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Announcements
OCC - Nicole
Monthly Fellowship Meal - Wednesday at 6:30pm; Bible studies to follow
Homecoming - Sunday October 2; service starts at 10am with meal on the grounds to follow
Pre-worship Reading: Psalm 19:7-14
Pray
Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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?
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