1
00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:03,040
I have a very serious message for us

2
00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,820
today, friends, and I deliver to you with

3
00:00:05,820 --> 00:00:06,700
fear and trembling.

4
00:00:07,380 --> 00:00:10,160
Things have changed so quickly in this country

5
00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,340
in just the last two or three years

6
00:00:12,340 --> 00:00:16,060
that this country is not even recognizable anymore.

7
00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,160
America used to be a nation that was

8
00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:21,740
favored of God because she was a nation

9
00:00:21,740 --> 00:00:23,220
that once feared God.

10
00:00:23,220 --> 00:00:26,940
God brought her through world wars in victory,

11
00:00:27,660 --> 00:00:28,450
blessed her materially.

12
00:00:29,220 --> 00:00:32,300
He blessed her spiritually through poured out effusions

13
00:00:32,300 --> 00:00:36,180
of grace and revivals and spiritual awakening, and

14
00:00:36,180 --> 00:00:38,780
he elevated her bountifully in the eyes of

15
00:00:38,780 --> 00:00:39,360
the world.

16
00:00:39,860 --> 00:00:43,260
But America not only was ungrateful to God,

17
00:00:43,540 --> 00:00:45,580
she turned her back on the God of

18
00:00:45,580 --> 00:00:46,140
the Bible.

19
00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:49,920
America legislated God out of her judicial system.

20
00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,780
She banned him from her educational system, and

21
00:00:53,780 --> 00:00:56,840
she removed him from her military system, and

22
00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,100
she has banished him from the borders of

23
00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:00,520
this once great land.

24
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,140
America, once a nation favored by God, is

25
00:01:05,140 --> 00:01:07,480
now a nation forsaken of God.

26
00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,520
Wickedness grows in the land like a great

27
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,780
plague, and good is called evil and evil

28
00:01:13,780 --> 00:01:14,280
good.

29
00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,640
God is hated in America today, and this

30
00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,860
country blasphemes him on Sabbaths and mocks him

31
00:01:20,860 --> 00:01:24,100
with her entertainments and shakes her angry fists

32
00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:27,540
at him through her court systems by enacting

33
00:01:27,540 --> 00:01:30,340
laws that stand in direct opposition to him.

34
00:01:30,900 --> 00:01:34,220
I believe America will face a different side

35
00:01:34,220 --> 00:01:36,420
of God than what we are used to,

36
00:01:36,660 --> 00:01:39,620
for we mistakenly believe that God is just

37
00:01:39,620 --> 00:01:41,180
a God of love in this land.

38
00:01:41,180 --> 00:01:44,080
That's what our churches and evangelists have told

39
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,900
us for the last 50 years, and several

40
00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:51,480
generations have grown up believing in that kind

41
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:52,020
of God.

42
00:01:52,420 --> 00:01:54,440
But he's not the God of the Bible.

43
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,340
One of the most startling passages in my

44
00:01:57,340 --> 00:02:00,860
Bible is found in 1 Chronicles chapter 27

45
00:02:00,860 --> 00:02:05,100
and verses 14 through 16, which relate the

46
00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:07,800
punishment which fell upon the people of God

47
00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,740
by the hand of God through King David's

48
00:02:10,740 --> 00:02:12,740
disobedience in taking the census.

49
00:02:13,380 --> 00:02:15,520
Let me read that text to you now.

50
00:02:17,830 --> 00:02:21,810
So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel, and

51
00:02:21,810 --> 00:02:25,430
there fell of Israel seventy thousand men, and

52
00:02:25,430 --> 00:02:28,790
God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy

53
00:02:28,790 --> 00:02:29,090
it.

54
00:02:29,490 --> 00:02:32,590
And as he was destroying, the Lord beheld,

55
00:02:32,790 --> 00:02:35,430
and he repented him of the evil, and

56
00:02:35,430 --> 00:02:38,450
said to the angel that destroyed, It is

57
00:02:38,450 --> 00:02:41,250
enough, stay now thine hand.

58
00:02:41,750 --> 00:02:43,590
And the angel of the Lord stood by

59
00:02:43,590 --> 00:02:46,930
the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

60
00:02:47,370 --> 00:02:50,290
And David lifted up his eyes and saw

61
00:02:50,290 --> 00:02:52,510
the angel of the Lord stand between the

62
00:02:52,510 --> 00:02:56,270
earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in

63
00:02:56,270 --> 00:02:58,590
his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem.

