Revival

Introduction

Welcome

Thank you for coming tonight

Thank you fort your faithfulness

Ps 18:25 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless

God blesses those who remain faithful

God blesses those who remain faithful to Him

The topic tonight is: “Revival”

Our churches are in desperate need of revival

I pray for revival in our land

I pray for revival in this church

But revival really starts with us individually

I think we as people need to be constantly revived

We are so prone to drift from God

So prone to stray off His path

And that is really what revival is all about

Its about getting us back into the will of God

Getting us back on the right track

Correcting our waywardness

“Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love”

When true revival is experienced WE CHANGE

We often think of revival as a spiritual high but that’s not it at all

Biblical revival is more like spiritual fruit

When revival happens, change happens

God is glorified

People change

The Spirit moves

“My soul cleaves to the dust”

The TEV (Today’s English Version) translates this: “I lie defeated”

He is in a low place in life

A place of emptiness

A place of spiritual drought

Anyone ever feel like this?

I sure have felt this way lately

Ministry is so difficult

The smallest things are major battles

Sunday after Sunday nothing changes

That feeling of defeat

We need all need to come to places like this in our lives

We think of defeat as a bad thing but it is not always bad

In fact it is a good thing spiritually speaking

Matt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

Why is a good thing to be in this place of lowliness?

Because its in this place of lowliness that we can experience transformation

People are transformed through pain

people are transformed in dry places

And people experience revival in the valleys

Lets define revival:

“Revive me according to Your Word”

His key to revival is the Word of God

He prays

And God answers Him according to His Word

Revival is just a realignment with God’s Word

There are may other aspects that comes along with it

When we align with God’s Word we become filled with the Spirit

When we align with God’s Word step into the will of God

On and on

But the point is it begins with the Word of God

God’s Word has the ability to bring revival in your life

it can bring revival in my life

It can bring revival in this church

It can bring revival to this nation

I want to give you three principles about revival:

Confession

Correction

Commitment

The Word of God is indispensable from true revival

Confession

(v 26) “I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; Teach me Your statutes”

This speaks of confession before the Lord

He is repenting of the things in his life that should not be there

No revival has ever happened apart from repentance

The most godly people will be repentant people

The most powerful church will be a repentant church

The most joyful person will be one who spends more time on his knees than he does in the pews

God has always called for repentance

People have always strayed from God

We are to declare our ways to God

Confess our sins to God!

This is the beginning of revival

1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

Everyone has sins in their life

And there is a need to confess them

But notice he is saying, “I have declared my ways”

Sometimes the reason we are in a spiritual drought is because we are trying to do life our way instead of God’s way

And this is what I struggle with over and over

I want to fix things my way

And my way is wrong

We need to be able to confess to God we don’t have all the answers

We don’t know the best thing we should do

And declare our ways before the Lord

And then ask for understanding!

“Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So I will mediate on Your wonders”

Ask God to give us understanding!

The word “ways” means “way of life”

Precepts means “instructions” or “procedures”

“God help me understand your instructions on how to do life”

God does things so unlike we would do them

And we so easily drift because his ways make no sense to us!

Is 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord”

I think one of the hardest parts of the Christian life is not giving up

God sends us into the wilderness and sometimes it is years before we make it out

And not one time has the wilderness ever made sense to me

Not one time have I not tried to bail out of it

But every time God gives the same instructions: WAIT

We need to confess our ways before the Lord

Confess them to God in prayer

Ask God is you are headed in the right direction

Pray and ask god before you do anything in life!

And don’t do anything until you have an answer

Correction

(v 28-29) “My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen Me according to Your Word. Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law”

Remove from me the false way

Ashley and I rarely fight

When I say fight I mean argue

We don’t actually fight

But when we do its because I think I’m right and she is wrong

And she thinks she is right and I am wrong

And we argue about it

And sometimes she is right and sometimes I am am right but she won’t admit it

But one of us is usually right!

God has a right way for us to go through this life

God has a right way for us to live

And it is often not the way we would do things

Too many people believe that Christianity is doing whatever we want and grace makes up the rest

Christianity is doing what God has for us and experiencing His best

Revival is about correction

Satan is constantly trying to deceive us

He is constantly trying to pull us off the path God has for us

And part of our walk with God is discerning the false way in this life

This was the Psalmist’s prayer

Oh God remove the false way from me

Lord take my options down to one

Lord show me the right way you would have me to go

This is why is so vital for the health of a Christian to remain in the Word of God

The will of God is the Word of God

The right way is revealed in the Word of God

And we so easily forget therefore we need to read it everyday

Ezra 8:21 “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions”

Revival begins with confession

It then moves to correction

We look for the right way God would have us to go

We pray and seek God and do nothing until we know it is of Him

It becomes commitment

Commitment

(v 30) “I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgements I have laid before me.”

Revival is a work of both man and God

God will not revive us if we do nothing on our part

It takes a willingness

It takes humility

It takes determination to do it God’s way

Confession

Correction

Commitment

“I cling to Your testimonies”

The word “cling used here is the same Hebrew word used in V25

In the beginning he was clinging to the dust

He was feeling as low as he could get

He was desperate

But now he is clinging to God’s Word

He is clinging to God’s precepts

He is clinging to God’s written will for His life

Heres what happens when revival happens

God enlarges our hearts

And this is God’s will for every person who is born of Him

God wants to make you and more like Jesus Christ

“I will run the course of your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart”

This is something that only God can do

This is something that everyone of us need done

Turn with me to

2 kings 22:8-13

Confession

2 kings 23:1-3

Correction

2 Chronicles 34:31-33

Commitment