Psalm 85;6 and Psalm 51:10-13
WHAT ABOUT NOW REVIVAL?
11-15-09
This morning we are going to focus in on What now…What do we do now that we have experienced a worship called revival. How do we move forward to continue the revival celebration we experienced last week. Many times after a revival the experience is either well or dead. It is either going to continue a revival in the place or it is going to die out quicker than cut flowers without water.
LET’S READ PSALM 85 NOW…
First what is revival. Revival is a series of meetings for the purpose of awakening or reawakening religious faith. Now that our revival meetings are over or our special, services to edify and renew our strength have come to a close and the evangelist has returned home to his respective church body and our routine is returning to normal what now?
Let me tell you that revival has absolutely nothing to do with the church itself. It has everything to do with the folks that make up the church.
I want to stop for a moment and read what David said that revival meant to him out of Psalm 51:10-13.
With hearing what David the Psalmist and the sons of Korah who were temple assistants have said about revival what has revival meant to you personally.
This church here at Smyrna has been in a revival for over a year and a half. However, it is without a doubt in my mind that what we experienced in the lay renewal in August and the revival last week we needed it. But revival will never continue in this church unless it begins individually with each of us. Now if we go about our ways and stay or old stupid ways of judging others being negative about what others do at church, staying away from church because that negative comment from a person and so forth you will never experience the personal revival each of us need and sadly this church will never grow to the point God wants it to be because He will not bless a mess.
But however, if we fall in this category then in order for us to be revived we have to ask the Lord to create within us a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within ourselves, and we have to pray for a restoration unto ourselves and restore our joy of our salvation. Remember ourselves and not to look at others and say well what about them.
Even though we had revival services here this past week I have no doubt that a few that showed only came because they were going through the motions of church you could tell by the clock watching the huffs and haws. Only distracting the person next to them or around them away from the Lord. Then I Saw God at work in many of your lives this past week, through hospitality, edification, sacrifice, and tears of joy.
But for the rest of this morning I want us to look at what holds a person back from having revival in their life since we know that revival is a person thing and not a church thing so to speak.
The first thing is pride. How many of you have pride?
Sure we all do to an extent but pride can also stand in the way of you having a continuous revival with the Lord and pull you towards the devil. No one likes to admit that they have so great pride that it is destroying their lives or even admit that they needed to hear the revival messages last week or today’s message. Most men and even women would fall into the category of hey I am falling from a 50 or 60 story building but, I am okay, folks your not! Then we have so much pride in ourselves that we start that comparing thing against others but fail to ever contrast our own self because we see no wrong in ourselves we see no problems coming out of ourselves, right? Because we have too much pride.
Let’s go back to verse 12 of Psalm 51
David was pleading for a personal revival in his life because he had lost the joy of his salvation and he was looking for a God restoration on his joy over his salvation. Well pastor what do you mean David lost his joy for his salvation how can you lose you joy for your salvation that’s just a little bit strange sounding to me?
This is how you can tell if your pride has gotten in the way of a personal revival and you have lost the joy of your salvation…
Your prayers become quick fleeting prayers, you forget to pray to God and do so only in times of needs, we open our song books and sing half heartedly if we even sing them at all and surely don’t want to try any new song, you hear half of what the preacher says and what you do hear does not apply to you because you are applying it to the person sitting next to you or the person across the aisle you have a strife or grudge against. If we study the Bible any it has to be around our time not God’s time, we become servants or leaders in the church but our pride keeps us from reading the Bible, and don’t even know what it says, and most folks are to proud to admit they have lost the joy of their salvation because it wouldn’t be cool if someone found out because we are to prideful to ask for help. And family the pride thing even comes in to play when we are finding every excuse to attend worship, our attitudes are unforgiving we watch or watches all the time during worship, failing to remember at the end of our earthly life that it was all God’s time and not ours. We are here in body but surely not in mind because we are planning our week out in our head, and failing to realize that our pride is keeping us away from allowing God to plan the week for us. And we just can’t have revival personal because our hearts have become so hard with pride.
Pride is good but pride can eat your joy away causing you to totally forget about the revival we have just started.
II. Now the second thing that keeps folks away from continuing revival personally is a great favorite of mine and it is called designated hearing.
Look back over with me in Psalm 51:8-12
Folks we have very selective designated hearing when it comes to church and God. For some reason and this is certainly not exclusive to men ladies and I know that is what your going to think, but designated hearing is like this – people are not hard of hearing they are just hard of listening. Whatever the message may be during worship these type of folks hear the message but apply it to others and not themselves, therefore they will never experience a personal revival and surely will not carry revival forward in their lives.
David tore away his pride and realizes that to be revived to be restored to be closer to God he had to revive himself and carry it forward. And family we must do the same and recognize that what we have heard this week and today is not for everyone else to hear but for us to digest and apply to our lives. And for those in here this morning that feel like this still does not apply to them listen for just a moment, my God is certainly capable and able to convict others of their needs so quit worrying about others and start worrying about yourself. Now if you feel SMBC is not on fire for the Lord as we need to be then don’t look around at everyone else and see its them that needs the fire let but look towards yourself and commit to light the fire of revival under yourself, and then let it spread.
III. The third reason we may not carry revival own is because of contentment and apathy we have with our relationship with God.
Let’s read Philippians 4:10-13
Paul was thanking the Philippians for their gifts but the point of this Scripture is that Paul is content with his Salvation in Christ. Paul did not want the Philippians to become lazy, apathetic, and content with their relationship or even service to God. Paul is also speaking to us here in this passage has your desires become more influenced by worldly things or is the influence of your life more from God, if it is more from worldly things then your personal revival is lacking because you are content and apathetic with your relationship with Christ. For us that may be falling into an apathetic relationship with Christ or not into a personal revival. Let’s remember what Jesus said in the Book of Revelation Chapter 3 verses 14-18 (read)
See we don’t have or start a personal revival or continue to carry on revival in our lives because we are stuck in a mediocre half hearted luke warm relationship and service to God. See folks like this are totally unconcerned about their relationship because yes they are saved but they see no point in having revival because they can not even effect others around them and don’t even care at this point whether they lead others to Christ or to hell. These type of folks are so far from revival that they are contented with the faces they see each Sunday and could care less if the church continues to grow or not and knock down every evangelistic outreach we attempt to have here. Never witnessing and never inviting.
Remember what David said back in Psalm 51:12 about revival and what he was seeking in revival: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Now that the revival services have concluded and the true revival must get going here at SMBC where do you truly stand in the personal revival. Is your pride blocking you from it, is your designated hearing focused on the Lord or on the devil, and have you falling into an apathetic content stage with your relationship with Christ?
