Revive us Again

Sermon Notes:

Prayer for Afghanistan before Missionary Updates

Lemar’s mother

Question for Missionaries. At what age did you accept Christ?

Psalm 85 (AV)

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1 LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Introduction

We cannot know with certainty, but it is apparent that the Psalmist desired restoration to a former time in which God’s blessing was poured out abundantly upon them

let this not be the case. Let’s wake up like the prodigal.

We often refer to this as revival. Have you ever experienced this? I would certainly hope so on a personal level.

The Secret of Christian Joy, Vance Havner writes: “The greatest need of America is an old-fashioned, heaven-born, God-sent revival. Throughout the history of the church, when clouds have hung lowest, when sin has seemed blackest and faith has been weakest, there have always been a faithful few who have not sold out to the devil nor bowed the knee to Baal, who have feared the Lord and thought upon his Name and have not forsaken the assembling of themselves together. These have besought the Lord to revive his work in the midst of the years, and in the midst of the fears and tears, and in wrath to remember mercy. God has always answered such supplication, filling each heart with his love, rekindling each soul with fire from above.

I think there can be a real danger in talking about revival too much. How so? It will cause us to see it as something that is unattainable and mystical.

Revive: to refresh, restore, reinvigorate.

Calvary Road / Tyler Chandler. / I was made aware that even though I knew I was saved I missing out on so much available to me

The central concern of the psalmist is that the LORD revive them again with his faithful love so that they might praise him.

Revival can only be brought by God

Hearing God speak will be central to His reviving in our lives.

Revival will result in rejoicing

1. Revival can only be brought by God

Psalm 85:6 (AV)

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

Remembering better times

God had been favorable unto the people

Psalm 85:1 (AV)

1 LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

We, God’s people, need revival. Our country needs conversion.

How was He favorable?

God covered their sins.

Psalm 85:2 (AV)

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

God removed His wrath from them.

Psalm 85:3 (AV)

3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

God moved among them.

Psalm 85:4 (AV)

4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

Prayer of revival is to say “Turn us, O God”

What do you think you need and where are looking?

Only God can provide the renewal that we need.

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive I. The Source of Revival

There’s no law that can make you love me, so I have to have a law to keep you from killing me. Laws are not here to legislate morality; they are here to legislate against immorality. Only

No work without the Lord will ever provide for your real needs.

Psalm 127:2 (AV)

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Our labour feels like it is in vain.

Isaiah 49:4 (AV)

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

“Revival begins with the real us coming to the real Jesus.”

Something more available than most enjoy

Restoration of a nation

Psalm 85:1 (AV)

1 LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.

God restores things to full health.

Psalm 126:1 (AV)

1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

So many wonderful blessings come from seeking the Lord

Hosea 10:12 (AV)

12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Bible speaks about a reviving, renewal, and an increase in joy.

Reviving of our spirit

Isaiah 57:15 (AV)

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.

Renewing

Titus 3:5 (AV)

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Increase in our joy

Isaiah 29:19 (AV)

19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Why is this only a work for God?

Sin is heavy

God forgave the sin of the people.

Psalm 85:2 (AV)

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Forgave iniquity means to remove. As lifting something heavy.

Covering describes a pardon and not just a mere covering.

Sin is ultimately the issue

Revival is found in addressing sin.

We don’t need better ideas or better systems in our lives.

This is the language of the Bible. This is the area that we must always be addressing in our lives.

Psalm 85:2 (AV)

2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Psalm 139:23–24 (AV)

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.

When revival comes in our own lives or in the life of our church there will be a greater desire for holiness.

"Jesus, when He prayed, prayed this way in John 12:28 "Father, glorify thy name...." Our problem is we're trying to have revival for America's sake, for our family's sake, for our children's sake, our grandchildren's sake, for our reputation, for our church, for our denomination. We need to get more concerned for the glory of God."- Adrian Rogers 🔥🔥

2. Hearing God speak will be central to His reviving in our lives.

Psalm 85:8 (AV)

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

We need to hear from God

1 Corinthians 2:1–2 (AV)

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

We look to his mercy, peace, and His glory.

In God’s Word we see His stedfast love towards us.

Psalm 85:7 (AV)

7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

Very likely your understanding of mercy is not wrong but incomplete.

We pray for traveling mercies. Pretty intense.

Loyal love grants us salvation

Salvation in the sense of the deliverance of the covenant people from whatever was causing their pain.

Mercy and truth are brought together at least sixteen times in the Old Testament, including ten times in the psalms.

Romans 3:26 (AV)

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

What if instead of our situation getting worse we became more aware of the unnecessary lack of closeness.

Lights fading during the service

We look to the peace the God speaks toward His people.

Psalm 85:8 (AV)

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Peace is in contrast to the absence of folly.

Give me your burden. Give me all your sins. You don’t know what to do with them, but I know how to dispose of them well enough. Then God will be glorified, and your soul will be delivered. - John Owen

3. Revival will result in rejoicing

There will be a time of furrow grounds but that is the beginning of a new season.

Psalm 85:6 (AV)

6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

We will hear God speak peace unto us saints

Psalm 85:8 (AV)

8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Bring God’s glory upon us

Psalm 85:9 (AV)

9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

The use of “glory” in this context refers to the manifested presence of God in the land

Psalm 19:1 (AV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

This is something we want. Something we talk about. But our desire for it cannot be stronger for our desire have God confront sin in our lives.

We will see a wonderful completeness in our lives between between mercy and truth.

Psalm 85:10 (AV)

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Psalm 85:11 (AV)

11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Psalm 85:12 (AV)

12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

Prayer of young people from the revival of Wales in the early 1900s

Isaiah 62:6–7 (AV)

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Conclusion

It would be wonderful to see something that happened among us make a real and meaningful difference in our city.

Acts 8:7–8 (AV)

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

But we are to do this it must start with us and it must start with acknowledging that all that we need is to be found in God.

The space God deserves in our lives is currently be occupied by lesser than things. Let’s make room.