Revive In 2005 ¡V Part 2
Thesis: The Body of Christ in America needs to be revived in the New Year of 2005. They need to follow the example of King Hezekiah and learn how to be revived in 2005.
To many people just want to survive in 2005 but the Lord wants us revived in 2005.
Introduction:
We have entered into a New Year with the chance at a new start or a new beginning. It¡¦s a new chapter in our book of life. So what are you going to write about in this new chapter? You hold the pen to this chapter in your life it is yours to write. Will it be a chapter filled with hopelessness and despair? Will it be a chapter filled with repentance and revival? Will it be a chapter filled with the same ho hum life of the previous chapter? Will it be an exciting chapter in your life or a sleeper chapter? Will people get excited when they read this chapter about your life or will they think this is boring!
Summary of Sermon #1:
Last week we started exploring the topic of Revival because our new theme is Revive in 2005. We heard about the father of America¡¦s modern revival in the 1800¡¦s Charles Finney. We also read and learned about King Hezekiah who brought revival to the nation of Judah. We saw that Hezekiah did some prominent actions when he became king of Judah. 1st he went and repaired the Temple because it had been abandoned and left barren for years under the evil reign of his father. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord by repairing the temple doors and then having the temple cleaned up and cleaned out of anything that was defiled. He then proceeded to reinstitute the sacrificial worship service set up and established by the Lord in Leviticus. He made a new covenant with the Lord and the nation of Judah repented and made a new covenant and revival broke out across the country. We today need this same kind of revival in the United States.
Listen to this recent article I received this week on America¡¦s spiritual condition from the American Family Association:
PENNSYLVANIA CHRISTIANS FACE 47 YEARS IN PRISON FOR READING THE BIBLE IN PUBLIC
Philadelphia charges Christians with hate crimes, inciting a riot, and using a deadly weapon.
Bill O’Reilly reported on the situation on Fox News Channel.
Dear Michael,
What we have been saying has now happened. You cannot quote what the Bible has to say about homosexuality in public or you will be charged with a "hate crime." Philadelphia is only the beginning. If we fail to take a stand here, this "crime" will soon be applied across America.
In the 27 years of this ministry, I have never witnessed a more outrageous miscarriage of justice than what is happening in Philadelphia. Four Christians are facing up to 47-years in prison and $90,000 in fines for preaching the Gospel on a public sidewalk, a right fully protected by the First Amendment.
On October 10, 2004, the four Christians were arrested in Philadelphia. They are part of Repent America. Along with founder Michael Marcavage, members of Repent America¡Xwith police approval--were preaching near Outfest, a homosexual event, handing out Gospel literature and carrying banners with Biblical messages.
When they tried to speak, they were surrounded by a group of radical homosexual activists dubbed the Pink Angels. A videotape of the incident shows the Pink Angels interfering with the Christians¡¦ movement on the street, holding up large pink symbols of angels to cover up the Christians’ messages and blowing high pitched whistles to drown out their preaching.
Rather than arrest the homosexual activists and allow the Christians to exercise their First Amendment rights, the Philadelphia police arrested and jailed the Christians!
They were charged with eight crimes, including three felonies: possession of instruments of crime (a bullhorn), ethnic intimidation (saying that homosexuality is a sin), and inciting a riot (reading from the Bible some passages relating to homosexuality) despite the fact that no riot occurred.
You may think I am exaggerating. I’m not. Our AFA Center for Law and Policy is representing these four individuals at no cost. We will take this case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary to get justice.
There is so much more about this case I don’t have room for it in this letter. We have prepared a 25-minute VHS/DVD in which two AFA-CLP attorneys discuss the case in detail.
Please help us with our expenses in representing these committed Christians. With your tax-deductible gift of $15, less than the cost of a cup of coffee once a month for the next year, we will send your choice of either the VHS or DVD. Watch the VHS/DVD, then share it with your Sunday school class and church. This VHS/DVD should be required viewing in every church in America.
Thanks for caring enough to get involved. We must not allow this travesty of justice to continue.
