America's Need For Revival
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To start with, I want to thank Bobby Lee for asking me to come. I have always enjoyed coming to preach at this church, and I have always been welcomed by the congregation here. I thank you for that.
We have had some wonderful services in this place!
If you have your Bibles tonight, I want to ask you to stand with me for the reading of the Word of God.
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel,
2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
Context
Context
As we look in the book of Nehemiah, we see, what I believe to be, one of the greatest revival stories in all of scripture. Israel was taken into the Babylonian captivity around the year 606 BC and the 70-year captivity ended at the fall of the Babylonian empire around 538 BC, but all of Israel did not return at once to their homeland. The return of God’s people to Israel took place through three waves: Zerubbabel led the first wave around 536 BC (Ezra 1-6), Ezra led the second wave around 455 BC (Ezra 7-10), and then here in Nehemiah, we see the third wave, led by Nehemiah himself, that took place around 446 BC. As we begin the book of Nehemiah, we see that one of Nehemiah’s brothers, along with other men of Judah, have come to visit him in the capitol city of Shushan, within the Persian Empire. Upon their arrival, Nehemiah asks how the remnant of God’s people, who survived the captivity and made it back home, are doing and also about the Holy City. The answer that Nehemiah receives from his brother Hanani, is not what he was expecting. I think when Nehemiah asked this question he was expecting his brother to tell him of the wonderful singing and praising God that took place on the journey back home. I think he was expecting to hear of how the people were settled back in and how the crops had started to grow. I think he was expecting to hear of how the worship of Almighty God within the temple was the highlight of every single day. I think he was expecting to hear good things, but instead he gets a bad report.
Nehemiah has never seen Israel himself, for he is a young man that was born during the captivity, but he has heard stories.
He has been told of the glory of that place.
He has pictured in his mind a place of splendor, honor, and glory.
He has built an entire memory of a place that he has never even seen, because it is part of his heritage.
He has heard stories of how God reigned over their people.
He has heard of the mighty victories Israel has won throughout their history by the hand of God.
He has heard of the sacrifices that were made at the temple.
He has heard of how God moved in and through the people to form a family. A family that leaned on one-another while the world stood against them.
He has heard many things, and since most of the rest of Israel had already returned, he was expecting this former glory to be restored by now.
Unfortunately, this is not the report that he receives. Instead of getting a report of restoration, he receives a report of destruction. The gates have been burned, the walls have been broken, and the people are burdened.
I want to speak to you tonight under the title of “America’s Need For Revival”.
Content
Content
We too, like Nehemiah, are hearing stories of a nation, who no longer carries the glory that it once did.
I have heard stories in my life about a time
When God was reverenced in America.
When Church was made a priority.
When people took their Bibles home instead of leaving them in the church pew.
When parents would sit their children down every night before bed, read the Bible to them, and pray together as a family.
When children were taught that God was to be feared, and not fantasized about.
When the leaders of this great country made decisions based upon their time in prayer to God, instead of trying to win votes.
When this country stood firm on their convictions of God and didn’t cower to opposing ideologies.
When the ten commandments hung in the courthouses as a reminder of where the law came from and what provided the foundation for everything it said.
When people longed to see Jesus and showed it by the lives the lived here on this side of eternity.
When people leaned on one another and cared for one another. They built relationships with one another and showed love to each other.
Listen, we have all heard stories, but unfortunately that is not the world we live in anymore. It is of my opinion, and I think that opinion is backed by the Word of God, that their is a good reason why: Our gates have been burned, Our walls have been broken, and our people are burdened.
Somewhere along the way, we have allowed the enemy to come into our country, and destroy this once fortified nation from the inside out.
Our Gates Have Been Burned
Our Gates Have Been Burned
The first and main entry point to any fortified structure is the gateway, including our hearts.
Depending on which side of the gate you are on, a gateway speaks of either entering into or exiting out of something.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
The gate that has been burned speaks of Jesus Christ.
The first step in America’s fall was that it took Jesus off the throne.
Jesus is the epicenter of Christianity.
1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (NKJV)
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (NKJV)
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Ephesians 2:20 (ESV)
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus is the gateway to eternity. One must go through Jesus in order to get to God. He is the foundation on which we build. He is the cornerstone that guides how we build. It is by Him that we are saved, and it is by Him that we stand.
We cannot make it without Jesus Christ. The very essence of salvation is based upon a relationship with Jesus.
He left heaven and came to earth, so that he could be:
born as a man
grow as a man
live as a man
struggle like men do
be tempted as men are
and even die a man’s death
and He did it all for us.
He died that we might live; He suffered that we might prosper; He gave His life so that we could have one.
He came down so that we could go up; He broke the shackles of bondage so that we might go free.
He bridged the gap between man and God; He conquered an evil that we cowered before.
He was accused so we could be justified; He was broken down so that we could be sanctified; He was shamed so we could be glorified; He became the King of sin that we could become slaves unto righteousness.
Without Jesus, we are hopeless. He is the gateway to everything.
The biggest mistake any person can ever make, is to fail to realize that Jesus sits on the throne. He always has and always will.
The men of old, the priests and prophets, all served God looking forward unto a promise of deliverance. The men of recent years have all served God looking back unto a promise of deliverance.
It has always been about Jesus.
He was the Messiah of the OT and the Christ of the New. Did you know that those two words are synonomous? The Hebrew Word for Messiah is equivalent to the Greek word for Christ. They both mean “The Anointed One”.
It has always been about Jesus.
Without Jesus, there is no Christ.
Without a Christ, there is no salvation.
Without salvation, there is only sin.
