October 14, 2007
Morning Worship
Text: Luke 13:10-17
Subject: The Healing of a Woman
Title: There’s Going to be a Revival in this Town!
I’m going to begin this morning by sharing a dream that I had Thursday Night.
I was preaching in this church. It was evening and there were many new faces in church that night. There was a young mom with her little girl of about 6 years sitting back about where Lyndell and Tyler sit – a little closer to the center. At the end of the service I walked back to where they were sitting to talk to them. Many of the others in church had already headed for the door. There seemed to be something keeping them from getting out of the door. I was walking and talking with this young mother and when we got to the back of church the crowd was backed up so there was no way of getting out. At that point (for no apparent reason) I turned and looked back toward the platform and shouted as loudly as I could, “Hallelujah!” I don’t know why – if I saw something or heard something, I can’t remember – but when I shouted out I was lifted up off my feet and floated in mid-air over the congregation. When the people at the back of church heard me and saw what was happening and began to flood the platform and altar area. I have never seen this church worship like it did in my dream. The dream ended with me hovering over the congregation and worshiping with my whole being.
Is that pretty wild or what?
That’s not all! Friday morning at prayer I asked the Lord, “What does this dream mean?”. It was so real I knew there was some significance to it. This is the first time the Lord ever gave me a clear interpretation of a dream.
The young mom represents the new generation that is coming into the church. These new believers will be the fresh life the church needs. Their excitement and hunger for the Lord will draw their friends with them. Their children will come in with them.
Those who were at the back of church are the Christians who are more concerned with what they have to do after church than with what Jesus wants to do in the church.
The single word that I shouted out, “Hallelujah” – Praise the Lord - is the call to a higher place of worship within this church. With that higher call, God is going to fill this church with His Spirit once again. That is why everyone was running to the front of church to stand in worship.
When I saw myself hovering in mid-air over the congregation God was confirming that He is going to keep us here to lead and watch over the flock.
The Lord finished by saying, “Revival is coming soon.”
I felt led in my spirit to share that with you. I also want you to know that this revival is going to stretch you. You will be asked by God to go where you have never been, do what you have never done and receive what you have never thought possible.
I want to share with you today from the scriptures some recurring steps in the process of revival.
I. THE REASON FOR REVIVAL (10) What is it that brings revival to churches? 10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues… Many of the healings, deliverances, teachings and demonic confrontations took place when Jesus was in the house of God. Why is that? Psalm 84, 1How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. …10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Revival happens where the presence of God is. In Acts chapter 8 we see that revival broke out in Samaria when Philip went there to preach. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ£ there. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7With shrieks, evil£ spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.
9Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into£ the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Revival came because 1) Philip preached the Word of God. 2) God confirmed His word with signs and wonders. 3) They were willing to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The presence of God was in that place and that brings revival.
II. THE NEED FOR REVIVAL (11-13) 11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. Now in the natural sense we might say, “Wow, that must have been a really bad case of osteoporosis!” But in this case it was not a natural cause – it was demon inflicted. Don’t you wonder what was going on there? I get this picture of a lady who loved to worship the Lord. She was one of those who would sing out with her hands raised and her eyes lifted to heaven. Those types of worshipers are infectious and satan hates that. I can imagine the enemy commanding a spirit of infirmity to inflict this condition on her so that she couldn’t raise her hands or even look toward heaven. And there was nothing she could do in her own power to correct the condition. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” The KJV says He called her to Him. I want you to get this picture that is being painted. This poor woman is afflicted by a demon. I have to believe that she loved God; why else would she subject herself to the ridicule of being seen in public every Sabbath? She probably sat in the back corner somewhere out of the way so as to not bring attention on herself. And Jesus calls her forward. She doesn’t hesitate. She doesn’t hide. This is the moment she has been waiting for. This is the time of her personal revival. “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” The word translated infirmity means feebleness (of body or mind); by implication malady; moral frailty:—disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness. It is important that you understand all those meanings to really get the full effect of what happens next. 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Revival came to this woman’s life because she first, never gave up on God. Second, was willing to come to Jesus regardless of the cost, and third, was able to give God the glory. Psalm 34, 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all… You may not be bent over by a demon but how many of you are weighed down by the burden of lost family and friends? Who among you are struggling with your health? Which of you has so much paycheck left at the end of the month that you don’t know what to do with all your money? Jesus wants to set you free from your weaknesses. When you make the decision to go to Jesus to let Him deliver you, you will stir up others.
III. THE OPPOSITION TO REVIVAL (14) 14 Indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The synagogue ruler is the pastor of that local church and this is what we are hearing him say, “That’s not the way we’ve always done it. That goes against everything we have ever done before. Our theology doesn’t allow for that.” Then maybe you should get your theology from the Bible instead of tradition. Isaiah 61, 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor
And the synagogue ruler says, “Not in my church!” When revival comes to you personally and to the church corporately you will see things that may not be specifically detailed in the Bible. The manifestations that occurred in the Azusa Street Revival at the turn of the 20th century made people nervous because many of those manifestations were not in the Bible. But the spiritual principle tells us that God continually does something new. He has revealed Himself in various ways at different times so why wouldn’t He do it today?
Jesus addressed the “tradition” mentality in Matthew 23, 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
You know I don’t think that most people are against revival – they’re against change. But when it comes right down to it, isn’t that what revival is? To revive something means to bring life back to it. That is change and people will rise up against it.
IV. THE RESULTS OF REVIVAL (14-17) 1) Revival will bring power and wisdom to confront the enemy. 15The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? When revival comes others will be watching you to see what you do. They’ll keep doing the things that they do but you will be under constant scrutiny. But Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you2) Revival will bring a new association. 16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham… When did this woman become a daughter of Abraham? She was a Jew by birth so she was a daughter of Abraham. But she became a true daughter of Abraham when she submitted her life to Jesus’ will. Romans 2:28-29, 28A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God. 3) Revival will bring deliverance and freedom. 16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” Isn’t that what Jesus came to do? Luke 7:21-23, 21At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy£ are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” 4) Revival will draw attention to the person and work of Christ. 17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. There is great theological truth in the song we sing…
In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus
We have the victory
In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus
Satan will have to flee.
For when we stand on the name of Jesus
Tell me who can stand before us
In the name of Jesus, Jesus
We have the victory.
There’s going to be a revival in this town. And it’s going to start in your heart.
Jesus is calling to you today, Come to Me”.
Jesus is inviting you to allow Him to deliver you from your addiction, your finances, your personal problems, your health problems.
He is inviting you to come in spite of how it might look in the eyes of others.
He’s telling you to forget about the spirit that has you crippled and come to Him that He might lay hands on you and deliver you.
There’s going to be a revival in this town and it will begin as soon as you come to Jesus for deliverance.
Every one of us has something that we need to be delivered from, whether it is physical, emotion or spiritual.
Jesus is willing to deliver you today and revive you to a new and changed life.
Are you ready to receive it?
