Marks of True Revival - Part 1

Here is the sermon I preached last Sunday...enjoy!

MARKS OF TRUE REVIVAL - Part 1

1 John 4:1-8

Over the past few weeks we have been talking about revival…we started with the longing expressed so clearly and so vividly in Psalm 85…

"Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?"

Do you have that longing?  You might be thinking to yourself, should all Christians have this longing?  Should we promote revival?  Well, we should, shouldn't we?  We should all want to be closer to Christ, to grow, to know Christ more because we know in our hearts that we are not where we should be. Do you sense that? John Newton once said, 

"I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” 

Then we looked at Isaiah's experience of revival…how in the year king Uzziah died, he "saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up".  This vision he had of the sovereignty of God, changed his life forever.  It prepared him for a very challenging ministry, a fruitless ministry.

This morning I want to talk about the marks of true revival.  More specifically, the marks of a true move of God.  Why?

The answer to that is given in the text that I just read...do you see it there in verse 1 and 3?  What he is saying is where there is a true work of the Spirit of God there are false prophets and antichrist's on the loose. So the reason I believe we need to spend some time asking this question is the simple fact that the devil in on the loose trying to deceive and oppose the work of God and often it is opposing the work of God by  mimicking the true work of God.  That is exactly what Jonathan Edwards found in the Great Awakenings of the 18th century.  During the revivals he writes in a letter to the fact that,

"Satan seems to be in a great rage, at this extraordinary breaking forth the work of God.  I hope it is because he             knows that he has but a short time." 

We should not just assume that just because we have certain feelings or certain experiences that it is a work of the Spirit of God.  And that is what Edwards found out.  There were a lot of people who were sceptical of the revival and in large part due the excesses that took place.  People were having "ecstatic experiences" or "impressions" or "impulses from above" as they were described.  But he believed that these experiences had to be "disciplined by the rational mind and informed by Scripture" (Marsden)

Edwards was so concerned that Christians would not be deceived and that those who were skeptical would embrace revival, that he wrote a book about it called, "The Religious Affections".  Edwards goal in all this work was…

"In the apostolic age there was the greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God that ever was.  But as the influences of the true Spirit abounded, counterfeits also abounded.  The devil was abundant in mimicking both the ordinary and the extraordinary influences of the Spirit of God.  This made it very necessary that the church of Christ should be furnished with some certain rules - distinguishing and clear marks - by which she might proceed safely in judging of the true from the false…in this extraordinary day, when there is so much talk about the work of the Spirit, we must carefully apply these principles."

This is why we are commanded not to believe every spirit but to test the spirits to see where they are from God.  What he is saying is not to believe everything you hear or see or any religious experience that you have, but to test them.  This is so important for us today as well as there is so much talk about the work of the Spirit as there was in Edwards day.  In fact, the fastest growing part of Christianity today is the Charismatic Movement and so many people are being deceived and led astray by parts of the movement that focuses on the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

So what are the marks of true work of God, of revival?  How can we discern the true work of God?  According to Edwards, these verses reveal 5 marks.  We will look at 3 this morning and finish up next week.

I. Does the "revival" exalt the truth about Christ? (2-3)

We are going to spend more time here this morning than the other two.  This one is more important.  Look at how John sees this as an important test in verses 2-3.  "By this you will know the Spirit of God..."  Do if you want to know if it is the Spirit of God working, this is how.  Notice the contrast...if it not a work of the Spirit, then what is it?  Work of the antichrist. Who is behind the antichrist?

What does this mean?  During the the time of John there was a popular view about Christ known as Docetism, which believed that Jesus only appeared human.  They believed that he did not have a physical body, therefore attacking the doctrine of the incarnation.  This is what John was specifically thinking about when he wrote these verses.  

But I believe there is a broader principle that is begin taught here.  And that is the work of the Spirit always points to the truth about Jesus.  What does mean?  It means that the Spirit will teach and promote the fact that, first of all, all that was written about him is true.  It means confessing that Jesus did exist and he did come to earth and lived among us and believe that all what was written about him are true.  It means he was sinless, he suffered,  he obediently died on the cross, he arose again, he ascended into heaven and that he is interceding for us right now.