Sincerely, Don
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
If My people¡Kwill humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chr 7:14).
Here is another letter I received this week with a call to pray for our nation so that we can experience a revival.
Dear Christian Friend,
Thank you for visiting The Capitol Hill Prayer Alert Foundation Website.
If you are a Bible-believing Christian who takes prayer seriously, you are needed on the front lines in the war for our nation¡¦s soul.
You know that ungodly forces are out to destroy America. They hate the Gospel and America¡¦s Christian heritage. They want to remove the Biblical foundations from American law and government, the very moral roots that made ours a free nation & a light among the nations.
„X Do you want your children to INHERIT an officially God-less nation?
„X Are you GRIEVED that 45 million American babies have been murdered by "legal" abortion?
„X Are you HORRIFIED that the very sex crimes that provoked God to destroy ancient Sodom are now special, protected ¡§rights¡¨ in America?
„X Do you WEEP over a worldly, divided & largely ineffective American Church?
„X Are you OUTRAGED that our Courts are determined to strip us of true religious liberty?
„X Do you know in your heart that America¡¦s ONLY HOPE is sweeping, God-given Revival & a Biblical Reformation - ushered in by prayer?
Since 1991 The Capitol Hill Prayer Alert has served to network Christians who know that the war for America¡¦s soul can only be won with aggressive, focused, heartfelt PRAYER!
By uniting with likeminded believers to pray strategically over key national initiatives & legislation ¡V the effectiveness of all of our prayers will be multiplied (see Mt 18:19-20).
Thanks & God bless you,
President: The Capitol Hill Prayer Alert Foundation
Last week some of us made a new covenant with the Lord and pledged to serve Him wholeheartedly. I reviewed this video this week and was encouraged at what happens to a place when they make a new covenant with the Lord and repent of their sins. Look at what happened to this nation in Africa.
Video from Transformation 2 on Revival: The story of Uganda.
Amazing isn¡¦t it? A whole nation experiences revival and a turning back to God. Well let¡¦s continue to learn about another nation Judah that also experienced a great revival under the leadership of man called Hezekiah.
Scripture Text: Last week we highlighted 2 Chronicles 29-31but today let¡¦s look at 2 Kings and learn some other keys to revival of a heart and a nation.
2 Kings 18
1In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother¡¦s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan. )
5Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.
9In King Hezekiah¡¦s fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah¡¦s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. 12This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant¡Xall that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.
13In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah¡¦s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 14So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: ¡§I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.¡¨ The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman¡¦s Field. 18They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19The field commander said to them, ¡§Tell Hezekiah:
¡§¡¥This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 20You say you have strategy and military strength¡Xbut you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man¡¦s hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22And if you say to me, ¡§We are depending on the LORD our God¡¨¡Xisn¡¦t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ¡§You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem¡¨?
23¡§¡¥Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses¡Xif you can put riders on them! 24How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master¡¦s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.¡¦¡¨
26Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, ¡§Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don¡¦t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.¡¨
27But the commander replied, ¡§Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall¡Xwho, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?¡¨
28Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: ¡§Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ¡¥The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.¡¦
31¡§Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 32until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death!
¡§Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ¡¥The LORD will deliver us.¡¦ 33Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?¡¨
36But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, ¡§Do not answer him.¡¨
37Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.
2 Kings 19:
1When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. 2He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3They told him, ¡§This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.¡¨
5When King Hezekiah¡¦s officials came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, ¡§Tell your master, ¡¥This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard¡Xthose words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.¡¦¡¨
8When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10¡§Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ¡¥Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.¡¦ 11Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?¡¨
14Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ¡§O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
17¡§It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men¡¦s hands. 19Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.¡¨
20Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: ¡§This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:
¡§¡¥The Virgin Daughter of Zion
despises you and mocks you.
The Daughter of Jerusalem
tosses her head as you flee.
22 Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By your messengers
you have heaped insults on the Lord.
And you have said,
¡§With my many chariots
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its pines.
I have reached its remotest parts,
the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.¡¨
25 ¡§¡¥Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.
26 Their people, drained of power,
are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,
like grass sprouting on the roof,
scorched before it grows up.
