Ravenhill Rebukes Pastors
Leonard Ravenhill delivers a passionate call to seriousness and reverence for God, urging pastors and church leaders to take their responsibilities seriously and return to a place of holiness.
In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of reverence for God and the seriousness of the message he is delivering. He challenges the pastors in the audience to truly listen and allow the message to impact their lives. The preacher mentions a story from the Bible where a man named Uzair tried to enter the holy place and died, highlighting the consequences of disrespecting God's holiness. He expresses his concern for those who laugh and make jokes during discussions about God, calling it a crisis hour. The preacher concludes by stating that he is not interested in preaching for the sake of it, but rather because he believes God has a right to own him.
Full Transcript
Listen, fellows, if it's funny to you, go home. I am preaching my heart, I am preaching my eternity. Are you pastors? You need to be at this altar now.
I haven't prayed and sweat about this message. To me, this is as vital as any message I've preached around the world in some of the biggest churches. This is a crisis, isn't it? God helped you.
Is that the only reverence you have for God? No wonder your church is ungodly. I didn't ask you to come, you didn't pay ten bucks. I'm not going to blow you over.
I'm preaching straightforward scripture. If you don't like it, I've told you, go. I won't care.
Heal the means. You're possibly ever sleepless now. I'll be praying for you when you're asleep tonight.
If that's the only concern you have of reverence for God, you're pretty sick. So, up come the soldiers. Two thousand people made a barrier so that these foreigners couldn't get into the holy place.
But he still pushed through. He went right from the... according to the different courts they had, he went through the Gentile court, he went through the court of Israel, he went through the court of women, he went through the court of priests. Then he came into the holy place and they said, there's the holy of holies.
That's where God lives. You can't go in there. Then a man called Uzziah tried to do that and he died.
Please. And they all fell on their faces crying like I feel when you can laugh when we talk about the holy God and just sit there and laugh and tell you silly jokes. God pity you.
This is a crisis hour. If you're not serious, I am. I'm not interested in preaching any church.
I've preached 70 years. I started when I was 15. I'm 85.
I don't sleep two nights a week. God has a record.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Reverence for God
- The Crisis in the Church
- The Speaker's Passion and Experience
- A Lifetime of Preaching
- A Commitment to Authenticity
Key Quotes
“Is that the only reverence you have for God? No wonder your church is ungodly.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“God pity you.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“This is a crisis hour. If you're not serious, I am.” — Leonard Ravenhill
Application Points
- Take your responsibilities as a pastor or church leader seriously and be authentic in your preaching.
- Return to a place of holiness and reverence for God in your personal life and in your ministry.
- Recognize the crisis in the church and be willing to take bold action to address it.