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Sins of Laodicea - Part 7
Leonard Ravenhill
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0:00 6:15
Leonard Ravenhill

Sins of Laodicea - Part 7

Leonard Ravenhill passionately calls believers to forsake worldly idols and embrace wholehearted devotion to Jesus, urging a radical spiritual growth beyond superficial faith.
This sermon emphasizes the journey of spiritual growth from ankle-deep waters to true Holy Ghost abandonment, urging believers to send reports that lead to self-reflection. It challenges the notion that God's work is dependent on financial resources and highlights the sacrificial faith of individuals like the elderly woman who walked miles to know Jesus. The message stresses the importance of wholehearted devotion to Jesus, forsaking worldly idols, and embracing a radical commitment to God above all else.

Full Transcript

I don't prophesy like David does, so I tell you this, your whole outfit down there is still in water to the ankles. You're going to go to waters to the knees, then water to swimming, then to true Holy Ghost abandonment. We want you to send us reports that will make us weep, make us search our hearts. Look what God's doing down there. David has a statement in his book that'll cause him some trouble, that God Almighty is not dependent on the money in the churches in America to shake the world. He's done it all through history without money, men. I know we've got to live, we've got to eat, we've got to pay our taxes. But people think if we can launch out here, the little boy on PTL says, this is God's method, you know. What do you mean, God Almighty's method to save the world? People that listen up the Amazon can't afford a shirt, never mind a TV. Go around the Philippine Islands and see people there. They've no shoes to their feet. There's a hymn that was written, I've forgotten, 40 years ago, about a woman that came. I think it was through Korea. They told her about a man who was preaching about the living God, who had a son. And his son once came to this earth and he lived like us and got sleepy and tired and hungry. And yet people kicked him around. Where is that man? And she was told she walked 15 miles at 70 years of age, she walked 15 miles to the meeting. She couldn't hear too well. And just before she left, she said to the preacher, I didn't quite get the name of the man you said died for my sins. I would like to say thank you to him. Did he take all my sins? Yes. I have been very bad. He took all yours. There's not one of them the devil can bring up against you in that great day. What was his name? Jesus? Jesus. She walked home 15 miles through the forest. Feet were blistered and sore and bleeding when she got home. She slept soundly, sure she did. Woke up in the next morning and had forgotten his name and she walked back to the missionary 15 miles. She asked for the missionary and they said he lives in that. She hammered on the door and she said, tell me his name again. I forgot it. And he spelled it out again. Somebody wrote a chorus, we used to sing, oh, tell me his name again. Or sing me that glad refrain. How Jesus in love came down from above to die for our sin and shame. Tell me his name again. You know that name has lost its charm for many of us. You know, we'll never get things till we work them God's way. Some people never get out of the first five chapters, the Acts of the Apostles. Well, the Acts of the Apostles is the Acts of the Holy Ghost. It's the Acts of the Church. But read it carefully and get out of your doldrum and find out the name of Jesus is mentioned far more often than the Holy Ghost. In whose name did he do this thing? There's one name that makes hell tremble, it's name high over all in hell or earth or sky. Angels and men before it fall and devils fear and fly. I say this, I don't care who listens. I'm embarrassed to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ tonight which is so totally radically different from the New Testament. So impoverished, so blind, so powerless. I talked with David now yesterday, we had a wonderful talk. I've come to this conclusion. There is a move of God in America today, but not amongst the unsaved. It's amongst the redeemed who are determined by the grace of God to be part of the bride. And to be part of the bride you have to be divorced from everything in the world. You can't be holy on Sundays and carnal on Mondays. You can't delight in some little scripture the preacher gives you and you turn it over and then Monday say, oh I just saw the Dow Jones boy, isn't it wonderful? Oh brother, that money stinks when it's become your idol. Anything you like more than prayer and worshipping God is an idol, you better get rid of it. I shall have no other God before me. God is a jealous God. I wouldn't share my dear wife if I said to my wife, well darling, I love you, you're beautiful. But you know, remember a girl I used to know called Alice? I'll just need one night a week to go and talk with Alice. I mean, I'll be back, you know, by nine o'clock. And she says, yes, it doesn't matter if you never come back. Which would be right. Come on, why don't you, you've got an idol, come on. Some of you can't wait for baseball to start. You'll know every player, you'll know his averages, you'll know how many times he gets knocked out or washed out or beaten up, whatever it is. You've had no joy all winter because you don't like football. Oh boy, just a week or two and we'll have the TV showing us a wonderful game. Anything that you love more than you love Jesus Christ is an idol. I don't care what it is. David will say, well in fact, my dear wife now being reading that book is very stirring. And in one place he says, Rebecca, remember Rebecca was barren. God told her to take all the idols out of her tent and when she did she became fruitful. And he labors on that, on the barrenness in the churches due to the idols in our homes. I counsel thee to buy. It will cost something. Buy gold from a banking system. Buy gold from a city that made more garments than any nation in the world.

Sermon Outline

  1. I. Spiritual Growth Journey
    • From ankle-deep waters to Holy Ghost abandonment
    • Importance of self-reflection and reports that move hearts
    • God's work not dependent on money or resources
  2. II. The Power of Jesus' Name
    • Jesus' name as the source of salvation and victory
    • The story of the elderly woman’s faith journey
    • The lost charm of Jesus' name in modern faith
  3. III. The Danger of Idolatry
    • Anything loved more than Jesus is an idol
    • Examples of worldly idols like money and entertainment
    • Call to remove idols for spiritual fruitfulness
  4. IV. Radical Commitment to God
    • Being part of the bride requires total separation from the world
    • Holiness must be consistent, not just on Sundays
    • God’s jealousy demands exclusive devotion

Key Quotes

“You can't be holy on Sundays and carnal on Mondays.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“Anything you like more than prayer and worshipping God is an idol, you better get rid of it.” — Leonard Ravenhill
“There's one name that makes hell tremble, it's name high over all in hell or earth or sky.” — Leonard Ravenhill

Application Points

  • Examine your life for idols and remove anything that competes with your love for Jesus.
  • Commit to consistent holiness and wholehearted devotion every day, not just on Sundays.
  • Trust in God's power rather than financial resources to advance His kingdom.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main call of this sermon?
The sermon calls believers to forsake idols and commit wholeheartedly to Jesus for true spiritual growth.
Why does Leonard Ravenhill emphasize Jesus' name?
He stresses that Jesus' name holds power over sin and the enemy, and it should be central in the believer's life.
How does the sermon describe idolatry?
Idolatry is anything loved more than Jesus, including money, entertainment, or worldly concerns.
What example is given to illustrate sacrificial faith?
An elderly woman who walked 15 miles twice to hear about Jesus and remember His name.
Does the sermon address financial resources in ministry?
Yes, it highlights that God's work is not dependent on money but on faith and obedience.

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