Seeking God Revival
Scripture Reading
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
"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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Introduction
"A genuine revival without joy in the Lord is as impossible as spring without flowers, or day-dawn without light." - C.H. Spurgeon.
How true is this for the present-day churches in America. The churches conduct themselves on principles and have very little power. We say the right words and believe what is right, but show very little change to affirm what we say and what we believe. The church today is much like a frozen waterfall. It has the form and shape of a waterfall, but it has no movement. The church is frozen still. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to thaw us out.
But before we can start moving we need to:
1. Confess all sins to God
2. Get rid of any "doubt"
3. Be ready to obey God in an instant
4. Publicly proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior
5. And have a life changing testimony
Times are changing and people are looking for truth in all the wrong places, and they are ignoring the source of all truth. Once, Billy Sunday held a 3-month Crusade in New York City from April 8 through June 19, 1917. An estimated 1,000,000 people attended the crusades and over 98,000 gave their lives to Christ. In 1950 78% of Americans attended church on a regular basis. Last year in 2013 only 26% of the people attend church regularly.
Times have totally changed and we have to admit that our world is nothing like that of 1917. It is a darker and more sinister place where God has been left out of the picture. What about God has changed from 1917 to now? What part of the power of the Resurrection has diminished? What part of the work of the Spirit of God has changed? The church has fallen on desperate times, not because the world is an evil place. But because we desperately need a revival and no one seems to care or even want it.
My friends if God can bring a revival in 1917, then God can surely bring a revival to this great nation in 2014. Let us look again at our Scripture reading. And let us examine the conditions that God places on the outpouring of His Spirit.
God wants to Revive You
2 Chronicles 7:14 starts with God saying "If My people" the IF statement here makes it clear God is looking for certain specific conditions to be true before He will bring a revival. God is making a conditional promise. And God expects these conditions to be met before He brings revival. Note that God said "If My people" meaning that the promise of revival is for those who place their faith in Him.
The word "revival" is taken from the word "revive" which means to receive again a life which has almost ended. Thus, if a revival is to come to this nation. Then it must begin with God's people who are in poor spiritual health. God must first renew His people so that their hearts are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Love of God. And with The Lord Jesus Christ at their side they will be well equipped to share the message of Salvation.
For without The Lord Jesus Christ we can do nothing to lead people to Salvation. That is why God said "If My people, who are called by My name," there is no other group of people that was given this promise. Just those who are a son or daughter of God through The Lord Jesus Christ. They are called by God's grace by the blood of Jesus, and they are born into the family of God by the baptismal of the Holy Spirit. They belong to God, whom He calls by His name for they are His children. And they are highly favored by God. Thus, the privilege of sharing the message of Salvation is given only to those who are saved in Christ Jesus. All who are redeemed with the blood of Jesus, God has Sanctified unto Himself and He delights in them.
God calls us out of the world. This means we are to stand out from the rest of the world in a godly way. We must live differently than the world because Christ Jesus lives within us. And we are set apart to do God's will and to please Him. We should be working at using the talents that God has given us and to utilize the fruit of the Spirit to help us tell people about the message of the Gospel of Salvation. Because God has also called us to a holy priesthood. Every believer carries the responsibility to be Christ’s witness and to minister to others.
Seek God to be Revived
How do we approach God for a revival? God said "I will bring a revival, 'If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways.'"
First, we must humble ourselves. The word humble means to lower one's view of self-importance. That is when we approach God we must submit to His sovereign authority. We need to have a continuous attitude of devotion towards God, a God-consciousness and God-surrender in all that we do. We need to say "God You are in control of my life," and we need to mean what we say. When we humble ourselves, we are literally saying to God, "make me Your servant." When we humble ourselves before God we are allowing Him to:
1. guide us in His truth (Psalm 25:9)
2. to show favor to us (Proverbs 3:34)
3. to give us rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29)
4. to exalt us through Christ Jesus (Matthew 23:12)
First, we approach God in humility. Second, we approach God in prayer. Prayer is a key principle of revival. When we pray we are aligning our will with God's will and in the moment that our lives is in accord with God's plan something amazing happens; He floods our hearts with the power of the Holy Spirit So that we can do all things in the name of Jesus. This is why prayer is essential to revival.
Through prayer our relationship with God grows. We must grow deeper in our relationship with God if we ever want to have a revival in our lives. Each day we must build up our relationship with God personally and together as a church.
