Sermon Tone Analysis

God’s Road to Revival

2 Chronicles 7:12-14

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Jan 20, 2013

*Our revival with Marion Collier starts just one week from today, and we are praying for true, spiritual revival.

But remember what “revival” means.

*The Old Testament word “renew” pictures someone completely surrounded by an enemy, with no way to escape.

Then, in the moment of greatest despair, God intervenes and rescues them completely.

(1)

*In the New Testament, the best word picture for “revival” is a Christian who has fallen asleep in his devotion to the Lord.

Then he wakes up out of that deep sleep.

-God wants us to wake up!

-So in Romans 13:11 Paul tells Christians, “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

*Another great New Testament word for revival is “renewal.”

-This word is talking about “a renovation that makes a complete change for the better.”

As we see in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

*That’s revival, but who needs revival?

-- Most of us would say: “I do.”

*Dennis Selfridge asks, “When do we need revival?”

-When the things of God do not stir you.

-When the glories of heaven do not interest you.

-When the horrors of hell do not concern you.

-When the peril of the lost does not move you.

-When the Word of God does not attract you.

-When the idea of prayer does not draw you.

-When the House of God does not delight you.

-When you do not see every part of your life as a platform to perform the will of God.” (2)

*Who needs revival?

-- We do.

*In Psalm 85:6, the writer cried out to God and asked: “Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?”

*The LORD God answered that question in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”

*You see, God wants to give us revival, and today’s Scripture shows us how to get there.

*The background here is the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

In chapter 5, they brought the Ark of the Covenant to its place, and began to praise the Lord.

Then the temple was filled with a cloud, so the priests could not continue, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

*The dedication lasted 7 days with prayers, praise and a sacrifice that included 120,000 sheep.

Then after the people were sent home, God appeared and spoke to Solomon.

Let’s read about it starting in vs. 12:

12.

And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, “I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

13.

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

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.”

1.

How can we get to revival?

-- God’s Word shows us in vs. 14, and the first thing to do is humble your heart.

*Humble your heart before God.

The Lord says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves.”

Notice Christians, He is talking to us.

“If MY people,” He says.

In Old Testament days, the Lord was talking about people who trusted in the promise of a coming Savior.

*On this side of the cross, God is talking about people who have believed the good news about Jesus Christ, people who have trusted in the Savior who came to die on the cross for our sins and rise again from the dead.

God is talking about people who have opened their hearts to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

*Christians, we are His people.

And God wants us to humble ourselves.

The word picture is bending the knee, bowing down low before the greatness of our God.

[1] Why do we need to humble ourselves?

-- One reason why is because we are tempted to be self-sufficient.

*You see, the more we’re blessed, the more we’re tempted to think we did it all on our own.

That’s why the Lord reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 men all the way down to 300.

Church, they were up against an enemy army of 135,000!

And in Judges 7:2, the Lord told Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”

*The more we’re blessed, the more we are tempted to think we did it on our own.

But the truth is that there is nothing we can do without God’s help!

-Every step we make.

-Every breath we take.

-Every moment we live is a precious gift from God.

[2] We ought to humble ourselves before God, because we are tempted to be self-sufficient, and because we are tempted to be self-righteous.

*It is so easy for us to think that we are better than other people!

We are tempted to be like the Pharisee in the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:10-14.

Listen to this Bible story from the New Living Translation.

Jesus said:

10. “Two men went to the Temple to pray.

One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector.

11.

The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there!

For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery,

12.

I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13.

But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed.

Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’

14.

I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.

For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”

*God wants us to humble our own hearts.

-We need to remember that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17)

-And in 1 Cor 4:7, Paul asked the Christians in Corinth: “What do you have that you did not receive?

Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it?”

*How can we get to revival?

-- We must humble our hearts.

2. And we must put a priority on prayer.

*In vs. 14, God says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray.”

*The Lord tells us to pray here in vs. 14, and vs. 12 helps us see why, because there “the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, ‘I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.’”

*The Lord told Solomon: “I have heard your prayer.”

And as long as we are not praying selfish, evil prayers, God hears our prayers too!

-The more we realize that, the more we will pray.

-And the more we will see His Hand at work in our lives.

*Your prayers can make an everlasting difference in countless lives, including your own life.

Brian Roennfeldt was a pastor in Australia when he gave this testimony about the power of prayer.

*“My wife, Angie, went to a rough high school.

There were few Christians there apart from one teacher, Mr. David Bunton, who taught manual arts.

Years after Mr. Bunton left his position, dozens of his former students became believers.

Many have entered the ministry and become pastors and missionaries.

*I tracked down Mr. Bunton.

He is now 70 years old and retired.

He was stunned and choked with emotion when I told him of the many conversions since he had taught at that high school.

*I wondered how his influence had brought such a harvest.