Secondly, that He was the Christ - Son of God, and Lord and Saviour. What this means is that the Holy Spirit draws us into submission to Christ, to live for Christ, o deny self, take up our crosses and follow him.  An important conclusion we can draw from this is there is nothing in the Spirit's work that would promote anything in the prosperity gospel movement.  Yes, God's common grace gives us the ability to work and earn a living and become wealthy because the work of the Spirit is not about making people rich, but pointing them to Jesus.

Thirdly, there is salvation in no one else.  R. C. Sproul says "When the Spirit is at work among people, He will plainly convince them of Christ and lead them to Him.  He will confirm their minds in the belief of the testimony of Christ as He appeared in the flesh, the Son of God who was sent by God to save sinners.  He will confirm that Christ is the only saviour and that they stand in great need of Him.  The Spirit begets in people higher and more honourable thoughts of Christ than they used to have and to incline their emotions more to Him.  This plain persuasion about Christ is a sure sign that it is the work of the true and right Spirit."  

Did you get all that?   People filled with the Spirit treasure Christ more.  They will make more of Christ than anything else - more of Christ than money, more of Christ and the Holy Spirit, more of Christ than the gifts of the Spirit.  Christ will be more!  J. I. Packer puts it this way,  "The Spirit's message is never, 'Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get know me,' but always, 'Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.'"

That is why we must be so careful and so concerned about parts of the charismatic and the health-wealth movement today.

We also have to ask, "What does this mean for the Mormons? Jehovah's Witnesses? Liberal Churches in town?"  All of these groups have a false, unbiblical view of Christ.  It does;t matter matter how nice they are or how passionate they are or how popular and exciting what is happening or how sincere they are...you can be sincere, but be sincerely wrong!!!

We have to conclude they are not driven by the Holy Spirit, but by the Spirit of the antichrist.

MacArthur asks important question, with regards to the Charismatic Movement, he asks, "If the Holy Spirit calls attention to neither Himself nor to man, but focuses all attention on the Lord Jesus Christ and what God has done in and through his Son, then why isn't the self-proclaimed  movement of the Spirit defined by that same attribute?"  

What he is asking is why are they not exalting Christ, if the main ministry of the Spirit, according to the Bible, is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ? What this may imply is the simple fact that many of these people who claim to be full of the Spirit are really not filled with the Spirit. I know this is not a popular thing to say, but it needs to be said.  And we need to be very careful and make sure we test the spirits.

Dan Philips makes a great connection, he says, " Show me a person obsessed with the Holy Spirit and His gifts (real or imagined), and I will show you a person who is not filled with the Spirit.  Show me a person focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ - never tiring of learning about Him, thinking about Him, boasting of Him, speaking about and for and to Him, thrilled and entranced with his perfections and beauty, finding ways to serve and exalt Him, tirelessly exploring ways to spend and be spent for Him, growing in character to be more and more like Him - and I will show you a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. We should learn what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit  We should teach what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.  We should seek to live lives full of the biblically defined ministry of the Holy Spirit.But we should never lose site of this:  To the degree that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be targeted on, focused on, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Kevin DeYoung wrote and interesting article this past week. He asks, "What does the devil want to do with you?  Have you ever thought that? Does he want to haunt your house? Not likely. You’d write a bestselling book or become a reality television star. Make your head spin around? You could make a lot of money showing off that trick.  Get you to carve a pentagram into your leg? Nah, not the sort of behavior that draws a big following. 

So what does the devil really want from you?  He really only wants one thing: he wants to keep you from Christ.He wants to make you selfish. He wants you to live for your ambition. He wants you to live for your addiction. He wants you live for your ego. He wants you to live for anyone or anything that’s not Jesus.   As long as he keeps you from Christ–from the true and living God–he doesn’t care how it happens. Make you sick like Job or rich like Uzzah, just so long as you forget your Creator in the days of your youth. He will be the accuser of the brethren in one breath and the lying spirit who says “peace, peace” in the next. 

What does the devil want? He wants you to believe the lie that you are okay without a savior. He wants you to think that the form of godliness counts for something even if it does not have the power.  He wants you to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and exchange the truth about God for a lie. He wants you to love the world and ignore the Word. He wants you to be happy or sad or scared or complacent or hungry or full, anything that gets you focused on something other than union and communion with Christ. When you become a Christian you turn from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18).  And when you live as a Christian, the devil will do all that he can to get you to turn back to the way things were."

