In this sermon, the preacher challenges the audience to make a commitment to God and surrender to His sovereign hand. He emphasizes the importance of allowing God to discipline and shape their lives in order to experience true revelation and appropriation of His truth. The preacher also highlights the need for a genuine encounter with the revealed Christ, rather than just a simple understanding of salvation. He shares his personal experience of God speaking to him about a coming revival and expresses his awe at witnessing the growth and impact of the church he is speaking at.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me please to the book of Colossians. I'd like to start reading in about the 10th verse. That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the womb, the church, who is the beginning of the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminent. That in all things he might have the preeminent. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross by him, to reconcile all things unto himself by himself. I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in his sight. If you continue in the faith grounded and settle and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind the affliction of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the church. I wish you'd pay close attention to that particular verse. Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest to a saint, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of his mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Whom we preach, warning every man, teaching every man in all wisdom that we might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereof I also labor, striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily. Now pray that tonight that I'll have the composure that I need to have to communicate. And whatever composure that is, I'm not sure. Sometimes what we don't say, but what you sense in our lives may mean a great deal more than what we say. Now tonight I want to share just something with me because this particular night, and it's very hard for me to say this, is so meaningful to me. About ten years ago the Lord Jesus let me come to this church and most of the week I spent alone in a motel. And the Lord spoke to my heart and he said he was going to send revival here. And what I've seen in this church in the last year, and of course it's been going on longer than that, has been such a fantastic answer after several years that it's just hard for me to sit here tonight because this is just a little bit of what I saw about ten years ago. And there's so much more. And the amazing thing about it is what he starts, he'll finish. This has been one of the most precious weeks of my life. Now I was supposed to preach according to our planning several times, but about twelve years ago God spoke to my heart one day, something like this. And I never had God speak like that before. But he said, Son, I'm going to send a revival for this nation. And he simply said, Do you want to go along? Early one morning in Houston, Texas, I told the Lord and signed the Bible to the extent that I wanted to go along. And I took my hands off that day and I said, Lord, have whatever it takes for me to sit into your plan whether people understand it or not, I'm ready. And, folks, it's been one discipline after another. And every discipline has brought me to see one thing, and there's just only one answer to every problem we have tonight, and that's Jesus. It's simply Jesus. And I'm not supposed to be here tonight physically, but I'm not weak, and I'm not weary, and I'm not tired. I could preach as long as Jesus wanted me to. But I asked Jack this afternoon, I said, I just believe that the Lord just wants me to get up there and just share my heart in the way of a testimony, and what I believe Jesus is doing. And, folks, you've got to come to the place where you take a sheet of paper and sign your name and say, Now, God, you write down the plan. You won't bargain with God. You won't get any sympathy out of God. But, folks, if you incorporate with Him, you'll get a committal from God. And there's no greater, there's no greater experience in this world is to have God to so adequately know that you are so adequately submitted that He Himself walks out of heaven and makes Himself so real that you just can't stand it. And when this happens to you, folks, you're not attached to the benefits and the blessings, but you're attached to the person in such a way that, folks, you just can't get over it. You just can't get over it. God will commit Himself to you when your commitment to Him is proper. And this week, when I wanted to preach, you know, so much, He said, When it's time for you to say something, I'll give you life to do it. And He said, You can't say a word until I tell you. But, you know, I don't think I could have stood it because it's been so sweet in that room up there. I could hardly stand it as it's been. But, folks, tonight, Jesus Christ is a sum total of everything we need. And the Holy Spirit has shown me as I prayed this week about this meeting. And He said, Son said, He said, I just want you to tell them one thing. I've never been more mentally prepared to preach in all my life. I've never made notes. Don't fool with them. But I had them