WHAT REAL REVIVAL LOOKS LIKE
I Samuel 7:2-4
Years ago Dr. Adrian Rogers said "Our homes need revival. Our churches need revival. This nation and the world need revival. But no military power can bring revival. No economic upturn brings revival. And no election can bring revival. Revival is the sovereign work of Almighty God.
G. Campbell Morgan once said - “Revival cannot be organized, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from heaven when God chooses to move upon His people once again”
Genuine revival cannot be manufactured. I can’t preach it down, you can’t sing it down, we can’t pray it down, but God can send it down! Before we will ever see revival, God's people must first recognize the fact that they have drifted away from the Lord. For many professing believers, there is a barrier... a separation... a hindrance in your relationship with God. Isaiah 59:2 (says that) "your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Because your relationship with God is not where it should be, church has become nothing more than a ritual or a routine.
You come in the door at the same time each week, you shake hands and give hugs, you make your way to your pew, then you sit down fold your arms and say Lord bless me if you can. You find yourself mumbling through songs about the grace, mercy, and the love of our Saviour. When the plate is passed you throw in what is left over after the weekend’s events. After this, the preacher gets up and you endure another sermon, then you stand for the invitation, someone dismisses in prayer, and you go home thinking that you did God a favor. At the end of the day you are uninspired, unmoved and unchanged.
Many will reach a point where they realize that things have changed. But instead of admitting that it is their own sin that has caused problems, they attempt to find fault in everyone and everything else. They complain about the music, and the preaching, and the programs the church offers, or the programs that the church does not offer. Because they refuse to address the real issue (which is the sin that plagues their life) they begin to look for something or someone to blame. At this point some decide to quit church all together, while others seek to find a church that "better suits their needs". They will say "I left that church because they weren’t doing anything for me", or "I just wasn’t getting fed anymore." They will complain about the leadership and the membership of the church. And sometimes they just blame it on God. They will say ….”God told me it was time to leave”. (It is strange that they haven't spent time alone with God in months but all of the sudden they can discern His will for their life!)
There are others who have not quit church, or left one church seeking a "better" one. No, they still attend their home church, though not near as often as before. They used attend every time the doors were open, they used to teach, they used to help in children's or youth ministry, they used to come early and stay late. I am talking about people who used to be active servants of the Lord, but now they are inconsistent pew warmers! There is another group who have the same qualities except for the fact that they attend every service. But they do little more than attend...they don't serve, they don't contribute, they don't participate... they are nothing more than "active pew warmers".
Sadly, I am not describing some hypothetical situation, nor am I describing some church across town. What I have given you is a perfect description of many people who are on the roll of Stockdale Baptist Church. It is apparent that we need renewal, we need revitalization.... WE NEED REVIVAL!!!
In I Samuel chapter 7, Israel was in desperate need of revival. They had been attacked, overcome & defeated by their enemies The Philistines. The Philistines had taken possession of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was the chest which held the two stone tablets of law which Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. The Ark was renowned for its powers against the enemies of Israel.
During the time of Eli (the High Priest) the Ark was kept at Shiloh. The Philistines defeated Israel at Ebenezer - 1 Samuel 4:2 "And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men." - The Israelites fetched the ark out of Shiloh and carried it into their camp. Once again the Philistines attacked Israel and smote them with a very great slaughter, "for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken" 1 Samuel 4:10). A messenger told Eli that Israel had been defeated and that his sons had been killed in the battle Eli also learned the Ark had been taken. Upon hearing this Eli fell backward, broke his neck, and died. Shortly thereafter Eli’s daughter in law went into labor and died after giving birth.
I Samuel 4:21 - Before she died she named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.
Now the enemies of God possessed the Ark of the Covenant. But they would soon find that the Ark will bring them more harm than good. Throughout 1 Samuel 5 much affliction came upon the Philistines. They placed the Ark next to an idol of Dagon (In Dagon’s temple), a couple days later Dagon fell face down before the Ark. The head and hands of this idol had broken off and were lying in the doorway. The people of Ashdod and the nearby villages were afflicted with a plague of tumors. They then moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath. At Gath, the Lord struck them with a plague of tumors. So they sent the Ark of God to the town of Ekron. When the people of Ekron saw it coming they begged the leaders to give the Ark back. Finally the Philistines decided to return the Ark to Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant was eventually taken to Kiriath-jearim. Kiriath-jearim was about 7.5 miles Northwest of Jerusalem. There the ark remained in the house of Abinadab and was guarded by his son Eleazar.
As we arrive in chapter 7 we find that the Ark has been back in Israel for 20 years. Though the Ark has returned, the blessings of God had not. Verse 2 says that “all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD”. For 20 years, Israel faced the judgment of God. They had worshipped the idols of the pagan nations. They had worshipped and sacrificed to a false idol named Ashteroth. Now Israel is at a place of desperation. It seems that they are finally ready to return to the Lord. In verse 3 Samuel tells them exactly what it will take for them to once again experience the blessings of God (v3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.) The Children of Israel did exactly what Samuel said they must do. (v4 then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.)
Because they returned to the Lord, Israel experienced victory over their enemies, they were protected from their enemies, the land that was taken from them was restored, and they experienced a time of peace and blessing.
If we closely examine Samuel's instructions to the Children of Israel, we will see exactly what we need to do in order to see revival in our lives and in our church. I would like to walk through this passage and preach on the subject "What Real Revival Looks Like".
