Personal Ministries

Department
of the Inter-American
Division

REVIVAL
AND EVANGELISM
SERMONS
Nights of Power
IT IS a privilege for the Inter-American Division to place these sermons in your hands so that they
may serve as a basis for the week of spiritual revival that will be prior to the great harvest week. Re-
member that from February 11–18, 2012, everyone must take an active part in the greatest evangel-
istic project carried out in the Division. We need power for this evangelization. Thus, we are putting
this series of sermons in your hands so that they may help us reflect on our relationship with God
and our commitment to preaching the Word.
It is our purpose that the services be enjoyable, dynamic, to the point, and powerful. The apostolic
church lived in constant prayer. The members of that church worked together, building each other
up, and grew in compassion and in number.
uThey “were continually in the temple praising and blessing God” (Luke 24:53).
u “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14).

The sermons that are part of this collection do not have to be presented just as they appear here.
We give them to you with the desire that they may be of help to you during the Week of Revival
and Power in your congregation. The idea is that each sermon be presented in no more than twenty
minutes so that we can dedicate time to praise, prayer, and testimonies.
With Christian appreciation,
Melchor Ferreyra C.
Personal Ministries and Sabbath School Director
Inter-American Division

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Suggestions for Holding
the Nights of Power
u It is essential that the church be ready to receive the members and visitors at least one hour
before the beginning of the program.
u The program should be preceded by a good song service. Do not use songs as a filler for the
program. Instead, let praise be a part of it.
u It is important for the preacher to arrive on time, at least twenty minutes before the program
begins.
u The service each night should have these components: prayer groups, testimonies, favorite
hymns, prayer in groups of two, and gratitude for answered prayer.
u Planning and organization of this week may be delegated to the Personal Ministries Director
of the church.
u If there are small groups in your church, the week may be organized through them.
u The whole program should not last more than forty minutes.
u The participation of one family each day may be planned: a short testimony from the family,
blessings received as families, missionary plans of the family.
u Prepare a box where prayer requests may be deposited and another for answered prayers.
u Suggested program of forty-minute duration:
Song service 10 minutes
– Welcome, hymn, prayer 5 minutes
– Meditation 20 minutes
– Each day, one of the following activities:
Prayer groups
Testimonies
Prayer in groups of two
Prayer by families 10 minutes
– Hymn – closing prayer 5 minutes

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,

and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

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REVIVAL SERMONS
 1 The Bible First
EvERy TIME I hear the story of Johnny, every fiber within me shudders. He was a little boy… only
six years old. One Sabbath in church he listened to a sermon titled: “The Bible First.” The words
of the minister caught his attention from the beginning and his tender heart was deeply moved by
the importance of the message. He went home that day with a desire to put in practice what he had
heard: The Bible would occupy first place in his life.
Sunday morning, Johnny’s father, who had been a church member for many years, bought a
newspaper, as he usually did, and sat down to read it so he could keep up with current events. When
Johnny saw his father reading the paper, he said: “Daddy, the Bible first.” The same thing happened
day after day, but the father paid no attention to the boy’s words and continued reading his news-
paper. Johnny always repeated the same thing. “Daddy, the Bible first.”
One day Johnny became very ill. In spite of the best medical care, his condition grew steadily
worse; until, after several weeks in the hospital, he died. Nevertheless, the message he had given re-
mained forever engraved on the heart and mind of his father: “Daddy, the Bible first.”

Why should the Bible be first?

While it is good to be aware of current events, the most important thing, before begin our daily
tasks, is to receive the message that God has for us. This message is recorded in His Word. We will
never have a victorious Christian life unless we make the reading and meditation on the Word of
God our first task every day. When we decide to listen to God before anything else, we are showing
the universe that God has first placed in our lives.

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

Furthermore, the reading of the Bible should be first because it gives us:
u Strength. The prophet Daniel was a careful reader of the Word of God (Daniel 9:1). One day he

heard the words of the angel Michael, who said: “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed. …
Peace! Be strong now; be strong.’ When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Speak, my
lord, since you have given me strength’ ” (Daniel 10:19). Jesus faced every attack of the enemy by
saying: “It is written” (Matt. 4:410).
u Nourishment. Just as food gives us physical strength, the Word of God provides excellent

nourishment for our spiritual life. “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are
life” (John 6:63). The Word of God is a sanctifying agent: “Sanctify them by the truth; your
Word is truth” (John 17:17). “No man, woman, or youth can attain to Christian perfection
and neglect the study of the Word of God” (Counsels on Sabbath-school Work, p. 17).
The reading of the Bible strengthens us spiritually, but its effects reach even to the physical sphere.
Our study of the Word also brings life and health on this earth. Ellen White tells us that the
Bible “is a soother of the nerves, and imparts solidity of mind and firm principle” (Counsels
on Sabbath School Work, p. 21).
u Transformation. According to Acts 17: 10, 11, the Bereans became nobler because they received

the Word of God. They not only searched their teachers, but all the believers in that city studied,
searched and investigated every day the Bible to confirm the message God was sending. Their
study the Bible made them nobler because “The Word of God, spoken to the heart, has an an-
imating power” (Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 78). How many of us have been transformed
by the power of the Word of God? (At this point, you can introduce the testimony of a member
who will tell how the power of the Word has changed his or her life.)

Conclusion
The story is told of colporteur who was attacked by a band of thieves. When they discovered that
he was only carrying a few Bibles, and they ordered him to burn them. The colporteur was obedient
and lit the fire into which he would throw the books. But before beginning to do so, he said: “This is
an important book. Allow me to read something from it.” The thieves agreed, so he read Psalm 23.
One of them said: “That is a good book. Give it to me.” Then he asked if he could read 1 Corinthians 13.
When he finished, another thief said: “That is also a good book. Give it to me.” Next he read the Ser-
mon on the Mount and the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. After each reading,
one of the thieves asked him for the book. In the end, none of the books was burned and the colporteur
went on his way.
The reading of Bible captured the attention of those thieves and made them understand that
the Bible is a good Book. I wonder: Have we discovered that the Bible is a good book … the best
book of all? Are we taking the Word to those who do not have it? Does the Bible occupy first place
in our lives?

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 2 Where Does
the Lord Want
to See Us?
LET US OPEN our Bibles to Acts 9. Notice especially the last part of verse 11: “For behold, he
is praying.”
These words are deeply meaningful. The Lord Himself spoke them to Ananias when He told
him to go look for Saul of Tarsus. He even told him he could find Saul, “on the street called
Straight.”
The Lord was referring to Saul when he said: “For behold, he is praying.” Here was a man who
had been made blind so that he could see, an example that shows the power of prayer to transform
any human being, no matter how evil they may be.
Ananias protested when the Lord asked him to go look for Saul: “Lord, I have heard many reports
about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here
with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name” (Acts 9:13, 14, NIv). In
other words: “How can you send me to a man like that?”
But the Lord answered: “Don’t worry. He is praying; because of that, everything has changed.
He is praying in such a way that I can accept his prayer.”
My friends, we need to pray. Through prayer our voices are raised to the very presence of God.
Prayer changes things, but even more importantly, when we pray, we are changed.
Saul of Tarsus was a man whose spiritual life was dead; nevertheless, his example shows us the
power of victorious prayer. At that very instant, when Paul was praying, no doubt thousands of people
all over the world were praying. But Saul’s words did not go unheard by the God who created the
heavens and the earth. His prayers reached to the courts of heaven. His voice had an impact in
the control room of the universe.

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

I wonder: Can God say, with regard to us: “Behold, he is praying”, or “she is praying”? Does God
consider us men and women of prayer? Can He hear our prayers as he heard to petitions of Saul?
My friends, today we want to consider two elements that are indispensible if it is to be said of us:
“For behold, he is praying.”

Pray with all our hearts

For many people, prayer has become simply a routine matter, one more duty to be performed in
the Christian life. They get up and they go to bed repeating the same formal prayers. They may not
even remember what they have said afterward, but they feel that they have done their duty and sat-
isfied their consciences. Jesus said that such prayers are “vain repetitions” (Matt. 6:7); they are just
multiplying words, because they do not come from the heart. People who pray this way are not in
tune even with their own souls. If we do not listen to or think carefully about our own prayers, why
would we believe that God hears them?
The Lord expects our prayers to be fervent and sincere. They must come from the depths of our
hearts and not just from our lips. Therefore, if we want God to say regarding us: “He is praying,”
we are to pray as did Saul, with all our hearts. God said to the prophet: “you will seek me and find
me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
Are we praying that way?

