REVIVE US AGAIN
Years ago, there was a commercial where a man takes his car in for an oil change and when the mechanic removed the oil plug, no oil comes out!
Have you ever felt that way: empty, no oil? You pull your spiritual dipstick out and it comes up dry. You are not alone. Everyone has felt that way at times, even great spiritual leaders. Keith Green put the feeling into a song;
My eyes are dry; My faith is old. My heart is hard; My prayers are cold. And I know how I ought to be; Alive to You and dead to me.
There are times I feel that way. It seems that there is no Presence of God or Power of God. I wonder where it went. The pandemic has fed that feeling in many that I have talked to; being locked in with very little diversion. Some have been very productive; others not so much. One pastor, Juan Sanchez, described it this way; We’ve all heard of the term “cabin fever.” In 2020, not only have we experienced it, we’ve updated our cultural dictionary with a new phrase: “Zoom fatigue.” The coronavirus has worn us down.
There is a solution; we call it revival. The cry of our heart becomes, “Lord, when will You revive us again?” That is our focus this morning. “Lord, revive us again!”
The Psalmists knew the cry. In Psalm 85 the Sons of Korah cry out for revival. The Psalm is about the return of Israel to the land of Canaan after their captivity in Babylon. They returned physically, but their spiritual lives were less than stellar. God has blessed them, but they had slipped away into ungodly practices, selfish attitudes, and pointless diversions.
Our country is the same way. we have been incredibly blessed by God but we have “turned everyone to his own way.” Every man is doing what is right in his own eyes with no regard for what God would require. I want to take this Psalm about Israel and apply it to our country and our lives in the hope that God will send revival in our time.
Psalm 85:1–13 (NKJV)
1 Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah
3 You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.
The Lord has been favorable to us. If you watched the musical “Hamilton” during this last week, you saw the veritable miracle of our nation’s victory over the British crown. Although our attempts at a “more perfect union” had some flaws, the mere fact that America grew into the most powerful nation in the earth is in no small part to God’s blessings.
Through the Great Awakenings the Gospel of Jesus rang in every city, town, and hamlet. Multitudes came to Christ and had their sins forgiven. America has produced more missionaries that any other country and has taken the message of the grace of God to the four corners of the earth.
But much like ancient Israel, when we grew fat with the abundance of God’s favor, we turned away from Him to embrace other Gods. Our eyes bulged with wealth, excess, and pride. We felt we didn’t need God anymore and summarily removed Him from public life and the curse of Romans 1 fell on us.
Romans 1:28–32 (NKJV) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
God brought judgment upon us. Many do not even see it. But God has always had a remnant who would see and hear and cry out. The Psalmist prayed. We can pray.
4 Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease.
5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.
Where is the remnant today? Noah has the 8; Jesus has the 12; Gideon had the 300. David had 400 mighty men and Elijah has 7000 who had not bowed their knee to Baal. The end times will see 144,000 Jewish evangelists speaking the coming judgments of the last days.
Where is the remnant today? I’ll tell you where they are. They are hidden away out of sight and fame. Most of them you have never hear of. They are not on TV or radio or any broadcast media. They do not have millions of followers on social media. They are not attending luncheons with political leaders. That is not to say that those that do those things are not part of the remnant; many of them are. Those that are hidden are shut in with God, only listening to His voice. They are not moved by what they read or hear on the news; they are moved by the Word and Will of God. The book of Hebrews speaks about them.
Hebrews 11:35–38 (NKJV) Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.
What are they doing? They’re praying and believing and watching.
Will you revive us again? We cry for it. We long for it. We will obey you for it.
8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Lord, what do You want me to do? Where do I need to change? Your glory only comes on those who fear you. I don’t want to turn back to foll, a dog returning to its vomit. You desire grace and truth.
John 1:16–17 (NKJV) And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
If we repent, if we change, God will hear and heal.
12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before Him and shall make His footsteps our pathway.
APPLICATION!
How does revival come? Can we make it come? Or is it a move of God, initiated by God, for God.
I have seen revival. To live in revival is something many dream about, but few see. Long before Toronto, Canada or Smithton, Missouri, or Pensacola, Florida, God dropped down in a place no one had ever heard of and showed Himself mighty. I know I will see revival again. I thirst for it all the time. People who have lived in revival can never, ever again be satisfied with just ‘church as usual’. Their hearts cry out, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come! Come, Holy Spirit, we need Thee! The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who is thirsty come. Whoever desires, let him come and take of the water of life freely.”
As I close, I want to go back to Keith Green’s song. I read the verse earlier. Here is the chorus.
But what can be done for an old heart like mine? Soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is You, Your Spirit of love. Please wash me anew with the wine of Your blood.
Psalms 92:10 (NKJV) But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.
MININTRY TIME
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