all typed out. Had them all shipped down as already. But, you see, I really have no choice except just to obey Him. But I believe the Holy Spirit showed me this week that one of the prerequisites for revival that I ought to mention tonight in this testimony is, folks, you have to get your eyes, your lungs, your ambitions, even for revival, completely, completely secondary to the person of Jesus Christ. Folks, some of us have even made revival an idol. We have prayed for revival because we wanted God to save America. That's idolatry. Unless that motive comes from Jesus after you've met with Him. Some of us want revival because of the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit. And, folks, I tell you, Paul said there's a greater way. And you can put even the gifts of the Spirit ahead of Jesus. Some of us have wanted revival, prayed for revival that we might see miracles from God. But, folks, when you put those things ahead of Jesus, you've made them an idol. Some of us have wanted revival because of the trouble and the difficulty it would take us out of. Somehow we would have some kind of peace. But, folks, when you do that, pray for such, you put Jesus secondary, it's become an idol. Folks, Jesus is the sum total tonight of everything we need. Now, when you get Jesus in His right place, really get Him in His proper perspective and let your life be so committed that He'll commit Himself to you, then, folks, He can trust you with these things. And they, gifts and revival and all this, and they won't hurt you. They won't hurt you at all. But, folks, they can't be put ahead of Jesus. They can't be. And I'd just like to challenge you tonight, just simply know by an experiential experience that, folks, He's the sum total of everything. Tonight you have no righteousness if you don't have Him. Tonight you have no peace if you do not have Him. And tonight, folks, you do not have any power if He's not your power. And tonight you have no joy if you do not have Him in His proper perspective. But, folks, when you get Him to where He'll just come and commit Himself to you and make Himself known to you like He wants to, you'll realize that you have all that you need. And I pray that tonight you've heard so much truth this week. You've heard so much. But, folks, it's time to act on the truth that you have. It's time to sign your name on a sheet of paper and say, OK, God, however you can bring me in to the full knowledge of You. Here I am. Folks, you don't dictate to God. You don't tell God what to do. You can isolate scriptures and come up with doctrines from a study of the Word and think you have it. And because you think you've got a doctrine that's valid, because there's scriptures that would substantiate what you confess, folks, remember one thing. The letter, kill it. But the Spirit, make it alive. And you have no right to get up and claim a promise from this book until the Holy Ghost reveals that to you and says it's yours. And when He speaks, then you can say anything He says. And when you say it, it'll be done. But, folks, you can't look through the pages of this Bible and come up with a conclusion that this is the doctrine. Because there's scriptures that would verify it. The Holy Ghost must make this truth alive. For one solid year, I stayed alone with God most of the time. And I said, God, what in the world are we doing so wrong in the church? And the Lord said, Son, you'd get up with others, thousands of others, and you'd fight for the deity of Christ. But He said, Son, you preachers across the country that would defend the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, and all of these great doctrines, refuse to let the liberals and modernists, atheists and agnostics, humanize Christ. He said, What you fellows have done is you've humanized the way to get to it. And you teach a plan. And you teach a program and a plan. And if you'll do these things, you've got that. He said, In your search to help folk, you've made things so simple that they can understand it. But do not have to go through a divine revolution from a revelation in order for a real genuine demonstration. And folk, He said, That's where you fail. You've given people simple plans of salvation. They comprehend it with a mind. But said, They never met the revealed Christ, the Son of the living God. And you've humanized the way to get to Him. And said, The result is hell regardless. And folk, tonight, when God reveals to you the person of this book, there's a great deal of difference than when you just understand. Most of us cannot say, If you don't believe I live what I preach, come follow me and see. And if you see me not doing the works of my Father, He said, Mark me off as a fraud. But folk, we ought to be able to invite people tonight to follow. But I'm telling you, most of us are not willing to pay the price of this one. That it takes to bring us to revelation. We're not willing. We're just playing church. We're just sitting around, living off the benefits and the blessings, and not living off the person of Jesus. And tonight, it's time for us to act. And most of us, I feel, never have seen the economy of God in an area like we ought to. And I'd just like to refer to a story in the book of 2 Kings, about a city by the name of Samaria, and four pitiful, leprous men, who