We are to pray with a contrite heart

We read in Isaiah 57:15: “For this is what the high and lofty One says—He who lives forever,
whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in
spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
David wrote: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). Do we have
that broken and contrite heart when we pray? Or do we pray like the Pharisee that Christ spoke of
in Luke 18? Do we carry out a religious routine and then say: “God, I thank you that I am not like
other men.” “I thank you that I am not as sinful as brother So and So”? “I thank you because I carry
out all my responsibilities, and he doesn’t”?
It’s almost as if we come and say to God: “Lord, thank me for being such a good person.” If that’s
how we feel, then our prayers are no more than audible expressions of the Laodicean spirit that is
consuming us.
If we want heaven to hear our prayers, we have to pray believing that we do not deserve to be
heard, that God hears our prayers not because of our merits but because of His mercy.
Friends, we need to get down from the high horse of our pride and fall at the feet of Jesus in true
contrition and repentance. We need to pray like Daniel who wrote: “We have sinned and done
wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and

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 2. Where Does the Lord Want to See Us?

laws” (Dan. 9:5). When was the last time you prayed a prayer like that? Notice the prayer of Hezekiah:
“O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms
of the earth. you have made heaven and earth. […] Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand,
so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you, alone, O Lord, are God.” (2 Kings 19:14–16, 19).
It is clear that this prayer came from the depths of Hezekiah’s heart. Friends, we need to come
to the Lord and simply pray this powerful prayer: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief”
(Mark 9:24).
Let us not forget the words of Isaiah 66:2 where the Lord declares the He made everything that
exists in this world: the sea, the earth and the heavens above; and yet, He states that He dwells with
him “who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

Conclusion
I close with an illustration from Scripture: the story of Nathanael, who was one of Jesus’ disciples
whom Jesus first saw sitting under a fig tree. (you can review the story in John 1:47, 48.)
When Nathanael first came into Jesus presence, the Savior said: “Here is a true Israelite.” In
other words: “Here is a man who is sincere and good, an exemplary man.”
Ellen White tells us in the Desire of Ages that Nathanael had gone to a quiet place to meditate
and pray. Philip knew that Nathanael was a diligent student of the prophecies, so it was not hard to
find him praying under the fig tree, where they had often prayed together hidden by the foliage.
The servant of God counsels us to study the Word of God for ourselves, asking for the illumination
of the Spirit, as did Nathanael.
Friends, the Lord wants us to pray in secret so that he can reward us publicly. He wants to find
us often in prayer. He wants us to be where he encountered Saul and Nathanael. In order to do this
we need to pray without ceasing. May God grant that it can be said of each of us: “Behold, he is
praying.”

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 3 Prayer:
A Dialogue
between Two
SOME yEARS AGO, a survey about prayer was published whose results were very disheartening.
According to the survey, the average church member spends about three minutes every day to prayer;
and pastors, seven minutes.
Could this indicate that there is much superficiality in the spiritual life of the church? Richard
Foster says, “superficiality is that curse of our day.” We need to deepen our relationship with God,
and to achieve this we must pray as if our life depended on it, to pray like Daniel.
In Daniel 2 we find an example of spiritual life; a clear representation of divine-human dialogue,
a dramatic definition of the meaning of true prayer.

The king’s dream: a problem of the heart

Daniel 2 tells the story of king Nebuchadnezzar who had an impressive dream, and “his spirit
was troubled” (v. 1). A translation of this phrase would be: “My heart beats for knowledge of this
dream”, or as some prefer: “My heart is agitated.” Because his spirit was doubled, the king called,
all the “magicians, astrologers, sorcerer’s, and the Chaldeans” and asked them to explain the mean-
ing of his dream (v. 2).
These interpreters of dreams had list already prepared with symbols assigned to explain the mean-
ing of every sort of dream. Therefore, the interpreter needed to have access to these documents that
preserved the empirical information related to previous dreams and their interpretations. We find
examples of these lists in Egypt and Babylon.
The king did not remember the dream, which in itself, was a serious problem, because the Baby-
lonians believed that forgetting the dream was an evil sign from the gods. The king’s dream gave

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

evidence of the inability of the magicians and forced them to admit that no one “but gods whose
dwelling is not with flesh” would be able to solve the problem of the king (Daniel 2:10, 11). The ma-
gicians were right! God is the only one who can solve the problems of the human heart. The strange
thing is that at no time did these men pray to their “gods” in order to receive a revelation.
Indignant because of the inability of his magicians, Nebuchadnezzar “was angry and very serious
and committed to destroy all the wise men of Babylon” and “cut them in pieces” (v. 12, 5). To cut
in pieces of bodies of their enemies was a common practice in Mesopotamia. Because the wise men
and magicians were charlatans and liars the king decreed that all of should be executed, including
Daniel. The dream that “troubled the spirit of the king” placed the wise men in mortal danger.

Daniel’s attitude when faced with the problem

Now Daniel and his friends were faced with a life-or-death situation. What would we do if we
had a problem like that? How would we react?
I believe that the actions undertaken by Daniel are an example for all of us.
First, he looked for his companions so that they could pray together. When the crisis came,
Nebuchadnezzar looked for magicians; Daniel looked for his companions. He did not want to face
the problem alone. He asked his friends “that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven
concerning this secret” (v. 18). How impressive! The prophet needed others to intercede for him
before God because of the difficulty. It is always comforting to know that the people are praying
for us; it is good to ask our friends to unite their prayers with ours. When was the last time we
prayed for one another? When was the last time a team of elders got together, not to make a list of
who would preach, not to organize a visitation plan, but pray fervently for the church members?
Prayer should not be for selfish requests. Daniels petition was not a selfish request. If the
Lord were to save him, the magicians also would be saved. Daniels prayer was not “save me”. His
petition was: “Lord, save all of us”. When the answer came from heaven, Daniel ran asked Arioch:
“Do not destroy the wise men.” (v. 24). While Nebuchadnezzar showed anger toward the wise men
and ordered their destruction, Daniel showed compassion for them even though they were not fol-
lowers of the God of Daniel.
When we pray we will not only receive a blessing for ourselves, but also for those around us. Notice
that because of the insistent request Daniel and his friends, Heaven did not delay in answering. But
this answer benefited those one who believed in God, Daniel, as well as those who did not believe,

Nebuchadnezzar and the magicians

Daniel had a life of intercessory prayer. He interceded for unbelievers! Paul asks us to pray “that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who
are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:1, 2).

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 3. Prayer: A Dialogue between Two

He expected a reply from God. The prophet was not content to simply present his complaint, he
expected a divine answer to his difficulty. Prayer is a divine-human dialogue. There is no communica-
tion if we only raise our voices and do not wait for the answers that God will send to our requests.
Habakkuk prayed and then he waited to see what the Lord would say to him (2:1). In the next verse
he tells us “Then the Lord answered me.” We, too, should wait for and expect an answer from
the God.
Dear elders, when we call on God we must not hang up the phone until we receive His answer.
Maybe a lot of us are like the woman who called the manager of a store of a store and informed him
that she had lost a valuable diamond in that place. The man asked her to wait on the line, while he
sent an employee to look for it. Soon the diamond was found but when the manager returned to tell
the woman, she had hung up

What does God want to achieve?

Daniel 2 reveals God’s permanent interest in communicating with human beings. He wanted to
speak with the unbelieving Nebuchadnezzar: and He did it through a dream. God has “made known
to the king” (v. 28) the prophet said to the monarch. The Lord expected the reaction of the king,
but the king was looking in the wrong place. The king’s decision caused Daniel to speak with God.
That was what the lord wanted. He wants to communicate with us. In Daniel 2 we find a God who
manifests His mercy toward all: both good and evil, believers in unbelievers, kings and slaves. In
Daniel 2 we find a God who wants to teach us to seek what can be obtained only by fervent prayer.
Daniel did not trust in his learning, nor did his academic preparation, nor in his wisdom. Please
do not misunderstand, all of that may be useful, but there are some things that can be gotten only
by prayer. Daniel knew that, and we must learn it also. Today we are hearing a lot about spiritual re-
vival; we must always remember, as Ellen G. White said, “a revival need be expected only in answer
to prayer” (Selected Messages chap. 1, p. 121).
My esteemed elder, Do you want to see the church revived? Pray for it; there is no alternative.
Prayer is the key to that revival.
Arnzi Dixon said: “When we depend on organizations, we receive what organization can achieve.
When we depend on education, we receive what education can accomplish. When we depend on
men, we receive what man can do. But when we depend on prayer we receive what God can do.”
Daniel knew that, that is why he always depended on prayer to acquire what God alone can do.
I believe it is best for us to do the same. I hope you believe it too!

