prudent, and he shall know them, for the ways of the Lord are
right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors
shall fall therein."
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for this morning to God.
I thank you for our church and for everyone that's here.
God, I just ask that you please give each one of us a tender
heart to your word, and I ask that you please be with our
pastor, God, strengthful, and filled with your spirit.
We love you.
Jesus, say and pray.
Amen.
All right, well, we're there in the book of Hosea, Hosea chapter
number 14, and if you remember last week, we began a series on
the subject of revival.
I am thankful that I only have to preach this sermon once today
so I can get all of you in this one time, but today we are
continuing this idea of revival, and as we study revival over the
next several weeks, we're going to be doing two things.
We're going to be looking at the great passages about revival in
the Bible, and then we're also going to be looking at the great
revivals in the Bible.
We're going to look at the actual revivals that took place
in the Word of God, and the reason for that is because I
believe that this time, this transition back into our regular
schedule and having the entire church family together, I want
this to be the revival of Verity Baptist Church.
I want this to be a time of renewal for all of us in our
walk with the Lord and, of course, in our ability to know
God and, like we talked about last week, to make Him known, and
before us this morning, here in the book of Hosea, we have,
again, one of those great passages on revival.
Now, the entire chapter basically is about revival.
Verses 1 through 6 have an outline, a seven-step outline,
on revival, and I'm not going to go through that this morning
where I am going to go through that at some point in this
series, later on in the series, but for this morning, what I'd
like you to notice is just down in verse number 7 where the
Bible says this, "'They that dwell under his shadow shall
return.'" Now, I want you to notice these words, "'They shall
revive as the corn.'" "'They shall revive as the corn and
grow as the vine.
The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.'" I want
you to notice that in this passage, we read, and again, the
entire thing has been about revival, and we'll break that
down in another sermon.
He talks about returning to God and repenting and rejoicing and
being renewed through God and all of those things.
But here, in verse 7, he talks about, "'They shall revive as
the corn.'" "'They shall revive as the corn.'" And we actually,
in this verse, see the prerequisite for revival, which
is why I wanted to begin here, even the last week we looked at
revival and we kind of had an overview of revival, I wanted to
begin as we study this idea of revival, because the next
several weeks, we're going to learn how can you experience
revival in your life?
How can I experience revival in our life?
And what we're going to learn this morning is where it must
begin, and it begins with this idea.
When he says here in Hosea 14, "'They shall revive as the
corn,'" he is giving us an idea of a prerequisite for revival.
And I want you to notice that, keep your place there in Hosea
14.
We're going to come back to Hosea 14 towards the end of the
sermon.
So you'll know we're almost done.
When we come back to Hosea 14, I'd encourage you to put a
ribbon or a bookmark or something there, and go with me,
if you would, to the New Testament book of John, John
chapter number 12.
You've got Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, John chapter 12.
When the Bible says there, "'They shall revive as the corn,'"
there is a hint there as to something that is needed,
something that is required for revival.
And I want you to notice that in John 12, Jesus kind of
explains this and lets us know what the reference or the
prerequisite is.
Notice John chapter 12 and verse 24.
In John 12, 24, the Bible says this is Jesus speaking, of
course, "'Verily, verily, I say unto you,'" he says, "'except a
corn.'" Do you see the word corn there?
Just like in Hosea 14, 7, it said, "'They shall revive as the
corn.'" He says, "'Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and I want you to notice these next two words, and die, it
abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.'"
Now, I want you to notice this morning, and maybe you can even
write this down on the back of your song sheet, there's a place
for you to write down some notes.
And I want you to notice that when it comes to revival, if
you're going to experience revival, if I'm going to
experience revival, and if enough of us are going to
experience revival in this church, to be able to have a
church that is experiencing revival, there is a prerequisite,
and the prerequisite, and if you're taking down notes, I
encourage you to write this down, for revival, there is a
prerequisite of dying to sell.
For revival, there is a prerequisite of death.
Before the corn can be revived, Hosea 14, 7, "'They shall
revive as the corn,'" the corn must fall into the ground and
die, John 12, 24.