64
00:02:58,590 --> 00:03:02,390
Then David and the elders of Israel, who

65
00:03:02,390 --> 00:03:05,590
were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

66
00:03:06,710 --> 00:03:09,250
Now, friends, we must ask ourselves a very

67
00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:10,130
vital question.

68
00:03:10,750 --> 00:03:12,710
Do we believe our Bibles or not?

69
00:03:13,090 --> 00:03:15,450
Do we believe that God did this thing

70
00:03:15,450 --> 00:03:19,250
where he destroyed 70,000 people because of

71
00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:19,630
sin?

72
00:03:20,030 --> 00:03:22,430
Do we believe that a destroying angel can

73
00:03:22,430 --> 00:03:24,470
come to this earth with a sword of

74
00:03:24,470 --> 00:03:27,270
pestilence and hew down entire cities?

75
00:03:27,270 --> 00:03:29,410
Do we believe it or not?

76
00:03:29,670 --> 00:03:32,370
Do we believe our Bibles to be the

77
00:03:32,370 --> 00:03:33,750
inerrant word of God?

78
00:03:34,110 --> 00:03:36,970
Then we must be terrified by this picture

79
00:03:36,970 --> 00:03:40,670
of God's wrath poured out upon mankind because

80
00:03:40,670 --> 00:03:41,250
of sin.

81
00:03:41,510 --> 00:03:43,050
And it was the sin of one man

82
00:03:43,050 --> 00:03:44,010
that brought this.

83
00:03:44,290 --> 00:03:46,650
It was David's pride in taking a census.

84
00:03:47,790 --> 00:03:49,890
Look around at America today.

85
00:03:50,330 --> 00:03:52,490
Look at what a God-hating nation it

86
00:03:52,490 --> 00:03:53,390
has become.

87
00:03:53,390 --> 00:03:56,270
Look at the perversions that have swept over

88
00:03:56,270 --> 00:03:58,510
this land like an open sewer.

89
00:03:59,130 --> 00:04:01,990
Wrong is right today, and right is wrong.

90
00:04:02,270 --> 00:04:04,370
It's as if the whole land has gone

91
00:04:04,370 --> 00:04:04,950
crazy.

92
00:04:05,510 --> 00:04:07,870
We live on a planet of violence and

93
00:04:07,870 --> 00:04:10,950
sexual perversion, and our day is much worse

94
00:04:10,950 --> 00:04:14,110
than the days of Noah when God destroyed

95
00:04:14,110 --> 00:04:17,149
the entire populace, save Noah and his family.

96
00:04:17,610 --> 00:04:20,089
We are more wicked today than Sodom ever

97
00:04:20,089 --> 00:04:20,589
was.

98
00:04:20,589 --> 00:04:24,030
Our sins are greatly multiplied over Gomorrah.

99
00:04:24,450 --> 00:04:27,370
America is a whore nation who spreads her

100
00:04:27,370 --> 00:04:30,970
disease to other nations upon the earth where

101
00:04:30,970 --> 00:04:33,570
in former days she was a beacon of

102
00:04:33,570 --> 00:04:36,930
light in missionary enterprise and the spreading of

103
00:04:36,930 --> 00:04:37,530
the gospel.

104
00:04:38,050 --> 00:04:41,310
But now America corrupts other nations with her

105
00:04:41,310 --> 00:04:44,230
perverseness, and now she is a curse for

106
00:04:44,230 --> 00:04:47,170
she produces more filth than any other nation

107
00:04:47,170 --> 00:04:48,050
on earth.

108
00:04:48,050 --> 00:04:50,750
I believe a nation can fill up her

109
00:04:50,750 --> 00:04:53,550
cup of iniquity, and all that remains is

110
00:04:53,550 --> 00:04:55,710
certain judgment and destruction.

111
00:04:56,530 --> 00:04:58,950
Are we there in America today?

112
00:04:59,210 --> 00:05:01,890
And if we are, is America getting ready

113
00:05:01,890 --> 00:05:04,350
to face a different side of God than

114
00:05:04,350 --> 00:05:06,310
what she is accustomed to?

115
00:05:06,770 --> 00:05:10,710
Then what have we been taught by the

116
00:05:10,710 --> 00:05:13,050
prophets in the land for the last 50

117
00:05:13,050 --> 00:05:13,610
years?