1. Prayer needs to be a fundamental attitude of the church (Acts 1:14)
2. The church needs to be committed to prayer (Acts 2:42)
3. Prayer gives the church its power through the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31)
Revival is God bringing back to life the relationship He has with you and renewing it with His presence and power in a fresh way. If you want a revival to happen in your life then grow your relationship with God.
If we want to be revived, then first we must approach God in humility. Second, we approach God in prayer. And third we must seek God's face. The Hebrew word for seek means to search out. Meaning to strive after, to deeply desire, and to intend to find. To seek God means to have the deep desire to know God more and to actively and persistently gain a deeper understanding of God.
How much do you want to be revived? Are you willing to open yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit and then obeying what the Spirit says? If you want to be revived you need to seek God with all your heart. If we want to be revived, then first we must approach God in humility. Second, we must approach God in prayer. Third we must seek God's face. And lastly, we need to turn from our wicked ways. Revival can only happen in your life when you let go of your sin. Sin is pure bondage and it holds you in place like a frozen waterfall. Confessing our sins allows the fire of the Holy Spirit to melt the ice and get us moving again.
The forgiveness of our sins past, present, and future was bestowed upon us at the time of our salvation when God washed away our sins with the blood of Jesus. This is the judicial or positional forgiveness that God gives us upon receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. By His grace God has forgiven our sins and we will not suffer eternal judgment.
What God is asking for us to do then is not to be saved all over again, but to mend our relationship with Him. This is relational forgiveness. For example, if a son is disobedient to his father then the son has hindered his fellowship with his father. He is still his father's son but his relationship with his father suffers until the he admits to his father that he was wrong. Likewise, our relationship with God suffers until we confess our sin. When we confess our sin to God, our relationship is restored.
A revival cannot happen in our lives if we do not keep our relationship with God in good standing. Therefore, we need to confess our sins to God in order to maintain a close relationship with Him.
Conclusion
What is important for a revival? A deep hunger for more of God and more of what only He can do, that is important. A submission to the complete purpose and plan of God almighty. The abandoning of self-desires and the absolute embrace of God's will. These are important for a revival.
God has the desire to bring revival to your life and to the church. Do you have the desire to be revived? If you want to be revived, then seek God. If you want this church to have a revival, then seek God. If you want your community to see the mighty outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit, then seek God. If God is tugging at your heart today, then humble yourself and pray and confess your sins, and seek God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
"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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Introduction
"A genuine revival without joy in the Lord is as impossible as spring without flowers, or day-dawn without light." - C.H. Spurgeon.
How true is this for the present-day churches in America. The churches conduct themselves on principles and have very little power. We say the right words and believe what is right, but show very little change to affirm what we say and what we believe. The church today is much like a frozen waterfall. It has the form and shape of a waterfall, but it has no movement. The church is frozen still. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to thaw us out.
But before we can start moving we need to:
1. Confess all sins to God
2. Get rid of any "doubt"
3. Be ready to obey God in an instant
4. Publicly proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior
5. And have a life changing testimony
Times are changing and people are looking for truth in all the wrong places, and they are ignoring the source of all truth. Once, Billy Sunday held a 3-month Crusade in New York City from April 8 through June 19, 1917. An estimated 1,000,000 people attended the crusades and over 98,000 gave their lives to Christ. In 1950 78% of Americans attended church on a regular basis. Last year in 2013 only 26% of the people attend church regularly.
Times have totally changed and we have to admit that our world is nothing like that of 1917. It is a darker and more sinister place where God has been left out of the picture. What about God has changed from 1917 to now? What part of the power of the Resurrection has diminished? What part of the work of the Spirit of God has changed? The church has fallen on desperate times, not because the world is an evil place. But because we desperately need a revival and no one seems to care or even want it.
My friends if God can bring a revival in 1917, then God can surely bring a revival to this great nation in 2014. Let us look again at our Scripture reading. And let us examine the conditions that God places on the outpouring of His Spirit.
God wants to Revive You
2 Chronicles 7:14 starts with God saying "If My people" the IF statement here makes it clear God is looking for certain specific conditions to be true before He will bring a revival. God is making a conditional promise. And God expects these conditions to be met before He brings revival. Note that God said "If My people" meaning that the promise of revival is for those who place their faith in Him.
The word "revival" is taken from the word "revive" which means to receive again a life which has almost ended. Thus, if a revival is to come to this nation. Then it must begin with God's people who are in poor spiritual health. God must first renew His people so that their hearts are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Love of God. And with The Lord Jesus Christ at their side they will be well equipped to share the message of Salvation.