27 ¡§¡¥But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me
and your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.¡¦
29¡§This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah:
¡§This year you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 Once more a remnant of the house of Judah
will take root below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
32 ¡§Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria:
¡§He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
33 By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city,
declares the LORD.
34 I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.¡¨
35That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning¡Xthere were all the dead bodies! 36So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
37One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.
T.S. - King Hezekiah becomes and example of a leader who lead the people of God into a Revival. Listen to the things he instructed the people to do so that they could receive revival in their lives and in the nation¡¦s life.
1. Repair the Temple in 2005
a. We must pick up our spiritual tools and get to work on the run down temple from all the years of neglect and abuse.
i. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17: 16Don¡¦t you know that you yourselves are God¡¦s temple and that God¡¦s Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God¡¦s temple, God will destroy him; for God¡¦s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
b. We must get to work immediately like Hezekiah did.
i. It was the first thing he did when he became King of Judah. It¡¦s the first thing we must do as we enter into this New Year.
ii. No more procrastination it¡¦s time for action!
T.S. ¡V Once we have repaired the temple we then need to clean it.
2. Clean the Temple in 2005
a. Change your direction in life and repent and clean house don¡¦t do evil in the eyes of the Lord and trash the temple.
i. Instead do right in the yes of the Lord and purify the temple.
ii. We must make sure that we clean everything out of our temples that is filthy. Why? So that we prepare the house of the Lord for His presence.
iii. Truth is: ¡§It¡¦s Show time!¡¨ Let¡¦s clean it out and be blessed!
1. Jim Cymbala stated this about unlocking God¡¦s blessing:
a. According to Scripture, God¡¦s blessing can rest on both men and women, because with God there is no gender bias. His blessing can rest on a family, a child, or even unborn offspring. It can prosper a local church in such measure that an entire city or region will feel the effect of God¡¦s favor on that congregation. God¡¦s blessing can rest on the labor of our hands, our personal finances, or our physical well-being. In fact, Moses told the Israelites that ¡¥the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do¡¦ (Deut. 15:18). Think of the vast potential we have if we live under the blessing of God!
b. He adds, ¡§But then again, the blessing of God does not automatically rest on every person, family, or church. Some of us live out our years under a closed heaven. Because God doesn¡¦t smile on our lives, nothing seems to work as we struggle on year after year. This can be true even for those who have professed faith in Jesus as Savior. Likewise, Christian churches can live outside God¡¦s favor, becoming like the congregation at Laodicea that Christ warned us about; ¡¥So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth¡¦ (Rev. 3:16). Doesn¡¦t exactly sound as if God¡¦s blessings were overflowing in that church¡¨ (Break Through prayer, page 16).
2. Blessings flow into a life when the temple has been cleaned and purified.
T.S. ¡V Once we have cleaned house we then need to renew our Covenant with the Lord or even make a new one.
3. Make a New Covenant with the Lord in 2005
a. Renew your commitment to the Lord and His ways and sign on the dotted line!
i. Like Hezekiah did in Jerusalem at the 1st temple service reinstituted under his leadership.
b. Remember --- Do the 10 steps to cutting of the Covenant between you and the Lord Jesus ¡V We will remind ourselves of these 10 steps in the Altar Service.
c. Sign a contract with God ¡V Put your signature were your heart is!
T.S. ¡V Not only did Hezekiah renew the Covenant with the Lord he also challenges and called the people to come together in unity.
4. Come together in unity before the Lord
a. Hezekiah called the people to come together as one and to rededicate themselves to the Lord and become unified again in their lives.
i. There is a verse in scripture that says, ¡§Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.¡¨ This verse refers to what the nation of Israel had done and how this led them into sin and the forsaking of the Lord.
1. We are not to do right in our eyes but right in the Lord¡¦s eyes.
2. This means we have to do things the Lord¡¦s way.
3. Remember Jesus prayer in the garden, ¡¥Lord I pray that they would be one as you and I are one!¡¨
4. Unity in the things of the Lord is the key to revival in a community!
ii. 2 Chronicles 30:6-9 (Hezekiah sent this out to all the Jewish nation challenging them to come home to celebrate Passover to the Lord. He and the leadership had experienced a personal revival now he invited the entire people of Israel to come home to the Temple to experience revival themselves.)