Now, usually when we think of revival, we think of the need
for revival because of the fact that something died.
Something cannot be revived unless it is first dead, right?
This is why revival cannot apply to a new believer.
It's not something when a new believer gets saved, they're not
being revived, they're being vived, they're being given life,
they're being quickened by the Holy Spirit of God.
Revival can only happen once something dies.
Revival can only happen, it can only take place when something
first dies, and usually we think, well, revival is needed
or reviving is needed when there is a spiritual death, right, like
a coldness in your spiritual life, a staleness in the church.
Go to the book of Romans if you would.
You're there in John, you're just gonna cross a few books,
Acts and into the book of Romans.
While you turn there, let me just explain this.
Sometimes revival is needed because something died,
because something died spiritually.
Revelation 3, 2, you don't have to turn there, you go to Romans,
we saw it last week, Jesus said to the church in Sardis,
be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are
ready to die, for I've not found thy works perfect before God.
Of course, a church can come to the place where it is ready to
die, ready to die spiritually, and that, honestly, you just
need to look around to be able to see that.
You will see many churches, they are telling us during this
COVID-19 pandemic or whatever it is that many churches are not
gonna reopen, and the reason they're not gonna reopen even
once they are able to reopen is because of the fact that they
were already ready to die.
They were already on their way out, and this was just kind of
the last blow that took them out of the race.
There are churches all over this state, all over this city, all
over this country where you find beautiful, manicured buildings
that will fit hundreds of people, 200 people, 300 people,
400 people, and you'll see a crowd there of eight people,
nine people, usually very elderly people.
This is a very common scene throughout the country.
You say, why is that?
Because a church is an organism that is alive, but it can die.
If it doesn't revive, if there is no revival, it can die, and
Jesus looked at this church in Sardis and he said,
he said, strengthen things which remain that are ready to die.
But not only that, there are some churches that are filled
with people that are dead, because in Revelation 3, we
learned that Jesus said that he would take the candlestick from
a church, he would take a candlestick, it might still be
filled with people, but it's not spiritually alive.
So we know that revival may be needed when something is dying
spiritually, maybe individually.
James 2, 17, you have to turn there, but the Bible says this,
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone.
Your spiritual life might die if you're not working, and again,
we realize that works is not needed for salvation, but when
we talk about revival, we're not talking about salvation.
We're talking about a spiritual awakening in your heart, and
your spiritual life might grow stale.
Your spiritual life might grow weak and it might grow dead.
But there is another death that is also required, and this is
not when something just happens to die, this is when something
chooses to die.
In the Christian life, there is this concept that I want to show
it to you here in the Bible, that we as Christians actually
have to make the choice to die.
And I want to ask you this question, and of course I don't
want you to answer it out loud, but I want you to answer this
question, when did you die?
When did you die?
Are you there in Romans 6?
Look down at verse number 11.
If you're there in Romans, we were in John, you go past the
book of Acts into Romans.
Romans chapter number 6 and verse number 11.
Notice what the apostle Paul says here under the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, of course.
Romans 6-11, he says, likewise reckon.
You see that word reckon?
That's an older word, a type of word that's used commonly in the
south.
You'll hear a lot of southern people say, I reckon, you know,
this and that, right?
But the word reckon means to come to the conclusion, to come
to the opinion of.
The day of reckoning is often referred to as a day of
judgment, when God will come to the conclusion of what needs to
be done and what needs to be judged.
And here Paul says, he says, likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead.
Here the apostle Paul is looking at believers and he says, you
know what you need to do?
What you need to do is you need to come to the conclusion, you
need to come to the opinion of, you need to come to the belief
that you are dead.
He said, likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto
sin.
Now we're not talking about a physical death, we're not a cult
here, right?
We're not talking about physically putting anybody to
death, but he says you ought to reckon yourself dead indeed unto
sin.
And likewise, he says this, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Go to Romans chapter number 12.
And then Romans 6, just flip a few pages over.
Romans chapter 12.
Romans 12 is a very famous passage.
Romans chapter 12 and verse 1.
Romans 12, 1, the Bible says this, I beseech you therefore
brethren, by the mercies of God, notice, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice.