For without The Lord Jesus Christ we can do nothing to lead people to Salvation. That is why God said "If My people, who are called by My name," there is no other group of people that was given this promise. Just those who are a son or daughter of God through The Lord Jesus Christ. They are called by God's grace by the blood of Jesus, and they are born into the family of God by the baptismal of the Holy Spirit. They belong to God, whom He calls by His name for they are His children. And they are highly favored by God. Thus, the privilege of sharing the message of Salvation is given only to those who are saved in Christ Jesus. All who are redeemed with the blood of Jesus, God has Sanctified unto Himself and He delights in them.
God calls us out of the world. This means we are to stand out from the rest of the world in a godly way. We must live differently than the world because Christ Jesus lives within us. And we are set apart to do God's will and to please Him. We should be working at using the talents that God has given us and to utilize the fruit of the Spirit to help us tell people about the message of the Gospel of Salvation. Because God has also called us to a holy priesthood. Every believer carries the responsibility to be Christ’s witness and to minister to others.
Seek God to be Revived
How do we approach God for a revival? God said "I will bring a revival, 'If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways.'"
First, we must humble ourselves. The word humble means to lower one's view of self-importance. That is when we approach God we must submit to His sovereign authority. We need to have a continuous attitude of devotion towards God, a God-consciousness and God-surrender in all that we do. We need to say "God You are in control of my life," and we need to mean what we say. When we humble ourselves, we are literally saying to God, "make me Your servant." When we humble ourselves before God we are allowing Him to:
1. guide us in His truth (Psalm 25:9)
2. to show favor to us (Proverbs 3:34)
3. to give us rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29)
4. to exalt us through Christ Jesus (Matthew 23:12)
First, we approach God in humility. Second, we approach God in prayer. Prayer is a key principle of revival. When we pray we are aligning our will with God's will and in the moment that our lives is in accord with God's plan something amazing happens; He floods our hearts with the power of the Holy Spirit So that we can do all things in the name of Jesus. This is why prayer is essential to revival.
Through prayer our relationship with God grows. We must grow deeper in our relationship with God if we ever want to have a revival in our lives. Each day we must build up our relationship with God personally and together as a church.
1. Prayer needs to be a fundamental attitude of the church (Acts 1:14)
2. The church needs to be committed to prayer (Acts 2:42)
3. Prayer gives the church its power through the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31)
Revival is God bringing back to life the relationship He has with you and renewing it with His presence and power in a fresh way. If you want a revival to happen in your life then grow your relationship with God.
If we want to be revived, then first we must approach God in humility. Second, we approach God in prayer. And third we must seek God's face. The Hebrew word for seek means to search out. Meaning to strive after, to deeply desire, and to intend to find. To seek God means to have the deep desire to know God more and to actively and persistently gain a deeper understanding of God.
How much do you want to be revived? Are you willing to open yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit and then obeying what the Spirit says? If you want to be revived you need to seek God with all your heart. If we want to be revived, then first we must approach God in humility. Second, we must approach God in prayer. Third we must seek God's face. And lastly, we need to turn from our wicked ways. Revival can only happen in your life when you let go of your sin. Sin is pure bondage and it holds you in place like a frozen waterfall. Confessing our sins allows the fire of the Holy Spirit to melt the ice and get us moving again.
The forgiveness of our sins past, present, and future was bestowed upon us at the time of our salvation when God washed away our sins with the blood of Jesus. This is the judicial or positional forgiveness that God gives us upon receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. By His grace God has forgiven our sins and we will not suffer eternal judgment.
What God is asking for us to do then is not to be saved all over again, but to mend our relationship with Him. This is relational forgiveness. For example, if a son is disobedient to his father then the son has hindered his fellowship with his father. He is still his father's son but his relationship with his father suffers until the he admits to his father that he was wrong. Likewise, our relationship with God suffers until we confess our sin. When we confess our sin to God, our relationship is restored.
A revival cannot happen in our lives if we do not keep our relationship with God in good standing. Therefore, we need to confess our sins to God in order to maintain a close relationship with Him.
Conclusion
What is important for a revival? A deep hunger for more of God and more of what only He can do, that is important. A submission to the complete purpose and plan of God almighty. The abandoning of self-desires and the absolute embrace of God's will. These are important for a revival.
God has the desire to bring revival to your life and to the church. Do you have the desire to be revived? If you want to be revived, then seek God. If you want this church to have a revival, then seek God. If you want your community to see the mighty outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit, then seek God. If God is tugging at your heart today, then humble yourself and pray and confess your sins, and seek God.