Revival - Key to Survival
2 Chronicles 7:14
July 24, 2005
Introduction
In 1904 a young ministerial student named Evan Roberts, began to feel that God was sending an urgent message that He was going to pour out a mighty spirit of revival on Wales, which is now a part of Great Britain. Roberts began attending various revival meetings and during one he was deeply moved by the Spirit. As he prayed at the altar he cried out to God, “Bend me o Lord!” This was a complete and total surrender of his will to God’s will.
Roberts soon returned to his home church to preach the message of revival but his pastor was reluctant to allow him to speak. In a compromise, the pastor announced that Roberts would be speaking following the regular prayer meeting and any who wished to stay were welcome. Only 17 people stayed to hear Evan speak and most of them were teenagers and young adults.
Evan Roberts spoke in that church for nearly two hours with a simple 4 point message that he was convinced could help God bring revival.
1. Confess all known sin to God
2. Deal with and get rid of any “doubtful” area of your life
3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly
4. Confess Christ publicly
When Roberts was finished speaking all 17 young people were at the altar on their knees crying out to God. They prayed until 2am that night and it was the beginning of one of the greatest movements of God in all history. By the end of the week, over 60 people were won to Christ and over the course of the next year and a half revival swept through the nation of Wales. Over 1,000,000 people were led to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
The revival was so great that the national culture changed dramatically.
• A rage of bankruptcies took place - All of the taverns and liquor stores went out of business
• Work at the coal mines was brought to a near standstill - The mules who pulled the wagons were so accustomed to hearing foul language from the workers that after the men were saved the mules no longer recognized their voices or commands
• The entire police force was dismissed for almost 18 months due to a complete lack of crime
• One of the few court cases that was actually brought before a judge was unusual. The defendant came into the court and admitted his guilt, the judge led the man to Christ and the jury closed the case by singing a hymn.
The revival eventually made its way across the Atlantic and swept through parts of New York and New Jersey. There was even a daily column in the New York Times called “Today’s Converts” that listed those who were being saved.
Times seem to have totally changed and we have to admit that our world is nothing like that of 1904. I would have to agree our world is a darker and more sinister place where revival seems almost impossible.
What about God has changed from 1904 to today? What part of the power of Christ’s resurrection has diminished from then until now? What part of the work of the Holy Spirit has changed?
Our church has fallen on desperate times, but not because of attendance, money or lack of involvement. We are in desperate times because we desperately need a movement of God almighty and no one seems to realize it!
If God could bring revival in 1904 or any other time for that matter, He can do here in Mt. Orab in 2005.
This morning I want to carefully look at some of the conditions that God places on the outpouring of revival. Open your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 7:14.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
I. God is looking for people to revive
If my people
The if here is the beginning of the conditions that God is looking to be met before He will act. It is clear that God is issuing a conditional promise to His people - do these things and I will respond. God has an expectation of specific things before He brings revival.
These promises are only for those who place their faith in God. God is speaking to His people and no one else here. We must understand that this is an exclusive deal that God only offers to His people.
We often forget that the work of revival always begins with God’s own people first, why?
God must first renew His people before the real work of winning the world can take place. The work of revival must begin with God’s own people but is never meant to end there. For revival to be lasting and to truly make an impact on the world, we must reach out.
Who are called by my name
1.) God calls us out from among the world
Being a Christian means that we are meant to stand out from the rest of the world. We must live differently than the world because we value different things, we value an eternal promise and we value a different lifestyle.
We are called to be a holy priesthood, where every believer carries the responsibility for ministry, not just the pastor or the church board. We are called to be Christ’s witnesses in this world to share His truth and boldly seek His power.
2.) We are known by a new name
Whenever a person comes to Christ they are a new creation and are given the opportunity to live a transformed life. When we came to Christ we became associated with His name, we became Christian. Every single person who claims to know Jesus either lifts His name or tears His name down.
II. We must look to God to be revived
will humble themselves
Why does God desire for His people to humble themselves? The word humble means to be in submission, to live in a state of surrender. When we humble ourselves, we are literally saying to God, you are in control of my life. To be humble means to be brought low. Remember that simple prayer that Evan Roberts prayed, Bend me O Lord. When we humble ourselves before God we are allowing Him to bend us to His will.
What happens when God bends us?
