What the church in North America needs today - Isaiah 64:1-9 (TLB)
Introduction
Well good morning. In case you didn’t notice there have been two dramatic things that recently occurred in North America. First Stephen Harper was re-elected as Canada’s Prime Minister. Secondly and more striking Obama was elected as the first black President in the United States. Stephen Harper in his victory speech claimed ‘change is happening now.’ Obama rhetoric was ‘yes we can.’ Both of these men were elected with the hopes of a change, something new, a new day, and a rainbow in the sky.
Both of these men saw their countries in need of dramatic change. As I looked at both of those countries I believe those elected men are right. Both Canada and the United States are countries that do need dramatic change.
I often think about our own country. I often think what kind of change do we really need?
I remember standing in front of an old sandstone church in downtown Ottawa, I looked at the plaque and noted Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister had helped found that church.
I noted there was a Bible verse on that plaque. It was psalm 72:8 ‘He shall have dominion from sea to sea.’
As I thought about both elected men I do not recall either one of them publicly calling on God for renewal or revival.
In contrast President Franklin Roosevelt, former U.S. president (1882–1945) said ‘I doubt if there is a problem—political or economic—that will not melt before the fire of a spiritual awakening.’
Unlike Harper and Obama, Isaiah in his day made a call for renewal, repentance, revival, a visitation from God.
Have you ever had a bad hair day? This was a bad hair day for Isaiah. He was proclaiming to God’s people a prophecy that they would be in bondage in Babylon 120 years later. They were going into exile. The Temple, God’s house had been trashed by the Babylonians. They were carried away captive. Because the people were shallow, their ears were burning to hear false prophets.
Furthermore if you have ever had to communicate a truth to someone they did not want to hear – well they didn’t want to hear Isaiah either.
They did not want to hear the messages that God had laid upon Isaiah to speak. They wanted to hear what they thought they needed, not what God had revealed to Isaiah to say to them.
Have you ever felt that you were in bondage? Have you ever felt God please show yourself powerful to me today.
They were in spiritual bondage. Spiritually they were very shallow. They had no sense of the presence of God.
God led Isaiah to say some difficult things. Like many of the prophets he had a difficult life. He lived during the reign of the wicked king Manasseh. Manasseh reversed the reforms of his father Hezekiah. That meant he reinstated pagan worship in the Jerusalem temple, for which he is condemned by the author of Kings. He built altars to false gods all over Israel. His reign may be described as reactionary in relation to his father’s. Church history suggests that Manasseh executed supporters of his father’s reforms. His father Hezekiah had destroyed pagan shrines. Manasseh put them all back in and he reinstituted human sacrifice.
Sin on our nations will always be judged by God and we are no exception. Israel went to exile. As I look at our countries I believe were in a spiritual exile.
Church history suggests that Isaiah was sawn in two during the reign of Manasseh.
Yet God really used Isaiah. Jesus quoted Isaiah a lot and so did the Apostles.
Isaiah says there are five things the people in his day needed. I believe this is what our church needs today, right here at Calvary. Isaiah’s message is for us, for our churches today. The first thing the church needs is:
1. The Presence of God
Isaiah senses the emptiness, the lack of spiritual power, the empty spirituality of God’s people. The Apostle Paul had the same concern. He warned Timothy about the church in the last days. Many will have a form of godliness but deny its power. Many in the Ephesus church had an outward form of godliness but there was no spiritual power.
Isaiah knew his people. He knew their waywardness. He is questioning whether God will work because his community is so sinful.
The Holy Spirits power is still there. But often Christians or churches are experiencing weak spiritual power. They are spiritually dry and the church has little power or influence on our communities.
Have you ever felt spiritually dry? Have you ever felt that the church lacks spiritual power? I think about that a great deal, especially since Jesus said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes.
So Isaiah is the spiritual leader. Spiritual leaders are appointed by God to deliver a message. He has the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. His heartfelt cry is ‘O God burst forth.’ O God send your Holy Spirit with all its power. O God burst forth from the skies. O God come down and visit us again. We desire to see your power demonstrated in our lives.’ O God inhabit our people; inhabit our nation.
The Spirit of God was quenched in Isaiah’s day. His prayer, his message was that the Spirit of God be released among the people.
What would be the sign of God’s visit – the very mountains would quake. Do you quake in the presence of God? There is a shaking when God comes with power. He shakes up our lives and churches.
When God gave the law at Sinai the earth quaked. When Christ returns the Bible says that the stars are going to be shaken out of the heavens. When Jesus stands to judge the earth, mountains will be leveled. Here Isaiah says mountains are shaken at His presence.
Hebrews says that ‘Now God has promised ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. John Bevere in his excellent study ‘The Bait of Satan wrote’ Churches as well as individuals experience seasons of shaking in their lives. These are God ordained times whereby God will sift anything out of our lives that is contrary to the character of Christ. Satan means it for our destruction; God intends it for our construction.’
