Importance of Revival

Take your Bibles and turn to the ninth chapter of the book of Nehemiah. We are learning from the second half of Nehemiah what God requires for his people to go to the next level with him.

A couple of weeks ago, in chapter eight, we learned the importance of the word of God in growing a church. It is imperative that we teach and preach biblical truth. That is why biblical truth is one of our core values as a church. We build our church upon the foundation of the gospel and the inerrant and infallible word of God.

For the word of God to grow our church, we must believe it, receive it, and the live it. These truths are essential for going to the next level with the Lord.

In chapter nine of Nehemiah, we are going to notice the importance of revival for going to the next level with the Lord.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “revival.” For some, revival is something that you schedule once or twice a year in the church calendar. Those schedule meeting are designed to bring about revival, but that is not revival. You can have revival meetings without experiencing revival. Some see revival as evangelism, but that is not what revival is either.

So, what is revival? To be revived meant to return to health or vigor, to be brought back to life. To be revived is to return to usefulness and activity.

We see this principle revival demonstrated in everyday life. Take for instance the Emergency Room at a local hospital. The purpose for the paramedics, emergency room doctors and nurses is to revive lives. They are used to bring back to life, to restore health, and restore usefulness and activity, if possible.

When it comes to church life, there is also a need for revival. Churches and Christians go through seasons of ebb and flow. They become spiritually unhealthy, idle, and apathetic. The life of the Spirit is gone, and there is a great need for a gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of God’s Spirit is what we call revival.

The greatest need for our church is not a strategic plan, although I do believe it is important, or some popular program that every church is doing, or a trip backwards with the hope that going back to the past will move us forward. No, the greatest need for First Southern, and every other local congregation, is a gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The people of God during Nehemiah’s day had experienced revival while rebuilding the wall. Even so, to keep going to higher ground with the Lord, they would need a continuous outpouring of God’s Spirit upon them

Chapter nine shows us the steps they took in seeking Do and the outpouring of the Spirit of God. If we are going to do anything that is pleasing to God as a church, then we must realize our need for revival and take the proper steps individually and corporately that can, if God wills, bring about true revival.

We learn in chapters eight through ten, three characteristics of true rivival. First, it is never separate from the teaching and preaching of God’s word. In fact, when God is pouring out his Spirit there will be an intensified hunger for the word of God on the part of the people. This is what is happening in chapter eight. Second, you will find an awareness of sin, which leads to confession and repentance. This is revealed in chapter nine. Third, you will see life-change, and people committed to loving and serving God.

As we look at the first five verses of chapter nine, we learn the importance of revival. First we notice that true revival is preceded by the proclamation of the word of God.

1. True revival is preceded by the proclamation of the word of God.

In verse one we read, “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them.” The assembly that is taking place in this ninth chapter does so two days after the events of chapter eight.

In chapter eight the people of God celebrated the festival of Tabernacles for seven days, and two days prior to the festival they assembled to hear the word of God proclaimed.

Verse one tells us, “the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, sackcloth and with dirt upon them.” I will get into the meaning of this later, but for the sake of supporting my first point, it is important to notice the awareness and consciousness the people had concerning their sin.

This awareness of sin is a result of the proclamation of God’s word that took place in chapter eight. When the people opened their hearts to God’s word they were convicted of their sins against God.

Notice what Nehemiah 8:9 says, “Then Nehemiah who was governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God, do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people were weeping when they heard the word of the law.”

Why were they weeping? They were brought under conviction of their sins by the word of God and the Spirit of God.

Notice Nehemiah 9:3, “While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.”

For three hours they listened to the word of God, and for another 3 hours they confessed and worshiped. True revival is always preceded by the proclamation of God’s word.

If you look at the revivals that take place in the Bible, you find that they were preceded by the proclamation of the word of God. If you look at true revivals through history, you will find that the proclamation of the word of God preceded the revival.

Every time I get up to preach I have a couple of expectations. I believe that the proclamation of the word of God can bring about regeneration, and I believe that the proclamation of the word of God can bring about revival. Every Sunday I preach I wait expectantly to see if someone is going to be saved, or if this is the sermon that ushers is revival to our church. What I have found that it is usually not one particular sermon that brings about revival, but the consistent preaching and teaching of the word of God that ushers is revival. Next, we notice that true revival is expressed by brokenness before God.

