What Is Holding Up Revival?

To start this message I would like to take the time to quote a great man of God, A. W. Tozer:

A duplex is a house where there is more than one dwelling; there are two dwellings. Duplicity is the same thing—it means two. Judas Iscariot, for instance, was duplicity incarnated. He was so slick that even the disciples did not know which one was the traitor. They said, “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22). And Jesus said, “He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” (26:23). He had to tell them. This son of perdition had lived with Jesus and His 11 disciples for three years and had fooled them so completely that they did not know which one was the traitor when the showdown came. They had to have a little sign to indicate. That was the slickest piece of duplicity I know about. He was two-faced, and he could change faces with the occasion. He was so slick in the change that nobody caught on. He showed one face to Jesus and His disciples and the other to the enemies of Jesus. Now that is duplicity.  (Tozer, A. W. Rut, Rot or Revival)

Duplicity is the single hardest trait to detect and to combat.  Today most people don’t even realize just how hard it is to break away from this tool of Satan.  It always leads to dishonesty and hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy is an old Greek word used for an actor on stage, somebody who pretended to be what he or she was not.   There are many pretenders around the church, and many great actors.  Their soul goal is to distract and recruit you, into duplicity.  If we are not careful they can even destroy a great ministry, and cause a man or woman of God to question his or her calling.  Don’t feel bad if you can not see them, for even the disciples could not see Judas until Jesus disclosed him to them.  Remember Judas walked, ate, and even sat at Jesus’ feet with them for three years.  Judas was as close to Jesus as the other eleven disciples, yet no one saw his duplicity except the Master.  At times Judas even showed his discord.  Remember when the woman who broke her alabaster flask, the one that cost a whole year’s wage, then poured the contents on Jesus.  Judas’ discord had already spread to the disciples.  I know we have been taught that Judas said it was a waste, but Matthew 26:8 “And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, For what purpose is all this waste?”  Again in Mark 14:4 “But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to themselves, To what purpose was the ointment (perfume) thus wasted?”  Not even in Luke 7 is Judas making the statement, but it was the Pharisee who spoke up.  It may have been the whispering of Judas to the others but he never openly said it was a waste.  Duplicity hides at the edge of the light, appearing to be part of the light.  It spreads its discord and indignation throughout the light.  It whispers around the corners appearing to be truth and light.  Duplicity spreads half-truths.  Half-truths are simply a lie, making us half-Christians. Oh no!  There are no half-Christians, for Jesus wants nothing less than 100% or nothing at all. 

Today these half-truths take on many forms of discord and indignation. Let us look at just a few:

1. They come from the wrong side of the tracks.
2. Trailer Trash
3. they are just trash
4. Apartment trash
5. they live in the bad part of town
6. I can’t wait until we have the money so we can sweep the rest of the trash out of town.

I have only seen needy people, (brothers and sisters) who need help, yet because of the discord and indignation of others who have been blessed, they remain in their needy conditions.  Just as Judas spread his discord and indignation to the other disciples, causing them to say “it was a waste”, he is still spreading his discord and indignation through many others today, who on the one hand cry for revival and on the other hand they condemn others.  Maybe we all need to ask Jesus, “Lord, is it I?”  Then watch as he dippeth. 

In Christian communion we ought to be a people without duplicity. Each one of us has only one face. I know that if you have more than one face to present to the public, something is desperately wrong. One of your faces is going to fall under an awful judgment of God.  Our singing is joyless, our demeanor has become joyless, and we don’t have the lift that I have read about in all the great revivals throughout history. You may ask how we get there from here.  I want to see a restoration of a radiant Christian love, so it will be impossible to find anyone who will speak unkindly or uncharitably about another or to another.  When the radiant Christian love is truly restored, then God’s Glory will show up and revival will come.