Wednesday, June 4, 2014

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.

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