Removing The Need For Revival

REMOVING THE NEED FOR REVIVAL—2Chron. 31:20—32:8

Remedy/tight Spot

Need for REVIVAL signals a Hindrance to expected service.

REVIVAL is a public admission that you are not living up to the standards we say we uphold.

Need for REVIVAL means...

1)We Have fallen into Sin... —Complacency/Indifference/Apathy/Pride/Ego/—Specific sins—Teaching/Organizational/Doctrinal/Familial—Entrenched

2)We Recognize/Admit it...

3)It can be Rectified.

Need for REVIVAL signals we are in a tight spot.

How can we get out of the tight spot we’re in?

How can we remove the need for revival?

1—Removing the need for Revival calls us to

A PRIOR PROSPERITY(31:20-21)

Explanation:(31:20-21) Faith/

:20—“And thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; & he did what was good, right, & true before the LORD his God.”

Hezekiah honored God

—Personally— “good, right & true”

—Corporately

:21 —“And every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law & in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart & prospered.”

Hezekiah “worked” to please God.

—Cleansing the temple, Reinstituting sacrifices, Reinstituting the priestly & Levitical order & maintaining them.

“With all his heart”—The state of the heart is vital for revival.

“in law & in commandment”

—moral, ceremonial, & judicial

We don’t live in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s anymore...

We live now/today!

—Application:

?How have you “prospered” in the past?

?What brought the Prior Prosperity to Pine Hill BC?

*Remember who you are in Christ!

2—Removing the need for Revival calls us to

EXAMINE THE ONSLAUGHT/INVASION(32:1)

—Explanation:(:32:1)

“After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came & invaded Judah & besieged the fortified cities, & thought to break into them for himself.”

Sennacherib—705-681 BC—24 yrs.—Assyrian king—Followed Sargon II & Succeeded by Esarhaddon.

“Sennacherib...Came”—

“& Invaded”—Foothold

“& beseiged”—Stopped normal input & output

“Fortified Cities”—Strongholds of our faith—Music/Youth ministries/Childrens’ ministries/Discipleship ministries/Training ministries/Divulging ministries/Pastoral ministries

—Application:

?How do you view the present INVASION?...

—Personal?

—Others?

—Both?

3—Removing the need for Revival calls us to

BRACE OURSELVES(:2-5)

—Explanation/Argumentation:(:2-5) Preparation/Within your power

:2—“Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, & that he intended to make war on Jerusalem,

:3—“he decided with his officers & his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, & they helped him.

:4—“So many people assembled & stopped up all the springs & the stream which flowed through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come & find abundant water?”

:5—“And he took courage & rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down, & erected towers on it, & built another outside wall, & strengthened the Millo in the city of David, & made weapons & shields in great number.”

“Rebuilt all the wall...broken down”—

Rev. 3:1-2—“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, & the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, & strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

“Towers”—Lookout—Know of the enemy’s advance!

“Millo”—Stronghold—Special protection for leaders from sin!

“Weapons & Shields”—

Eph. 6:11-18—READ—“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

*Organize against the enemy!

*Won’t be easy!

—Application:

?How have we sought to brace ourselves for the seemingly inevitable?—

Allow Leadership(pastor, deacons, committee heads...)

Identify enemy’s sustenance—Keeps him strong.

“Cut off” the enemy’s sustenance—How?

4—Removing the need for Revival calls us to

DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY(:6)

—Explanation/Argumentation:(:6)

“And he appointed military officers over the people, & gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, & spoke encouragingly to them, saying,”

“Military officers over the people”—

—Concerted/Unified effort

—Shift gears—Change—Battle ready

“Encouragingly”—

—Application:

?Do we recognize a state of emergency?

5—Removing the need for Revival calls us to

GATHER OUR STRENGTH(:7-8)

—Explanation/Argumentation:(:7-8)

:7—“Be strong & courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria, nor because of all the multitude which is with him;...”

“Strong”—Prevail over

“Courageous”—Brave, Bold

“Fear”—Dread

“Dismayed”—Shattered, broken, terrified

“Multitude”—Noticable & Considerable number.

“With him”—Who is “with” the devil?

:8a—“... for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us & to fight our battles.”

1Jn. 4:1-5—:4—“You are from God, little children, & have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Eph. 6:10—“Finally, be strong in the Lord, & in the strength of His might.”

:8b—“ And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

“Relied/Rested themselves”—Gained strength

—Application:

?What strengths have you employed?

—Prayer, Submission...