SEEKING GOD FOR REVIVAL

Introduction

-In four weeks, we are going to have special revival services with Dr. Bob Pitman that will hopefully change us as individuals and us as a church for the better to the glory of God

-As we’ve seen in recent events that are happening in our nation, there is an encroaching darkness that threatens to envelope us—and right now the American church is powerless to do anything about it

-the reason that the American church is powerless is because it is spiritually anemic—it is worldly and relies on its own plans and ideas rather than relying on the Spirit of God

-And the reason the church is anemic is because the people who make up the church are in spiritual decline, more beholden to their sins than to living holy lives in fellowship with God

-We live for ourselves, our comfort, our ease, our riches, our entertainment, rather than living for God—we’re more concerned for our own glory than the glory of our God

-As such, God leaves us to our own devices—but what is sad is that most people cannot even tell that the Spirit of God has departed

-It reminds me of what is said about the judge Sampson—when his hair was cut it says that the Spirit left him but he didn’t even know it

~God’s Spirit has left the church and we don’t even know it because we don’t even know what it means to walk in the fellowship of His light

-And this is why we need revival—we need a spiritual renewal in us as individuals so that the church works in the power of God as it is supposed to

~We need a return to the power of the Spirit; we need to depart from this present worldly darkness and return to a fellowship with God in the light—that only comes with revival

-But the thing is, revival is not something that we can concoct ourselves—we don’t just change a few behaviors and think that is revival—God is the only one that can bring revival, and we have to seek Him earnestly for it

-Us preachers talk a lot about revival, but what is it exactly?

~Ian H. Murray defined revival this way:

Revival is a manifestation of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in an uncommon measure, bringing refreshment to the church and salvation to the world. But although it is a sovereign work of God, it is also a work performed in answer to petitions offered by a praying people.

-So, revival is God bringing spiritual life back to His people—restoring favor and the joy of salvation to those in right fellowship and relationship with Him

-So instead of complaining about what’s wrong with the world, the nation, or the church, we are to get on our knees and seek God for this manifestation of presence—if we don’t, the decline will only continue

-But I want us to learn about revival today so that we know what we are seeking and why we are seeking it

Psalm 85 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. 1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah 3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. 12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

-v. 2 indicates that God’s own people were filled with iniquity such that, according to v. 3, God had shown judgment or wrath against them

~The sins of the people were such that God took away His loving presence and instead punished them for living for sin and world instead of Him

-What this indicates is that there was a spiritual decline amongst the people, where they reflect the world more than they reflect the Savior—and God responded to it

-This is what is happening to us—we talk like the world, walk like the world, and have the same attitudes of the world—but then we justify ourselves and our sins

-We think as Evangelical Christians that just because we are against the right things like abortion and homosexuality that somehow this makes us right with God—but what about anger, bitterness, gossip, pride, idolatry, covetousness, greed, etc., etc….Are we against them in our lives as well?

-Or we think that if we are FOR the right things that somehow God is pleased with us. We say we are for prayer in schools or we’re for Bible studies in school. But then we have no prayer in our lives and homes and we don’t even study the Bible ourselves. Do we think God is fooled?

-So, do we think that God will not punish the church for unrepented sin? God inspired the apostle Peter to write:

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; (1 Pet. 4:17 ESV)

-Think about what Jesus Himself said to the churches in Asia in the book of Revelation

~He told the church in Ephesus that He would remove them as a church (literally snuff their candle out) if they did not repent and return to their first love

~Jesus told the church in Pergamum that He would war against them because they allowed false teachings and immoral practices to come into their church.

~Jesus told the church in Thyatira that He’d kill people because of their sins.

~Jesus told the church in Laodicea that He would vomit them out of His mouth because they were lukewarm.

-That is Jesus warning of judgment on the church. This is the Savior dealing with His bride. Do we think we are any different than they were? Do we think that we will be the exception to what Jesus did to them? Do you think Christ will overlook an impure church?

~There is clearly a need for revival—a time of God manifesting Himself in a special way…

II) The basis for revival

-How do we know that God is willing to bring revival?

-In vv. 1-3 of our passage the psalmist is giving praise to God that, even though the people sinned and were judged, God showed them favor and forgave them and turned His wrath from them

-The people of God were going through spiritual decline and were punished, but they repented and turned back toward Him, and God responded

-And so, the basis by which we know that God can and will bring revival is because of the love and mercy that He constantly has shown and will continue to show----we have a God who is a God of second chance (and third and fourth, etc.)

-God is a loving God who desires to show mercy and love—we are told:

8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Ps. 103:8 ESV)

-The Lord declared about Himself:

"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Exod. 34:6-7 ESV)

-But He also continues in that verse:

who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." (Exod. 34:7 ESV)

-These two sides of God are not antithetical—God is just and must punish sin, but He is merciful and is quick to forgive

-This is true in His offer of eternal life—He has to punish the sinner because of His justice, but Jesus came and took the punishment for those who would believe in Him, thus showing God’s love and mercy

-When God’s people stray, He judges and disciplines to bring them back in line, but when they repent He is quick to abound in His steadfast love and mercy

-So, the basis that we know that God will bring revival is knowing that He desires to show us favor and forgiveness if we would only turn toward Him

III) The characteristics of revival

-In v. 4 the psalmist asks God for restoration—it means returning to a previous state

~There is a plea here for a spiritual restoration and renewal—a desire to return to the same passion and flame for God that one had before—a return to one’s first love

-Just like any relationship can get in a rut, we get to a place where we take God for granted—where our thoughts wander away from Him and take up other occupations

-In a revival, there is a return of a hunger and thirst for righteousness. As the deer pants for the water, so our souls long after God in the dry desert of our soul.

