Revival: Repentance Releases Revival

Repentance Releases Revival

We are now just 1 week away from Revival Nights…. And only 1 decision away from REVIVAL…. Repentance….

Repentance Releases Revival…

Revival isn’t produced by emotional moments…. Revival is RELEASED through surrendered hearts.

Intro:

The simple fact is God can fill ANYTHING…. Except a close hand and a closed heart.

A heart determined to stay in control cannot experience the fullness of God… as we lead up to Revival perhaps you find yourself “waiting on God to move”…. While He is waiting on us to SURRENDER.

Acts 3:19

“19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”

Peter tells the early church… who is LONGING for God, desperate for Him…..

REPENT… and times of refreshing will follow.

Repentance doesn’t come at the end of Revival…. It is the doorway to Revival.

1.) Repentance isn’t about feeling Bad…. It’s about turning towards God

This word… REPENT…. We don’t like it because we misunderstand it…

It means to change DIRECTION… to TURN in a new direction

It doesn’t mean guilt… it doesn’t mean shame… it doesn’t mean regret…. These do not produce the kind of freedom and revival that God wants for us…. Only true REPENTANCE can do that.

Illust:

If you were on a road trip, and you realized you were driving the wrong direction…. Simply acknowledging the course error… doesn’t correct it… it is when you turn around that things change…. THAT is Repentance

There is a story in Mark about a Rich young man who… wanted eternal life…. He wanted Jesus… He wanted faith… HE WANTED REVIVAL….

Mark 10:21–22

“21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

And in fact… everything He wanted was right in front of HIM…. “Come follow me” the invitation to a life with JESUS, the invitation to be a disciple… the invitation to REVIVAL….

The tragedy isn’t what he had…. It’s what had him…

It’s not what he possesed… its what possessed him

It wasn’t simply his wealth… it was his unwillingness to surrender

Galatians 2:20

“20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Revival doesn’t happen when we add more of JESUS to our life… its not adding more church to our regularly scheduled life…. it SURRENDERING OUR ENTIRE LIFE TO JESUS

2.) Repentance is responding to the Holiness of God

The goal of Revival is that we would have a genuine encounter with GOD… in that encounter we would see HIS HOLINESS….

2 Peter 3:11

“11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives”

Notice Peter doesn’t say… what should you believe, what songs should you sing, what podcast should you listen to…

What kind of PEOPLE OUGHT YOU BE…. HOLY

Revival isn’t about being entertained in the presence of God… it’s about being changed by a HOLY GOD.

When people experience the HOLINESS of God… there are two responses possible

Repentance or Resistance

Because an encounter with the Holiness of God always reveals something in us.

HOLINESS reveals what COMFORT CONCEALS

Romans 8:2

“2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

God’s Holiness exposes us so he can set us free!

Holiness doesn’t push us away, it invites us closer… THROUGH REPENTANCE

3.) Repentance produces FREEDOM, JOY and HEALING

We have been lied to that Repentance cost us JOY, when in fact it brings JOY

Think of the prodigal son in LUKE 15… the party didn’t happen when he left, it happened when HE RETURNED… when HE REPENTED…

Repentance restores JOY

Psalm 51:12

“12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

So the entire chapter of Psalm 51 is David repenting after being confronted by the prophet Nathan about Bathsheba…. And in the middle of it he prays RESTORE TO ME THE JOY

Repentance doesn’t steal joy, it restores what has been taken from us…. The JOY OF OUR SALVAITON

Sin promises freedom but produces slavery

Repentance feels like surrender and produces freedom!

1 John 1:9

“9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

It doesn’t say… He is reluctant to forgive.. it doesn’t say might forgive..

HE IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE….

Repentance isn’t begging God to love you again…. It’s RETURNING to the love He never stopped giving

Repentance restores what sin stole

Sin isolates, that is what happened in the garden and it is still what happens in our hearts and lives

It isolates from God and each other

James 5:16

“16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Forgiveness comes from confession to God

healing often comes from confession to each other

Repentance always restores JOY,

4.) Repentance Releases Revival

**KEYS HERE**

I want to show the progression so you can be prepared..

Revival is a moment that I encounter God…

Seeing God reveals HIS HOLINESS

His Holiness exposes MY SIN

MY choice determines the rest!

Repentance or Resistance….

Repentance produces Humility

Humility creates dependence

Dependence positions me for REVIVAL

It’s not a straight line… it s a continual cycle

We don’t graduate from repentance we become quicker to repent…

I will tell you… you will become quicker at which ever response you choose… repentance or resistance

Acts 3:19

“19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”

I believe that times of refreshing are coming and are in fact available to us right now… we don’t have to wait for an event….. we simply have to repent… to turn towards God

SALVATION:

If we confess our sin… He forgives

If we confess HE is LORD… HE SAVES

Today you will either resist HIM or accept HIM as LORD.

CHARGE:

Repent and receive Revival…. Refreshing … it’s available….