118
00:05:13,610 --> 00:05:17,650
There's been false prophets that have only spoken

119
00:05:17,650 --> 00:05:21,650
about a part of God, his love, and

120
00:05:21,650 --> 00:05:24,270
they've ignored the full counsel of God which

121
00:05:24,270 --> 00:05:26,490
speaks of his vengeance and his wrath.

122
00:05:27,210 --> 00:05:28,950
And where is the church in all of

123
00:05:28,950 --> 00:05:29,330
this?

124
00:05:29,790 --> 00:05:33,070
The church in America has become an apostate

125
00:05:33,070 --> 00:05:36,270
church which mocks him with her worship services

126
00:05:36,270 --> 00:05:39,610
and insults him with her perverted gospel message.

127
00:05:39,610 --> 00:05:42,550
And this is a day of an unconverted

128
00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:47,170
ministry where many men occupy pulpits and run

129
00:05:47,170 --> 00:05:49,970
their churches in the name of Jesus, but

130
00:05:49,970 --> 00:05:53,530
they themselves have never been subjects of a

131
00:05:53,530 --> 00:05:55,350
work of grace upon the heart.

132
00:05:55,810 --> 00:05:59,290
Many are famous men, powerful men, men in

133
00:05:59,290 --> 00:06:02,830
leadership within their denominations, yet they are blind

134
00:06:02,830 --> 00:06:06,470
leaders who mislead multitudes and who damn their

135
00:06:06,470 --> 00:06:09,030
hearers with a perverted gospel message.

136
00:06:09,030 --> 00:06:12,030
Corruption grows in the church today like a

137
00:06:12,030 --> 00:06:15,410
cancer, and many serve a false demonic spirit

138
00:06:15,410 --> 00:06:17,290
and believe it to be God.

139
00:06:17,630 --> 00:06:19,750
Things have gotten so bad in this country,

140
00:06:20,210 --> 00:06:22,950
a person is hard-pressed to even hear

141
00:06:22,950 --> 00:06:24,210
the true gospel anymore.

142
00:06:24,990 --> 00:06:28,270
The false outweighs the true, and false prophets

143
00:06:28,270 --> 00:06:31,850
hold positions of authority and influence over many.

144
00:06:32,270 --> 00:06:34,650
And we have a nation of teenagers who

145
00:06:34,650 --> 00:06:37,150
are sexually ruined before they turn 16.

146
00:06:37,150 --> 00:06:40,350
They are drugged up, boozed up, and used

147
00:06:40,350 --> 00:06:42,890
up before they even become adults.

148
00:06:43,530 --> 00:06:45,510
And for the last 50 years in this

149
00:06:45,510 --> 00:06:48,750
country, the pulpits of the land have only

150
00:06:48,750 --> 00:06:52,050
proclaimed the love of God, that God is

151
00:06:52,050 --> 00:06:54,410
a God of love and only a God

152
00:06:54,410 --> 00:06:54,990
of love.

153
00:06:55,270 --> 00:06:57,610
The vengeful and wrathful God of the Old

154
00:06:57,610 --> 00:07:00,450
Testament was for another time, but not for

155
00:07:00,450 --> 00:07:00,950
today.

156
00:07:00,950 --> 00:07:03,350
God tolerates sin today.

157
00:07:03,830 --> 00:07:06,790
God is a loving God today who overlooks

158
00:07:06,790 --> 00:07:07,110
sin.

159
00:07:07,510 --> 00:07:09,930
God will let you into his heaven even

160
00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:11,730
if you never repent of your sins.

161
00:07:12,050 --> 00:07:14,750
That's what we're told in many churches in

162
00:07:14,750 --> 00:07:15,970
this country today.

163
00:07:16,450 --> 00:07:18,130
But it isn't so, friends.

164
00:07:18,510 --> 00:07:19,470
It isn't so.

165
00:07:19,910 --> 00:07:22,770
God is a God who must punish sin,

166
00:07:23,110 --> 00:07:25,790
and America is getting ready to see a

167
00:07:25,790 --> 00:07:28,150
different side of God than they are accustomed

168
00:07:28,150 --> 00:07:28,670
to.

169
00:07:28,670 --> 00:07:31,050
And that's the title of my message today.

170
00:07:31,510 --> 00:07:35,410
America will face a different side of God.

171
00:07:35,710 --> 00:07:37,190
Listen, friends.

172
00:07:37,570 --> 00:07:40,330
This country is nothing more than a house

173
00:07:40,330 --> 00:07:42,630
of cards waiting to be blown over.

