellowships there were in the area.

But I found it next to impossible to maintain any regular attendance. Those meetings were so disgusting to me. A man would say very modestly, Well, we've had a very poor week. Honestly, I'm ashamed of what a poor week we had.

Why? We only baptized 13 this week. And others would share his grief by saying, Yes, yes, we sympathize with you. We're not doing very well ourselves. Only 18 baptisms this week. Oh, is that so? Well, we had a better than average week.

We had 31 baptisms this week. And I'm sitting there saying, I haven't seen a true convert for two months. Well, now as it turned out, my one convert in two months proved to be a whole lot more enduring than their 35 or whatever.

The church is always comparing itself with other churches and feeling good about themselves. And just as I said about person to person, so no matter how lousy your church is, you can find one worse. And we had these brilliant, shining examples of these monstrous churches with thousands upon thousands in attendance to make us all feel wilted and as if we are failing the Lord.

On the other hand, it is sadly true that 20 sermons in one of those megachurches would not provide enough nourishment for a single sparrow, let alone a human being. And we all know that if you want the church to grow, don't say anything.

The less said, the better. If you can just prance around and make believe. But if you preach the gospel, the crowd thins. I know some of these churches say running 20 ,000 in attendance each week, that would be down to 200 if they ever bore down on the Word of God.

But again, you see, now that gives us wonderful grounds of comparison. Let's take this, dear brother. How many do you have here on an average Sunday? 75. But of course, you're really preaching. Yeah, sure.

So they got 10 ,000 over there, but they're just dinking around. We're serious here. Whatever direction you take it, you can build pride by comparison. So the exhortation is quit comparing yourself with others or with other churches, and let's get back to the biblical standard of Christ.

Scripture’s Warnings About Sins That Exclude From the Kingdom

Now what I'd like to do this evening, I haven't started discerning yet, just sort of introducing the subject. I'd like to read a series of biblical passages, perhaps passages that you never strung together before.

Let me return to the book and ask you then to join me as we take a series of passages one by one. The first of these passages that I call to your attention is in 1 Corinthians 6. Just a brief portion from 1 Corinthians 6, starting at verse 9.

1 Corinthians 6, 9. Now pay close attention. There's something quite remarkable, I believe, that appears as we take these passages one after another. So 1 Corinthians 6 at verse 9. Do not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. Well, that's a simple list of 12 types of sinners who cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Let's go over them again just to try and fix them in our minds. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Don't be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers.

Now then, I want you to stand as I call your particular profession. First, let every fornicator stand. Well then, let every idolater stand. Well then, let the adulterers stand. Not much participation.

Now it gets more dangerous. Let the effeminate stand. Let the homosexual stand. I think we're going to have to shout that a bit in our nation. No homosexual shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Isn't it remarkable to ordain a person to the ministry whom God has plainly declared cannot under any circumstance enter the kingdom of heaven?

You see the point. We're dealing here with those gross sins, sins of the flesh, the notorious sins. Now I know a bit of timidity might have kept you from standing when your position was called, but I hope there was a greater reason why you didn't stand.

I hope that you are not one of those just described. There are plenty of them in the churches across America. I hardly need to report to you that the statistics have clearly proven that the sin rate in the world is essentially no different than it is in the church.

There are two areas that appear to be exceptions. Among those persons who call themselves born-again Christians, who married and divorced and remarried, the rate is greater in the evangelical church than it is in the world.

And the other area is in homosexuality. It is thought, I don't know that this is clearly demonstrated, it is thought that the percentage of those in the church who are practicing homosexuals is greater than in the world.

Sin, Conversion, and the Distortion of Biblical Truth

A few of you know that among other responsibilities, Maggie and I own a rather large bookstore in Wheaton, Illinois. And very often huge quantities of books come in, used books. And a week or two ago I was sorting through a pile of books and I came across one by a very well-known evangelical writer.

And I was particularly interested because a long time ago, Billy Graham, the evangelist, asked me to become his ghost writer. I know it's a bit of a shock to some of you, but most of the prominent men in the church don't write the stuff that gets published under their name.

Somebody else does. I've written just a wee bit for others. Anyway, he offered me the job, but it was impossible to accept. But the man who ended up doing it wrote the book that I discovered in a pile a few days ago.

