Revival in the “City Set on a Hill” – Grant S. Sisson, MSCP, CI
Charlie Brown and Linus. Charlie brown asks Linus "What would you do if you felt that nobody liked you?" Linus responds "Well Charlie Brown I guess I would take a real hard look at myself, ask if I am doing anything that turns people off, How can I improve myself? Do I need to change in some way? Yep thats my answer Charlie Brown." Charlie Brown says, "I hate that answer."
When I look at the situation that we as Americans face now, I wonder how it is we got here. When we came from Europe in the 1500’s and 1600’s, we came to escape persecution. We came for religious freedom. We came so we could raise our families without governmental interference. We just wanted a better life for ourselves and our families. Since that time, with the exception of this generation coming on, we have all had it better than our parents. We have valued our freedom so highly that we have fought and died for it. And we gave the glory to God for all the tremendous blessings we have received here in this land. But you know what has happened; we have progressively moved away from God, and now socialists hold many of the highest offices of the land, and the government routinely decides some of the smallest details of personal life, such as what your child will be taught about values in school. Many of the things they demand are oppressive in nature; what if we don’t WANT our kids to be taught that homosexuality is a natural lifestyle? This is being taught in Massachusetts, and it is considered “not a parental notification issue(1).” One man objected and wound up in jail – and this is America!! In Louisiana, it has long been public policy that your children are wards of state, and that you only raise them because of the good graces of the State (and the fact that at least so far the State doesn’t have anywhere else to keep them.) Our most precious legal doctrines – beginning with personal freedom and the right to conduct our family and personal affairs as we see fit – are under attack. And we could go on and on.
We all know what the issues are. We all are feeling the pressure. Part of the pressure we feel is that of just not talking about it. We have been called intolerant so much that we are afraid to say anything that might tick somebody off. We are so afraid we’re going to hurt someone’s feelings. So we have this ten thousand pound bull elephant standing in the living room, and nobody says a word. We play like it’s invisible. And while we don’t talk about it, it has grown bigger and more threatening. And now, it is rampaging out of control.
I. REVIVAL STARTS IN THE HEART
I have heard people say, “What this country needs is revival.” I could not agree more! So I looked into the Bible this week to see some examples of revival. One of the examples is that of the nation of Israel under King Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29, 30, 31, 32.
King Hezekiah succeeded King Ahaz, who was one of the worst of all the Kings of Judah. Ahaz was so bad that when he died they didn’t even bury him with the other kings. So the nation was in need of revival. They had turned to the gods of the nations around them, even becoming guilty of human sacrifice, and had defiled the Temple. After King Ahaz got this going for a while, God turned His back and brought trouble on Judah, even bringing down Israel (this was during the times of the Divided Kingdom) from the North to carry them off into captivity. So things were not looking good at all.
2 Chr 28 tells the story of King Ahaz. His guilt rested in several areas, all of which fall in the category of denying God. He made idols for worshipping Baal, a false god.
Have we not done the same? Maybe it’s not an external god, like a pagan idol, on the throne, but have we not put ourselves on the throne of our hearts? Is that not what secular atheism is – the belief that there is no God, and that therefore it is OK to worship ourselves? Do we not do that every time we place something material – such as entertainment or money – as of more importance than our relationship to the Most Holy God? And we are so wealthy! We enjoy our money, and we work so hard to gather more around. That’s all fine and dandy, but where is that fine line between working to provide for one’s own, and putting work and money on the throne? Is it not God that has blessed us so much to begin with? Did He not bless Israel of old with peace and wealth when they obeyed His commandments? But then we see what happened when they turned their backs on the Lord – they began having wars that they could not win, destruction and disasters of all sorts on every hand.
Is not our heart the Temple of the Holy Spirit? Then how can we justify having anything at all on that throne except God?
Next, King Ahaz “offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.” Where have our hearts been in America? Where have we offered our sacrifices? Has illicit sex not become more important than family, and even than the lives of pre-born infants? We treat sex, and other mood-altering experiences, with the reverence that belongs only to God Himself. And the sacrifices that we make to accommodate our lust – broken homes, abandoned and aborted children, every form of lying and cheating – are an abomination to our God. Not unlike the things that ancient Judah was guilty of.
Yes, sir. Revival. America will not survive without it.
So let’s look at what it is. It starts with leadership.
As we’ve seen, leadership led Judah into captivity and war. Under King Hezekiah, leadership led them to peace with God, and God gave them back the respect of the nations. They were revived.
What was the first thing that King Hezekiah did? Look at ch 29.
