To Hear, Fear, And Have Him Near
Psalm 85:6-13
Why do we need revival? A lady asked Billy Sunday: "Why do you keep having revivals when it doesn’t last?" And Billy Sunday in turn asked her, "Why do you keep taking baths?" Regular revival is necessary to keep a church cleaned up.
A man was hungry for revival in his home church. He sat down and began to write about when the church needs revival. Here are some of his thoughts.
1.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN CHURCH DINNERS ARE BETTER ATTENDED THAN PRAYER MEETINGS.
2. WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE SELDOM THINK THOUGHTS OF ETERNITY.
3. WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE MAKE LITTLE EFFORT TO WITNESS TO THE LOST SINNER.
4.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE HAVE TIME FOR RECREATION AND SPORTS ,BUT NOT FOR BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER.
5.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN OUR CHRISTIANITY IS JOYLESS AND DRY.
6.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN OUR HEARTS OUR ARE COLD AND OUR EYES ARE DRY.
7.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE ARE BORED WITH WORSHIP.
8.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN BELIEVERS CAN BE AT ODDS WITH EACH OTHER AND NOT FEEL COMPELLED TO PURSUE RECONCILIATION.
9.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE AREN"T EXERCISING FAITH AND BELIEVING GOD FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE.
10.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN THE FAMILY IS NOT PRAYING TOGETHER.
11.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN PEOPLE HAVE TO BE BEGGED TO GIVE AND TO SERVE IN THE CHURCH.
12.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE KNOW THE TRUTH IN OUR HEADS THAT WE ARE NOT PRACTICING IN OUR LIVES.
13.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE WOULD RATHER MAKE MONEY THAN GIVE MONEY.
14.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN PEOPLE HAVE TO BE ENTERTAINED TO BE DRAWN TO CHURCH.
15.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE ARE UNMOVED BY THE FACT OVER 2.5BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD HAVE NEVER HEARD THE NAME OF JESUS.
16.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN CHURCH SERVICES ARE PREDICTABLE AND BUSSINESS AS USUAL.
17.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE AREN"T SEEING REGULAR EVIDENCE OF THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OF GOD.
18.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AND THEIR ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES THAN ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THEIR SOULS.
19.WE NEED REVIVAL WHEN WE DON"T LONG FOR THE FELLOWSHIP OF GOD"S PEOPLE.
That’s when we need revival. Do we need revival in the Beaver Valley Church? I believe we do. My heart cries out with the Psalmist, “Lord will you not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?”
But God says, “Listen, if you want revival then there are some things you are going to have to do. You are going to have to hear, your going to have to fear, you must be of good cheer and last you must have Me near.” Now let’s take those a little slower. Do we want revival? Then first of all:
We need to hear. Read verse 8 with me again. “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.”
This word “hear” in the original Hebrew, was the word Shama. Shama means to hear intelligently; to give attention and obedience. This isn’t selective hearing. This isn’t listening to the truth and having it pass through one ear and out the other. Shama is hearing and obeying.
Another translation says, “I will give ear to the voice of the Lord.” This is a deliberate decision. For you married men maybe this illustration will help.
There are times in the home, my wife will be talking to me. I’m busy something, perhaps something I think is very important. On the other hand, she is bringing something to me that she considers very important. She expects my attention. I may be nodding my head and saying uh huh uh huh, but she realizes that I am not really listening. “Are you listening to me,” she asks. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.” “I need you to listen,” she tells me. “All right,” I say.
Now, I give an ear, I listen up to what my wife has to tell me. I have my thoughts tuned to what she is telling me. To my best ability, I now need to take action based on what she’s telling me.
If we men will do this for our wives, how much more should we give an ear to our Heavenly Father. He knows the beginning and the end of our lives. He knows the purpose for which we were created. He knows what is harmful for us and what is beneficial. When He speaks to us. It is for our good. That’s why we need to hear intelligently, giving attention and obedience.
May 31, 1889, a lone horseman came galloping through a Pennsylvania town. “The dam is about to break,” he shouted. “Abandon home, head for higher ground, the dam is about to break. Townspeople came to their doors and to their windows. Some scoffed. “We’ve heard that all before,” they sneered. “It’s just another scare in the middle of my busy workday.” The lone rider continued on his way. “The dam is about to break, flee for higher ground.” Busy townspeople shook their heads and ignored him. He finally rode out of town, on his way to higher ground. Within forty minutes an awful roar could be heard in the distance. A wall of water 60 feet high, carrying entire trains, bridges, and factories, was speeding for town at 40 miles an hour. Some individuals already in their homes scrambled for their attics. Some of those homes collapsed drowning their owners. Workman in the streets were caught in the open with no where to go. Many were crushed by the debris. Because they payed no attention, 2,200 people payed the penalty with their lives.
When it comes to hearing God’s voice, He often wants to warn about incredible dangers, things that can cost us our spiritual lives, things that can even take our physical lives.
During our upcoming revival, God will speaking to us through His word and His messanger. Will you hear intelligently and obediently?
Not only do we need to hear, but: We need to fear. Verse 9 says, “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.” We need to fear God. When we fear him, His salvation is near us. “But I don’t to be a fearful person. Doesn’t the Scripture say that perfect love casts out all fear. Why should I be going around in fear.”
There are two very different definitions for fear. We can define fear as a distressing emotion aroused by an impending pain, danger, evil, or the illusion of such. Second, we can define fear as a reverential awe especially toward God. This second definition is the kind of fear we should have. This fear is a reverential awe toward God. The original Hebrew for this fear was yare, which mean morally reverent. As we look ahead to our revival each one of us in this church need to determine that we will come to our services with an attitude of moral reverence. We will come with humble hearts every night, determined to fear God in this sense of moral reverence.
