Third Sunday of Easter

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-2

The New International Version Chapter 12

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Sermon:

Last week we began talking about the ingredients for revival. What are the things we need for a revival to occur? It’s not the series of meetings on the calendar. It’s not the speaker coming with the right amount of oomph. It’s not about the right hymns or choruses being sung. Believe it or not, Billy Graham didn’t think the revival or crusade he preached at was a success if George Beverly Shea sang 85 verses of Just As I Am. He didn’t pull him aside afterwards and say, “George, you only got 80 in. If you had only done 85.” None of the ingredients for a revival are external. Remember, they are all about our heart. Do we sense a need for revival? Are we praying and seeking God’s face in preparation for what He wants to do in us? Are we humbling ourselves, allowing our attitudes to be submissive to what God wants to do in us?

We held a revival in one church early in my ministry and the people were decent, good people. But every night as the evangelist delivered his message, he would look around the congregation. He saw people nodding their heads, smiling, responding to the message with their body language. But then there was the altar call at the close of each evening and the altars would remain empty. No one would come forward. One gentleman who always sat near the front would hold on to the pew in front of him, white knuckled, tears streaming down his face but he would not move. After the revival was over the evangelist told me that while people had seemed willing, their lack to respond demonstrated they were not internally ready for revival. They had not prepared.

But a chef gathers the ingredients for one reason. To cook. To make something. And in the mind of the chef is a picture of what will be coming off the stove or out of the oven. There is an expected result to be achieved. Today, we are going to consider what revival will look like.

First, a demonstration of the power of God’s Word. Once we put the revival on the calendar and asked Pastor Mary to be our guest speaker, she and I have been praying, and some of you have as well, that God would begin to prepare her heart to speak His Word to us. She isn’t giving us some cliche’s or worldly wisdom. She is going to be preaching from God’s Word. And God’s Word is living and powerful and active. Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Secondly, the context of the preaching is a worship service. We will be invited each night into a worship experience. We will be opening ourselves up to what God might want to say to us through His Word. And when we worship something, we take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on whatever it is we worship. When we worship God, we surrender ourselves to Him. We submit ourselves to His will because our worship recognizes His authority over us. Failure to worship means we are more concerned about ourselves than we are willing to listen to God. We already heard Paul’s words to the Romans this morning. But Jesus talks to the woman at the well and in their conversation He says to her, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24 -

When revival truly comes to a people of God, there is a spirit of unity and love. Now, I’ve been amazed serving here at how well everyone gets along and agrees together. This has been one of the most endearing things about pastoring here. It’s one of the reasons why I hope to stay until I’m 68, if not older. But, it’s possible that there are past hurts. Perhaps there are people who aren’t here who have been hurt by something someone said and never fixed. Maybe there are people who have left after having said something about which we would say, “I’ll never forgive them for that.” But when revival comes, the people of God begin to understand attitudes that harbor pain or a failure to forgive are contrary to the will of God. There will be some who will forgive past hurts, there are those who will be forgiven. There are those who will embrace someone they never thought they could and love that will deepen between the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:3 - "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." 1 John 4:7 - "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." Unity and love are symptoms of true revival.

And fourth, revival bears fruit. Unity and love are the fruit of what might happen in the church, but revival is not only about “us”. The church is being revived to make a difference in the world around it. The church is being revived in its apathy (not caring) on one side and from its discouragement (we care but nothing seems to work) on the other. Revival revives the church to the mission it is to be about. Revival reminds the church to shine the light of Christ in the midst of the darkness. Jesus told His disciples, Matthew 5:16 - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

This is a picture of what true revival looks like. Again, it’s more than a series of services. It’s more than just an additional bunch of meetings that take up time and keep us busy a few extra nights a week. It’s an opportunity to open the eyes of our heart so that God can move in our lives and in the lives of others. Let’s pray that God truly does, “Open the eyes of our heart”.