Our Greatest Need

Final Admonition Series

312 – Near the Cross

Gladiators

One of the great stories of the Christian Church is that of Telemachus. He was a hermit of the desert, but the call of God told him he must go to Rome. Rome was nominally Christian, but still the gladiatorial games went on. Men fought with other and crowds roared with the lust for blood.

Telemachus found his way to the games, 80,000 people were there to spectate. He was horrified. Were these men who were slaughtering each other not also children of God?

He leaped from his seat, right into the arena, and stood between the gladiators. He was tossed aside. He came back.

The crowds were angry; they began to stone him. Still he struggled back between the gladiators. The prefect’s command rang out, a sword flashed in the sunlight and Telemachus was dead.

Suddenly there was a hush. The crowd realized what had happened – a holy man lay dead. Something happened that day to Rome, for there were never any gladiatorial games any more. The one man had let loose something by his death that cleansed an empire of a sin.

A reformation begins with one person. He need not begin it in a nation. He can begin it in his home or where he works every day. If he begins it in God, no man knows where it will end.

Final Admonition Series

TOPICS:

Revival

Reformation

Reaching Out

Theological Issues

False Teachers

Specific Repeated Issues

Family

Use of the Tongue

Dangers of Money

Topic Today:

Reformation

(Revival)

Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God, and striving to conform their lives to its precepts.... God calls for a revival and a reformation. —Prophets and Kings, 626

We are to live

like Jesus

coming soon.

This creates:

Revival

Reinvestment in

personal spiritual life.

Seek God

with all the heart.

Revival Means

coming back to life

from dead.

A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow his blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. —The Review and Herald, March 22, 1887

Revival is

waking up fron

nominal lethargy.

Covid-19

Time and again

epistles say,

“wake up!”

(edited)

Ephesians 5:14 ESV

for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Revival is

waking up.

Allowing Chist

shine in you.

Reformation

Connection between

Revival and

Reformation.

A revival and a reformation must take place under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend. —The Review and Herald, February 25, 1902

We talk about Revival

It is waking up

from death.

Reformation goes further.

It is making

specific changes.

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Reformation allow

HS to identify

specific sins.

Letting Go of the Snake

Gary Richmond gained an interesting perspective on snakes while working with a snake handler in a zoo. Richmond and four others milked the venom of a King Cobra. This was an extremely dangerous task as the King Cobra has enough venom to kill one thousand adults.

An entire roll of paper towels was pushed into the cobra’s open mouth which then promptly closed. Once the paper towels were saturated with the lethal venom and they were ready to release the snake, the curator gave an important warning: “More people are bitten trying to let go of snakes than when they grab them.” If the cobra was not released properly, it could turn and bite its captors.

Many people claim to repent of sin, but they do not forsake it. That is like letting go of the cobra’s head but not its tail.

Reformation is

simply repentance.

“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life. There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense … [Such was the case of Esau, Balaam, Judas Iscariot and even Pharaoh. In contrast] … David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart” – Steps to Christ, pp. 23-25

Wash Your Hands

In 1818, Ignaz Philip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.” A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands. Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death.

After eleven years and the delivery of 8, 537 babies, Dr. Semmelweis lost only 184 mothers. He spent much of his life lecturing and debating with his colleagues. Once he argued, “Puerperal fever is caused by decomposed material, conveyed to a wound… I have shown how it can be prevented. I have proved all that I have said. But while we talk, talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash… wash your hands.”

Epistles Say:

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Reformation’s Two Martins

At the beginning of the Reformation, Martin of Basle came to a knowledge of the truth, but, afraid to make a public confession, he wrote on a leaf of parchment: “O most merciful Christ, I know that I can be saved only by the merit of thy blood. Holy Jesus, I acknowledge thy sufferings for me. I love thee I love thee” Then he removed a stone from the wall of his chamber and hid it there. It was not discovered for more than a hundred years.

About the same time Martin Luther found the truth as it is in Christ. He said: “My Lord has confessed me before men, I will not shrink from confessing Him before kings.” The world knows what followed, and today it reveres the memory of Luther, but as for Martin of Basle, who cares for him?

—Sunday School Times

True Humility:

True Humility:

“Those who know that they cannot possibly save themselves, or of themselves do any righteous action, are the ones who appreciate the help that Christ can bestow. They are the poor in spirit, whom He declares to be blessed. Whom Christ pardons, He first makes penitent, and it is the office of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin. Those whose hearts have been moved by the convicting Spirit of God see that there is nothing good in themselves. They see that all they have ever done is mingled with self and sin. Like the poor publican, they stand afar off, not daring to lift up so much as their eyes to heaven, and cry, ‘God, be merciful to me the sinner’. . . All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus.” – Thoughts from The Mount of Blessing, pp. 7-8

Genuine Revival and Reformation

heart brokeness

contrition

sorrow for sin

penitence

seldom today.