Isn’t there something about the majesty of God that puts a holy stillness on you and me? Isn’t there something about the grandeur of God that should leave us quiet before Him. If we could come to each revival service still and quieted before God, I believe He could do much for us. His salvation is near those that fear Him.
My father-in-law told me about how he filled in for a church without a pastor for several weeks. Every service, he would watch as people came in with little or no reverence for God. It was just like a big social time as they stepped in the doors of God’s house. The talking and laughing, and socializing would go on right until the opening prayer. No one took time to truly fear God. My father-in-law observed that God’s presence was hindered in those meetings. After seeing what was happening he admonished those people, who did have sincere hearts, to create an atmosphere conducive to God’s presence. He encouraged them to come in early enough to pray. He encouraged them to have prelude music. All these things serving to show God that these people had come in reverence. Why? “His salvation is nigh them that fear Him.”
God help me, God help each one of you to enter our revival with a Holy fear, a reverence, an awe of God.
Yes, we need to hear, we need to fear, and third: We need to be of good cheer. Verse 12 affirms, “Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.” Despite the lack of revival, the Psalmist chose to look ahead in faith, believing that God was going to work and bless the people of the land. The Psalmist chose to believe that God would revive His people, transform them, and bless them. He had overcoming faith. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
As we look ahead to our revival, its easy to slip into feelings of doubt and unbelief. Its easy to believe we will not get the victories we need. Its easy to think that others will not get the victories they need. But the Psalmist chose to not look at the lack of revival. Instead, He chose to be of good cheer and say, “The Lord is going to give us what is good.“ We need that same kind of faith. We need to look ahead with confidence, to be of good cheer. As we look ahead to revival, let’s have a cheerful expectant attitude just waiting to see what God is going to give us.
It was revival time at the Mayfield church once again. It may have even been a fall revival. The preacher announced, “Friends, our church revival is just around the corner. Let’s come each night expecting God to move.“
In the congregation, Beth looked over at her husband Sam and wispered. “Revival again. Just have to go church every night and get bored to death. Nothin going to happin anyways. What’s that preacher getting excited about for goodness sake.” Sam responded, “Yeah, you said it, just a big waste of time.”
While Sam and his wife sneered at the revival, Bob, another church member, was whispering to one of his friends. “They always schedule revivals right over the time that I have those car shows you know. I’ve got two of them coming up this week. These revivals are for the birds anyways.” You could see his friend nodding his head vigorously.
And then there was Sharon talking with her mother Sally. Sharon whispered, “I’ve got some papers I’ve got to work on at school. Hey, I won’t be missin much anyways. When was the last time we saw someone go to the altar.”
Now after giving you this little inside view of the Mayfield church, do you think revival came their way? No, of course not. They went into that revival with rotten attitudes. They weren’t expecting God to work and so they didn’t see God work. They didn’t go ahead in good cheer waiting for the outpouring of God.
But I believe that God has something completely different that He wants for us. He wants us to go into revival saying, “Lord, we trust you to give us good things. We’re coming into revival expectantly. As we look ahead, we are of good cheer.”
We need to hear, we need to fear, we need to be of good cheer and last, we need Him near. Verse 13 reports, “Righteousness shall go before Him and shall set us in the way of His steps.” This verse was a prophecy about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to this earth, that He might take our wickedness upon Himself and give us His righteousness. Rom 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
John Wesley paraphrased the verse like this. “He, that is Jesus, shall fulfil all righteousness, he shall satisfy the righteousness of God, and shall advance righteousness and holiness among men. (Jesus) shall cause us to walk in those righteous ways wherein he walketh.”
Jesus Christ is wanting to pick us up and set us in the path that He has trod. He is wanting to place us there, in that path of righteousness, right alongside Him, as He paves the way. Are you ready to have Jesus near. Then let him set you in the way of His steps.
Bruce Olson was working as a missionary to the Motilone Indians. Their culture was so strange he had trouble getting through to them that Jesus had come to save them from their sins. After struggling many times to tell the good news, one day something incredible happened.
He was speaking to group of tribesman. He told them, “God became a man.” They gasped. There was a tense, hushed silence. The idea that God had become a man stunned them.
“Where did He walk?” the witch doctor asked in a whisper.
For the Motilone Indian, everyone had his own trail in the jungle. It was his personal point of identity. You walk someone’s trail if you want to find them. God would have a trail too. If you wanted to find God you would have to walk His trail.
With his blood racing and his heart pounding, Bruce told those Indians, “Jesus is God become man… He can show you God’s trail.”
A few days later, one Indian brave approached Bruce. “How can I walk on Jesus trail?” That night, the Indian brave prayed through and he walked Jesus’ trail.
As we anticipate revival, Jesus wants us to walk His trail. He wants us to find Him. He wants to pick us up and put us on His path of righteousness. It is only as we walk His trail, it is only as we walk in the way of His steps, that we will find Him near.
Are you ready to hear intelligently and obediently the Word of God? Will you fear God, that is be in reverent awe of God, during our revival? Can you do your best to be of good cheer and look forward with hope to our revival? Most of all, can we seek to walk in Jesus’ steps, that we may find Him near in our revival.
A pastor was looking forward to revival in his church and this is what he said to his people:
If all the Sleeping folk will WAKE UP
And all the Lukewarm folk will FIRE UP.
And all the Dishonest folk will CONFESS UP.
And all the Disgruntled folk will SWEETEN UP.
All the Discouraged folk will CHEER UP.
And all the Depressed folk will LOOK UP.
`And all the Estranged folk will MAKE UP.
All the Gossipers folk will SHUT UP.
And all the Dry Bones will SHAKE UP.
And all the True Soldiers will STAND UP.
And all the Church Members will PRAY UP.
Then you can have real revival. Dear God, send us revival.