Did you get the first test?  It's all about Jesus Christ!!!

II. Does the "revival" oppose worldliness? (4-5)

Notice how there is a complete antithesis here in verse 4 and 5…The antithesis is between who is in us and who in the world…But notice more specifically, it is not an even antithesis…who is in us is greater than the one in the world…The implication is the we can and are supposed to overcome worldliness and sin.  This is the antithesis we are Christians live in every day…and the Holy Spirit will make us aware of this antithesis.

How does he do that?  First all he convicts us of sin (Romans 8:5-13).  Second, he combats worldly lusts in us (1 John 2:15-17).  Third, he cultivates spiritual fruit in us (Gal. 5).  Lastly, he creates a boldness for Gospel witness (Acts 2, 4).  

The Spirit of God cannot stop pointing to or talking about or getting Christians to talk about Jesus…A person who always wants to talk about Jesus…true things about Jesus…is a person who is filled with the Spirit!!!  So the question becomes, "What does the Holy Spirit's influence look like in your life?"  What comes to your mind?  We have to ask this question because for many people who call themselves Christians today will say things like, speaking in tongues, slain in the Spirit, some sort of vision or material prosperity.  But are these things evidence of the work of the Spirit?  Is there a conviction of sin?  Is there a desire to combat worldly lusts?  Is there a cultivation of the fruit of the Spirit?  Does it create a boldness in Gospel witness? This is what the Spirit values.  Will not those who are revived by the Spirit of God will value these things? This is clear test to see if your experience is the work of the Holy Spirit or not. 

III. Does the "revival" point people to the Word of God? (5-6)

Notice again the contrast in verses 5 & 6.  This test is rather obvious, isn't it? 2 Peter 1:20-21 point out that there is an inseparable connection between Holy Spirit and bible.  John 16:12-15 makes that connection as well.  The Spirit did not make it up.  MacArthur writes, "The Bible is the Holy Spirit's book; He inspired it and He empowers it."  

What does this mean?  First of all , there are no unbiblical experiences that he will put us through.  Secondly, there no extra-biblical revelations that he will give us.  Thirdly,  he will not limit our study of God's Word. 

Do you long for more of these things in your life?  Should we not always be longing for more of this in our lives, if the Spirit of God is in us?  To know Christ more…to kill sin more…to study God's Word more…this is what it means to be filled with the Spirit…this is what revival is all about.

Here is the second sermon in revival from Isaiah 6:1-7.  

REVIVAL

(Part 2)

INTRODUCTION

I wonder what disappointments that you are carrying around with you today.  Lets face it, we all experience disappointment.

There are so many things that disappointment in our lives:

• Things disappoint.  It is amazing, isn't it, the self-life of many products that we buy today.

But not only does the shelf-life of many things disappoint, but the short-lived satisfaction we get from our stuff disappoints.

How many times as kids at Christmas do the gifts lie collecting dust or lie broken just a few days or even just a few hours after receiving them?

• We disappoint ourselves.  How many times are we disappointed in ourselves?  Disappointed in what we have done or not done or how we look or how we don't look or how we performed at work.

• People disappoint.  When we think about the disappointment that we are carrying around, we will find out that most often the cause of our disappointment is other people.

Have you noticed that?

There are so many levels of disappointment that other people can cause.

Dever points out that this can happen on a national level.  For example, we can look back in history to the nation of Germany.

After their defeat in WWI, it's economy was in complete ruins.  Inflation rose at runaway rates, and people literally had to wheel-barrow currency to the store to buy bread.

Then the nation puts its trust in someone who promised hope.  The people democratically elected the leader of the Nationalist Social Party, Adolf Hitler. 

And what happened, Hitler betrayed that national trust most tragically (Dever 2006, 567).

We have see this type of disappointment over and over again in the past 100 years.

But this can and most often happen at a personal level.  These hurt us to the core of our being, don't they?  You know what I am talking about, right?  We all have experienced this.  

You waited for someone, but they did not come.  You planned an event, but they did not show up.  You invested in a relationship, but they were not faithful.  

They said they would never do it again, but they did.  We get our hopes up and are disappointed (Dever 2006, 567).