174
00:07:43,070 --> 00:07:46,690
Utter destruction faces this nation from the hand

175
00:07:46,690 --> 00:07:48,310
of an offended sovereign.

176
00:07:48,990 --> 00:07:52,770
God Almighty will not long tolerate an entire

177
00:07:52,770 --> 00:07:56,970
nation mocking him without consequences and swift judgment

178
00:07:56,970 --> 00:07:57,850
upon it.

179
00:07:57,850 --> 00:08:00,850
America has only heard about a loving God

180
00:08:00,850 --> 00:08:02,810
who wouldn't harm a flea.

181
00:08:03,070 --> 00:08:05,310
But America is getting ready to see a

182
00:08:05,310 --> 00:08:07,610
side of God that will quite alarm her.

183
00:08:08,030 --> 00:08:10,490
For America has filled up her cup of

184
00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:13,330
iniquity, and the settling time is about to

185
00:08:13,330 --> 00:08:13,830
occur.

186
00:08:14,250 --> 00:08:17,610
Would God today send a destroying angel with

187
00:08:17,610 --> 00:08:20,530
a sword of pestilence in his hand like

188
00:08:20,530 --> 00:08:22,490
our passage from 1 Chronicles?

189
00:08:22,490 --> 00:08:25,870
Would God send an angel of such destruction

190
00:08:25,870 --> 00:08:30,010
that a virus like Ebola would spread over

191
00:08:30,010 --> 00:08:33,350
entire cities and who down hundreds of thousands,

192
00:08:33,870 --> 00:08:35,549
perhaps even millions?

193
00:08:35,990 --> 00:08:39,049
The Black Plague in Europe killed over 25

194
00:08:39,049 --> 00:08:40,169
million people.

195
00:08:40,750 --> 00:08:43,450
Do we deserve such punishment from the hand

196
00:08:43,450 --> 00:08:44,370
of God today?

197
00:08:44,590 --> 00:08:46,690
Are we wicked enough to deserve it?

198
00:08:47,150 --> 00:08:49,290
Is this the beginning of the end for

199
00:08:49,290 --> 00:08:49,790
America?

200
00:08:49,790 --> 00:08:52,910
How much more wicked can this nation become

201
00:08:52,910 --> 00:08:56,490
before God sends a destroying angel with a

202
00:08:56,490 --> 00:08:58,690
sword of judgment in its hand?

203
00:08:59,210 --> 00:09:01,530
Are we so asleep in our churches today

204
00:09:01,530 --> 00:09:03,990
that we don't even see our danger?

205
00:09:04,530 --> 00:09:07,950
The church in America is sound asleep, and

206
00:09:07,950 --> 00:09:09,630
she sleeps the sleep of death.

207
00:09:09,950 --> 00:09:12,790
But her time for repentance is drawing nigh.

208
00:09:12,790 --> 00:09:16,310
Our text today is found in the book

209
00:09:16,310 --> 00:09:18,810
of Revelation in chapter 2.

210
00:09:19,390 --> 00:09:21,590
You can turn in your Bibles there now.

211
00:09:22,690 --> 00:09:25,770
We will be in verses 21 through 23.

212
00:09:26,510 --> 00:09:28,910
I will read these verses with much fear

213
00:09:28,910 --> 00:09:32,410
and trembling, friends, because they speak volumes to

214
00:09:32,410 --> 00:09:35,370
the putrefied condition of this country today.

215
00:09:36,010 --> 00:09:38,570
Here now is the word of God.

216
00:09:38,570 --> 00:09:41,150
May the Spirit of God be pleased to

217
00:09:41,150 --> 00:09:44,670
attend the reading of His holy word.

218
00:09:45,930 --> 00:09:49,510
And I gave her space to repent of

219
00:09:49,510 --> 00:09:52,610
her fornication, and she repented not.

220
00:09:53,210 --> 00:09:56,850
Behold, I will cast her into a bed,

221
00:09:57,250 --> 00:10:00,170
and them that commit adultery with her into

222
00:10:00,170 --> 00:10:04,470
great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

223
00:10:04,470 --> 00:10:07,270
And I will kill her children with death,

224
00:10:07,790 --> 00:10:10,770
and all the churches shall know that I

225
00:10:10,770 --> 00:10:14,670
am He which searches the reins and hearts.

226
00:10:15,050 --> 00:10:17,490
And I will give unto every one of

227
00:10:17,490 --> 00:10:19,970
you according to your works.