were dying. And the Syrian army, and just make this mention to you, inside the city of Samaria, they were having a famine. In fact, it was so bad, they were devouring each other. At that gate was four men. They were dying. But somehow, someway, I'd just like to use these groups that I'm going to mention as a type, and make it applicable to our hearts. Because these lepers could go in or out of the city, to me they had knowledge, understanding, ability to act. For the poor people in Samaria were so blinded by their famine, that they were incapable of really acting. They were bound up. And they were bound up within, and they were bound up from without. Because outside was an army, a mighty army, that had come to captivate them. Syrian army. And I'd like to just picture Samaria tonight as the church that's all bound up, and all tied up to where they have no strength against the forces of evil, the Assyrians. And then I'd just like to picture these lepers as being nothing but old rotten, rotten sinners. They were quite capable of knowing what they were. They knew they were dying. And folks tonight, one of our biggest problems is that we just don't know what kind of sinners we are. We don't know how worthless, useless, how much nothing we are. We just don't know how dead this old life is. You know in the King James it says that Abraham considered not the deadness of his body and soul, but in something that's a little more original, he said he utterly considered the deadness of his body. And folks tonight, we've never seen like we ought to the deadness of this life. But at least these lepers were eaten up with this leprosy, and they knew they were nothing. But they did have a freedom to act. And you know they reasoned among themselves and said why sit we here till we die. If we sit here we're gonna die. They said if we go in, go into the city, we're gonna die. They said that army out there, and somehow, someway, they had a little ray of hope, not much, that if they went out there and faced that enemy, something might happen. And somehow I like to picture these four lepers as just old sinners, but they had a little faith, had freedom to make a choice. Now the Syrians represent the devil and his mighty army. Now here's what I want to say to you about the church inside. The church inside the city of Samaria, the people saw the devil out there as their enemy that had come to kill them. But you know, folks, what they didn't see that that enemy out there that had come to kill them was nothing in this world but the delivery boy by which to bring to them what they were in need of. Amen. They were starving to death in that city. And folks, the Syrian army had everything they needed. But boy, all they could see was the enemy, not the delivery boy. Amen. And somehow, someway, I don't know if these lepers saw all of that. I doubt seriously if they did. But they made a choice. And they said, man, we're going to face the enemy. And when they walked out there to face the enemy, they made that decisive choice, sink or swim, live or die, God hears my name. You write on it what you want. Boy, they said, we're going. And they moved out. And when they did, God moved in. And Pope God sent a little disturbance out there amongst those devils. And they got in such a flight that when they went out there they found gold, silver, barley, wheat, flour, all kinds of stuff. And man, that bunch left there so fast that as they followed their trails, they'd be picking up a shoe here and a shoe there and a robe here and a robe there. They ran out of their clothes. They fled. And what the church thought was the enemy. What the church thought was his enemy. Beloved was nothing but a delivery boy to meet their needs. Now, folk, you may not realize it, but we're giving the devil so much glory today. We're seeing him only as an enemy. When, folk, all he's been allowed to do is create a vacuum whereby you can find Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, even so much God, folk, that the devil is his servant. He made all things, and all things were made by him for him. And, folk, when you let him have his way, he'll show you this. He'll take that vacuum and let you see that the very need you have is God in glory calling you up and sending you a telegram and saying, Son, I've got the supply. But it takes discipline for God to get you to see that. And, folk, you say you love him. You don't tell him that you love him by singing to him, praying to him, and all of that along. You know how you show Jesus you love him? By doing whatsoever he commands you. And tonight, we need to stop loving the devil. That's our problem, is we love the devil. You say, Preacher, I don't love the devil. Well, I'm not listening to you. I'm just watching you. You say, what do you need, Preacher? You see, the only way you can love Jesus is doing what he tells you to do. So if you do anything the devil wants you to do, tell me, who are you loving? Who are you loving? And, folk, if you're looking for a revival in any way, except in Jesus, you're doing what the devil wants you to do. And you can be here pleasing the devil tonight right in this fabulous atmosphere. Tonight, what we need to do is ask ourselves the question, why sit we here till we die? Why sit we here till we die? Folk, I'd love to take