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 4 The Power
of Prayer

A WEEK OF PRAyER offers us an opportunity to pray together for the spiritual growth and
advancement of the Church. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says that “two are better than one.” No one can deny
the importance of personal prayer for spiritual growth. Nevertheless, we must not underestimate the
value of meetings like these, because uniting in prayer for one another is an essential element for
defeating the enemy. It may be that; like Peter, James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane;
many of us are not willing to pass even an hour praying together. We don’t know from experience
the power of prayer in our lives. My dear friends, the lord wants us to take time to intercede for
others every day.
God has prepared spiritual armor for His children. In Ephesians 6 the Apostle Paul names six
elements that are part of the Christian armor:

u The belt of truth

u The breastplate of righteousness
u The footwear of the gospel of peace
u The shield of faith
u The helmet of salvation
u The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

Why has God provided these things for us? Because we’re fighting a life or death battle of against
Satan. Therefore the apostle Paul counsels us: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11, 12). In this passage the apostle uses the word
and “against” six times. We are against Satan just as he is against us.
The important question is: how are we to fight against Satan? He is powerful. He was able to
defeat the first family in Eden. He won against men like David, Elijah, and Ezekiel. How can I, an
unworthy sinner, stand up to a being that Jesus himself described as a “strong man” (Mark 3:27)?
The answer is found in verse 18 of Ephesians 6: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in
the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” So
this passage tells us that the most effective way to defeat Satan is to pray.
you can pray right now and right here! you don’t need to travel to some other part of the world;
the first line in this battle is found and right here, at this very moment. I recall that wonderful
statement of Ellen G. White: “At the sound of fervent prayer, Satan’s whole host trembles” (Messages
to Young People, p. 53).
Let us never forget that the devil was defeated at Calvary. Compared to the hosts of God’s angels,
his evil spirits are fewer in number and greatly inferior in power. To struggle in prayer means to claim
the victory of Christ over the deceitful wiles of Satan and his spiritual helpers.

Take the offensive in prayer

God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, not merely to protect the Israelites from the enemy
nations, but to attack and defeat them. He told Joshua to invade and conquer Canaan, not to ne-
gotiate a treaty with the inhabitants of the region. God granted His Spirit on the day of Pentecost,
not only to bless the church, but to make it invincible.
According to Paul, the arms of our spiritual warfare are not only defensive; they are weapons of
attack: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strong-
holds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4, 5).
Ask God to make you a spiritual warrior; ask Him to show you concrete needs for which to pray; plead
with Him to allow you to see the blindness, slavery, and the lost condition of the unconverted. Ask the
Lord to place in your heart a desire to love the sinner. It is time for you to achieve victory through prayer.

Claim the power of the Spirit

The devil will flee from us because the Comforter will be at our side. “When the enemy comes in
like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19). Jesus said that when
the Spirit comes into our lives, we will receive power from on high.

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 4. The Power of Prayer

If the Holy Spirit takes possession of all of us and puts in our lives the concrete desire to spend
time with God in prayer, we will be ready to conquer the enemy’s land and free the captives of Satan.
In the battle of intercession we do not struggle alone, because the Holy Spirit is with us and He cries
out with us.

The Power of the Word of God

No one can be spiritually prepared as long as he or she neglects the daily study of Scripture. Noth-
ing can take the place of the Word of God. There is no other book, no matter how good it may be,
that can offer us spiritual power that is received only by reading and obeying the Word of God.
Before we begin a prayer session, we should take abundant nourishment from Scripture: “Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). When we pray we can mention
the promises of God. We should claim the fulfillment of these promises. But how can we know the
promises unless we take the time to study the Bible? Friends, it is time for us to take up “the sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The Holy Spirit will support and clothe with power the
use you make of the Word of God in prayer.

The power of praying together

And there are times when we go through so many problems in all or spiritual lives that we need to
ask for the prayers of our fellow believers. This is why the Lord gave a special promise to those who
pray together: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask,
it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My
name, I am there in the midst of them”(Mat. 18:19, 20). There is power in united prayer.

Conclusion
Do you remember what happened on the day of Pentecost? What happened that day was the di-
rect result of the communion in prayer of the 120 believers. In one day 3000 people were saved! In
the same way, while the church of Jerusalem prayed fervently, an angel freed Peter from jail, and
“the Word of God grew and multiplied’ (Acts 12:24).
Therefore, if we pray, if we are consecrated and, if we do our part, the Spirit that worked power-
fully in and through the early church, will once again do great miracles during the development of
the vision One Million.
The Prophet Isaiah said: “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will
not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns”
(Isa. 62:1). Friends, it is imperative that we fulfill the order of Christ: “Tarry in the city of Jerusalem
until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

How long should we continue to pray? Until the presence of the lord comes to from on high!
Until we are baptized with the Holy Spirit!
It is my desire that this night of prayer has been a great spiritual blessing for everyone here.
Amen.

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 5 An Audience
with the King
DO yOU BELIEvE that communion with God is the best way to achieve spiritual growth? you
know something? I believe that it is not just the best way: it is the only way! A revival and a reforma-
tion will only happen among those who recognize God as King and Sovereign. When we pray at
the time he chooses to be with us, when we fervently study His word with an earnest desire not only
to receive instruction but also to obey it, the revival will come. I invite you to join me in reflecting
on this theme in the fifth Psalm.

My King and my God

The fifth Psalm is a prayer. The psalmist asks God to listen to his “words” and consider his “lament”
(v. 1). Even David’s tears are part of his prayer. In his petition, the King of Israel not only expresses his
thoughts, but pours out his soul. He presents his thoughts, his emotions, his frustrations to God.
In verse 2 we see that David prays to God as his King. He exalts God as the Lord and ruler of his
life. He is saying, in effect: “I am your servant, your creation; I belong to you, I depend on you, you
are the sovereign of my life.” Do you see the significance? The revival begins when we recognize
God as our King, and that we belong to him and need him. Although David was the King is Israel,
he was submissive and humble before the King of Kings. He recognizes the omnipotence of God
over his limited human power.
I want to ask tonight: do we recognize God as King? Do we spend time alone with him? Unless
we do, we will not experience any true revival or reformation.

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

What is the best time?

you may be asking, what is the best time to spend with God?
Notice that David says he worshipped God “the morning” (vs. 3).
Not long ago I watched a film titled: “Invictus”. It is the story of Nelson Mandela. On one occasion
Mandela and Francois Pienaar, the captain of the most important rugby team of South Africa, the
Springboks, met in the presidential residence. This came about when President Mandela invited
Penaar to have tea with him. The president chose the day and the hour of the appointment, and
Pienaar was there. At this meeting, Mandela, subtly asked the trainer to do all he could to ensure
that the South African team would win the world rugby cup in 1995. The rest is history. The team
did go on to win the World Cup and South Africans of all ethnic groups celebrated the victory.
The key was in Pienaar’s having accepted the invitation of the president.
And why should we meet with God in the morning. Is it because our children still asleep at that
time of day? Because we are peaceful and relaxed? Because our telephone is not ringing? Because we
don’t have your boss at the door? To all these questions the answer is a decided No! We must keep
out appointment with God early in the morning because that is what He has asked us to do. In
verse 3 of the Psalm we are studying, the psalmist tells God twice that his encounter is in the morn-
ing: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and
wait expectantly.”
We meet with him in the morning because the Bible says that is what we’re supposed to do, just
as we keep His commandments because the Bible tells us to do; in a similar we return our tithe
and study our Bibles in obedience to His commands. The same Bible tells us to seek God “in the
morning.”
Psalm 63:1, 2 says: “O God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my
flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for you in
the sanctuary, to see your power and your glory.”
The psalmist also tells us that we can see the power and the Glory of God if we look for it early
in the morning. Psalm 57:8: “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” Here
he even mentions instruments used to worship God in the morning.
Notice the following beautiful promise: Proverbs 8:17: “I love them that love me; and those that
seek me early shall find me” (KJv). And what better teaching could we find than Jesus’ own example:
“In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary
place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). God chooses the morning to have that special appointment
with us, and when we respond, we show that he has first place in our lives. Do we dedicate time to
Him the first thing when we get up? Do we spend that golden hour in His presence at the start of
the day?

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 5. An Audience with the King

Awaiting the King’s orders

Maybe you are thinking: that all sounds well and good, but I have gotten up, I have prayed in the
morning, and I don’t see any changes in my situation. Did you notice that at the end of verse 3
the psalmist says he will “wait expectantly” (NIv) on the Lord. What does it mean to “wait”? In
Psalm 40 he says: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me
out of the slimy pit, of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to
stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the
Lord and put their trust in him” (vv. 1–3). He hears all our prayers, but many times we have to cling
to the promises and wait.

Conclusion
Like Habakkuk, we need to stand in our place, we need to wait and see what the Lord will do to
answer our prayers (Hab. 2:1–3). Like Jacob, we must cling to God and not let go until His blessing
is a reality in our lives (Gen. 32:26).
We know, of course, that God is not a genie in a bottle that we can command to do whatever we
want. He will not automatically satisfy our requests without considering principles or values. He
cares about us and he responds to our prayers; but He is wise, so we must learn to wait, to have
patience, to not give up or grow weary of praying. We must, as Paul said, “pray without ceasing”
(1 Thess. 5:17).
If we really want a revival, we must surrender our lives in humble submission before our King
and God. When we give him first place in our lives and wait on Him, praying in faith, God will do
great miracles in our lives and in the church.

