Revival the Doctrines of Grace

We have to admit friends that the man-centered methodologies in our churches today fail to cut the mustard in regard to the salvation of souls. What this land needs today is a revival in the pulpits, a revival of preaching the great doctrines of grace. I want to take the next few moments to read us some portions from my biography on the life and ministry of Azahel Nettleton, who was greatly used during the second great awakening.

I want to start first with a story and then with an extract from a preacher. Here now is the legend of the king's sword. There was a legend about a magical sword used by an old English king.

It seems that whenever the king used this particular sword, he experienced success and victory on the battlefield. His enemies learned to fear the king's sword. Eventually, the king grew old and feeble.

An adversary of the king began to spread a rumor around the village that the king's sword no longer possessed supernatural powers, that it was now just an average, ordinary sword of little use to its owner. The story began to spread among the peasants until the entire village believed that the king's sword was now impotent. As the king's heir to the throne matured, he too grew up believing the story about the sword's uselessness and ordered the royal blacksmith to forge him a new sword, a handsome, shiny, engraved sword with jewels, much more beautiful to behold than his father's old sword.

This was done. One day, an enemy force attacked the castle village and fell upon the inhabitants, killing and maiming many. The enemy then laid siege to the castle.

The young prince grabbed his new bejeweled sword and went forth to defend his kingdom, but to no avail. Rather than defeating his enemy, he was captured. In fact, the entire village of the royal family was now under bondage to this evil enemy.

Time passed and the villagers groaned beneath the oppressive bondage of this evil power, but there was nothing they could do but to suffer. Eventually, the old king died and his son, the prince, could not assume the throne because he was still a captive of this evil entity. The entire village groaned and lamented as they served their oppressive and evil new ruler.

During this time, a nephew of the king grew to maturity, and one day, this lad called on the prince of the castle. The guards allowed the fair-haired, harmless-looking youth entry since he was royalty. The prince was held captive in a chamber with a guard at the door.

When the lad was allowed to visit the prince, he asked him where the old sword was that once belonged to the king. The prince pointed to a large cedar chest by the barred window. The chest was opened, and there, wrapped in an old blanket, was the leather scabbard which held the king's sword.

The lad asked if he could have the sword as a memento of his uncle the king. The prince nodded yes, telling the lad that it was just an old worthless sword of little use today. The lad left the castle with the sword wrapped in an old blanket.

Upon arriving at his part of the village, he stopped by the barber shop to get a haircut. The barber was one of the ancient men of the town. As the old barber cut the lad's locks, he inquired about the bundle by the lad's feet.

The lad told the barber about the sword. When the old man heard this, his eyes lit up and his stooped shoulders straightened. He then proceeded to tell the lad about all the powers that the sword formerly possessed.

The lad was curious, and as he left the barber shop, he visited an old baker. He asked the elderly baker to verify the story of the magical sword. Oh yes, said the baker, I was an eyewitness to the king's victories with that sword, for I used to be the royal baker until the enemy captured the castle and placed us all in bondage.

The baker turned away, his eyes were full of sadness. The lad left the baker and went home. In his little hovel, he unwrapped the blanket and pulled the old sword from the worn leather scabbard.

Though it was large and double edged, the sword seemed just an ordinary sword. In fact, it was almost too heavy to wield properly. The lad lay down on a mat on the straw floor and fell asleep next to the sword.

The lad dreamed of being a king. He dreamed he was king and fighting a battle with this sword. The enemy fled from the lad in fear.

Was it the magical sword? He awoke to sunlight pouring in from a hole in his roof. The lad grabbed the sword, lifting it up with both hands. He exclaimed, it must be true.

With a new faith, he rushed from his hovel and the first enemy soldier he encountered. He brandished the sword and attacked. The enemy fell down dead.

Soon another enemy was upon the lad, but brandishing the sword again, he experienced victory. Finally, a troop of enemies fell upon the lad, but the sword saved him once more. There were now eyewitnesses to these events and soon word spread among the villagers that the king's old sword was once again magical.

A word got to the evil ruler at the castle and he personally led his largest band of soldiers to attack the lad. All the lad had to do was to brandish the sword and the enemy fell before him. The lad was a hero.

He and the sword set the captives free. The lad was made the new king. The prince was so bewildered and jealous that he killed himself by falling upon his bejeweled sword.

From that day on, there was peace in the valley of the king. Well, friends, the church has failed with its new swords and methodologies. It's time to seek the old past once again.

They have proved to be mighty weapons in battle with the evil and dark kingdom of this world. These weapons, the sword of the spirit, and the great doctrines of the Bible have been wielded by former mighty men who prevailed over the enemy and pushed back the darkness in third generations. Men like George Whitefield and Asahel Nettleton got smiled upon those faithful servants who relied upon his holy spirit and stood upon the great doctrines of his word.

