Sermon Brief
Date Written: April 20, 2007
Date Preached: April 22, 2007
Where Preached: OZHBC (AM) Service
Series Title: A Message on Revival
Sermon Title: Can Revival Come to Albany?
Sermon Text: 2 Chronicles 7:10-16
Introduction:
This morning God has laid a message on my heart that is going to be hard to preach. But this morning I am going to share with you what God has laid on my heart… I am going to preach about Revival!
Well preacher, we are about to have an area wide Crusade/ Revival… why do you need to preach to us about it… we know what a revival is!
Well let me ask you that question, “Do you know what true revival is?” There are many of you here today who would say things like…
Revival is when you get a preacher to come in and preach the gospel and we have a series of meetings, usually about 4-5 meetings in a week’s time… that is a revival.
There are some of you who would agree with me in saying that is not really a revival but just a series of meetings. After all every Sunday morning we have a preacher come in and preach the Gospel message… and all year long we have 3 meetings a week where the Gospel is preached or taught and we meet together in the Lord’s House.
Some of you would say that a revival is a series of meetings where God’s spirit moves and we have a great weekend, or a great week or even (heaven forbid) a great MONTH of gut-wrenching and soul-convicting services.
Well although that is a great thing to happen in any church… it is NOT true revival.
Well preacher, I am confused… is this is NOT what a revival is, what is a TRUE revival?
The Hebrew word chalaph is actually a military term that represents a soldier or group of soldiers that is surrounded and there is NO hope of escape… and then God miraculously steps in and rescues them… We see this played out on several occasions in the OT.
The Greek word eirgo which means to ‘waken from sleep’ it carries with it the idea believers have lulled off to sleep in their devotion and their commitment to God… God then intervenes and awakens them and stirs them to obedience… is that not a great picture of revival…
But we can also see that this world has had many great revivals and we have read about some of them. When we look in the Bible there are many stories of revival:
We can actually see the beginnings of revival happening at the burning bush where Moses submitted in obedience to God’s call… and a nation was freed from slavery and bondage because of his obedience…
After deliverance from Egypt we also see revival break out at the foot of Mt Sinai as the people fell on their face in humility and confession after Moses interceded for them to God to save them…
When Jerusalem had laid dormant for over 70 yrs and Nehemiah came back and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem there was a great revival as the people got back to the Word of God and began to listen as Ezra read to them about what God required of them…
John the Baptist caused a revival of the heart in challenging people to repent of their sin and be baptized…
Jesus, Himself, issued a call to repentance for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand…
In the book of Acts we read about a great revival that happened in Jerusalem where 3000 people were saved on the very first day…
We also read about the Great Awakening that began in New England and spread down the coast and eventually back to England in the mid 1700’s.
Then there was the 2n Great Awakening in New England that spread down the coast and also across the sea to England in the early 1800’s…
There was a global revival that began in the late 1800’s and culminated in China at the “Shantung Revival’ in the early 1900’s…
There was the “Jesus Movement’ of the 1960’s that brought about the Lay Renewal movement, Contemporary Christian music and an emphasis on Youth in our churches…
There have been MANY revivals that we can read about, but what do people say about revival…
Charles G. Finney said…
He said it is nothing [more] than a new beginning of obedience to God. Just as in the case of the converted sinner, the first step is a deep repentance, a breaking down of the heart, a getting down into the dust before God, with deep humility, and the forsaking of sin.
Billy Sunday said this about revival…
A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church. What a spell the devil seems to cast over the Church today!
Ok preacher, I understand, revival is not an event but a change of heart, but what can we do here at OZHBC to bring about this change of heart and ultimately the revival that God has for our fellowship?
Well, I am glad you asked… and I want to share with you how WE can have TRUE revival here in Albany, LA and how that revival can touch our lives, our church, our community and ultimately our country!
Background of passage
Solomon had just completed the Temple… which was the desire of his father’s heart, but God would not allow David to build it. Solomon was considered to be successful as a king for this great accomplishment.
God comes to Solomon and puts His blessing on Solomon’s efforts and says that He will dwell in the Temple, and it was God’s intention that the Temple be there forever and that He would be Israel’s God for all time…
But God puts a warning before Solomon about the nature of humanity… about the nature of the Hebrew people and that was one of disobedience and rebellion against God. And God instructs Solomon, when rebellion and disobedience happens and I am chastening the nation… here is what you can do to bring about a revival within the nation…
Turn with me this morning to 2 Chron 7:10-16 and let us stand in honor of the reading of God’s word…
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, rejoicing and with happy hearts for the goodness the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
11 So Solomon finished the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon’s heart to do for the Lord’s temple and for his own palace succeeded.
The Lord’s Response
12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:
I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a temple of sacrifice.
13 If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people,
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
15 My eyes will now be open and My ears attentive to prayer from this place.
16 And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My name may be there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there at all times. 2 Chron 7:10-16 (HCSB)
So this morning I want us to look in this passage and see the five (5) basic essential requirements to see revival happen in ourselves, in our church, in our community and in our country!
