Rend the Heavens
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Revival must start as a personal rending of your heart then through you Revival will happen collectively.
Intro
There has been a lot of talk about revival in my life time. I have heard people talk about we are experiencing a revival and I have heard people say we need a revival.
Webster Definition of Revive: : to return to consciousness or life : become active or flourishing again
Robert Coleman - "the awakening or quickening of God's people to their true nature and purpose."
Charles Finney - "the return of the Church from her backslidings, and the conversion of sinners."
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
How many of you believe you have been a part of a revival or seen a revival?
1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
Maybe you have prayed this prayer before. Jesus rend the heavens and come down. We need you now!
I believe revival is something we long for because of the things we can’t control in the world. We cry out for revival in a service or meeting! Because we want things to change, but when the service or meeting ends we have a great story to share about “feeling” the Holy Spirit move or seeing something happen.
We like Isaiah want to see the Fire set twigs ablaze and God to make His name KNOWN to “our” enemies.
We pray for revival because we want to see them get what is coming to them! Revival means they will either have to be like us for will be set ablaze!
Now maybe you are thinking…I am totally wrong…But ask yourself…When was the last time you prayed for revival and felt the presents of the Holy Spirit and went away only to see nothing change in your life…job…family....community…or world?
When our motives are not pure we will not see something change.
Seen in the account of Achan: From Joshua
Israel had just conquered Jericho and was told to not keep anything for themselves
1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.”
4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,
5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?
11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
He Found that it was Achan who had sinned and kept some of the things for himself hidden in a whole in his tent.
They took him outside the city and killed him and destroyed everything of his.
Then Israel was able to go back to AI and conquer them.
Too often we cry out for God to Rend the Heavens and come down and send revival to us, but we have many things hidden down in a whole buried so no one can see.
Spend time saying we are with you God, but hidden behind the smiles and words we have gods in our lives. I believe this is not just personal, but collective.
The nation of Israel did not see the power of God move in their situation, because someone in their camp was sinning.
If we want to see revival in our church and community we need to recognize WE are the body. When one part is sick the whole body is sick.
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.
We are longing for a great move of God, but we have become like the Israelites who couldn’t conquer IA.
Joel helps us to see how we can experience revival in our lives and world.
1. Be Forgiven
1. Be Forgiven
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Joshua tore or rent his clothes, but the Lord said “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?”
Joel gives a clear picture that we must humble ourselves and rend our hearts or repent and He is faithful to forgive us, because of His great love
We must daily live in repentance or in His forgiveness. This includes forgiving others.
Often unforgiveness is the god we have hidden in our hearts in that deep dark whole
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2. Find Freedom
2. Find Freedom
Joel 2:25–27 (NIV)
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
When you are living in the land of bondage from the things that so easily entangle or sin we will always feel like we have been robbed. Like locusts taking everything that we want. We are simply chained to something or an idea that causes a drought in our Spiritual life, and churches.
3. Live Filled
3. Live Filled
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
The How?
The How?
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus said the harvest or Revival will come with more workers.
Too often we pray for workers to work the fields and see revival happen, but we forget we are the workers.
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Oh that you may rend the heavens and Come down!!!
Oh that you may rend the heavens and Come down!!!
We don’t need to long for this anymore…Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit have already came down and Revival has come. Its up to you to let it work in your life and those around you.
We don’t need to long for this anymore…Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit have already came down and Revival has come. Its up to you to let it work in your life and those around you.
I started by asking who had ever seen or been a part of a revival - If you are part of the family of Jesus Christ you have experienced a revival a coming back to life a waking up from dead.
We can loose this fire when we allow ourselves to go back to sleep, but wake up today.
All Revivals started with man and women opening their mouth and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to someone else.
Worship Team
Today is a time for surrender. Get rid of the things that have help you in unforgiveness and bondage and Find Real forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ and begin living a life filled with the Holy Spirit and victory like Joshua.
Repent to rekindle a fire in you to become the spark of revival in our community!