And we can get so discouraged.  Disappointment and discouragement can have a serious effect on our spiritual lives.  

Lets face it, when we even look at the state of our spiritual lives, we can be very easily disappointed, right?

When we look at the state of the churches all around us, we can easily be discouraged, can't we? There is a lot to be discouraged about!

My hearts cry, and I hope it is your cry, which is the Psalmists cry, "Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you?"

And the verses that we are looking at here today describe how one man's life was totally transformed by what he saw.

He was brought out of the depths of disappointment, fear and hopelessness and was transformed and he was revived.

What did he see?  He saw God in a way that changed the rest of his life!

He saw three things and he heard 1 thing...

I. Sovereignty of God 

He saw a picture of the absolute sovereignty of God.  There are three things that i want to highlight about the his vision of the sovereignty of God...

1. Timing of the Vision 

Isaiah wishes to make it very clear, here in the text, as to when this occurred.  The vision happened in the hear that king Uzziah died.

Isaiah 1:1 says that Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah...

So, this vision came to Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry.

The question is, "What was happening at this time?  What is the significance of king Uzziah and his death?"

King Uzziah, in many ways, was a great king.  In fact, Judah had known no king like Uzziah since the time of Solomon (Oswalt 1986, 177).

After two centuries, he brought the splendour of Solomon back to the nation of Israel.  During his reign he regained territory and political prestige back to the nation of Israel.  

This was a long time coming.  Two centuries of uncertain leadership.  Back then, they really trusted their political leaders.

• 2 Chron. 10-26 (survey) - they needed a king like Uzziah.  He was going to change things around.  He was their hope as a nation, especially for a prophet like Isaiah.

But notice 2 Chron 26:16 - he became proud.

That was the problem in Isaiah's day - their rebellion consisted of the tendency to glorify humanity at the expense of God (Oswalt 2000, 218).

They were hoping in the wrong things!

Uzziah's fall would have left Isaiah deeply disappointed and discouraged.  The hope of Judah and Isaiah were in king Uzziah. He has done so much to restore Judah, to being the nation back to where it once was and where is should be.

But his anguish were have been exacerbated by fear, since just prior to the death Uzziah in 742 BC, the great Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III had ascended to the throne, reviving the neo-Assyrian Empire.  He turned his attention to Israel and the west starting his military campaigns in 743 (Baker 2009, 31).

It was a time of crisis…hopes dashed...deeply discouraged and disappointed.  In spiritual ruin.   It is right in this moment that he sees and hears something that will change his life.

God's timing was perfect in this. Isaiah was brought to the end of himself.  All the things around him brought great disappointment.

This will happen to us to if we put our hopes in this world - in our families, our bank accounts, our possessions, our abilities.

We will be disappointed!!!  They are not meant to be hoped in!!!  They are not to dominate our hearts.

2. Content of the Vision 

He sees God.  This is rather remarkable since the Jews normally believed that to see God was to die.

• Genesis 32:30 - So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered."

• Exodus 19:21 - And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish.

• Ex. 33:18-20 - 18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."

But here he sees The Lord...what about The Lord?

i) Sovereign - sitting on a throne.  He is king!

ii) Exalted - only God is exalted.

Human beings attempt to exalt themselves, but God is the only exalted one.  

• Daniel 4:28ff

• Proverbs 6:16-17 - 16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes...

Eyes that say that I do not need God - lives lived that says I do not need God.

Thats a description of the Western world.  Our cultures secularism has pushed God off to the sidelines.

It was not literally that his robe filled them temple, but that God filled the temple.

Notice the seraphs.  The chief meaning of the term is "fiery".  Notice how they could not even look upon God himself.

"But to be in the presence of the Creator is not primarily to be prostrated with awe.  Rather it is to be filled with praise" (Oswalt, 1986, 179)

iii) Holy 

• Rev. 4:6b-11

What does this mean here?

1) Distinct 

2) Independent 

3) Pure

Why three times?  Because the seraphs are praising a triune God!!!

Notice again how God's presence is not restricted to the temple.

C. Message of the Vision 

Isaiah needed to be reminded that the true king still reigns!!! "King Uzziah is dead; long live King Yahweh!" (Baker 2009, 31).

