Three Keys to Revival

I. Introduction

Church....I am praying very hard about something…and I’d like you to pray with me. We haven’t had a revival service at this church in many years....we certainly haven’t had one in the past 5 years that I have been the pastor. And I’m praying very hard about trying to have something here in 2023.

I’ll be honest though....I’m hesitant. Not because I don’t think we need revival. Oh boy do we ever....not just here…Morningside needs revival.....but the entire church needs revival.

I’ll be honest…ever since COVID…and even before then....folks I’ll tell you what the church needs a spiritual fire lit right up under its back side.

We are not as committed to God as we used to be and folks have all manner of excuses....life’s too busy…I got too much going on right now....preacher I just can’t fit in church anywhere....preacher you just don’t understand....you know what? You’re right…I don’t. I don’t understand how ANYBODY can be as busy and stressed out as so many are today and NOT have God by their side…I don’t know how you do it. You see…I need Him....can’t do all this without Him.

So I think the church needs revival…we need to be rekindled....revived.

But here’s my issue…and ya’ll tell me if this sounds about right: Most churches today....have a revival…and it’s usually 3-5 nights long....a special preacher comes along…maybe some special music each night....The preacher preaches the Gospel and talks about people needing to get saved…the attendance is up and down....and then it’s all over and nothing really changes....does that sound familiar?

Yall....if that’s what a revival meeting is going to look like here, I’d rather not even go to the trouble....so here I have been....praying for revival....and I was reading in my Bible and came across a section that revealed something to me about what we’re missing…and that’s where I want to go to today is:

a. Scripture: 1 Kings 18:1-2

1 Kings 18:1–2 NASB95

Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.

I’m going to ask you to stand with me, if you are able, as we read from God’s Holy, Perfect, Sufficient and inerrant Word.

<Pray>

Thank you, and you may be seated.

Here we are looking at the region of Samaria and they were in an awful situation. There had been a drought in an already dry and desertous land for three years. Now when you live In a desert area like the Middle East, water is your most important resource by far. It is scarce....and it is absolutely precious....and if you can imagine going three years without a single drop of rain falling…well you can imagine about what kind of predicament that these folks were in.

So we have a time of dry baronness....followed by a time of cleansing. That is the sequence we see....hot…dry…baron and....with nothing of nutritional or spiritual value....but in this case, God knew and promised the prophet Elijah that cleansing was coming.

Folks…I believe that right here where we live in the United States of America....a place that calls itself “one nation under God”....we have met a spiritual crisis.

According to gallup news polls, in 2012 91% of Americans believed in God....that’s just 10 years ago believe it or not. This year in 2022? That number is now just 81%.

Last year in 2021, only 21% of people who claimed to be religious said they went to church regularly. Of those people who said they were Christian…only 49% said their faith was an important part of their lives.

Folks....when our churches have a few meaningless meetings a year and just call them “revival”....where a few people show up....say amen a few times....but then there’s no real change....how can we expect anything to change? That’s not revival.

I want to talk a little bit about what revival is today and I want to give you three keys to revival:

II. Major Points

Aspiration

Preparation

Supplication

III. Point #1: Aspiration

Explanation What does it mean to apire to something? The dictionary tells us that it means to long for something....to seek ambitiously.

Now in addition to drought....people in Elijah’s day were dealing with many different things. Ahab was the king…Jezebel was his queen. Sin was celebrated and permeated society. Things were dark....and yet the Lord still sent revival.

Now there were many that tried to stand in the way of Revival…and the next time I preach, I will identify those enemies of revival. Just like there are many things that can keep us from experiencing revival.

Now I have already told you: Revival is NOT just a few meetings in a week....and to be honest with you, revival is NOT trying to get a bunch of people saved. Now if a church has a revival service and people get saved, then wonderful. That is something worth celebrating. But those people are NEW Christians…they aren’t being revived....they're being born again.

You see folks, what we have to understand here is that revival is for the church. The church has to be the ones to be revived....it’s as if we are a camp fire…and we’ve stayed away too long....and we have tended the fire…and yall, talk to me....what happens when you don’t stoke a fire and give it some attention…and throw some more wood on it now again, what happens to it?....it dies down.

So then you have to put some effort into it…stoke it again....give it some attention…and the fire can once again reignite....it can be revived and glow again like it once did.

You see folks, the church once glowed....it was on fire....we were seeing souls saved and people baptized....we were seeing people discipled and growing in their faith....but we have stepped away from the fire....and we are mere coals now....and so revival starts with US!

That’s why when I go to a revival meeting and they are aiming it at unsaved people....I’m like....what are you doing? That’s not reviving the fire....that’s throwing a little bit of kindling on it....but if the church doesn’t disciple those new Christians, they’ll soon grow cold too!

Revival is for the church…for you and me.

So I’m going to ask you a question…and this is a serious question as your pastor....so don’t you just sit there on your pews and stare at me like I’m crazy....cause I know I am, that shouldn’t be any kind of news to yall after 5 years…I want to know the truth...

Now hold on....I’m not asking “does the world need Jesus?” Because we know it does....I’m not asking “does America need Jesus?” because we know it does....I’m not asking “do you want an evangelist to come to this church for three nights and tell abunch of saved people how to get saved?” because I’m not going to do that....

I’m asking about YOU sir....and YOU ma’dam…not the world....YOU....so answer this question for me CHURCH: DO. YOU. WANT. TO. BE. REVIVED?

Because that is the NUMBER 1 key to revival…is aspiration. Do you long for revival....where YOU have a fire built up inside of you for Christ once again....where YOU fall in love with Him again....

Are YOU willing to seek revival ambitiously?

Illustration

One thing that Hannah and I enjoy very much is those survival shows. You know the ones where they take a man or a woman or a couple of people and drop them off in the middle of a very unhospitable environment with a bowie knife and a roll of duct tape and see if they can make it three weeks without any help, yall know what I mean?

One of the first things these people have to do as they are securing their water sources and building their dwelling to protect them from the elements at night is get a fire started....and the things about a fire, as I said earlier, is you have to tend it. There have been people that have had to leave those competitions defeated because their fire went out when they fell asleep at night and they couldn’t get it to start up again.

On those shows, it becomes crucial to constantly stoke that fire and feed it..and in between working on their dwellings and getting water and finding food every day, they have to constantly stoke that fire....

But if it ever does go out....they could be in terrible trouble....they could freeze to death....they could starve because they can’t cook their food....they could dehydrate because they have to boil all of their water...

If it goes out…or the rain takes it out....that could be it.

And a lot of times....it’s a lot of hard work to get that fire going again…if it has been raining and the kindling and wood are all wet…they may not even have the energy to rub two sticks together and get it going again....

But once in a while....it goes out…and those survivalist decided “I’m GOING to get this fire going again....no matter what it takes.”

You see....the first step when it goes out…is to recognize it went out....then, it’s to be willing to work to get it back going.

Application

Folks....our day isn’t that much different than Elijah’s. Evil permeates society…it’s even celebrated publicly.

Whether you are of the party of the elephant or of the donkey, we have a whole bunch of monkies running the zoo up in Washington, amen? The inmates are running the asylum.

Our churches have lost sound theology and drifted toward theological liberalism and have compromised on long-standing truths to appease the world.

The people of God had lost their way during Elijah’s time too. They had lost their fire…They needed revival.

Skip down to verse 30 of 1 Kings 18 with me really quick and I want to show you something;

1 Kings 18:30 NASB95

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down.

Do you see what happened here? The altar had been torn down....the fire was gone....So through Elijah, the Lord said “come back!.....COME BACK!”....AND you know what they did?

They came back to help rebuild the altar.

They recognized that they needed revival....and then they SOUGHT revival....they persued revival....

Listen to me church: Revival will NOT happen here....any other church…or in America…unless it happens in YOUR heart first.

You have to be WILLING to be revived.

See look…I have this really cool idea for bringing in some speakers that I know you’ve never heard before..they will encourage you....they’ll inspire you…they may even make you want to live a little more for Jesus for a few days. But if all I do is bring in some speakers and all they do is BEG YOU to be revived…it’s not going to happen folks!

You have to WANT IT! You have to APSIRE TO IT! SEEK IT! DESIRE IT! YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO BE REVIVED CHURCH!

You can’t just think “oh yeah…well a revival would be a good idea…it can’t hurt nothin!” NO! If you don’t aspire to it and really want it…it’ll be a giant waste of effort and time....

So I’m not asking you “do you want to see revival?” or “should we have a revival meeting?”....NO....those are cheap questions....I’m asking YOU church…WILL. YOU. BE. REVIVED?

Do you want it for yourself first?

If you don’t....forget about it....it won’t happen.

One of the keys to revival....is apsiration....aspiring to it…wanting it…and when God calls and says COME HERE....will you come?

Eliah’s people came when God called…will YOU? The first key to revival is aspiration…the second is:

IV. Point #2: Preparation

Explanation

Therapists often say that the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. The people of Elijah’s day had to admit that they needed revival. But they didn’t just sit around and say “hey…it’d be nice if we were back in communion with the Lord”....instead, they did something about it…as we said before, they aspired to it.....but they didn’t just stop there....they didn’t just say “hey it’d be nice if we had revival and boy do we really want it”....no, their actions followed their words.

Let’s read verses 30-34

1 Kings 18:30–34 NASB95

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.

So the question is: if they wanted a move from the Lord....if they REALLY wanted it and aspired to it, they prepared for it. They showed their true faith.

You see folks your actions will ALWAYS follow for aspirations. If you really want something to happen, you will prepare for it. - Illustration:

There’s the old story about two farmers who were waiting for rain…one farmer went out and plwed his field and planted seeds to prepare for the rain....the other said he would wait until the rain came....I ask you this morning: which of those farmers trusted the Lord for rain?

Elijah and God’s people expected fire even though they had wet wood....THAT is faith.

The Bible says they also gathered....they came near…folks if we want revival, we have to be on the same page. We have to come together and prepree together....Revival will NEVER come with division....it’ll never come without God’s people all wanting it....it can’t just be the preacher....

Listen.,..if you’re all comfortable in your little routine and don’t want to be on fire....you’ll go right on like you are and so will we....I’ve got news for you: the Bible says NOTHING about you being comfortable....it talks about suffering for the Lord....and dedicating yourself to His service....He doesn’t want you comfortable, He wants you HOLY! He wants to mess your little plans up sometimes....

-0 i was comfortable in Claxton....But the Lord moved me....

We have to get out of our comfort zones.

Application Folks, if you want to be revived you will prepare for it. You will study up for it…you’ll invite people to it....you’ll do whatever you have to do to get ready for the Lord to bring revival....just like Elijah and God’s people rebuilt the altar to get ready for the Lord.

So you have to want it or aspire to it, you have to prepare for it....you have to DO things

IV. Point #3: Supplication

Explanation

Now the altar was meant for sacrifice. Sacrifice requires fire....but if you read back over what they did here, they used water to prepare the altar....so now the wood is wet. So here they need fire from God and here the thing is sopping with water. But let’s read on...

1 Kings 18:35–37 NASB95

The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water. At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

So they wanted it....they really wanted it.....they prepared for it…they set up the altar....they gathered and came near....then they did what? They PRAYED! tHAT IS SUPPLICATION....to supplicate means to ask.

The Bible says that you have not because you ask not.

Application

Folks: if we want revival....revival comes from God and we have to ask for it…diligently....we have to pray for it....not two nights before the service but for wekks, months, even a year ahead of time.....that;s yhow you see revival.

We have to ask for it!

VI. Conclusion

a. Let me ask you this morning: do you REALLY want to see revival?

To you want it? aspire to it?....then we have to prepare....we have to ask.....

b. Let’s Pray