1.) Bending opens us to His guidance (Psalm 25:9)
2.) Bending allows us to know His grace (Proverbs 3:34)
3.) Bending gives us a gentle heart (Matthew 11:29)
4.) Bending leads us to true greatness (Matthew 23:12)
5.) Bending gives us spiritual garments (1 Peter 5:5)
6.) Bending gives way to eternal glory (Philippians 2:8)
Once we allow God to bend us, we cannot remain the same
and pray
One of the key principles of revival is a concerted effort in prayer. When we pray we are bringing our lives to intersect with God and in the moment that we meet with God something amazing happens; He pours Himself into our lives. This is why prayer is so absolutely essential to experiencing revival.
Prayer is the foundation of a growing relationship with God and without prayer that relationship will never truly grow. We must go deeper with God if we ever want to experience revival in our lives. Ech day we make a decision to either build up that relationship with God or to settle for where we are in our relationship with God.
The principle of prayer is flows out of the New Testament Church
1.) Prayer needs to be a continuous aspect of the church (Acts 1:14)
2.) Prayer was a major part of the life of the church (Acts 2:42)
3.) Prayer is vital to seeing a divine display of power (Acts 4:31)
Revival is nothing more than God stepping into His relationship with you and filling it with His presence and power in a fresh way. If you are not developing that relationship with God, you will never experience personal revival.
And seek my face
The Hebrew word for seek means to intend to find or to deeply desire. In essence, to seek something from God means to first have the deep desire to see it happen and then to actively and persistently pursue it.
One of the major reasons why churches in America never see a movement of God is because they don’t want it bad enough. There is a personal price that has to be paid in finding revival. It is opening yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit and then obeying what the Spirit says.
In 1904 those young people from Evan Roberts home church wanted to see revival so badly that they stayed at the church and prayed until 2am. We struggle to gather a handful of people to pray for an hour once a month. The church today does not see God moving because we have stopped seeking.
God said these words to Jeremiah: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. We will only truly find God and His reviving power when we really and truly desire that which only He can give us. Once that desire is there, then we must pursue it.
And turn from their wicked ways
When Evan Roberts spoke to those young people, his first challenge to them was to confess any known sin to God. Revival will never happen in your life until you let go of your sin. Sin is nothing more than pure bondage and it holds you in place like a chain wrapped around your body.
Why is it that God desires confession?
1.) Confession is a realization of wrong doing
Most children get themselves into trouble from time to time. I know that Abigail does sometimes get into trouble, it’s not my fault that she asks like her mother. When your kids get themselves into trouble and have to be punished, how many of you ask them if they know what they did was wrong?
We are God’s children and confession is merely telling God what it is that you have done wrong. When we confess we are admitting the fact that we have done wrong.
2.) Confession renews your relationship with God
God cannot work through sinful living; it is absolutely impossible. God can only move in our lives when the path has been cleared. When we confess our sins to God, it is a clearing of the path that allows God to move because when we confess, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse our lives.
3.) Confession seeks God’s assistance
When we confess our sin to God it is allowing Him to take the chains that bind us off of our back and set us free. God never forces us to do anything that we don’t want to do but when we confess, we are asking for God to send us His help.
Conclusion
Hungry I come to you for I know you satisfy. I am empty but I know your love does not run dry. So I wait for you So I wait for you
I’m falling on my knees. Offering all of me. Jesus you’re all this heart is living for
Broken I run to you for your arms are open wide. I am weary but I know your touch restores my life. So I wait for you So I wait for you
What was it that made the Welsh revival so powerful and so successful for the Kingdom of Christ? It had nothing to do with Evan Roberts eloquence and ability to deliver powerful sermons. It had nothing to do with the length or frequency of his prayers, even though this was important.
I believe that revival took place because Evan Roberts prayed for God to bend him. This prayer was the product of a deep hunger for more of God and more of what only He can do. It was a submission to the complete purpose and plan of God almighty. The power came from reckless abandoning of self and an absolute embrace of what God had the desire to do.
This morning, I firmly believe that God has the desire to bring revival to this church. The only question that really remains is do you have the desire to be revived? If you want to experience personal revival, today is the day to seek God. If you want this church to see a corporate revival, today is the day to seek the Holy Spirit. If you want our community to see a mighty outpouring of power, today is the day to seek Jesus. If God is tugging at your heart today, come forward and seek power from on high.
