In Our Day; In Our Time

Introduction

If I say to you, “Transylvania”... what is the first thing that comes into your mind?

(wait for responses)

Dracula. Right.

You know… he’s not real… right?

Well the vampire character created by Bram Stoker isn’t real. But there is a real life person whom the author used for inspiration.

Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) Quite a gruesome man. And… He had a nickname. (Well “the impaler” was also a nickname) He had ANOTHER nickname... Dracula It means “son of the devil.”

And there really is a Transylvania. It’s a region in the center of the country of Romania.

It’s really sad that a beautiful region filled with rolling hills and medieval architecture is best known for a horror story.

There is so much more to Transylvania than that.

Do you know what else Transylvania is famous for?

A revival.

During the late 1800’s Romania’s Reformed Churches were moving away from the gospel, and a passion rose up among the laymen.

They began to preach, connecting themselves with the Baptist church.

These un-educated laymen were referred to as the “peasant prophets.” Tens of Thousands of people were saved and baptized establishing an evangelical voice in the heart of Romania.

Don’t you wish you could be in the center of something like that? People running to the altar to meet Christ.

There have been so. many. revivals through the centuries... all around the world

We think of the “First Great Awakening” here in the American colonies in the 1730’s and running for about 40 yrs.

Of course that movement spread here from Great Britain and Germany.

John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield being the most well known preachers that came here from Great Britain.

John Wesley wrote this in 1739:

“About sixty of us were holding a love feast on New Year’s Eve on Fetter Lane. At about three in the morning, as we were continuing in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us. Many cried out in complete joy. Others were knocked to the ground. As soon as we recovered a little from that awe and amazement at God’s presence, we broke out in praise...”

That sounds like a pentecostal prayer meeting... In 1739...

There are the Welsh Revival the Scottish Revival

Then after the Civil War, about 1800, came the Second Great Awakening.

The late 1800’s saw 3rd.

And the 4th Awakening in the 1960’s and 70’s was known as the Jesus movement.

(Jesus Revolution)

On Father’s Day in 1995 a not-extremely-wellknown church had a guest speaker.

When the altar call was given a young lady sang, “Come running to the mercy seat.”

And they came. For 5 years... They came 2.5 million people came to Brownsville during those 5 years.

It’s it so uplifting to hear about the revivals of the world.

But...

It’s not enough. Not for me.

I want revival to take hold of me. I want revival to take hold of our church.

“Back then” was great, but I want a “right now” move of God in our lives.

That feeling isn’t original with me.

Many people hunger for a fresh move of God

Even back in the Old Testament of the Bible people cry out for God to move as He did in previous eras.

The prophet Habakkuk lived during the same time as Jeremiah (a little before the nations was taken into captivity by Babylon.

As I said last week:

He saw people turning against God.

The government was a joke.

People were hurting and no body helped.

God’s Word was disrespected

Habakkuk’s heart yearned for revival.

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 NIV

I. HOLY FEAR IS THE FOUNDATION

Habakkuk 3:2 NIV Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

In this verse we can find several prerequisites for the onset of revival:

A. We Must Acknowledge God as LORD

Habakkuk uses the Hebrew word Yahweh which speaks to God’s eternality – the everlasting God

He is the only one who was and is and is to come!

There is none greater: eternal power, presence and knowledge are His.

There’s no one quite like you among the gods, O Lord, and nothing to compare with your works. All the nations you made are on their way, ready to give honor to you, O Lord, ready to put your beauty on display, parading your greatness, and the great things you do— God, you’re the one, there’s no one but you! Psalm 86:8-10 MSG

Many people re-imagine God the way that they want Him to be… the way that suits how they want to live. We have been created in God’s image… Not the other way around. He is the ABSOLUTE I AM… the one and only. Do you believe in the ONE God as revealed in the Bible?

Habakkuk tells us that he “stands in awe.”

Awe = Reverence = Fear = Dread This is a falling on your face… knowing the God could and erase you from existence but understanding that He loves you too much to do that.

“I stand, I stand in awe of you. Holy One to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of you.”

B. We Must Hear His Word

Habakkuk heard the Word of God, the reports of His mighty miracles. He heard, and took it in…believed it.

Too many sitting in our American church pews are simply hearing the word but not taking it in and implementing it in their lives.

Revival cannot come apart from the word of God!

No revival in Israel took place without the Word – no revival, since has happened without the clear proclamation of God’s Word.

Do you listen to God’s word… AND let it change you?

C. We Must Have a Hunger for God

Habakkuk 3:2 NIV Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

“Hearing about how you have worked before, isn’t enough for me. I want to see you do it again today.”

You can hear the hunger in the prophet’s words: “…in our day, in our time…”

“We need you now God!”

David showed the same spiritual hunger.

Psalm 63:1 NASB O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Without REAL hunger, we won’t see revival.

Even here in church we sing about it:

“Hungry I come to You, for I know You satisfy I am empty but I know Your love does not run dry So I wait for You”

And THAT’s the hard part… WAIT.

II. REVIVAL IS LORD’S BUSINESS

Habakkuk 3:2 NIV Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

A. Habakkuk had been praying for revival for years

waiting, waiting and waiting

You can almost hear him say: “Why are you waiting – what are you waiting for?”

This could be the cry of every generation who is looking for revival

But we must remember – we are not God.

We cannot bring revival

None of us can do the work in the heart of man that needs to be done to revive him to a state of loving reverent consciousness to God

Habakkuk could look back and see God’s hand in many different revivals of the past, but he could not force God’s hand for the present.

Should this keep us from asking God for revival? No. Our asking expresses our hunger.

David Prior writes in his commentary on Habakkuk,

“God may, indeed, never repeat himself, but we can expect him to do in a new way what he is in the habit of doing – bring life.”

B. Revival can’t be manufactured

If you have been a part of an evangelical church for a while, you have probably invited people to a set of special “Revival Services.”

“Revival, May 18th-24th. Come one and all!”

It was all very well intentioned. We want to see God move mightily… “in our day, in our time.”

The problem is… God doesn’t work on our schedule.

But there is a part that God allows us to participate in

C. Building at atmosphere for Revival

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

All that we have been saying is wrapped-up in this verse. sets the atmosphere for God to begin building revival in us

III. THE LORD’S MERCY FOR ALL

Habakkuk 3:2 NIV Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

A. Habakkuk knew that judgment was coming.

God was going to judge Israel for her sin.

God had spent CENTURIES trying to get the people to turn to him, and it was time for correction.

Romans 1:18 NLT But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

But judgment isn’t the end of the story.

God’s discipline is always redemptive in nature. God wants to bring us back to Himself.

And

B. God is a God of mercy

- …in wrath remember mercy.

In the Bible mercy is the attribute whereby God does not give us what we deserve.

Habakkuk, is asking God to balance the necessary judgment with His great mercy.

In revival, the time for judgment passes and the time for renewal begins.

CONCLUSION