I ask myself this question in prayer this week? Lord Jesus if you were to evaluate this church what would you say? You remember when Jesus visited the seven churches in Revelation. When a human says I have this against your church or people or nation that is one thing. But when the eternal son of God says I have this against you its time to repent.
Isaiah cried out ‘O God we need your presence. Burst forth with your Spirit. Lord we need so see your visible presence. Are we crying for the presence of God? When is the last time you asked God to do something miraculous in your life, our church, this community? So that people would know that Jesus is real and alive.
Yet the Lord revealed to Isaiah why they were not ready to receive it?
2. There was no trembling before a holy God
I am not asking you to agree with everything I do; where I believe this church needs to go. I am not thrilled about these discussions. I find they take me off focus of preaching, prayer, pastoral care and counseling.
I am thrilled about those who heed the call for prayer. I am thrilled about the fathers who came to the front last week and kneeled. I am thrilled about those who kneeled saying ‘I have blown it, I need renewal, and I need revival.’ Dear Jesus help me in my family.
I am thrilled about what God is doing in our midst – Ignition, the Rock, our services, Operation Prayer, our Prayer Summits – our Board – what God is doing in our hearts for tithing – the positive response to this mini-series Managing Well has been beyond my expectations – but that is our God. Our donations increased and some believers donated to a youth fund. You have listened to the messages and the Spirit of God has prompted you to reply – praise the Lord and thanks for your generosity.
I am thrilled about those who tremble before our holy God. Preaching the gospel and seeing renewal and revival in our midst – that is my heart prayer.
I am asking you to pray with me, confess our sins, and pray for renewal and revival in this area. Tonight is our area wide prayer summit at 6:30 PM at Glad Tidings church. I have pleaded with all of you to come to our prayer summits.
You ask me to lead you and I call you to prayer. I realize some cannot make because of shift work – yet I plead with you come if you can.
The greatest need in our church is for more prayer. We will not experience the empowering presence of God without praying and working together as a church, as a team.
People are asking for a second service. But I cannot do it all alone. We need all of you on the team.
God calls us to tremble before him. This week after our study the Bait of Satan eight of us prayed. There was weeping as we prayed for renewal in our hearts and the churches in Red Lake.
When I see people in our church praying for the lost, pouring out our brokenness to God, and asking for His empowering presence then I know the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit is released.
I know all the pastors in the community have this desire. Were praying for a trembling before a holy God? All five pastors in the area are praying for renewal and revival. We need to make the connection between prayer and release of God’s power.
That is the most important ministry in this church – prayer. Jesus said to forgive and to pray to him. Jesus said when he returns he will measure faithfulness by those who are praying.
That is trembling before a holy God because prayer reveals who God really is and how sinful we really are. Are you going to stand before a holy God and say I had other priorities – other than prayer? I shudder to think about that.
When we prayed for a new pastor at Glad Tidings church our prayer was ‘O God please send us a praying pastor – otherwise please don’t send us anyone.’ God answered our prayers and tonight Pastor John is hosting our area wide prayer summit.
Do you want to know why some churches are healthy and others are not? Churches that are healthy follow their leaders by coming alongside them with prayer and support.
The writer of Hebrews was so concerned about this he wrote ‘Hebrews 13:17-18 (NIV) ‘ Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.’ Pray for us – our Board. We need revival personally and corporately. Evy and I covet your prayers. Pray that we will have continual joy in our ministry. That is a heavy verse for me – that I will have to give an account for your spirituality. Pray for our Board, these are two good men who want to see the ministry grow. You will either make their ministry a joy or a burden.
I remain convinced that the churches in this area need spiritual renewal. I need renewal just like you. We have struggles just like you. We have emptiness some days, just like you.
If there is church division and there has been lots in this area the Holy Spirit is grieved (Eph. 4:30). How do I know that there has been trouble in the churches here over the past 20 years? People tell me. The other pastors tell me. Some have told me they are not coming back to church. We need prayer and renewal. Only begging for God’s mercy can change the situation. Is. said God comes to help those who gladly (not begrudgingly) do what is right. But he also said ‘no one calls on your name.’
You have asked me to come and be your spiritual leader. I asked you to pray and fast first before we came. We prayed and waited on the Lord. Our calling is not just to Calvary church. Our calling is to the Red Lake area.
We do not take this calling lightly. Isaiah was sure of his calling. He trembled before a holy God. When he had a vision of God ‘the angels cried out holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.’ The whole earth is full of his glory.
