Rediscover The Power Of The Gospel In Revival Series

Every single Christian and every church will need revival. Revival is part of the pattern the Holy Spirit uses to reconnect you to the gospel.1 Revival and spiritual awakening is when a group of people rediscover the power of the gospel.

Nearly every single person can look at church and conclude the church was built for more impact than any church is seeing today. Even nonreligious people can look over a church and say, “I’m not that impressed. Your behavior doesn’t match your beliefs.” And they go on ignoring the church. So every Christian and every church will need revival.

A revival is a time when sleepy Christians wake up, when nominal Christians convert to Christ, and when non-Christians come to faith in Christ. This is accompanied by an increase in the conviction of sin, an increase in the consciousness of God’s mercy and our unworthiness.

I invite you to find Romans 4 with me.

No one can force a major revival to happen by pushing the right buttons. Here are 3 marks that help distinguish a real awakening from the phony emotional stuff that passes for an awakening.

I’ll be in Romans 4 with you in a moment.

3 Marks of True Revival

Jonathan Edwards was the great pastor in Northampton, MS, and experienced several revivals in his time there. In fact, nearly 300 years ago, during the First Great Awakening, he penned a book where he outlines these 3 true marks of a revival. Usually, a time of renewal is preceded by a crisis, and during the crisis, God’s people really seek His presence.2 The people of God had a thirst for the living God.3 When you study the awakenings in the past, I don’t know of one that wasn’t preceded by an extraordinary time of prayer. The Holy Spirit uses “extraordinary prayer” — united, persistent, and kingdom-centered prayer.

1. A Deeper Awareness of God’s Presence

2. An Increased Sensitivity to Sin

Whenever you see an awakening taking place, you see people crying out to God in confession of sin.4 A true revival will see someone’s conscience awakened. A true revival will see a lot of people in despair and sadness.

“Pastor, why would you want a revival, a time when people are in despair and sadness?” Because to reach the mountain top, you have to visit the valley. Because the surgeon cuts you in order to heal you.

1. A Deeper Awareness of God’s Presence

2. An Increased Sensitivity to Sin

3. A Renewed Discovery of God’s Grace

The strange thing about an awakened congregation is you’ll have a mixture of sadness and joy in the same room. There’s sadness because we realize the true weight of our sins, but there’s real gladness because we begin to appreciate the significance of the gospel.

A lot of people right now are living life like this: “I live a good life; therefore Jesus accepts me.” But when revival comes, there’s new embrace that Jesus saves sinners by grace. There’s a new grasp of the wonder of God’s grace. So in place of, “I live a good life; therefore Jesus accepts me,” it’s now, “Jesus accepts me through nothing I’ve done; now I’ll can a good life!”5 In a few moments, I’ll be extending an invitation where some of you will leave this room differently. Your life will be lighter as your sins will be removed and you will experience the grace of God for the first time.

I hope you have found Romans 4.

Today’s Scripture

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…”

That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:1–5; 16-25).