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 6 What Happens
When We Pray?
IN Daniel 9:8 to 19, Daniel prayed fervently, asking God to fulfill His promise to free Judah from
captivity. He was pleading with God, in spite of the spiritual failures of the nation. He was saying:
“Cause your face to shine on your sanctuary, which is desolate” (Dan 9:17). Daniel recognized that
that there was no merit in the people: “We do not present our supplications before you because of
our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies” (Dan. 90:18). The Lord heard his request
and, in the year 536/535 BC (See Ezra 1:1–6), King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem.
This initiative by the monarch brought joy to many of the exiles. Under the leadership of Zerub-
babel and Joshua, a remnant of about 50,000 people returned. When they arrived they found a city
and a temple that lay in ruins (Ezra 2:64, 65). Nevertheless, what happened after that was wonderful:
God spoke to their hearts (Ezra 1:5), and the people gave generously of their means to be used in
the work of the Lord (v. 6). They are all of one hear and one mind (Ezra 2:64; 3:1), true worship
was restored (Ezra 3:1–3) and the people praised God “for He is good, for His mercy endures forever”
Ezra 3:11). The remnant had experienced a time of great spiritual revival that was similar to what
happened in the revival at the time of Pentecost in the early church (Acts 1-–3).
However—and there always seems to be a “however”—the joy did not last long, because a group
of people came in who were determined to a put a stop to it: “Now when the adversaries … heard
that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord … they hired counselors
against them to frustrate their purpose” (Ezra 4:1–5). The opposition was strong and energetic.
Those who formerly were filled with hope and rejoicing were soon faced with a bitter disappointment.

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

When Daniel learned about what was happening to those who had returned to Jerusalem “he was
in mourning three full weeks” (Dan. 10:2).
In his book Daniel: a Christ-centered Focus p. 243, William Shea suggests, “the greatest problem
for the Jews at that time was the halting of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. It is logical …
to conclude that this was the problem for which Daniel was fasting.”
Daniel was fasting and praying because the work of spiritual renewal that had been taking place
among his people had been defeated by their enemies.
From this incident, we can be sure that any program of revival will be met with opposition among
our adversaries both within and without. For this reason, we must not forget that prayer is essential
not only the beginning of a revival, it is also necessary to maintain it. Daniel prayed to keep the spiritual
torch of his people from going out.

What happens when we pray?

In light of Daniel 10 we can discover what happens when we pray. I am going to highlight only
two ideas.
God answers prayer. “From the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble
yourself before your God, your words were heard” (Dan. 10:12). The prophet’s prayer had already
been answered; but God’s response went far beyond what Daniel had asked. He had prayed about
a local problem, hoping for a limited liberation; but God’s answer dealt with a universal problem
and a universal liberation (Dan. 12:1–3).
Although Heaven had given an immediate response, the prophet did not receive it until three
weeks later. What would have happened if Daniel had given up and ceased to pray during that time?
I do not know. What I do know is his perseverance and persistence made it possible for him to re-
ceive the divine answer (see Rom 12:12; Acts 1:14; Col. 4:2).
Daniel knew that God had heard him. We, too, must ask without doubting, “for he who doubts
is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will re-
ceive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6, 7). Like the psalmist we must be sure that God hears our
supplications (Ps. 116:1) and answers our petitions and cries (Ps. 118:5; 4:1). It is vital that we believe
the divine promise: “My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer” (2 Chron. 7:15).
Prayer moves heavenly beings. The angel said to Daniel: “I have come because of your words.”
But he also stated that the prince of Persia had “withstood me twenty-one days” (Dan. 10:12, 13).
Daniels prayer not only caused the angel interpreter to come, it caused at that movement of spiritual
forces opposed to the remnant people. While it is true that “at the sound of fervent prayer Satan’s
whole host trembles” (Ellen G. White, Messages to Young People, p. 53). It is also true that fervent
prayer makes our enemy unleash his fiercest attacks (cf. Matthew 26), although he knows that the
battle is lost. In Daniel 10 we have the spiritual counterpart of the conflict mentioned it Ezra 4.
Whereas the conflict described in Ezra 4 is in the physical sphere, Daniel 10, shows us the heavenly

24
 6. What Happens When We Pray?

version of the struggle. Those who opposed the people of God in Ezra’s day had a “prince” who
was their leader. He was determined to destroy the revival that was taking place among those who had
returned to Jerusalem.
In Daniel 10 another “prince” was fighting against God and His people. Who was this individual
Daniel called the “Prince of Persia”?
Some people, notably John Calvin, have suggested that “the prince of Persia” was a political figure
who was opposed to the reconstruction of the temple, perhaps Cambyses, the son of Cyrus. There
is no doubt that Cambyses was firmly opposed to the religions of other nations; nevertheless, the
context of Daniel 10 requires us to identify this person as a supernatural being. In the book of Daniel
the Hebrew word sar applies to spiritual beings in 8:11, 25; 10:13, 21 y 12:1. This term is also used
in Joshua 5:14, 15 and Isaiah 9:5. In all these examples the word refers directly to the Messiah, the
captain of the Lord’s hosts. Notice that Gabriel says that no one could help him against the prince
(sar) of Persia except “Michael, your prince (sar)” (Dan. 10:21). The “prince” (sar) of Persia” is the
leader of the opposition against Michael, the captain of the Lords’ hosts (Rev. 12:7). The Greek ver-
sion of Daniel prepared by Theodosius translates the word sar with the word arjon. Authors of the
intertestamentary period and of the New Testament use this word to refer to demonic powers (John
12:31; Rom. 8:38; 1 Cor. 15:54; Eph. 1:21; 6:12). Therefore, it is logical to suppose that the “prince
(sar) of Persia” is a demon or the principal deity of Persia. In ancient times it was a common idea
that every nation had a spiritual being that governed it. We see evidence of this belief in passages
such as 2 Kings 18:35: “Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from
my hand?” (See also, Isa. 36:20). According to the apostle Paul, these gods are actually “demons”
(1 Cor. 10:20; cf. Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37). Ellen G. Whitesays that the “prince of Persia” was “the
highest of all evil angels” (Ellen White, SDA Bible Commentary 4:1173). In Prophets and Kings she
states plainly that “Satan was striving to influence the highest powers in the kingdom of Medo-
Persia” (p. 571).
We must not forget that in the New Testament, Satan is referred to as “the God of this world”
(2 Cor. 4:4), “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). “The prince of this world” (John 12:31;
see also 14:30; 16:11) who boldly confronts Michael (Rev. 12:7–9; cf. Jude 9).
Therefore, it seems clear that in Daniel 9, Satan himself was the “prince of Persia” who was lead-
ing the opposition to revival.
There can be no doubt that Satan will attempt to do the same in our day. Therefore, “we must
pray as did Daniel, that we may be guarded by heavenly intelligences” (Ellen G. White, SDA Bible
Commentary 4:1174).

Conclusion
When Daniel received this last vision, he was about ninety years old. With the passing of time,
his relationship with God had become deeper and deeper. In the first nine chapters of the book,
the Lord communicated with Daniel through dreams, visions, and angels. However, in chapter 10, the

25
R EVIVAL S ERMONS

communication was much closer.” God Himself, in the person of Michael, descended in order to have
a personal encounter with His old prophet. Most of the versions of the Bible call Michael “one of the
chief princes;” however, the literal translation of this phrase is “a prince of the first rank,” “the first of
the princes.” This expression is equivalent to the “Prince of princes” of Daniel 8:25.
The prophet Ezekiel as well as the apostle John had similar experiences with the person described
in Daniel 10:5, 6. Ezekiel called him “the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:28). In fact,
Michael means: “who is like God?” John identified him as one “like the Son of Man,” that is, the
Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:13, cf. Luke 19:10). That day, while fasting from all earthly food,
Daniel ate and drank the glory of God. He had a personal encounter with his Lord.
What is the objective of a revival? Is it not to lead us to have a closer, more intimate, relationship
with our Creator? Revival is eating and drinking the glory of God. It is allowing the light of heaven
to shine on us and dull all self-sufficiency. It is allowing the power of the Almighty to strengthen us
as it did Daniel (vv. 17, 18).
However, what did Daniel do to eat and drink the glory of God? Three times, Daniel is called a
man “greatly beloved” (Daniel 9:23; 10:11, 19). The Pearl-Colunga translates the Hebrew expression
hamudot as “the favorite.” Heaven loved Daniel and showed him preference because he lived in total
communication with God. The angels knew his voice very well. The Lord recognized perfectly the
sound of his words. His life of prayer gave him a privileged place in heavenly places.
Daniel was conscious that in order to carry out a revival, “it was a great conflict”(RSv) (v. 1), but
he recognized that surrender, that we think is equivalent to defeat, ends up being the only way to
victory. By the way, we are told, “nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than
the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on God” (Prophets and Kings, chap. 13, p. 175).
In order to obtain what only God can give, we must surrender. This surrender is equal to yielding
ourselves to Him and eating and drinking of His glory as the prophet did. Can we be “greatly
beloved” and favorites of the Lord? Of course! Paul says the following in Romans 15:30: “I beg . . .
that you strive together with me in prayers to God.” The Jerusalem Bible says “exert.” The Greek
word sunagonizomai suggests an arduous effort, even to exhaustion. Have we prayed like this? Have
we “strived” in prayer? Daniel did so, thus he was the favorite of Heaven. The hour of prayer and
fasting, of eating and drinking the glory of God, has arrived. The time of revival has come.