1. 6At the king¡¦s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: ¡§People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.¡¨
b. Stories for Preachers shares this about unity: There is much that man can learn much from observing geese in flight. For one thing, people who share a common direction and a sense of community get where they are going more quickly and easily because they rely on the strength of one another. Secondly, people with as much sense as a goose will stay in formation and accept help when it is needed and will also offer help when other need it. Thirdly, geese instinctively share the task of leadership and do not resent the leader. Fourth, when a goose is sick, wounded or shot down, two others drop out of formation to follow it down to earth to protect it. They remain with the wounded bird until it is well or dies.
T.S. ¡V We are to unite for revival to break out in our community and we then need to offer up to God sacrifices.
5. Make sacrifices to Him daily in 2005
a. Romans 12:1, 2 ¡§1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God¡¦s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God¡Xthis is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God¡¦s will is¡Xhis good, pleasing and perfect will.¡¨
b. Be willing to sacrifice of your time and resources for the Lord on a daily basis. You might be thinking ¡§I do not have the time!¡¨
i. Then make time!
1. You are to busy not to pray and offer up time to the Lord.
2. The enemy wants to steal your time with business so that you do not sacrifice to the Lord or spend time with the Lord.
ii. What constitutes daily Sacrifices to the Lord?
1. Prayer time
2. Devotional time
3. Bible reading time
4. Listening to preachers time
5. Reading Christians books and magazines time
6. Reflecting on the Lord time
7. Church time
8. Worship time
9. Service time
c. This needs to be a daily mindset- not just every once in awhile!
T.S. - Once we understand the importance of daily sacrifices to the Lord we then need to make sure we obey his commands to tithe to His kingdom.
6. Tithe to the Lord in 2005
a. Be willing to be obedient to the instruction of the Lord in Malachi 3.
b. Follow His commands.
i. This is not a Blue Light special area of Christianity that says, ¡§Today you only need to follow 8 of the 10 commandments.¡¨ Bruce Tanner
1. Or ¡§You only have to give to God your leftovers.¡¨
2. Or ¡¥today I only have to give 3% of my income to the Lord!¡¨
a. Average Christian in America on gives 4% of their income to the Lord. This shows that we need revival.
b. Where your money goes is where you heart is!
ii. Christians today want blue light specials not all out commitment to the ways of the Lord.
T.S. ¡V We must commit to the tithe if we want revival and then commit to giving God offerings on top of that.
7. Give offerings to the Lord in 2005
a. Don¡¦t just tithe give more than your tithe to the Lord. Why? Because God wants to bless you more!
i. From Stories for Preachers: The pastor of a local church decided to take drastic action on stewardship: he hired an electrician to wire the pews. The next Sunday he said, "Today is Stewardship Day. We will be making our pledges publicly, in church, this morning. Who will pledge $50 a week?" As he said this, he motioned to the electrician to pull the switch, and about half the congregation jumped to their feet. The church treasurer quickly began recording names. As the pastor called for those willing to give $75 per week, he once again motioned to the electrician, and the switch was pulled. This time, however, the voltage was increased, and as the dollar amounts increased, so did the voltage. Needless to say, it was a tremendously successful Stewardship campaign. As they were totaling pledges after the service, an elder came to tell the pastor that there might be a problem--four members were so stubborn about their pledges that they remained in their seats the whole time, and were now seared to the pew.
ii. Truth is too many people in the church cry out for revival but they do not want to go the extra mile for the Kingdom of God. They just want to slip by with the minimal attitude toward giving to the Lord.
b. Be willing to go the extra mile for the Kingdom of the Lord and see if this does not open the door to revival in your life.
c. King Hezekiah went the extra mile in his giving to the temple and the Lord blessed him.
d. The people went the extra mile and the Priests and Levites said that there was more than enough to continue the worship at the temple.
