Revival Starts with Me

Robert Coleman.- Revival is that sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring and releasing them into the fullness of His blessing.

James A. Stewart. - Revival is the people of God living in the power of an ungrieved, unquenched Spirit.

Andrew Murray. - A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness, making God's love triumph in the heart.

Vance Havner. - Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again.

Many of us have heard message after message - have sat through weeks of meetings - Read books and posts regarding Revival but have never truly experienced it.

Could this be because we have mistakenly measured our walk with Christ with our emotions? We get excited about God during a revival weeks or camp, or special retreats and meetings, but when it is over and life starts up again - we remain largely unchanged.

Could it be because we are sitting waiting for God to work but not willing to put the effort in.

Revival is not something we can manipulate like emotions or feelings.

How do you feel revival? What emotions

In God is dealing with his people and their idol worship. in Verse 13 God says....

Isaiah 57:13 KJV 1900

13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; But the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: But he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, And shall inherit my holy mountain;

Isaiah

He tells His people who had turned their back on Him - when troubles come - when the enemies attack - don’t come crying to me!

He says let those you have trusted in deliver you ..... but wait, they cannot. He compares the strength of their idols to chaff in the wind. Vanity - Useless.

Then God contrasts those that choose to Trust Him. They will possess the land - (Victorious Christian Life) - They will Inherit my Holy Mountain - Mt Zion (Heaven!!)

Putteth His Trust

The Term “Putteth His Trust” is one that we should take to heart...

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) 2879 חָסָה

2879 חָסָה (ḥā·sā(h)): v.; ≡ Str 2620; TWOT 700—LN 21.17–21.24 (qal) take refuge in, i.e., go to a place where one will find safety, rest, or comfort, implying the place of refuge is a place to be trusted to keep one safe (Jdg 9:15; 2Sa 22:3)

2880 I. חֹס

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 700 חָסָה

“To seek refuge” stresses the insecurity and self-helplessness of even the strongest of men. It emphasizes the defensive or external aspect of salvation in God, the unchanging one in whom we “find shelter”

God is telling those who turn from him that they can call upon the empty, useless, powerless Idols - But believers can Run to Him and find Refuge, safety and comfort!!!

Many of us here today have experience God as our refuge!!

Describes God as our refuge…using phrases like “under the shadow of his wings”

Read Random Verses from .

What does the fact that God is the Refuge of the believer have to do with personal Revival?

Before we can experience the power of God in our lives, we have to first place our trust in Him.

During an earthquake, a few years ago, the inhabitants of a small village were very much alarmed. One old woman, whom they all knew, was surprisingly calm and joyous. At length, one of them said to her, “Mother, are you not afraid?” “No, she replied, I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the world.”

When your world begins to shake - do you respond in fear or do your respond in trust?

Those who have placed their trust in Christ and have experienced the Refuge of the Lord will respond in a desire for a deeper, closer relationship with God.

Isaiah 57:14 KJV 1900

14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, Take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.

The term “Cast ye up” means to build or pile high and speaks of giving honor and worship in heaps. Then He repeats it - adding to the importance of worshiping and exalting Him!

Believers should be piling up, heaping up the worship, praise, adoration, love, devotion.

This is the attitude of a believer that is desperate to express their devotion to the Lord!

When the focus off of me and on the Lord - I can begin to “Prepare the Way” and “take up the stumblingblocks” so that I can experience Revival! I am looking for anything in my life that would be a barrier between my heart and His!

Psalm 139:23–24 KJV 1900

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 129:

Psalm 19:14 KJV 1900

14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

It is the Prayer that says God....Whatever it takes - Let me see you! Any Attitude, any sin, any pride, ANYTHING BETWEEN ME AND GOD HAS TO GO!

That was all Introduction - To Prepare Our Hearts To Receive His Message. Are you ready?

For the remainder of our time together - we are going to unpack the next verse of our text....

What Barriers are in our lives that will keep us from experiencing the Revival that God desires to give us?

Isaiah 57:15 KJV 1900

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Revival Starts With....

Seeing God For Who He Is

He is Exalted

The Phrase “High and Lofty one” Describes God as the one and only God of heaven and earth. There is none greater. He is above all authorities and powers.

As the exalted one he is to be worshiped, adored and followed.