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 7 “Those Who
Sow in Tears …”

LET US READ two Bible passages, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New:

u “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
u “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing
seed for sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him”
(Psalm 126:5, 6).

When we shed tears of spiritual longing, of intercession, or of joy as we praise God for answered
prayer, our tears are precious in the sight the Lord.
Jesus knew what it meant to weep in prayer. He who cried with us also shed tears for us as He
wrestled with the powers of darkness. “In the days of His flesh [He] offered up prayers and suppli-
cations, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard
because of His Godly fear” (Heb. 5:7).
Let us make it clear that we are not talking about tears that are caused by some painful situation;
here we are talking about tears that come from the deep longing of the soul. They are the tears that are
shed most often when we are alone with God, because tears are something so personal, that the soul
who weeps can do it most naturally and with the greatest freedom when only God is our witness. How-
ever, it is possible to have a spirit of weeping, even when tears are not running down our cheeks; God
sees the heart.

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

Prayer and tears

The Bible records several cases where intercessory prayer was accompanied by the tears as people
came before God in contrition and humility. He said to Hezekiah: “I have heard your prayer, I have
seen your tears; surely I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5). He responds when we pour out our souls on
the altar and offer our tears like incense in His presence. That is why the psalmist prayed: “Hear my
prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears” (Ps. 39:12).
We remember the story of Anna. There was a scene in her life that should be a part of the expe-
rience of every one of us. Anna is an example of what it means to pour out our souls before God.
Anna was unable to conceive. In those days, there was no greater shame or misfortune for a woman
than to be sterile. But Anna did not surrender to the situation. Neither did she attempt to find a
human solution for her sorrow. The Bible says that Anna “in bitterness of soul … prayed to the Lord
and wept in anguish” (1 Sam. 1:10).
The Lord longs to have us pray in this way; He wants us to pray with heart and soul, with our
minds, with all our senses as we pour out our hearts in His presence. When was the last time we
prayed that way? When did we weep as we asked God for an answer to our prayers?
It is time that prayer ceases to be a simple routine, simply way to still the voice of conscience, a mere
formality at the beginning and end our worship services. We are to weep in the presence of God
and ask Him to fulfill His promises in our lives. It is not a time to be praying only from our lips.
The time has come for God’s people to approach the heavenly altar and place their problems and
cares in the hands of Jesus.
And what did God do about Anna’s request? The Scripture says, “the Lord remembered her”
(1 Sam. 1:19). Isn’t that beautiful? The Lord of the universe will remember us, too, and answer our
prayers. He who guides the stars in their courses takes note of our tears. He who wept for you in
Gethsemane will not overlook your prayers as you bow before Him. He will help you, and fulfill the
desires of your heart. He will grant your petitions. But we must pray as did Anna: pouring out our
souls before God.

Those who weep

Throughout history, the great men of God were characterized as having wept in humility and
contrition:
u Moses shed tears over the sinfulness of his people (Num. 25:6).

u David wept and afflicted his soul with fasting (Ps. 69:10).

u Isaiah wept for the needs of his nation (Isa. 16:9).

u Ezra shed tears for his people (Ezra 10:1).

u Nehemiah wept and mourned over Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4).

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 7. “Those Who Sow in Tears …”

u Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He wrote: “Let my eyes flow with tears night and
day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a
mighty stroke, with a very severe blow” (Jer. 14:17).
u In his day, Paul, the great missionary apostle, was also known for his ministry of tears: “For
out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears” (2 Cor. 2:4).
“Remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears”
(Acts 20:31).

Conclusion
Through the prophet Joel, the Lord spoke these words: “‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘turn to
Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning’” (Joel 2:12). Today the Lord
calls us to intercede with tears for the members of our churches: “Let the priests, who minister to
the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord” (Joel: 17).
Notice this declaration from David: “Put my tears into your bottle; Are they not in your book?”
(Ps. 56:8). The psalmist represented God as preserving and remembering his tears. Archaeologists
have a recovered many bottles for tears from the ancient tombs. In those days, it was the custom to
gather tears that had been shed for a loved one and seal them in a bottle to be buried along with
the departed. David thinks of God as a loved one who remembers our tears, gathering them in
His bottle.
I conclude with this statement from Ellen G. White: “When men go forth to their daily toil, as
when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when
the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board,
each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There
is no smile that He does not mark” (Steps to Christ, p. 85).

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 8 Praying in
Jesus’ Name
JESUS said to His disciples that they should pray to the Father invoking His name. But have you
ever asked yourself, what does it mean to pray in Christ’s name?
So that we can pray in the name of Jesus we need to understand some important ideas:

Abide in Christ
Our Lord gave us the following promise: “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13, 14). How-
ever, Jesus added the following: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you
desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). There we have the key: if we want to pray in the name
of Jesus we must have a close relationship with him. As the Lord said: “I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”
(John 15:5). That “nothing” really means “nothing.” For our prayer to be heard and answered by the
Father, they must be the fruit of a relationship with Jesus.

Accept the will of God

In the example that Jesus gave to show us the essential elements of prayer, He included the phrase:
“your will be done” (Matt. 6:10). And Jesus Himself lived in harmony with the will of His Father.
In Gethsemane, at the moment of His greatest agony, His greatest need, when the temptation to

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R EVIVAL S ERMONS

turn back from the cross was almost overwhelming, Jesus prayed: “O My Father, if it is possible, let
this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).
Sometimes we seem to believe that to pray in the name of Jesus guarantees that our petition will
be answered just as we have presented it. But our request may not be in harmony with what God
wants for our life. Paul prayed three times that the Lord would take away the thorn that tortured
him day and night. Three times and he asked for divine healing. Three times he pleaded to be free
from that terrible affliction. The answer was: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). So Paul submitted to the will of God and accepted it gracefully.
I repeat: to pray in the name of Jesus is to pray with a willingness to accept the will of God for
our lives.

Live in harmony with the Word

To pray in the name of Jesus means to live in harmony with what God has spoken. We cannot
claim to pray in the name of Jesus if we are disobeying his commandments. Jesus said: “if ye love
me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The Bible says that if someone “turns away his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9). If we want God to hear us, we must
be willing to listen and obey his words. The great spiritual problem of many of us is that we long to
have God answer our prayers, and yet we did not pay attention to His Word. To pray in the name
of Jesus means to live in harmony with the words of Jesus.

Accept the gift of salvation by grace

Many of us grew up in an environment where saving power was attributed to prayer. We went to the
priest, confessed our sins, and then in order to be forgiven we had to repeat a certain number of prayers.
But prayer itself does not save. It does not give us merit or assurance that will get us into heaven.
Some have converted prayer to a mere legalism, a transaction. Think about the experience of the
Pharisee. Would you say that the Pharisee was a man of prayer? Of course he was. He prayed a lot.
In fact, he was famous for his long prayers. It was common to see him praying aloud on the street
corners. yes, he knew all about prayer. In fact, we have an example of one of his prayers: “God, I
thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers— … I fast twice a week;
I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11, 12). For this man, prayer was way of showing his spir-
itual superiority to other people.
To pray in the name of Jesus means that we accept the saving power of his name.
u “And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

u “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among

men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

u “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

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 8. Praying in Jesus’ Name

When we pray in the name of Jesus, we acknowledge our need, our weakness. We accept that
our salvation is a gift from God, by grace, with no merit on our part. To pray in the name of Jesus,
is to pray, as the publican did: “God, the merciful to be, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to share with you some thoughts from Ellen G. White:
u “To pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest

His spirit, and work His works” (Desire of Ages, p. 668).

u “To pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention of that name at the be-

ginning and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and spirit of Jesus, while we believe
His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works” (Steps to Christ, p. 100, 101).
u “In the name of Jesus we may come into God’s presence with the confidence of a child. No

man is needed to act as a mediator. Through Jesus we may open our hearts to God as to one
who knows and loves us” (Prayer, p. 182).
u “They that are abiding in Jesus have the assurance that God will hear them, because they love

to do His will. They offer no formal, wordy prayer, but come to God in earnest, humble con-
fidence as a child to a tender father, and pour out the story of their grief and fears and sins,
and in the name of Jesus present their wants; they depart from His presence rejoicing in the
assurance of pardoning love and sustaining grace” (Our High Calling, p. 147).
What a sacred privilege is ours! We do not need any human being to recommend us to God. In
that sacred name, we can come to Him right now. We can come with confidence and stand before
His throne.
Raise your eyes look upon your heavenly father; do not feel ashamed or hesitant to approach
Him. He is waiting for you; longing for you to speak to him in prayer. Never forget that Jesus is your
representative. Remember his great kindness, His benevolence toward you. Express your love, in
His name. Believe in that name. Pray in the name of Jesus. Would you like to do it right now?

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EVANGELISM
SERMONS
 1 The Amazing
Secrets
of a New Life
A. Attention step
One mOrning mary said to her grandmother, “granny, what shall we do this morning? We
have nothing for breakfast.” “We shall light the fire and put on the kettle and set the table and tell
our Heavenly Father. even if He turns stones into bread, we shall have breakfast,” answered her
grandmother.
That very morning a visitor knocked at their door. it was a little old man. Have you got such
thing as an old grindstone you could sell me?” he asked. granny had and he bought it for ten dol-
lars.” Let us kneel down and thank the Lord,” said granny. “Then run to the shop and buy some
food for breakfast, mary.” So the Lord did turn stones into bread.

B. Need step
Has a sorrow come upon you? That no other soul can share:
Does the breakdown seem too heavy for your aching heart to bear?
There is one who will love and comfort, if you trust Him with your load.
There’s a Burden Bearer ready, if you give Him your abode.
Life is not easy! To make it successful we have to understand the purpose of our existence.

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

u god pities like a tender father (Ps. 103:13–18).

u He offers comfort in the hope of resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18).
u god Himself will remove all traces of sorrow (rev. 21:4).

An inhabitant in the slum section of a large city was inclined to attend a church, and eventually
became a faithful, little Christian. One day, someone asked him, “if god loves you, why does
He not take better care of you? Why doesn’t He tell someone to bring you shoes and a warm and
better coat?”
“i guess He does tell somebody, but somebody forgets.”

C. ACTION STEP
Tonight, god remembers you! Jesus knows your sorrow! Jesus suffers when you suffer. How many
of you tonight are willing to tell Jesus all of your troubles? raise your right hand.
How many of you believe that Jesus can satisfy and heal your sin-sick souls. Stand to your feet.
Prayer is the key to unlock heavens blessings. All those tonight who feel the desire for prayer and
encouragement, meet me at the altar for prayer. Come now!
Sing: “i must Tell Jesus All of my Trials.”

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 2
Amazing Grace
That Will Not
Let You Go
A. Attention step
HiS BirTH was contrary to the laws of life. His death was contrary to the laws of death. He had no
cornfield or fisheries but could spread a table for live thousand and have bread and fish to spare.
He did not walk on beautiful carpets or velvet rugs, but He walked on the waters of the Sea of
galilee and they supported Him.
For three years He preached His gospel. He wrote no book, built no church or house, and had
no monetary backing. After nineteen hundred years, He is the one central character of human his-
tory, the pivot around which the events of ages revolve, and the only regenerator of the human race.
All of us must go to Him and say: “my Lord and my god.”

B. Need step
it is said that by beholding you become changed. Who or what absorbs most of your attention
in life? Have you ever seriously examined the beauty and uniqueness of Jesus’ life and ministry? A
close-up examination can change your life tonight. Jesus wants to be your Savior and Lord. How
many want Him to be your Savior and Lord? raise your right hand.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “i have heard of ministers who can preach a sermon without men-
tioning the name of Jesus from beginning to end. if you ever hear a sermon of that kind, make sure
you never hear another sermon from that man. if a baker once made a loaf of bread without any

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

flour in it, i would take good care that he should never do so again; and i say the same to a man
who can preach a Christless gospel. Let those go and hear him who do not value their souls, but
dear friends, your soul and mine are too precious to be placed at the mercy of such a preacher.”

1. Uniqueness of Jesus: His divinity

u He is the Creator (John 1:3; Col. 1:16).
u He existed before coming to the earth (John 8:38; rev. 22:13).
u He has control over nature (matt. 8:27).
u He is god: (John 1:1–3, Col. 2:3). Jesus lived with His Father before the creation of the world.
u Jesus knows everything about His Father and the beauty of heaven. Jesus came to earth to tell
us about His Father’s love for us. Jesus lived with His Father. Only He knows how much your
Father loves you.

Illustration
A few years ago the principal of an english mission college at Cairo, egypt, received a letter from
a Japanese Buddhist whose children were attending his school. “Who is ‘John three sixteen’? my
children are always talking about him.” The principal sent a note back saying that “John three six-
teen” was not a person but a verse from a book. The Buddhist requested the book and later he and
his entire family became Christians.

2. Jesus is special: His humanity

u He became man (John 1:14, 1 Tim. 3:16)

u He came as one of us (rom. 8:3, Heb. 2:14).
u His name emmanuel means: god with us (matt. 1:23).

3. Jesus had a moment for everything.

Jesus’ life and ministry are accurately predicted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the new
Testament. Let us examine the events, predictions and fulfillment of Jesus:
The life and work of no other human being has ever been so accurately predicted and fulfilled
like that of Jesus.

u Jesus was born on time.

u Jesus died on time.
u Jesus was resurrected on time.
u Jesus ascended on time.
u Jesus will return for us on time.

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 2. Amazing Grace That Will Not Let You Go

4. Jesus wants to be your Savior and Lord before it is too late

A young man said to mr. Young, “i intend to become a Christian sometime, but not now,
don’t trouble yourself about me, i will tend to it in good time.” A few weeks after, the man was
injured in a sawmill, and, as he lay dying, mr. Young saw him. He found him in despair, saying,
“Leave me alone. At your meeting i was almost persuaded, but i would not yield and now it is
too late, Oh, get my wife, my sisters, and brothers to seek god and do it now, but leave me alone,
for i am lost!”

C. Appeal
Jesus wants to be your Savior and Lord before it is too late. Jesus is god who became man. god
with us! Jesus is fully god and fully man. Our mind is not capable of understanding this mystery.
Paul said, “great is the mystery of piety: god was manifested in the flesh!”
Friend, Jesus identifies with all of us.
He knows your sorrow; He had it also (matt. 23:37).
He knows what it is to be hungry (Luke 4:3).
He knows better than anyone what it means to live in poverty (Luke 9:58).
He knows what we feel when we become weary of working.

Illustration
u Pharisees, with what would you reproach Jesus? “He eateth with publicans and sinners.”
u And you, Caiaphas, what have you to say of Him? “He is a blasphemer, because He said, ‘Here-

after ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds
of heaven.’ ”
u Pilate, what is your opinion? “i find no fault in this man.”

u And you, Judas, who sold your master for silver, have you some fearful charge to hurl at Him?

“i have sinned, in that i have betrayed innocent blood.”

u And you, demons? “He is the Son of god.”

u Angels of heaven, what think ye of Jesus? “Unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

u And you, what do you say about Christ “He is my Lord and my god.”

How many of you want to accept Jesus as your Savior?

39
 3 The Beginning
of a New Life
in Christ

A. Attention step
A LegenD is told of a dying man to whom Satan brought a parchment containing a list of the
man’s sins throughout all of his life. His actions were pictured and the story was made vivid to him
as the tempter demanded an answer to the questions, “Where are your virtues among so many sins?
What chances have you in judgement before god?” The dying man answered, “You have not kept
the full account. That is only the debit side. There is a credit side. Opposite your dark picture, you
should have painted a cross and opposite that long list of sins you should have written these words:

‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses from all sins.’ ”
Tonight, life’s greatest experience is to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus from all our sins. There is
no other experience like this experience. This “cleansing blood” experience assures you of salvation in
Jesus. What can wash away your sin? nothing but the blood of Jesus.
The Bible teaches that baptism is Jesus’ symbol of the blood cleansing experience that he wants us
to receive. Tonight, let us examine from the Bible these questions:
What is baptism? What are the biblical examples of true baptism? How important is repentance be-
fore baptism?

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

B. Need step
What is Baptism?
u Baptism is that outward symbol of the washing away of our sins in the blood of Jesus (rev.
1:5; 1 John 5:6; matt. 26:28).
u Apart from Christ, baptism is a meaningless ceremony.
u Having read, heard, and believed god’s Word to repentant sinners (matt. 28:19; mark 16:16),
you now desire to witness publicly that you have accepted the “everlasting gospel” (rev. 14:6),
“the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), and now form part of the rem-
nant acclaimed by Christ at His second appearing (rev. 14:12; 2 Thes. 1:10). in all things
you covenant to walk as He walked! (1 John 2:6).
u Jesus was baptized (matt. 3:12¬–16), though He “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore He
had no sins to “wash away” (Acts 22:16; John 15:10).