The Bible says that God wants us to present ourselves as a
sacrifice.
You say God wants us to kill ourselves?
No, a living sacrifice.
He said, present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, and then I love these words, which is your
reasonable service.
You say, you know, pastor, we're going to get back to Sunday
morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, soul winning, and then
you want us to volunteer and work, and you're going to ask us
to come and show up early to usher and come on our off days
and you're going to ask us to stay late and count the money
and you're going to ask us to come, you know, practice
instruments and be in the orchestra.
You know, I remember how it was before, you know, you kept, it
was pretty busy around here Sunday morning and then come
back to church on Sunday night and then come back to church on
Wednesday night and then spend my Saturday mornings out soul
winning or Sunday afternoons out soul winning or Thursday
afternoons out soul, and then you want a serving and then you
want us reading the Bible every day and you want us praying
every day.
You know, I don't know.
It seems like a little much.
It seems like I kind of like this coronavirus time.
I was able to get backslidden and it was no one's fault but,
you know, the virus or whatever, but listen, the Bible says that
as Christians, we ought to present our bodies a living
sacrifice.
A sacrifice is something that is wholly given to God.
None of it belongs to us.
We say, God, I'm giving you everything.
I'm giving you my body.
I'm giving you my soul.
I'm giving you my might, my strength.
I'm giving all of it to you, and you say, I don't know.
That sounds a little extreme.
You know, it's funny because God says it's your reasonable
service.
God says the fact that he sent his son to die on the cross for
your sins, the fact that you were condemned to hell and you
deserve hell and he forgave you of that, it is reasonable to
give your life to him.
And he says, you as a Christian, you as a Christian and myself as
a Christian and this church as Christians, we sometimes need
revival because we've died spiritually and, of course, the
need is there, but I'm not looking at a church today that
is dead spiritually.
I'm looking at a church today that is excited to get back to
church, that is excited to get back to the things of God, that
is excited to get back.
But let me tell you something.
You, Verity Baptist Church, still need to die in order to
experience revival.
We need to reckon ourselves dead.
We need to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God.
Go to Galatians chapter 2 if you would.
Galatians chapter 2.
You're there in Romans, you're going to go past 1, 2
Corinthians into the book of Galatians.
Galatians chapter number 2.
Galatians chapter 2.
Notice what the apostle Paul says in verse number 20.
Galatians 2, 20, he says, I am crucified with Christ.
Pastor, again, not literal, right?
Well, notice, he says, nevertheless, I live.
He says it's a living sacrifice.
He says, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live.
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
me and gave himself for me.
And we're going to come back to that in a second, but I just
want you to understand that in the Bible, there is this concept
of dying to self, dying to sin, dying to the world.
He says, I am crucified with Christ.
So here's the question I have for you, Verity Baptist Church,
is this, when did you die?
When have you died to self?
When have you died to sin?
When have you died to the world?
Go to Colossians chapter 3.
You're there in Ephesians.
I'm sorry, you're in Galatians.
Go past Ephesians, past Philippians,
into the book of Colossians.
Colossians chapter number 3.
Do me a favor, when you get to Colossians,
just stick your finger there for a second,
because we're going to leave it, and we're
going to come back to it.
And I want you to be able to get there quickly.
Colossians chapter 3, notice verse number 5.
The Bible says this, mortify.
Mortify.
What does that mean?
It means to subdue.
It means to put to death.
You've heard of a morticianer, someone
who deals with dead bodies?
He says, mortify therefore your members.
What are your members?
Your body parts.
He says, mortify therefore your members,
which are upon the earth, fornication and cleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
and covetousness, which is idolatry.
He says, look, there is a prerequisite.
You say, oh, pastor, I like this idea of revival,
and I'd like to experience revival.
But please understand this.
You cannot experience revival until you have first died.
You must reckon yourself dead unto Sid, unto the world.
Dead unto yourself.
See, there is a prerequisite for revival, and it is death.
Hosea said that they shall revive as the corn.
And Jesus said that the corn must fall to the earth and die.
You cannot experience revival.
