While it is good that churches schedule these services frequently, it is equally good that they recognize that before a church can experience a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL MEETING, they must know WHAT A REAL HOLY GHOST REVIVAL IS.
A Holy Ghost Revival consist of at least three things, such as:
1. It is a bringing back to life
2. It is a restoring of what needs to be restored
3. It is an awareness of God's Presence that make God the focus of attention
WHY DO WE NEED REVIVAL? We desperately need revival because of two reasons. We need it-
(1) BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THIS COUNTRY
We have become accustomed to hearing terrible things almost every day on the television news or the printed news, such as:
• A 16-year old boy carries a gun into his school and murders a classmate
• A mother gives birth to a child and leaves her in the garbage can at Disney World
• Teachers are being assaulted by students in school
• Motorists shoot other drivers for going too slow in front of them
• A man is shot in his front yard by a drive by motorist
• A man rapes his daughter
America, like many other nations in the world today, needs a good old HOLY GHOST REVIVAL!
The devil is doing everything he can do to flood this country with sin. There is a giant tidal wave of sin that is sweeping this nation. This country MORALLY and SPIRITUALLY is in a mess!
Illus: Every year, the President of this great nation gives the State of the Union address. During this time, he speaks to the congress and this nation, and tells them of the condition of this nation economically, and militarily. In the past, we have heard president after president come before the American people and say, “I AM HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT THE STATE OF THE NATION IS GOOD!”
But listen, when it comes to the SPIRITUAL CONDITION of this nation, this nation is bankrupt. No human solutions can turn back this tidal wave of evil. We must have Divine intervention! The world in which we live is permeated with spiritual darkness.
If we as citizens cannot see the need for a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL in this land, may God help us! Why? Before God can REVIVE AND RESTORE, we must recognize as a nation what needs RESTORING and REVIVING!
We need HOLY GHOST REVIVAL because of the CONDITION OF THIS COUNTRY SPIRITUALLY.
But we also need REVIVAL-
(2) BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH
I know I sound like a prophet of doom today as I say the COUNTRY in which we live in is a mess, but it is just as bad for the CHURCHES across this country. CHURCH and COUNTRY are in a spiritual mess.
WHY DO WE SAY THE CHURCH IS IN A SPIRITUAL MESS? Because we are in desperate need of a Holy Ghost revival.
Why? Because of these reasons:
1. We need revival because the church IS NOT SPIRITUAL. The churches today are filled with people that are materialistic and carnal minded.
2. We need revival because the church has lost it’s identity. For example, you cannot tell where the world ends and where the church begins.
3. We need revival because the church is PRAYERLESS and CARELESS.
4. We need revival because church people spend more time reading the newspaper than reading the Word of God.
5. We need revival, because some feel we can't reach people today without rock bands, hip talk, and worldly dress.
6. We need revival today because we have become more dependent on methods, techniques, strategies, and programs, than on prayer and the Holy Spirit.
7. We need revival because in the effort to convince the world that Christianity is fun, we've entertained and amused ourselves.
8. We need revival because we have lost confidence in the power of:
• THE WORD TO CONVICT.
• THE GOSPEL TO CONVERT.
• THE SPIRIT - TO DRAW MEN TO CHRIST
9. We need revival today because we have seen what human effort, creativity, and technology can do, but we have yet to see what God can do.
10. We know what money, organization, and promotion can do; but we have yet to see what God can do!
11. We need revival today because we are called to BE SAINTS, not just to be CALLED SAINTS!
This country needs an old fashioned Holy Ghost Revival, where the Saints of God are awakened and jolted into action. But the big question is, WHEN WILL WE HAVE REVIVAL?
The book of Isaiah gives a list of things we will have to do before we can experience HOLY GHOST REVIVAL. Such as:
I. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEITY
Look at verses 1 4, “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke."
God is not like one of us, THERE IS NO ONE CLOSE TO HIS EQUAL!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger and Dr. Ron LaFlam were eating at a restaurant, when the Commander of an Air Force base came in for dinner. He was sitting at the table with some other pilots, but it was obvious that he was their superior by the way he conducted himself.
I want to tell you something right now, God is not the “Man upstairs!” HE IS ALMIGHTY GOD! This COUNTRY and THE CHURCHES across this vast land need to REVERE GOD.
The Bible says that the year that Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision where he saw, “…The Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” But notice one of the Seraphims cried out saying, “…Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Listen, before God sends a Holy Ghost revival, the people of God have got to recognize the DEITY OF CHRIST.
A. WE MUST SEE THE HIGHNESS OF THE SAVIOUR
He is not like us MORTALS! Look at Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah had a proper view of the Height of our Saviour. He is high and lifted up. In our life -
• HE IS TO BE HIGHER THAN OUR FAMILY
• HE IS TO BE HIGHER THAN OUR JOBS
• HE IS TO BE HIGHER THAN OUR FRIENDS
• HE IS TO BE HIGHER THAN OUR HOBBIES
And if He is not, it is because we have made these things our gods.
The reasons the church is not having HOLY GHOST REVIVAL are obvious:
• IT IS SEEN IN THEIR EXCUSES FOR WHY THEY DO NOT WITNESS
• IT IS SEEN IN THEIR EXCUSES FOR WHY THEY DO NOT GIVE
• IT IS SEEN IN THEIR EXCUSES FOR WHY THEY DO NOT COME TO CHURCH
• IT IS SEEN IN THEIR EXCUSES FOR WHY THEY DO NOT PRAY
• IT IS SEEN IN THEIR EXCUSES FOR WHY THEY DO NOT READ THEIR BIBLES
If we are ever going to have REAL REVIVAL in our lives and in our churches, WE MUST SEE THE HIGHNESS OF THE SAVIOUR, and exalt Him above everything in our lives.