C. Satisfaction step
1. Jesus, our example
u The righteousness of god would not have been met had Jesus not suffered Himself to be bap-
tized (matt. 3:13–15; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).
u He was baptized in the river Jordan (mark 1:9–11).
u The divine relationship existing between Father and Son, was not made concrete until after
the public baptism of Jesus, The Son of god must “fulfill all righteousness.” “Suffer it to be
so now” (matt. 3:15–17): His time had come!
u John led the Savior down into the Jordan, and buried Him beneath the water. “And straightway
out of the water, Jesus saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descended upon Him.”
Hundreds of years before (isa. 61), this very occasion had been foretold by the prophet. Later
Jesus claims His authority in His personal fulfillment of and as the Word (Luke 4:14, 21; John
1:14). in our immersion we acknowledge Jesus’ death and resurrection for us! (rom. 6:3, 4). We
have assurance that “if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be
also in the likeness of His resurrection” (rom. 6:5).

2. How important is repentance before baptism?

u True repentance precedes conversion, baptism, and reception of the Holy ghost (Acts 3:19; 2:38).
u The ethiopian eunuch was immersed in a pool “toward the south unto the way that goes down
from Jerusalem unto gaza, which is desert” (Acts 8:26).
u He was baptized at his own request, and upon his full statement of belief in the Son of god
(Acts 8:36–39).

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 3. The Beginning of a New Life in Christ

3. An inward look

u Bear your own burdens (gal. 6:5). Purpose and value of trials
u Trials necessary to perfect us (Job. 23:10; 1 Peter 5:10).
u The Lord chastens those He loves (Heb. 12:6).
u These trials yield precious experiences (v. 10; 2 Cor. 4:17),
u Trials allowed that we may be able to comfort others (2 Cor. 1:4).
u god’s grace sufficient for every trial (2 Cor. 12:9).

D. Conclusion
Fix your eyes on heavenly matters. Cast thy burden upon the Lord” (Ps. 55:22). Cast thy burden
of anxiety on Him (Phil. 4:6, 7; Ps. 46). Cast thy burden of sin on Him (Ps. 38:4, 15, 18).

u We must love Him; then all things work together for good (rom. 8:28).
u We must submit humbly to His will (Luke 22:42).
u We must trust Him where we cannot define His leading (Job 13:15; Ps. 37:5).
u He has made provision for our burdens (1 Peter 5:7).

Appeal
in compliance with the command of Jesus in mark 16:15, you have had “the gospel” preached
(or taught) to you. Do you now accept the challenge He gives you in verse l6? “He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” “And now why tarriest
thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

E. Visualization step
The act of baptism brings many benefits to you after you are baptized:

u You experience peace of mind in Jesus.

u You experience personal satisfaction that you are following the wise example of Jesus.
u You experience the feeling of burdens lifted.

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

u You experience internal excitement and assurance of salvation.

u You experience an internal cleansing from an outward symbol.
u You experience a new way of life and walk with Jesus.
u Oh! it’s joy unspeakable.

F. ACTION STEP
Jesus was baptized to set you an example. it is wise to follow Jesus. When you follow Jesus in bap-
tism you are making a right decision. How many of you want to follow Jesus’ wise example in baptism
one of these days? raise your right hand. All those who have raised your right hands and those who
are already baptized into god’s true church, stand to your feet. Those of you who have never been
baptized and have decided to follow Jesus’ wise example in baptism one of these days, kindly write
a B on your card with your name and address.

(This card must be placed into the hand of every visitor before you begin to preach. After they
have completed the card ask them to come to the altar to give you the cards in your hand.)

44
 4 Are You
Guilty
or Innocent?
A LAWYer had a caged starling in his office. The starling had learned to answer when he was
called. One morning a boy named Charlie entered the office. The lawyer went out for a few minutes,
and when he returned the cage was empty.
“Where is the bird?” he asked the boy. The boy answered that he did not know. “Sonny, that
bird was in the cage when i went out. Where did it go?”
Charlie repeated that he did not know anything about the bird; that probably the door of the
cage was open and the bird had flown away. At that the lawyer called out, “Starling, where are you?”
“Here i am,” answered the starling, and the voice came from the boy’s pocket. imagine Charlie’s
situation. He had stolen the bird and hidden it in what he thought was a safe place. To hide his
guilt he had to lie twice; then the voice came from his pocket and betrayed him. There was no way
he could deny that testimony. He could not say a word. The bird was a living witness of his guilt, of
his theft and of his lie.
That is what will happen when a world of guilty sinners who have tried to hide from god are hauled
before the fast high judgment bar. every mouth will be stopped as they stand guilty before god,

B. Need step
How shall you stand on that great day? Tonight, we shall examine the subject of god’s judgment.
This is a most important subject, for it deals with the work of Christ on behalf of sinners today,
and what sinners must be and do in order to be saved in god’s eternal kingdom (1 John 2:1).

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

1. The judgment of God

u The Ancient of days is god the Father (Dan, 7:9, 10).
u Christ is the mediator between god and man (Dan. 7:13, 14).

u Books of record are kept “The judgment was set, the books were opened” (Dan. 7:10).

The “Book of Life” is very important (rev. 20:12). The “Book of remembrance” is also there
(mal. 3:16). The record of men’s sins is there. Secret works are made bare. (eccl. 12:14).
All is written before god (lsa. 65:6, 7). “every man’s word, passes in review before god, and is
registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered,
with terrible exactitude, every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret
sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments,
unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far reaching results,
all are chronicled by the recording angel” (The Great Controversy, p 482).

2. When and where the judgment commences

The judgment commenced at the close of the 2,300-day prophetic period in 1844 (Dan. 8:14).
The Jews even today recognize the day of atonement as a day of judgment.
u Paul preached about a judgment to come (Acts 24:25).

u The redeemed of god shall judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3).

u The judgment message is found in rev. 14:6, 7 “the hour of his judgment is come.

u Judgment commences with the “house of god” (1 Peter 4:17, 18).

3. The blotting out of sins and the cleansing of the sanctuary

u The blessed goodness of god. “The sins . . . shall not be found” (Jer. 31:34; 50:20).
u “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin . . . ” (1 John 1:7, 9).
u Sins blotted out at the time of “refreshing” from the Lord (Acts. 3:19, 20).

(2) The conclusion of the judgment

u Let’s read rev. 22:11, 12. There will be no more opportunity when this decree goes forth.
When the work of the investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all would have been decided
for life or death. Probation is ended a short time before the appearing of the Lord in the clouds
of heaven.
u The temple in heaven will be closed; Christ’s work will be finished: “no man was able to enter
the temple,” till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled” (rev. 15:8).
u The standing up of michael (Christ) is the sign of the close of the investigative Judgment (Dan. 12:1).
u Jesus will say, “it is done” (rev. 16:17).

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 4. Are You Guilty or Innocent?

Appeal
it is still the time of mercy. Come to Christ today; tomorrow may be too late.

D. Visualization step
Solemn truth concerning god’s judgment hour
u Soon your destiny for life or death will be decided.

u it is appointed unto man once to die, after death comes the judgment.

u Account will be given of every secret thing done in your lifetime, good or bad.

u At death your probation closes. There is no repentance in the grave. it is dangerous to live

without the assurance of salvation.

u David recognized the danger of living with unconfessed sins. He cried out to god in confession:

a. “Have mercy upon me, O god.”

b. “Blot out my transgressions.”
c. “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity; cleanse me from my sin.”
At death probation closes. David confessed his sins to god before death placed its cold hands upon
him. How many of you believe David did the right thing (confessing his sins)?

E. Action step
u Jesus wants you to walk in newness of life.
u A new lifestyle and a clean record in heaven are what you need tonight.

u He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

u Jesus alone gives salvation.

u Jesus alone commanded baptism.

u All those who are saved demonstrated their faith in Jesus through baptism.

u Your baptism demonstrates belief in Jesus who gives eternal life.

u How many of you want to receive eternal life from Jesus? (Stand to your feet.)

if eternal life is important to you and it is your decision to be baptized with Jesus this coming
Sabbath, meet me at the altar for prayer.

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 5 An Amazing
Story!

A. Attention step
Today i’m going to speak to you about three young me who:
Didn’t bend!
Didn’t bow!
Didn’t burn!
Why? Their god is a mighty god! He reigns from heaven above!
Tonight Jesus wants you to choose not to bend, not to bow and not to bum. How many want to
make this wise choice? raise your right hand.

B. Need step
Various issues are at play in Daniel 3.

u man’s commandment vs god’s commandment (Dan. 3:8–12; ex. 20:3–6).

u Allegiance to idols vs allegiance to god (Dan. 3:10–11; Dan. 3:16–18).
u Powerful nebuchadnezzar vs the Almighty god (Dan. 3:15).