There cannot be revival until there is first death.
Now, there may be spiritual death.
There may be a church that dies.
There may be a Christian that dies spiritually.
But if you will experience revival,
and if I will experience revival, we must first die.
We must choose to die.
I'd like you to notice secondly this morning,
and keep your finger right there in Colossians 3.
We're going to come right back to it.
But go with me to the book of Mark,
if you would, in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark.
We talked about the prerequisite of dying to self.
Let's talk about the practice of dying to self.
What does that look like?
What does it look like to die to self?
You say, OK, pastor, I want revival.
I need to die.
I need to die to self.
I need to offer myself a sacrifice unto God.
I need to mortify my members.
I need to reckon myself dead unto sin.
I can do that.
But what does that look like?
What does that mean?
Well, I want you to notice the practice of dying to self.
See, dying to self is something that has to happen every day.
In fact, we're going to look at that here in a minute.
But I want you to notice what it means,
or what it looks like, to die to self.
Mark chapter 8, verse 34.
Mark chapter 8, verse 34, the Bible says this.
And when he had called the people unto him,
Mark chapter 8, verse 34, and when
he had called the people unto him with his disciples also,
he said unto them, this is Jesus speaking,
whosoever will come after me.
Is that anybody who wants to be my follower?
Anybody that wants to come after me?
Notice what he says.
Let him deny himself.
What does the word deny mean?
It means to refrain from satisfying.
It means to not allow yourself to do something you want to do.
He says, let him deny himself and take up his cross.
Now notice, the take up his cross, what's the cross?
The cross is an instrument of death.
The cross would be a tool that they would
use to put something to death.
And Jesus here, he says, look, I'm
going to die on the cross for your sin.
But if you want to be a follower of me,
you're going to have to take up your cross.
And oftentimes, and I'm not against people
using this terminology, oftentimes we
think about someone carrying their cross as some burden
they have to carry.
Oh, they have some sickness, and that's
the cross they have to carry.
Or they have a problem in their marriage.
Maybe they're married to an unbeliever,
and that's the cross they have to carry.
And I understand that terminology,
and I'm not necessarily against that terminology.
But that is not what Jesus said when he said take up your cross.
What he said when he said take up your cross,
he said you take up your cross and put yourself
on it, which is why Paul said I am crucified with Christ.
He says, you say, well, what does that look like?
It looks like this.
You deny yourself.
When there's something you want, you deny yourself and say,
well, wait a minute, I'm dead.
When there's a will you have, there's a desire you want,
you say, well, I'm dead.
I've reckoned myself dead.
I've mortified my members, and I can deny myself.
I put myself on that cross.
Go back to Colossians.
Colossians chapter 3.
Look at verse 1.
We looked at verse 5.
Look at Colossians chapter 3 and verse 1.
Notice what Paul says.
He says, if ye then be risen with Christ,
notice what he says, seek those things which are above.
He said, I want you to seek the things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
What is he saying?
He's saying, I want you to seek the things that are of God.
I want you to seek the things that are spiritual.
Notice verse 2.
Set your affection.
What's an affection?
It's a feeling of fondness.
It's the fact that you like something, you love something.
He says, set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth.
See, the practice of dying to self.
You say, how could I die to self?
It begins with limiting yourself.
It begins with limiting yourself and denying yourself
of the things that you may want.
You're there in Colossians, go to Galatians.
Go backwards, past Philippians, Ephesians,
into the book of Galatians, Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians chapter 5.
See, you know the problem with you and I?
The problem that you and I have is this.
You know when we get ourselves into trouble?
We get ourselves into trouble when we give into our desires,
when we give into the things we want.
And you know, we get so good at Christianity,
we even sometimes spiritualize the things we want.
Do you know that religion can be done in the flesh?
Do you know that acts of religion
can be done for a motive that is selfish, like to be seen of men?
Sometimes we spiritualize things like, oh, no, no,
I'm doing this for the cause of Christ.
Honestly, though, if you're honest with yourself,
it's just because of you.
It's because of your own motivations.
It's because of your own envies.
It's because you've got to prove something,
and you've got to defend yourself.