1. Essential #1 – Revival requires Seeking God…
Now I want to clarify what I am saying here… there can be NO revival without it coming from God, but what I am saying here is that we must make the effort to seek revival… God is not going to force revival down our throats!
Let’s look at the first part of v.14…
“…and My people called by My name…” Here we find God instructing Solomon that when revival is needed it begins with the people of God.
The pornography industry in this nation and around the world has become a multi-billion industry… it has reached out and has gone from the seedy underbelly of society… and has invaded the homes of millions of people all over the world.
So often, as believers, we see the evil in this world and say… that is why we are in need of revival… because of the evil in this world!
But did you know that there is really no such thing as evil? WHAT? Preacher just look at the world, how can you say that?
Well let me illustrate what I am trying to say. Did you know that there is really no such thing as ‘cold’. Cold is simply a word we have come to use to describe the absence of heat. Cold cannot be measured outside of measuring the absence of heat.
Likewise, there is NO evil in this world but merely the absence of God. Evil is a word we have come to use for a situation that we see and want to label… As believers we say, Abortion in evil, Gambling is evil, Drinking is evil, Sex outside of marriage is evil, Homosexual activities are evil…
But when we truly look at these things we see that these things are simply happening NOT because of the evil, but because of the lack of God present.
So when we look at the world around us today and say that there is SO much evil… we need to understand that is the enemy twisting the real truth that there is not enough of the presence of God in people’s lives.
As the church, WE are where revival has to start. As the church, WE are the starting point for the redemption of our community and our country!
When the church is right with God, the message of God rings true and loud and people are saved! When we are NOT right with God, there is stagnation and no visible sign of God’s presence in the world!
SO the first essential element for the coming of revival must be that revival begins when we begin to seek God’s face as individual believers, as Sunday school classes, as congregations, as THE CHURCH! Revival begins at HOME!
2. Essential #2 – Revival requires humility…
After we begin to seek the face of God, when you get down to the absolute bare essentials of it... revival requires humility of spirit in each one of us!
It requires a humility of spirit that is willing to recognize the sinful state it is in and come to God and confess that sin so that he or she would be forgiven of that sin…
Jesus taught in Matt 18 that a haughty spirit cannot and will not garner the attention of God, but instead it will be rejected by God and God will NOT honor it!
But Jesus says that if we are humble in spirit that God does listen and take notice of that prayer and is willing to reveal Himself in personal revival… which leads to corporate revival.
Look what God teaches Solomon in v.14…
“and My people called by My name humble themselves…”
Before revival can take place God has instructed that WE… the people of God… the Ones called by God… the Ones who professed Christ Jesus as Savior…
God calls us to humble ourselves before Him…
I once heard of a young lady who came to the pastor of her church and confessed that she was struggling with a certain issue in her life.
She told him that when she came to church that she couldn’t help thinking that she was the prettiest girl there. She said that she knew she shouldn’t be thinking that way and she asked her pastor for help.
The young girl’s pastor told her NOT to worry about it, that in her case it was not a sin, but it was just a terrible mistake!
God’s calls us to be humble which means that we must be willing to criticize our own lives and recognize when we are sinful! But it also allows others to shine!
So often we simply cannot allow others to shine because we think it takes something away from us…
Phil 2:3 tells us, “…3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself…” (NKJV)
In 1 Jn 1:8-10 we read, “…8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. ..” (NKJV)
We must seek God and we must humble ourselves before Him, but 3rd I can see that…
3. Essential #3 – Revival requires prayer…
Charles Spurgeon once said, ‘…prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell of heaven rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell because their prayer is so lethargic. Others give an occasional yank on the rope, but he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously and with all his might!”
Oswald Chambers once said, “Prayer does not equip us for a greater work, prayer IS the greater work…”
Look what God teaches Solomon in v.14…
“and My people called by My name humble themselves and pray …”
Our duty is humble ourselves before God and seek His face in prayer. It is our responsibility and duty to confess sin and seek God’s face. It is God’s responsibility to bring about revival… we pray and seek God’s face… it is God that does the work!
Revival will NOT come without the saints of God prostrating themselves before God and confessing their sin and praying for forgiveness and direction!
Revival will not come until the church truly seeks the face of God and submits in obedience to the plans and purpose of God!
Make no mistake people, we are in the middle of a spiritual war here today… and the enemy will do anything to prevent the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Far too often we don’t treat our walk with Christ and our responsibility to share Christ with the world as serious. We forget that we are at war with Satan.
Instead of using prayer as that ‘walkie-talkie’ that brings in the reinforcements to the battle ground… we use prayer like a pampered and spoiled believer who calls out to God to send down another comfort into the den of our Christian walk!
Prayer is serious business in the life of the believer and it is vital in the coming of revival, but we can also see another essential in that…
4. Essential #4 – Revival requires a TRUE desire for revival…
We can pray for revival but if there is NOT a true desire for revival among the people of God, God is NOT going to send revival. God knows our hearts and attitudes and He is NOT going to send revival to those who really do not want it!
