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(Clip) Something is Missing
Leonard Ravenhill
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0:00 6:41
Leonard Ravenhill

(Clip) Something is Missing

Leonard Ravenhill passionately urges believers to live with eternal focus, emphasizing fervent prayer, sacrifice, and wholehearted devotion as the keys to true spiritual vitality.
This sermon emphasizes the life and sacrifice of David Brainerd, highlighting the importance of living for eternity rather than temporary pleasures. It challenges listeners to put their faith into action, prioritize prayer, and be conscious of eternity in all aspects of life. The message underscores the significance of sacrifice, prayer, and a deep relationship with God, urging believers to focus on eternal values rather than worldly possessions.

Full Transcript

David Brainerd, one of America's greatest saints, he was dying of tuberculosis. It's not how long you live, it's how you live that matters. So here he is, wracked with consumption. His body weighs about 85 pounds. Did that little man dying there? A man that lived with the Indians? A man that hardly ever got a decent meal? He ate berries? He slept with the Indians? They let him sleep in a wigwam or a beaten up building? And he says, well, I never get a decent meal, but oh, God is so real. When he coughed, he spit blood in the ground. When he sneezed, he sprayed blood in the ground. This is an American. See that every one of our young preachers gets a copy of the life of David Brainerd. To stir them to action, to stir them to sacrifice, to get their focusing straight. They're not living for eternity, they become professional preachers. They're happy to go along and preach in a nice place. Get their eyes on eternity, therefore they must read David Brainerd. Did David Brainerd, as he prayed there, dying, gasping for breath? Did he ever dream a young man in England, a young Baptist by the name of Carey, would read that biography and it was sent him to India? He could really say what we sing, God help us. I lay in dust life's glory dead. Put your so-called faith and love into action. Lay in dust your pride, forget it. Who cares whether you wear designer clothes or not? Who cares whether you have the best ring or anything, the best car? It doesn't matter. You should have a prayer meeting in your church every morning and the pastor should be there to lead it. It's his business. To be an example, not a talker. If you don't have a praying pastor, forget it. When I pastored a church in England in my twenties, that was in 1934, we had seven prayer meetings a week. We had a half-night of prayer Saturday night. Do you wonder people lined up outside the church to get a seat? Do you wonder the glory of the Lord filled the place? Do you wonder we never had a sports program in any period at all? We'd throngs of young people, dozens of them in about five different parties went out for our street meetings. I didn't have to urge them and whip them, they caught a light, they were ablaze. No church is going to have revival with a prayer meeting one morning a week or one night a week. This is a time for blood, sweat and tears. If fellows can lose all their rights and go up to, what do you call it, West Point. Listen, if they can do it, dear God, can't we do it? What are you shrugging up in that little church for, because it never hurt you to go? Because nobody fasts, nobody prays, nobody weeps. Your preacher's dry-eyed, he talks. How in God's name do they do it? I don't know. Why do you weep while other people are laughing? Why do you fast while other people are having a whale of a time? It's stupid, it is, except in the light of eternity it isn't. You see, you have to account for your time, so here you've got three. You live 24 hours a day, you work eight hours a day, you sleep eight hours a day. What do you do with the other eight? Put that into years. You live 60 years, you sleep 20 years, you work 20 years. What do you do with the other 20? As I've said to you, if I could push the door of heaven and you could peep into it for five minutes, you'd never backslide, you'd change your lifestyle, you'd change your conversation style. Listen, you and I are supposed to be eternity conscious. How can you go to a fashionable church where nobody weeps? All this has got to end, to end. Can you imagine an eternity? It will not make much difference, friend, a hundred years from now, if you live in a stately mansion or a floating river scow, if the clothes you wear are tailor-made or just pieced together somehow, if you eat big steaks or beans and cake a hundred years from now. What matter what your bank account or the naked car you drive? For the grave will claim all your riches and fame and the things for which you strive. There's a deadline that we all must meet. No one will show up late. It won't matter. All the places you've been, each one will keep that date. We will only have in eternity what we gave away on earth. When we go to the grave, we can only save the things of eternal worth. What matters, friend, the earthly gain for which some men will bow? For your destiny will be sealed, you see, a hundred years from now. Isn't that something? What matter if you live in a stately mansion or a floating river scow? What kind of clothes you wear, what matters? The only thing that will matter is if we're clothed in righteousness. John Wesley fasted and prayed. He made money, he built schools, he built orphanages, he printed Bibles, he printed Methodist hymn books. He's a dying thief, can I have the same reward? What about that job God gave you and you gave it up? Disgusted or discouraged? I'll tell you what, we're not going to be the same in heaven. They, not one, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder. According to tradition, Isaiah was hung this way with his feet strapped up there and sawn down the middle. Not with an electric saw, get it over with a wooden saw. He was sawn in pieces. They were stoned, how long did it take them to die? They were sawn asunder, they were destitute. And that means they were totally void. They had no clothes except rags, they had no food except scraps. You know all these guys have gone down the drain, do you know why? Let me tell you how to backslide. Why they backslide? They all backslide in the place of prayer. And because they're cold there, in the place of prayer, because they're failing in the place of prayer, they lose the presence of God. It's time for you to tighten up your prayer life.

Sermon Outline

  1. I
    • The example of David Brainerd's sacrificial life
    • Living for eternity over earthly comforts
    • The impact of biographies on spiritual motivation
  2. II
    • The necessity of fervent and frequent prayer meetings
    • The role of the praying pastor as an example
    • Revival requires more than minimal effort
  3. III
    • The importance of living with an eternal mindset
    • Earthly possessions and status are temporary
    • Our eternal destiny depends on what we give away
  4. IV
    • The cost of discipleship and suffering for Christ
    • The danger of backsliding through neglect of prayer
    • A call to renew and tighten one’s prayer life

Key Quotes

“It's not how long you live, it's how you live that matters.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“No church is going to have revival with a prayer meeting one morning a week or one night a week.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“We will only have in eternity what we gave away on earth.” — Leonard Ravenhill

Application Points

  • Commit to regular, fervent prayer as a vital part of your daily spiritual life.
  • Focus on eternal values rather than earthly possessions or status.
  • Encourage your church to prioritize prayer meetings and spiritual fervor for revival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was David Brainerd and why is he important?
David Brainerd was an American missionary known for his sacrificial life and deep devotion to God, serving as a powerful example for believers to live with eternal focus.
Why does Leonard Ravenhill emphasize prayer so strongly?
Ravenhill believes that fervent, consistent prayer is essential for revival and spiritual vitality, and that neglecting prayer leads to backsliding and loss of God's presence.
What does it mean to live with an eternal perspective?
Living with an eternal perspective means prioritizing spiritual matters and eternity over temporary earthly gains and comforts.
How can believers avoid backsliding according to this sermon?
Believers can avoid backsliding by maintaining a strong, consistent prayer life and staying close to God’s presence.
What practical steps does Ravenhill suggest for churches?
He suggests having multiple prayer meetings weekly, led by a praying pastor who sets an example, to ignite spiritual passion and revival.

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