Revive Us Oh God! Part 2: Return to Your Devotion

January 15, 2023

INTRO

2 Chronicles 6:26–31 ESV

26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. 28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, 31 that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

2 Chronicles 7:11–15 ESV

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name 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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

1) Sin is Self-Devotion (vs. 26-27)

Sin is not a force outside of ourselves. It is us forcing our own will and perspective on how we live.

In Old Testament Israel, the land is a place of promise and purpose bestowed by God.

When promise and purpose is self-centered we have turned from God.

We must turn from sin, because we have turned to ourselves.

The focus of promise and purpose become distorted because we have become distorted.

We are made in God’s image, but we are not God.

In Israel, many turned to false gods because they could control them.

A false god is something I can make, I can control, I can make me feel good about me.

Today, we don’t use statues, we use status.

We don’t create deity outside of ourselves, we create deity out of ourselves.

We don’t bow down to something else, we expect everything else to bow down to us.

If we want to see revival, we must realize our own self-devotion and acknowledge God and turn from self-devotion.

2) Self-Devotion Brings Ruin (vs. 28-29)

When we focus on ourselves, it ruins our lives.

Too often we have this misconception that God allows hardship and disaster as a payback from abandoning Him.

This isn’t true!

James 1:7 helps us to see that every good thing comes from God. Jeremiah 29:11 helps us to know that God has a good plan for you. Colossians 1:17 helps us to know that He holds all things together!

God doesn’t exact revenge on us for our self-devotion. He simply allows us to see the consequences of a life without Him.

God doesn’t want to torture you, he wants you to understand that your greatest need is Him!

Self-devotion robs us of purpose and promise, which makes life aimless and brings us to ruin.

“Why can’t God just give me all the good things and let me keep running the show? Why does God have to be so mean and hateful? A loving God wouldn’t allow this kind of stuff to happen!”

Self-devotion is a symptom of being a spoiled, selfish, brat!

If we want to see revival in our lives, we have to quite being selfish, spoiled, adult brats and humbly turn our devotion or return our devotion back to God.

We are broken people, living in a broken world, therefore Self-devotion brings natural ruin and aimlessness to our lives.

3) Devotion to God Brings Life (vs. 30-31, 12-15)

We need healing. We need life. We need promise. We need purpose.

God says He will give all these things...IF...

...IF we humble ourselves

...IF we pray and seek His face

...IF we turn from our wicked ways

…THEN He will hear from heaven

…THEN He will forgive our sin

…THEN He will heal (revive) our land (promise and purpose)

CLOSING

This declaration by God was given at the dedication of the first temple.

1 Cor. 6:19 declares that today you are God’s temple.

He doesn’t change. He remains steadfast and true.

IF YOU WOULD SEE REVIVAL BREAKOUT IN YOUR LIFE, YOU MUST RECOGNIZE YOUR SIN OF SELF-DEVOTION, REALIZE THAT IT BRINGS RUIN, REMEMBER THAT DEVOTION TO GOD BRINGS LIFE, AND RETURN TO THAT DEVOTION.

Today, right here, right now His eyes are open and His ears are attentive.