The first thing he did was to purify the temple. In those days the Temple was a building in which the people worshipped God through the priestly tribe, the Levites. Only the High Priest was allowed to go into the Most Holy place in the innermost part of the Temple, and then only once a year. There were many regulations that had to be followed that were symbolic of the Temple of the Holy Spirit that we know now is within our hearts. But since King Ahaz defiled this physical representation of the Most Holy Place, King Hezekiah’s first job was to restore it to both its previous beauty as well as functionality. So he called the priests and the Levites – the leaders of the religious life of the nation – together. And the first thing he told them was that the nation had been led away from God. He stood firm on God’s commandments, insisted on obedience to God in all things. 8 2 Chr 29:8: “Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.” And next, he stated his intentions as King – vs. 10: 10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.”
So revival is an intentional act. King Hezekiah intentionally went about to renew the covenant with God. Too often we look around us and say, “We need revival,” as though it is just supposed to start off spontaneously. But revival happens when we decide to renew – revive – our hearts before the Lord. It will spread as though it were wildfire, and we will be amazed at the power God gives it, but we must start it off with premeditated intention.
II. REVIVAL IS PUTTING THE TEMPLE BACK INTO SERVICE
The second thing he did was to return the Temple to its proper service. Vs 27-29: “27 Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. 229 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.”
This is where revival starts. The Temple of the Old Covenant was a physical representation of the reality of the Temple of the Holy Spirit, which is within us. I Cor 6:19: 19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God…” So if we want revival, just as in the days of King Hezekiah, it starts with each individual returning his or her heart to God and putting the Temple back in order. This means putting God on the Throne of our hearts.
III. REVIVAL INCLUDES INVITING OTHERS
Next, King Hezekiah invited the nation to join in worship to God. Ch 30:6-9: 6 At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:
6 "People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the Lord. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If you return to the Lord, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him."
Did you hear that? He said that even political events – the return of captured slaves – are under the control of God, Who will listen to those who find themselves in a bad place, IF they will turn to Him. We are in a bad place – this election will show whether the American people intend to stay the course and follow God, or if they will turn their backs on the God Who has so greatly prospered them for so long. And the people are not united on this issue.
The people were divided in King Hezekiah’s day too. Many of the people scorned and ridiculed the messengers who had been sent out to invite the people. But many did respond. Vs 12: “12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.”
Did you notice? When they humbled themselves and returned to the Lord, they were given unity of mind by the hand of God Himself, to carry out the plan of King Hezekiah and the leaders of the nation. And revival flowed from heart to heart among the people.
Brothers and sisters, we have begun a hard task. We are responsible for the spread of the Lord’s Kingdom in this place. Last week we nominated twelve men of good repute, twelve men who, I am convinced, are strong believers who love the Lord. It will be their duty to oversee the work of the Lord here at Countryside. Until such time as it is appropriate to appoint elders, these men will provide vision, that is, point the way, and I am convinced that God will unite us in mind and spirit to accomplish His will in this place.
And no matter how difficult things may get – and they may be hard indeed, not too far down the road – brother and sisters, it is not too late. It is never be too late to return to God. I am thankful to Brother Dick for an email he sent me this week, reminding us all to take heart.
NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION!!!!!!!!!!!
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed teaching and healing.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.
ISN’T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!!!
So revival starts right here, in the hearts of every Christian. It begins when we cleanse the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and return it to the beauty and functionality God intended. Revival continues as we put the Temple into the service of the covenant that we have with God. And revival involves inviting others to come and worship God with us, sharing with others the fantastic blessings God has shared with us.
If you are a Christian, if you have already been baptized, but are getting frustrated and overwhelmed by the way things are going, revival starts in your heart. It starts by a personal commitment to rely on Him, to say, “I love you Lord, and I give my heart and my life to You. If you choose to take everything I have away from me, yet will I follow you. If I die tomorrow, I will still love you. If I live through tyranny and oppression of all sorts, it is nothing compared to what You did for me, and I will serve you anyway.”
Brothers and sisters, if we really want revival, it starts right here in this room. It starts right within the depths of your own heart. Do you want to change the world? Begin in the privacy of your own spirit. Are you washed in the blood of Jesus? Have you given your life totally and completely to Him who died for you? If not, revival starts with a decision – a very personal decision to give your life to Him. It means everything, and no matter what things look like from a human perspective, God is gonna win. He’s the Master, our Redeemer, the best friend you’ll ever know. Be on the winning side.
Will you come?
(1) See www.AFA.net, www.americanvision.com for information regarding gay and lesbian political action.
