A Living Sacrifice Part Ii

On this deck above, one in the morning, about two years ago, I got a hold of this book. And I read about dedicated men. I read about the kind of men I've been asking God for 19 years to bring into this movement.

I finally discovered where they were. Climbing mountains. Instead of being in the work of God.

Here are men, whose one passion is to climb mountains. Many are killed in this pursuit. This is no game.

We're not talking about a game here. One was killed in this expedition. Climbing the south face of Annapurna, one of the largest mountains in the top.

And if you just look at the pictures in this book, it's enough to challenge your own heart. Men climbing up straight cliffs, every minute, their life risked. Men living in little frozen tents, that make the back of our trucks seem like Hotel Hilton by wheels.

Men disciplining, buffeting, pushing their bodies day after day, in pain, in forfeiting, in every conceivable condition to get to the top of a mountain. And they don't go up there for quiet time. They don't go up there to see Jesus.

They just go up there to look around. In this case, only two of them got there, it was so cloudy, they couldn't see anything, they couldn't stay any longer without both being killed, they quickly rushed down. Mountain climbers are only one example.

I could give you a hundred examples. Of people in the secular world. Unsaved people.

No Holy Spirit. No cross. No heaven.

No savior. Nothing. Raw dedication.

And if we can't get that kind of dedication for Jesus Christ, then my Bible is the biggest pack of lies ever published. My last point. The example of spirituality.

Praise God. We've got a few examples. Few examples.

Of men who make even these mountain climbers look rather small. And as we read about Paul. As we read about Elijah.

As we read about Joseph, I've been reading about Joseph in these days. How he stood that tremendous temptation of that salacious wife of the Egyptian ruler. My, I tell you, they're the kind of mountain climbers I want on my team.

We read about Hudson Taylor. We read about Sadhu Sundar Singh. As we read about Whitfield in West.

As we read about Carrie and Judson. Realize that we have tremendous. Many, many women.

Many women as well. Examples of complete commitment. Total dedication.

To Jesus Christ. Beloved, these eight points. And there are many more.

Show us. Watch it. The absolute reason.

Absolute lack. Of surrendering our all. In these days.

I believe God will show us what that means. As we take the word of God more seriously. In a broken, hungry way.

We will see what it means. I believe we can go from this country. Whole new level of Christianity.

As spiritual, not mountain climbers. But mountain movers. For the living God.

Oh God our Father. Search our hearts. Open our eyes.

Do not let us. Resist your Holy Spirit. Do not let us go to.

Some extreme in our thinking. Take it to a deeper commitment. We feel so weak.

We know we're not this kind of person. We're not Chris Bonington. Mountain climbers.

We're scared. We're weak. We're people.

But we know God. You are alive. As we give ourselves to you.

We believe you will invade us. And change us. And make us men and women.

After your own heart. We know it will not happen overnight. We know Satan will attack us.

Every inch of the way. By your grace. Now go on.

In Jesus name. Amen.