you through history tonight, and I swear if I got up here and got started, I wouldn't stop them. And, uh, but you know, as you study history, you find just in the war, during the states, during the war of, when America got her independence, did you know each one of those, in each war, you find a fabulous revival. History proves it. The Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers, being on a different side of a river, would make tracks and send them across on chunks of wood. Revival. Thousands of people and thousands of people were revived in those days. And you know, we got into such a state of prosperity after the war between the states, that God sent along another war. And that was God saying, I want you back at the cross with the resurrected life of Jesus in you. And you know what, folk, a few people prayed, a few people had revival, individually, but our nation didn't turn to God. They didn't turn to Jesus. It's obvious. And folk, right after that, God sent this nation into a famine and said, uh, let a famine come along. But you know what we did? As a nation, we didn't go to Jesus for bread. We took a new deal. We took a new deal. And when a human route, instead of seeking Jesus and having revival, time rolled on a few, just a few years, then another vacuum was created. God saying, folk, I want you, I want you to come to Jesus. And we had World War II, but you know what, folk, people didn't turn to Jesus. A few mothers, a few daddies, a few brothers and sisters who had loved ones fighting, they got a new touch of glory, but that was about it. God still was unable to reach the nation. You know why? They couldn't read what he was saying. They couldn't read what he was saying. And my friends, in these last days, he's allowed his servant the devil to be turned loose on us. For God's sake tonight, folk, realize what he's saying. He's not saying, you're defeated. He's saying, I've got the supply. He said, I'm the way. He said, I'm the one. Folk, the devil can't do anything to you if you're walking with him unless God permits. And when he permits, he knows it's just going to turn to a greater revelation of Jesus. Right? And his glory. And tonight, why sit we here till we die when God's making such a plea? Folk, I'm not a fine reader. I just want to read Jesus. I'm not interested in being a prophet. I'm not interested in anything tonight but just Jesus. And I told the Lord, as I mentioned a while ago, 12, over 12 years ago, that Lord, whatever it takes, whatever it takes, I want you to bring it to my heart that I might properly communicate Jesus. And this has been one of the sweetest weeks but it's been so hard because this has been a vision in my heart for a long, long time. And see God do it in this church and hundreds of people from all over this country come here and many of you I know so personally. I just want to come down and shake hands and fellowship. But I think tonight that by any kind of medical judgment at all that I shouldn't even be right here at this point. But folk, let me tell you something. You don't need folk fellowship or anything yet but Jesus. And to see him do what he's doing this week and to challenge you not to sit one more night not to sit one more night just flip out to Jesus. Now what will be the manifestations after you get to Jesus, I don't know. But I'll tell you one thing. I'm not worried about anything Jesus gives us. And folk, he's adequate. He's sufficient. He's precious tonight. And it's so beautiful just to be able to know that he does all things well if you just let him have you. Right. And I want you to know that he's ready and he's waiting on you. You say, Brother Manley, when will I adequately when will I know that my commitment to Jesus is adequate? Folk, I'll tell you how can a holy God consume your life on the altar of worship and you not know it? Well, it's impossible. And I'll tell you when you'll know that your commitment is adequate. And that's when a holy God steps out of glory and some way finds you in such an adequate state of repentance and simple trust that a holy God who can't stand sin can consume you with himself. And so consume you that he's so committed to you. It's one thing to know that the word says Lo, I'm with thee always and I'll never leave thee, never forsake thee. But folk, it's something else to have that holy God to so step out of glory that he makes that reveal truth rather than just truth. And you know when it happens. You say, Preacher, how long should I stay on the altar till God commits himself to you? And folk, when he does it'll be different. And you won't understand it. You'll have to look back on past experiences to even get a glimpse of what he's doing. Because you just can't afford to understand some things till you've gone through them. It'd be too powerful for you. And so tonight, why sit you here till you die? There's enough folk in this place tonight if they would so adequately commit themselves to Jesus as that group did at Pentecost. You would have a Pentecost that without Pentecost, Pentecost as someone said. Just this group tonight. And I challenge you, why sit we here till we die? The devil's got you afraid. Afraid of what's gonna happen to you. He's got you up, he's got you to stare and say, Boy, if I make a commitment to God like that Lord, I'll