We Truly Need Revival

Ingredients for revival

 

A1 Definition of Revival

     B1 Nebulous

           C1 Stephen Olford says, “Revival is an invasion from heaven that brings a conscious awareness of God.”

           C2 Vance Havner once said that, “Revival is the church falling in love with Jesus all over again.”  

     B2 Emotional

           C1 A moving of the person to tears; “I love Jesus more”.  

           C2 Short lasting. When the emotions die down, so does the “revival”.

     B3 Scriptural

           C1 (Return to Life) Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalms 85:6)

                 D1 Revive has the idea of make alive again

                 D2 It can be compared to a spring died up from drought, now having water again

                 D3 It can also be compared to spring when the dead, brown grass becomes green

                 D4 It carries the idea that we are dried up, brown and only have a potential for living, but with good weather and water come to life again.

                       E1 Water can be equated to the Holy Spirit

                       E2 The food and fertilizer can be equated with the Bible

                 D5 It is the work of God

                       E1 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalms 80:18-19)

                       E2 My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!  

(Psalms 119:25)

           C2 (Refreshing, literally “recovering of breath”) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, (Acts 3:19)

                 D1 Being out of breath for any reason, you can breath again

                 D2 Conditional

                       E1 Repent (change your thoughts, desires, words, and deeds)

                       E2 Be converted (Barnes writes: “The word means properly to “turn; to return to a path from which one has gone astray; and then to turn away from sins, or to forsake them.” It is a word used in a general sense to denote “the whole turning to God.”

                 D3 Blessings if conditions met

                       E1 Sins blotted out

                             F1 We must confess and forsake our sins

                             F2 Bible tells us what is right and wrong

                       E2 Times of refreshing, that is, revival will come

A2 Revival Happens

     B1 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)

           C1 Contrite

                 D1 An Attitude

                 D2 Webster 1828 states:  Literally, worn or bruised. Hence, broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent; as a contrite sinner.

                 D3 This is the opposite of being proud. It is seeking God instead of seeking science, counselors, or ourselves.  

                 D4 It is praying for help, for strength, for guidance, for obedience to God's rules.

                 D5 It is used in the Old Testament 3 times including: At your command we die and turn back to dust, (Psalms 90:3) [You turn man to destruction, And say, "Return, O children of men." (Psalms 90:3)]

                       E1 It is translated “destruction” and “dust”

                       E2 It is an attitude of abasing ourselves, that we do NOT have all the answers.

                 D6 Barnes comments: The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “Thou turnest man to “humiliation;” which, though not the sense of the original, is a true idea, for there is nothing more humiliating than that a human body, once so beautiful, should turn back to dust; nothing more humbling than the grave.

           C2 Lowly spirit

                 D1 An humble attitude and action

                 D2 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. (Proverbs 3:34)

                       E1 Two positions

                             F1 Scorner: not a believer, but a mocker

                             F2 Humble: a believer,  

                       E2 Reward in accordance with attitude

                             F1 Scorner gets scorned

                             F2 Humble gets favor

                 D3 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

                 D4 Wikionary

                       E1 Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage.  

                       E2 Thinking lowly of one's self; claiming little for one's self; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; lowly; weak; modest.  

     B2 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

           C1 God's people

                 D1 Those who are saved in the Biblical sense

                 D2 Those who worship the true God

           C2 Conditional       

                 D1 Humble themselves

                       E1 Turn to God for answers instead of themselves       

                       E2 Realize who is King (Jesus Christ) and submit to Him

                 D2 Pray

                       E1 Plead to God for His mercy and blessing

                       E2 Persistent in prayer

                 D3 Seek my face

                       E1 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek." (Psalms 27:8)

                       E2 Seek is to diligently look for

                       E3 I want to find you, Lord.

                       E4 I want your blessing, Lord.

                       E5 I want to worship you, Lord.

                       E6 He seeks us first, then we seek Him.

                 D4 Stop sinning

                       E1 Obedient

                       E2 Obeys God's laws, rules

                       E3 God sets the standard of right and wrong

                       E4 The New Testament is for the Christian

                             F1 There are over 1,000 rules for us

                             F2 We need

                                   G1 want to obey

                                   G2 pray for help to obey

                                   G3 and obey His rules