Henry Blackaby is his excellent book ‘Experiencing the Cross writes ‘How incredible. God has given you the go-ahead to enter the holiest place in existence, His very presence. As you consistently do that, do you honor Him? And don’t you suppose it must be terribly dishonoring too if we have access to God’s holy presence, purchased at the cost of the life of His own son, and yet seldom go there? Surely a moment awaits when God will say to those who did not seek His presence ‘Let me tell you what could have been in your life, if you’d only come. But you didn’t. You never came. Your treated your prayer life as a religious requirement.” Don’t let that tragedy be yours. Don’t let that tragedy be this churches. We need to come and pray – tremble before a holy God.
3. The Cleansing of God
Now Isaiah saw a huge problem. He knew the cleansing power of God. He knew our God is a God who welcomes those who do good. He declared that God is pleased with those who follow godly ways.
But he saw this huge gulf between God and His people’s lives. He said we are empty and not admitting it. We are not godly. We are constant sinners right now, today. Isaiah knew that this was true in his life and the people God called him to minister to.
Isaiah also said this state of sinfulness was not something new. He said we have been sinners all our lives. Were born with a propensity to sin.
His people experienced the wrath of God. He experienced the heaviness of God’s wrath. God’s wrath in Isaiah’s day was an impending time of exile. In our day it is a lack of spiritual empowerment in our lives. It is God saying – well all right you want to go your own way – I am going to let you go. So we suffer the consequences. Therefore we do not see changed lives and will not if our lives are not right. And the next generation may be religious but not on fire for Jesus.
In fact Isaiah said were infected with sin. Were impure because of sin.
I don’t know about you but I need a savior. I have one in Jesus Christ. Do you? But I need his ongoing healing, his cleansing power.
We need Jesus cleansing and healing in our lives and churches. Were a church planting organization. But I do not feel we need new churches in the Red Lake area – I believe we need revival in the existing churches.
The problem with Isaiah’s people is they thought they were fine. They had what Isaiah called ‘prized robes of righteousness.’ In other words they thought they were pure in God’s eyes. God said they were filthy rags. The filthy rags were worn by lepers trying to bring healing to their disease by covering their sores with contaminated rags.
The sins of the people were killing the very ministry they were supposed to have. God had called the Jews, his covenant people to be a light to the nations (Gen. 15). But they were not a witness.
Isaiah called his people to repent and change their ways. They were not right. They were not a testimony to those outside the faith community.
Isaiah said if there was no repentance the people would be swept away. He uses two word pictures.
First he says were swept away like falling and rotting leaves. They look beautiful and green when they are on the tree in the summer and winter. That is what they thought of themselves, like prized robes in God’s sight. But Isaiah says there was no spiritual life; they are like rotting leaves that will blow away.
Secondly they are like filthy rags. This is not a pretty picture. Some rotting leaves and filthy rags.
So he asked the most important question. How then can we be saved? What is going to make us right with God?
Were sinful. Were not living the right way. Were not working together as a covenant people. We know of the past, the awesome things that you did God, but your presence is no longer evident? Your power is not here.
What is a church to do, what is a person to do when they are no longer either personally or corporately experiencing the empowering presence of God? What will change Canada? What will change us? What will change Calvary? Repentance and prayer.
Is. wrote ‘And a highway will be there, it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that way; wicked fools will not journey on it (Is. 35:8).
Calvary, God has a calling on your life. God has a calling on this church. Henry Blackaby in his book ‘The man God uses’ wrote ‘God desires that your life and my life be that highway, the road over which others may be drawn to Christ, the road over which God may bring revival to this land. All the prayers, sacrifices and pleadings with God will not bring revival to our land until we take seriously our holiness.’
Blackaby further writes ‘It is unthinkable to say ‘Father thank you for laying the sin of the world on your Son……………but please don’t talk to me about sin in my life. I just want to have the joy of following you.”
We start off every prayer summit with confession. We pray here every week here for corporate renewal. We pray every week here for Holy Spirit empowered ministries.
You’re thinking Randy why do you keep preaching on that theme? I am glad you asked.
The people in Isaiah’s day had a heart in one condition but expected to produce fruit in the opposite condition. The condition of our hearts will affect our actions and our actions simply reflect our heart. A good apple tree produces good apples. Look what Isaiah had earlier written at God’s command.
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
You see I can worship God with my lips but have a heart that is far removed form the Lord. Worship can be ritualistic, I leave here and then there is no worship in life – little prayer, Bible study, no fellowship with other Christians all week. My heart is not right, and then I am easily offended. I am upset about this issue and that issue. Then instead of my prayer being God change me it is always God change the situation.
The people of Israel thought their worship was right; their hearts were right; but God said no. Isaiah said there is no heart of repentance and worship here.
4. A submission to God
Isaiah then prays and acknowledges God’s sovereignty in his life. “And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay and you are the Potter. We are all formed by your hand.”