Do you see it? How did we get to where we are? How has a nation once protected and prospered by God fall so far?
It took Jesus off the throne.
He is supposed to be the husband of the wife. Without a husband, a woman has no support.
He is supposed to be the head of the body. Without a head, a body cannot function.
He is supposed to be the foundation of the building. Without a foundation, any structure will fall.
Now the question is, “How did this happen?”
How did we come to the point of taking Jesus off the throne?
Let’s keep going......
Our Walls Have Been Broken
Our Walls Have Been Broken
Our gates have been burned, because our walls have been broken down.
The walls that have been broken down speak of the Word of God.
When we speak of walls, we speak of
Protection
Whether you believe it or not, there is an enemy out there that hates God. If you are a child of God, that means he hates you too.
I hope you know that. The idea of a devil and demonic forces are as true today as they ever have been, but it seems that you are in the minority if you believe that anymore.
How has this happened? Because the Word of God has lost its place within the hearts of those who claim to believe in it.
The devil will do anything within his God-given authority to steal, kill, and destroy everything and everyone that has anything to do with God.
The Word of God is our protection against such forces of evil.
When Satan came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus defeated him by standing on the Word of God. He said, “It is written; It is written; It is written.” That’s how he won.
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Listen to Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, had to say concerning the Word of God:
5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
The Word of God serves as a shield to the attacks of Satan. When we are prepared with it, our eyes are opened to the lies, schemes, and trickery of Satan so that we might stand faithful in tempestuous times.
We prepare for spiritual battle by getting the Word of God before our eyes and into our hearts.
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
Unification
The Word of God, coupled with prayer, is the most unifying thing in the Christian community.
Some would argue the fact, and say the opposite. They would say that the in-depth study of God’s Word has done right the opposite. They would say the obvious result of that is the fact that there are over 40,000 different denominations of Christianity in the world today. I am here to tell you tonight, that the Word of God did not do that; the pride of man’s heart did that.
There is only one God. That God plainly said in His own Word that he is not the author of confusion. If there is confusion within the brethren, it isn’t God......that’s man.
As we read the Word of God, we are unified together into one body, under one head, which is Jesus Christ.
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
God gave the same Word to everyone. He didn’t give me one version and you another. He didn’t convict me of one thing and you the opposite. The same God who is in you and I, is not going to fight against Himself.
As we meditate on God’s Word, memorize it, write it upon the tablets of our hearts, and then model our lives after it, we will be unified because of it.
Separation
The walls of any fortress separates those within from those who are without. It speaks of separation.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
The Word of God separates the sinner from the saint.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
The Word of God is what allows us to be different. It teaches us the ways of God. It helps us to be faithful.
It is what allows us to be salt and light in a lost and dying world.
The more we read it, study it, and pray over it, the more we become like Christ.
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
We grow in Christ, as we feast on His Word.
Our People Are Burdened
Our People Are Burdened
Our gates have been burned, because our walls have been broken, and our walls have been broken, because our people are burdened.
The people who are burdened speaks of the children of God.
Now some of you may think that I am teaching this backwards.
Some here are probably thinking that it should be the other way around. The gates were burned, which resulted in the walls being broken, which resulted in the people being burdened.
Look at the verse again:
3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
Hanani does not give it in that order. He says that the people are burdened. Then he says the walls are broken down. Then he says the gates were burned.
Listen to me......the starting point of eternity is Jesus Christ. We can all agree on that. We have already seen that in scripture.
But we are not talking about the starting point of eternity.....not just yet. We are talking about the starting point of falling away. We are talking about America’s need for revival. We are here tonight for revival. We are here tonight speaking to those who have already been saved. We are speaking to the church. Where did the church go wrong? Where was the starting point of the church’s downfall?
When talking about the growth and restoration of the kingdom of God, we must always start with Jesus. When Satan is trying to tear down that kingdom, he never starts with Jesus. He starts with us.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We have all heard that right?
Listen, a nation is only as strong as the families that make it up.
The church in America is being torn down from the inside out. If you don’t believe me, then let me put it to the test. Are you ready? Now i’m going to ask you some questions.
If it is not a common practice in your home to have family devotion and prayer, would you please sit down?
There is a common misconception of revival, and it is that it has to start out there. People think that revival means a sudden movement of God upon the lost, to where people start getting saved by the hundreds and the thousands.
That is not revival. That is the result of revival. Revival does not start out there. It starts right here.
Commitment
Commitment
As I come to a close, I want to explain something.
I have already given you the model for revival. It starts at the doorway. It starts with Jesus. When Jesus is put on the throne of your heart, the walls will be built as you read and study His Word. As you read and study His Word, your home will be transformed into the likeness of Jesus, the Christ.
I can’t help but feel that there are some here tonight who are deeply convicted of their sin, maybe even on an eternal scale.
Maybe you are here tonight, or tuning in online, and you just feel that you have never truly, fully trusted in Christ. You know that Jesus is real and you do not doubt that. You know He is the Son of God, and you don’t doubt that either. But even though you know those things, and even believe those things, you have never really turned your entire life over to Him.
Let me explain why. It is not enough to simply come to the door. It is not enough to even acknowledge that Christ is the door. You have to actually walk through the door. You must come into Jesus completely. Being saved is not just about your salvation, and if that is all you have ever based your salvation on, you missed the big picture.
Salvation is not about stepping over hell, nearly as much as it is about stepping into heaven. It is a complete surrender. It is about declaring spiritual bankruptcy and coming to God empty handed. It is about giving Him every hidden space of your heart. It is about being a channel of God’s glory so that His light would shine not just in you, but through you.
There is a big difference between the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.