Looking in v.14 we can see that God continued to teach Solomon about bring about revival to a fallen people…
“…and My people called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face…” Here God is teaching Solomon that true revival can only come when it is the true desire of the heart seeking revival…
This short phrase, “…and seek My face…” is NOT simply another way to say PRAY to God… but it is actually HOW we are to pray…
We are called by God to pray in such a way that the very foundations of heaven are shaken by the fervent spirit of our prayer!
The implication in this teaching is NOT simply to ask, but to come before God and pray and be persistent in our prayer until God answers them.
The great English preacher of the 1800’s George Muller said this about persistent prayer…
"It is not enough for the believer to begin to pray, nor to pray correctly; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray. We must patiently, believingly continue in prayer until we obtain an answer.
Further, we have not only to continue in prayer until the end, but we have also to believe that God does hear us and will answer our prayers. Most frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained, and in not expecting the blessing.
Disciples of the Lord Jesus should labor with all their might in the work of God as if everything depended upon their own endeavors.
Yet, having done so, they should not in the least trust in their labor and efforts, nor in the means that they use for the spread of the truth, but in God alone; and they should with all earnestness seek the blessing of God in persevering, patient, and believing prayer.
Here is the great secret of success, my Christian reader. Work with all your might, but never trust in your work. Pray with all your might for the blessing in God, but work at the same time with all diligence, with all patience, with all perseverance.
Pray, then, and work. Work and pray. And still again pray, and then work. And so on, all the days of your life. The result will surely be abundant blessing. Whether you see much fruit or little fruit, such kind of service will be blessed."
Muller, George
What is Muller saying here? He is saying that we are to diligently pray to God and believe that God is going to answer that prayer and if revival is needed that we are willing to work and do what is necessary to make it happen… not relying on our abilities but trusting in God to deliver on His promise!
Do you desire revival? Do you TRULY desire revival? If you do, then you must passionately seek the face of God to bring revival to yourself, to our church, to our community and ultimately to our country.
Finally this morning I want to share the 5th essential element for revival and that is…
5. Essential #5 – Revival requires TRUE repentance…
Do you know the origins of the word we know as repentance? It actually comes from the nomadic tribes of the Middle East. The essence of the meaning of this word depicts one who has wandered and wandered and comes to a realization that he does know where he is or where he is going… or even where he can go!
It is at this time they admit to themselves that they have been going the wrong way and they turn around and go back to where they started…
In the spiritual realm repentance comes from a conviction brought upon by the Holy Spirit that reveals to our hearts that we are sinful and that sin needs to be confessed and forgiven…
It is at the urging of the Holy Spirit that we KNOW we are headed in the wrong direction and that we need to turn from our own selfish and sinful desires and directions in life… and turn around to head toward God.
People when revival comes… it can only come when the people of the Lord step down off their HIGH horse and stop condemning the world and realize that they are sinners and seek God’s forgiveness through heartfelt and passionate confession.
In v.14 God teaches Solomon that revival would come only when “… My people called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways…”
Turning from our wicked and evil ways is repentance. Repentance is to make a 180 degree turn… an about face… stop going in our own direction and begin to travel in God’s direction!
Until we as the church are willing to acknowledge our sin and turn from the wickedness of our own hearts, revival will NEVER come!
We must turn away…
• from back biting,
• from petty differences,
• from gossip,
• from thinking we are better than others,
• from getting even with someone,
• from doing our own thing
• from ignoring God’s call and desire
We must repent as believers for revival to be a viable option for the church. Revival will not come until repentance is evident in the lives of the believers!
Conclusion
God taught Solomon that for revival to come to the people of Israel that they had some essential elements that must be present in the lives of all people before Revival would come!
But what kind of revival is God promising when we have all the essential elements present? Let’s look at the rest of v.14 to see what God has promised…
“…and My people called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land…”
When the elements of revival are present then God has promised that He would hear from Heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land! Can you imagine what would happen in our nation today if God’s love was spread to all peoples!
Can you imagine what it would be like if America were to turn back to the Lord? If we would seek His face and turn from our wicked ways… what God could do in this world through OUR obedience…
Well people all of that begins with YOU! Are you ready for revival today? Are you willing to do what is needed to see that revival comes to Albany?
We had a block party yesterday and our services begin tonight, so I urge you to be praying that God’s plan and purpose for this Crusade are accomplished!
Today if you are here and you do NOT know Christ as your Savior, YOU HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL!
What it takes for the people of God to experience revival… is the same thing that brings a person from being lost to salvation!
God is drawing you this morning and first you must come to Him and seek Him…
Once you begin to seek God you need to humble yourself before Him as He is the Creator of all things… the holy and righteous judge of the Universe!
At this point go to Him in prayer earnestly seeking to change, earnestly seeking to have Him clean you up and change your life!
Then offer up to God repentance of your sinful life, turn away from where you have been going and turn TO Jesus and allow Him to guide and direct your steps…
As Bro Wayne comes to lead us this morning, I pray that you will come as we sing our hymn of invitation…
