Revival That Lasts A Lifetime

Morning…I’m Corey, NN CP…so honored to be here…welcome to YT/WBG/IC/Online/my campus-NN…thank you Pastor Stu…1 of most humble/authentic/hungry leaders I’ve ever met…thank you for faith in me/leading our church

TENSION / THE HOOK (4.5/5.5)

Idk about you, but I loved this season-weather/leaves/cowboys… loved Revival…honored to conclude this powerful series… I’ve watched God move/redeem/restore/reinvigorate/revive... been incredible…we’ve invited the Spirit of God to bring revival, and he has… 41 said yes/60 baptisms/26 bulbs…

Ppl saying yes/turning from sin/experiencing supernatural moves of God/being impassioned for the lost…Revival is here!… and best news? It doesn’t have to stop/not supposed to stop/can’t stop… not w/ society/families/schools/the lost/sickness- revival can’t stop now…protect it at all costs

In 2 Corinthians, Paul’s in same situation, Corinth far from God/can’t let fire die- he writes 2 Cor 4:16: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed (revived) day by day.

C’mon! Amazing! According to Paul…revival is not meant to be a periodic phenomenon/ephemeral appearance of the HS… revival isn’t an event/not even a season… we can’t be ppl who are up & down/good & bad/close & distant…

Paul is saying that no matter his circumstance/situation/bad decisions… he is being revived every single day… he’s experiencing perpetual revival… what’s that mean? Perpetual revival is where we are experiencing life-changing power of HS daily/dead areas in our lives being revived constantly/drawing near to Jesus/growing in faith all the time… who would like to experience that? revival all the time?

So that brings us to my question, the question we all must answer before we leave church today… Revival is here… how do we keep it? How do we experience perpetual revival?

EXPOSITION (2/7.5)

In John 15, Jesus’s disciples are asking same ?…Jesus is at last supper & going to be crucified soon…all the disciples can kinda tell this whole thing is coming to close… imagine: bittersweet; they’ve all experienced such revivals in their faith- gave hearts to Jesus/followed him/grew to trust him/miraculous signs & wonders…all coming to close…

But Jesus addresses their hearts in unique way… he doesn’t give them the guide to “life after revival”… teaches them how to continue… he gives them the principles for perpetual revival…

John 15:1-2, 4-5: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… love this passage… so powerful/rich/vital… want to show you Jesus’ 3 principles for experiencing perpetual revival

Keep Watering (6.5/14)

The 1st principle reminds me of my wife… Plant Illustration… no matter how much we love/talk about/think about/ pray for our plants… if we don’t water them, they will die… same w/ our spiritual life, if we don’t water it, our faith/joy/revival will wither and die…if we want to experience perpetual revival, one of most important principles- we must Keep Watering…we must keep investing in our faith…

1 of most beautiful characteristics of revival is that we completely dive in- we worship hard/believe for real/expect God to answer prayers/pray boldly/read Bible seriously/come to church with expectancy… & we experience true revival/God moves supernaturally/heart focuses on Jesus/step into obedience, it’s amazing… but then for some reason we stop- maybe bc the moment becomes less exciting/get busy/distracted/high comes crashing down… but we stop worshipping hard/praying boldly/being expectant & our relationship w/ Jesus becomes dry… until next revival

It’s a rollercoaster faith-classic hallmark- but I want to let you know today, it doesn’t have to be that way… revival doesn’t have to last for few days/weeks…revival can last a lifetime, but it takes a commitment… to be a self-feeder

Now what’s a “self-feeder”? SF is someone whose heart is so hungry for God/craves the nourishment of God’s word so much that they’ll do the work to grow in their faith on their own…don’t need anyone to feed them/don’t complain they’re “not being fed”… SF own their own spiritual development & grow regardless of those around them…

So many of us love this series bc we show up & we’re fed/revived until next week… & that’s awesome- for now… but it’s our personal commitment to keep watering/be a SF/investing in our faith that will allow us to experience perpetual revival…so how do I do it/become a SF/keep watering?

Must commit to same disciplines that 1st brought revival…daily digest God’s Word/spend time in worship/speak to God in prayer/share faith/attend church expectantly/in a group/serve/give…if we continue to practice disciplines that 1st brought revival, we will continue to experience revival…but it doesn’t stop there, Jesus takes it a step further

Keep Pruning (8/22)

John 15:2: He [God] cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…v important- Jesus is saying- if you want to continue growing/transforming/flourishing, you can’t just keep watering, throwing on all the good stuff, must deal with hard stuff- you must also Keep Pruning

If didn’t major in botany, pruning is where you cut off the dead/unhealthy/diseased/infested part of a plant… this increases fruitfulness/maintains health/encourages growth/revives/protects…it’s the process for helping plants thrive

Jacob story…silly…Pruning isn’t just meant for horticulture, it’s meant for our spiritual lives… the sin/evil/ wickedness in our hearts are meant to be pruned/cut off…it’s how we live free of the disease of sin…so pruning is hard, but it’s necessary…throughout Scripture, the word for the pruning of the heart is repentance

I know that’s big/scary biblical word- but repentance isn’t some overwhelming judgment/condemnation- it’s simply turning away from sin & going in the opposite direction…in fact, it’s actually the result of God’s kindness (cf. Rom 2:4)…instead of punishing, God leads us to identify sin through conviction, so that we can turn from of our sin, and experience uninterrupted fellowship with him… other words- repentance isn’t for God, it’s for us…

