Revive Us Again

Introduction: Have you ever gone out to eat at a fancy restaurant, and even though your food looked and smelled great, it didn’t satisfy you?

Or maybe someone talked you into trying a new soft-drink combination at Sonic. You know they will add flavors like vanilla or lime to your soft drinks or fruit flavors like peach or apricot to you ice tea. Anyway someone told you how good it was, but when you took that first drink you were disappointed, because it just didn’t satisfy your thirst like you had hoped it would.

Hunger and thirst are two very powerful cravings that we have all experienced at some point in our lives. Some of you may be hungry or thirsty right now, and can’t wait until this sermon is over so you can go to McDonalds, or Captain D’s or Cracker Barrel and get something to eat.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 (New American Standard).

Luke recorded what Jesus said slightly different. In Luke 6:21 it says, “blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.”

Both of these verses seem to indicate that it is possible for those of us who hunger and thirst after righteousness to be satisfied.

So that’s my question to you today. Are you satisfied with your relationship with Jesus Christ, and more importantly is He satisfied with you?

I’m afraid that the majority of people today have become satisfied with just ‘knowing about God, rather than knowing Him, and having a personal relationship with Him.

I’m afraid that most of us are satisfied giving God one or two hours a week rather than devoting our lives to Him, and being available to Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It’s sad to say but I believe many Christians today have become satisfied with simply having Fire Insurance rather than being “on fire” for the Lord.

That’s why I believe it is so important for the church in America to experience another Great Revival. In my opinion our nation and our churches are in desperate need of Revival. Despite the fact that pollsters report that the number of people who classify themselves as Christians is up, the morality of the country continues to decline.

Judge Robert Bork, who was nominated for the Supreme by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 wrote a book a few years ago entitled: Slouching towards Gomorrah. In that book Bork says, that the forces of evil are so deeply entrenched that any cultural shifts will only be superficial unless they are accompanied by another spiritual awakening.

William Bennett in his Index of Leading Cultural Indicators gives the following statistics for the past 30 years.

• Despite increased funding for law enforcement and stricter laws violent crime has increased 500%. (The mass murder of 32 people at Virginia Tech last week is a good example of this.)

• Sex education programs have proliferated and at the same time illegitimate births have increased over 400%

• The divorce rate has quadrupled during the last 30 years.

• Single parent homes have become the majority, rather than the minority.

• During the last 30 years there has been more than a 200% increase in the number of teenage suicides.

The United States of America desperately needs what the book of Acts refers to as “times of refreshing.” We need God to pour out His Spirit on us like He did during the 18th and 19th Centuries, when thousands of people repented of their sins, cried out to God, and were saved. People’s lives were changed, marriages were restored, and entire communities were transformed.

But I’m afraid it’s not going to happen. Not because God doesn’t want to ‘pour out His Spirit upon us.’ In fact I would argue that it is God’s greatest desire. But it’s not going to happen, because “We, God’s people don’t want it to happen.”

Now, why would I say such a thing? Some of you think I’ve lost my mind. You’re thinking to yourself, why in the world would he say that. Well, here’s why.

I believe that most Christians in America are ‘satisfied’ when it comes to their spiritual lives. I’m afraid the majority of us just don’t have and don’t want the kind of commitment and dedication that is necessary to experience Revival.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 is a passage of Scripture that we often use when talking about Revival, because it very plainly tells us what will be required of us in order for God to ‘Heal our Land.’ So let’s take a minute and look at this passage of Scripture and remind ourselves of the 4 requirements for Revival.

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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.”