Peter Brandon delivers a powerful sermon titled 'False Revival,' warning of the moral decline and spiritual deception prevalent in the last days. He emphasizes the importance of genuine spiritual awakening and the dangers of relying on external symbols of faith without true power from the Holy Spirit. Brandon draws parallels from 1 Samuel 4, illustrating how Israel's defeat stemmed from their failure to consult God and their reliance on the Ark as a mere symbol rather than a source of divine strength. He cautions against the infiltration of worldly practices into the church and the need for believers to remain separated from sin to experience true revival. Ultimately, he calls for a return to sincere prayer and a deep relationship with God to restore the church's power and testimony.

The meditation that the Lord has laid on my heart is from Samuel and we're going to look at 1 Samuel 4. Since being in the country we've seen that there is a desire we know that the coming of the Lord Jesus is near. Nearer perhaps than I think today two things should be in our minds. Number one, of the last day. Now we know in the last days two things are going to happen. First of all there is going to be moral decline and secondly there is going to be spiritual deception in every realm. But even in the midnight hour there will be a cry behold the bridegroom is coming, go ye out to meet him. And if we are now hearing that midnight cry then there should be an awakening and then there should be the trimming of the lamb. We are absolutely sure that we will not hit the fourth watch of the night. We believe that's for Israel and for... But obviously we are passing... And therefore with these thoughts in my mind I want to share with you from the Old Testament first of all the characteristics of a... And I want you to look at it carefully. Everyone was doing... The Mosaic law of God was not being followed. And people were following the... More than the word of God. God had raised up perhaps the... His life begins with a godly mother who prayed with tears for him and she weaned him and then she gave him to the Lord freely. And through that mother's prayer and through that mother's upbringing God produced... And therefore when God is... That's what we find. And immediately this man Samuel had learnt his spiritual apprenticeship. He comes out with the word of... That word was never heeded. The word of Samuel came to all Israel. But that word was never accepted. And therefore we find right at the beginning of this chapter Israel went out to fight the Philistines. So unlike David we do not read of prayer. We do not read of them consulting. It is a presumptuous offence. You remember when Philistines came to attack Samuel the first thing Samuel did he enquired of the Lord saying Shall I go up and fight the host of the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said go up for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thy hand. And no consultation with the man of God. Just know who were these. All we know is this they were in the land... Israel had to... The enemy outside the land the enemy inside the land. It's the enemy within... A Judas. An Ananias and Sapphira. Alexander the Coppersmith. These are the people that do the damage. Not so much the atheists or the infidels. In fact you will find this that when the church is under persecution but immediately there are problems within the church the church becomes... Abraham was a man of knowledge. He knew that if he was going to have fertilization in Canaan he must have irrigation. And you find constantly that Abraham was digging wells. In the time of Isaac that the Philistines had filled in the wells of Abraham with stones and with earth. Notice the emphasis on earth. Now why? The well in scripture speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up. Again you will recall in John 7 in most beings shall flow rivers of living water. This he spake of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is being glorified. So it's clear from scripture that they had to sing to the well. Bring up a well. And that is a direct picture of praise that has been directed to the Holy Spirit. Now can you not see what Satan is saying to us here? Where is the church's power? Where is it? Is it found in our organization? Is it found in our social activities? Is it found in our youth activities? The church's power is found in one glorious fact. The power of the Holy Spirit. And once the enemy can fill in the well where he's been filling in the well with her for many years he is materializing the people. Secondly we find this that Paul's kingship was confirmed by the hill of God where there was a company of Philistines. Now what does this mean? The hill of God there in Samuel chapter 10 was the place where spiritual men worshipped. They ascended up to the hill of God and there they prayed. Perhaps sometimes they offered up a sacrifice. But where the hill of God was there was a garrison of Satan's hate. All our blessings are in the heavenly. If ye then be risen with Christ take those things which are above put your affections on things above not on things on the earth for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. It was the Lord Jesus who told us very emphatically lay up treasure and he discouraged us. Why? He told us whatever we have the moth will get it the rust will get it and even burglar bills will