Ready for Revival

Intro

What is revival? Renewed zeal to obey God; to live again; to restore what once was

Revival is an opportunity to:

Come back to what once was in your Christian life

Restore the fellowship you once had with God and saints

Renew your burden for the lost

Refresh your mindset on ministry

Get your desire back to walk with God

1. The Goal of Revival

Biblically, how is the word used?

a.) Renewed Strength

Genesis 45:27 (KJV 1900)

27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

(Jacob after hearing of Joseph’s presence)

b.) Refreshment

Judges 15:19 (KJV 1900)

19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

(Samson after the battle)

c.) Restoration

Nehemiah 4:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

d.) Resurrection

1 Kings 17:22 (KJV 1900)

22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

(Elijah lay on the child three times and resurrected the child from the dead)

The goal of revival is:

Renewed strength

Refreshment

Restoration

Resurrection

2. The Way to Revival

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV 1900)

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

a.) Humble yourself

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves

b.) Pray to God

and pray

c.) Seek His face

and seek my face

d.) Turn from sin

and turn from their wicked ways

3. The Example of Revival

Back in February I preached a message on What Do You Do With Truth from this passage...

Tomorrow evening we have the opportunity to hear truth spoken for three nights in a row…

We can attend and allow the truth to pass in one ear and out the other…

Or, we can respond to truth the Biblical way, change, grow and have revival…

a.) The Importance of the Truth

2 Chronicles 34:20–21 (KJV 1900)

20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s, saying, 21 Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.

He heard the Word of God for the first time after finding it in the destroyed temple…

He rent his clothes and sent 5 men to enquire from the Lord

b.) The correct response to truth

2 Chronicles 34:22–33 (KJV 1900)

22 And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect. 23 And she answered them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, 24 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. 26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; 27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord. 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord their God. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

When truth was found and heard, Josiah was stirred up about it

a.) A tender heart

b.) A humbling before God

c.) A shared revival with others

d.) A remembrance of God’s goodness

In chapter 35 - Josiah kept a great Passover

2 Chronicles 35:17–18 KJV 1900

17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. 18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

There is a progression from chapters 34-35:

Josiah did right and began to seek after God

He utterly destroyed and tore down all the alters to Baalim

He sought to rebuild the destroyed temple

As they were repairing the house of the Lord, they found a scroll of scripture

It was read to Josiah, he learned of it and it tore him up inside that he and his nation were not keeping to it

He brought specific attention to the truth not being kept and sent men to inquire of a prophetess

His heart was tender and he humbled himself before God

Josiah made a covenant to God to keep his commandments and statutes

He caused all in Jerusalem to keep to it as well

He took away the bad and ushered in the good

Then he threw the best Passover ever