You know that a dead person doesn't get offended?
I mean, go down to the cemetery today.
Find a dead person and just start yelling at them.
You stinking filthy blankety blank.
Let me tell you something.
You're this, and you're that, and your mom's ugly.
You'll get no reaction from a dead person.
They'll just lay there.
Even try it on the other way.
Try flattering them.
You're the greatest ever.
You are so amazing.
Let me give you a gift.
You know that you can't manipulate them.
You can't get a response from them.
They're dead.
And God says that's how you and I
need to live our Christian life.
Oh, the world's trying to get a response from me.
Hey, I'm crucified with Christ.
I'm dead.
The world's trying to, I'm getting offended here.
Dead people don't get offended.
I'm getting lifted up with pride here.
Dead people don't get lifted up with pride.
I'm being influenced by the emotions
that I have in my heart.
No, the problem is this.
You're too alive.
Jesus says, if you're going to follow me,
if you're going to be a follower of Christ,
you must deny yourself.
You must take up your cross and die.
Here's a question I have for you.
When did you die?
Or have you died?
Look at Galatians 6 and verse 14.
Galatians, you're already there, just flip one chapter over.
Galatians 6 and verse 14.
Galatians 6, 14, the Bible says this,
but God forbid that I should glory,
but God forbid that I should glory, saving the cross.
An instrument of death?
Yeah.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice, by whom the world is crucified unto me,
and I unto the world.
See, in order for revival to happen,
there is a prerequisite of dying to self.
And the practice of dying to self looks like this.
You limit yourself.
You deny yourself.
You put yourself on a cross and you say, I'm dead.
The affections and lusts of this world cannot entice me.
You limit yourself.
There's a second thing.
Go back to Mark, if you would.
Mark chapter number 8.
In order to practice dying to self,
not only must you limit yourself,
must you deny yourself, must you say,
here's what my flesh wants, here's what my pride wants,
here's what my envy wants, here's what my emotions want,
here's what I want to do, but I'm dead.
You must limit yourself.
There's a second thing, though.
You must lose yourself.
Mark chapter 8, look at verse 35, notice what Jesus said.
For whosoever will save his life.
I want you to understand the terminology here.
When he says, whosoever will save his life,
he's talking about someone who wants to save
their life for themselves.
Someone who wants to live for self.
Live for themselves.
Live for the gratification of self, the uplifting of self,
the making feel good of self.
Here's what Jesus said.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it.
Here's what he says.
When you live for yourself, you will waste your life.
Because life, the fullness of life, the impact of life,
the influence of life is measured
by how much we live for others.
And when you live for self, at the end,
all you have is yourself.
He says, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it.
He says, anybody who tries to live for themselves,
to gratify themselves, to have pleasure for themselves,
he said they're going to lose their life.
They're going to waste their life.
But whosoever, notice, but whosoever shall lose.
But whosoever shall lose.
What does that mean?
Here's how you and I would say that.
Whosoever will waste his life.
Notice what he says.
For my sake and the gospel's.
You know what the world wants to tell you?
You go to church too much.
Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, soul
winning, I mean the door knocking thing,
and then you give money to the church,
and then you are wasting your life.
Here's what Jesus said.
He said, whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Here's all I'm saying.
If you take two individuals, one lives for self.
One lives for self.
They do everything they want to do.
They're hiking every weekend.
They're on the lake every weekend.
They've got every toy you can imagine.
They're succeeding financially.
Everything's great.
Everything's wonderful.
They live for themselves.
They never invest in anyone else.
You take somebody else who gives their life to God,
who loses their life, Jesus would say,
for my sake and the gospel, who spends time every week
out soul winning, trying to see people saved, who volunteers
and gives of themselves and invest their lives in others.
You take those two individuals and go to their funerals,
and it will become extremely clear which one wasted their
life and which one did not.
Even though the world would say, you're wasting your life,
Jesus says, look, the way to make an impact,
the way to have an influence, the way to experience revival,
he says, there's a prerequisite.
You must first die.
What does that look like?
Well, it looks like limiting self.
And it looks like losing self.
And by the way, this is a daily occurrence.