break through and steal. So he advised us to lay up treasure in heaven. Again in the Ephesians we are blessed with all spiritual blessings where? In the heavenly. That's where our hearts should be. But you will notice if there is an Ephesians 1 we find there that we have an enemy and that enemy is addressed as principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high. Why is it that we believers find it very difficult to appropriate our spiritual. They are there for us given by grace because constantly we are you see Satan doesn't like us digging and he certainly doesn't like us climbing. Certainly in the life of his strength was not in his physical frame. The secret of his strength was seen in 2 things. Number 1 he was a Nazarite and that means he was separated under God. And number 2 his separation was seen in his long long hair. And immediately he put his head in the wrong place. He put his head in the lap of Delilah. Never do that. There is only one place where a believer is placed when his head is on the bosom of the Lord Jesus. But this man put his head, his mind his eyes his ears his mouth in the lap of a wicked woman. Never do that. You see my dear friends your 5 or 6 or 7 senses are all for God. This man put his head in the wrong place. And after being tempted and teased and tried he revealed the secret. And the moment he lost his separation the moment he lost his long hair he was as weak as an ordinary man. One thing the philistines will do in this modern world is to cause us to come when the church and the world are affiliated together. You see the cross of Christ not only links us with the Father. Note this. It separates us from the world. Has it done the work in your life? I wonder is there a young man here and slowly you are getting near to that philistine country. Would there be a young man here this afternoon and your head is already in the lap of a modern Delilah. You can lose all your strength and all your power and you can finish. And lastly the philistines enslaved the people of God. Here were a people that were to be the priests of God. Here was a nation that was to be God's lamp stand in the world. Here was a nation that was to show the world the way of living and now look they are under the hill enslaved. Dear friends I want to speak lovingly to thousands of God. Some are in bondage to the flesh and to the activity of the flesh so that they are overcome by besetting sins. Some are enslaved by the beggary elements of this world and somehow they can't break themselves from it. Some have allowed the system of materialism to come right into their hearts so that all their thinking is materialistic. And they are in bondage because the philistines have captured them. May God help us to be set free. And then I want you to see now this obvious defeat. They joined battle with the philistines and they were defeated. Notice the place where they were defeated. What was Ebenezer? It was the place that symbolized the power and the health of God. And in that place of Ebenezer, in that right position they were defeated. Now why? It's possible for a group of people to be in the right position but in the wrong condition. Now don't misunderstand me but condition is right also. And unless position we can be utterly defeated. And as they join in battle you will notice there is no prevailing prayer. No consulting the man of God. And then we read four thousand of their men. Can we walk across? And here is a young benjaminite muscular strong circumcised on the eighth day slain Here is a young man from Judah, mighty in battle, a circumcised man. Four thousand of them. Can I tell you something that's worse? Do you know this? If all the evangelicals in Australia were restored, just being saved there wouldn't be one church that could not one. There are thousands of backsliders. Now why? Because we have allowed the philistines to do Now I want you to look quickly the elders look at the battlefield and I can see these mighty men of God. Perhaps I shouldn't say that but seemingly mighty men of God they observe correctly and they come together perhaps with tears and they say wherefore has the Lord smitten us today before our enemy? Now they were right. They didn't say well this was coincidence They didn't say well perhaps we shall have another victory eventually. They looked at all those slain boys on that field. Wherefore has the Lord. When there is barrenness accept. Don't argue yourself out of barrenness. Now can I please say this? If you argue yourself out of barrenness God will leave you. You must take barrenness seriously. And when God is not saving souls and adding to the local company go to the Lord and say Lord what's wrong? Don't explain the thing away say oh perhaps there might be just a reaping time in a few months time. Look at it. Examine it and be honest about it and then God will bless you. But you see somehow we have declared what is happening and so there is that wrong dice but then there is the wrong application and they said let's test the ark of God. Yes that's good. But then they say something that's ridiculous. When it come in itself would do nothing. Symbols are good but if they are not lived out they are useless. Baptism by immersion is correct. It's scriptural but if you don't live out a baptized life. The breaking of bread is lovely if you can see in it the sufferings of your Lord. But if you see nothing