Don't put your hope in an earthly king.  Put your hope in the one who is really in control of all things.

He is the sovereign king!

• Psalm 2 - He's the one who is calling the shots.

Did you know that is why Christians should be able to sleep well at night?

I was at pastors conference at the beginning of the week and the speaker talked about the importance of sleep in our Christian life and on our bodies.

Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon in Boston in "God is glorified in man's dependence."

II. Sinfulness of Humanity 

What happens?  What was his response?  To write a book?  To go on the latest Christian talk show?  Write a movie about it?

1. He confessed his own sin - he was suddenly and brutally aware of himself…it is his finitude that crushes Isaiah; its his uncleanness (Oswalt 1986, 183)

You see, sin cannot last in the presence of God.  This vision brought great humility.

2. He confessed the sin of the people 

"Lips" express the heart and will.

3. He saw that he was doomed

Cannot help but be in despair and repentance.  He was humbled by his sin.

"For the finite, the mortal, the incomplete, and the fallible to encounter the Infinite, the Eternal, the Self-consistent, and the Infallible is to know the futility and the hopelessness of one's existence" (Oswalt 1986, 182).

This is the kind of person God wants - people who are penitent and who are purged, who are broken over their sin.

 Is this the posture of our hearts? A self-confident person is not what God desires because God is not about making much of you but making much of himself.

Are you broken over your sin?  

III. Grace of God

Do you use see the depth of God's grace?

1. Divine initiative - could have been the alter of sacrifice or the alter of incense.

Fire is significant here.  It can destroy but is also can cleanse.

2.  Divine cleansing 

3. Divine forgiveness

He is talking about sin in general…painful but glorious experience…being broken by the Holy Spirit and gloriously forgiven by God through Christ.

Spiritual Revival - Psalm 85

This blog is for the expressed purpose of posting my sermons in manuscript form.  These manuscripts represent the basic form of the sermon that I took into the pulpit.  However, not every word that was preached is included. Forgiven me if there are grammatical errors. Hopefully I'll get better at it as time goes on.  Enjoy!l

SPIRITUAL REVIVAL - Psalm 85

(Part 1)

Preached June 1, 2014

INTRODUCTION

As we are rejoicing this morning about what God has d one the past 7 years for our church, I want to begin by asking a question.  It is a question I have asked before, but one we need to be reminded of again and again.  The question is this, 

"Do you thirst for more of God this morning?  Are we a church that thirsts for more of the presence of God?"

Don Whitney (Ten Questions) in one of his books talks about this thirst; he talks about the thirst of a dry soul.  A dry soul is one who has experienced the "rivers of living waters".  These people are Christians, but whose soul has become dry. He mentions the fact that there are at least three reasons why this is the case:

1) Drinking too much from the desiccating waters of the world and too little from the "river of God".

2) God desertions.  What he mess by this is we ca dehydrate by our sense or our perception of his absence.  There are times when God overwhelms us with his presence and other times we perceive that he is absent.

3) Prolonged mental or physical fatigue.

I would venture to guess that many Christians today suffer from this dryness, especially here in Canada.  I guess what I am saying is that Christians and churches all around us are in desperate need of revival.  Our country and our city and our churches are in desperate need of a spiritual awakening.  Do you believe that?  Do you look around and cry out, like the Psalmist when is says, "Will you not revive us again?"  Do you see this need as the Psalmist saw it?  Do you see the lack of an awareness of God?  Do you see the lack of biblical knowledge in churches today?  Do you see the lack courage and boldness in gospel witnessing by Christians today?  Do you see all the worldliness that exists in many churches and in the lives of many Christians?   Do you see the lack of joy in many churches?

This is were many Christians and churches find themselves.  Perhaps they are too comfortable in church.  But are we to stay in this situation?  Is that where we should be?

When you see all of this around you and maybe even in your heart, is your heart crying out to God, "Will you not revive us again…?"

That is why I want to spend this month talking about spiritual revival.  This sermon series comes out of my belief that Christians and churches desperately need revival.

So what is revival?  I think this psalm gives us some clues:

I. Revival is for God's people 

Notice the first 3 verses...notice the past tense...what God had done in their midst...