- Let's begin in verse 2 and consider:
I. THE RECEPIENTS OF REVIVAL - v2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
As previously stated, we are examining events that took place in the lives of the Children of Israel, these were God’s chosen people. Though they did not deserve His mercy & grace, God made a way for them to be restored. This is because He loved them. Throughout scripture we see evidence that God desires to revive His people. He is gracious and willing to restore those that have wandered away from Him.
This message is for the born again believer. God has a message for His children that have gone away from Him. He wants to revive the one who has grown cold & indifferent. He wants to reach the one with the hard heart. That was the case in our selected text. Israel had been in a bad place for a very long time. Eventually they came to their senses and realized that there must be a better way.
This is what needs to happen to many people in this place today! You need to realize how long you have been away from your Heavenly Father. It is time that you open your eyes and see just how far you have strayed from Him. Take a moment and remember how sweet it was when you were in a right relationship with Him. Consider all that He has done for you and how much He loves you. Then comprehend the fact that He cares enough to restore and revive you even though you have rebelled against Him. Who needs revival... It may be you!
- The good news is, you can be revived today. But there are some requirements. Let's look at verse 3 and see:
II. THE REQUIREMENTS FOR REVIVAL - v3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
In these verses we see that God’s message was delivered by God's man. Verse 3 says that “Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel". God chose Samuel and set him apart to serve Him in a special way. We are told in - 1 Samuel 2:26 (that) Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. - Samuel was a man who delivered the Lord’s message… not his own. That is what I want to hear and that is what I want to be. When listening to a sermon, I don’t want man’s opinions, I want to hear the pure unadulterated Word of God. Samuel’s message was not his own and neither is the one I share with you today. If you like what you hear give God the glory, if you hate what you hear, get mad at God not me!
- The message that Samuel delivered was one that covered the requirements of revival. His message declared that:
A. THERE MUST BE A REALIZATION - “If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts”
The people of Israel had to come to a point where they first realized that they had turned from the Lord. Then they had to reach a place where they were serious about returning to the Lord. The same is true for us, it is not enough to know that we need to be revived, we must reach a place where we are willing to do what is necessary to see revival.
- One of the things that we must do to see revival is to remove anything in our lives that dishonors the Lord. So, not only must there be a realization...:
B. THERE MUST BE A REMOVAL - “then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you”
The Israelites had been worshipping Ashteroth & Baal and many other false idols. These people didn't just forsake the Lord, they replaced Him with false gods! It is amazing how fast and how far they fell! They turned from the one true living God and began worshipping idols made of brick, mortar & gold. Many would say... “that will never happen to me”, when the reality is it already has happened! You have replaced God with your family, your friends, your job, leisure, recreation, material possessions, and countless other things! In many cases people put people and things ahead of God, and ironically these are things that He has blessed them with.
The Children of Israel found themselves worshipping the creation instead of the creator. The false idols, altars and groves were made out of things that God had created. The gold of the idols, and the stones of the altars were all created by God
What a foolish decision they made to worship idols made of brick and mortar. But it is no more foolish that letting the things of this world come between you and God.
John said "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)
Jesus said in - Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
He also said in - Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Someone once asked the question "is what you are living for worth Christ dying for?" Look back at this past week, did your actions in the last 7 days have any impact on eternity. Did you do anything that was beneficial for the Kingdom of God? What about your plans for this week? Will the next 7 days be any different? Would you be honest enough to admit that you are involved in a "used to" form of religion? Can you tell me what you are currently doing for Christ and His church, or would you have to speak in the past tense and tell me what you used to do? If you are living in the past, it is time for revival!!
- Do you want to experience real revival? If so, you must remove everything that you have placed before God in your life!! Get rid of it, walk away, put God where He belongs… first and foremost in your life!
- In order to experience revival there must be a removal of some things. Not only must there be a “Realization” & a “Removal”:
C. THERE MUST BE A RESOLVE
Samuel instructed the people of Israel to “prepare their hearts unto the LORD and serve Him only” . We must do the same. Notice the phrase "serve Him only." We must remove those things that would hinder our service to God and then SERVE GOD! Consider what Samuel says in - Samuel 12:24 only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
Consider how good God has been to you. You must also realize that He can and will do even greater things in your life if you will only. Revival, renewal and restoration is available to you today. The question is, do you want it? Do you even care that you have wandered away from God? I don’t understand people who are content to just go through the motions and “play church”. Maybe you have been doing this but now you are ready for something more...You desire something that is real, you desire something that is relevant, you desire something that is refreshing, YOU DESIRE REAL REVIVAL!!!
These verses show us "What Real Revival Looks Like". If you truly desire revival in your life you must:
“return unto the LORD with all your heart”
“put away the strange gods from among you”
“prepare your heart unto the LORD”
“serve him only”
If you will do this as an individual, you can experience revival. When we do this collectively, we will experience revival as a church!
Some of you cannot experience revival because you have never been saved. But that can change today as well. You must understand that you have a sin debt that you cannot pay. But Jesus has done what you could never do. And He is offering you a full pardon. You can receive forgiveness of your sins, eternal life and a home in Heaven. What an amazing offer! Though you are guilty of sin, you have the opportunity to avoid sin’s penalty and be saved. (Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.) I invite you to do that right here, right now.
Maybe you are saved and you are in a right relationship with the Lord. If so, I ask that you would pray for those among us who are lost, that they would surrender to Jesus today. And pray for our brothers and sisters who have strayed, pray that they will experience personal revival, and when this happens, we as a church will see "What Real Revival Looks Like".
