Pigmies in Pulpit Giants in Land
E.A. Johnston calls the church to rise above fear and complacency, boldly confronting the moral decay in society with fearless preaching and unwavering faith.
In this prophetic sermon, E.A. Johnston addresses the spiritual crisis facing America, drawing from Isaiah and Numbers to highlight the nation's moral decay and the church's fearful response. He challenges believers to confront the 'giants' of sin and cultural opposition with boldness and faithfulness. Johnston calls for a revival led by courageous leaders who will proclaim God's truth unapologetically, urging repentance and a return to holiness.
Full Transcript
We live in a day where evil thrives and grows by leaps and bounds. A spirit of Antichrist runs through the land and the very atmosphere of America is ranked with sin, rebellion, and moral chaos. And it seems every level of society stands out against God and all things holy, like the rebellious Jews spoken of in Isaiah.
The whole nation is sick from the head to the foot. We read in Isaiah chapter 1 beginning in verse 4. Ah sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters. They have forsaken the Lord.
They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger. They are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint from the sole of the foot even unto the head. There is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They've not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Let me pause here friends to call your attention to the remedial judgments of God against his wayward and rebellious people as seen in verse 7. Your country is desolate. Your cities are burned with fire. Your land, strangers devour it in your presence and it is desolate as overthrown by strangers.
America, once a land of great spiritual awakening and revival, a land mightily favored by God, is now a desolate spiritual wasteland. The title of my message this evening, friends, is Pygmies in the Pulpit and Giants in the Land. In the book of Numbers, we read of the people of Israel who were on the very verge of entering the promised land, but unbelief stood in their way when they saw giants in the land.
In verse 33 we read, And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. The church in the west today is afraid of the giants in the land, the giants of the homosexual movement, the giants of the politically correct movement, and all the anti-God giants that threaten the very fabric of our society. A sin abounds in the land, and the church is silent because she has pygmies in the pulpit, men afraid of confrontation with society, pastors who are more concerned with their self-preservation than storming the gates of hell no matter the cost, men that fear men, and the giants of the land are too much for them.
But today we need a Caleb and a Joshua who will be jealous for God's glory and stand fearlessly in the pulpit and cry, Thus saith the Lord. Like Jonah, the nation needs one man, fresh from the purging of deep waters of affliction, to stand boldly no matter the cost, and proclaim God's word of repentance to a sinful nation and bring that nation to its knees in humility before Almighty God. But where is the John Knox of this hour who made a bloody queen fear his prayers? Where is the Luther who stood against the powers of potpourri for reformation? O God, grant us a man who will stand tall in the pulpit and fearlessly defend your honor in a sin-laden society for your namesake and your great glory.
Amen.
Sermon Outline
-
I
- The pervasive evil and moral decay in society
- The nation likened to the rebellious Jews in Isaiah
- The spiritual sickness from head to foot
-
II
- God’s remedial judgments on a wayward nation
- The desolation of once spiritually vibrant America
- The warning from Isaiah about forsaking the Lord
-
III
- The church’s fear of confronting giants in the land
- The analogy of pygmies in the pulpit versus giants in the land
- The need for courageous spiritual leaders like Caleb and Joshua
-
IV
- A call for bold prophetic voices like Jonah, Knox, and Luther
- The necessity of fearless preaching regardless of cost
- A plea for revival through repentance and humility
Key Quotes
“The church in the west today is afraid of the giants in the land, the giants of the homosexual movement, the giants of the politically correct movement, and all the anti-God giants that threaten the very fabric of our society.” — E.A. Johnston
“We need a Caleb and a Joshua who will be jealous for God's glory and stand fearlessly in the pulpit and cry, Thus saith the Lord.” — E.A. Johnston
“O God, grant us a man who will stand tall in the pulpit and fearlessly defend your honor in a sin-laden society for your namesake and your great glory.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Believers should confront societal evils with boldness rather than fear.
- Church leaders must prioritize God's glory over personal safety or popularity.
- The nation needs repentance and humility to experience spiritual revival.