Why We Need Revival
Psalm 85:1-6
Revival is the giving of a new breath of life to that which is either waning or has ceased to breathe. Revival is a visitation of God which brings renewed life to Christians who have been sleeping, restoring them, producing a deep sense of God's near presence and holiness, real joy, purpose and a reenergized zeal. I believe there are four reasons that we need revival as a church and individually – our eyes have been distracted, our hearts have become discouraged, our joy has been diminished, and our work has been disrupted.
I. We need revival because our eyes have been distracted.
A. Life has so many distractions that catch our eyes, our attention, our minds, and our hearts causing us to lose sight of what is important and what ought to be our priority.
B. Psalm 119:37 “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.”
C. In her book A Practical Guide to Prayer, Dorothy Haskins tells about a noted concert violinist who was asked the secret of her mastery of the instrument. The woman answered the question with two words: "Planned neglect." Then she explained. "There were many things that used to demand my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted, and did whatever seemed necessary. When I finished my work, I turned to my violin practice. That system prevented me from accomplishing what I should on the violin. So I reversed things. I deliberately planned to neglect everything else until my practice period was complete. And that program of planned neglect is the secret of my success." Daily Bread.
D. Psalms 101:3 “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.”
E. There is an old legend of a swan and a crane. A beautiful swan was perched by the banks of the water in which a crane was wading about seeking snails. For a few moments the crane viewed the swan in mindless wonder and then inquired: "Where do you come from?"
"I come from heaven!" replied the swan.
"And where is heaven?" asked the crane.
"Heaven!" said the swan, "Heaven! Have you never heard of heaven?" And the beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City. She told of streets of gold, and the gates and walls made of precious stones; of the river of life, pure as crystal, upon whose banks is the tree whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations. In eloquent terms the swan sought to describe the hosts who live in the other world, but without arousing the slightest interest on the part of the crane.
Finally the crane asked: "Are there any snails there?"
"Snails!" repeated the swan; "no! Of course there are not."
"Then," said the crane, as it continued its search along the slimy banks of the pool, "you can have your heaven. I want snails!"
This fable has a deep truth underlying it. How many a young person to whom God has granted the advantages of a Christian home, has turned his back upon it and searched for snails! How many a man will sacrifice his wife, his family, his all, for the snails of sin! How many a girl has deliberately turned from the love of parents and home to learn too late that heaven has been forfeited for snails! - Moody's Anecdotes, pp. 125-126.
F. Isaiah 45:22 "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
G. We need to get our eyes off the world and reset them on the Savior.
H. Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
I. In Berlin art gallery is a painting by German painter Adolf Menzel (1815-1905). Only partially finished. Intended to show Fredrick the Great speaking with some of his generals. Menzel painted generals and background, left king until last. Put outline of Fredrick in charcoal, but died prior to finishing. Many Christians come to end of life without ever having put Christ into his proper place, center stage. Karl Laney, Marching Orders, p. 45.
J. We need a revival because we have become distracted from living for and serving Christ.
II. We need revival because our hearts have become discouraged
A. Psalms 119:107 “I am afflicted very much; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.”
B. Sometimes the road seems long and hard and we become weary and discouraged along the way. Sometimes it’s tough to be a Christian. Sometimes it’s hard to stay the course and to walking continue strong in your faith.”
C. Psalms 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.”
D. In The Complete Disciple, Paul W. Powell describes a picture of a rugged wagon train painted by a famous artist of the American West. It is night, and the wagons have been drawn into a circle for protec¬tion. The men are gathered around the campfire, and the wagon mas¬ter has a map spread out before him. On the map a heavy black line traces the zigzag course they have followed. They had swung north a little, then south, but always toward the west. An argument seems to have erupted about which way to go next. But the leader, with weary determination, has placed one finger on the end of the black line. With his other arm he is pointing toward the shadowy mountains. He seems to be saying, "We may have to go south around a mountain, or north across a river, but our direction will always be west." Every Christian should have a similar resolve. Running the Chris¬tian race is not always easy. High mountains may stand in our way as we continue on the course God has marked out. Difficult circum¬stances and temptations may cause us to veer in one direction or another. But if we keep our eyes on the goal by "looking unto Jesus," we will not stray from the path He has outlined. As we stay true to the Lord, we will keep heading toward our goal. And whenever distractions or temptations cause us to stray off course and lose our way, we can look again to Jesus, confess our sin, and He will help us to keep our eyes on the goal. —D.C.E.