T.S. ¡V We must be willing to go the extra mile for revival to break out in our hearts and then we must also make sure that we worship the Lord through it all.
8. Worship the Lord with praise from the heart in 2005
a. Come to the house of worship with the attitude of meeting with the Lord and the desire to be refreshed as you praise and thank Him for His blessings.
i. This is what the people of Judah did and what King Hezekiah did.
b. Get your hearts into worship!
c. Break out the instruments of worship and play them for the Lord.
i. If you are gifted in this do it! Don¡¦t withhold it from the Body of Christ and the Lord Himself.
1. Do it! Play your instrument to the Lord and be blessed.
T.S. ¡V we must always maintain an attitude of worship as we serve the Lord and sacrifice to the Lord because this unlocks revival in our hearts. But there is another key to unlocking revival it is called prayer!
9. Pray to the Lord in 2005
a. Get your communication with God going again, talk to him and grow in the maturity of the faith.
b. Listen to Finney¡¦s thoughts on prayer:
i. From Power on High:
1. 1. What do we need to secure success in this great work? 2. How can we get it? (Revival that is!)
a. Answer. 1. We need the enduement of power from on high. Christ had previously informed the disciples that without Him they could do nothing. When He gave them the commission to convert the world, He added, "But tarry ye in Jerusalem till ye be endued with power from on high. Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Lo, I send upon you the promise of My Father." This baptism of the Holy Ghost, this thing promised by the Father, this enduement of power from on high, Christ has expressly informed us is the indispensable condition of performing the work which he has set before us.
b. 2. How shall we get it? Christ expressly promised it to the whole Church, and to every individual whose duty it is to labor for the conversion of the world. He admonished the first disciples not to undertake the work until they had received this enduement of power from on high. Both the promise and the admonition apply equally to all Christians of every age and nation. No one has, at any time, any right to expect success, unless he first secures this enduement of power from on high. The example of the first disciples teaches us how to secure this enduement. They first consecrated themselves to his work, and continued in prayer and supplication until the Holy Ghost fell upon them on the Day of Pentecost, and they received the promised enduement of power from on high. This, then, is the way to get it.
c. Jim Cymbala discusses the importance of prayer in his new book Break Through Prayer:
i. He states, ¡¥everywhere I travel, I keep hearing the defensive teaching that fervent prayer, heartfelt prayer is really overrated and not necessary today. Since God is love, some people reason, we just have to ask once and politely for what we need and everything will turn out fine. No need today for prayer meetings and prolonged times of waiting on the Lord, no answer comes. No, that¡¦s part of an old-fashioned, out-of-date theology that belongs to another era¡KWell, I have two questions in response to all that: 1. what do these words from the Bible mean? And the Lord said, ¡¥Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?¡¦ (Luke 18:6-7) He also notes; If Jesus himself prayed with ¡¥loud cries and tears¡¦ at times, then we can certainly feel free and unashamed to pour out our souls to God¡¨ (22). 2. When it comes to de-emphasizing prayer and the prayer meeting in churches across the land, where are the spiritual results that prove we have found a better way?
ii. Last week the Amery ministerial agreed to do another prayer meeting on Jan. 3oth at 7pm here at New Life. Four churches agreed to come together and pray for revival in our community and in our nation.
1. I encourage everyone here to be there so that we get on our knees and seek the face of God.
d. Quote on Prayer from Stories for Preachers: The wisest words I ever heard on the subject of patience were from a born-again Christian whose husband was an agnostic. She loved and believed in Jesus; he was in turn derisive and dismissive. A Christian friend gave her this advice: "Don’t talk to your husband about God, talk to God about your husband." --Peggy Noonan
i. Do you have unsaved loved one then pray to the Father for them and close your mouth at them.
e. Quote on Prayer from Stories for Preachers: A father was watching his young son try to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn’t budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are not," the father replied. "You haven’t asked me to help you."
i. Having struggles in life then pray to your Heavenly father and he will help you.
f. If My people¡Kwill humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chr 7:14).