228
00:10:20,650 --> 00:10:23,670
Now, friends, I want us to see that

229
00:10:23,670 --> 00:10:26,670
these words from Christ Jesus are given to

230
00:10:26,670 --> 00:10:27,490
His church.

231
00:10:27,890 --> 00:10:30,470
They were given to the angel of the

232
00:10:30,470 --> 00:10:31,930
church in Thyatira.

233
00:10:31,930 --> 00:10:34,450
But they are for us today, friends.

234
00:10:34,770 --> 00:10:36,850
The church is being given a period of

235
00:10:36,850 --> 00:10:39,610
time to repent, and she has not repented.

236
00:10:40,210 --> 00:10:44,250
The proud American church, with her big buildings

237
00:10:44,250 --> 00:10:48,350
and expanding campuses, refuses to repent of her

238
00:10:48,350 --> 00:10:51,070
wicked ways and turn back to the God

239
00:10:51,070 --> 00:10:51,790
of the Bible.

240
00:10:52,370 --> 00:10:54,770
Strange fire is the fire in our churches

241
00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:55,290
today.

242
00:10:55,730 --> 00:10:58,170
False doctrine is the doctrine in our pulpits

243
00:10:58,170 --> 00:10:58,630
today.

244
00:10:58,630 --> 00:11:01,330
Many are led to hell by being members

245
00:11:01,330 --> 00:11:03,450
of churches in our land today.

246
00:11:04,130 --> 00:11:07,850
I believe there are three ways to exercise

247
00:11:07,850 --> 00:11:10,510
repentance as found in our Bibles.

248
00:11:11,010 --> 00:11:13,910
Number one, national repentance.

249
00:11:14,850 --> 00:11:17,530
Number two, corporate repentance.

250
00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:21,010
Number three, personal repentance.

251
00:11:21,870 --> 00:11:23,810
Let us look at each of these as

252
00:11:23,810 --> 00:11:24,730
we proceed.

253
00:11:24,730 --> 00:11:27,730
In the book of Jonah, we see the

254
00:11:27,730 --> 00:11:30,970
wicked city of Nineveh repent and how God

255
00:11:30,970 --> 00:11:31,790
spared it.

256
00:11:32,050 --> 00:11:34,990
Jonah cried out with his warning of coming

257
00:11:34,990 --> 00:11:37,430
destruction to the wicked city.

258
00:11:37,990 --> 00:11:42,810
Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

259
00:11:42,990 --> 00:11:46,050
And our Bibles tell us how the people

260
00:11:46,050 --> 00:11:49,450
of Nineveh responded to the preached word of

261
00:11:49,450 --> 00:11:49,950
God.

262
00:11:50,740 --> 00:11:54,150
So the people of Nineveh believed God and

263
00:11:54,150 --> 00:11:57,790
proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from

264
00:11:57,790 --> 00:12:00,270
the greatest of them even to the least

265
00:12:00,270 --> 00:12:00,870
of them.

266
00:12:01,330 --> 00:12:03,590
For the word came unto the king of

267
00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:06,590
Nineveh and he arose from his throne and

268
00:12:06,590 --> 00:12:08,910
he laid his robe from him and covered

269
00:12:08,910 --> 00:12:11,590
him with sackcloth and satin ashes.

270
00:12:11,590 --> 00:12:14,990
And he caused it to be proclaimed and

271
00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:18,470
published to Nineveh by the decree of the

272
00:12:18,470 --> 00:12:18,970
king.

273
00:12:19,390 --> 00:12:23,190
And it's noble saying, let neither man nor

274
00:12:23,190 --> 00:12:27,270
beast, herd nor flock taste anything.

275
00:12:27,830 --> 00:12:31,250
Let him not feed or drink water, but

276
00:12:31,250 --> 00:12:34,310
let man and beast be covered with sackcloth

277
00:12:34,310 --> 00:12:36,850
and cry mightily unto God.

278
00:12:36,850 --> 00:12:40,070
Yea, let them turn every one of them

279
00:12:40,070 --> 00:12:43,150
from his evil way and from the violence

280
00:12:43,150 --> 00:12:44,730
that is in their hand.

281
00:12:45,150 --> 00:12:48,490
Who can tell if God will turn and

282
00:12:48,490 --> 00:12:51,690
repent and turn away from his fierce anger

283
00:12:51,690 --> 00:12:53,810
that we perish not.

