Heart Cries from Johnston
E.A. Johnston warns that a self-reliant, godless church and nation face inevitable destruction, urging believers to seek revival through faith, obedience, and reliance on God’s power.
In "Heart Cries from Johnston," E.A. Johnston delivers a prophetic message warning of the spiritual peril facing a nation and church that reject God. He highlights the dangers of self-reliance, moral decay, and godless leadership, urging believers to return to faith, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Through biblical examples like King Uzziah, Johnston calls for revival and steadfastness in the Christian walk.
Full Transcript
A nation that doesn't want anything to do with God is a nation that God doesn't want anything to do with them, and it's a nation hell-bent and ripe for destruction. A self-reliant church that is out of touch with God will have no desire for revival nor see any need for repentance. God will say of them, Ephraim is joined to his idols, leave them alone.
We live in a day of moral chaos in society and moral collapse in the church. A godless government has legislated God out of the land, and a antinomian people have legislated holiness out of the church. When the church is run predominantly by men who don't know God, then the fate of a nation is sealed and their course is doomed, as was Israel who crucified the Prince of Glory.
God is looking for faith, but he demands obedience. Early Christians were known as God-fearers because they refused to say, Caesar is Lord. Now we fear Caesar more than God, and we are known as people-pleasers.
When the church relies more on money and manpower than prayer and Holy Ghost power, then God leaves us to our own devices, and you can see where that has gotten us. A church loses her voice of authority when she is out of touch with God and goes from, thus saith the Lord, to, thus saith man. A self-reliant church is a powerless church and a laughingstock to society.
Jesus is a faithful friend even when we aren't faithful to him. If Jesus gave his all on Calvary, shouldn't we give our all to him? It was said of King Uzziah, as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. But the old boy wanted to be both king and priest, and God made him a leper, and he died in infamy.
Sadly, many who begin well don't finish well. The leprosy of Uzziah should be a solemn warning to each of us Christians today.
Sermon Outline
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I
- The danger of a nation rejecting God
- Consequences of a self-reliant church
- The call for revival and repentance
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II
- Moral collapse in society and the church
- The impact of godless leadership
- The example of Israel’s downfall
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III
- God’s demand for faith and obedience
- The contrast between early Christians and today’s believers
- The loss of church authority without reliance on God
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IV
- Jesus’ faithfulness despite our unfaithfulness
- The warning from King Uzziah’s story
- The importance of finishing well in faith
Key Quotes
“A nation that doesn't want anything to do with God is a nation that God doesn't want anything to do with them, and it's a nation hell-bent and ripe for destruction.” — E.A. Johnston
“When the church relies more on money and manpower than prayer and Holy Ghost power, then God leaves us to our own devices.” — E.A. Johnston
“Jesus is a faithful friend even when we aren't faithful to him.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Examine your personal and church reliance on God rather than on human resources.
- Seek revival through prayer, repentance, and obedience to God’s Word.
- Stay faithful to God throughout your spiritual journey to avoid the pitfalls of complacency.