His name is Mel White. He was, for years, a closet homosexual. Then he came out in the open and declared himself. And he has been trying to prove that homosexuality is acceptable to God in his autobiography, page after page after page, of distortion of biblical truth.

Now, we just read it, ever so plain. The effeminate and the homosexual shall not enter the kingdom of God. Now, I would like to hope that focusing for a few moments upon those ten awful sins made you feel good.

That's not me. I'm not guilty of any of those. If you're not, this is truly an exceptional audience. Nonetheless, I'm going to hope that that's true. But now, a second passage that I ask you to turn to, out of Galatians, chapter 5.

The book of Galatians, chapter 5. Picking up at verse 19. Galatians 5, 19. Now, the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of, uh-oh, now it's getting closer to home.

Outburst of anger. When was the last time you lost your temper? Disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, let's turn desperately honest. Is not humility observed when one becomes desperately honest? When all sham and pretense is gone, when truth reigns, when I no longer pretend to be holy and admit what a rotten louse I am.

So, each of us, if we really are concerned about the glory of God and the well-being of the lost, need to face verses of this sort. It's one thing to be able honestly to say, I am not an adulterer. I am not a fornicator.

I am not a feminine. I am not a homosexual. But am I a creator of strife? Almost every church of my awareness has some people within it who are creators of strife. A high percentage of families have some agitator in them stirring up strife.

Jealousy is prominent. Outburst of anger seems like you can barely get through a week without some professed Christian blowing up. And again, let's not forget the statements are clear. I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now, grace is involved and we're not shutting off the kindness of God. We can be grateful that the word practice is included in the passage because every one of us would fall if it was a single occurrence that is being spoken of.

But some of us who practice these things pretend that we don't. And we justify our position by saying such things as, Well, if you think I've got a bad temper, you should have known my father. And of course I respond, No, thank you.

Knowing you is difficult enough. But it's easy to throw stones at others. Old preachers lose their temper as well as young preachers. There is forgiveness. But these are pretty severe words and words that are urgently needed if we are ever going to get serious about humility.

I mentioned the prisoners on death row. There's not a whisper of hope for them in this life. Their only hope is in the next life. So they are, thank God, turning in some measure at least to the grace of God.

But if we take these passages seriously, any who practice these things, those who are regularly losing their temper, those who are frequently in dispute and stirring up strife, and those who are factious and who are envious, they're all in trouble, serious trouble.

Another passage in Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 5, picking it up at verse 3. Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you as is proper among saints. There must be no filthiness and no silly talk, no coarse jesting.

These things are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Now, if you didn't find yourself in the Galatians passage, you're sure to find at least something of yourself in the Ephesians passage.

Covetous. I'd like everybody who has never ever given way to covetousness to stand up and shout hallelujah to themselves. No, I mean, we're dealing with problems of immense consequence where so many of us are regularly falling before the God of this world.

The Form of Religion Without Its Power

But now the three passages that we have read, all are earmarked by the fact that these lists say these persons guilty of these sins shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. But let's turn to another passage.

This one in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy, please. Chapter 3. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure, more or rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness.

Although they have denied its power, avoid such men as these. Now, let's be literalist. Let's set our minds right now to avoid everybody who in any fashion is described in the 18 sins that Paul has just mentioned.

If you avoid everyone guilty of these sins, who do you associate with? You can't even associate with yourself. No, is this just fun and games? Is this just apostles getting paid to blast off a lot of nonsense?

Or is it the Word of God? Now, the thing that concerns me, in those first three lists, we had a clear statement describing those who are not ever going to be subjects of the kingdom of God. Now, this particular statement is not along that line.

I don't want to read something into the passage that isn't there. But what it plainly says is those who are guilty of these 18 sins, any or all of them, are under this grievous curse of knowing the form of religion but denying its power.

I spoke earlier of the message given to a St. David's Society long ago in Schenectady, New York, mocked by the mayor of the city on the question, why are revivals so rare? And it could be rephrased. Why is the church today doomed to live under the form of religion but denying its power?

Isn't that really the nub of the situation that we're living in? We have tens of thousands of churches that have got the form in place, but there's no power. But frankly, I think it's even worse for an individual to have the form in place and yet to lack the power and then to attend revival prayer conferences and to do so time after time after time and nothing changes.

Moses, Meribah, and Robbing God of His Glory

Now let me lay out something that a few of you I know have thought of but perhaps not all. In your mind, have you ever distinguished between sins that take you to hell and sins that rob God of His glory?

