REVIVAL OR JUDGMENT?

We have just concluded Election Day 2024 in the United States. I admit, living in Washington State and knowing that "liberal" candidates nearly always prevail in this State is disappointing to this "conservative"! I also say that I am pleased with the results of the Presidential Election! In fact, I thank God for it! I am grateful because the policies, principles and platform of the winning candidate are more closely aligned with Biblical standards and teachings. One more thing, I believe that God in His mercy has given us one more chance to get right with God individually and as a nation, with this election. Having said that, I also know it is futile to put trust in man, government or political party to do what only God can do, in making righteousness prevail throughout our country. And YES, we need righteousness! The Scripture says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34) Rather than righteousness, sin abounds in our nation. That verse is a "proverb", which is a short statement of general wisdom. It contrasts the character of the righteous with that of the sinful, and makes clear that a nation's greatness is determined by its righteousness; nothing else. A nation's righteousness is determined by how well its public officials, policies and its citizenry conform to God's standards as found in the Holy Bible, which is the Word of God! It means righteous and godly living and governing are to be practiced in this present world, rather than as those who have no such knowledge or desire. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn." (Proverbs 29:2) Other translations say, ". . .the righteous suffer or groan." Futhermore, it is not enough for officials and the general citizenry to be righteous, but we, the people of God (the church) must also be righteous! In fact, the church must lead the way and be the example of true righteousness!

Many Christian leaders like Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, Rev. Franklin Graham, Rev. John Hagee, Rev. Greg Laurie, Dr. John MacArthur and others are boldly speaking out about the absolute necessity of Spiritual Revival and Renewal in order for America to be spared from Divine Judgment! I truly believe it! We need to understand that Spiritual Revival and Renewal are for Christians, not for unbelievers. Those who are not followers of Jesus need spiritual birth, to be born-again. "You must be born again." (John 3:7) We must be born of the Spirit of God; it is a spiritual birth not a physical one. (John 3:6) Unbelievers need to repent of sin and come to saving faith in Jesus. "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Those WHO HAVE placed their faith in Jesus are indeed candidates for spiritual revival! "If MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME (caps are mine) 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." (II Chronicles 7:14) So, let's break down the meaning in this verse of Scripture.

First, Humility means a modest or lower appraisal of one's own importance. It is seeing ourselves as we truly are, fallen in sin and helpless without God. It is the total opposite of pride. "Humble yourselves before the Lord. . . ." (James 4:10) "He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way." (Psalm 25:9)

Second, Seeking God's Face simply means to make God the Number One Priority in our life. It involves giving God our full attention, thoughts and presence. It means to seek His Presence, submit to God's Spirit, a ceaseless desire to go after (pursue) Him, His will, His purposes through earnest and consistent prayer, and feeding on His Word! We must confess our wrongness and "beg" for His forgiveness!

Third, Turning Away from Wickedness means to REPENT regarding any opposition to God, His will, our casting God's Word of instruction and commandments behind us, purposefully ignoring His presence and His call to us. It means to turn away from opposing Jesus and ignoring His grace, and embracing Him as our Savior and Lord. It involves adhering to His Gospel with the motive of proclaiming it to unbelievers. Wickedness is a very strong word and God makes no apology for commanding us to turn away from it! In this passage of Scripture (II Chronicles 7:14) God is speaking directly and specifically to the Nation of Israel! There was wickedness in both high and low places; both among governmental leaders (Kings), spiritual leaders (Priests) and the general population. I believe that while the truth we find in the Scripture has ONE definitive meaning, it most often has several applications!

So, let's ask the question: How does this passage of Scripture apply to us today? Are we "wicked"? I believe we have evil in our country; there are many evidences of this prevailing disposition and action. Satan is working overtime to get us to move farther and farther away from God. (Read Jonathan Cahn's book "The Return Of The Gods" ) So, how does this Scripture apply to genuine followers of Jesus ---- "MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME." I believe there is SIN "IN THE CAMP" of Believers! It can include such sins as lust, adultery, pride, rebellion, coveteousness, anger, unforgiveness, greed, jealousy, gossip, selfishness, hypocrisy, and disobedience to God as revealed in His Word. To put it simply, Christians have too often adopted a spirit of compromise with the ways of the world and indifference to God and His Word. We have affirmed way too much of a spirit of wanting to be more like the world around us. Ponder this: "Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (II Timothy 3:5) "Having a form of godliness" means to possess an outward spirituality that might appear to be attractive, but on the inside, there is no real and personal relationship with God. We have lost the passion for our "First Love" - Jesus. He said to the Church at Ephesus, "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent. . . ." (Revelation 2:4-5)

John and Mary had put their eight-year-old son Jimmy into bed. After about an hour, they heard a heavy thud. They ran into his room and found him lying on the floor. "What happened?" they asked as they helped him up. He said, "I guess I laid too close to where I got in." Is it possible that our spiritual problem is that we are falling away from God's ways because we are staying too close to where we got in? We got into Christian faith, but the world, the flesh and the devil have tempted and we have succumbed. Max applied for a truck driving job. At his driving test, he was told to drive the truck along the edge of a precipice. As he drove the test course, he drove as far away from the precipice as he possilbly could. Other applicants had driven fairly close to the precipice. Max got the job! "Why" asked the other applicants, "did he get the job since he didn't even come close to the precipice?" The owner of the company replied, "Because, do you think I want my valuable truck driven so close to danger?" We may be living life too close to spiritual danger.