And ultimately, revival cannot exist without repentance… non-negotiable/hand-in-hand… many of us have experienced revival this series bc we’ve repented/acknowledged sin/confessed our failures/humbled ourselves & turned towards Jesus/followed him & that’s awesome… but I want to forewarn you, if you want to continue to experience revival, it’s going to take some work… bc it’s so easy to get knocked off track…

Heb 12:1-2a: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Let’s get real/engage… what sin entangles you? What sin has your #? like you know, if I take my eyes off Jesus, this sin is knocking me right off track? anger/pride/sex/worry? Figure it out

Bc listen, revival is here- we’re experiencing it, which means that it’s coming/your kryptonite is on its way… we have to be ready & prepared with a repentant spirit…love how each passage recognizes that we’re all gonna fall short, but it’s our choice if we’ll be quick to get back up/move forward-perpetual revival requires a heart that is quick to repent

God doesn’t grant revival to the perfect, he grants revival to the repentant… so be quick to repent/turn to Jesus/ask for help/get prayer…it’s the immediacy of our repentance that determines our revival

So how do I repent? So simple… if you already know Jesus, you recognize your sin, confess your sin to God & maybe someone you trust, & you commit to take a step in the opposite direction… & not only will God meet you right there, but God will continue to give you revival…

Bc when we remove sin, it actually allows the Spirit of God to flow through us and help us grow/bear fruit…

Which brings us to Jesus’ 3rd principle that ties it all together- bc revival can’t just exist for me

Keep Living on Mission (9/31)

In this passage, Jesus spends a lot of time talking about the vine/branches…but he actually brings it all to a point… he concludes with final command…John 15:12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you…if we want to experience perpetual revival, can’t just keep watering/pruning/bearing fruit…we must Keep Living on Mission

We can get all the behaviors right/do the right things/take the right action steps… but if our hearts aren’t set on loving others, then we will never experience revival… bc here’s the truth: revival was never meant to be a private encounter with God… revival is meant to be a collective experience/group awakening of the ppl of God… what makes revival so amazing is not what we feel individually, but how unified, we corporately experience a move of God together!

When someone gives their life to Jesus, they don’t just experience revival, we are ALL revived/when someone invites a friend & they come to church, we are ALL renewed/when someone experiences healing, we are ALL reinvigorated… bc revival isn’t about me, revival is about the mission of God – reaching the world w/ hope of Jesus!

CNU Illustration… if you’re experiencing revival, don’t keep it to yourself! Like Lindsey, there are ppl who need to experience the same restoration/redemption/healing/reawakening/revival in their lives, and it’s our job to share!

God has called us-love others/seek & save lost/light in darkness/city on hill/go & make disciples/take gospel to every corner/ambassador for Jesus/conduit of his love…I dare you…do it… & watch as not only God uses you tremendously, but as a byproduct, you experience a staggering revival like never before… you will never be the same

& here’s the good news- it’s so easy…anybody can do it… you don’t need special training/knowledge/ spiritual gifts…to keep living on mission, all we need to do is search for opportunities…to share our faith/invite ppl to church/pray for someone/give a reason for the hope we have…& have the courage to obey God’s direction… we only need love in our hearts/eyes searching for hurting ppl/courage to obey & Jesus will handle the rest… & it’s then, when our hearts are turned outwards, that we can experience perpetual revival

CONCLUSION (3.5/34.5)

Now you might be here today in agreement but overwhelmed… like I want to do all this, but how in the world will I keep all this straight? Is it so legalistic like I’m in this delicately balanced revival and one slip up and I’m done? Like eating a carb during ketosis? How am I supposed to do all this perfectly?

Here’s the best news- you’re not…we’re not responsible for revival… Jn 15 isn’t just about our actions, it’s about what gives those actions the power to lead to perpetual revival…listen carefully to what Jesus says…

John 15:4-5: Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…this is good news!

Jesus is saying, our actions only lead to revival bc of his power… so wanna know what we’re really doing when we keep watering/pruning/living on mission? Remaining in Jesus… listen, we’re not meant to accomplish this on our own/achieve perpetual revival alone…we are created to remain in Jesus & let him do the work with us…so instead of “I Keep Watering”… we pray God Keep Watering Me/God Keep Pruning Me/God Keep Me Living on Mission

Never been about our strength/ability/capacity…it’s about Jesus’ power…listen- we can do this! We’re only responsible for our actions/God is responsible for the power…behaviors/revival… so often we think that it’s our job to transform ourselves, but it’s the opposite, Jesus says remain in me and I will transform you…

So remain in Jesus, keep watering- committing to disciplines/keep pruning- repent/keep living on mission- sharing your faith & trust Jesus w/ the revival…& watch, by remaining in Jesus, he will bring perpetual revival to your soul

As finish up this series, remember one thing- revival doesn’t end today-it’s just beginning-if you remain in Jesus, you can experience revival every day for the rest of your life/revival that lasts a lifetime… Let’s pray

KNOW (BOTTOM LINE): By remaining in Jesus, you can experience perpetual revival.

DO: Be self-feeders. Be quick to repent. Share your faith.

FEEL: Encouraged.

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