(Revival) Wed Night Service
Notes
Transcript
Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept greatly. Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. So now let’s make a covenant with our God to send away all the wives and their children, following the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the Law. Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act.”
Key Points
First there has to be Genuine Sorrow over Sin. (v1)
Revival starts when people feel the weight of sin and are truly broken before God.
There has to be a Corporate Awareness and Respone. (v1)
Ezra’s repentance becomes contagious
Large crowd wept bitterly!
Revival spreads when others are convicted and join in repentance, not just one person.
Revival Requires: Honest Confession with Hope. (v2)
Shecaniah acknowledges the sin
In order for revival to begin we have to acknowledge and own up to our sin without excuses.
There has to be belief that God still offers hope and restoration.
There has to be a Commitment to Radical Obedience. (v3-4)
The people committed to putting away their sinful relationships and aligning with God’s law. (even though it’s difficult)
So revival is not just some emotional ride, it demands real change and costly obedience.
Read Psalms 139: 23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart;
Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there is any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Tonight we are going to spend some time in prayer in asking God to search our hearts and reveal to us the sin that’s there and just maybe if we have a desire to truly commit ourself to God we will begin to repent and turn back to Him.