T.S. - For revival to come we must make sure we pray like Hezekiah did and then trust the Lord no matter what is hurled our way.
10. Trust the Lord even in the midst of crisis in 2005
a. Hezekiah was a great example in what it means to trust the Lord.
i. He trusted the Lord enough to smash and tear down all the idols in Judah.
1. I am sure there were those who opposed this radical action.
2. He did not just put the idols away to be used another day when things got rough not he crushed them.
a. Too many people turn from their idols and put them away safely for another day. They don¡¦t crush them like Hezekiah did.
ii. He trusted in the Lord enough to be honest with the people about their sinful condition.
1. They turned their backs on God and shut out the light to His temple.
2. They did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
3. They were wrong and they were sinners.
4. It is interesting in 2 Kings it says, ¡§No other king was like him!¡¨
a. It said, ¡§He never ceased to follow the Lord ¡Kand he held fast to the Lord.¡¨
b. These types of qualities are what led a nation into revival.
iii. He trusted the Lord enough to obey all His commands.
1. He did not believe in Blue Light Specials!
2. Because he did not it the Word says, ¡§The Lord was with him!¡¨ ¡§He was successful!¡¨ ¡§He prospered!¡¨
iv. He trusted the Lord enough that when trouble came he stayed with the Lord and prayed to the Lord for deliverance.
1. When Revival comes to your heart and your nation the enemy will rise up against you- expect it!
a. Hezekiah responded by going into the temple to seek the help and insight of the Lord.
b. He also sent advisors to God¡¦s prophet Isaiah to hear from the Lord what to do.
2. King Hezekiah was no exception to persecution and oppression when he instituted the birth of revival in Judah (2 Kings 18, 19).
a. The revival of Judah made the heathen leaders in power upset and angry. They came to stop the revival!
3. The truth is the enemy of Revival will attack you and do some of the following to get you to forsake the Lord:
a. The enemy will try to get you to doubt God¡¦s faithfulness and power.
i. He will lie, ¡§The leader of Assyria said ¡¥The Lord sent me to you!¡¦¡¨
1. Remember he is speaking of the false lord not the real Lord Jesus!
ii. He will lie and say, ¡§Do not listen to your spiritual and Godly leader!¡¨
1. Desert him!
2. Quit ¡V surrender to me!
iii. He will lie and say, ¡§Choose life not death and it¡¦s found in your surrender to me and my offer of captivity.¡¨
1. The enemy tells you life is found in his ways. Truth is it is death not life.
b. He will use threats of violence to get you to stop trusting the Lord.
i. Fear and intimidation will be a tactic to get you to quit trusting the Lord.
c. He will lie and say, ¡§No god is able to stand against me!¡¨
i. Once again Our God is the one who has stood against him and he lost.
d.
4. The enemy will try to intimidate you to give up on Revival
5. The enemy will try to influence your leadership to quit it and surrender
6. The enemy will also try to get the people in you group to become afraid and desert the fight out of fear.
b. Yes, opposition will come but remember ¡§He has overcome the World!¡¨
Conclusion:
I discovered this network on the web and listen to what these leaders of the church of Jesus say about revival for today.
¡§The Coalition on Revival is a network of evangelical leaders from many major denominational and theological perspectives who share a vision for and commitment to revival, renewal, and reformation of the Church and society.¡¨
Dr. Jay Grimstead is the founder and director of the Coalition on Revival. He notes what their perspective is for revival for the our nation: OUR PERSPECTIVE
Wherever God’s people, His willingly obedient subjects, are obeying Him in every aspect of their lives, there is where the King’s Kingdom is being brought forth in this world in time and space.
It is inconceivable that it could be logical or that it could ever please the King to have His willing subjects bring their spiritual-theological-ecclesiastical life under His dominion without also bringing their families, finances, education, legal matters, professional life, voting choices, involvement in the arts and sciences, recreation, and physical health all under the King’s dominion.
The Kingdom of God increases, advances, and becomes measurable in this space-time world in every sphere of life, as more and more individuals become truly regenerated, converted and discipled and let their Christianity and their commitment to the King’s laws and values be expressed through the various facets and relationships of their lives.