284
00:12:54,290 --> 00:12:57,730
And God saw their works that they turned

285
00:12:57,730 --> 00:12:59,190
from their evil way.

286
00:12:59,190 --> 00:13:02,290
And God repented of the evil that he

287
00:13:02,290 --> 00:13:04,990
had said that he would do unto them.

288
00:13:05,210 --> 00:13:06,830
And he did it not.

289
00:13:07,890 --> 00:13:09,670
Did you hear that, friends?

290
00:13:09,990 --> 00:13:12,930
Should the president of this country send out

291
00:13:12,930 --> 00:13:16,010
a public decree and call this nation to

292
00:13:16,010 --> 00:13:17,870
a time of fasting and repentance?

293
00:13:18,490 --> 00:13:20,830
Are we a violent nation like Nineveh?

294
00:13:21,270 --> 00:13:23,790
Do we deserve destruction like they did?

295
00:13:24,110 --> 00:13:27,590
Our sins are more greatly multiplied than theirs.

296
00:13:27,590 --> 00:13:31,130
Are we willing as a nation to humble

297
00:13:31,130 --> 00:13:34,490
ourselves and turn from our evil ways and

298
00:13:34,490 --> 00:13:36,830
seek once again the living God of the

299
00:13:36,830 --> 00:13:37,310
Bible?

300
00:13:37,930 --> 00:13:40,990
God tried to get this nation's attention with

301
00:13:40,990 --> 00:13:43,990
the terrorist attack at 9-11, but I

302
00:13:43,990 --> 00:13:46,270
fear we all went back to sleep.

303
00:13:46,690 --> 00:13:49,330
What will it take to get this nation's

304
00:13:49,330 --> 00:13:52,050
attention, to turn her back to God?

305
00:13:52,370 --> 00:13:55,350
What national disaster will have to befall us?

306
00:13:55,350 --> 00:13:57,870
A revival could prevent this, friends.

307
00:13:59,930 --> 00:14:02,690
Secondly, there is corporate repentance.

308
00:14:03,570 --> 00:14:05,790
I have been in a church where God

309
00:14:05,790 --> 00:14:09,270
visited it with his manifest presence, and there

310
00:14:09,270 --> 00:14:11,330
was a God consciousness there.

311
00:14:11,690 --> 00:14:14,270
All you could do was to be bowed

312
00:14:14,270 --> 00:14:16,290
under his awful presence.

313
00:14:16,290 --> 00:14:20,030
If a church would do what is necessary

314
00:14:20,030 --> 00:14:23,610
and seek the Lord God, maybe he may

315
00:14:23,610 --> 00:14:26,630
be merciful to send a revival, but what

316
00:14:26,630 --> 00:14:27,590
is necessary?

317
00:14:28,290 --> 00:14:31,510
There are two places in my Bible which

318
00:14:31,510 --> 00:14:34,370
lay out the pattern for the people of

319
00:14:34,370 --> 00:14:37,170
God to do what is necessary in turning

320
00:14:37,170 --> 00:14:38,290
back to God.

321
00:14:38,290 --> 00:14:41,530
The first passage is found in the book

322
00:14:41,530 --> 00:14:44,670
of Joel, in chapter 2, and in verses

323
00:14:44,670 --> 00:14:46,890
12-18.

324
00:14:47,230 --> 00:14:49,610
You can turn in your Bibles there now,

325
00:14:49,710 --> 00:14:50,070
friends.

326
00:14:50,170 --> 00:14:51,970
We can read along together.

327
00:14:52,570 --> 00:14:55,850
Let me read the solemn passage to us.

328
00:14:56,890 --> 00:14:59,410
And may God send us the grace of

329
00:14:59,410 --> 00:15:00,630
repentance to do it.

330
00:15:00,970 --> 00:15:05,170
This is Joel, chapter 2, verses 12-18.

331
00:15:05,170 --> 00:15:07,950
Oh, if the churches in this land would

332
00:15:07,950 --> 00:15:09,270
just do the following.

333
00:15:10,510 --> 00:15:13,730
And rend your heart, and not your garments,

334
00:15:14,070 --> 00:15:16,530
and turn unto the Lord your God.

335
00:15:16,810 --> 00:15:20,150
For he is gracious and merciful, a slow

336
00:15:20,150 --> 00:15:23,990
to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth

337
00:15:23,990 --> 00:15:25,310
him of the evil.