You're there in Mark, go to the book of Luke,
Luke chapter nine.
Someone said this, only two options on the shelf,
to live for Christ or to live for self.
And you and I need to make that decision.
And this is not just a one-time decision,
this is a decision that must be made every day.
Luke 9 23, parallel passage, Jesus said this,
and he said unto them all, if any man will come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross,
notice this word, daily, and take up his cross daily
and follow me.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, if you would,
you're there in Luke, you got John, Acts, Romans,
1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
look at verse 31, remember Paul said,
I am crucified with Christ?
Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
This is what Paul also said, 1 Corinthians 15 31,
he says, I protest by your rejoicing,
which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notice what he says, he says, I die daily.
Please understand this, Verity Baptist Church,
if we will experience revival,
you say, how can we as a church experience revival?
There's only one way,
and that's the most powerful of something
that happens personally in your heart.
It is an awakening, it is an energizing
of your spiritual walk with God.
You say, well, how can we do that together?
Well, we can do that together,
if enough of us do it all at the same time.
And the prerequisite, the prerequisite is dying to self,
you say, what does that look like?
Here's what that looks like, you wake up every day
and you say, today I am dead, I reckon myself dead,
I mortify my members, I declare myself dead,
I put myself on the cross, I am dead to sin,
I am dead to self, I am dead to the world.
He said, I am crucified to the world, Paul would say,
and the world is crucified to be.
So we see the prerequisite of dying to self.
We see the practice of dying to self,
what does it look like?
It looks like limiting, and it looks like losing.
It looks like limiting and denying and saying,
I have crucified my affections and lusts,
the things I want to do, I'm not going to do.
Listen to me, I just understand this this morning,
if you're offended, I'm offended,
I can't believe sister so-and-so,
I can't believe brother so-and-so,
I can't believe they would say,
look, maybe they shouldn't have,
maybe they shouldn't have said, I'm not defending that,
but I'm just saying this, if you are offended today,
you are upset today, you are bitter today,
you are angry today, you are envious today,
you are jealous today, whatever that emotion is,
if you're experiencing that, it tells you,
and it should tell you one thing, you're not dead.
No, the problem is, no, the problem is this,
you're not dead.
Because a dead person doesn't get offended.
A dead person doesn't have to defend themselves.
A dead person doesn't have to make sure
that they know that I think, no,
that person don't need that.
That person is dead.
Paul said, I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live.
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
So let's look at the purpose of dying to self.
We saw the prerequisite of dying to self.
We saw the practice of dying to self.
I'd like you to notice the purpose of dying to self.
Go back to Galatians chapter two, if you would.
You say, why would I wanna die to self?
What's the point?
Why would I wanna die to self?
Well, there's two reasons you should wanna die to self.
One is to be a follower of Christ.
Remember Jesus said, whosoever shall come after me,
let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
See, not only is experiencing revival,
is there a prerequisite of death,
being a follower of Jesus Christ has a prerequisite of death.
Being the disciple of Jesus Christ
has a prerequisite of you saying I will die to self.
See, the purpose of dying to self is to be a follower.
What does that mean?
Here's what it means.
It means that the life of Christ is lived out through me.
Look at it again, Galatians 2 20.
I am crucified with Christ.
You're dead, Paul?
Yep, I'm dead.
I've reckoned myself dead.
I've mortified my members.
You're dead?
Yeah, but notice he says, nevertheless, I live.
He said, I wake up every day.
He said, I die every day, but I live every day.
But notice what he says, I want you to, don't miss this.
I think sometimes we read these verses
and we think, oh, this is Paul talking
or, you know, Christian lingo.
No, he says, nevertheless, I live,
but then he says this, yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me.
Imagine how it would transform your life.
If you took off the little wristband
that said, what would Jesus do?
And you actually started living your life in such a way
as to what Jesus would do.
So I don't want to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
Okay, here's how it looks.
You die, you get out of the way,
and then you let Christ live through you.
You say, why do I gotta die?
Because you're in the way.
Why do I have to die?
Because Jesus wants to live through you,
because he wants to live his life through you.