He is exalted in his wisdom:

Isaiah 55:9 KJV 1900

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8 KJV 1900

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

This truth should change the way we respond to His Word. If He is High and Lifted Up in my heart, If i would make much of him to the world then I must trust in his wisdom understanding that He is so much greater than i am.

Because He is the High and Lofty one - there is nothing in my life that escapes his attention....

Psalm 139:1–6 KJV 1900

1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.

This is both a comforting and fearful thing. For Him to know my so completely and still love me shows His wonderful grace and mercy, but the truth that there is no sin in my life that escapes his notice should drive me to want to live a life that is worthy of His Love

He is Eternal

He inhabits eternity. This is something that is impossible for us to fathom. It is not just that He is immortal and lives forever. He Lives In ETERNITY!

He is currently in every moment that Has Existed, is Existing or ever will exist!

This very thought should lead us to trust in him. Not only is he present with us now, he is also in our tomorrow.

Are you anxious today? Are you worried about what is going to happen next week, next month, next year. Are you going into 2020 concerned about your future.

The God that we follow - the High and Lofty one - the one exalted above all - also lives in forever.

That is why we can trust in His Word when it says....

Philippians 4:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7 KJV 1900

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

We may not know what is going to Happen, but He Does. We may not understand how God can

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

But The knowledge that the God we serve is so much higher than we are - his wisdom is so much greater - and his presence is complete tells me that we can completely lay our care at his feet and know that God is working!!

He is Holy

The truth that God is Holy sets HIm apart from the rest of creation. And notice that it doesn’t just say that his is Holy. But that HIS NAME IS HOLY.

In Scripture names are important. They give us a glimpse into the person to help us understand the core of who that person is. It defines them

How We Should See Ourselves

When Naomi returned from Moab after losing her husband and two sons she changed her name. Naomi means “pleasent”, but because of all she had gone through, that was not who she was anymore. In she tells them to call her Marra - which means bitter. When others thought of her, the name marra would remind them of her loss, and her reaction to her loss - She was be known as Bitter.

If God’s Name is Holy, then we can know that this name defines who he is.

He is pure, sacred, set apart.

Isaiah 6:1–4 KJV 1900

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

When

This knowledge should lead us to worship. We do not worship something that is lesser than us - or even equal to us. To Be worthy of worship - the object of our devotion must be something greater.

This knowledge should also lead us to change. We become what we worship.

Greg Beale wrote “What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or for restoration.”

This is a call for and me to live a set apart, consecrated life it for his Use!

1 Peter 1:16 KJV 1900

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

To Experience Revival We must see God For who He is - The High and Lofty one, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy!

How We Should See Ourselves

Isaiah 57:15 KJV 1900

Because of who God is he Dwells in the “High and Holy Place” far above and greater than creation.

But notice who he has invited to live with him....

The Humble and Contrite.

Our worship of God should leads to a desire to have a growing relationship with Him.

The Position of the Humble

A Humber person understand who he is in light of who God is. It means to be of lower rank, to be positioned under, to literally be lower.

When I was in the military we had a rank structure. I remember when I was deployed to Kecskimet Hungary in support of a multi-national exercise - we had some down time and decided to drive up to Budapest. The place was beautiful. While there we decided to go to some of the outdoor markets. I would normally find something there to buy for Mindy and the kids. We had a buddy rule that meant no one could go off by themselves. We had to have someone with us. My buddy this day just happened to be my squadron commander - Lt. Col Micheal Marra.

Part of protecting yourself in a foreign country is not doing anything to call attention to yourself as being in the military - especially not giving anyone a clue to your rank. As we walked up to the shop Col Marra looked at me and said - Call me Mike while we are in town. - I had such respect for this man that this was a huge problem for me. He was my commander, and It was not appropriate for me usually to call him by his first name. That was a very awkward time - trying to force myself to remember to call him Mike, and when i did i still felt like i was disrespecting him. He was my commander, and i was his subordinate.

A Humble person understand that God is greater than Him.

What is true humility.

It is not thinking Less of yourself - it is not thinking of yourself at all.

It is dyeing to self that we might live to God

When a man asked George Mueller the secret of his service, Mueller responded: “There was a day when I died, utterly died; died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends; and since then I have studied to show myself approved only to God.”

Are you a humble person?