338
00:15:25,310 --> 00:15:29,010
Who knoweth if he will return and repent,

339
00:15:29,430 --> 00:15:32,090
and leave a blessing behind him, even a

340
00:15:32,090 --> 00:15:35,470
meat offering and a drink offering, unto the

341
00:15:35,470 --> 00:15:36,650
Lord your God.

342
00:15:37,070 --> 00:15:41,490
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify fast, call

343
00:15:41,490 --> 00:15:45,810
a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the

344
00:15:45,810 --> 00:15:50,850
congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and

345
00:15:50,850 --> 00:15:52,410
those that suck the breasts.

346
00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:55,570
Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber,

347
00:15:56,050 --> 00:15:57,930
and the bride out of her closet.

348
00:15:58,450 --> 00:16:01,730
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,

349
00:16:02,150 --> 00:16:04,610
weep between the porch and the altar.

350
00:16:05,110 --> 00:16:08,510
And let them say, spare thy people, O

351
00:16:08,510 --> 00:16:12,050
Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach,

352
00:16:12,330 --> 00:16:15,310
that the heathen should rule over them.

353
00:16:15,750 --> 00:16:19,370
Wherefore they should say among the people, where

354
00:16:19,370 --> 00:16:20,470
is their God?

355
00:16:20,470 --> 00:16:23,270
Then will the Lord be jealous for his

356
00:16:23,270 --> 00:16:25,610
land, and pity his people.

357
00:16:26,530 --> 00:16:29,770
O friends, if only the sleepy-headed pastors

358
00:16:29,770 --> 00:16:32,830
in this nation would do this, would call

359
00:16:32,830 --> 00:16:35,950
their congregations to a time of solemn assembly,

360
00:16:36,330 --> 00:16:39,570
and fill their sanctuaries night after night with

361
00:16:39,570 --> 00:16:43,970
desperate cries and humiliation, begging God to forgive

362
00:16:43,970 --> 00:16:46,490
the sins of this land, and to forgive

363
00:16:46,490 --> 00:16:49,150
our sins as a people of God.

364
00:16:49,450 --> 00:16:52,090
It's up to the spiritual leaders to gather

365
00:16:52,090 --> 00:16:54,850
the people, and weep between the porch and

366
00:16:54,850 --> 00:16:58,310
altar, saying, spare thy people, O Lord.

367
00:16:58,870 --> 00:17:00,470
But who's doing it?

368
00:17:00,850 --> 00:17:04,230
Where are the pastors willing to humble themselves,

369
00:17:04,609 --> 00:17:07,130
and to throw their reputations out the window,

370
00:17:07,490 --> 00:17:10,430
and get on their faces before God, and

371
00:17:10,430 --> 00:17:13,230
weep, and mourn, and beg God for mercy

372
00:17:13,230 --> 00:17:15,849
to lead their people in a serious time

373
00:17:15,849 --> 00:17:19,849
of fasting and supplication before the Lord?

374
00:17:20,910 --> 00:17:23,990
Lastly, there is personal repentance.

375
00:17:24,630 --> 00:17:26,609
And this is the second place in my

376
00:17:26,609 --> 00:17:30,530
Bible which speaks directly to revival in the

377
00:17:30,530 --> 00:17:33,870
land through a beginning of personal repentance among

378
00:17:33,870 --> 00:17:35,190
the people of God.

379
00:17:35,190 --> 00:17:38,290
This means you and me, friend, this is

380
00:17:38,290 --> 00:17:42,930
what we can do individually right now, right

381
00:17:42,930 --> 00:17:43,550
now.

382
00:17:43,810 --> 00:17:46,830
If we will do the following, perhaps God

383
00:17:46,830 --> 00:17:49,970
will not bring a national judgment upon us,

384
00:17:50,030 --> 00:17:53,170
but rather he will show us mercy and

385
00:17:53,170 --> 00:17:57,250
bring a national awakening, a spiritual awakening, and

386
00:17:57,250 --> 00:17:59,670
a revival that could sweep this nation from

387
00:17:59,670 --> 00:18:02,850
coast to coast until thousands could come to

388
00:18:02,850 --> 00:18:03,730
know the Lord.

389
00:18:03,730 --> 00:18:06,550
There would be a God consciousness in our

390
00:18:06,550 --> 00:18:07,510
churches again.

