Revive Us Again

We have our revival services beginning this evening and continuing throughout

this week, I look forward to seeing this size of crowd out here for each service

To give you some background information to better understand this passage of scripture. The walls of Jerusalem were lying in ruins and Nehemiah organized and rebuilt the walls while suffering much persecution from Sanballat, the Arabs, the ammonites and the ashdodites

And after the wall is finally completed Ezra in chapter 8 stands and reads the law of Moses to the people then all the men come together and want to study the law with the priests and the Levites. And they found in the law where it was written about the feast of tabernacles or feast of booths so they went out and celebrated this feast and then we come to chapter 9

What we are seeing in Nehemiah is a revival of the nation of Israel a revival of Gods people

The dictionary defines revival as, “to recover or return from a state of neglect.” Renewed and more active attention to religion, an awakening of men to spiritual concerns.

America needs revival our city needs revival our homes need revival

We need revival when families are not praying together

We need revival when we have to beg people to participate in church activities

We need revival when we only know truth in our heads but are not practicing it in our lives

We need revival when we would rather make money than give money

We need revival when our concerns our only about ourselves and making us happy and not the millions that dying without Jesus

We need revival when our lives our like the walls that were around Jerusalem in Nehemiah laying in ruins

I want you today to look at this passage of scripture in Nehemiah 9 to see what we must do to have revival

It says in verse 1 the people were assembled

In Order to have revival we must first call together an assembly

We are calling together a congregational assembly this week for the sole purpose of meeting God.

On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the New testament church the bible says in Acts 2:1, When the day of Pentecost arrived they were all together in one place.

It has been said that you can predict the future by studying the past. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. It was when the church came together that the Holy Spirit fell, it was when the church came together to pray for Peter that the Angel came into the prison and got Peter out, Jesus said where two or three are gathered together in my name that he would be in the midst.

That’s why the Bible commands us in Hebrews 10:25 to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

In Nehemiah chapter 9 when the people came together the separated themselves from all foreigners. It was an act of separation, declaring to the world that they were the people of God

When we call together the church we are separating ourselves from the world for the purpose of worshipping God.

2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

Folks its time for the Christians to stop talking like the world talks stop walking like the world walks and stop trying to be like the rest of the world

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

In order to have revival we must Repent Before God

2Ch 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The people in Nehemiah 9 assembled and fasted in sackcloth and with dirt on their heads, an act of true repentance and humility before God

Act 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,