lose this, I'll lose that. Folk, let me tell you something. When those three Jews were placed in that furnace the only thing that was burnt off was what the world put on them. When they came out of that they came without the smell of smoke. And by the way, did you know who got down in there with them? Folk, he walks with you in the fire. Sometimes I think he speaks to the fire and he says, now there's something else that needs burning off of that fella. And uh, I said, I want you to know you can't touch him, I'm with him. I'm in there with him. Except he just touched that what the world placed on him. Folk, why sit we here till we die? Why tonight would you waste your life? Sometimes I thought it was so wasted. But tonight as I sat here and just this year on my fellowship and association with Jack his family and the church family I realized, folk that it's been worth everything that I've ever gone through to stand revival. And folk, I haven't learned the the only answer I have is Jesus. And I haven't arrived. But I just want to share my testimony tonight because uh according to the medical professions of men who've been keeping me checked out they don't have any explanation why I'm alive but they feel like that I ought to go back to the hospital in the morning and have some tests run. And I just kept asking God this week for a while, Lord why do I have to live here in this room and stuff like that. He just kept saying, son you mean to tell me that I'm not adequate? You mean to tell me that you'd rather be down there fellowshipping with men than fellowshipping with me? And folk, it's hard to say, well Lord I know. But boy, when you surrender and say, Lord it's alright I'll lie here in this bed not preaching all week, not say a word. And then folk, his fellowship becomes so sweet. And you don't even understand. But then step up here tonight and see and sense what God is doing in this meeting. Oh, I'd spend another week in the bed. In fact, if he wants me to I'll just stay the rest of my life in bed. Just praying for Jack and these other fellows. Of course, some say, well preacher, when are you going to die? When God gets ready. And when he gets ready, I'm going to be ready. And it's been sweet. Just a fellowship this week in the Lord. But I challenge you tonight why sit we here till we die? Now I know some of us would like to have the filling and fullness of the Spirit. For like tonight I know some of us would like to see this manifestation. But folk, for God can fill a lot of us we've got to be disciplined to where we have a capacity to take it. And I challenge you once again why sit we here till we die? I believe tonight, just out of this testimony God's talked to hundreds of hearts. You claim filling of the Spirit. You may be filled. You claim this thing and that thing. But let me ask you something tonight, a little different. Are you willing to commit to the sovereign hand of an almighty God who by him all things were created and for him all things were created and allow God to discipline you into revelation where you can have proper appropriation so you can have a living demonstration? Folk, are you willing to make that kind of commitment to God tonight? It's something to come down here and seek an experience. But folk, it's something else to come down here and make such a commitment to God that you allow him to discipline your life until truth becomes total reality and you see it every day get up out of the pages of this book and move and work through you. I wonder how long will you sit there? How long? Will you sit there until you die? You saw all that in him. Folk, he's just a delivery boy. He's letting you know that God is wanting to do something for you. How long will you sit there? How long will you sit there? I just want to simply tell you there's no telling what he'll take you through. I will not offer you an easy road tonight. I just offer you Jesus who is our glory on the road. But what the road will be like, I don't know, folk. But I do know that he in his boldness will inhabit you. And it'll be glory even though it's a rough, rough road. Well, people tell me, they say, boy, I get filled with the Spirit, it's all rest. Well, since I met the Holy Spirit and made such a covenant with him, it's been all hell with me. But it's been heaven in the midst of it. Tonight, why sit you there until you die? God has given you an invitation. I just wonder if you'll listen. Will you? The Bible says, be a doer of the word, not a hearer of it. And tonight, he's spoken to your heart. Are you willing? Ready? Will you make such a commitment to him? And when you do, and it's adequate, folk, he'll make a commitment to you. And it'll be different forever. Would you just get up out of that seat and come? To who? Jesus. You prayin' for revival, you get to him, you'll have one. You'll have one. You may have been to him before, but you need to be to him. Get to him afresh and anew. Now, you folk think I'm foolin'. But, folk, let me tell you somethin'. You came here to learn about how to have revival and all that. I just simply told you that Jesus is the way. And I'm just wonderin' if you'll obey. No music. Nothin' else. And I'm askin' you to commit to this one. And, folk, how he's gonna handle you is his business and not yours. Just simply, are you willing?