-But our hearts are so full of things that crowd God and His righteousness out, that we put out the fire in our own hearts and the hearts of those around us.

-There was a story about a pastor that was visiting a friend’s church in California. In the foyer of the church there was this stirring red and orange banner on the wall that had the words, "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" printed under a picture of a fire burning. The pastor thought that this was quite a call for a great move of revival, until he looked under the banner where there was a sign that read: "Fire extinguisher."

-That’s quite a description of a typical American Evangelical Christian. We love to talk the talk of revival, but we aren’t willing to walk the walk that it takes to bring revival—we become fire extinguishers. We don’t want to get too radical or else people think we’re Bible thumpers. But a true revival restores strong sentiments toward God.

-Not only is there a restoration of passion, but in v. 6 the psalmist asks God for revival—a bringing back to life that which was dead. It is a great internal work by God that does not merely deal with the symptoms but gets to the root of the problem.

-This is different from a mere remodeling in our lives. Remodeling is a change on the outside, changing appearances. Like shopping for new clothes, or changing a hairstyle, you change the looks. The problem is that what is on the inside has gone untouched. Remodeling doesn’t change who you are.

~A remodeling of a Christian or a church is merely concerned with looking holy without being holy. It’s when we go through rituals and routines without our hearts being engaged in what is going on.

-Revival is a work that is in the heart, a renewed life in the spirit—where the inside and outside are in harmony

--restoration and renewal are characteristic of true revival, and they do not happen without seeking God

IV) The results of revival

-According to v. 9 one of the results of revival is that the glory of God returns to the church

~The prophet Ezekiel gives a stirring picture in his prophecy—a picture of the glory of God leaving the temple because of the sins of the people. God leaves the people to their own devices and lets them reap the consequences of their sin.

-That has happened to the church—God left and no one knew. But in revival God’s glorious manifest presence is experienced as He puts thing back together in the lives of His people.

-According to v. 10 steadfast love and faithfulness come together in the life of a Christian—we again see God’s faithfulness to His Word

-And then it says that righteousness and peace kiss—there is a harmony and a balance in life that had not been experienced for quite some time.

-Someone went to a wise old evangelist one day and asked him, “Why don’t we see revival happening in the Church in the United States today?”

The old preacher scratched his chin and thought for a moment. Then he said, “The reason why we are not living in revival today……is because we are content to live without it.”

-We’re content to not have God present with us. We are content without love and faithfulness and righteousness and peace. We are content being out of favor with God. We don’t think we need any of these things, because we are comfy Americans in comfy homes with comfy lives. If we realized what it is we have spiritually lost in our contentment, we would do anything to have God bring it back to us again.

Conclusion

-Who needs to seek God for revival? One pastor put together a list of questions for people to ask themselves:

1)Is your heart crowded? Does Christ get ALL your love, or merely one of many pieces?

2)Is your heart cold or calloused? Is your love for Him & others fervent? Constant?

3)Is your heart corrupt? Do you crave or treasure anything immoral in God’s eyes?

4)Do you serve less today than you have in the past or are capable of today?

5)Is your excitement/commitment to tell others about Jesus any less today than it has been in the past? Are you silent where/when you used to speak?

6)Are you living today in the present power of the Holy Spirit? Or is your spiritual ’tank’ empty?

7)When others observe you, is your Christ-light bright or flickering?

If you can answer ’yes’ to any of these questions, even partially, then you need to seek God for revival!

-And revival can happen if we would realize the need, knowing that God desires to forgive and meet His people in a powerful way, we seek Him for restoration and new life so that the joy of His salvation and peace and love would flow freely.

-But we need to seek it. R.G. Lee poetically put it this way:

If all the sleeping folk will wake up,

If all the lukewarm folk will get fired up,

If all the dishonest folk will confess up,

If all the depressed folk will cheer up,

If all the estranged folk will make up,

If all the gossipers will shut up,

If all true soldiers will stand up,

If all the dry bones will shake up,

If all the church members will pray up...

Then we can have a revival!

--R. G. Lee

-It’s not just that the nation needs revival, or the church needs revival—YOU need revival.

-So, this morning, I’m going to do a reverse invitation. What in the world is a reverse invitation? It’s this:

~If you are sure you are going to heaven because you have trusted in Christ, then stay in your pew

~If you have absolutely, positively no sin in your life that you need to confess and repent of, then stay in your pew.

~If you are enjoying perfect fellowship with God in your life, stay in your pew.

~If you are satisfied with the way things are spiritually going in your life, in the church and in the nation, then stay in your pew.

~If you think you walk perfectly with the Holy Spirit, obeying His every leading, then stay in your pew.

-If you can’t affirm all five of those, then you need to come to the altar today

~Come and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved

~Come and be broken over your sin

~Come and seek favor and fellowship with God

~Come and intercede on behalf of self, family, friends, church, and nation

~Come and pray to be filled with the Spirit

-Lord, will you not revive us again?