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

C. Satisfaction step
u god’s sovereign rule over the affairs of men (Dan. 3:25).
u man’s faith in god (Dan. 3:16, 17).
u Triumph of god over the folly of men (Dan. 3:25, 28, 29).
u god deserves our allegiance and worship (Dan. 3:29). nB – “There is no other god to deliver
after this sort”

Friend, tonight, there is no other god to deliver you from:

u Drugs and alcohol

u Covetousness and greed
u Fiery trials and hurtful feelings
u Sickness and death
u Witchcraft and deception
u Sunday worship and man made philosophies
u Satan’s grasp and hell fire

Peter say’s “there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Tonight, god is looking for men and women who will stand up for him.
Characteristics of The Hebrew boys

u implicit faith in their god.

u Put Jesus first in their lives.
u Surrender to the leading of god.

Choose to obey god even if you can’t see Him.

D. Conclusion
Blessings of having faith in God

u Protection from fiery trials.

u Promotion on the job.
u Positive influence on friends and enemies.
u god’s name is exalted among men.
u Salvation in Jesus.

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 5. An Amazing Story!

APPEAL
What more can Jesus do for you that He has not yet done? Jesus became poor that you may be-
come rich. Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that you may wear a crown of gold one of these days.
Jesus was wounded so that you can be healed. Jesus was homeless so that you can have mansions in
heaven. Jesus died so that you may receive eternal life one of these days.
Ladies and gentlemen, it takes your everything to serve the Lord! What you put before Jesus be-
comes your idol and you shall perish with it.
Tonight you must choose between:
Jesus or nebuchadnezzar’s idols Jesus or Sunday worship
Jesus or your job
Jesus or Satan
Tonight Jesus’ eyes are upon you to see the choice you will make. The Hebrew boys chose to stand
up for Jesus and Jesus stood with them in the burning fiery furnace. Just when they needed Jesus,
Jesus was in the fire.
How many of you want Jesus to stand up with you each day? raise your right hand. How many
of you have decided to stand with Jesus in baptism this coming Sabbath? Stand to your feet. How
many more? How many more?
Begin to sing “i will follow Thee my Savior!

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 6 How to Reject
Satan’s Lies

A. Attention step
A miniSTer of the gospel decided to preach on the text, “now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2). While he was in his study thinking, he fell asleep and dreamt
that he was carried into hell and set down in the midst of a conclave of lost spirits who were there
assembled to devise means whereby they might get the souls of men.
One rose and said, “i will go to the earth and tell them that the Bible is a fable, that it is not di-
vinely appointed of god.” “no, that will not do.” Another said, “Let me go, i will tell men that
there is no god, no Savior, no heaven, no hell.” “no, that will not do, we cannot make them believe
that.” Suddenly, one arose and with a wise mien suggested, “no, i will journey to the world of men
and tell them that there is a god, that there is a Savior; that there is a heaven—yes, and a hell, too.
But i will tell them there is no hurry; tomorrow will do.” And they sent him.

B. Need step
Tonight, Satan is planning for the destruction of your soul.
He, Satan, wants you to believe that there is no hurry for salvation and baptism.
There is a conflict between truth and error. By taking our stand for truth we will obey Jesus. By
standing on the side of error we obey Satan.

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

1. The two contending powers

u How do we show whose servants we are? (rom. 6:16)
u What is real proof of love to god? (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6).
u How had the Scribes and Pharisees reasoned? (matt. 15:3–9) They attempted to change the
fifth commandment by their traditions).
u What prevented some of the leaders in Christ’s day from accepting Him as the messiah? (John
12:42, 43). This same reason prevents some today from fully obeying god.

2. Test of obedience
u Should popular practice decide our relationship to the truths of god’s Word? (1 Cor. 1:26–29;
matt. 7:13,14).
u Should we allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of our obeying god? (matt. 10:37, 38;
Acts 5:29),
u How does Christ compare those who obey Him with those who do not? (Luke 6:46-49;
matt. 7:21).
u What promise does Jesus make to those who truly serve Him? (matt. 6:31–33) Faith in god is
needed. god never asks the impossible. now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (eph. 3:20). He said
to israel at the red Sea, “go forward”.

3. Danger of delay
u We cannot say no to god because we will not be safe from danger. We cannot await a convenient
season (Acts 24:25). Herod did “many things,” but not all were what god wanted. “What shall
it profit?” (mark 8:36). What does a man gain in the end if he allows his business or church
friends to stand between him and god? There’s a time coming when he would gladly give every
dollar he had ever earned “if he could just have one more chance to obey god” (isa. 2:19–21).
u What does god say of the one who knows and does not do his will? (James 4:17; John 15:22;
Heb. 10:26, 27).
u Why is it always dangerous to delay? The uncertainty of life. Danger of grieving away the Holy
Spirit. “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walks in darkness
knows not wither he goes” (John 12:35). After a light has been in a room and then extin-
guished, the darkness is greater than before. (See 2 Thess. 2:9–11).
u What will some be saying when it is too late? (Jer. 8:20).

Appeal
What excuse can we offer god on that day? excuses that seem plausible now will be flimsy then.
Whenever we face a decision between truth and error we are at the crossroads of life, and our eternal
destiny depends upon the path we choose. Let us surrender Our all to god and obey Him implicitly.

54
 6. How to Reject Satan’s Lies

A king sent for his jester one day, and presented him with a stick. He said, “take this stick and
keep it until you find a bigger fool than yourself.”
Lying on his deathbed, the king again sent for his jester. “i am going away,” the king said.
“Where?” asked the jester. “To another country,” replied the king.
“What provision has your majesty made for this journey and for living in the country where you
go?” the jester asked. “none,” was the answer.
The jester handed the king the stick. “Take it,” he said, “i have found a bigger fool than myself,
for i only trifle with the things of time while you have trifled with things of eternity.’

D. Action step

u Tonight, the devil says to you, “no need to hurry. There is always a next time.”
u Tonight, Jesus says, “Today is the day of salvation. Arise and be baptized.”

Don’t put off Jesus, baptism and eternal life. Decide now for Jesus, baptism and eternal life. Tomorrow
may be too late!
(Heads are bowed and eyes are closed.) Let’s pray. Please repeat after me.
“Lord, I believe thou hest died to redeem my soul. If you have placed such a value
upon the soul as to give thy life for mine, I will respond. I give my life and all its possibil-
ities, in all my weakness, into Thy keeping.” Amen.
make an altar call.

55
7 The Joy
of a New Life
in Christ

A. Attention step
He was a great man.
He was an honorable man.
A general.
The Bible calls him naaman.

B. Need step
Today we will look at 2 Kings 5. The story of naaman is recorded there.
u He was a leper (2 Kings 5:1). He was a great man, but he was a leper.
u Pride (2 Kings 5:11). This is similar to Satan’s words, i will be like the most high.”
u Stubbornness (2 Kings 5:12). Stubbornness leads you to think of your ways as more important
than god’s ways. many will be lost because of their stubbornness. (Define the word stubbornness
and illustrate it in the context of your audience.) Sin, pride and stubbornness will lead you to
resist: god’s will for your life, The Holy Spirit pleading in your life, and
god’s free gift of salvation provided in Jesus.

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E VANGELISM SERMONS

D. Visualization step
Dramatize naaman’s process of cleansing
u movement into the water.

u entry into the water. (Baptism) note the first six dips, no cleansing.
u result of the seventh dip.
naaman was ready and willing to be obedient to god’s command after he surrendered his
pride and stubborn will to god’s control and direction.
How many of you are willing to surrender your pride and stubbornness to Jesus tonight? How
many more? god bless you. Why did god ask naaman to dip seven times?
note: Seven is a symbol of perfection or completion. For instance, the Bible refers to:
u Seven churches
u Seven seals
u Seven plagues
u Seven trumpets
u Seventh-day Sabbath
Seven is god’s symbol of perfection and completion.

Submission to God brings:

u Obedience to god
u Cleansing from Jesus
u Freedom from guilt
u Assurance of a brighter tomorrow
u Freedom from self-dependence and trust in Divine power

Naaman’s new life brought:

u Joy to his wife!
u excitement to his companions!
u Happiness to the maid who told him about the prophet!
u Hope to his employer!
u glory to god in heaven!
u Changes in naaman’s form of worship!
Your wise decision to be baptized will meet god’s approval and bring happiness to your friends
and family.

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 7. The Joy of a New Life in Christ

D. Appeal
We may be great, but we are sinners. Pride comes before a fall. Submission to god’s will, will
lead you into His kingdom.

E. Action step
How many of you are willing to surrender your lives to Jesus and be baptized with Him this Sab-
bath? raise your hands. Submission to Jesus brings happiness. How many of you want to be happy
with Jesus. Stand! How many more? How many more?
Tonight, how many of you have decided to reject Satan, stubbornness and eternal damnation
and accept Jesus, baptism and eternal life. Demonstrate your decision to be baptized with Jesus this
coming Sabbath by meeting at the altar. Sing “i Will Follow Thee my Savior”.

59