Are We Ready For Revival?

I used this sermon the Sunday prior to the begining of revival services to be held at our church.

There are notes at the end about powerpoint and video clip.

**Are We Ready for Revival

2 Chronicles 7:14

In one week we will begin 4 days of revival services. In preparation we have been praying and asking God to make our hearts and lives like fertile soil ready for the planting of His special will into our lives.

I don’t know that there is anything out there that says every revival needs to be started out with this verse

(2 Chronicles 7:14) as a precursor, but it often happens that way.

If we want to experience revival in our life personally and in the life of the Lord’s church here at Mt. Pleasant then I do believe we are going to have to take hold of three important things which can be found in this verse.

We must recognize OUR IDENTIFICATION

We must act upon GOD’S INVITATION

Then we will be free to experience GOD’S ILLUMINATION into our lives.

Let us stand together as we read 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Word of the Lord says

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

(2 Chr 7:14 NIV)

I. Identification

First …Let’s think together this morning about the important matter of IDENTIFICATION.

I have asked a few of our church members to help me out this morning.

Caleb and Kara, along with Emily have come this morning to assist me in a brief lesson on identification.

Borrow three peoples drivers license

Get a picture or picture ID of 3 individuals in the church

Ask the person to which each belongs to identify the person in the picture…

Obviously they are going to say that it is (Me, there name)

The amazing thing is that all three of these individuals understood their identity.

In short …they know who they are….They have a good strong hold on their identification.

Some of you are saying

“well big deal… that’s not rocket science that they can identify who they are”.

But the strange thing in all of this is that many of us recognize who we are as a person… but do we understand who we are in being one of God’s people.

It is a question of identification.

Do we identify ourselves, as we should… with God… as being His people.

Do we act in faith as we should… being God’s people?

Do we walk in good and right ways that God’s Word has shown us,… ways filled with integrity and honesty.

Do we take hold of the full blessings that come from being God’s people?

It is the matter of identification.

The verse here says “If MY people who are called by my name.”

God is not talking to every person on the earth in this verse .

God is not talking to just any person in this verse.

God is talking to HIS PEOPLE

He says “If my people”

I can’t think of anything I would rather be than one of God’s people.

Some might say

“Well what is so special about being one of God’s people?”

I can’t be righteous, unless I am one of God’s people.

No one can receive true righteousness unless God gives to them… His righteousness.

Romans chapter 3 says

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Rom 3:12 NIV)

But you see when you are one of God’s people you can receive His goodness that you might live a life filled with doing good.

Not only does being one of God’s people allow me to receive His righteousness but

Only God can give true forgiveness of sin.

Mark Chapter 2 speaks of Jesus’ encounter with a paralytic man.

Jesus told the paralytic man

“Son your sins are forgiven”

When the teachers of the law heard it

MK 2 verse 8 says that they replied

"Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

They were right in saying only God alone can forgive sins but what they did not realize was that Jesus was God in human flesh.

I am glad for my identification as one of God’s people because it assures that

I can obtain God’s righteousness

That I can receive God’s forgiveness but in addition being one of God’s people assures me that there are wonderful blessings to be received from Him.

Jesus said in MT chapter 7 that if we as earthly fathers being sinful as humans …know how to give good things to our children … how much more (Jesus said) will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Mat 7:11 NIV)