2. True revival is expressed by brokenness before God.

Look at verse one again, “The sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them.” In their culture, fasting, wearing sackcloth and dirt were methods of demonstrating brokenness, grief, and humility.

What is taking place in verse one is an expression of the heart. The people have been convicted of their sins, and now they come before the Lord broken and humbled. When true revival comes there is always an awareness of sin followed by brokenness before God.

Sin is sin because we transgress the law of God. This is why the proclamation of the word of God and true revival are linked. We are not aware of our sinfulness until we are confronted with the law of God that we broke. How did this broken heart before God express itself? First we see a sorrow for sin.

a. Sorrow for sin

True revival is always characterized by a consciousness of sin and a sorrow over sin. When we encounter the God of the Bible and his holy character and nature, we can’t help by declare, “Woes me, I am unclean.”

King David after bring confronted by God about his adultery and murder declared, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.” (Ps. 51:17)

True godly sorrow over sin, will result in separation from sin.

b. Separation from sin

Notice verse two, “The descendant of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners.” The separation reveals the power of God’s word to confront and convict of sin. I imagine during the hours they spent listening and hearing the word of God, verses such as Leviticus 20:26 started to resonate in their soul, “Thus you are to be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be mine.”

To separate was not a statement of arrogance, but one of dedication to the Lord. The reason that God brought destruction upon Jerusalem previously was the unholy living of God’s people. In essence, you have God’s people repenting and turning away from their wicked ways. God had set them apart to be holy.

Likewise, God has set us, his church, apart, to be separated from sin and live holy to the Lord. The apostle Peter in the first chapter of his first epistle commanded the church “to be holy.” We have been set apart by God and are called to live holy lives.

When true revival comes you will see a brokenness before God that is expressed by a sorrow for sins, and a separation from sins, and a renewed passion for living holy lives.

Jesus taught this type of brokenness in Luke 18:9-14. Turn with me in your Bibles and notice the teaching of Jesus.

9And He also told this parable to some people who (A)trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and (B)viewed others with contempt:

10"Two men (C)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11"The Pharisee (D)stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12'I (E)fast twice a week; I (F)pay tithes of all that I get.'

13"But the tax collector, (G)standing some distance away, (H)was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but (I)was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'

14"I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; (J)for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The man broken before God went away justified. Remember, “a broken an contrite spirit, O God you will not despise.”

True revival is preceded by the proclamation of the word of God. True revival is expressed by brokenness before God. Next, we learn from this passage that true revival is experienced on the basis of the grace of God.

3. True revival is experienced on the basis of the grace of God.

Two times in verses 2 and 3 we are told that the people confessed their sins. In verse two is says, “They stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.” They were not trying to pass the blame in their confession. They recognized that they, along with previous generations, had sinned against God. In verse three we are told that they confessed and worshiped before the Lord for 3 hours.

The Hebrew verb translated “confessed” means more than just admitting one’s sins. It means to acknowledge, to affirm, to recognize.

The people gathered to affirm their sins against God, but not only their sins. In verses 5-38 we see more about God and his nature than we do about their sins. In fact, their confession of sin is secondary to their confession of faith in God and his grace. True revival is experienced on the basis of God’s grace.

Notice verse four, “Now on the Levites platform stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord.”

Notice what is taking place in verse five, “Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, "Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed And exalted above all blessing and praise!”

The group in verse four is crying out to the Lord and the group is verse five is blessing the Lord. One group is confessing sin while the other is blessing God for the forgiveness of sin.

When you are broken before the Lord and aware of is before the Lord, you recognize that the mercy you need is not in you, but in the nature and character of God. Therefore, we humble ourselves before the God we sinned against and cry out for mercy.

Nehemiah 9:17 reminds us why call to God for mercy, “But you are a Gop of forgiveness, gracious, and compassionate.” Only God can forgive! When we come broken before him and confess our sins God is ready to forgive and pour out his Spirit on us. But we, who are his people, must humble ourselves before God, pray and seek God and turn from our wicked ways. Then God will hear us from heaven and forgive our sins and pour out his Spirit.

Song…Lord have mercy!

Oh if we would humble ourselves today!

Oh if we would pray and seek God!

Oh if we would turn from our wicked ways!

Then God will forgive us and open up the heavens and do what only he can do: Bring Revival.