E. Obstacles cannot stop us if we keep our eyes on the goal.
F. Numbers 21:4 “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.”
G. Sometimes we are discouraged by the words and actions of others – Remember the old saying, “misery loves company”.
H. It happened during the Boer War at the siege of Ladysmith. A civilian was arrested, court-martialed, and sentenced to a year's imprisonment. He was a discourager. He would go along the lines and say discouraging words to the men on duty. He struck no blow for the enemy—not one. He was not disloyal to his country. He was just a discourager—and that in a critical time. The fortunes of the garrison and of the town hung in the balance. The court-martial adjudged it a crime to speak disheartening words in an hour like that. And so it is. And that same thing is happening every day by those who would rather tear down than to build up.
I. Psalms 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer”
J. Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness to God. – William Ward. Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 18.
K. Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
III. We need revival because our joy has been diminished
A. Do you remember the joy you had when you first became a Christian? Do you remember when you could sincerely echo the words found in the song, “Now I belong to Jesus” – “Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me”?
B. Psalms 85:6 “Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?”
C. R. L. Stevenson said, "When a happy man comes into a room it is as if another candle had been lighted!" When the spirit of gladness and thankfulness rules the heart, light springs up to dispel the darkness and gloom.
D. Distraction, discontentment, discouragement, disillusionment, disheartenment, and disobedience all rob us of enjoying the joy of the Lord.
E. Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:
• Not in Unbelief -- Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."
• Not in Pleasure -- Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."
• Not in Money -- Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
• Not in Position and Fame – The Britsh Prime Minister Disraeli enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."
• Not in Military Glory -- Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."
• Where then is real joy found? – The answer is simple; in knowing and living for Christ alone. – Adapted from The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993.
F. An elderly woman was once asked by a friend about the spiritual welfare of a mutual acquaintance. She replied, “Well, she’s in a very bad state of mind. She’s got just enough Christianity to make her miserable when she’s doing wrong, but not enough to make her happy in a prayer meeting.” The unhappiest people, it seems to me, are not the unsaved but Christians who are disobedient to Christ. - copied
G. David’s sin robbed him of the joy of his relationship with God.
H. Psalms 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
I. Charles Spurgeon reminds us that supernatural joy does not come naturally writing that...The Christian’s joy wants looking to. If any of you have lost the joy of the Lord. I pray you do not think it a small loss. - copied
J. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
K. Joyfulness is characteristic of the soul that lives in communion with God, and that soul unconsciously will persuade others to "taste and see that the Lord is good," and that "blessed is the man that trusts in Him."
IV. We need revival because our work as been disrupted.
A. Ezra 9:9 "For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.”
B. The church is no stronger, no more active, no more alive than its members.
C. When we allow distraction, discouragement and downheartedness into our lives as a church and individually we become preoccupied by things that do not matter and fail to be occupied about that which matters – doing the work of God.
D. That great missionary to India, William Carey, became deeply concerned about the attitude of his son Felix. The young man, a professing Christian, had promised to become a missionary. But he broke his vow when he was appointed ambassador to Burma. Carey requested prayer for him: "Pray for Felix. He has degenerated into an ambassador of the British government when he should be serving the King of kings." - Our Daily Bread.
E. Habakkuk 3:2 “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”
F. "There are three kinds of Christian workers," said someone with a very vivid imagination, "canal barges, sailing ships, and Atlantic liners." The canal barge needs to be dragged to work. Often they do wonderfully well, but on the whole one volunteer is worth three pressed men. The sailing ship makes fine going as long as wind and tide are with them, but when things get hard, when "winds are contrary," when work is discouraging, they turn tail and sail away. But give us the Atlantic liner type of worker, the man who can fight his way through wind and tempest, because within him there burns the hot throb of the mighty furnace of the love of Christ.—Onward.
We need revival because our eyes have become distracted. We need revival because our hearts have become discouraged. We need revival because our joy has been diminished. We need revival because our work has been disrupted. As such we need to:
• Pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23,24).
• Be honest before God and agree with Him about each need He reveals in every area of your life. Confess each sin, with the willingness to make it right and forsake it.
• Accept and praise God for His cleansing and forgiveness.
• Renew your mind and rebuild your life through meditation and practical application of the Word of God in your daily life.
• Commit to a renewed spirit of and determination to serve the Lord with gladness
• Remain sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and your need for ongoing revival in your life.
Vance Havner said that “Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again.”