1. "You were favourable to your land"

2. "You restored the fortunes of Jacob"

3. "You forgave the iniquity of your people" - forgiveness implies a removal of both sins and consequences of sin…

4. "You covered all their sin" - divinely put out of sight…

5. "You withdrew all your wrath" - he was not angry with them anymore…

6. "You turned from your hot anger"

What a clear picture of who these people were and what position they were in; they were God's people.  Sound very New Testament-ish, doesn't it? 

Most scholars believe that this is a post-exilic Psalm, meaning that is was written after the exile. It is recounting how God had saved them.

But notice the change in the text in verse 4.  Verses 1-3 was the past; verse 4 is the present situation.  God is indigent towards them.  He was angry with them again.  And there can be only once reason by God is angry.  It was there sin, i.e. worldliness, apathy, disobedience, etc.  And they found themselves being disciplined by God. God was angry with them again because of how they were living.

This is a psalm of lament.  Their spiritual life is not what it should be.  How often do you feel that way?  How often do you feel that are not the way they should be?  You could perhaps describe them as being in a backslidden state; not necessarily in an apostate state.

That's what Robert Murray McCheyne (sermon) believes - their needs to be revival when God's people are in a time of backsliding.

What does he mean by that?  

i) When believers lose their close and near communion with God...

ii) When believers lose their fervency, sweetness, and fullness in secret prayer...

iii) When believers lose their clear discovery of Christ...Christ seems ordinary...

iv) When the Spirit dwells scantily in the believers soul...not walking in the fullness of the Spirit...

v) When believers love to the brethren fades...maybe things get complicated...maybe relationships break down...maybe there has been gossip or a judgemental word or selfishness...pride...Maybe there hasn't been true forgiveness...or quick forgiveness, as Don Whitney advocates...so that bitterness is not allowed to fester... 

This is the backslidden state. Many Christians find themselves in this situation.  Maybe even some of you here this here this morning might be in this position.

Is this backslidden state where you really want to be?  Don't you want to enjoy once again the sweet presence of God?

McChenye (sermon) concludes, "The soul of the believer needs grace every moment…but there are times when he needs more grace than at other times."

Revival is the grace of God.  This is true for all of God's people, both old and new covenant.  Now, you might be asking in your minds, this is true in the OT, but is it meant for the NT believers? That is a great question.  You see in Acts, that after Pentecost, there is a profound awakening that took place among God's people.  And you see it throughout the book of Acts...the Spirit is given in full measure...you would think there is no need for revival.  But then you read the 2 letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, Hebrews.  And then you read things in Revelation 2-3 like:

"...you have abandoned the love you had at first."

"...you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practise sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols."

"...you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God."

These churches, maybe 50 years after they were established, needed to revived.  We can look at many places in church history. For example, prior to the reformation, the church was in a pathetic state of existence. Revival is something that is for the people of God.  It something that we specifically need.

II. Revival is a work of God 

We see this in the questions that are asked in verse 4-7.  They are crying out to God.  They see their backslidden state. They know that only God can his angry towards them and only God can help them.  He is crying out to God to respond, not in anger and judgement, but to restore, revive.

1. Only God is able to revive his people

Notice what he wants God to do:

i. Restore the people of God  

ii. Revive the people of God

iii. Show the people of God

Come in saving and sanctifying ways, not in anger and judgement and discipline. Only God can do this. God is in control of this.  God is sovereign in this.

William Payne (sermon) - "A sovereign movement of God in which the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God's people in ways of unusual and exceptional power bringing renewed spiritual vitality and blessing to the church of God." 

• Isaiah 64:1-4; John 5:21; Acts 2:17ff

This was the experience of Jonathan Edwards, who is describes as the theologian of revival.  It was Edwards and Whitfield whom God used and means through whom to bring about revival in New England. These revivals were called the great awakenings.  We will be spending our evenings studying the history of the first Great Awakening.  This awaking or revival came really in two parts:1734-1736 and 1740-1742.

This awakening is described by Douglas Sweeny (The American Evangelical Story) in these terms, "modern evangelicalism emerged three centuries ago out of a spiritual movement the likes of which the world has never know." 