James 4:7–9 ESV

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Mourn and Weep?

who preaches this?

This teaching is

offensive to most

Christians today.

Two Revivals

Last day

only 2 groups.

Both have

great revival.

True Revival

Examples of Revival:

Revivals brought deep heart searching and humility. They were characterized by solemn, earnest appeals to the sinner, by yearning compassion for the purchase of the blood of Christ. Men and women prayed and wrestled with God for the salvation of souls. The fruits of such revivals were seen in souls who shrank not at self-denial and sacrifice, but rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer reproach and trial for the sake of Christ. Men beheld a transformation in the lives of those who had professed the name of Jesus. The community was benefited by their influence. - True Revival p.18

True Revival

address sin.

lead to repentance.

transform characters.

Cobwebs

A man was praying with his pastor at the altar. He prayed a prayer the pastor had heard many times before. “Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life.” Just as he said this the pastor interrupted, “Kill the spider, Lord.”

Many times we ask the Lord to forgive us of some sin, yet we leave the source of temptation in our life.

False Revival

But many of the revivals of modern times have presented a marked contrast to those manifestations of divine grace which in earlier days followed the labors of God’s servants. It is true that a widespread interest is kindled, many profess conversion, and there are large accessions to the churches; nevertheless the results are not such as to warrant the belief that there has been a corresponding increase of real spiritual life. The light which flames up for a time soon dies out, leaving the darkness more dense than before.

Popular revivals are too often carried by appeals to the imagination, by exciting the emotions, by gratifying the love for what is new and startling. Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible truth, little interest in the testimony of prophets and apostles. Unless a religious service has something of a sensational character, it has no attractions for them. A message which appeals to unimpassioned reason awakens no response. The plain warnings of God’s word, relating directly to their eternal interests, are unheeded.

With every truly converted soul the relation to God and to eternal things will be the great topic of life. ... Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and His Word. Many, both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed at this time to prepare a people for the Lord’s second coming.

The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit. Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.

False Revivals

excitement.

One thing missing

repentance.

Two revivals

you pick!

Revival and Excitment

does not prove

where you stand.

How can I

experience

True Revival?

Poison Crackers

In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait.

Now the police and the owner of the Volkswagen Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. Often when we run from God, we feel it is to escape His punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding His rescue.

Today,

God longs fill

you with revival.

But you must choose.

Make Christ priority.

Put Him First

Seek His Face.

He will Bring Rain!

Come Thou Fount

“It was a bright Sunday morning in 18th century London, but Robert Robinson’s mood was anything but sunny. All along the street there were people hurrying to church, but in the midst of the crowd, Robinson was a lonely man. The sound of church bells reminded him of years past when his faith in God was strong and the church was an integral part of his life. It had been years since he set foot in a church—years of wandering, disillusionment, and gradual defection from the God he once loved. That love for God—once fiery and passionate—had slowly burned out within him, leaving him dark and cold inside.

Robinson heard the clip-clop, clip-clop of a horse-drawn cab approaching behind him. Turning, he lifted his hand to hail the driver. But then, he saw that the cab was occupied by a young woman dressed in finery for the Lord’s Day, he waved the driver on; however, the woman in the carriage ordered the carriage to be stopped. “Sir, I’d be happy to share this carriage with you,” she said to Robinson. “Are you going to church?” Robinson was about to decline, then he paused. “Yes,” he said at last. “I am going to church.” He stepped into the carriage and sat down beside the young woman.

As the carriage rolled forward, Robert Robinson and the woman exchanged introductions. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes when he stated his name. “That’s an interesting coincidence,” she said, reaching into her purse. She withdrew a small book of inspirational verse, opened it to a ribbon bookmark, and handed the book to him. “I was just reading a verse by a poet named Robert Robinson. Could it be…?”

He took the book, nodding. “Yes, I wrote these words years ago.” “Oh, how wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Imagine! I’m sharing a carriage with the author of these very lines!” But Robinson barely heard her. He was absorbed in the words he was reading. They were words that would one day be set to music and become a great hymn of the faith, familiar to generations of Christians: Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace’ Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. His eyes slipped to the bottom of the page where he read: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it— Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. He could barely read the last few lines through the tears that brimmed in his eyes. “I wrote these words—and I’ve lived these words. ‘Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’”

The woman suddenly understood. “You also wrote, ‘Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God, Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late.” And it wasn’t too late for Robert Robinson. In that moment, he turned his heart back to God and walked with him the rest of his days.

334 – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing