Why Revival Is Not Coming (2)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Why is revival not coming?
We have revival service after revival service, we go to revival service after revival service. We pray constantly for revival to come. so why has God not brought revival to our churches, to our communities?
Is revival not coming because drag queens in Paris mocked the last supper?
Is revival not coming because pop-stars like Taylor Swift mock God in her lyrics?
Is revival not coming because in DC they are passing laws for the LGBTQ+?
Is revival not coming because of the numerous things going on in society?
None of those reasons have anything to do with why revival is not coming, rather they are things we look at to distract us from the true reason revival is not coming
The reason revival is not coming is sitting right here in the church pew and pews all around the nation
Revival will not come until we humble ourselves and listen to God
Tonight I am not here to give you a high and get you pumped up, I am here to have a very hard talk that is going to leave you offended, it is going to cut to the heart
before you go to making excuses or attacking me ask yourself why what was said hurts so bad. And if you don’t like what I got to say, and want to talk about it you better come armed with scripture
So tonight before really dive deep into some of the issues we face within the church I want to open with reading Matthew 7:1-6
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Tonight is about us the church looking at the planks in our eyes because until we remove the planks in our own eyes we will not be able to see clearly enough for us to walk in unity as a church and until we can walk in unity as a church we will not see God do great holy things in our churches, we will not be entrusted with more children of God to disciple
Verse 6 here is not a pleasant one to talk about but it follows verses 1-5 for a reason
When we though walk in disunity as a church we do act like a bunch of wild dogs
Think about a wild dog
Jewish law tells us dogs are unclean (Leviticus 11:27)
Fight for dominance
fight to fulfill selfish desires
What they fight over the tear to pieces
So often though that is exactly how we behave in our churches:
We live with uncleaness in our lives
Ministry so often is not about the ministry but about getting what I want, what is convenient for me
Church becomes about meting my selfish wants
And as all this goes on we tear the church up
Why then if that is how we behave should we expect God to put his special anointing on the church
When we walk in disunity we also act like a bunch of pigs
as we wallow in our uncleaness we trample over whatever gets in our way rather clean or unclean
So why would God entrust us with more of his children if all we going to do is trample on them and push them even deeper into uncleaness than us
People of God it is time we start acting the sheep we were called to be and stop being a bunch of dogs and pigs
They are many ways we let things get in our ways of being holy, but tonight I am going to share five ways God has convicted me on how the church is being hindered
Neglect of God’s Holiness
Neglect of God’s Holiness
And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
We have lost sight of it means for God to be Holy and that there is a call on our lives to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:16) And in loosing sight of the holiness of God all other problems stem out of it
We have lost sight of the fear of God, we act as if God is no more than just our homeboy or coffee buddy
But this scene we just read of is not something you just casually stroll into
How do people in the Bible respond when they see an angel?
Are people in the Bible able to look directly at God
When is the last time you felt broken at church, during a quiet time?
how does encountering the holiness of God make you realize the shortcomings in your life?
When we truly realize the holiness of God:
Respect happens
brokenness happens
Boldness happens
Faith becomes evident everywhere
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
What does it mean to be holy?
to be holy means to be set apart
and we are called to be so in all ways
We are not to be dictated by the ways of this world, but by the holiness of God
This means we are not alright with just sinning a little, the slightest of sins should break our hearts
It is constant evaluation on how we can line our life up more accurately with the word of God
As we understand the holiness of God we understand the lack of holiness in our lifes and the daily need of pursuit of God
We don’t just settle with getting by, we attack all planks in our life
Pride
Pride
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In neglecting the holiness of God we have started to clothe ourselves in a pseudo-holiness and act as the Pharisee did. Our attitude is “God I am thankful I am not like the homosexual, the abortionist, the drunk (or if we are being real honest its well I don’t drink as much as so and so), the homewrecker. I go to church twice a week and I give more tithe than most folks”
Our pseudo-holiness has nothing to do with scripture but more so to do with comparison and tradition
We fall pray to ritualistic living:
Caught in the ritual of going to church
We think attendance makes us a good person
Caught in the ritual of tithing
As a means of unlocking God’s blessing
Caught in the ritualistic of chanting Jesus name
We say it to invoke blessing in our life but then blaspheme his name in the way we live
Caught in the ritualistic prayer
We pray for God to meet needs while we try to do everything in our power
We start to see ourselves as good Christians by comparing ourselves to others
A Lack of God in the Home
A Lack of God in the Home
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Scripture gives us a Proverb (a saying that is a general truth)
in other words if we raise our children in a godly home, most will stay in the church
Instead 66% are leaving
So young people leaving the church is not a reflection on what is going on in the world but what is going on in the home and that is ritualistic living void of the power and authority of God
Demons see the lack of us walking in Christ and take our family to live in a way that
Children are not leaving the church because of what is going on in the culture or because the church does not have the right programs
They are leaving the church because the pseudo-holiness only goes so far, they are leaving the church because their is a lack of God in the home.
They see you go through the religious motions, but soon as you get home they see what really matters in your life and it is rarely God
what you spend time on
how you serve
rather your words edify or tear down
A Failure to Serve/To Do Our Part
A Failure to Serve/To Do Our Part
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
In our pride and going through the motions we have distanced our selves from serving and doing our part, we have distanced ourselves from being relational
Life has become more about my comfort and my wants
There is so much more to life than just enjoying the moment
Life is full of meaning and purpose when we move with eternity in mind and ask how can I use my gifts and passions for the kingdom
And we all have a responsibility to serve in the church in some way and to serve responsibly
Nominating committee- Your job is to protect the integrity of the discipleship of the church not to fill roles. If their is not a qualified person for a position leave it unfilled
Sunday school teacher- Do you look at your material before Sunday morning? Do you give your best to discipling those entrusted to your care to teach (James 3:1)
Committee members- Do y’all genuine seek the will of God? Or you more set on getting your agenda and opinion through? When is the last time scripture was involved? When was the last time prayer was involved? When was the last time fasting was involved? When was the last time you put genuine effort forward?
Deacons- You are leaders in this community and you are called to be servant leaders (Acts 6)? When is the last time you served? When is the last time you checked on a church member? Do not fall into the trap so many deacon bodies fall into, the trap is seeing yourself as a board of trustees rather than a board of servants.
Pastor- How is the truths you preach applied in your life? How do you lead by example? How do you lead with conviction? How do use the words of God in directing the church?
church member- If you are not serving in some way what is your excuse? Because their is no excuse for all you to be is a pew warmer. You are called to be involved. it could be serving food, it could be writing cards of encouragement, it could be mentoring someone, it could be being the prayer warrior
Beyond the church walls how are you serving. As a believer how is your life defined by serving? Or do you not have time for it? If you don’t have time for it you need to do so re-prioritizing of your life
Idolization of Politics
Idolization of Politics
“You shall have no other gods before me.
And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
We have started to look for a messiah in politics. We have started to look at government to fight our battles
The idolization of political leaders has became mockery
Taking Leviticus 8:22-24 and Leviticus 14:28 to try to justify Trump as God’s anointed one has shown how far the idolization has gone
Are we really going to compare him to a priest?
Often times we get more excited in church over patriotism than we do over the Lord or than over someone getting saved
Souls are not going to get saved because a republican is in the white house more souls are not going to go to hell because a democrat is in the white house
Souls are going to get saved when God’s people get in the Word and apply it and stop waiting on revival to come through political revolution
Souls are going to get saved when we decide to stop letting crooked politicians fight our battles and we let the Lord fight our battles
Souls are going to get saved when we get more familiar with the Word rather than Facebook Reelz, CNN or Fox, etc.
Souls are going to get saved when we come running to the cross and lay down our planks at the foot of the cross
