Al Whittinghill emphasizes that true revival comes only through humble repentance and bowing the knee before God, rather than relying on human effort.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of not being deceived in our hearts and the need to turn back to God. It discusses the signs that indicate when we need to humble ourselves, pray, seek God's face, and make a deliberate turn towards Him. The message highlights the consequences of spiritual neglect and the call to repentance to experience an open heaven and revival in our lives and churches.
Full Transcript
Take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived, that you turn not aside. Something has happened. See, this is the whole sense of the sign that you have out front.
If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, we're gonna look at this, and seek my face and turn, the word is shove, but you'll see shove, we get our word shove from it. God gives you a shove to turn from and turn to. And so, before that, he says, listen, if I shut up heaven so there is no rain, and the locusts come, and he gives this list of things that can happen in Deuteronomy 28, he says, listen, if you don't love me, the heavens will become like brass, and instead of rain coming down, dust will come down on you.
Not gold dust, oh no, no, no, but dust. Nonsense. No, sorry.
I'm the Lord your God who brought you out. So when God built a built-in barometer for Israel here, for being right with him, and we have this barometer in the church, in every country where the church is, when, you see, when God's people are not experiencing an open heaven, it means there's a spiritual reason, and we have to go to our knees to find out why, you see, bow the knee. So the contrast here is between man's way, pumping the foot, work it up, plan more, do more, study more, think more, do all these things, an earthly resource, that man's way versus revival, God's way, which is the bowing of the knee.
Which word would explain your life, or my life, or my church's life, the pumping of the foot, or the bowing of the knee? When there are no Pentecostal-type outpourings, no visitations by divine grace of the Mighty One. You see, only repentance can deal with it, nothing else, nothing else. You can try every other remedy, you can be like in Jonah's day, you can throw everything else off the boat.
Sermon Outline
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I. The Spiritual Barometer
- God's people experience open heavens as a sign of favor
- Closed heavens indicate spiritual issues
- Deuteronomy 28 outlines blessings and curses related to obedience
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II. Man's Way vs. God's Way
- Human efforts include planning, working, and studying
- God's way requires bowing the knee in humility
- Only repentance can bring revival
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III. The Call to Humble Repentance
- God gives a shove to turn from sin and seek Him
- Prayer and seeking God's face are essential
- Repentance is the only remedy for spiritual dryness
Key Quotes
“If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, we're gonna look at this, and seek my face and turn.” — Al Whittinghill
“The contrast here is between man's way, pumping the foot, work it up, plan more, do more, study more, think more, do all these things, an earthly resource, that man's way versus revival, God's way, which is the bowing of the knee.” — Al Whittinghill
“Only repentance can deal with it, nothing else, nothing else.” — Al Whittinghill
Application Points
- Examine your life and church to identify if you are relying on human effort or humble submission to God.
- Commit to regular prayer and seeking God's face as a foundation for revival.
- Embrace repentance as the necessary step to experience God's open heavens and blessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'bowing of the knee' symbolize in this sermon?
It symbolizes humble repentance and submission to God's authority as the true path to revival.
Why does Al Whittinghill contrast man's way with God's way?
To show that human efforts alone cannot bring revival, which only comes through God's intervention and humility.
What is the significance of Deuteronomy 28 in the sermon?
It illustrates the blessings of obedience and the consequences of turning away from God, serving as a spiritual barometer.
How does prayer relate to revival according to the sermon?
Prayer is a vital part of seeking God's face and humbling oneself to receive His grace and revival.