Over the years, I've often used that incredible situation at the end of Moses' life. I want to make reference to it but relatively briefly now. Do you remember the incident? Do you remember what happened to Moses at the end of his life?

There's nothing shameful about saying no. I mean, facts are facts. We either know or we don't know. But knowing is really quite consequential. It can be immensely helpful. Let me distinguish again and ask you, have you ever thought of the difference between sins that condemn one to hell?

Sins like the three lists that we read where it is absolutely stated those that are guilty of these things shall not enter the kingdom of God. And then I've asked you on the other side, have you sensed the difference between sins that condemn to hell and sins that rob God of His glory?

So let me recite briefly the details about Moses that you may not have brought forward in your mind and ever thought seriously about them. In Deuteronomy chapter 32 there is a song that occupies the bulk of the chapter referred to as the Song of Moses.

But at the end of the Song of Moses Moses is exhorting the people to pay close attention, to heed, to practice what they've been told. But then the Lord speaks out and it might be well to turn there because I don't want you to think I'm making this up.

This is part of the sacred text. Deuteronomy chapter 32. Let your own eyes focus upon the words that are spoken here. As I said, the bulk of the chapter is occupied with the song. But at verse 48. So this is Deuteronomy 32 at verse 48.

The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day. Say, go up to this mountain of the Abarim Mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho and look at the land of Canaan which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession.

Then die on the mountain where you ascend and be gathered to your people to Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people because you broke faith with me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel.

You shall see the land at a distance but you shall not go there into the land which I am giving to the sons of Israel. Now maybe you haven't thought seriously of the meaning of that. So let me ask you some simple questions.

When did God call Moses? A long time before. What did he call Moses to do? Come on now you're adults you're able to speak. Is that it? To lead them out of Egypt? Ah yeah don't leave out. To lead them to the promised land.

Now he is being told rise up on the mountain where you can look across and see the land of promise and lie down on that mountain and die. You'll never finish your life work Moses. Now you don't need to respond to this outwardly but weigh this inwardly which is worse?

To go to hell or to let the Lord down and never finish your life work. Well it depends on whether you're saved or not. I know an awful lot of people who think they're saved and when they read this section or numbers 20 and all the passages that pertain or when they hear me preach about it their question, if only one question pastor are you saying Moses went to hell?

That's it. The answer, no I'm not saying that. Didn't Moses appear at the Mount of Transfiguration? Oh well as long as he didn't go to hell I don't care what else. But there is a reason why revivals are rare and that reason is because the few people that call themselves Christians are focused upon escaping hell.

Not upon the purpose for which they were created. You were not created to escape hell. Some of you Baptists may need to forgive an old man who was never a Baptist and in all likelihood will never be one who was indeed brought to faith in the Presbyterian Church and required as a youth to memorize the Westminster Standards and in particular the Shorter Catechism.

You ever hear of the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster? It's all right. I'm not beating on you. I just want you to listen. Will you promise me you'll listen? I'm going to hold you to that now. The question in the Catechism is asked What is man's chief end?

Yes, the answer, beautiful, to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Moses, at the age of 120 now that's a bit older than me robbed God of His glory and therefore was commanded lie down on the mountain and die.

Look across before you lie down and see where you were supposed to end up and realize that because you robbed me of my glory I can't let you finish your life call. I said this already but I've got to repeat it.

If you're truly saved it's an awful lot worse to rob God of His glory than to go to hell. No outward response, please. But how many of you feel deeply what I've just said that your great burden is ever to bring glory to God and never to rob God of His glory.

Now every person described in 2 Timothy 3 in the verses that we read every person who has the form of religion but denies its power is robbing God of His glory. Why is our nation growing worse with every passing week?

Well there are numerous factors that enter in but the primary reason is because the church has so robbed God of His glory that the world thinks Christianity is ridiculous. That only idiots, those whose minds are atalpated, those who are suffering from brain disorder could ever believe anything as silly as Christianity.

And frankly if I didn't know any better I would join them in their jeers. Because what I see in the church by and large is ridiculous nonsense. Now what's the point of praying for revival if you haven't had a change of center in your life?

If your interest in Christ is to escape hell you haven't had a change of center in your life. You were born selfish and you're still selfish if your interest in Christ is yourself. All who are truly born of God have a new center.

The words of the Westminster short catechism are not just words but they are the gripping passion of the life. I want to live to the glory of God so that I can enjoy Him forever and so that I can spend eternity shouting the praises of the Almighty.

Now what possibility is there of any of us enjoying God when all we know of religion is the form? So what I'm trying to say is you can look through that first three lists and say oh well I'm not perfect but I really don't practice these things when I do any of these things.

I'm grieved, I'm broken hearted, I long for deliverance. But you can try to lead a holy life and desire deeply to lead a holy life and do so for purely selfish reasons. Now you take someone like myself I speak with care.

My parents were truly converted when I was eight years of age. Their lives radically transformed from that time on. That's 70 years because I happen to be 78 at the moment. For 70 years I have been exposed to the great truths of Christianity.

I like what I read. I like what I've heard. Fortunately in my case I've not only been exposed to the truths through others but experienced them deeply in my own life. The thought of knowing nothing but the form of religion.

The thought of not knowing the power is horrifying to me. I can't imagine anyone willing to drift along with the form and lack forever the power. And yet everywhere I look that's exactly what I see. People who have the form.

And over time even the form gets messed up. And it looks less and less like the real thing. So when you don't have the power you soon corrupt the form. But let's go back now to the Deuteronomy passage.

Moses’ Failure at the Rock of Meribah

Now for a moment let me just speak a wee bit more about Moses. You've got your Bible in front of you. Most of you, a few of you are breaking my heart because you don't seem to own a Bible. Or at least nobody ever told you it would be good to bring it with you.

But I'm turning to Numbers 20. And I just want to read a bit here. Numbers 20. There are five or six, really seven passages that deal with the subject of Moses and what happened to him in the end. But let me just give you a quick resume of the situation.

Verse 1 of chapter 20. Miriam died there. So Moses is in a very difficult situation. He was in a team ministry with his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron and his sister died. But God doesn't give out excuses and allow poor behavior because you've lost a loved one.

Verse 2. There's another complication here. The people assembled together against Moses and Aaron. Now, you never were in a situation, Pastor, where the congregation did such a thing, were you? Never.

But to God it was true and would be always true. It's tough going when you're supposedly the pastor of a group of people that band together to give you an impossible time. These were rotten people thoroughly full of themselves.

They hated Moses and Aaron and loved them at the same time. So they militate together to provoke Moses. I don't want to spend the whole evening on this but I've got a couple more things I've got to point out.

Look at verse 6. Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and they fell on their faces then the glory of the Lord appeared to them. Now, this young fellow is courageous.

He never had a preacher step right up to him before speak right in his face so he's not quite sure how to handle it but he's doing fine. Were you ever in a situation where the presence of God was so real that you hardly knew how to behave?

Then what did you do next? Nothing. Now in this case Moses did something next and what he did is what got him into such trouble. The Lord said to Moses now the people are mad they're congregated against Moses and Aaron as I pointed out.

Moses and Aaron had do you ever have an experience like Moses and Aaron? Where the Lord's presence was so powerful you fell down on your face? Yeah, yeah. Now what did you do next? Don't answer brother I don't want to incriminate you make you embarrassed but to hear Moses and Aaron have had this incredible experience of the Lord appearing to them in the most magnificent way imaginable and the Lord had said to Moses these people have been murmuring about the lack of water what I want you to do is to speak to the rock.

And many of you know what he did instead. He lost his temper and he took the rod and he walloped the rock. Don't forget the Lord said speak to the rock. Now once before a similar thing happened and that time the Lord said take the rod and whack the rock and water came out.

This time the Lord said speak to the rock but he whacked it and water came out. The people got what they wanted but Moses got what he didn't want. He allowed his anger to provoke him to the defiance of God.

So look at verse 13. Those were the waters of Meribah because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord and he proved himself holy among them. How did God prove himself holy among these cantankerous Israelites?

God proved himself holy by saying Moses it was your responsibility to uphold my holiness and you did not do so. Therefore you forced me to uphold it. So I uphold it at your expense. Lie down on the mountain and die.

Now friends I believe that's what we're faced with in the American church right now. We're not upholding God's holiness before the people but God is not going to allow his holiness to be dragged down by a silly and or corrupt church.

How could God possibly send revival in righteousness to a contemptible mess like he has on his hands in the American church? He is not going to send revival until we humble ourselves. And so far there's not much by way of encouragement in the church.