Asahel Nettleton was such a man who preached the great doctrines of total depravity, God's sovereignty, the wickedness of the human heart, election, regeneration, the cost of discipleship, a hell for lost sinners, and a final judgment for all. He preached these doctrines unashamedly and with power, and God used him as the primary human instrument of that marvelous move of grace in America known as the second great awakening. It's been several generations since his death in 1844.

The church has attempted to hold back the forces of darkness with her new swords. Unfortunately, these measures have largely failed. Is it not time that our generation of Christians should seek to learn the activities of those in former times who were mightily used of God? Well, I want to take now, friend, some information from a man by the name of Heman Humphrey.

Heman Humphrey was the president of Amherst College during the second great awakening, and he had such an impact on the students that for the 23 years of his tenure, of the 765 graduates that came out of that college, over 400 entered the gospel ministry. I mean, that's really amazing. And I want to read us what he has to say about preachers in those days and the doctrines that they preached.

Here now are the words of Heman Humphreys, and after I read them, we'll take this time to go to our time of prayer and pray for revival to come to this country, a first revival of the preaching in our pulpits to preach the great doctrines that these men once preached. Here now are the words of Heman Humphrey, his own personal observations during this time of the second great awakening and that revival which took place. Their preaching was not in man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and with power.

It was eminently scriptural. The ministers of that day read and studied the Bible more than all other books. They had received it from their master as their only commission, and in virtue of it, as ambassadors for Christ, they besought sinners in his stead to be reconciled to God.

It was surprising to notice with what facility they would quote chapter and verse from all parts of both testaments without turning over a single leaf. Indeed, it sometimes seemed to me as if they knew all the Bible by heart, and it is no disparagement to say that they did know much more of it than most preachers do now. They had a great deal more of it in their sermons.

Almost all their illustrations, as well as their proofs, were drawn from its rich and inexhaustible treasures. Thus saith the Lord was enough for them, let who would criticize, cavil, or blaspheme. They did not shun either from fear or favor to declare all the counsel of God as they understood it, whether man would hear or whether they would forbear.

They did not wreath the sword around with flowers, but left the two edges bare and sharp to cut where they would, the deeper the better, and they applied no emollients to heal the hurt slightly. Oh, how was smart and under it. I remember it well in my own case and how my heart rebelled against some of the doctrines which my Bible and my conscience told me were true till as I hope I was brought to bow and submit at the foot of the cross.

And as it was with me, so it was with multitudes of others. We complained of some of Paul's hard sayings and wondered why our ministers dwelt so much upon them. We wanted to get to heaven some easier way, but instead of abating one jot or tittle to relieve us, they pressed harder and harder, driving us from one refuge to another until there was no hiding place left.

The law, which we had broken times without number, we were made to see it was just. Its fiery penalty hung over our heads and we must submit or die. Under such preaching, it was hard to get hopes, but when embraced, they were more to be relied upon than if they'd been gained in some easier way.

Our spiritual guides and teachers never said to us when under awakening, don't be discouraged. Wait God's time and he will deliver you. No, no.

But how long will you hold out in your rebellion against God? They never asked. Well, in this state, don't you feel better? But why don't you submit to God and cast yourselves upon his mercy, embracing the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, who came down from heaven on purpose to save the lost. Turn ye, turn ye.

Why will you die? I do not say that this law work, as it has been appropriately called, was alike marked and pungent in all cases. It was not. He who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will opened some hearts as he seemed to have opened that of Lydia at once to receive the truth in the love of it.

But I am quite sure that in most cases, the conversions in that revival were preceded by sharp conviction of sin and of deserved punishment. It was eminently a law revival issuing in the most abundant and abiding consolations of the gospel of those loved most who felt they had been forgiven most. As their pastors were careful not to encourage us that we had passed from death unto life without good scripture evidence of the change, they were very strict in their examinations for church membership.

If they thought any of the candidates did not give satisfactory evidence of having been converted, they did not hesitate to tell them so. Well, friends, how different are the days in which we live, where we ask someone to get up out of their seat and walk an aisle and repeat a prayer and just pat them on the back and tell them they're now Christians and let them join the church, where in former days someone had to produce clear evidence of regeneration upon the heart. It was the preaching that did the law work back then, and we need to pray for now for a time of revival in our pulpits in this land that men won't be afraid to call sin black and hell hot and warn men of the terrors of hell and their duty of repentance and the necessity of a work of grace upon the heart, which is a supernatural act of regeneration.

Let us go now to a time of prayer and bring these issues before the Lord of revival, who can still send a mighty, powerful awakening to our day.