But also-
B. WE MUST SEE HIS HOLINESS
We read in Psa. 145:17, "The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works."
It is a wonderful thing that God is a Holy God, and that there is not one trace of evil to be found in Him.
• Suppose He was not. Suppose God, being Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient was evil.
• Suppose he was a God that took delight in torturing us. If He was that kind of God we all would be in bad shape.
But the Bible says, that God is “Righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.”
But look at what the Holy God of heaven requires of us. The God of heaven is righteous, and in 1 Pet. 1:15 16, He says to those who desire to have revival, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.."
God is not going to send a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL TO A BUNCH OF UNHOLY PEOPLE.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A HOLY PEOPLE? Look at three things for us to consider, such as:
1. THE MEANING OF HOLINESS
It means set apart or consecrated to God. OUR LIVES SHOULD BE HOLY, SET APART FOR THE LORD.
Look at Rom. 12:1 2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
What should be set apart for the Lord?
• OUR LIPS SHOULD BE HOLY, SET APART FOR THE LORD
Look at Psa. 141:3, "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
We must see the HIGHNESS and the HOLINESS of the Savior, but also -
For REAL HOLY GHOST REVIVAL, WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEITY and ...
II. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DECREASE
Look at verse 5, we read, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips"
When we see God in His holiness, we see ourselves in a different light.
• When I compare myself to others, I do not seem that bad. I can truly say, I am as good as they are.
• But I can compare myself to some and I look GREAT!
• But when I compared myself to the Holy God of heaven, I begin to feel like Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am undone…”
John the Baptist had the right idea. Look at his attitude in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." We need to understand that the Lord is everything in life, we are no more than the dust of the earth.
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO BE PROUD ABOUT? Look what Paul said in Gal. 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." No man will ever be able to stand in the presence of the Lord and brag of his accomplishments.
Before God can send REAL REVIVAL, we must humble ourselves before God and mankind, and cry out, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
That ought to be a prayer for every believer. We must have that sense of decrease if we want to have that genuine personal revival. CHRIST MUST BE SEEN IN OUR WHOLE LIFE, NOT JUST OUR SUNDAY LIFE.
Once we have that SENSE OF DECREASE, it will -
A. SHOW UP IN OUR CONVICTION
We need the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives so we can make correction. Look at John 16:8, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”
Before REAL REVIVAL can come, God is going to have to show us the sins in our life, and we have got to be willing to rid ourselves of these sins.
B. SHOW UP IN OUR CONCERN
We are concerned about:
• WHAT WE WILL EAT
• HOW MUCH SLEEP WE WILL GET
• OUR PAY
• OUR FAMILIES
• OUR HOMES AND CARS
• OUR CLOTHES
But when was the last time you had a real concern about how you stand before your CREATOR? Sometimes other people are more concerned with our lives than we are.
C. SHOW UP IN OUR CONFESSION
When you get convicted and concerned, you will confess your sinfulness.
• THESE AREAS ARE NOT MISTAKES IN YOUR LIFE
• THEY ARE NOT SIMPLY ERRORS IN JUDGMENT
• THEY ARE NOT FLAWS IN YOUR CHARACTER
• THEY ARE SIN
The things that people in the church get upset over are ridiculous. It is almost like some come looking for someone to knock the chip off their shoulder.
This kind of life is not walking in the SPIRIT, this is walking in the flesh and this IS SIN! The only way to rid ourselves of that sin is true confession. Quit calling it your personality flaw, IT IS SIN!
The world has redefined every sin they can, into sicknesses or genetic problems, and birth defects. True confession before God means calling it what God calls it: SIN.
• It is what Christ died for
• It is what His Blood can wash away
• You can be cleansed of sin
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We need to call sin, SIN and not try to excuse it!
For revival, WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEITY, WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DECREASE, and ...
III. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEDICATION
Look at verse 8, we read, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."
The five words of commitment are "Here am I, send me."
Too often we say:
• “Why doesn’t someone clean the windows?” - dedication says, "Here am I, send me."
• “Why doesn’t someone visit the sick?” - dedication says, "Here am I, send me."
• “Why don’t people sing out in the worship service?” - dedication says, "Here am I, send me."
Dedicated Christians will do whatever the Lord wants, regardless of...
• HOW SMALL IT SEEMS
• HOW SIMPLE IT SEEMS
• HOW SENSELESS IT SEEMS
• HOW SCARY IT SEEMS
Conclusion:
The Early Church sought God with all their hearts, and they experienced a good old Holy Ghost Revival. If we do the same, so will we. Someone said...
• If all the sleeping folks will wake up
• If all the lukewarm folks will fire up
• If all the dishonest folks will confess up
• If all the depressed folks will cheer up
• If all the gossips will shut up
• If all true soldiers will stand up
• If all the dry bones will shake up
• If all the church members will pray up
Then we can have a HOLY GHOST REVIVAL IN THIS CHURCH.
We have no control over what takes place in other churches, but we do have control over what takes place in this church.
Do you want a genuine personal revival experience? If we are going to have A REAL HOLY GHOST REVIVAL:
I. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEITY
II. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DECREASE
III. WE MUST HAVE A SENSE OF DEDICATION
