America Has Stage 4 Cancer But There Is Hope

You guys are going to make me cry. It's one of the benefits of fasting. I won't take up a lot of time and he had to kind of pull the fasting out of me because it's something God's been working on my heart for many years. And I've been running from that, um, that call because it's hard. It's difficult, but America has cancer. We've got stage four spiritual cancer. There's no cure. The diagnosis is, is it's, it's, it's alarming for our children and grandchildren. And there's going to be a cost. That's what pastor Rob was so right on when he said getting desperate, there's going to be a cost. And I love, I just been meditating on Isaiah all morning, 57. It says, I am, I am the high and holy one. I'm lifted up. I've dwell, I dwell in eternity. My name is holy, but I also dwell with those who have a broken and contrite heart and they use a word there, revive to awaken. I would, I revive. I awaken those with a broken and contrite heart. And I'm going to use a word here that we're going to need to embrace. It's extreme. We have extreme makeovers, extreme snowboarding, extreme racing, whatever it is, we need extreme Christianity. And what I mean by that, let me, let me just clarify. I was sharing with pastor Rob yesterday that I, for some reason, I love to read on revivals and awakenings and the biographies of the first of great awakening, new Hebrews, Welsh revivals, you name it, I've read it. And it's something that always struck me. For example, this week, John Wesley in his journal, he was talking about a time where they were together. George Whitfield at three in the morning. Now here's the key. It's not the time. It's the priority. 3 a.m. fasting and praying in the spirit of God hit that place and revival began to break out. Same thing with Duncan Campbell in New Hebrews. It's fasting and prayers throughout the entire biographies. Then you get to about 50 years ago. We don't want to talk about fasting anymore, but there's going to be a cost. And it just, that, what I told pastor Rob yesterday too, it doesn't make God love me more, but I sure love him more. After the first week, I've just been so broken this, this in the mornings and just crying out to God or chill. Look what's on the line. Look what's on the line. So my encouragement is not to leave you in that spot because that's the bad news is the cancer, the good news. And I don't just go around trying to whip up a crowd. The truth is that God revives those who are broke and a contrite heart. We have to cry out like Isaiah used to cry out and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Joel and Amos and Obadiah and Jonah, Mike and Nahum, the New Testament, they would cry out, oh God, would you rip open the heavens? Would you, that was a downpour. Would you rend the heavens in response to us toiling the soil of our hearts? Oh God, I'll provide the sacrifice if you provide the fire. God, we are hungry. We're thirsty. We're desperate for more of you. We just sang that song. Revival's coming. But then it says, find me on my knees. There comes a point where we need to stop singing and just going through the motions and actually put feet to our faith. And you change the nation by looking in the mirror. That's what God's been ministering to me. I'm a broken man and I don't humble because I'm spiritual. I humble because I need to. I need the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm going to close and I'm done with this. Just a quick story. Anybody read Pilgrim's Progress? You need to if you haven't. It's the second bestselling book behind the Bible. John Bunyan wrote it in prison. And there was somebody at his time by the name of Dr. John Owen, famous Puritan. Love his books on holiness. And he's got this doctorate in theology. And John Bunyan is an uneducated, I can relate, tinker, meaning he worked on pots and pans. And this young man asked, Mr. Owen, why do you go and listen to John Bunyan preach? You're a doctor. He's nothing. And I'll never forget, this has always stood out. He said, oh, young man, I would give up all of my education if I could preach with the boldness and the power of the Spirit like that man. Guys, that's what we need again. We need the pulpits aflame with righteousness. De Tocqueville, I'm sure Pastor Rob's quoted many times. He said he went throughout America to see where her greatness was. Was it in her vast world commerce and her gold mines? Where was it? He says, it was not until I went to the churches of America and I heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness. That's when I understood why America is great. And if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. So not only does the pew need to take action, I believe the pulpit as well needs that mighty work of the Holy Spirit to come back and preach boldness. And to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth, the complete truth of God's Word, the good things and the bad things. Preach heaven and preach hell. So with that said, that's my encouragement to you this morning is don't give up. Be encouraged. The reason he's awakening a revival in Rob's heart, my heart, many pastors throughout the United States. I talked to a lot of different pastors. He's doing something and often he's got to break us before he uses us. And that's where he's getting us at that point. So don't don't lose this opportunity. It can be completely broken before God and seek him with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your strength. Thank you.