Our sin is both National and Individual! Could it be our nation, governmental leaders and the citizenry are so far from God because the Church ("My People Who Are Called By My Name") has failed to do its job? We are called to be salt. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." (Matthew 5:13) We are called to be light in this present world. Again Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. . . ." (Matthew 5:14) I fear we have not done well and currently are not either! How well do you think you and I are doing in this area?

We have God's sure and definite promise! His promise is to HEAR our prayer, FORGIVE our sin and to HEAL our land. Note: His promise is predicated on our action, involving submission and obedience! It is no other way! HE IS LORD OF ALL OR HE IS NOT LORD AT ALL in our life!

I found this quotation I think is appropriate. J. Barton Payne said, "This great verse (II Chronicles 7:14), the best known in all Chronicles, expresses as does no other in Scripture God's requirement for national blessing, whether in Solomon's land, in Ezra's, or in our own. Those who believe must forsake their sins, turn from the life that is centered in self, and yield to God's word and will. Then, and only then, will heaven send revival."

As we meet God's demands, we will experience true Spiritual Revival and Renewal! This is the greatest need of the followers of Jesus today! The Scripture declares truth about revival in the hearts of Christians. "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 humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.' " (Isaiah 57:15 and Ephesians 5:14) "Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in You." (Psalm 85:6)

Are you familiar with the Gospel Song "Revive Us Again"? It was composed in 1863 by W.P. Mackay. Here are the lyrics:

"We praise Thee O God, For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus who died, and is now gone above.

We praise Thee O God, For the Spirit of light, Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.

All glory and praise, to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sin, and has cleansed every stain."

Chorus: "Hallelujah, Thine the Glory, Hallelujah, Amen. Hallelujah, Thine the glory, Revive Us Again".

Spiritual Revival and Renewal is marked by:

• A Rediscovering of The Word of God. "His delight is in the law of the LORD. and in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:2)

• A Restored sense of the fear of God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)

• A Return to God through confession and repentance. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)

• A Renewed spiritual commitment. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

• A Reformation of true piety (devotion to God and His will). "Therefore, you shall love the LORD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37)

Revival begins with GOD - through His speaking, His voice, His Word. "Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints." (Psalm 85:8) The followers of Jesus do not produce true spiritual revival; God does! And the way in which He does so is through His Word. When God sends the fire of His Spirit to fall on the hearts of His people who humble themselves, seek God, pray, and turn from their wickedness (sin) in renewal, that fire falls on the wood of His will! "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure. . . ." (Psalm 19:7)

So, Prayer is the Burden of Revival; Repentance is the Breakthrough of Revival; Holiness is the Bounty of Revival; and Evangelism is the Blessing of Revival! There are now priorities fully assigned to us in the wake of these truths.

1) Pray Earnestly; Seek and Yearn for revival!

2) Follow ALL the commands of God in full Obedience!

3) Prepare ourselves and our families for the Return of Jesus!

4) Share the Gospel consistently with unbelievers by life and word. Sow the seed of the Good News of Salvation and leave the results to God. We are called to be seed planters, God brings the harvest.

Since we live in this world of sin and spiritual darkness, we must dispel the sin with righteousness and holiness, and we must dispel the darkness with Light! Jesus said this about Spiritual Light:

• "When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' " (John 8:12)

• "You are the Light of the world. A town built upon a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

The story is told of a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. He received his new supply of oil once a month. The oil was used to keep the lighthouse light burning. Not being far from shore, he had frequent visitors. One night a woman came from the village and begged for some oil to keep her family warm. Another evening a father asked for some oil to use in his lamp. Still another person asked for oil to lublicate a machine. Others came with requests for oil. Since all the requests for oil seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and granted all the requests. Toward the end of the month, he saw that the supply of oil was very low. Soon, during a very stormy night, the oil was gone and the beacon light went out. That night several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. To his excuses and pleading, their reply was: "You were given the oil for one purpose - to keep that light burning." We are called by Jesus to keep the light of the Gospel burning! How are we doing with this call from Him? Before returning to heaven, Jesus gave us His Great Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20) In this commission, Jesus gave us all we need to complete it!

• The Plan - "Go"

• The Purpose - "Make Disciples"

• The Personnel - "You and Me" His commission is to be carried out by us.

• The Power - "All power is given unto me." (Matthew 28:18)

• The Program - "Go, make disciples, baptize, teach"

• The Promise - "Lo, I am with you always. . . ." (Matthew 28:20)

We have discovered that God is the author of Revival and His people are the recipients. It is time for us to seek God earnestly, nationally and individually! It is time for the Church to awake from our spiritual slumber and get serious about our relationship with Jesus and about His mission - ALL before it is too late!