He says first God you are our Father. O God you have not changed. O God you are the same yesterday, today and forever. O God you are the Potter. O God you’re in charge, not the people, and we seek your ways and purposes. We recognize that we are just clay in your hands. You are the potter.
Have you made the connection? You at Calvary are part of God’s purpose and plan for this area. You are part of God’s plan of redemption.
You are not just helping with children’s ministries you are building a kingdom for Jesus. You are not cooking hot dogs at Noah’s Ark your building a kingdom.
I am not here to play games. I am here for eternity purposes.
Your not here just to get fed – you’re here to worship the King of Kings.
When the people of God followed the Lord He brought spiritual blessings and encouragement in their lives.
You may say ‘O God I will follow you anywhere. O God I will do anything you ask me to do?’ Are we really like that? Is that really true?
When one pastor asked his church this ‘How many of us have our passports ready to go?’ The church just responded with a few nervous chuckles.
Are you ready to serve, give of your time and resources, and pray for the sake of the gospel in the Red Lake area?
Isn’t it true that we will spend two hours watching a movie but will not come to a prayer summit for 1.5 hours once every two months? How many of us really pray before we come here?
Are you praying for the ministry? Are you really submitting to God’s ways in your life? Have you offended another brother or sister in Jesus and not tried to reconcile? Are you stubbornly refusing to change? Will you not go out of your way to be a blessing to someone else?
This week we have been in prayer for our church. And our prayer is ‘O God change us through this time in our lives.’ I know myself, and sometimes I do not like what I see inside. Pride, stubbornness, fear.
Two people came into this church this week and said we need to go out and walk around the building seven times and pray. The person said there are some strongholds in this church and community that need to come down? That person does not even live in the area? What was I supposed to say to them?
Cannot do that. That is not how this church works. That is out of context. I believe that God sent that person. That prayer was awesome. As that prayer person looked around they saw the three gates outside. They immediately thought of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. As we prayed we said ‘triune God come through these gates and revive us.’
Watch for whom God sends your way. I am sure it looked strange to the neighbors – walking around this building seven times like Joshua at the walls of Jericho. But when I feel we need prayer and revival God will send people to pray.
God says to me I want to lead you – Calvary will you follow my Holy Spirit.
Isaiah said when God opens up the heavens “the consuming fire of your glory would burn down the forests and boil the oceans dry.’
The Holy Spirit is Fire--John the Baptist said, one will come after me who will "baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire". The Holy Spirit’s ministry is equated to fire in the Bible. Paul said we can quench the fire of the Holy Spirit. When revival comes the Holy Spirit blazes upon God’s people, for He is the presence of God in the Church. He renews passion for Christ and people. He makes worship come alive, and He empowers witness. Blaze Spirit Blaze set our hearts on fire.
Holy Spirit revive us again.
5. The mercy of God
The last part of Isaiah’s prayer was ‘O God have mercy on us. Do not stay angry with us. Please forgive our sins. Remember us O God, we are your people.
Isaiah 63:9 (NIV) In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
It is a beautiful picture God gave me this week. That is when I am distressed, and if the people are distressed, then God is also distressed.
God through his love and mercy has redeemed us.
King David wrote:
Psalm 41:4 (NIV) I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you." Isaiah said the same thing. Have mercy on us today O God. I am saying the same prayer. O Jesus, have mercy on us.
We need the mercy of God. Let’s plead for it,
Conclusion
We have mountains in the church and in our lives. Have you ever heard the expression, "We’ve always done it this way". Those mountains get shaken up when God visits the church in revival. How about those mountains in your life? How about those things you don’t want to change or don’t think you could ever change? God shakes them up and turns us and our churches upside down. Shake us up God; shake us up for our own good and your glory!
Isaiah called the people to Lay Hold of God---How do we do this. Make a bold move toward God. Discipline yourselves to pray and seek God even when you don’t feel like it. Go to church, even when you don’t feel like, repentance is simply changing your mind and lining up with God. Put yourself in a place of blessing even if you don’t feel like it.
So church lets commit ourselves to fervent prayer and bold movement toward God in commitment. Let’s ask God to visit Calvary with the expectation of experiencing the wonderful manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in His Church?
Now only God can bring revival. But we should pray and seek it. When God Spirit fills us, when God comes down the Church will move from form to function, from worship to witness, from singing to worship, from complacency to soul winning.
Here is what I am asking you to do. Start just for this week. Have a time of prayer for renewal in our church this week. For one week stop all TV and movies or Facebook.
That is a fast. Why do we fast? To give us more time to pray and seek God’s face.
Stop something like that for a week and pray. Pray as the Spirit of God leads you. Then be obedient to what He tells you to do. Obedience is a sign of love and commitment to God.
Will you pray for renewal this week?
