Recognizing The Need For Revival

Title: Recognizing the neeed for Revival

Text: 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

Date: 7/19/2009

Location: Sulphur Spring Baptist Church

Introduction: In September of 2001 following the terrorist attacks of 9-11, a National day of Prayer and Remembrance service was held in Washington D.C. Billy Graham was invited to speak, and he used the opportunity to stress the need for Revival in our Land. He said, "One of the things we desperately need is a spiritual renewal in this country. We need a spiritual revival in America. And God has told us in His Word, time after time, that we are to repent of our sins and we’re to turn to Him and He will bless us in a new way."

I said it then, and I’ve said it many times since, the only way America is going to survive is if we as a nation experience a good old fashioned Revival and Spiritual Awakening. But before that can take place we as individuals, we as a church, and we as a nation MUST do three things.

I. FIRST WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR REVIVAL.

Before the United States of America can experience a Revival, we must recognize the need for Revival, and when I say “WE” I’m talking about those of us who are Christians. Because let’s face it, unbelievers could care less about the spiritual condition of our churches or about the fact that the moral condition of our nation continues to decline.

If someone has a problem with substance abuse, whether its drugs or alcohol the first step they have to take before they can kick the habit is to admit that they’ve got a problem.

If someone is addicted to gambling or internet pornography the only way they will ever overcome that addiction is by first admitting that they’ve got a problem that they cannot overcome without help.

But that won’t happen until we see the need for Revival. It won’t happen until we admit that we’ve got a spiritual problem that only God can cure. Too many of us are in denial. We are like the Pharisee in Jesus day. They considered themselves to be the most holy and righteous people on earth, while at the same time they considered everyone else to be sinners. Jesus told us about a Pharisee who prayed about himself by saying, “Lord I thank you that I am not like that poor tax collector.”

We are more like that than we would like to admit. We don’t even recognize the fact that our relationship to God is not where it needs to be. We are like the person Jesus was talking about when he said, “why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay not attention to the plank in your own eye?....First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck form your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3,5

Let me ask you a few questions this morning:

How long has it been since you read the Bible, or spent more than 30 seconds in prayer?

When was the last time you publicly thanked God for answering a prayer?

When was the last time you helped someone in need, without expecting something in return?

When was the last time you prayed for someone who was lost or invited them to come to church?

How long has it been since you shared your faith with anyone, or is that something that you’ve never even attempted?

Now let’s contrast those questions with these:

When was the last time you talked about someone behind their back?

How long has it been since you refused to talk to someone or turned your head when they spoke to you?

When was the last time you watched a movie you shouldn’t have watched or listened to a song that you shouldn’t have listened to?

How long has it been since you cursed or perhaps told an off colored joke?

How long has it been since you wished you had something that your neighbor owns?

Children how long has it been since you disobeyed or talked back to your parents?

When was the last time you purposely said or did something to hurt someone else’s feelings?

So the first thing we need to do is recognize that we need a Revival. Unfortunately we as Christians have been influenced more by the world than the world has been influenced by us.

If you are overweight and want to loose 20-30 pounds, the first thing you’ve got to do is admit to yourself that you are overweight, and that you won’t be able to lose the weight you want to lose unless you make some changes.

In the same way we are not going to see any positive changes in our society until we as Christians start making some changes in the way we live our lives, especially when it comes to our prayer lives.