In Humility there is no pride because you understand that all you have accomplished for Christ was in and through his strength and for his glory, not yours

In Humility there is no jealousy. When I go to my toolbox and get out a wrench to do a job - the other wrenches don’t turn green with envy. Each of them are a tool in the mechanics hand to fulfill a specific purpose. In the same way - when we see God using another person, if we are humble we would rejoice with them - not become jealous because it wasn’t me.

Are you like me. In your heart of hearts, do you yearn for recognition.

Have you looked at how God uses others and wished that were you rather than rejoice with them.

That makes us a Glory Thief.

God, help me to be a humble tool in your hand - existing to bring you glory!

The Condition of the Contrite

The word contrite means to be crushed. While a Humble person doesn’t think of themselves at all, A Contrite person is crushed by their the knowledge of their own sinfulness.

Psalm 51:17 KJV 1900

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

After Isaiah saw God in all his majesty he was crushed...

Isaiah 6:5 KJV 1900

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

He said “I am unworthy to experience God like this”. I don’t deserve His love, his Grace. I don’t deserve to be used by him - but yet that is the very people that he does use!!!!

Isaiah 6:6–8 KJV 1900

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isaiah 6:6–9 KJV 1900

A Contrite person will be overwhelmed by their unworthiness and absolutely blown away by His GRACE!

Where we run into trouble is when we think we are worthy. Our sin no longer breaks us. We have learned to live with it.

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT

So is your sin and guilt getting the better of you?

Well, now "There’s an app for that." CBS News reports (February 9, 2011) a new application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch called the "Confession Booth app. All you do is confess to your iPhone! It sells for $1.99 and is described as the "perfect aid for the penitent." The program let users compile list of their sins. Users get taken through the Ten Commandments, with questions attached to each. The app displays the sins along with a written act of contrition for the penitent.

If we are going to experience personal revival - we need to spend some time kneeling at his throne.

We need to pray....

Psalm 139:23–24 KJV 1900

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

What God Desire To Do In Us

Isaiah

Isaiah 57:15 KJV 1900

Look at what the last part of this verse says. If we have a spirit of Humility. If we have a Contrite Heart and are crushed over our own sin. If we see God For who he is - High and lifted up, living in eternity - whose name is holy!! Then we are exactly where we need to be to experience Revival!!!

Revive the Spirit of the Humble

See God as He Is

See Us as We are

He is Exalted

He is Eternal

1 Peter 5:5–6 KJV 1900

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

He is

God desires to use those who are humble because he is the one who Gets the Glory. When our true attitude is - All for His Glory, then we are an instrument that he can use.

The Position of Humility

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When God sends revival - our spirit is renewed and we are overwhelmed with the desire to serve so that we can point others to him.

The late Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, was visiting Taiwan on one of his overseas trips. During the visit he hiked with a Taiwanese pastor back into one of the mountain villages to meet with some of the national Christians. The roads and trails were wet, and their shoes became very muddy. Later, someone asked this Taiwanese pastor what he remembered most about Dawson Trotman. Without hesitation the man replied, “He cleaned my shoes.”

The Condition of Contriteness

Revive the Heart of the Contrite

It is an amazing thought that God doesn’t leave us crushed and broken!!!

He renews our heart - encourages us by his mercy and love to motivate us to follow him!

1 John 1:9 KJV 1900

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

After the prophet Isaiah was crushed by his sin - God gave the remedy

Isaiah 6:6–8 KJV 1900

Isaiah 6:5 KJV 1900

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

His reaction was “Send me”

Revival results from a right View of Who God is - A Right View of Who we are.

Revival results in a renewed spirit and heart for service toward him.

Do you want revival?

Our theme is “Revival Starts With Me”.

Really it begins with A piece of Chalk.

Gypsy Smith said that if you want to have revival - take a piece of chalk and draw a circle on the ground. Then kneel in the middle of that circle and beg God to send revival to all with it.

Revival Starts with Me

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Revival Starts With....

Seeing God For Who He Is

He is Exalted

He is Eternal

He is Holy

How We Should See Ourselves

How We Should See Ourselves

The Position of the Humble

The Condition of the Contrite

What God Desire To Do In Us

Revive the Spirit of the Humble

The Position of Humility

The Condition of Contriteness

Revive the Heart of the Contrite