“Father, I am your servant, willing and desiring to be used to bless your people.”
The Fields are white and the laborers are few!
2. C.H. Spurgeon said, “If God does not save a man by truth he certainly will not save them by lies, and if the old gospel is not competent to work a revival, then we will do without the revival;
ll. THE WORLD IS LOOKING FOR THE REAL THING
God has Created in each one of us a desire to really know him and the Power of his Hoy Spirit. Few people are willing to pay the price God requires and hence lives a mediocre life of existence only. God never intended for us to live our lives like that.
This world is looking for a church that is going to manifest the power and the purpose of the early church.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.
Listen, if methods and promotions alone could bring in true awakening, Our generations would have surely seen the greatest revival in the history of the world! Instead, we have experienced the worst moral collapse and baptism ratio decline in the life of the Nation. What is this saying about the Church on display?
We need to fully understand the very nature of God. He is Holy, Holy, Holy!
Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
The Angel said this three time for a reason! God is Infinitely HOLY.
Many of our modern churches struggle with serious levels of apathy, disunity, immorality and worldliness. We need to ask ourselves this question.
If all church members followed your example of service and giving, how strong would the ministry be? Would their be an outreach or prayer ministry? Would there be a Sunday or Wednesday evening service if everyone followed your example? These are real questions God is wanting to be addressed. You can walk fully in the power of the spirit living a half hearted life before God.
These are things that should have been settled upon conversion. What happened?
Here is what happened we have been lured into a lie that this is somehow OK with God. He understands this is the 21 century and we are BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.
Here this if you here nothing else tonight!
Until we personally deal with “Sin in the Camp,” our best efforts are going to be no more than trying to cure cancer with a band-aid!
Virtually all historic revivals and awakenings have occurred one way. God’s people were confronted with their own sin through intense exposure to a full array of scriptures. “Judgement must first begin in the House of God!
Until we begin to lead by example both our churches and our families to thoroughly completely deal with sin revival can never come.
The Harvest lies wasting in the fields and the Bridegroom could be at the very door.
May God Grant us a passion for holiness – not just to get blessed but because we love him!
Hosea 10:12 says Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy: break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and rains righteousness on you.
Leonard Ravenhill writes in his great book, Why Revival Tarries (ch. 2, Prayer Grasps Eternity):
No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be shop window to display one’s talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off.
Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; man players and payers, few pray-ers; man singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.
The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer–the highest ministry of all human offices–is open to all. Spiritual adolescents say, “I’ll not go tonight, it’s only prayer meeting.” It may be that Satan has little cause to fear most preaching. Yet past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to fight against God’s people praying. Modern Christians know little of “binding and loosing,” He is Speaking to You–“Whatsoever ye shall bind. . . .” Have you done any of this lately? God is not prodigal with His power; but to be much for God, we must be much with God.
We understand that we need to pray.
We have heard great testimonies of what happens when people and churches pray.
We know the power of prayer.
We know the capacity of prayer.
We know what prayer does to us individually when we pray.
We know what happens in the lives of others when we pray.
-This is the crying need of this day: Prayer. It is the desperate need in my life. It is the desperate need in your life. It is the desperate need of this church.
-There are 28 References in the Book of Acts to Prayer (This list is not all inclusive):
Acts 1:14 KJV These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. . .
Acts 1:24 KJV And they prayed. . .
Acts 2:42 KJV And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 3:1 KJV Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer. . .
Acts 4:31 KJV And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. . .
Acts 6:4 KJV But we will give ourselves continually to prayer. . .
Acts 6:6 KJV And when they had prayed. . .
Acts 8:15 KJV Prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Acts 9:11 KJV . . . for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth. . .
Acts 9:40 KJV But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed. . . .
Acts 10:2 KJV Cornelius prayed to God.
Acts 10:9 KJV Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
Acts 11:5 KJV I was in the city of Joppa praying. . . .
Acts 12:5 KJV Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. .
Acts 12:12 KJV Where many were gathered together praying. . . .
Acts 13:3 KJV And when they had fasted and prayed. . .
Acts 14:23 KJV And had prayed with fasting. . . .
Acts 16:25 KJV And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed. . . .
Acts 20:36 KJV He kneeled down, and prayed with them all. . . .
Acts 21:5 KJV We kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. . . .
Acts 22:17 KJV I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance. . . .
Acts 28:8 KJV And prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. . .
In order to move in the Power of the Holy Spirit, God first requires deep cleansing and repentance among his people.
Pslams 66:18 makes this very clear and very personal. “ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”
If our nation is to avert a much deserved judgement for a Holy God, Believers must Immediately return to the knowledge that God is Infinitely HOLY!
So I don’t care how much you pray he WILL NOT MOVE if UN-Confessed sin remains in the lives of His Children.
I Believe this is the very reason that crucial prayers go un answered and countless believers live in defeat and pain.
If you ever hope to experience Gods mighty mountain moving power and blessing, thorough daily confession is not an option, it is absolutely essential.
God is Saying that too many believers have confession times that are far too infrequent and way too shallow. Usually we are not even aware of how seriously the Holy spirit is quenched in our own lives.
Good news is Isaiah 1:18 States our Father is a loving God and he is giving us invitation tonight “ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as the snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
And in 1 John 1:9 God gives us a further promise, “ if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here in psalms 139:23-24 is one Prayer God will answer ever time if we are only willing to allow God to truly search our heart. “Search me o God, and Know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting.
Jesus didn’t just die on that old cross only to take you to heaven, but to indwell and empower you here on earth..
B. We as a people of Christ have lost the Fear of the Lord
-We live in an age that has little if any fear of God. The Proverbs clearly state that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
If you do or allow anything without a firm conviction it is Gods perfect will, you are committing sin, or if you are involved in something about which you have a nagging lack of peace, you are in sin. A very crucial phase in the great welsh revival was, Brother or Sister, are there any controversies between you and God?
-Those who are backsliders have hardened their hearts in such a manner that it is almost as if they are standing stone-faced in front of God and demanding that He do something about their spirit and attitude. Almost like we use God like a Genie in a Bottle.
In our day many people shop for a church like they would shop for a health club. They want one with the most benefits and the least cost. They want to sit and be served. Our primary prayer before God in coming to Church should not be “ what can this church do for me tonight but rather what can I doi for this church?
-You will find a pattern in the Bible in reference to the fear of the Lord. It is always:
Divine Order
Glory
Judgment
-This occurred with creation. This occurred with the giving of the Law (culminating with Nadab and Abihu). It can go on and on.
-You will find is specifically in Acts 5 with the account of Annanias and Sapphira. You find it with Elymas being stricken with blindness. You find it in the rebuke given to Simon the Sorcerer.
C. Holiness
-It is very interesting how people want great power and revelation without any kind of voluntary separation. The key to revelation is always going to be separation.
-But it is not just separation, it is voluntary separation. We have been called apart from the main flow of this world and only a voluntary separation is going to allow us to really have the power of the Holy Ghost to overcome.
-Those who do not voluntarily separate themselves from the world will not have a full pursuit of the Lord. Their prayer life is based on their need, not their desire. Those who gain revelation, willfully pray. They separate themselves through their desire to be with the Lord.
-When we practice the presence of the world we cannot expect to live in the presence of the Lord.
-The word holiness means “separation.” To live “holy” one will always have to live in willful separation from this world.
lll. CONCLUSION – RETURN
-This world needs to see a church like it has never seen before. One that is separated. One that is beautiful. One that is powerful. One that is available.
-This is how we change our world. Not going toward them but rather pursuing God with everything inside of us.
