A Look At Revival Series

A LOOK AT REVIVAL

Habakkuk 3:1-2

INTRODUCTION

A. Habakkuk has had a bad day.

1. He has been praying, O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Hab 1:2-3

- Finally God answers – I’m going to judge Israel…..with Babylon!

2. Whoa, wait God, that is not what I wanted to hear!

a. How can you judge us with someone who is worse.

b. God’s answer “Don’t worry I will judge them too.

c. To which he cries out “revive thy work”

3. Now many of us might be tempted to say, I sure am glad we are not in his place – personally or nationally.

4. But I would ask are we not or are we?

B. We might not be as far down the slope as Israel was but I believe we are in great need of a revival: personally, ecclesiastically and nationally.

1. So this is a good passage and time to take A Look at Revival.

2. Hab 3:1-2 states, A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

3. Revival is what Habakkuk wanted, even as he heard and submitted to God’s word,

4. He had voiced his complaints, the Lord had answered them and now he was content to pray and ask God for their need to be met - revival

5. In this first verse there is an unusual word, A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.

a. It might interest you to know that the word “shi-gi-o-noth” has at its root the meaning of a loud cry in a time of danger or joy – further it gives the idea “to reel to and fro.

b. From that it was given the thought of a song – one to be sung in the worship – so it became a psalm to be sung triumphantly with sudden changes in emotion.

c. It is this idea that sets the tone for Habakkuk 3:2-19

6. In the midst of fear and faith comes this cry – revive your work. O Lord

7. In the midst of his turmoil, reeling to and fro, comes the cry revive your work, O LORD!

8. In the midst of this service we may cry Revive your work, O LORD!

C. Because of this possibility this morning I would like to look at three things concerning revival that are necessary for us to know

1. The Fear Of LORD – The Foundation

2. Revival Is The LORD’S Business – The Understanding

3. The LORD’S Mercy For all – The Plea

D. May God grant the beginning of revival, right here, right now – may His Holy Spirit fan the flames of a Christ based, Holy Ghost driven, scripture fed and God honoring Revival in this place!

PRAY

For this to happen we need to know

I. THE FEAR OF THE LORD – THE FOUNDATION, Hab 3:2, O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid:… There are a number of things that take place at the on set of revival:

A. We Must Acknowledge God as LORD

1. Habakkuk uses the Hebrew word Yahovah (also known as Jehovah or Yahweh) which speaks to God’s eternality – the everlasting God

2. He is the only one who was and is and is to come!

3. There is none greater: eternal power, presence and knowledge are His.

4. It was the psalmist who testified, For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Psalm 86:10

5. Do you believe in the ONE God as revealed in Scripture?

B. We Must Hear His word - I have heard thy speech…

1. Revival cannot come apart from the word of God!

2. No revival in Israel took place without the Word – no revival, since has happened without the clear proclamation of God’s word

3. But more than proclamation of the word, it must be heeded – the Hebrew word is of the Qal stem and means to listen, to give heed.

4. Too many sitting in our American church pews are simply hearing the word but not listening and giving heed – that is why we need revival and that is a necessary part of revival.

5. Do you listen and heed God’s word?

C. Finally, We must fall before God in fear - and was afraid:…

1. The word translated fear has a wide range of meaning, again it is from the Qal stem and can mean: be afraid, stand in awe, honor and reverence