You can't catch a wave Sitting on the beach

Series: Surf’s Up, Revival coming,You Ready

Title: You Can’t Catch A Wave Sitting on the Beach

Theme: The purpose of living in revival

Text: Palm 85:6; 2 Timothy 1:6

Goal: You Can’t Catch A Wave Sitting on the Beach.

ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE

Have any of you ever vacationed at the beach?

Set up chairs and umbrellas at the beach, put on Sun screen.

They may take books with them, shovels and buckets for the kids.

How many of you go into the ocean?

I have had some tell me they don’t like the ocean because they can’t see their feet.

I have heard others say they send the children to the ocean to bring water back to cool off.

You Can’t Catch A Wave Sitting on the Beach

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

I asked the question on Facebook weeks ago what is revival?

Skip Spangler

Back in the day, a (somewhat) snarky seminary professor opened class by noting a sign seen outside a church on the drive into class.

"Spring Revival Starts Tonight." the sign read. "Revival Ends On April 10th."

The professor said: "And I thought to myself, even if we do know when God might start a revival, who we are to decide when it should end?"

I always thought that might preach. Never have, though. I just let the thought stick with me for whatever good it might do.

Tony:

Don’t die

To need revival... to come to life again... assumes that one has died. So the best thing is to not die to begin with, spiritually, because then revival is not needed. I say this because I’ve known many churches that plead for revival, apparently missing this point... that the Spirit has already given “everything necessary for life and godliness.” If we live in the life of the Spirit, revival is not necessary. It’s an emergency measure.

Jason

Revival must be personal before it can be corporate.

we always want revival in the church. But it has to start with each believer. If the church is not united, you can't have revival. Satan loves a broken church

As a teenager

Bob

You have to have the experience of spiritual desolation and know the need for turning. When you're looking up from the bottom is when you look for hope and are open to hearing and change., Most of the revival services I've attended are just preaching fests.

James

Hey Frank. Start with what the word means. What is 'revival?' Then apply to spiritual life.

Ed

Sounds like a great deal of modern North American denominational religion. Revival, neatly packaged and easily managed.

Person told me it is up to God. God brings revival

Theological pieces

Is revival just about God? Does he bring it? Is there a human element? ( Yes for the church)

You Can’t Catch A Wave Sitting on the Beach

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

I. Revival defined?

A. Revival define

REVIVE, rē̇-vīvʹ, REVIVING, rē̇-vīvʹing: “To revive” is the tr of חָיָה, ḥāyāh, “to live,” “cause to live,” used of restoration to life (Gen 45:27; Jgs 15:19, etc); of rebuilding (Neh 4:2); of restoration to well-being (Ps 85:6 [RV “quicken”]; 138:7; Isa 57:15; Hos 6:2; 14:7); of Jeh’s gracious work for His people (Hab 3:2, “revive thy work in the midst of the years,” etc); “reviving” is the tr of מִחְיָה, miḥyāh, “preservation,” or “means of life” (Ezr 9:8, 9). “Revive” occurs in the NT as the tr of ἀναζάω, anazáō, “to live again” (Rom 7:9, and 14:9, AV “Christ both died, and rose, and revived,” RV [omitting “and rose”] “Christ died and lived again,” záō).

In 1 Macc 13:7 RV we have “And the spirit of the people revived,” ἀναζωπυρέω, anazōpuréō,

2 Timothy 1:6-7

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Ti 1:6–7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

“to stir or kindle up as a fire,” the same word as in 2 Tim 1:6, RV “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee,” m “Gr ‘stir into flame.’ ”

In view of the frequent modern use of “revive” and “revival,” it is worthy of notice that it is to Timothy himself the exhortation is addressed. We too often merely pray for “revivals,” forgetting that it is for us to “stir into flame” the gift of the Spirit which we have already received of God. It is ours from Him, but we let it lie dormant, as a slumbering ember merely.

Walker, W. L. (1915). Revive, Reviving. In J. Orr, J. L. Nuelsen, E. Y. Mullins, & M. O. Evans (Eds.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vol. 1–5, p. 2587). Chicago: The Howard-

II. Human element

A. There is another question is there a human element

Joel 1: 3-8

Has such a thing happened in your days,

or in the days of your fathers?

3  Tell your children of it,

and let your children tell their children,

and their children to another generation.

4  What the cutting locust left,

the swarming locust has eaten.

What the swarming locust left,

the hopping locust has eaten,

and what the hopping locust left,

the destroying locust has eaten.

5  Awake, you drunkards, and weep,

and wail, all you drinkers of wine,

because of the sweet wine,

for it is cut off from your mouth.

6  For a nation has come up against my land,

powerful and beyond number;

its teeth are lions’ teeth,

and it has the fangs of a lioness.

7  It has laid waste my vine

and splintered my fig tree;

it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;

their branches are made white.

8  Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth

for the bridegroom of her youth

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Joe 1:2–8). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

B. We can repent

Joel 2:12-13

12  “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13  and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

and he relents over disaster.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Joe 2:12–13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

A. Repentance is the place to begin.

We need to grow deeper in their faith.

III. Take away

Believers need to go deeperDeeper involves repentanceYou can live in a state of revival.Repentance, heart revival,Christ first.

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)

Conclusion:

Putting Christ first means growing, obeying, loving and reaching our world. That is what we can do to follow you!

This is a method to go deeper. Going deeper will lead me into a state of living in revival. Living in this state opens our lives to the path that the Holy Spirit is leading us. Faith produces each step.

We need to go deeper.

Surf’s up, revival is coming, you ready?