391
00:18:07,810 --> 00:18:09,850
Our teenagers would know what it was like

392
00:18:09,850 --> 00:18:12,750
to sit in the presence of God instead

393
00:18:12,750 --> 00:18:15,350
of sitting in a sanctuary of entertainment.

394
00:18:16,810 --> 00:18:19,810
Here is what is necessary on our part,

395
00:18:19,910 --> 00:18:23,830
friends, as found in 2 Chronicles 7.14.

396
00:18:25,430 --> 00:18:29,050
If my people, which are called by my

397
00:18:29,050 --> 00:18:33,490
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek

398
00:18:33,490 --> 00:18:37,050
my face, and turn from their wicked ways,

399
00:18:37,330 --> 00:18:40,490
then will I hear from heaven, and will

400
00:18:40,490 --> 00:18:43,850
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

401
00:18:44,410 --> 00:18:47,730
Let me ask you, friend, does our land

402
00:18:47,730 --> 00:18:48,550
need healing?

403
00:18:48,550 --> 00:18:51,570
Are we willing to turn from our wicked

404
00:18:51,570 --> 00:18:52,150
ways?

405
00:18:52,570 --> 00:18:54,710
Are we willing to slay the very lust

406
00:18:54,710 --> 00:18:57,230
in our life that we cling to and

407
00:18:57,230 --> 00:18:57,710
enjoy?

408
00:18:58,090 --> 00:19:00,090
Are we willing to turn off our wicked

409
00:19:00,090 --> 00:19:03,290
television long enough to fall on our faces

410
00:19:03,290 --> 00:19:06,370
before the God of the Bible and weep

411
00:19:06,370 --> 00:19:08,730
over the sins which break his heart?

412
00:19:09,070 --> 00:19:11,410
Are we willing to be separated from our

413
00:19:11,410 --> 00:19:12,530
darling sins?

414
00:19:12,530 --> 00:19:17,550
Are we, are we, are we desirous of

415
00:19:17,550 --> 00:19:18,710
a national revival?

416
00:19:19,250 --> 00:19:20,870
Are we willing to stay on our faces

417
00:19:20,870 --> 00:19:22,710
long enough for it to come?

418
00:19:23,430 --> 00:19:26,890
I remember years ago, I used to meet

419
00:19:26,890 --> 00:19:29,450
with some local pastors, and we would pray

420
00:19:29,450 --> 00:19:31,210
each week for revival.

421
00:19:31,830 --> 00:19:35,590
But after a while, one by one, they

422
00:19:35,590 --> 00:19:37,450
dropped off and stopped coming.

423
00:19:37,450 --> 00:19:41,710
They did not have the importunity that was

424
00:19:41,710 --> 00:19:44,850
necessary to move the ear of God.

425
00:19:45,370 --> 00:19:48,830
I'm afraid most pastors today feel their church

426
00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:50,390
does not even need revival.

427
00:19:51,010 --> 00:19:53,670
I was standing in line in my cap

428
00:19:53,670 --> 00:19:56,730
and gown, waiting for my Ph.D. graduation

429
00:19:56,730 --> 00:19:59,710
ceremony to begin, and next to me in

430
00:19:59,710 --> 00:20:01,570
line was a pastor from the South.

431
00:20:01,570 --> 00:20:04,370
I asked him how often he met with

432
00:20:04,370 --> 00:20:07,110
other pastors in his community to pray for

433
00:20:07,110 --> 00:20:09,250
revival on a regular basis.

434
00:20:10,030 --> 00:20:14,190
He looked at me strangely and replied, we

435
00:20:14,190 --> 00:20:15,610
don't need revival.

436
00:20:15,990 --> 00:20:17,670
We are all on the grow.

437
00:20:18,510 --> 00:20:20,990
In other words, as long as you are

438
00:20:20,990 --> 00:20:23,870
growing your church with numbers, then you are

439
00:20:23,870 --> 00:20:24,530
successful.

440
00:20:24,950 --> 00:20:27,070
And that's all that matters these days.

441
00:20:27,350 --> 00:20:30,030
God's not even in the equation anymore.

442
00:20:30,030 --> 00:20:33,770
That's why God has withdrawn himself from the

443
00:20:33,770 --> 00:20:34,710
church in America.

444
00:20:35,230 --> 00:20:37,430
And that's why America will soon face a

445
00:20:37,430 --> 00:20:40,250
different side of God than what she is

446
00:20:40,250 --> 00:20:41,450
accustomed to.

447
00:20:41,670 --> 00:20:43,490
Heaven help us all.