Wherever and whenever and to whatever degree that Christians are making a united stand in their societal groupings for the concerns of their King, Jesus, and are operating according to His Kingdom’s principles, exactly at that point is the Kingdom of God in existence on this earth. When enough serious Christians thus influence, penetrate, and permeate enough various societal structures, and when those Christians are connected together in a common fellowship and commitment around their common Lord, that is when and where the Kingdom of God can be said to be advancing through society during this age.
When we look at the last book in the Bible we discover a section in Revelation that addresses the churches of Asia Minor and the church of today. Listen to what the Lord says to His people today and his instruction for Revival.
Rev. 3:1-6:
1¡§To the angel of the church in Sardis (Amery) write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis (Amery) who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
I believe this message from Revelation is for New Life Community Church and the church of Amery today. I believe we need to be revived in 2005. I believe we need to hear the word of the Lord today and obey it. We also need to repent for our own personal apathy, pride and sin. I do not even want you to think about how your neighbor or your spouse needs to do this. You need to do this! It¡¦s about you and the Lord!
Altar Service:
How to make a covenant with the Lord? The ten steps to the cutting of a Biblical Covenant:
1. Sit down and count the cost of the Covenant
a. It will cost you!
b. Anything that cost you something is worth having! Something that cost nothing is nothing!
2. Find witnesses to be present at the cutting of the Covenant with the Lord.
a. We are to be His witnesses in this world!
i. People need to know what you believe!
3. Prepare the place for the cutting of the Covenant
a. Look honestly at your temple is it ready for the Lord?
4. Then exchange robes with the Lord
a. A sign of trust- and take on the robe of His righteousness
5. Then exchange belts with the Lord
a. You battles are my battles and your resources are my resources.
b. We are good at telling and asking the Lord to fight our battles but when he asks us we say no way!
i. We are good at saying Lord I need a financial miracle but when God tells us to tithe and give to Him we say this is our money.
6. Do and accept the sacrifice necessary for the Covenant
a. He made the ultimate sacrifice.
i. He gave you His life on the cross now you give him your life!
ii. This is the great gift exchange program between God and the world!
7. Cut your wrists and become a blood brother with the Lord (spiritually speaking)
a. He let his wrist and hands be pierced for you!
i. How about you?
8. Exchange an oath between you and the Lord
a. Say, ¡§Yes Lord!¡¨
9. Exchange your name with the Lord¡¦s name
a. Become the Christian he wants you to be and honor his name.
b. Then give the Lord your name to be used by Him.
10. Partake of the ceremonial meal with the Lord (Communion)
a. Do it with your heart in the right position!
Instructions:
Inform the church that any one is free to leave during the handing out of the Covenant Contracts if they do not want to participate in this altar service or they did it last week. Inform the church that we are going to write a letter of repentance to the Lord and offer him a living sacrifice for the upcoming year of 2005.
On the Covenant Contract which is handed out to the church is the following:
1. They 1st need to repent of their sins and then pledge to walk away from them in the New Year.
a. They are to write a brief repentance letter to the Lord. They are to name their sin¡¦s they are vowing to walk away from and have no part of.
i. They must be willing to commit to laying them down and to practice them no more.
2. Then 2nd action is they need to give a burnt offering to the Lord.
a. They are to write down a sacrifice that they are going to do for the Lord this year.
b. A burnt offering is a sacrifice that will cost you something in your life. I believe that it needs to be significant!
i. It can be financially orientated!
ii. It can be time orientated!
iii. It can be gift orientated!
The papers are to be placed in this bin and then they will be taken outside to be burned. This will be New Life¡¦s Burnt Offering to the Lord.
Once you have made your written Covenant with the Lord come and place your paper in this bin (remember count the cost 1st) and then go over to the communion table and partake of the Covenant meal communion. This act will sign ¡Vseal and secure the Covenant between you and the Lord.
If you desire prayer first our prayer team members will be here to pray for you before Communion or afterwards.