Go to 2 Corinthians chapter five.
I read recently, I was reading a book
and they gave an illustration of a farmer
back in the, I don't know, 1700s, 1600s,
who got ahold of this verse that it says,
whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
And he understood that phrase and I would agree with him.
To do everything to the glory of God
would mean to do everything to glorify God.
Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
He said, everything I need to do is,
I need to do everything to glorify God,
meaning that when I do these things,
others would think of God in a better way
as a result.
And he sat down to have breakfast.
And when he sat down to have breakfast,
he thought on this idea, whether you eat or drink
or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
His wife noticed that he didn't eat as fast as he used to.
And he didn't complain about the coffee.
And he actually took time and prayed.
And he went to work.
And jobs that he would have just normally just,
ah, it's good enough.
Or when he was asked to do a favor to pick,
to be able to fix the tool for another farmer,
something he would have maybe just done quickly
and handed it off, he thought to himself,
whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do,
do all to the glory of God, to glorify God.
He took his time and he worked at it.
And here's what I'm telling you.
The Bible says this.
The Bible says that we ought to let our light so shine
before men that they may see our good works
and glorify our Father, which is in heaven.
Say, why does that not happen?
Usually it doesn't happen for one reason.
You're in the way.
I'm in the way.
We're not dead.
Galatians, I'm sorry, 2 Corinthians.
I think that's where I asked you to go.
2 Corinthians chapter five, look at verse 15.
2 Corinthians 5, 15.
If you go backwards, just one book back from Galatians
into 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse 15,
notice what he says.
He says, and that he died for all.
Right?
I mean, hopefully that's true of you.
He died for all, but you know what?
He died for you.
He died for me.
And that he had died for all, here's why.
Notice, that they which live should not,
that they which live should not henceforth,
what does that mean?
From this point forward, from this point on,
that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died
for them and rose again.
You say, I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I want to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
I want to experience revival in my life.
Then you have to stop living.
You have to die, that he might live through you.
You're there in 2 Corinthians five,
just flip back to 2 Corinthians four, look at verse 10.
2 Corinthians four and verse 10,
notice what the Bible says.
2 Corinthians four, 10, the Bible says,
there's always bearing about in the body,
the dying of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He says, always bearing about in the body,
the dying of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice what he says, that the life also of Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our body.
How would it change your marriage?
How would it change your parenting?
How would it change your work?
How would it change your life?
Your relationship with your neighbors
and those around you.
If people would say, that guy died one day.
She used to be a certain way.
She used to be ornery and critical.
He used to be a thief and a cheater and a liar.
They used to live certain ways, but they've died.
And now all I can explain is this,
that Jesus is living through them.
See, there's a prerequisite.
For revival and it's death.
That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our bodies, verse 11.
For we which live are always delivered unto death
for Jesus' sake.
We die daily.
We wake up every day and say, I am crucified with Christ.
I die daily.
I reckon my body dead.
I mortify my members that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Flesh.
You say, what's the purpose of dying to self?
To be a follower of Jesus.
We are called to let him reproduce his life
in us and through us.
Go back to the book of Hosea if you would.
We're gonna go to Hosea and we're gonna go to John
if you wanna find those two.
Hosea chapter 14.
Someone said this, buried with Christ
and raised with him too.
What is there left for me to do?
Simply to cease from struggling and strife,
simply to walk in newness of life.
Hey Pastor, why are you preaching to the servant?
Because I want Verity Baptist Church to experience revival.
I want to experience revival.
I want you to experience revival.
But we'll never get there.
Before we can even start talking about the great revivals
in the Bible, before we can start looking
at the great revivals and the characteristics of revival,
we will never get there unless we understand
that there is a prerequisite to revival
because nothing can be revived until it is first dead.
And you've got to reckon yourself
and I have to reckon myself.
We have to choose to die daily.
So again, I asked the question, when did you die?
Have you died?
And why would I want to?
To be a follower.
There's a second reason.
Why would I want to?
To be fruitful.
You must die to self to be a follower of Jesus Christ
and you must die to self to be a fruitful disciple.
And are you there in Hosea 14?
