Revival Conference 2007 - Harold Vaughn - Part 1

Good to be with you here today. I've been looking forward to a good time here, believing God to speak to my heart as well as to everybody else present. I'd like to do something for you. We brought some of these books called The Price and Power of Revival by Duncan Campbell, and we'd like to give one to every family that would like to have one, The Price and Power of Revival by Duncan Campbell, four sermons, classic sermons that he gave, absolutely tremendous out here at the table. If you'd like to get it, we'd like for you to have it. Also, some handouts out there that will help you search your heart, and a little handout here by A.W. Tozer on how to have a personal revival I think would be a tremendous help and a blessing to you. All right, I wonder if we might be able to stand and have a moment of prayer together. Would you please stand and let's have a moment of prayer together? Was that encouraging hearing Brother Al secure this morning, or what? Well, God's still doing some good things, and I believe it's not over yet, that God wants to do more good things. But you know, before the doctor can prescribe the cure, he first has to find out what kind of poison you've already swallowed. And we need to find out the antidote, but we've got to find out the problem. So I want to talk to you from my heart this afternoon, and God put this on my heart some weeks ago, to speak to you from the book of 1 Samuel. So let's pray and bow our hearts for just a moment, and could we give God permission to speak to our hearts here this morning, please? Would you just open up your heart and invite God and the Holy Spirit to come and speak to you personally? Now, Heavenly Father, we're thankful for the good works of God, and Lord, it's like a cup of cold water in a thirsty land when we hear about good things that you've done and are doing. And, Heavenly Father, we're anticipating blessings here this hour, so Lord, we open up our hearts to you. We invite your Spirit to come and do His office work, and Heavenly Father, would you speak a clear word to our hearts? We're thankful for the speaking voice of God, and, Heavenly Father, we pray that you might speak with a voice so as to raise the dead, and, Heavenly Father, that your reviving presence might be our portion. Now, we open our hearts. We anticipate and we thank you for what you're going to say to our souls. We give you praise in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. What was it that gave birth to Ichabod, grandson of weakness, corruption, and indecision? First Samuel chapter 4 in your Bible, we find the story of one nation's fall from glory. This is the tale of an ancient nation's venture into the post-modern world. Their punk rockers had come of age and occupied positions of leadership and influence. I believe there's a frightening similarity between this story and the state and the churches of America. There's no doubt a lesson here for nations, for local churches, for families, and for individuals. One Samuel chapter 4 begins by the archenemy of God's people, the Philistines, going to battle with the Israelites, and in that very first battle, 4,000 Israelites were slain. The elders of Israel conspired together, and they said, Why is the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Now, they didn't ask God why they had lost the battle, but they asked each other what the problem was, and the consensus was, Let us fetch the ark of God out of Shiloh, that it might come and save us. They had the mistaken notion that if they could just get that external symbol, the ark of the covenant, if they could just get that external symbol in the camp, they thought all would be well. Well, the Bible tells us when they sent and got the ark and it came into the camp, and all Israel gave up a great shout, which just goes to show it's possible to have a good deal of excitement without God. Well, the Philistines were a bunch of superstitious pagans. They were the type that would be running the psychic hotline if they were reincarnated today, and when they heard that tremendous shout, they understood that the ark had come into the camp, and they said, Why, these great gods that have delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt are coming to the camp, and they were absolutely terrified. They thought that Israel's God was confined to that box. The Philistines said, Let's quit, and let's get out here and fight like men, lest we become enslaved. So they went to battle a second time. This time, 30,000 Israelites were slain, Hothnai and Phinehas were killed, and the ark of God was taken. Well, the Bible tells us in verse 13 that Eli said, By the wayside watch him, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. I want to tell you that Eli might have been an undisciplined man. Eli may have been an unfit parent, but the Bible does say that his heart trembled for the ark of God. There was a soldier that escaped from the battle scene. He came, and he told Eli what had happened. He said, We suffered a terrible defeat. Hothnai and Phinehas, your sons are dead, and the ark of God has been taken. And when Eli comprehended that the ark of God was taken, he fell off his seat backward and his neck broke, and there he died. Let's pick up the story here in 1 Samuel 4 and verse 19. Notice what it says, And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and prevailed, for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou wast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel. Because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel. Phinehas' wife was a woman of keen spiritual perception. And when she got the report that the ark of God had been captured by the pagan Philistines, she knew in her heart that God had abandoned her people. She named her child Ichabod, which means literally, Where is the glory? Or the glory is departed. So we have to ask ourselves this question. What was it that brought about the departure of God from the land? What were those things that were present that caused the glory to depart? What gave birth to Ichabod? I want to give you six scriptural, historical preludes to Ichabod from the book of 1 Samuel. The notice prelude number one is that there was an unconverted priesthood in Israel. Look in chapter 2 and verse 12. Keep your Bible handy. Chapter 2 and verse 12. Notice first of all, an unconverted priesthood. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. They knew not the law. Hothnai and Phinehas were sons of the high priest, but they were also sons of the devil, sons of worthlessness. Hothnai and Phinehas were scandalous in their habits, reckless in their lifestyles, and profane in their hearts. May I say to you that Hothnai and Phinehas were not carnal. Hothnai and Phinehas were not backslidden. Hothnai and Phinehas were lost. And I think if it's possible to have sons of the devil in the home of the high priest of Israel, it's entirely possible to have sons of the devil in the best of Christian homes and in the best of Christian churches. I remind you that the devil was present in the upper room when Christ celebrated the last table. Judas Iscariot, he left all for Christ. Judas Iscariot followed Christ. He ate and drank at the table of Christ. He cast out demons in the name of Christ. He called Jesus Master. He kissed the door of heaven, and then he fell headlong into hell. Why? Because he was the son of perdition. And Hothnai and Phinehas, the Bible says, they knew not the Lord. Now, they knew about God, but they did not know God. Hothnai and Phinehas had heard their father pray. They listened as he talked. But the Scripture tells us, He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as God is righteous. And he that practices sin is of the devil. My friend, how many people have accepted Christ who have never accepted Christianity as a way of life? There are scores of people that put some sort of a demon faith, cerebral faith in the Son of God that show no evidence at all that they've ever been born of the Spirit of God. We can journal the old period and say, Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins. Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins, and art born of God, unless thou can prove thy pedigree by daring to be holy. I want to tell you, there was an unconverted priesthood that produced an unconverted constituency. The blind were leading the blind. The whole crowd was in the ditch. Suffice it to say, it's possible to have a profession of faith without the possession of eternal life. And before the glory departed from Israel, there was an unconverted priesthood. But notice, playlist number two, there was an unfit leadership. An unfit leadership in place. It's been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. And God has appointed leaders in churches. They're called pastors. God has appointed leaders in homes. They're called husbands and fathers. But notice what had happened in Israel before the glory departed in chapter 2 and verse 17. Wherefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord.