Rule 2: The Need for Biblical Reverence

The Rules of Revival  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Revival comes when God's people seek him in biblical reverence.

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OCC - Nicole
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Pre-worship Reading: Psalm 19:7-14
Psalm 19:7–14 ESV
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Pray
Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3
Nehemiah 8:1–3 ESV
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Pray
We are in a desperate state in our world, in need of God to revive his people’s hearts. Last week we saw, however, that our pleas for God to send his Spirit will go unheeded unless we seek him in humbled repentance. Unless we agree with God we are sinful and repent in broken humility, we will not be ready for revival. This week, we will consider a second rule for God’s reviving spirit to fall fresh upon us:

Revival Comes When God’s People Seek Him in Biblical Reverence

Just as God will not send his Spirit on those who do not humbly repent of their own sins, God will not send that same Spirit upon any who flippantly disregard his Word. If we want revival - if we are truly desperate for God to renew his church and reinvigorate us, we must prioritize his Word. We must read it, yearn for it, wrestle in it, love it.
Now, you might wonder:

What Does the Bible Have to Do with Revival?

I mean, after all, revival is a more “spiritual” kind of thing, right? When you think of revival, your mind likely conjures up images of God’s Spirit moving among people, stirring their hearts to worship and repent. And that is a powerful image. Now wonder it stirs our hearts to want revival in our day - in our church!
So what does the Bible have to do with revival? Well, for starters,

God Authors Scripture

The same God who is the source of revival is also the one who is the source of the Bible. Peter writes in his second letter about having heard the voice of the Father directly, but then says:
2 Peter 1:19–21 ESV
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Did you catch that? Scripture doesn’t come from men. Men wrote it, yes, but they are not the only ones writing. God himself, through the Holy Spirit, uses human writers to author Scripture. God is the one responsible for this book. Just as God is the one responsible for revival, God is the one who gave us this book.
But wait, there’s more! God not only authors Scripture, but:

God Reveals Himself and His Will through the Scriptures

The Bible isn’t a random assortment of thoughts of God - it has the distinct purpose of revealing both God and what God wants. Look at Paul’s instructions to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:14–17 ESV
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
What had Timothy learned and firmly believed? What had he be acquainted with since childhood? The Scriptures. And what did those Scriptures teach? Wisdom for salvation through faith in Jesus! And not just that - but wisdom for living. Then comes verse 16 - all Scripture is God-breathed! Every bit of it! And it’s useful too - for all kinds of great things! God didn’t waste his time writing this book! Because, and here’s the kicker:

God Changes Us through His Word

Go back to the passage we read earlier in the service, Psalm 19:7-11:
Psalm 19:7–11 ESV
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Do you see all the ways God’s Word changes us?
It revives our souls (7)
It makes us wise (7)
It rejoices our hearts (8)
It enlightens our eyes (8)
It pleases our senses (10)
It warns us of error (11)
It rewards us (11)
You cannot help but be made new by the word of God - if you only let it! That’s how revival happens! When we come to revere the words of God and begin to respond to them in the right way, God works in us to make revival a reality. Paul tells the Philippian believers:
Philippians 2:12–13 ESV
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
So that brings us to a very important question:

How Should We Respond to the Bible?

If the Bible matters to God (and it does), how should we respond to it? Remember the Rule:
Revival Comes When God’s People Seek Him in Biblical Reverence
So what does that look like?
Well, let’s do a case study of an actual revival. Jews had been exiled in Babylon for decades. From the first wave of exiles in 609 B.C. to the capture of Babylon by the Persians in 539 B.C., seventy years of exile had purged the false gods from the hearts of many Jews. Some had been able to return in prior years, getting a little work done on the Temple. But without a wall, there was no real protection from the threats around the city of Jerusalem.
Enter Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer. With the King’s approval and financial support, Nehemiah leads the residents of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall in only 52 days, a major accomplishment considering the obstacles he had to overcome. But with the wall rebuilt, the true revitalization could begin. God’s people needed to turn their hearts back to God. They needed revival.
Look at the ways that their response to the Word of God enabled God’s movement among them. First, look at Nehemiah 8:1:
Nehemiah 8:1 ESV
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel.
Did you see it? We cannot respond to God’s Word if we do not know what it says. So:

We Must Hear It

The people came to hear God’s Word - and they expended considerable effort to hear it, too. They had gathered from all the villages of the area into this one area. It was men and women, and children who could understand the words. That meant plans had to be made. Agricultural work had to stop. Kids who where young were either cared for back home (someone had to keep them) or brought along for the journey). That’s not all. Look at verse 3:
Nehemiah 8:3 ESV
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
He read the law for hours. That took preparation on Ezra’s part, as well as all those who where with him (more on them shortly).
But the plans and effort weren’t just made on that morning. Look at verse 4:
Nehemiah 8:4 ESV
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
These folks went to great lengths just to hear the Word of God. If we want God to move in our midst, we must be willing to hear God’s Word too. But when we hear it, what now? Well:

We Must Honor It

Giving God’s Word Honor is not optional. It’s a requirement for revival to happen. Look at how they honored the Scripture:
Nehemiah 8:5 ESV
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
It seems like a small thing, but that change in posture means a lot. It means that the people where ready to hear and do what God has said. They were not comfortable or lazy - they were standing up so they would really hear it - and be ready to respond. They honored the Word being read, and so honored the God who spoke that Word. Third:

We Must Harken to It

This is really when we move simply from how we receive the Bible to how we respond to it. Hearing the Word is important, and honoring the Word is too. But how do we begin to put the Word of God into practice - into the way we live? Look at the end of verse 3:
Nehemiah 8:3 ESV
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Something really interesting happens in the Hebrew text. In English, we read that their ears “were attentive to the Book of the Law.” But in Hebrew, it doesn’t quite say that. Literally translated, this phrase says: “And the ears of all the people to the Book of the Law.” You see, when the Hebrew mind conceived of attentiveness to something, they merely said that “the ears to it.” They didn’t use words like “were” or “attentive to” because they didn’t need them.
Think about that. Are your ears to God’s Law? Can you say that you so harken to God’s voice that when he speaks your ears immediately go straight to him? If we want revival, we must hear from him. But if we’re not listening, then God will not send his Spirit down. We must harken to His Word.
Then comes one of the best aspects of this story from Nehemiah. They didn’t just gather to hear the Word. They wanted to know what it meant. Look at verse 8:
Nehemiah 8:8 ESV
8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
This one focuses on the leaders, but I can see some in the crowd helping others too. If we want revival:

We Must Help Others Understand It

They read, but they also gave the meaning. They walked through the text - line by line - and made sure everyone knew what it meant before continuing on. This was not a passive, “easy-listening” session. This was an intensive, comprehensive Bible study!
Revival might be hot when God is convicting of sin and bringing people to his Kingdom, but that heat burns because the coal of the Word of God is piled up high and constantly feed into the broilers of our hearts. But sometimes we need help knowing what God has said and how to apply it. So those of us who know must help others get it too.
That’s not just a job for Sunday School teachers or preachers. That’s a job for all of us. God has revealed his Word in different ways to all of us, and where we know God we should be anxious to help others know him better. Every one of us has something to contribute - something to add in. To paraphrase one of Joe Northington’s most common phrases, “if you’re still alive, then God’s still got something for you to do!” So help someone else know what you know! Pass it on!
Look back for just a second at 2 Timothy 3:14-15:
2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Notice that Timothy already knew the Word of God - and from childhood! Paul wasn’t there when little Timothy was growing up. So how did he know God’s Word? Momma and Grand-momma - they taught him from when he was knee-high to a grasshopper. That’s how. God has revealed himself to you, child of God. So tell someone else. Help them get it so they can pass it on.
One final response:

We Must Heed It

No other response to the Bible matters if we don’t do what it says. In Nehemiah’s day, they had to change quite a few things. Just browsing the next couple of chapters shows us how much changed from God’s Word being applied:
In 8:9-12, the people were saddened by their sin against God. They were so grieved that the leaders had to make them celebrate that day as a feast because it was a holy day.
In 8:13-18, the people realized that they had neglected a feast for at least the last 500 years! So they did it! They made their booths and they celebrated the feast as God prescribed.
In 9:1-5, after the feast was over, they came back together. But this time there was no feasting, but fasting. They spent several hours hearing the Law of God and several more repenting of their sins.
In 9:6-31, the Levites offer a prayer, recounting God’s mercies and goodness toward Israel, and Israel’s sinfulness toward God in return. The prayer recounts the biblical story, reminding those present of how the Bible reveals the character and works of God.
In 9:32-10:27, the leaders lead the congregation in renewing the covenant with God.
In 10:28-39, the people covenant with God to follow the Book of the Law, highlighting various ways that they have neglected God’s commands in the past and committing to follow them in the future.
Each of these demonstrates the simple truth - God’s Spirit blesses his people when they respond with reverence to his Word. Revival truly happens when we prioritize obedience to what God has spoken.
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