After the intense revival of 1734-1738, Edwards wrote an account of his experience of revival which was meant to encourage people in England - Whitfield and Wesley.The title of the account is "A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising work of God" and in it he says that just before the revivals set in that, 

     "it seemed to be a time of extraordinary dullness in religion: licentiousness for some years greatly prevailed among the                youth of the town; they were many of them very much addicted to night walking, and frequenting the tavern, and lewd practises, wherein some, by their example corrupted others...about this time, began the great noise that was in this part of the country called Arminianism, which seemed to appear with great threatening aspect upon the interest of religion here...and then it was, in the latter part of December, that the Spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work amongst us...there was scarcely a single person in town, either old or young, that was left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world...this work of God, as it was carried on, and the number of the true saints multiplied, soon made a glorious alteration in the town; so that in the spring and summer following, the town seemed to be full of the presence of God: it never was so full of love, nor so full of joy; and yet so full of distress, as it was then.   There was remarkable tokens of God's presence in almost every house....our public assemblies were beautiful; the congregation was alive in God's service, everyone earnestly intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth; the assembly in general were, from time to time, in tears while the Word was preached; some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbours."  - George Marsden (Jonathan Edwards)

This is not something they made up.  Only God can bring revival.  Does this not just cause you to want to cry out, "will you not revive us again?"

2. Only God can determine when to revive his people...

We don't know when God is going to move like this.  The three great moves of God in the new covenant were: Pentecost, Reformation, Great Awakenings; we haven't seen anything like these times since.  Why God chose these times of revival, we don't know.  But what I do know is that God's timing is perfect.  This is not something that anyone can manufacture, contrary to the belief of many.  It is a sovereign, miraculous work of God.

There was a second Awakening that took place 1795-1835.  A man by the name of Charles Finney was the primary leader and he "first developed the modern concept of urban mass evangelism with a city-wide ecumenical "crusade" or "campaign"."  - Steve Lawson

What was different about this so called revival what that Finney did not believe that what was happening was a work of God.  It was not a miracle."   Finney said, "a revival is not a miracle but is purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means." - Keith Hardman (Issues in American Christianity)

This same author points out, "While Finney quickly added that God's blessing was necessary for any revival to occur, he was declaring that revivals are not unpredictable movings of the Holy Spirit, but the result of human manipulation of God-given methods for bringing about spiritual revival."

But we see here that revival is a work of God. And if you read your bibles long enough, you will realize that God is sovereign and miraculous in his workings.  

That is why the Psalmist here cry out, "Restore us again, O God of our salvation..." and "Will you not revive us again...?"

God's timing in all of this is perfect...but does this mean that we should not pray or long for it?

III. Revival is to be Desired 

Do you see the longing on this psalmist?  He is desperate, is he not?  He longs for restoration, for revival, for the revelation of God's love.  He want to hear God speak...

• Isaiah 41:7 - "When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongues are parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them."

• 64:1 - "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence..."

• Ephesians 1, 5 - Paul prayed for it...commanded it...

Do you long for revival? This is difficult because revivals are always messy!  Your priorities change!

What else do we learn about revival?

IV. Revival transforms 

What happens in revival, lives are transformed.  Notice the purpose:

1. Renewed joy...

2. Renewed revelation...

3. Renewed nearness...

4. Renewed holiness...

What are some other things?

John Armstrong (sermon) points out a few things:

1. A profound awareness of the presence of God - Gen 28.  When were you last acutely aware of the presence of God? In these revivals, God happened!!!

2. Powerful responsiveness to the Word of God and to be in prayer.

William Payne (sermon) - " Cannot have a healthy church apart from the systematic, expositional preaching of the word of God...and there has never been a revival without the resurgence of prayer."

3. Deeply felt awareness of sin - getting right with God

• Zechariah 12:10  - "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn"

Sinners in the hands of an angry God - awakening sermon.

"Subject of the sermon is that at this very moment God is holding sinners in his hands, delaying the awful destruction that their rebellion deserved"  - Marsden (Jonathan Edwards)

4. Liveliness or true life in the Spirit in the community of God

5. Renewed Boldness/ Conviction/ Fruitfulness in witness - leads to an awakening.

Do you see how revival might change things in your life and in the church?

All of these things that happen will change things in our lives.  The Spirit will expose our "darling sins", will expose our worldliness and materialism.

V. Revival is Promised 

Not something that can't happen. It is something that God promises to do.