covering is beautiful especially a bare headed man that's showing it. That's beautiful. It will save us. You see when Joshua went round the walls of Jericho with the ark of God that's what you see. God was with them. Now they have all the externals that you see there is a may I say this to spiritual leaders. When God gives you a time of the western world are being removed because of the wrong diagnosis. Now I want you to look at this imitated revival. It's subtle. It's deceptive but try and see what God is saying. It came back in the Leviticus like they did in the time. It is coming back but only the symbol is coming back. You see they've got the externals. Adam was good shape and form. He must have looked a lovely man when God made him. But what was shape and form until God put the breath in his nostrils. Beloved we can be gathered and we can have right. It's just like bringing back the ark with no power. And then I want you to note something else that I believe is important. Ochnai means boxer. Phineas means mouth of brass. Just imagine two men like that in the priesthood and the other with a mouth of brass. No wonder they had corruption in the priesthood. We have loving people that care for the flock. But I want you now to see this and the drama of it otherwise we see those two men coming back carrying the ark of God. And as we see those two men carrying the ark of God. They're all dressed in white. They have white bonnets on their head. They have white trousers. The whole of the flesh is covered except the face. On their feet there would be the sandals. And when the people saw them coming we shall see in a few moments they started to cheer. But there's something that's deceptive. Can I let you into the secret? Those two priests were guilty of Levitical robbery. They had made a three pronged hook and when the people brought the sacrifice they plunged it in and they took out all that the hook was for themselves. That was completely against the law. The fat that was to be burned upon the altar they used it for their own consumption. And therefore they were Levitical robbers and they were holy. What's a Levitical robber in the New Testament? A Christian who is not laid upon the altar is robbing God. You say why? He bought you with his own precious blood and he expects you to give your life to the Lord. No good being dressed in white if you're not consecrated. Secondly, these priests had been to the door of their particular temple and in those days just as people watched the guards of Buckingham Palace they used to watch the movements of the priests. It was a dignified thing to see. These men of God serving in the courts of God and as they were with these people their mitres had fallen off and they had committed immorality with some of those people and therefore they were subject to religious immorality. Friends, we shall never see a movement of the spirit. Can we condone sin in the lives of others and condemn it in our own hearts? And if there is moral sin and I must say this and I'm almost ashamed to say it the evangelical church is full of it with immorality. If I gave you the facts and figures many of you would be shocked. But looking at this congregation I am absolutely sure there's one or two and we shall never see a movement of the spirit. And then thirdly there was a dwindling testimony. The light was going out and these priests were not attentive. Can you see my dear friends this imitated revival having all the externals right? It looked lovely. When the people saw the ark coming back with the priests then we read they shouted and the historian tells us an interesting thing. The earth rang. Can I say that again? The earth rang. Can I say that again? The earth rang. Not heaven. In other words it was an external revival. It was a revival that was stimulated by emotions. There was great excitement. In fact the excitement was so great they even deceived the Philistines. But there was no parliament. Beloved can I share this with you? I think I can say after 44 years I've seen pagination. I've seen mechanical professions. I've seen the people go back. Seen that for years. The deep moving they said woe unto us. Woe unto us. They knew once God was among the people of God if I may use now my cockney parlance they hadn't got a job here. They knew that once the God of Glory was among them there was going to be blessings. So it was a matter the might of the Philistines against the might of Israel and Israel was defeated. Beloved what hurt me today. We're trying drama. We're trying comic sessions. We're trying spiritual operas. We're trying heavy rock music. We're trying everything. What is it? Just a noise. Just a noise that's all. Isn't it time we saw this and say look Lord what we've been seeing is a carnal movement and not the work of the Spirit of God. Come with me into the battlefield and then I will close. Let's walk through it. Let's weep. There's thirty thousand footmen laying body upon body laying and as we weep thousands of God's people Eli the man of weakness is that three generations one generation marked by weakness Eli the following generation marked by tenfulness and uncleanness Phineas and Aphrodite and then one generation marked by and the Israelites would say who's that boy that Phineas son what's his name Ichabod the glory little boy is there Phineas the glory but beloved it can come back and I believe it will come back