Look at verse seven, where we started.
We're almost done.
We're gonna look at Hosea and then we're gonna look
at a few verses in John and we'll finish up.
Hosea 14, verse seven.
They that dwell under his shadow shall return.
They shall revive as the corn.
And when they revive as the corn, notice,
and grow as the vine.
See, when corn falls to the earth and dies,
then it can grow.
Then it can become fruitful.
Then you can become fruitful.
Go back to John chapter 12.
Notice verse 24.
John chapter 12, verse 24.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, John chapter 12, verse 24.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, John 12, 24.
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
except of corn, of wheat, fall into the ground and die.
It abideth alone.
Say, Pastor, I've, you know, I've gone soul winning
and I've never seen somebody saved yet.
Well, maybe the problem is you're not dead.
Except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone.
Well, I've seen people saved, I was soul winning,
I've never had somebody come to church and get baptized.
I've never had somebody got baptized, you know,
come to church with me and sit by me
and I got to disciple them and they grew up.
I've never experienced that.
I'm not trying to beat you up, I'm just telling you,
I'm just explaining something to you.
Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die,
it abideth alone.
Unless you die in your Christian life,
there will be no growth, there will be no fruit,
there will be an abiding alone.
Now look, if all you have is salvation,
then praise the Lord, go to heaven,
yet as of by fire, you'll be there,
praise the Lord for that.
But if you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ,
you must be a follower and you must have fruit.
Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone.
But if it die, and that's really the key phrase,
if it die, it bringeth forth, it bringeth forth,
don't miss it, much fruit.
I want to be fruitful, you got to die.
I want to be a follower, you got to die.
If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Go to John chapter 15, we'll look at two verses,
we'll finish up.
John chapter 15 verse five.
John 15 and verse five, the Bible says this,
I am the vine, ye are the branches, this is Jesus speaking.
I am the vine, ye are the branches,
he that abideth in me and I in him,
the same bringeth forth, don't miss the two words,
much fruit.
For without me, ye can do nothing.
Look at verse eight.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit,
so shall ye be my disciples.
I'm a disciple of Jesus, you got fruit?
No, well, maybe you're not dead.
I didn't say you need fruit to be saved,
you don't need nothing to be saved,
but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But if you're going to be a follower of Jesus Christ,
you're also going to be a fruitful disciple
of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, Jesus said, follow me and I will make you
a fisher of men.
You cannot, you cannot, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings
just to understand something.
You cannot be a follower of Christ
and not reproduce yourself, not produce fruit,
not be a fisher of men.
If you become a follower, you will become fruitful.
You say, well, I don't have any fruit.
If it die, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone.
But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
So we begin with the process of revival.
And unfortunately, this is where some of you will get off
on the process of revival.
Because dying to self is too much to ask.
Dying to self is too tall of an order.
But if you die, but if you die,
you can bring forth much fruit.
If you die, you will become fruitful
and you will experience revival.
We must die or remain unfruitful.
Those are the options.
When we talk about revival,
we learned last week, what is it?
What is revival?
And we brought it down into this,
we put it into this statement.
Revival is to know God and to make God known.
Revival is to come to the place in your Christian life
where you know God in a deep way,
where you know God like you haven't known him before
and where we corporately make God known.
You say, that sounds good, I like that.
Okay, well, here's the problem.
The first step is you gotta die.
Nothing can be revived till it first die.
Hosea 14, seven says, they shall revive as the corn.
And then Jesus says, except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die.
You gotta bideth alone.
But if it die, key words, it bringeth forth much fruit.
This power has a novel word of prayer.
Heavenly Father.
Lord, I thank you for this church.
I realize I may be biased,
but I think this is the greatest church in the world.
I think I stand before the greatest people in the world.
I know they love you.
I know they love me and my wife and my kids.
I know they work hard and they give of themselves.
There's been a lot of transition, a lot of changes,
and they've just rolled with the punches,
and I thank you for that.
But Lord, I pray that you would help us to not come back.
As the old Verity Baptist Church,
though there was nothing wrong
with the old Verity Baptist Church,
Lord, I pray you'd help us to come back revived.